Questioning His Life Choices

"My grandson Mark is currently studying at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic."

Jonas pointed to the freckled young man next to him and introduced him to Albert, saying, "I think you young people should have more to talk about!"

Albert's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he looked directly at the slightly older boy in front of him and greeted him in French: "Hello, I am Albert Anderson, and I am currently studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Mark paused for a moment, then, at Jonas's prompting, led Albert to a corner of the room and introduced himself, "I'm Mark Schmidt. Are you here in Germany for vacation, Albert?"

Mark was very curious; it was the first time he had met students from other magic schools.

"No, we were just passing through Germany. Mr. Sella said he wanted to visit an old friend along the way." Albert gestured toward the old man not far away and explained, "He probably also wanted to introduce me to Mr. Jonas."

"Shall I introduce you to my grandfather?"

Mark was momentarily confused, but quickly shifted his attention to something else, "Mr. Sella?"

He noticed how Albert addressed the old man, and slightly opened his mouth, "I thought..."

"No, no, I only knew Mr. Sella from the beginning through letters. He could be considered my half-teacher." Albert thought for a moment and said, "My elders knew him and sent me out with Mr. Sella to broaden my horizons."

Mark was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand why Albert's Home would feel comfortable letting their child go out with other people.

No matter how you look at it, this whole thing seems strange.

However, Mark is a fairly talkative person, and he quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

What kind of place is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

"Very interesting."

Albert recalled for a moment and said seriously, "Hogwarts ' Defense Against the Dark Arts was cursed by a very powerful Dark wizard, which caused the class to need to change professors every year. And the professors who came to the school were all different, bringing unexpected surprises to the students every year."

"Oh, this is terrible. This has never happened at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic."

Albert could detect a strong sense of pride in Mark's tone. "By the way, do you know how to play Wizard's Chess?"

"Meeting."

"Let's play a game!" Mark excitedly introduced, "Tomorrow, France will be hosting an International Wizard's Chess Competition, and I will be participating."

"Wow, that's amazing."

However, he didn't mind the other person's boastful tone, but was more curious about Mark's Wizard's Chess skills.

Given the small number of wizards, and the fact that none of them were professionals, Albert seriously doubted the contestants' abilities.

Mark somehow produced a chessboard and began playing chess with Albert with great interest.

"What kind of school is Beauxbatons?" Albert continued the previous topic.

"Beauxbatons Castle?" Mark said casually. "Located in the mountains, well, the Pyrenees Mountains. Everyone who has visited the school is captivated by the castle surrounded by magically created gardens and lawns."

"Do you speak French?" Albert asked.

"Yes, everyone needs to learn French." Mark spoke excitedly about his school. "The majority of students there are France. Of course..."

He frowned as he looked at the chessboard and realized that the situation was unfavorable to him.

After thinking for a long time, Mark continued, "Among my classmates are students from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. I originally planned to go to Durmstrang Institute, but that school has had a very bad reputation in recent years, so my family sent me to France. To be honest, French is very difficult to learn, and it took me a long time to learn it. I really envy you for speaking fluent French."

This is the frustrating thing about cross-border learning.

You need to learn the local language, otherwise you won't be able to communicate at all, and Mark suffered a lot because of this.

"Well, I have a knack for languages." Albert watched the changes on the chessboard. Mark's Wizard's Chess skills were decent, but only decent, slightly better than Ron Weasley's.

In Albert's memory, Bard was the best Wizard's Chess player, and his skills were honed during the time he spent with Bard.

"You win."

Mark asked dryly, "Are all Hogwarts students good at Wizard's Chess?"

"No, the skill level is just average."

"If you participate in the International Wizard's Chess Competition, you will definitely achieve good results."

"Someone else has said something similar to me," Albert continued, seemingly unconcerned about whether he had won the game. "Tell me about your school."

"At banquets at Beauxbatons Castle, Mountain Forest Fairy sing serenades to the students...and during Christmas, the Great Hall is filled with enormous, Winky, and unmelting ice sculptures..." Mark said mysteriously. "However, Beauxbatons is most famous for its garden fountain, which has healing and beautifying powers. It features statues of Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle LeMay, and the fountain is named after them. You know who Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle LeMay are, right?"

"Of course," Albert nodded. "I know them."

"A lot of people know them," Mark said, clearly unaware of the implication in Albert's words. "Let's play another round!"

"Does that spring water really have healing and beautifying abilities?" Albert knew what Mark was thinking, but didn't care. Instead, he continued to ask.

"I don't know," Mark shook his head. "Students are not allowed to go near that fountain, but some girls still secretly take some water from it."

He quickly fell silent, focusing all his attention on the chessboard. It was clear Mark desperately wanted to win, but...

He still lost, and lost badly.

Losing five games in a row made Mark start to doubt himself, wondering if it was wise for him to participate in the International Wizard's Chess Competition with his current skill level.

Albert offered a few words of comfort, then left Mark behind to chat with the two elderly people, Sera, and asked them some questions he was curious about, such as the Transfer Gate.

Before leaving, Albert received a price list from Jonas.

"Mark, what do you think of Albert?" Jonas asked his grandson after seeing off the two guests.

"A very capable person."

"Well, that's normal. He's a genius, a real genius." Jonas looked at his grandson and reminded him, "It won't do you any harm to get along with him."

"I think I'd better not participate in the International Wizard's Chess Competition," Mark suddenly said.

"Why."

"I lost," Mark said with a wry smile. "After losing five games in a row, I think it's better not to embarrass myself at the International Wizard's Chess Competition."

"Mark, losing isn't scary, what's scary is losing the courage to fight." Jonas said earnestly, looking at his grandson.

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