Vid pushed open the door of the small meeting room, and his gaze immediately locked onto the two familiar figures standing by the window.

Ferdinand was chatting with Sirius and Lupin, his demeanor so composed as if he was meant to be there.

Upon hearing the door open, he immediately turned his head and looked at Vid with gentle eyes, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes filled with a smile; Fiona, on the other hand, couldn’t wait any longer and ran over, her newly permed curls bouncing on her shoulders.

"Vid~ my darling!"

Fiona hugged Vid tightly and said enthusiastically, "Surprised? We came to see your competition!"

She kissed Vid on the cheek.

Vid instantly felt his entire face heat up. He dared not look at the others’ expressions, struggled out of Fiona’s embrace, hastily ruffled his hair, took a deep breath and said, "It’s quite a surprise, Mom."

"Haha!" Fiona pointed at him and turned to her husband, laughing, "Our champion is shy!"

Ferdinand chuckled and walked over, placing his hand on Vid’s shoulder, saying, "Don’t tease him, Fiona... take us to see your school, Vid."

"Alright... follow me." Vid quickly said, waved to Sirius and Lupin, and led his parents towards the door.

Natalia was also talking to her own parents, and as Vid walked past, she glanced sideways, deliberately showing a mocking expression, silently mouthing, "Vid~ dar~ling~"

Vid: "..." He secretly rolled his eyes and quietly turned his gaze away.

On the way out, Vid saw Harry holding a croissant, eagerly rushing into the meeting room.

...

That morning, Vid took his parents on a tour of the castle, walked by the lake, and even took a turn in the greenhouse.

Fiona was like a freshman who had just gotten her magic wand for the first time, excitedly tiptoeing to touch the portraits on the wall.

"Oh, Merlin, don’t touch me!" A wizard with a gray pointed hat cried out in horror, covering his flushed face, "They scrubbed me three times last night! Three times! It’s terrifying! My face is about to be rubbed raw!"

Fiona giggled.

"Look, Ferdinand!" She pulled her husband’s sleeve, exclaiming with joy, "It’s just as my mom described!"

"Yes..." Ferdinand’s broad hand brushed over the rough stone wall, lost in thought, "This is Hogwarts."

Fiona hugged her husband’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder, whispering, "Our son goes to school here and is representing Hogwarts in the competition... My goodness, I still feel like I’m dreaming!"

Vid followed beside them, not introducing Hogwarts like a host, just quietly listening.

In fact, the Greys didn’t need his introduction either; they just compared everything they saw with the scenes in their imagination, and the photos Vid sent back made them not unfamiliar with the school.

The couple visited the moving staircases and the doors that required a correct tickling or password to open, and even had a surprising encounter with a castle ghost.

The seemingly endless bookshelves in the library would awe anyone seeing them for the first time; a few portrait paintings, drunken on too much mead, leaning against rocks, hiccuping; Griffiths [a portrait Vid knew] even ran across two floors to chat with the Greys about their parents.

Vid felt somewhat regretful because he couldn’t take his parents to the Ravenclaw Common Room, but he did show them the Room of Requirement—the most magical place in all of Hogwarts.

As they passed by the Black Lake, the Giant Squid surfaced, lying on the bank, a serene eye watching them, as if silently greeting. Its tentacles lazily floated on the surface, glistening with moist light in the sun.

"How marvelous." Fiona curiously asked, "Can we shake hands with it?"

Vid shook his head, "We generally don’t get that close..."

"Oh..." Fiona was a bit disappointed but not surprised.

It’s well known that the Giant Squid is friendly, but there are many other dangerous creatures in the Black Lake, and the students aren’t bold enough to just wade in.

However, after the Durmstrang ship docked here, more than one person had seen Victor Krum jumping into the lake for a swim. Some students would specifically wait by the lake just to see him dive.

Just as the three were about to leave, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the water, slowly raising, carrying a string of glistening water droplets.

Vid immediately stood in front of his parents, and with a surprised look, watched as the squid’s tentacle raised to over half-human height, slightly bent, then waited.

"Oh!"

Fiona exclaimed with delight, her face blossoming with a childlike smile, carefully reaching out to touch it.

"You’re such a gentle giant, aren’t you?"

She said sweetly.

After the "handshake," the Giant Squid watched them, then slowly sank back into the water, leaving only ripples.

Vid exchanged an incredulous glance with his father and asked his mother, "Be honest with me, Mom... does our family have any bloodline from the Four Founders or descendants of the first headmaster of Hogwarts?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Fiona froze, then burst into a crisp laughter, nearly bending over with hilarity.

"Hahahaha... Darling, you have such a sense of humor!"

Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she said, "Silly child... I think that giant fellow really likes you, that’s why it extends its affection to us."

"... Me?"

"Yes!" Fiona blinked, "Well, I think it was watching you the whole time, Vid."

Vid silently watched the shadow in the water.

The last time during the competition at the Black Lake, he didn’t sense any special attention from the Giant Squid... ah, of course... when he went there, that big guy was asleep.

The Greys had no other thoughts about it—

The family owl was very clever and personable, and Dobby, aside from his appearance, was just like a human, and the book even said most Centaurs were smarter than average humans.

These gave the Greys a high expectation of the intelligence level of creatures in the Magic World, not to mention the Giant Squid, an ancient creature that had lived for thousands of years. Even if it suddenly started talking, they wouldn’t be very surprised.

Instead, Hogwarts’ faculty and students might find it more astounding if they saw this scene.

But gazing at the distant Forbidden Forest, Ferdinand’s smile gradually stiffened, and Fiona unconsciously tightened her grip on her son’s sleeve.

"Today’s competition... is it going to be held in there?" Fiona asked, "I heard there are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest."

"Yes." Vid smiled, "Although there are indeed... but that werewolf is also my friend. Since the competition is being held in the Forbidden Forest, his family recently relocated to another area, and they even bid me farewell before leaving."

Fiona was momentarily stunned, "Werewolf... friend?"

Ferdinand couldn’t help but show a mixed smile of concern and pride.

"It seems your life at school is even more colorful than we imagined."

He looked at the determination and confidence in his son’s eyes, suppressing a sigh in his throat, and advised:

"Child, don’t let honors or pride bind you. If... if the danger of the competition exceeds expectations, conceding defeat is not shameful; you must act within your means!"

"I will." Vid smiled, "If winning the cup would mean you must bear the pain of loss, I’d rather forfeit."

"That’s the right mindset!" Fiona cupped her son’s face, speaking softly and tenderly, "No matter the outcome, you are our pride, your father and I. We’re waiting for you to come back safe!"