"Well, there's another explanation…" Albert said, expression turning odd. "Among Muggles, some scientists discovered a protein that catalyzes the formation of eggshells. It only exists in chicken ovaries. In other words, without chickens, the protein wouldn't exist — and without the protein, eggshells couldn't form. Since the shell protects the chick so it can hatch, they concluded that the chicken came first, not the egg."
Everyone fell silent at once — even the young wizards born to Muggle families.
"I know it sounds strange," Albert continued, "but some people have verified that the chicken came first."
"So…" Katrina asked carefully, "are you saying the phoenix came first, then the fire?"
"No," Albert said, shaking his head. "The wizarding world doesn't follow the same rules as the Muggle world. As for phoenixes and fire… I think it's a cycle. A phoenix is reborn from fire when it dies, and the cycle continues forever. Trying to determine which came first feels pointless."
Katrina raised her eyebrows. It wasn't a bad answer.
"Amazing — even for Ravenclaw students, very few answer correctly on their first try," a boy behind Albert said admiringly. "I'm Roger Davies, by the way. Nice to meet you."
He had no choice but to admit it: he had faced the eagle-shaped bronze knocker before and gotten every question wrong.
Most Ravenclaw first-years couldn't pass the riddle challenge at all. To enter or exit the common room, they had to wait for an upper-year student to let them in — very inconvenient.
"I'm curious," Roger said, voicing what everyone else was thinking. "Why were you sorted into Gryffindor?"
"Who knows?"
The conversation ended abruptly as Professor Binns drifted straight through the blackboard into the History of Magic classroom. His entrance alone was worth the price of admission.
Ten minutes later, the entire class looked half-conscious.
There was a reason History of Magic was considered the most boring subject at Hogwarts. Professor Binns recited from his textbook in a voice so monotonous it could put a troll to sleep. Students scribbled important names and dates as fast as possible, fighting drowsiness. Even Ravenclaws struggled to stay awake.
The only student still alert was Albert. With a candy in his mouth, he focused on his book, occasionally jotting notes into another.
"It's unbelievable — you can actually resist Binns's hypnosis!" After class, the Weasley twins threw their arms over Albert's shoulders. "Please! You have to lend us your History of Magic notes."
Lee Jordan had already taken the notebook from Albert's hand, grinning widely.
"What else did you expect?" Albert rolled his eyes. He had been multitasking the entire lesson — reading, listening, and taking notes simultaneously.
To prepare for this, he had even upgraded his multitasking skill to Level 2.
It was worth it. He still had five more years of History of Magic to survive.
"Have you heard the rumor about Professor Cuthbert Binns?" Albert said casually.
"What rumor?" The three of them perked up immediately.
"According to Hogwarts records," Albert whispered, "Professor Binns didn't realize he was dead — at least not at first."
He continued in a low voice, "One morning, he stood up to go to class but accidentally left his body behind, slumped in an armchair by the staff room fireplace. He was already quite old by then."
"Wow…" the three boys breathed. None of them had expected that the History professor had become a ghost teacher in such a bizarre way.
Before dinner, the twins had already copied all his notes.
"Do we have any more classes this afternoon?" George asked, itching to borrow Charlie's Comet broomstick.
"There's one more — Transfiguration," Lee Jordan said with a sigh.
"I'd wager it'll be the easiest class of the day," Albert muttered.
Three classes a day — how hard could it be?
The British didn't care much for lunch anyway, usually grabbing something quick. Albert refused to make himself yet another sandwich. After drinking some pumpkin juice and eating a few pieces of stewed potato, he finished lunch quickly.
The twins were eager to wander around before class, but Albert suggested waiting until after Transfiguration. They would have plenty of time then. For now, he planned to rest in the castle courtyard and read.
The courtyard was lively, full of students chatting in small groups. Some had even brought their lunch outside.
September at Hogwarts no longer carried the lingering heat of summer, and yesterday's rain had left a cool, refreshing breeze in the air.
"It would be great if I could transfigure a cushion," Albert sighed as he sat down on the grass. "Suddenly, learning Transfiguration well feels very important."
"No, no, that is absolutely not a good reason to study Transfiguration," Lee Jordan said dryly.
"What do you think is in that forest?" Fred asked suddenly, staring at the distant edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Dumbledore said there are werewolves," George whispered.
"And centaurs."
"Probably other magical creatures too," Albert added. "The gamekeeper likely keeps some unusual creatures there as well."
Like thestrals, acromantulas, giants…
"By the way, how's your Disillusionment Charm coming along?" George asked, steering the conversation away from the forest. They wanted adventure — not a gruesome death. Werewolves were infamous: one bite was enough to end it all.
Right now, the timing of their first nighttime escapade was far more important.
"Not great yet. Mastering the Disillusionment Charm isn't easy." Albert pulled out his wand, murmured the incantation, and tapped a fallen leaf.
Its surface shimmered as its color shifted, blending with his palm.
"It looks nothing like I imagined," Lee Jordan said, scratching his head.
"From far away, you might not notice it," Albert admitted, "but up close? Completely obvious."
"A bit like a chameleon."
"The principle is similar," Albert agreed. He hadn't used experience points to upgrade the spell. He wanted to learn it the proper way first; only then would mastering it feel satisfying.
Learning was part of the Hogwarts experience — he didn't want to miss it.
He had already planned to spend the next two months mastering the Disillusionment Charm on his own.