If it weren't for that annoying incident with the Ministry of Magic, this summer holiday would undoubtedly have been perfect.
Even though he couldn't use magic during the summer holiday, Albert still had many things to do, such as reading books he previously didn't have much time for. Reading had always been one of Albert's interests, and besides, reading could also increase experience, so why not?
On the last night, Herb took his family to an Italian restaurant for authentic Italian seafood pasta, and the taste was truly excellent.
After returning home, they all gathered on the sofa, chatting and snacking while watching the latest comedy TV series.
Before ten o'clock, Daisy made hot chocolate for everyone, and after drinking it, they all went to bed.
The next morning, Tom once again woke Albert by rubbing him with his furry tail.
Albert, fully dressed, walked to the table, used a key to open the drawer, and took out the golden card.
There was also a letter on the desk, a letter from Professor Bard, which, besides explaining some uses of magic techniques, vaguely mentioned one thing: Hertokhad visited him.
Hmm, this sentence meant that Hertok knew the golden card was with him.
However, Albert didn't care. He would put the golden card in a letter and give it to Shera, asking Shera to deliver the letter to Grandpa Luke. Then, Grandpa Lukewould send it to Hogwarts by mail.
If Hertok wanted to retrieve the golden card by other means, there was no door, let alone a window.
Albert had already decided that unless the other party resolved that matter, he wouldn't get the golden card back from him.
Anyway, the demand he made wasn't unreasonable.
Since you caused the trouble, go fix it for me.
As for how to fix it, that was none of Albert's business.
Breakfast was hearty; Daisy made Albert's favorite food and also prepared a ham sandwich.
At half past eight, the family set off on time for King's Cross Station.
Unfortunately, their luck today seemed to be bad. They encountered a traffic jam halfway to London; there seemed to have been a traffic accident on the road ahead. By the time Albert arrived at the station, it was already a quarter past ten.
Herb helped find a trolley for the luggage and unloaded Albert's trunk from the car.
"You're not taking Tom with you, are you?" Nia asked, holding Tom.
"No, Tom will stay at home with you," Albert said, stroking his sister's head. "I believe you can take good care of yourself and Tom."
"Don't pat a lady's head," Nia pouted in dissatisfaction, but didn't dodge. "Remember to write to me, and don't forget about the photos."
"I know, I won't forget," Albert reached out and stroked Tom's head, admonishing, "Don't eat too much, or no one will be able to pick up this big fat cat of yours later."
"Meow!" Tom meowed, and it was unclear whether he was protesting or something else, which made everyone laugh.
"If you need to buy a Flying Broom, use this Galleon," Herb pushed the luggage in front of Albert, and casually took a bag of Galleons from the car, handing it to Albert. He spread his arms and hugged him, smiling, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you play."
"If I can find a Wizard who knows how to take pictures, you'll see photos," Albert smiled, shaking his head to remind them, "But, don't have too high expectations."
"See you at Christmas Holiday!" Daisy hugged Albert, kissed him on the cheek, and instructed, "If you encounter any trouble, you can write to us to discuss it."
"I will," Albert looked at Nia, spreading his arms.
Nia handed the cat to Daisy and stepped forward to give Albert a big hug.
"Alright, see you during the holiday," Albert pushed the luggage cart and jogged towards the wall between Platforms 9 and 10.
Anyway, there was no one else around at the moment, so Albert didn't deliberately hide; he simply walked through the wall and entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the side.
He looked up and saw the Hogwarts Express, and his slight sense of disappointment completely disappeared. Once he returned to the Wizarding World, he could use magic again.
The scarlet steam locomotive puffed smoke, and there were already Wizards on the platform seeing their children off on the train.
As Albert pushed his luggage towards the train door, someone suddenly blocked his way. He stopped, looked up at the middle-aged man in a suit and tie in front of him, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
His memory was excellent; he recognized the person at a glance.
Hertok.
He hadn't expected to meet him here.
Although it was a bit unexpected, it was also within his expectations.
Albert's expression stiffened, but quickly returned to normal. He pretended not to know the other party and prepared to push his luggage past him.
However, Hertok spoke first.
"Albert Anderson!" Hertok's tone was tinged with excitement as he scrutinized the boy in front of him. He was certain that this was the fellow who had found his golden membership card.
"You are?" Albert asked, feigning confusion.
"Hertok Dagworth," Hertok introduced himself.
"Don't know you," Albert replied bluntly. "Do you need something from me? If not, don't block the way here."
Hertok's face twitched. He had never seen someone so disrespectful.
In the Wizarding World, Hertok was a very famous Potions Master, and most people who knew him would be very polite to Hertok.
However, the boy in front of him was an exception.
Nevertheless, Hertok wasn't angry. According to the information he had gathered, Albert was a Muggle-born wizards, about to enter his second year at Hogwarts, and didn't know much about the Wizarding World, so it was normal for him not to recognize him.
"We met once in France, at the opera house," Hertokreminded him. "romeo and juliet."
"Oh, you were there too," Albert looked at Hertok and then said, "And? What do you want? Just say it directly, don't waste everyone's time."
"Hmm!" Hertok stared at Albert, a little stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to be so direct, and he suddenly had a bad premonition.
"I know you found a golden card, a card made of gold."
The boy in front of him was somewhat different from the twelve-year-old boy Hertok remembered; he was... difficult to describe, but definitely different.
"Yes, that's true," Albert admitted, with a directness that surprised Hertok.
"I hope you can return the golden membership card to me," Hertok paused and then added, "Of course, as a thank you for helping me find it, I will give you a gift."
