Chapter 66

When Albert returned to his dormitory, he found that none of his roommates were there. It appears they went somewhere while he was in the library with Shannon. As the room was quiet and no-one was there to disturb him, Albert walked over to his bedside drawer and took the whole drawer shelf to his desk. There, he got out some letters that his family has sent over the last couple of days.

He read all of them and decided to write back today instead of doing it on the weekends like he planned to. He used the doubling charm to duplicate every single photo he had taken of Hogwarts, the staff and the landscape and put them into two separate envelopes. One was for his parents and the other was for his Grandfather Luke. Albert was certain his grandfather would want to see what Hogwarts looked like after he was rejected from Hogwarts.

Albert wrote the main part of the letter first before using the doubling charm to duplicate the letter. He then wrote his greeting and signed off before putting the letter inside the envelope and sealing it shut. The Gryffindor boy then realised he had nowhere to put the gifts he brought from Hogsmeade. Albert got two empty parchments and turned them into an exquisitely engraved silver box. He divided the Hogsmeade shopping into two equal parts before putting them into the boxes he just created.

Before sealing the box shut, he forgot one of the most important things. Drinks. He then asked for the house-elves to bring five sets of every magical drink they had and to be packed in a seal tight mug. They gave him five different drinks. Albert was sure his family was eager to try some of the magical drinks. The first one he put in the box was Butterbeer. From seeing it in the Leaky Cauldron, you would expect it to be sweet and warm. The creamy, frothy texture and the hint of butterscotch flavour would pleasantly surprise you.

Next, Albert placed a glass of Gillywater in the box. When he first tried it, he felt refreshed and rejuvenated. The cool, crisp taste of the water was infused with a subtle hint of fresh mint, making it the perfect drink to cool down on a hot summer's day. And, rumour has it, it could be used to boost performance on and off the Quidditch pitch.

Getting away from such risque topics, Albert placed a glass of Pumpkin Juice in the box. The juice was thick and pulpy, with a rich, earthy flavour. It was almost like drinking a pumpkin pie. Finally, Albert placed a mug of Hot Chocolate in it. It didn't taste too different to the ones his mother made, but you could tell the difference in the quality of the raw materials. The hot chocolate was the perfect mix of creamy and sweet, with a satisfyingly rich flavour.

Unfortunately, the house-elves couldn't give him Firewhiskey as it was banned for all students. Butterbeer was allowed for third years and above, but Firewhiskey was a no-go. The house-elves explained it had to do with its unnaturally high alcohol content. A regular mug could knock out a half giant.

Albert sealed the boxes once he was done and put his drawer back to where it belonged. He then grabbed both boxes and left the room. Whilst carrying them, Albert felt bad for his owl. With her small body, she would get tired easily, so Albert turned back to his room to fetch his stash of owl snacks.

"It looks like I need to borrow an owl from the school," Albert muttered as he walked out of his room.

Passing through the Common Room, Albert got a few odd stares from his fellow house mates but did not head any attention to those. He did not care for their attention and made his way to the west tower where the Hogwarts Owls were located. Albert was grateful his parents had signed him up for cross-country, karate and ballet otherwise, he would not have been able to climb the tower without taking a few breaks. He saw a few first years from Hufflepuff sitting on the stairs as he made his way up.

He even saw an older Hufflepuff student with owl dookie on his shoulder. Albert doesn't know what they fed the owls, but it had to be nasty to make such a foul stench. The Hogwarts Owlery was a circular stone room. It was a spacious and open room with many perches and nests lining the walls. The airy room had large windows that let in sunlight, making it feel warm and inviting.

They filled the air inside the Owlery with the scents of hay, feathers, and bird droppings. They used Timothy Hay as bedding for the owls, and it gave the room a rustic and earthy aroma. The many owls that called the Owlery home shed their feathers, and they floated around in the air, adding to the room's natural and untamed character. The smell of bird droppings, while not pleasant, was also present, as the owls often left their mark on the perches and nests.

