The Leaky Cauldron.
When Vinson Wright and Old Barty Crouch opened the wooden door and entered the pub, the first floor of the small establishment was already quite lively at this hour.
A group of wizards enthusiastically raised their glasses and chatted.
One of them was a middle-aged man who looked rather talkative. With a pair of spectacles perched on his nose, he had the refined appearance of an old scholar.
"This trip was truly delightful..."
The middle-aged man, who now looked every bit the old scholar, happily bragged about his travels to the wizarding patrons throughout the pub: "I saw many Fantastic Beasts in the rainforest. After Mr. Newt Scamander learned that I had visited the rainforests of South America, he even enthusiastically wrote to invite me to visit his home..."
Obviously.
From the man's words, it was clear that being invited to visit by Newt Scamander, the expert on Fantastic Beasts, was a very worthwhile thing to boast about.
And it truly was worth boasting about.
Newt Scamander had a very high standing in the Wizarding World. That old man had written many books about Magical Creatures, and they had long been used as textbooks at Hogwarts.
"Let's celebrate Amos Diggory's travels!"
"Let's celebrate Amos receiving an invitation from Mr. Scamander!"
The people throughout The Leaky Cauldron merrily raised their glasses to celebrate the man who had received an invitation from Mr. Scamander. One towering figure was especially enthusiastic.
He was a Half-blood Giant.
Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper and Keeper of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, appeared to be a menial worker who stayed at the school, but in reality, he was someone Dumbledore trusted deeply.
The Half-blood Giant was extremely fond of all kinds of Fantastic Beasts, so he also showed great enthusiasm toward the travel stories told by the talkative man...
Of course.
Rubeus Hagrid was not Vinson's main focus.
Compared with Rubeus Hagrid, there was another black-haired boy in the pub who drew Vinson Wright's attention even more. His slender figure stood behind the talkative man.
The black-haired boy was extremely handsome.
To put it somewhat immodestly, Vinson Wright felt that the boy's handsomeness was probably only a tiny bit inferior to his own.
Perhaps sensing Vinson's gaze, the black-haired boy looked toward Vinson, who had just entered, and smiled as he nodded in greeting to Vinson Wright.
He was a courteous person.
Whether in his actions or his expression, everything about him appeared natural and elegant. He made people instinctively like him and want to praise him a little.
Just then, the middle-aged man, who was thoroughly enjoying the conversation, draped an arm around the black-haired boy's shoulders and loudly introduced him with a laugh: "Unfortunately, I can't visit Mr. Scamander's home for the time being, because my son Cedric is about to start school at Hogwarts. Today, I'm accompanying him to buy the things new Hogwarts students need to prepare..."
When he mentioned his son, the middle-aged man looked a little regretful. "Cedric is twelve this year, and his birthday is in October, so he had no choice but to start a year late..."
Just as the other patrons were about to comfort him, the middle-aged man suddenly burst out laughing. "But Cedric has already finished reading the textbooks I left him—the ones I used myself. With his intelligence, I'm sure he'll become an outstanding Hufflepuff student!"
"..."
Cedric's face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
Perhaps his father's praise made him feel bashful, or perhaps he was shy because everyone in the pub was watching him.
If it had been an ordinary little boy, he might have hidden behind his father by now, embarrassed to face the intense gazes of all those adults.
Cedric behaved completely differently.
After looking shy for a moment, the black-haired boy humbly lowered his head and gave the many patrons before him a wizard's apologetic bow. "I'm very sorry. We've disturbed everyone's leisurely afternoon."
"Let's celebrate Mr. Cedric Diggory!"
"Let's celebrate Amos Diggory for having such a fine son!"
"Let's celebrate Hogwarts gaining another outstanding student!"
"Let's celebrate Hufflepuff... Hufflepuff will surely be defeated by Gryffindor in the Quidditch Cup again this year!"
"..."
Another wave of cheers rose throughout the pub.
Among them were quite a few patrons who liked to sneak in their own little jabs. Clearly, those patrons were probably wizards who had graduated from Gryffindor.
While the people in the pub drank merrily, Cedric Diggory and his father Amos Diggory finally made their way out of the crowd to greet someone.
Amos Diggory had also noticed Old Barty Crouch. The two of them could barely be considered colleagues at the Ministry of Magic.
Old Barty Crouch had once enjoyed considerable prestige. Though now semi-retired, he still held the position of Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the British Ministry of Magic.
Amos Diggory merely worked as an employee in the extremely unpopular Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Perhaps people who came from Hufflepuff really were not very good at politics...
"Long time no see, Mr. Crouch."
Amos Diggory walked over and extended his hand to Old Barty Crouch, gripping his palm firmly. "You look to be in excellent spirits..."
"You as well, Amos."
Old Barty Crouch slowly shook his hand, then turned his gaze toward Cedric Diggory beside him. With an exceptionally serious expression, he praised him, "Amos, you have an excellent son."
"Hahahahaha..."
Amos Diggory could no longer hide his pride. He forcefully patted his son on the shoulder and urged him, "It's the thing I'm most proud of in my entire life!"
After saying that, Amos Diggory noticed the gray-haired boy beside Old Barty Crouch and asked softly, "And this is...?"
"This is..."
Old Barty Crouch looked at Vinson Wright standing beside him. At that moment, he suddenly found himself unsure how to introduce Vinson's identity.
What if he gave him too lowly an introduction...?
What if Vinson Wright embarrassed him in front of everyone?
Vinson Wright seemed to notice Old Barty Crouch's hesitation. He took the initiative to extend his hand toward Amos Diggory. "I'm Vinson, Vinson Wright. I'm also a new student entering Hogwarts this year."
After saying that, Vinson Wright glanced at Cedric Diggory and added, "If nothing unexpected happens, I should be entering Hufflepuff as well."
"Oh?"
Amos Diggory's eyes lit up at once.
A flicker of delight also passed through Cedric Diggory's eyes. He felt warmly toward this fellow student he had happened to meet, perhaps because of his inherently kind nature.
This kindness.
It was certainly genuine kindness.
Cedric even took the initiative to extend his hand toward Vinson and said seriously, "Let me introduce myself again. Cedric, Cedric Diggory."
"I heard you just now."
Vinson amicably shook Cedric's hand, his face full of sincerity as he said, "I think meeting a fellow student at a time like this is something worth being happy about."
"I think so too..."
Cedric nodded happily to show his agreement.
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