The Extra One

What are you doing?

The door suddenly opened, and a blast of cold air rushed into the warm yellow room. Isobel, carrying a book, walked in, closed the door behind him, looked up at the two people huddled together at the table whispering, and walked over to the small round table by the fireplace. He leaned over Albert's shoulder and examined the photo album on the table.

"Tom's photo."

Albert glanced sideways at Isobel, who was resting his chin on his shoulder, and pointed to several photos that had just been treated with Revealing Potion. In the photos, a fat cat was being rubbed back and forth on a carpet.

Tom has gotten even fatter!

Isobel smiled and pressed his face against hers, making Albert shiver from the cold.

"Tom was actually very thin when he was little. After I came to Hogwarts, no one took care of him, and his diet and lifestyle became unhealthy, which is why he became a little fat cat." Albert extended his left hand to warm Isobel, while his right hand flipped to the front of the photo album. It was a photo of Albert when he first adopted Tom, a small British Shorthair Cat. It was hard to imagine that he would change so much when he grew up.

"The changes are indeed significant," Isobel said softly. "It's hard to tell that those photos are of the same cat."

As she spoke, she released Albert's left hand, took her wand from her pocket, and with a gentle wave, refilled the copper kettle by the fireplace and hung it on the fireplace to boil.

Hogwarts is especially cold in winter, and the two of them usually drink a cup of hot tea to warm themselves up.

"Are you going back for the Christmas Holiday this year?" Albert pushed the photo album toward Katrina and reached into his pocket for the letter.

"Given what happened this year, I doubt many students would want to stay at school for the Christmas Holiday." Isobel waved his wand again, conjuring a tea set to make instant milk tea for all three of them.

"Thanks."

Katrina closed the photo album, took the teacup Isobel offered, took a small sip of the steaming milk tea, and said, "Uncle Morg sent us a letter the other day, inviting us to his manor for the Christmas Holiday. Are you going to that manor for the Christmas Holiday this year too?"

"I haven't decided whether to go or not, but I received Mr. Morg's invitation earlier."

"Actually, there's something I don't understand. Why does Uncle Morg invite you to the manor for vacation every year? Is he really trying to set you up with your sister?" Katrina looked Albert up and down, muttering in confusion.

She never understood why her uncle was so keen on doing this kind of thing.

Katrina was genuinely surprised when she first met Albert at the manor.

However, what Katrina didn't know was that the manor was almost owned by Anderson, and even the House-elf had officially pledged allegiance to Albert. Isobel was also aware of this, only Katrina remained in the dark.

However, neither Albert nor Isobel said anything, so as not to embarrass Katrina if she found out.

There's nothing we can do; she's just an accessory.

Albert hadn't actually planned to spend the Christmas Holiday at the manor; his family had written to him saying that the whole Christmas Holiday would be going abroad for the winter.

Uncle Charlie Pearl Milk Tea business was booming, and he made a fortune. He generously gave Albert a large share of the profits. After consulting with Albert, Daisy decided to contribute some pounds to cover her travel expenses.

So, the whole family went to Italy for the Christmas Holiday and took the opportunity to sample authentic Italy cuisine.

Many Britain enjoy traveling.

Albert also wanted to invite Isobel to come along, but considering that Katrina was still there, he decided to bring it up another day.

However, whether Isobel will agree to participate remains to be seen.

Isobel could tell that Albert had something to say to her, but seemed to hesitate because Katrina was nearby, so he didn't say it directly.

However, even if Albert doesn't intend to say anything now, she has a way of knowing what he's thinking immediately.

As a Legilimens Master, Isobel could see through Albert's thoughts at a glance when Albert's mind was unguarded.

She was quite pleased that Albert invited her to travel to the Muggle World and planned to introduce her to his family, but the girl did not immediately agree.

She hesitated!

It wasn't that she was worried about not being able to get along with Albert's Home. As Legilimens Master, she could easily read other people's thoughts and could easily find ways to get along with others with just a little thought.

However, she was still worried about her family.

Mrs. McDougal was always busy, devoting most of her energy to treating patients since her husband, Mr. Brell, died, especially after both sisters went to Hogwarts.

Christmas is a rare time for families to reunite, Isobel didn't want to miss it.

Albert was a little disappointed by Isobel's polite refusal. He had originally wanted to take Isobel to visit the Muggle World, but now he had to give up that idea for the time being.

Seeing the two gazing deeply into each other's eyes, Katrina sensed an inexplicable awkwardness in the atmosphere. She quietly gathered the books and parchment on the table and quickly left the Room of Requirement, leaving the room to the two of them.

Unexpected things always happen.

That evening, Albert received a weary gray owl. Miss Louise from France had sent him an invitation, or rather, an invitation from Mr. Delacour, whose son Hebra was getting married and invited Albert to the wedding.

To be honest, Albert was a little confused when he found out it was a wedding invitation. He had only met Mr. Delacour of France a few times, and although they had exchanged a few letters, that was all. They could barely be considered acquaintances, not even friends.

Albert has maintained a pen pal relationship with Louise, and lately he has been busy with the Basilisk, so his contact with other wizards has also decreased.

Moreover, it is not an easy task for an underage wizard to travel abroad alone to attend a wizard's wedding; it is hard to say whether he will even be able to find the exact location.

Of course, Mr. Delacour was clearly aware of this as well. Among all the invitees, Albert was the most special one. He was still a minor and could not use magic at will. Moreover, he was invited as a guest to invite other close colleagues.

Therefore, he had already arranged everything for Albert.

The matter is actually quite simple, because many of Albert's "old friends" have received invitations, and he can travel with them.

Albert didn't plan to attend the wedding, since the two sides weren't familiar with each other, and besides, he had already decided to go on holiday to Italy with his family for Christmas Holiday.

However, Morg and the others seemed to have anticipated his thoughts and hoped that Albert could attend the wedding. Mr. Delacour was also a famous Potions with great influence in the France Wizarding World, and there would definitely be many people attending the wedding. Albert could take the opportunity to expand his network, and they also planned to find opportunities to gradually push Albert to the forefront.

No update tomorrow. I'll see if I have time the day after tomorrow. I have important things to do these two days, so I'll ask for leave first.