After standing outside for at least five minutes, Cedric finally mustered up his courage.
"Qiu, are you—is Little White here with you?"
"Yes." Qiu pulled back the tent flap.
He glanced inside casually, then met her eyes, somewhat bewildered.
"Autumn, I—"
"Autumn, I've prepared the hot water!" Marietta's voice rang out, completely out of place.
"I'm coming right away." Qiu turned around. "Are you taking Little White away?"
"Yes—uh, no." Cedric turned to the side, flustered.
"Now that Little White is with you, Rolf and I are relieved."
His hurried departure made it look like he was running away.
"Strange..." Qiu glanced at the three little ones eating snacks inside, then looked at the figure outside that had already walked away.
She smiled and lowered the curtain.
Behind a nearby tent, three pairs of Winky eyes were hidden.
Big news!
This is absolutely huge news!
Cedric, a bright student at Hufflepuff and nicknamed "Creamy Boy," has a crush on someone.
"Cedric received more love letters than I did last year, didn't he?"
"Much more than you."
Vincent, who was half-squatting, looked up with surprise. "I didn't expect you to be so gossipy since last year."
Hermione tightened her grip on his left shoulder slightly. "Lavender compiled the statistics, and she even made a ranking list."
"Um—who are they?"
"Cedric, you, Davis, Malfoy, Harry ..."
"Wait a minute, Malfoy is ranked ahead of Harry?"
"Oh, it's the silent Malfoy."
"Cough cough—" Daphne pointed to the left with the little finger that was resting on his right shoulder.
Cedric is back, and he's carrying a fancy Japanese lunchbox.
I think he's going to confess his feelings.
Hermione completely agreed with her.
Qiu is very similar to Cedric; she has a gentle personality and loves small animals.
Vincent saw him stop outside the tent and immediately perked up his gossipy little ears.
"Can I come in for a bit? I brought some food for the little ones."
???
The three little heads, full of doubt, stretched forward slightly.
"Marietta, is Cedric here?"
"Okay, I'll let him in right now."
Vincent looked up and met their gazes.
"This isn't a good idea," Daphne said, but her eyes were fixed on the tent.
Hermione stood up straight as if nothing had happened. "It's been a while since we played cards. How about we play a round?"
"Three people?"
"Yes."
They sat down next to the tent, seemingly playing cards seriously, but actually keeping an eye on what was happening inside.
"I hate Malfoy, why did they have to make the soundproofing so good?" Vincent played three Gu Gu cards in a row.
"Shh—" Hermione casually played a little field mouse card, then moved even closer.
The conversation was barely audible; it sounded like they were chatting casually with Marietta.
The topic was Abe Soukou, who was in the same grade. Cedric humbly said that his chances of winning a duel with him were not high.
That's indeed the normal situation.
Although his training progress and physical fitness are slightly Vincent's, as long as he finds a way to deal with the Nine-Tailed Fox Patronus who has a physical form, he can at least avoid defeat, if not guarantee a win.
...If Hermione hadn't known him so well, she almost would have believed Cedric's lies.
Marietta had come to regard him as an honest man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and had begun to share some of her usual hobbies with him.
"Qiu is very good at playing the piano. I especially like her playing Vincent's 'Opening Remarks' from last year."
"I also really like the melody, but the lyrics aren't very good."
Vincent, his face dark, waited for Daphne to play the snack card before slamming down the luxury cabin card.
The three round Gu Gu went to sleep after they had eaten their fill.
"The lyrics are really not that great, but Qiu found them quite interesting and said she'd like to hear Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sometime."
[In Hogwarts, there are four houses, each with a name...]
The lyrics inexplicably started playing in my head.
The two little witches looked at Vincent at the same time.
"You want to hear it too?"
He received two pairs of Big White in return.
"Cedric, I'm sorry, I was just taking a bath." It was Qiu's voice.
Hermione and Daphne were practically glued to the tent.
"It's okay, I just came to bring some food for the little one."
Using three adorable pets to bridge the gap is a good tactic.
He really is the kind of man who can trick people into revealing the Slytherin dormitory password.
"I'm going back now. Please take care of Little White tonight."
"It's no trouble at all, I really like these little guys."
Hermione and Daphne quickly went back to their seats.
One poster advertised Professor McGonagall, while the other advertised a weight loss plan.
Startled awake, the three Gu Gu flew out of the luxurious cabin and then reverted to their original ordinary owl forms.
Cedric came out and saw the three of them.
He rubbed his eyes, went back into the tent, and then came out again.
Even after the "pia" sound, he still found it hard to believe this reality.
"Hey, good evening~" Vincent continued to ponder which card to play.
After all, it's two against one, so we can't be careless.
"When—when did you all get here?"
"It's always been here."
Cedric's eyes were fixed on the three chubby Gu Gu.
Thankfully, I didn't say anything inside.
"Good luck." He ran away as if fleeing, just like before.
Hermione and Daphne simultaneously put down the cards they were clutching tightly.
"Cedric didn't discover us, did he?"
"Definitely not, we're too good at disguising ourselves."
"Then why did he do it?"
"Who knows?" Vincent turned the three Gu Gu upside down back into cards. "They're probably just shy."
Hermione carefully put the cards away one by one. "No matter what, we have to keep this secret for him."
Daphne nodded earnestly as she received the card, saying, "I believe he will definitely succeed in confessing his feelings."
Vincent suddenly remembered Harry.
On one side is the original protagonist, and on the other is a good friend.
"What's wrong?"
Shh—I'll tell you a secret.
At first, it was very calm, but the more I listened, the wider my eyes widened.
"Also, Qiu plans to participate in the school team selection next year. Do you want to guess what position she likes?"
"The Seeker?"
"Bingo!"
Speaking of Quidditch, no matter which house Gryffindor faces, the matches will be more exciting than in previous years.
If Slytherin students also liked one of them—well, it seems like that's been the case for a while now.
"I'm starting to look forward to the new school year."
"You should be thinking about the Ashiya family's affairs right now."
"And Wizard Cards too."
Vincent stood up and stretched. "They definitely know we're here. There might even be someone on the other island with binoculars."
Although the alchemical telescope, which is more powerful than night vision goggles, is expensive, those wizards who want to maintain the Ashiya family's status certainly have one from the Ministry of Magic.
He only said a few words, but Hermione and Daphne both became nervous.
"I should be able to get a good night's sleep tonight."
The two little witches glared fiercely at his departing figure.
It was absolutely intentional.
This Hogwarts isn't quite right.