No one moved; everyone was frozen in place for at least half an hour… well, actually, it was probably only ten seconds.
Albert bent down and picked up the pale yellow envelope. It was a letter without a stamp, and a line of words was written on it in emerald green ink. He read it softly:
Mr. Anderson, Tibber Alley, No. 1.
As Albert read the words, he realized he had triggered a quest:
The Wizard's Path.
You possess the potential to become a Wizard, but you are not yet qualified. You now have a precious opportunity to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and become a student.
Reward: 10,000 experience, 2 skill points, Wizard Bloodline +1.
Wizard Bloodline?
Albert was stunned.
What the heck is this?
The 2 skill points were very tempting. Becoming a student at Eton College only gave 1 point, and Alberthad only accumulated 3 skill points over so many years, which he was reluctant to use.
However, what was even more frustrating was that this was actually a novel world.
The magic world from the Harry Potter novels?
Albert flipped the envelope over and, sure enough, saw the Hogwarts shield crest with a large 'H' encircled by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
"Mom, do zoos train owls to be postmen now?" Niaasked curiously, staring at the owl still lingering nearby.
"Nia, I don't think anyone uses owls to deliver mail. At least, normal people don't. Perhaps, this is just a prank." Daisy looked at her husband, saw Herb frowning deeply, and asked, "What's wrong, dear? Shouldn't we be leaving?"
"Nothing, Albert, let me see the letter," Herb said softly.
"Oh, here." Albert handed the envelope to his father.
"Dear!" Daisy was a little displeased.
Herb didn't notice the displeasure on his wife's face. He quickly tore open the envelope, pulled out the parchment inside, scanned it, and then said, "Children, it seems our plans will have to be postponed."
"Dear Herb, what happened? What's in the letter?" Daisy felt her husband was acting strangely, and her tone involuntarily became heavier.
"Dad, what's in the letter?" Nia also couldn't help but ask. Albert, who received the letter, didn't react much.
"Let's talk in the living room, Daisy." Herb slammed the car door shut and led his family back into the living room.
After the front door was closed, the owl that delivered the letter still hadn't left.
"Dear Herb, you'd better give me a proper explanation." Daisy looked very angry; she was already eager to see her son in his Eton College uniform.
"Dad, what's in the letter? Read it out for everyone to hear. I also want to know who could predict my location." Albert's face showed no significant emotional fluctuations. Of course, he knew what this letter was about. If he hadn't experienced the transmigration and the system panel, perhaps he would have shown a shocked expression upon seeing the letter.
But with the two previous shocks as a foundation, finding himself living in a novel's world didn't feel too strange. Moreover, he had read the Harry Potterbestsellers and had even written a fanfiction.
At that time, he had researched a lot of information and had some understanding of the novel's world view.
"Then I'll read it." Herb looked at his son, who was as calm as ever, and read the contents of the parchment:
Principal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore (Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, First Class Sorcerer of the Merlin Order)
"Hogwarts... School!" Daisy's eyes widened in surprise, as she had already guessed what this was... an admission letter?
"magic, is there really magic in this world?" Nia's face was filled with poorly concealed excitement. "I want to learn magic too, I want to go to a magic school."
"Hmph, Albert, let me go!" Nia looked at her brother with great dissatisfaction. She was about to lean over to read the letter but was pulled back by Albert.
"Nia, let Dad finish reading the letter." Albert motioned for his father to continue reading the letter, and at the same time, pulled his angry mother to sit down.
"Son, I will absolutely not let you go to any Hogw..." Daisy was very angry; she felt her husband might know something.
Herb cleared his throat and continued reading:
Dear Mr. Anderson:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by July 21.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall (Deputy Principal)
Herb finished reading the letter and then handed it to his son.
Albert glanced at it and then handed it to his curious sister. Nia took the letter and ran to her mother, Daisy.
After Daisy reread the letter's contents sentence by sentence, she said, word by word:
"I absolutely will not agree to Albert attending such a school. No, someone must be playing a trick on us. Perhaps we should call the police immediately and catch that annoying troublemaker."
"Mom, does 'we await your owl' on the letter mean they want us to write back?" Nia suddenly asked.
Daisy didn't speak but stared at her husband with an oppressive gaze.
Albert asked, "Dad, do you know something?"
"Not exactly." Herb put his hand to his head, seemingly lost in a brief memory: "When I was about your age, my father, your grandfather, was very disappointed that I didn't receive a letter from Hogwarts."
"I once asked my father what Hogwarts was, and he just said it was a school."
"Later, one time when my father was drunk, I asked him why he wanted me to go to Hogwarts."
"He just said he was a Squib, but I didn't know what that word meant." Herb's voice was low; he still remembered that time, his father cried.
"I think I know what Hogwarts is now. Father will be very happy to know his grandson received a letter from Hogwarts."
Albert, of course, knew what a Squib meant, but he never really thought he had any connection to Wizards.
By the way, his skill bar didn't have any similar skills, otherwise he would have noticed it long ago.
"Yes, I should write to him, no, call him, he'll definitely be very happy!" Herb suddenly said, seemingly intending to call his father.
"Herb Anderson!" Daisy shouted loudly, "Albert should go to Eton College! He will achieve things we can't even imagine, not go to some school we've never even heard of! Do you know? This concerns his future! I absolutely will not allow you to..."
"Mom, we haven't confirmed if magic exists yet." Albertreached out and grabbed his mother, who was about to lose control, and gently comforted her: "Didn't the letter say 'we await your owl'? Perhaps we should write back to them and ask that Hogwarts school to send someone to prove if magic exists. If they can't prove it, then it means they're lying."
"Alright, son, I agree with you. Let that damned school prove the authenticity of this letter." Daisy clenched her fist and swung it forcefully. "Just you wait, I'm definitely going to call the police and catch those fraudsters and have them spend a few years in prison."