"Social Gathering?"

"It's just a casual get-together with food, drinks, and some simple games..."

Cedric explained casually, looking a bit embarrassed as he turned to his companions.

"Um, this is my father, Amos Diggory. He works at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He heard we're hosting an event tonight and wondered if he could lend a hand, if that's okay? If it's not convenient, that's fine too—"

Cedric said, turning his head towards Hermione sitting in an armchair not far away.

They were back in the warm Hufflepuff common room, discussing how to organize the evening's party.

With them were the first-year team's young wizards and witches, as well as a certain head chef.

This was not surprising, since banquet food, inter-house social event approvals, and mid-sized party arrangements all fell within Hermione's responsibilities. Her opinion carried no less weight than that of the Heads of House; in the kitchens, her word held even more sway than the headmaster's.

"This is not standard, Diggory... External guests may only stay until nine o'clock—"

Hermione said earnestly, her youthful face displaying a composure beyond her years.

Unlike press conferences, the Quidditch match tickets issued by Hogwarts on weekends were only for viewing the game, and guests were generally expected to leave after the three meals.

This wasn't a rule she was imposing to be difficult, but rather a measure taken by Professor Dumbledore and others for Hogwarts' safety. They didn't want visiting adult wizards lingering and wandering around the castle for too long during school hours. The castle should not become a noisy public tourist spot during the academic year.

"Uh, well, I should be heading back... Cedric, you flew remarkably well today."

Amos Diggory rubbed his nose, glancing at the young people around him, also feeling somewhat superfluous.

However, the day wasn't entirely without new information. For example, he had discovered a new "potential daughter-in-law" target. That Ravenclaw Chinese girl named Cho Chang seemed promising, and from the looks of Cedric, he seemed somewhat smitten.

The only regret was not being able to spend more time with his son.

Hogwarts Quidditch viewing tickets weren't easy to come by. He had spent a considerable amount of Galleons on the two tickets for this month.

And most importantly, the qualification to purchase tickets was often more valuable than Galleons. The allure of Hogwarts cuisine alone was enough for Ministry of Magic officials to distribute the qualifications as a perk. His next visit would be no sooner than after Christmas.

"However, if it's you, Mr. Diggory, it's not as if there's no compromise at all."

Hermione changed her tone, thoughtfully adding, glancing at Luna Lovegood's pet Niffler.

"Let me make it clear, I'm not showing favoritism because you're Cedric's father. Hufflepuff house has always been a warm and welcoming family that embraces nature and the world. We want tonight's party to reflect some of the house's characteristics... Plant decorations are fine, but if it involves 'special guest' magical creatures, it might be best to have a professional official present to coordinate and control the situation."

"Hmm? Magical creatures... Special guests?"

"That's right, Hogwarts professors have always forbidden students from bringing magical creatures back to the dormitories because there have been many accidents before..."

Hermione shrugged. Since Hagrid and Newt Scamander were expelled, the school had explicitly prohibited students from secretly keeping magical creatures in their dormitories. Luna's niffler was barely allowed as a Hogwarts police dog by going through the back door—and even then, it was registered under the caretaker's name.

"There are many beautiful friends in the Forbidden Forest, such as baby unicorns, Bowtruckles, Nifflers... Well, maybe not Nifflers, but I think we might be able to invite phoenixes, fairies, and goblins to play. Professor Scamander should have plenty of adorable companions there."

Hermione ticked off some of her favorite little animals on her fingers, looking up at Mr. Diggory expectantly.

"You know about the Hufflepuff dungeons, right? We plan to redevelop the area below this semester. It's still too deserted down there."

"If it's just a party, it's not a big problem, I can approve it directly—"

Amos Diggory frowned, his expression hesitant, as he stammered under the gaze of the young wizards.

"But... Helga's dungeons? You plan to keep magical creatures there? That's not an easy thing to do. The Ministry and the Hogwarts Board of Governors have always had disputes on this issue. I have to try, uh... Of course, I personally support it."

"Dad, it's okay, don't force yourself—I know there are many times when you can't completely make the decisions."

Seeing his father's conflicted expression, Cedric Diggory tugged at the man's clothes, his lips barely moving as he made a buzzing sound.

The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was the second largest department in the Ministry of Magic. It was divided into three divisions, each responsible for a major category of creatures: the Being Division, the Beast Division, and the Spirit Division. And Amos Diggory was just the head of the Beast Division.

Above him were a director, a deputy director, and a group of senior Ministry of Magic officials.

Cedric knew very well that his father was far less comfortable at work than he appeared to be outside. Since Newt Scamander had made sweeping reforms in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the power and restrictions of this department could be said to be the second most complicated place in the entire Ministry of Magic.

"Of course, I can! Uh, I mean, if they are some safe, fun magical creatures, there should be absolutely no problem."

Hearing the quiet words of persuasion in his ear, Amos Diggory suddenly raised his voice, speaking loudly.

"The Ministry of Magic still has many questions about magical creatures and Hogwarts. A one-size-fits-all approach is obviously ill-considered. That's right, it's perfectly normal for Hogwarts students to keep some harmless, interesting little creatures—perhaps with the reform of the new curriculum, we should also try to relax the restrictions and give the young wizards at school more opportunities to interact with magical creatures outside the classroom."

"So, you think we can let those friends come to the common room to play at the party tonight?"

