Chapter 29: Marmite

Near noon, Hogwarts Castle, which had been silent throughout the night, regained its vitality.

Albert occasionally bumped into other students in the corridors and hallways. It could be said that staying in bed was the nature of most people, especially on weekends when there was no need to wake up early. Most people preferred to sleep a little longer.

Outside the castle, light rain continued to drizzle, causing most students to stay in the Great Hall and chat. There were only a few unlucky ones who hadn't completed their assignments on time, busy rushing to finish their summer homework.

While exploring the castle, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan couldn't resist and slipped away first.

However, Albert still spent the whole morning wandering through the vast castle and took many interesting photos with his camera. After completing the round, when he returned to the Great Hall, he felt a slight pain in his calves.

The trip was quite rewarding. With his remarkable memory, Albert managed to draw a rough map of the castle.

Although he had heard from others that some staircases in Hogwarts Castle would change their positions every Friday, that was something for the following Friday. Albert didn't worry about it because there would be a solution when the time came.

It's worth mentioning that the progress of exploring Hogwarts Castle had reached 26.7%.

"Why are you the only one here? Where are your friends?" Angelina and another girl walked over, sat on the chairs opposite Albert, and greeted him.

"They left halfway while exploring the castle." Albert picked up a slice of bread from the plate. He was preparing to make himself a sandwich. "Those three guys probably found something interesting. Can you pass me the blueberry jam over there? Thanks."

"How's your castle map coming along? Can I take a look?" Angelina pushed the jar of blueberry jam toward Albert's right hand and pointed to the piece of parchment on his left hand.

"I still think it's more fun to explore the various places in the castle oneself. It's one of the joys of being a new student." Albert casually handed the parchment to the girl opposite him and grabbed the jar of blueberry jam.

"What's this?" Alicia leaned in, staring at the simple sketch and furrowing her brow slightly. It was a bit challenging for her to read, but she could make out some markings of secret passages and classrooms, as well as which stairs required stepping on which steps.

"By the way, this is our class schedule." Albert duplicated two more copies of the class schedule and handed them to the two girls across from him.

"What kind of magic is this?" Angelina curiously asked.

"Duplicating charm. It can turn one item into two." Alicia, who grew up in a wizarding family, immediately recognized the spell Albert had used.

"It's a useful little trick, isn't it?" Albert winked at the two of them and continued, "With it, there's no need to take notes. Just 'borrow' someone else's."

"By the way, this is our class schedule." Albert duplicated two more copies of the class schedule and handed them to the two girls across from him.

"What kind of magic is this?" Angelina curiously asked.

"Duplicating charm. It can turn one item into two." Alicia, who grew up in a wizarding family, immediately recognized the spell Albert had used.

Not all wizarding families adopted the free-range policy like the Weasleys. Alicia had received a good wizarding education since childhood, and her starting point was higher than most students.

"It's a useful little trick, isn't it?" Albert winked at the two of them and continued, "With it, there's no need to take notes. Just 'borrow' someone else's."

Alicia looked at Albert with a strange expression, feeling that this guy's thought process was different from others.

"Can you make one for me too? That way, I won't have to worry about not finding the location of the classrooms."

"Don't you worry about the map being drawn incorrectly?" Albert asked in response.

"Of course, I will double-check it myself." Alicia said naturally.

"Do you want one?" Albert looked at Angelina.

"Thank you." Angelina smiled.

Hogwarts Castle was indeed vast, and new students were prone to get lost. With Albert's map, at least they would know where to go.

Being late on the first day of school was not a good sign.

"By the way, I remember you come from a Muggle family, right?" Alicia put away the map and asked, "How did you learn so many spells? I dare say most new students don't know as many spells as you do."

"I learned them when I was practicing spells before school started. Most of the spells are quite simple." Albert spread blueberry jam on a slice of bread and took a big bite. Although the taste was good, he couldn't stand eating these things all day.

"Simple?" The two girls looked at each other and suddenly felt an inexplicable pressure.

After receiving their own wands, most new students would try using the spells from their textbooks. Angelina and Alicia were no exception. They had learned some simple spells, but it was not as effortless as Albert made it sound, as if learning magic was as easy as eating a piece of bread.

After finishing the slice of bread smeared with blueberry jam, Albert made himself a sandwich.

The lunch for the British people was always unsatisfactory, and Hogwarts was no exception. Bread and potatoes were always the staple here.

This lunch consisted of bread slices, boiled potatoes, fresh vegetable salad, and salted ham. Of course, there was also a large pot of milk tea or pumpkin juice.

After finishing his ham sandwich, Albert put two skinned potatoes on his plate. After wandering around the castle all morning, his stomach was already grumbling with hunger.

Speaking of which, during mealtime, the three of them were nowhere to be seen. Who knows where they went off to?

"I really miss rice and noodles," Albert murmured quietly, continuing to devour the potatoes on his plate.

Potatoes were one of the staple foods for the British, and he had been eating them almost every day for years. The people in this country could even create a hundred different dishes without repeating with potatoes.

Although potatoes weren't terrible, eating them every meal was a bit hard to bear.

"Italian pasta is delicious," Angelina agreed. "I've had it several times, and the taste is very nostalgic."

"British cuisine always disappoints people, and the variety is too limited. The chefs here never seem to seriously study how to cook," Albert poured himself a cup of milk tea, took a sip, and complained, "I remember recently I had a dish of roasted whole fish with bread crust seasoned with sea salt and herbs."

The two looked at each other, interested in listening to Albert's complaints about various eccentric British foods, such as his father's favorite french fry sandwich or the marmite that only his grandmother liked.

Albert still remembered the first time he tasted marmite—it was a taste of hell. That flavor was truly unforgettable, a heavy soy sauce mixed with various body odor flavors.

Since then, Albert kept his distance from marmite.

"If either of you is interested, I can send a bottle as a Christmas gift," Albert said.

"Cough, cough." Alicia suddenly lost her appetite. "No, thanks. I'd rather eat something normal and not feel nauseous at the sight of jam in the future."

After finishing the milk tea, lunch was over.

Albert sat at the table and looked at the photos he had taken earlier—knight armor, castle scenery, a certain portrait, or an exaggerated sculpture... These photos revealed a glimpse of Hogwarts.

However, seeing Albert selecting photos, Angelina actually wanted to make a comment. This guy wasn't really a student here to study but more like a tourist visiting Hogwarts Castle.

(End of this chapter)