Wade pushed open the door of the small meeting room, and his gaze immediately locked onto the two familiar figures standing by the window.
Fred was chatting calmly with Sirius and Lupin, as if he had always belonged there.
When he heard the door open, he immediately turned his head and looked at Wade with warm eyes — even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes seemed to be smiling.
Fiona, on the other hand, couldn't wait another second; she ran over with her freshly permed curls bouncing on her shoulders.
"Wade~ my darling!"
Fiona threw her arms around Wade enthusiastically. "Surprised? We came to see your match!"
She kissed Wade on the cheek.
Wade instantly felt his whole face burn up. He didn't dare look at anyone else's expression. Struggling free from Fiona's embrace, he hurriedly brushed his hair and took a deep breath. "It is a surprise, Mom."
"Haha!" Fiona pointed at him, then turned to her husband and laughed loudly. "Our brave warrior is shy!"
Fred came over smiling, placing his broad hand on Wade's shoulder. "Don't tease him, Fiona… Come on, Wade, show us around your school."
"Sure… come with me," Wade said quickly. He waved to Sirius and Lupin, then led his parents toward the door.
Natalia was talking with her own parents nearby. When Wade passed by, she glanced sideways at him and deliberately smirked as she silently mouthed: "Wade darling~"
Wade: "…" He secretly rolled his eyes and quietly looked away.
As they exited, Wade saw Harry rushing into the meeting room, clutching a croissant in his hand.
…
That whole morning, Wade showed his parents around the castle. They strolled by the lake and even stopped by the greenhouse for a look.
Fiona was like a first-year who had just received her wand — she tiptoed excitedly, reaching out to touch the portraits on the walls.
"Oh, Merlin, don't touch me!" cried a wizard wearing a gray pointed hat, clutching his reddened face in horror. "They scrubbed me three times last night! Three times! It was horrible! My face is practically rubbed raw!"
Fiona burst into cheerful laughter.
"Look, Fredy!" She tugged at her husband's sleeve, saying gleefully, "It's exactly like how my mother described it!"
"Yes…" Fred ran his large hand over the rough stone wall, his expression slightly distant. "So this is Hogwarts."
Fiona wrapped her arm around his, leaned her head against his shoulder, and spoke softly, "Our son studies here… and now he's representing Hogwarts in a competition. Goodness, it still feels like a dream!"
Wade walked beside them, not taking on the role of a tour guide — he simply listened quietly.
In truth, the Greys didn't need any introduction. They were comparing everything they saw with what they had long imagined. The photos Wade had sent home had already made them quite familiar with the place.
They admired the staircases that moved freely, doors that required scratching in the right spot or saying the correct password to open, and even had a delightful surprise encounter with some of the castle's ghosts.
The library's seemingly endless rows of bookshelves would awe anyone seeing them for the first time. Some portraits had drunk too much mead and were hiccuping as they leaned against the stone walls.
Griffith — a portrait Wade knew — even ran across two floors just to have a chat with the Greys about their own parents.
Wade felt a little regretful, because he couldn't take his parents into the Ravenclaw common room — but he did show them the Room of Requirement, the most magical place in all of Hogwarts.
When they passed by the Black Lake, the giant squid surfaced and lay lazily by the shore, one calm, massive eye gazing at them as if silently greeting them. Its tentacles floated gently on the water's surface, glistening wetly under the sunlight.
"How amazing," Fiona said curiously. "Can I shake hands with it?"
Wade shook his head. "We usually don't get that close…"
"Oh…" Fiona looked a little disappointed, though not surprised.
It was well known that the giant squid was friendly, but the Black Lake also housed many dangerous creatures — students weren't reckless enough to go swimming there.
However, ever since Durmstrang's ship had arrived, more than one person had seen Viktor Krum diving into the lake to swim. Some students even lingered by the lakeshore every day, just to catch that moment when he jumped in.
Just as the three were about to leave, a long tentacle suddenly emerged from the water and slowly rose, carrying a string of shimmering water droplets..
Wade instinctively stepped in front of his parents. To his surprise, the squid's tentacle stopped halfway out of the water, bent slightly, and then — waited.
"Oh!"
Fiona gasped in delight, and her face lit up with a childlike smile. She carefully reached out and touched it.
"You're such a gentle giant, aren't you?"
Her voice was soft and full of warmth.
After the "handshake," the giant squid gazed at them one last time before sinking back beneath the surface, leaving only ripples spreading across the lake.
Wade exchanged a bewildered look with his father, then turned to his mother. "Be honest with me, Mom… Are we, by any chance, descended from one of the Four Founders? Or maybe the first headmaster of Hogwarts?"
Fiona blinked, then burst into bright laughter, nearly doubling over.
"Hahahaha… oh, sweetheart, you really do have a sense of humor!"
She wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "Silly boy… if you ask me, that big fellow just likes you — it's probably showing us kindness because of you."
"Me?"
"Of course!" Fiona said, blinking mischievously. "I think it's been watching you the whole time, Wade."
Wade silently stared at the shadow beneath the lake.
When he'd last been in the Black Lake during the competition, he hadn't noticed any special attention from the squid… though, to be fair, it had been asleep at the time.
The Greys didn't think too much of it.
Their family's owl was already incredibly intelligent and seemed to understand human speech. Dobby — aside from his appearance — was practically like a person. And books said that most centaurs were more intelligent than ordinary humans.
So they had a high opinion of the intelligence level of magical creatures — and as for the giant squid, a being that had lived for over a thousand years, even if it suddenly started speaking, they wouldn't have been that surprised.
In fact, it was probably the Hogwarts students and staff who would have been the most astonished by what had just happened.
But as Fred looked toward the distant Forbidden Forest, his smile gradually faded. Fiona subconsciously gripped her son's sleeve.
"The competition today… it's taking place in there, isn't it?" she asked softly. "I heard there are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest."
"Yes," Wade said with a small smile. "That's true — but the werewolf there is actually my friend. Since the tournament's being held in the forest, his family moved elsewhere for now. He even came to say goodbye before he left."
Fiona froze. "A werewolf… friend?"
Fred couldn't help showing a mixed smile — part worry, part pride.
"It seems your school life is even more extraordinary than we imagined."
Looking into his son's eyes — so firm and full of confidence — he swallowed a sigh and said earnestly,
"Son, don't let honor or pride chain you down. If… if the tournament becomes more dangerous than expected, conceding isn't shameful. Know your limits, always."
"I will," Wade said, smiling. "If winning the trophy means you have to suffer the pain of losing me, I'd rather forfeit the match."
"That's my boy." Fiona cupped her son's face in her hands, her voice soft and full of affection. "Win or lose, you'll always be your father's and my pride. Just come back to us safe and sound."
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