Hermione asked quickly, her eyes shining. She had been coveting Newt Scamander's animal companions for a long time. Now she finally found an opportunity to keep magical creatures at school. As long as those adorable little fellows moved into Hufflepuff, the subsequent matters would be much easier to handle.

Compared to the perilous and rugged Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, the Hufflepuff dungeons were clearly more suitable for small magical creatures to live in.

"Of course, but you have to be careful. My personal recommendation is not to invite Bowtruckles—"

Amos Diggory puffed out his stomach, looking around at the young wizards who were looking at him expectantly, smiling kindly.

"Although Bowtruckles are relatively gentle, they can still be dangerous if provoked. But unicorns, fairies, and goblins are no problem. I'll submit an explanation to the Ministry afterward. I'll explain it to the professors too."

"Yay! We can keep magical creatures in the dormitories!"

Hannah cheered excitedly. She had wanted to keep a little pet in the dormitory for a long time.

After all, Hermione had backup food, Luna's niffler, and Luna had "Crumple-Horned Snorkacks", while she and Hermione had nothing.

Although the little fellows in the Diagon Alley pet shop were very cute, Hannah always felt that she hadn't found the ones she particularly liked. But since she went to Professor Scamander's house last summer, she had already decided on the pet she wanted—she wanted to keep a Niffler, a furry, clever one.

"Ahem, not in the dormitory, to be precise, it should be in Helga's dungeons."

Cedric coughed softly, correcting it somewhat inappropriately.

As the Hufflepuff prefect, Cedric had to hold the line, otherwise, perhaps before the next weekend, the Hufflepuff student dormitory would become a large magical zoo. He never underestimated everyone's strong interest in magical creatures.

"Eh? Just Hufflepuff? What about us—"

Just then, Hermione and Luna, who were sitting on the side, belatedly reacted.

It seemed that all the happiness was Hufflepuff's, and they, who lived in the towers of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, still had no choice.

"There's nothing we can do, who told you Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's dormitories are in the towers—"

Hannah spread out her hands and stuck out her tongue, making a face at Hermione and Luna, saying triumphantly.

"Only Hufflepuff has an entrance to the dungeons in all of Hogwarts. We can create a comfortable, natural environment for those magical creatures. You're welcome to come down and play. Of course, you can also foster your pets with me, I'll consider it..."

"Hmph, never mind, I've decided, I'll get a cat next semester."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, not at all stimulated by Hannah's superficial provocation.

And Luna's expression was quite calm. Not to mention she had an owl, and most of the magical creatures she wanted to keep were unlikely to appear at Hogwarts Castle. Iron-headed taunts like this would only stimulate those freshmen who had just entered school.

For example, Ginny and Ilena had already begun to seriously consider the issue of fostering pets in the future.

However, the paths of the two were slightly different.

As the shadow prefect of Slytherin, Ilena was thinking more about how to keep some obedient, clever magical creatures in the black lake outside, which would not be easily caught and eaten by mermaids and giant squids, while Ginny had another way of thinking...

If Cedric and Cho Chang officially started trying to date later, perhaps there would be one more object to exploit?

After all, Penelope, Stripp, and Angelina had perfectly verified her action theory this semester—as a little angel who holds the power of blowing air, Ginny has a lot of ways to tease and disrupt if she doesn't satisfy some of her little wishes.

After months of wind and rain training, the girls of the Hogwarts freshman team had long become best friends.

And Cho Chang, the oldest sister in the whole team, naturally had several more younger sisters.

Compared to boys, they were obviously closer—best friend advantage, this was the taming skill taught by the big sister Hermione.

Taking a look at Cedric Diggory, who was discussing the details of tonight's social gathering with Hermione by the fireplace, Ginny raised her eyebrows, walked lightly to Mr. Diggory not far away, and quietly patted the middle-aged old father on the shoulder.

"Shh, Mr. Diggory, are you worried about Cedric finding a girlfriend?"

Ginny said mysteriously in a low voice, with a sly glint in her eyes.

"From the looks of it now, he should be with Cho... If you allow me to keep a Pygmy Puff or something, and help me find a regular feeder, then I can help you keep an eye on Cedric's progress—by the way, you have to keep the Pygmy Puff thing a secret from my dad..."

"Oh? It really is that Chinese girl, the Pygmy Puff thing is simple, but I still want to know—"

Amos Diggory was first surprised, and then observed the surrounding environment vigilantly, and began to negotiate in a low voice without turning his head.

Compared to the Weasley family with many children, he had too few sources of information at Hogwarts.

If he could find such a reliable partner, then opening some privileges would be too worthwhile. Not to mention Pygmy Puffs, even slightly more troublesome magical creatures would be fine—he still hoped to learn more about his son's situation, so that when Cedric led his girlfriend home, he and his wife would still know nothing about the "future daughter-in-law" and future "in-laws".

However...

A Chinese wizard family?

Amos Diggory frowned slightly, it seemed that he still had to learn more about the customs and world over there.

Although from his heart, he still thought that Miss Hermione would be more suitable for Cedric, but it didn't matter. In addition to Ginny Weasley, he could also ask Mrs. Hermione indirectly later, to hear her daughter's evaluation of Cho Chang.

Compared to what he learned from Cedric, Amos still believed in Cho Chang's true image in the students' eyes.

————

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Yay!