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"Gift?" Albert looked at Hertok with interest. "What kind of gift?"
"Twenty Galleons," Hertok said awkwardly. "I don't know what gift you like, but I think this money should allow you to buy a gift you like. I hope you won't feel offended."
"No," Albert shook his head.
"Then..." Hertok took out the money bag he had prepared in advance, ready to hand it to Albert, but the latter didn't take it.
"Actually, even if you don't give me a gift, I would still return that golden card to you," Albert added with a smile. "Of course, it's best if you're willing to give me some money. However..."
"However, what?" Hertok's heart tightened, and his bad premonition grew stronger.
"When I first left the opera house, the golden card showed signs of flying away," Albert said to Hertok. "You used Accio on the golden card, didn't you!"
Hertok opened his mouth but said nothing, implicitly acknowledging the matter.
"Later, not long after I returned to Britain, the British Ministry of Magic sent me this letter," Albert reached into his pocket, pulled out the warning letter the Ministry of Magic had sent him, and handed it to Hertok, continuing, "How should I put it? This matter has nothing to do with me, and given that the Ministry of Magic had a similar mix-up last year, I'm not surprised."
"What do you want me to do?" Hertok seemed to have realized what Albert wanted to say; Bard's words were probably about to come true.
"Hmm," Albert continued to speak to himself. "Actually, I've already written a letter to the Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic Office, trying to explain this matter, but they seemed to ignore my letter. I think my letter was probably thrown directly into the trash can."
Hertok's bad premonition grew stronger.
"My request is very simple: since this matter was caused by you, then I'll have to trouble you to explain it to the Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic Office. I know they don't want to hear my explanation, but if it's you, they'll surely listen," Albert said calmly. "Have the Head of the Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic Office write me a letter, apologizing for the mix-up caused by the Ministry of Magic itself. After all, it was their own mistake, so an apology isn't too much, right? The moment I receive that apology letter, I'll send you the golden card. As for your Galleons, there's no need for them. Returning what's found is a good quality, isn't it?"
"Oh, and your name is Hertok Dagworth, right? I've remembered your name," Albert said to Hertok as he pushed his luggage away, then turned back. "Have the Head of the Ministry of Magic write it personally; that's the only way it'll be sincere, otherwise it doesn't count."
Hertok stood dumbfounded, watching Albert's retreating back, his facial muscles twitching constantly, as if his entire face was cramping.
The other party really didn't make any excessive demands.
He had caused trouble for the other party, and the other party asked him to clarify the matter, which was only right.
Making a mistake and being forgiven with a simple apology showed that the other party was already very sincere.
But... to convince the Ministry of Magic to apologize?
He looked down at the letter in his hand; he knew what was inside without even looking.
Hertok finally decided to take a more forceful approach. As for whether the other party was willing to accept his gift, that was none of his concern.
"Accio Golden Membership Card!" Hertok pulled out his wand, pointed it in Albert's direction, and used Accio.
He had made up his mind to get the golden membership card and leave, then have an owl send the Galleons to the other party. As for whether Albert accepted them, that was none of Hertok's business.
However, Hertok was stunned, because nothing happened after he cast the spell.
The golden membership card didn't fly, which meant Albert didn't have the golden membership card on him.
"Don't try it; I know you adults like to play dirty," Albertstood in front of the carriage, turned around, and said to Hertok, "Do you really think I wouldn't guess what you'd do? Don't make meaningless attempts; that golden card is indeed in my hands. However, I'm not taking the blame for that matter. Since you caused the trouble, I'll trouble you to resolve it."
"Oh, and don't use such underhanded methods again, otherwise I don't mind melting the golden card back into gold and selling it at a Muggle gold shop," Albert said with a smile. "I guarantee it'll be worth more than your twenty Galleons."
Albert wasn't sure if it would be worth more, but he was sure about getting an apology from the Ministry of Magic... humph.
It would probably be very difficult!
He didn't care what Hertok wanted to do.
If the other party played dirty, he also had a hundred ways to deal with them. Since the last time he ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest and battled spiders, Albert had changed a lot.
The most direct point was that he was stronger than before, and with strength came courage.
Watching Albert disappear into the carriage, Hertok fell into a brief silence.
"Someone valued by Bard is indeed not that simple," Hertok said with a wry smile.
His relationship with Bard was indeed very average, but he also knew that the other party had his own circle, and those who could enter that circle were all elites in some field of the Wizarding World.
Albert Anderson was clearly one of them.
Actually, Hertok didn't want to make an enemy of the other party either.
There was no other way; Albert was simply too young, excessively young, which meant that in twenty years, he would be an expert in some field, and the other party also made him feel inexplicably steady.
Looking at the letter in his hand, Hertok suddenly realized a terrifying truth.
The other party knew he would come looking for him all along, and everything just now was a pretense?
Did Bard write to tell him?
However, he knew that Albert had no ill intentions, and precisely because there were no ill intentions, that was the greatest malice.
Would the Ministry of Magic apologize for this matter?
Hertok felt they wouldn't, because there was no precedent.
Even if this matter was indeed a mix-up caused by the Ministry of Magic, it was still the same. Just as Albertsaid, he had once sent a letter explaining the matter, but it was ignored by the other party, and the letter might have been thrown directly into the trash can.
Hertok didn't know if Albert Anderson knew this, but if he did, then this person was truly terrifying.
No, maybe he had already guessed?
Hertok's face darkened, and he Apparated away.
Honestly, as someone who researched Potions, Hertokdidn't like dealing with people from the Ministry of Magic, which was why that golden membership card, which served as a pass, was so important to him.