Chapter 4: A Party And Diggory
A letter from Hogwarts is important to any family.
It can change the destiny of a Muggle family, bringing them into the magical Wizarding World.
It can also dispel a Wizarding family’s greatest fear – that their child might be a Squib!
So for the entire day, the Weasley family celebrated, and Molly prepared a feast of ingredients.
At noon, the family set up a canopy in the garden, near the edge of the garden pond, preparing to enjoy the breeze, beautiful scenery, and lake views for a picnic party.
Arthur even wanted to invite all the nearby neighbors, but ultimately failed under Molly’s raised feather duster – Molly had always found the Lovegoods eccentric, and the Fawcetts didn’t visit often, making them unsuitable.
So, only the Diggory family was invited in the end.
Amos Diggory, like Arthur Weasley, is an employee at the Ministry of Magic, working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so the two can be considered colleagues, albeit barely.
However, Arthur’s invitation was not out of colleague etiquette.
“That guy is so annoying!”
“Every time we meet, he always brags about his son Cedric, with that smug look that belittles other people’s children!”
Arthur’s expression was one of great indignation as he said this.
So when Amos Diggory Apparated to The Burrow with his son, Arthur happily put an arm around Vaughn and welcomed them!
“Amos, welcome to The Burrow. This is my son Vaughn. I bet you’ve heard of him.”
Amos had a short brown beard and a red face, as if he had been drinking.
He shook Arthur’s hand while appraising Vaughn.
Vaughn wore a smile that met the expectations of elders.
“Yes, yes, Arthur, your family’s Potions Prodigy, of course I’ve heard of him. Did he receive his Hogwarts letter today? Where is Ron?”
Arthur’s smile froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected the other party to pinpoint his weakness so accurately. His eyes darted around: “Oh, Ron received his too…”
Amos immediately raised his eyebrows: “Why didn’t you bring him? I must say, you should let Ron interact more with Cedric. Our Cedric is obedient and studies well, Professor McGonagall is full of praise for his Transfiguration, and he’s a Quidditch Seeker. Perhaps he can help Ron make some changes…”
When it came to bragging about his son, Amos was clearly experienced, knowing how to circumvent the other party’s strengths and hit their weak spots.
The childish competition between the adults almost made Vaughn laugh out loud.
Cedric Diggory, the young boy who had accompanied Amos, looked a bit embarrassed.
He was handsome and had the shyness of youth.
Taking advantage of the dazed Arthur being led away by Amos, he sidled up to Vaughn and apologized: “I’m sorry, my father doesn’t mean any harm. He always exaggerates when he talks.”
As if hearing him, Amos Mr. loudly praised from afar: “…Cedric is always humble and polite, always full of gentlemanly demeanor…”
“…”
Cedric’s expression stiffened, and he had to awkwardly change the subject.
He extended his hand to Vaughn: “My name is Cedric Diggory, Mr. Vaughn Weasley. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve read several of your theses on Potions and must say, some of the development ideas you mentioned are amazing.”
Vaughn shook his hand and smiled: “Thank you. Just a few little tricks. Some people in the Extraordinary Potioneers Association are still criticizing me for unorthodox methods.”
Where there are people, there are disputes.
Over the years, Vaughn had earned many Gold Galleons with his “Vaughn’s Beauty” product line, naturally drawing the jealousy of other potioneers.
Not to mention Vaughn’s astonishing talent in Potions – at only 8 years old, and not yet enrolled at Hogwarts, he could develop mature potion products, something unprecedented in the past.
If they hadn’t still had some semblance of dignity back then, feeling embarrassed to snatch a child’s research results, and considering Vaughn was a Pure-blood, the “Vaughn’s Beauty” product line would likely have had its recipes deciphered long ago, and its market stolen.
Of course, with the publication of several theses on potion development, Vaughn had now gained traction, and “Vaughn’s Beauty” had become well-known. Those people could only engage in verbal sparring in the newspapers.
Vaughn’s composure made Cedric a little envious.
He was ambitious and admired those with genuine talent, so even though Vaughn hadn’t enrolled yet, Cedric humbly asked Vaughn for advice on several questions regarding potion transfiguration.
“…I haven’t tried Polyjuice Potion yet. You know, the recipe for this advanced potion is simply not available on the market. It is said that the Scarping Apparition Curse can analyze the specific ingredients and proportions of a potion, but it is a curse that the Ministry of Magic strictly restricts its circulation.”
“So I am very much looking forward to attending Hogwarts. Its library and professors can teach a lot of knowledge that cannot be learned through self-study… Let’s get back to the previous topic. Although I haven’t brewed Polyjuice Potion, I can understand its main ingredients. I suggest you use its primary ingredient, powdered unicorn horn, for some low-risk experiments…”
Time advanced to noon, and Cedric had completely become Vaughn’s little fanboy.
He even ignored Mr. Amos and deliberately sat next to Vaughn for easier consultation.
Upon hearing this, he pondered for a moment and asked: “Are you saying that the main factor in Polyjuice Potion’s transfiguration comes from the unicorn?”
“No, the transfiguration mainly relies on the properties of Flowing Grass. The unicorn provides more possibilities, just like its appearance – it resembles a leopard, a cow, and a human. It is the key to Polyjuice Potion helping you transform into others, even across genders. This already involves modifying the essence of the human body. I believe its potential has far from been fully tapped!”
Vaughn spoke eloquently.
No one in his family had a particular talent for Potions, so he usually couldn’t find anyone to discuss Potions with. Although Cedric’s questions were mainly about potion transfiguration, he was still happy to have someone to communicate with.
While they were chatting enthusiastically, on the other side of the dining table, Ron was in deep water and hot fire.
Even though he had tried to hide until dinnertime to come down, Mr. Amos had still caught him. He had no choice but to endure, along with his father, Mr. Amos’s constant praise for his son and his implicit and explicit belittling.
To escape, Ron even had to bring up Vaughn.
“Cedric is asking Vaughn about Potions, I want to listen,” Ron said.
Mr. Amos immediately shut up and let him go.
This made Ron feel even more uncomfortable, always feeling his brother’s shadow was everywhere!
Especially at mealtime, when Molly brought out the meticulously prepared Hot Pot – this was a Chinese dish that Vaughn, having eaten years of British “cuisine” and detesting it, had “restored” from a Muggle magazine using his father’s work convenience.
When the Hot Pot was served, seeing his listless father perk up again and start boasting to Mr. Amos about Vaughn’s culinary invention.
Ron felt utterly drained!
