As noon approached, Hogwarts Castle—silent through the night—stirred back to life.
Albert occasionally passed other students wandering the corridors. It seemed that, for most people, sleeping in was a natural instinct—especially on weekends. When there was no need to wake up early, why rush?
Outside, a light rain still fell, misting the windows with a soft blur. Most students stayed in the Great Hall, chatting idly, while a few unlucky ones were busy scribbling down unfinished summer homework, desperate to beat the deadline.
During their morning exploration of the Castle, the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan eventually gave up and left.
Albert, however, spent nearly the entire morning touring Hogwarts, camera in hand. By the time he returned to the Great Hall, a faint ache had settled into his calves. Still, it was worth it—he had taken plenty of interesting photos and even managed to sketch a rough map of the Castle from memory.
He'd heard that some staircases changed position every Friday, but that was a problem for future Albert. For now, he was satisfied—the exploration progress on his "Explore Hogwarts Castle" task had reached 26.7%.
"Why are you alone? Where are your friends?"
Angelina Johnson and another girl approached, sitting down across from him.
"They bailed halfway through," Albert said, picking up a slice of bread to make himself a sandwich. "Probably found something more exciting to do. Could you pass me the blueberry jam, please?"
Angelina pushed the jar toward him and nodded toward the parchment beside his plate. "Is that your Castle map? Mind if I take a look?"
"I still think everyone should explore the Castle on their own—it's one of the joys of being a first-year," Albert said casually, handing over the parchment as he reached for the jam.
"What's this supposed to be?" Alicia leaned closer, frowning slightly.
Though the sketch looked a bit crude, she could still make out classrooms, hidden passages, and even notes like "skip the third step" on certain staircases.
"Oh, right," Albert said, snapping his fingers. "Here—our class timetables."
He duplicated two more copies and handed them across the table.
Angelina blinked. "What spell was that?"
"Duplication Charm," Alicia said immediately. Coming from a wizarding family, she recognized it at once.
Unlike the Weasleys, her parents hadn't taken a hands-off approach to magic. Alicia had received a proper magical education long before coming to Hogwarts.
"It's a handy little trick, isn't it?" Albert grinned. "Saves you from taking notes. Just borrow someone else's copy—literally."
Alicia gave him a strange look. His way of thinking seemed… very different from most people's.
"Can you make me one of those maps?" she asked. "At least I won't get lost."
"Aren't you worried it might be wrong?" Albert teased.
"Of course not. I'll double-check everything myself," Alicia replied confidently.
"Want one too?" Albert asked Angelina.
"Thanks," she said with a smile.
It was true—Hogwarts Castle was massive, and first-years got lost easily. With Albert's map, at least they had a fighting chance. Being late on the first day would hardly make a good impression.
"By the way," Alicia asked, pocketing the map, "you're from a Muggle family, right? How do you already know so many spells? I'd bet most first-years can't manage half of what you can."
"I practiced a lot before school started," Albert said with a shrug, spreading blueberry jam on his bread. "Most spells are pretty simple once you get the hang of them."
"Simple?" The two girls exchanged a look, feeling an odd sense of pressure.
They too had practiced basic spells since getting their wands, but not with the ease Albert described. He made it sound like learning magic was as simple as eating breakfast.
After finishing his jam-covered slice, Albert began assembling a sandwich. British lunches were always underwhelming—Hogwarts was no exception. Bread and potatoes ruled every meal.
Today's lunch included boiled potatoes, a fresh vegetable salad, and salty ham. A pot of milk tea or pumpkin juice sat nearby, as always.
After polishing off his sandwich, Albert grabbed two unpeeled potatoes. He'd been exploring all morning, and his stomach was loudly reminding him of it.
Speaking of which, where were those three? Probably off causing trouble somewhere.
"I really miss rice and pasta," Albert muttered under his breath, stabbing at his potatoes.
In Britain, potatoes seemed to appear in every possible form—mashed, baked, fried, roasted—and sometimes all in the same day. Variety, however, was another matter.
"Italian pasta is delicious," Angelina said. "I've had it a few times—it's really nostalgic."
"British food is hopeless," Albert sighed. "Too limited. The cooks here don't even try to be creative." He took a sip of milk tea. "Last month I had a roasted fish crusted with sea salt and herbs. That was real food."
The two girls laughed, listening with interest as he began ranting about odd British dishes—his father's beloved chip sandwiches, and Marmite, which only his grandmother dared to eat.
Albert still remembered his first taste of Marmite—it had been… unforgettable. The flavor was like soy sauce mixed with something unspeakable.
Since then, he had sworn never to touch it again.
"If either of you are curious," he said mischievously, "I can send you a bottle as a Christmas present."
"Cough, cough—no thanks!" Alicia nearly choked on her drink. "I'd rather eat normal food. I don't want to start gagging every time I see jam."
After finishing his tea, Albert leaned back, sorting through the photos he'd taken that morning—portraits, sculptures, knight armor, sweeping shots of the Castle's interior.
Each photo captured a small piece of Hogwarts.
Watching him sift through them, Angelina couldn't help but laugh. "You're not here to study at all, are you? You're basically a tourist with a camera."
Albert just smiled, not denying it.