The Gryffindor first-years' second class of the day was History of Magic—undeniably one of the dullest subjects at Hogwarts.
The classroom was located on the second floor, and normally the Gryffindors would have had twenty minutes of free time after Charms. However, Albert's long conversation with Professor Flitwick had eaten up most of that buffer, so the four of them had to hurry.
By the time they reached the classroom, the caretaker Argus Filch was already unlocking the door. Since Professor Binns was a ghost, he naturally could not handle such mundane tasks.
History of Magic was shared with Ravenclaw. Before the lesson began, students had already grouped together, chatting in low voices while choosing seats.
Albert ignored the Twins roughhousing beside him, fished a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from his robes, selected a blue one, and tossed it into his mouth. After chewing, he was relieved to find it was blueberry flavored.
"Good luck," he muttered. He pulled out his History of Magic textbook—and with practiced ease, also withdrew Nineteenth-Century Spell Selection, flipping it open while quietly checking his skill list behind its cover.
After Charms class, he had acquired a new skill: Charm Theory.
In the memories he inherited, this foundational skill was immensely useful, so Albert immediately spent points to raise it to level 1. He sifted through the additional knowledge now in his mind… and frowned. The improvement felt disappointingly subtle.
How to put it?
His comprehension had indeed increased, yet most of the concepts felt straightforward once revealed. It gave him the strange impression of having gained a lot and very little at the same time.
Lost in thought about the Lumos Charm, he absently popped several more Every Flavor Beans into his mouth as though they were chocolate drops.
A moment later, he froze, slapped a hand to his mouth, and felt an explosion of heat spread across his tongue.
Brilliant, he realized, I just ate a chili-flavored one.
He almost swore aloud. He promised himself, for the hundredth time, never to eat these things while distracted.
"What's wrong with you?" Fred asked, noticing Albert's contorted expression.
"Every Flavor Beans. Chili," Albert croaked, pointing accusingly at the box on the table. They were the same Beans he'd bought on the train—still not finished, unfortunately.
"Every bite is an adventure," Fred said cheerfully, quoting the product slogan just to torment him.
Albert glared, dug out a milk candy from his pocket, and sucked on it to neutralize the heat. Then, as punishment, he shoved the box of Beans toward Fred.
"You have to be careful with these," Fred said, picking one and popping it into his mouth. "Spinach flavor."
"Mine's strawberry," George added happily.
"I'll try th—" Lee Jordan grabbed one as well and tossed it into his mouth.
"Any of you want some?" Albert offered, shaking the box lightly.
Before anyone could answer, Lee Jordan choked out, "Rotten egg! Ugh—Gross!" His face twisted in horror as he spat the chewed Bean onto the floor.
A nearby Ravenclaw girl shot him a look of pure disgust.
Lee noticed and flushed scarlet, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Scouring Charm," Albert said calmly, flicking his wand to clean up the mess. Then he tossed Lee a fruit candy. "Here. To wash away the trauma."
"I'm never eating Every Flavor Beans again," Lee swore dramatically.
"You've said that at least three times," George said. "And you still just ate one. Marmalade flavored, by the way."
After that incident, everyone gave Albert's box a wide berth—no one wanted to risk tasting mystery flavors anymore.
"What spell was that?" the Ravenclaw girl asked, leaning over slightly. "My name's Katrina McDougal."
"Albert Anderson," he introduced himself, unwrapping a chocolate to finish clearing the spice from his mouth. "That was the Scouring Charm. Very practical."
"Most first-years aren't nearly that good at magic—even the ones taught by their families," Katrina said. Her gaze flicked to the book in Albert's hand. "Actually… I'm pretty sure the Sorting Hat put you in the wrong house."
"Gryffindor is fine," Albert said easily. "And—well—I'm from a Muggle family."
"That can't be right," Katrina said, puzzled. "Only wizarding families teach magic ahead of time."
"I heard Ravenclaws need to answer a question to enter their common room…" Albert said stiffly, changing the subject before she could press further.
"Yes," Katrina said. "We have to answer a question from the eagle-shaped bronze knocker." Then she narrowed her eyes. "But how do you know that? Most students don't know the details of other Houses' entrances."
"I overheard a Ravenclaw complaining about being stuck outside after getting a question wrong," Albert said smoothly, fabricating the story on the spot.
"Oh." She looked only half convinced, but she let it go.
"Don't you think Albert can talk to anyone?" George murmured to his brother.
Fred nodded. Lee, already reaching for another Bean, agreed wholeheartedly.
Albert glared at the trio, cleared his throat, and asked Katrina, "So—what interesting questions have you gotten?"
"'Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?'" Katrina quoted. She had memorized that one.
"What do you two think?" Albert asked the Twins.
"I say the phoenix came first," Fred declared.
"Me too," George agreed.
"Why?" Lee asked.
"We guessed," they said together, deadpan.
Their earnest tone made everyone laugh—including Albert.
"What about you?" Katrina asked Albert again.
"In the Muggle world, we have a similar question," Albert said. "Which came first—the chicken or the egg?"
"And the answer?" Katrina leaned in curiously. It wasn't the answer she expected.
"The chicken came first," Albert replied.
"Why?"
"Well," Albert said matter-of-factly, "how could an egg appear out of nowhere?"
Katrina frowned. "That explanation isn't convincing enough."