Party and the Diggorys

A letter from Hogwarts was important to every family.

It could change the fate of a Muggle family, allowing them to enter the wondrous world of magic from then on.

It could also dispel a wizarding family's greatest fear—that their child was a Squib!

So, the Weasley family celebrated all day, with Molly preparing an abundant spread of ingredients.

At noon, the family set up a canopy in the garden near the edge of the pond, ready to enjoy the breeze, the beautiful scenery, and the shimmering water at a picnic party.

Arthur had even wanted to invite all the nearby neighbors, but Molly's raised feather duster put an end to that idea—she had always found the Lovegood family peculiar, while the Fawcett family were not close enough to make it appropriate.

So in the end, only the Diggory family was invited.

Like Arthur Weasley, Amos Diggory was an employee of the Ministry of Magic. He worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so the two could barely be considered colleagues.

But professional courtesy was hardly Arthur's reason for inviting him.

"That bloke is insufferable!"

"Every time we meet, he goes on and on about how wonderful his son Cedric is, with that awful look on his face like everyone else's children are beneath his!"

Arthur looked thoroughly indignant as he said this.

So when Amos Diggory arrived at The Burrow with his son by Apparition, Arthur happily put an arm around Vaughan and went to greet them!

"Amos, welcome to The Burrow. This is my son, Vaughan. I'd bet you've heard of him."

Amos had a short brown beard and a red face, as though he had been drinking.

He shook Arthur's hand while sizing Vaughan up.

Vaughan wore the smile expected of him by an elder.

"Yes, yes, Arthur, your family's potions prodigy. Of course I've heard of him. He received his Hogwarts letter today, didn't he? What about Ron?"

Arthur's smile froze for a moment. He had not expected the man to pinpoint his weak spot so precisely. His eyes flickered as he looked around. "Oh, Ron received one too..."

Amos immediately raised his eyebrows. "Why didn't you bring him over? If you ask me, you ought to let Ron spend more time with Ced. Our Ced is obedient and an excellent student. Even Professor McGonagall is full of praise for his Transfiguration, and he's a Quidditch Seeker too. Maybe he could help Ron make a few changes..."

When it came to showing off his son, Amos was clearly experienced. He knew how to avoid the other side's strengths and strike straight at their sore spots.

The childish competition between the adults nearly made Vaughan laugh out loud.

Cedric Diggory, the young boy who had come with Amos, looked rather embarrassed.

He was very handsome, though he still had the bashfulness of youth.

While the dazed Arthur was dragged away by Amos, he stepped over to Vaughan and apologized, "Sorry about that. My father doesn't mean any harm. He just has a habit of exaggerating when he speaks."

As though he had heard him, Mr. Diggory loudly praised from afar, "...Ced is always humble and polite, always such a perfect gentleman..."

"..."

Cedric's expression stiffened, and he had no choice but to awkwardly change the subject.

He held out his hand to Vaughan. "My name is Cedric Diggory, Mr. Vaughan Weasley. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've read several of your papers on potions, and I must say, some of the development ideas you mentioned were astonishing."

Vaughan shook his hand and smiled. "Thank you. Just a few little tricks. There are still people in the Extraordinary Potioneers Association criticizing me for taking the wrong path."

Where there were people, there would be disputes.

Over the past few years, Vaughan had earned quite a few Galleons through the "Vaughan Beauty" product line, so naturally, he had drawn the envy of other potioneers.

Not to mention Vaughan's astonishing talent for potions—he was only eight years old and had not even enrolled at Hogwarts, yet he had already developed mature potion products. Nothing like that had ever happened before.

If they had not still possessed a shred of shame and felt embarrassed about stealing a child's research, and if Vaughan had not been a pure-blood, the formula for the "Vaughan Beauty" line would likely have been cracked long ago, with people fighting over the market.

Of course, after several papers on potion development had been published, Vaughan had gained enough standing. "Vaughan Beauty" had made its name, and those people could only wage war with words in the newspapers.

Vaughan's composure made Cedric somewhat envious.

He was ambitious and greatly admired those with genuine ability. So although Vaughan had yet to enroll, Cedric still humbly asked him several questions about potion Transfiguration.

"...I haven't tried Polyjuice Potion yet. You know, the formula for such an advanced potion simply can't be found on the market. They say Scarpin's Revelaspell can analyze a potion's specific ingredients and proportions, but it's a spell whose circulation is expressly restricted by the Ministry of Magic."

"So I'm really looking forward to attending Hogwarts. Its library and professors can teach me a great deal that self-study cannot... Let's return to the earlier topic. Although I haven't brewed Polyjuice Potion, I can still learn about its main ingredients. I suggest you use its primary ingredient, powdered bicorn horn, for some low-risk experiments..."

By noon, Cedric had completely become Vaughan's little fan.

He even ignored Mr. Amos and deliberately sat beside Vaughan so that he could ask for advice more easily.

After hearing this, Cedric pondered for a moment and asked, "You mean that the main factor allowing Polyjuice Potion to transform people comes from the bicorn?"

"No. The transformation mainly relies on the properties of fluxweed. The bicorn simply provides more possibilities. Just like its appearance—it resembles a leopard, a bull, and a human—it is the key that allows Polyjuice Potion to turn you into someone else. It can even cross genders. That already involves altering the fundamental nature of the human body. I think its potential is far from fully explored!"

Vaughan spoke at length.

No one in his family was particularly talented at potions, so he usually could not find anyone to discuss the subject with. Although Cedric's questions were mostly about potion Transfiguration, Vaughan was still happy to have someone to talk to.

While their conversation was in full swing, Ron was suffering terribly on the other side of the dining table.

Even though he had tried to hide out until mealtime before coming downstairs, he was still caught by Mr. Amos. He had no choice but to endure, alongside his father, Amos's elaborate praise for his own son and his overt and subtle belittlement of Ron.

To get away, Ron even had to invoke Vaughan.

"Ced is asking Vaughan about potions. I want to go listen," Ron said.

Mr. Amos immediately shut up and let him off.

That only made Ron feel worse; he had the constant feeling that his brother's shadow was everywhere!

Especially at mealtime, when Molly brought out the carefully prepared hot pot—Chinese cuisine that Vaughn, after suffering through years of British "food," had painstakingly "reconstructed" from Muggle magazines by taking advantage of Dad's work.

When the hot pot was set on the table, Dad, who had been listless for half the day, perked up again and began boasting to Mr. Amos about Vaughn's culinary invention.

Ron felt utterly weak all over!