THE ALCHEMIST OF HARRY POTTER

"You… you really placed a bet?" George Weasley swallowed hard. "That's twenty-five Galleons! What if… what if you're wrong?"

He couldn't bring himself to say the words, as if speaking them aloud would make them come true.

"I trust my luck and intuition," Albert said calmly, leaning back in his seat. "You should try it too. If you guess right, you could make a fortune."

"We don't have that kind of money," Fred and George admitted, shaking their heads. The Weasleys weren't well-off, and even though the twins had a bit of savings, they wouldn't waste it on a risky bet.

"Don't look at me," Lee Jordan added, shaking his head vehemently. "I'm saving up for other things." He thought Albert's gamble was madness—if he had that much money, he wouldn't throw it away on a bet.

As the four of them chatted, the Hogwarts Express pulled out of London, racing through the countryside.

Albert flipped through The Daily Prophet while listening to the others debate Quidditch. He knew the rules but had to pretend otherwise—after all, being Muggle-born, it wouldn't make sense for him to be familiar with the wizarding sport.

"By the way, did you hear about Gabriel Truman?" George suddenly asked.

"Natalie almost got sacked from the Ministry of Magic over that," Fred whispered. "Had to go and personally apologize to Truman before it all blew over."

"Yeah, but my mum says Rita Skeeter exaggerates everything," Lee Jordan chimed in. "That woman twists facts however she likes."

"Most newspapers do, but there's usually a grain of truth," Albert remarked, folding The Prophet. He knew the full story—after all, he had played a part in it.

"I overheard Truman talking about it in the Ministry," Fred continued. "He saw a Hogwarts student practicing magic during the summer and then—bam!—he gets a letter saying he's expelled. Dumbledore had to step in, but the Ministry staff barely apologized."

Albert raised an eyebrow. Westerners were so showy about everything. He had warned Truman to keep quiet, but clearly, the man hadn't listened. Still, Albert wasn't about to bring it up.

"How do they sort students at Hogwarts?" he asked, smoothly changing the subject.

"No clue. My family won't tell me," Lee Jordan said with a shrug.

"Percy said we'd have to pass some kind of test," George added irritably. "They never tell us what it is—just that it's something interesting."

Albert smiled. "So, what's life like for wizards? Interesting?"

The others glanced at each other.

"When I got my Hogwarts letter, my parents were stunned," Albert continued. "My mum didn't even want Professor McGonagall in the house. She's worried I won't find a job after graduation."

"That's silly," Fred said. "Our older brothers are doing fine."

"Bill works for Gringotts in Egypt."

"Charlie's off studying dragons in Romania."

"And your dad?" Albert asked, though he already knew the answer.

"He works at the Ministry, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

"I think I'll go back to the Muggle world after Hogwarts," Albert mused.

"What? Why?" The three stared at him, baffled.

"I came here to learn magic. Professor McGonagall said that if I didn't, I could lose control of it. But in the Muggle world, you can't use magic freely. If people find out, it causes trouble."

The others nodded thoughtfully.

"So, what do you lot want to do after Hogwarts?" Albert asked.

"Not the Ministry of Magic, that's for sure."

"Yeah, definitely not," the twins agreed, laughing.

"Being a professional Quidditch player wouldn't be bad," George admitted. "Charlie was Gryffindor's captain. I think I'm pretty good, but we can't try out until second year."

"I haven't decided yet," Lee Jordan said.

"You?" They all turned to Albert.

"Me? Something easy, fun, and profitable."

"Does such a job even exist?" Fred asked, eyes widening.

"If it does, I'll find it," Albert said with a smirk. He was curious when the twins would first get the idea for their joke shop.

"If you do, let me know," Lee said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Mind if I take a photo?" Albert asked, pulling out a camera.

"A photo?"

"Yeah, my family wants to see the wizarding world." He had them sit together and snapped a few pictures.

"Why isn't it moving?" Lee prodded the photo, expecting movement.

"Muggle photos don't move," Albert explained, examining the prints. "My photography's improving."

"What's the point of pictures that don't move?" The three quickly lost interest.

Around noon, the corridor outside filled with noise.

Moments later, the trolley witch appeared. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"I'll take a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Lee Jordan said, sticking to his own food. The twins had sandwiches but little money, so they passed.

"I'll have one of everything," Albert told the witch cheerfully.

The others gawked as he handed over a Galleon, watching the table fill with sweets.

"You must be rich," Lee muttered.

"Not really," Albert replied, popping a bean into his mouth—bean sprout flavor. "My family's full of lawyers."

"What's that?" The others looked puzzled.

"People who argue cases in court. They look for loopholes in the law."

The trio exchanged confused glances.

"Wait… so they make a living finding legal loopholes?"

"What kind of weird job is that?"

Albert laughed. "Now, tell me—what's all this food?" He gestured at the sweets. He wasn't keen on eating something strange, and besides, making friends required effort. And in the wizarding world, knowing the right people could be just as valuable as knowing the right spells.