Despite the pungent aroma, the Owlery was a peaceful and serene place. The soft hooting and rustling of the owls' wings filled the air, creating a calming ambiance. The owls themselves were beautiful creatures, with a range of colours and sizes. Some were small and brown, while others were large and snowy white. The sight of the owls perched on their perches or soaring around the room was a sight to behold.

"Snow? Snow? Are you in here?" Albert called out. An owl hooted in response, her head turning in his direction as she spread her wings and took flight. With practiced ease, she glided down to land gracefully on Albert's outstretched arm, her soft feathers brushing against his skin.

"Good girl," he murmured, scratching behind her ears. Snow cooed contentedly, her golden eyes glinting in the sunlight. Albert carefully tied the package to Snow's leg. "This package is for Grandpa Luke. Wait for a day there and if he writes a response, can you brig it back to me? You can! Thank you, Snow. Off you go."

After Snow flew away, Albert turned to gaze at the owls in the owlery. He needed another owl to send the larger box to his parent and sister. It was fortunate that the school allowed students to borrow their owls. All they had to do was feed the one they used.　　

"Excuse me owls, can one of you help me deliver this package to my family?" Abert said aloud. An owl swooped down and perched in front of him.

The Eurasian eagle-owl was a majestic creature that could often be seen flying around the Black Lake. He knew its piercing yellow eyes struck fear into the hearts of weak-willed students. With its large wingspan and sharp talons, the Eurasian eagle-owl was a formidable hunter, capable of taking down prey much larger than itself. Albert even once had the pleasure of seeing the owl hunt a mouse near the Lake when he was having lunch there. Its distinctive hoot echoed around the stone owlery.

"Thank you. Here is a snack. I hope you like it," Albert said as he took out some owl snacks from his pocket and put them in the palm of his hand in front of the owl. It seemed to be very satisfied with Albert's payment. After it swept away the food, it allowed Albert to tie the package around its feet.

"19 Tibe Avenue. The Anderson Household in Devonshire (or Surrey. I do not know where I placed his home)," Albert said. He looked at the owl that was flying out of sight, could not help but sigh and turned to leave the owlery. He did not intend to stay in a place with such a pungent stench.

~~~~~~~

On the way down, Albert caught a glance of his roommate and what appeared to be them trying to seek into the Forbidden Forest. Seeing this, he ran down the stair and made his way to Hagrid's Hut. However, he was too late. Hagrid was on the way to the castle with the three boys when he met them on the path.

"Good afternoon, Hagrid!" Albert said as he smiled and greeted Hagrid. He then glanced at the other three people. "What happened to them?"

"Hello lad, fancy seeing again so soon. These three idiots acted with such valour. They dared to sneak into the Forbidden Forest not long after being warned by me. They aren't afraid of magical creature hurting them so I need another form of punishment," Hagrid said. "I was planning to let Filch do whatever he wants with them, but they insisted I go to Professor McGonagall..."

"Hagrid, what kind of creature is in your beard?" Albert said as he interrupted Hagrid and pointed to a strange creature in Hagrid's beard. They looked like tree people.

"What, oh, this? His name is Groot. He is from a subspecies of Druids called Tree Guardians. I was in the middle of patching him up before I found these idiots," Hagrid said.

"Hagrid, are you going to be the next Professor for Care of Magical Creatures?" Albert asked. "I heard Professor Kettleburn in planning to retire in the next ten years."

"I would love to, but I had my wand snapped. And even if I got my wand back, I will still need to do my apprenticeship, which coud take up to five years, so maybe," Hagrid said.

"Can I see how you bandage the Tree Guardian?" Albert asked as he hinted to the tree boys to apologise while Hagrid was distracted.

"Hagrid, we're so sorry and we promise not to do it again," Fred said quickly.

"Can we also see how you bandage these small creature," Lee asked.

"I don't see why not, plus it'll keep you out of trouble for the rest of the day."