Chapter 94
After wandering for three or four hours, the girls began to feel a bit tired, so Astoria suggested returning to the tent to rest.
Just then, a large group of teenagers, whom they had never seen before, passed by, attracting everyone's attention. Astoria curiously asked, "Who are they?"
They all came from pure-blood families and had naturally heard of the names of the world's top 11 magical schools. However, that didn't mean they could identify foreign students by their appearance.
"They're from Beauxbatons," Soren whispered, "that's one of the top 11 schools in the world, located not far from us in France. Their robes have the Beauxbatons emblem; I've seen it in 'European Magical Education Assessment'—two golden wands crossed, each with three stars above them."
"Is Beauxbatons impressive?" Astoria asked.
"Well, quite impressive..." Soren recalled an interesting fact, "You all must have heard your parents mention the 'Triwizard Tournament,' which was held by three magical schools in turn, every five years. Historically, Hogwarts has won the championship 63 times, while Beauxbatons has won 62 times, which shows their strength."
Looking at the reactions of the girls, it was clear they were unaware that the Triwizard Tournament was about to be restarted.
Soren was a bit surprised but then felt relieved. The Greengrass family didn't have a strong desire for power, and it was understandable that they weren't too keen on establishing an intelligence network within the Ministry of Magic.
This was unlike the Malfoy family; as soon as the summer vacation began, Lucius had already mentioned the Triwizard Tournament to Draco and himself.
However, since Lucius was also unclear about the details, Draco didn't know that this year's Quidditch was going to be canceled; he thought it was just a one-day event similar to "Merlin's Trials."
"Another magical school is Durmstrang, located on a secret island somewhere in Northern Europe. They only accept pure-blood students and have a relatively lenient attitude towards dark magic..."
"I know that school," Daphne said, "It's said that Grindelwald was a student there."
"Right," Soren nodded, "but even Durmstrang couldn't tolerate the dark magic experiments that Grindelwald conducted, so they expelled him."
"In North America, there's a school called Ilvermorny, located in the Graylock Mountains in the western United States. It has deep roots with Hogwarts, founded by one of the descendants of Slytherin. Their magic incorporates local witchcraft and excels in herbology and potion-making, performing exceptionally well in the 'Inter-School Wizarding Potion Championship' that all magical schools worldwide participate in."
"In South America, Brazil has a magical school called Castelobruxo, which used to have an exchange program with Hogwarts!"
"In Africa, Uganda has the largest magical school in the world, specializing in wandless magic and transfiguration. They can always be seen at the annual International Animagus Symposium."
"There are also schools in Japan, Russia, and..."
This group of teenagers was clearly part of a tour organized by their school to come to the UK and watch this year's Quidditch World Cup.
Seeing students from foreign magical schools, Soren had a sudden thought: Could it be that the Mahoutokoro School in Japan also sent a group over?
Thinking of this, Soren let the three girls head back first while she decided to try her luck in the Asian camp area to see if she could run into her pen pal. Thus, Soren temporarily parted ways with them.
Upon arriving at the Asian camp area, there weren't many tents, and the distance between them was relatively spacious, not too crowded. This was because Quidditch was not popular in Asia; compared to flying broomsticks, Asian wizards preferred using flying carpets.
he first encountered an unexpected person— A Transfiguration Master.
He had communicated with him extensively about Transfiguration over the past semester, and Soren had gained a deeper understanding of it through his guidance, for which he was very grateful. he had seen his photo in "Today's Transfiguration," so he recognized him at once.
Soren knew that in some culture, seniority and etiquette were highly valued, so he approached to greet him respectfully.
"Hello sir, I am Malfoy, the one who frequently corresponds with you. Thank you very much for your guidance."
Chang He was somewhat surprised but quickly recognized Soren. "Oh, it's you! Good child, no need to be so polite. Just call me Grandpa Chang." Chang He twirled his long beard. "Indeed, a remarkable talent. I envy that old fellow Dumbledore for having such an outstanding disciple like you."
"Grandpa Chang, you flatter me," Soren humbly replied. "I just have a bit of luck and have received guidance from many formidable people, like you, Grandpa Chang."
"Haha, you really know how to speak," Chang He laughed.
"Grandpa Chang, do you also like Quidditch? You came all the way here," Soren asked, as he had always thought Quidditch was not very popular in Asia.
"I feel okay about Quidditch; coming here is just a coincidence," Chang He said. "I'm mainly here to visit family."
"Visit family?" Soren was somewhat surprised. "Do you have relatives in the UK, Grandpa Chang?"
"Haha, speaking of my relatives, you might know them!" Chang He fell into contemplation before slowly saying, "My younger brother and I had some disagreements due to family matters back in the day. In a fit of anger, he left home and never returned." There was a barely perceptible tremor in Chang He's voice.
"It wasn't until much later, after he passed away, that I learned he had moved to the UK—he wouldn't even let me know before he died. It shows how much he hated and resented me..." Although Chang He had no expression, the sorrow deep in his eyes was hard to conceal.
"Grandpa Chang..."
"Forgive me for burdening you with this, Soren," Chang He sighed. "What I want to say is that if I could turn back time, I would definitely change my decision. Nothing compares to true familial love."
For some reason, Soren felt as if his heart had been struck hard by a hammer, tightening painfully, and Draco's face flashed through his mind.
"That won't happen. Although Draco and I have different ideas, it's ultimately for the family; it's impossible... impossible..." Soren forcibly comforted himself, pushing those troubling thoughts out of his mind.
"My brother married a girl in the UK and settled down, and they had children, which means I have a nephew. Later, my nephew also started a family and has a daughter. You might know her! Her name is Cho Chang, and she attends Hogwarts, just one year above you."
Ah! It's Cho Chang!
Soren wasn't very familiar with Cho Chang but recognized her. Cho Chang had attended his Patronus Charm exchange meeting with her friends. He didn't expect Cho Chang to have such a significant background!
Chang He's status in the field of Transfiguration in Asia is equivalent to Professor McGonagall's status in Europe; both are top experts in the field of Transfiguration. They are both honorary consultants listed at the International Animagus Conference.
At that moment, Cho Chang walked out of the tent. Upon seeing Soren, her eyes lit up, and she sweetly smiled as she approached. "Hi, Soren, what are you doing here?"
"I was just wandering around aimlessly and didn't expect to run into Mr. Chang Here," Soren honestly replied.
"Ah! You know my uncle?" Cho Chang was very surprised. Soren's name had indeed spread throughout Great Britain, and neighboring European countries had certainly heard of him, but for it to reach the far East seemed too exaggerated.
"Haha, Soren and I are pen pals and often exchange thoughts on Transfiguration through letters," Chang He said affectionately, looking at Cho Chang. Chang He had no children of his own, so he regarded Cho Chang as his own, which also contained some guilt towards his brother.
"Soren, are you alone?!" Chang Hesitated for a moment before saying, her face turning red. "Would you like to come into our tent for a bit? I want to ask you about the Patronus Charm and if there are any tricks to it. No matter how hard I try, I can only produce light mist."
Cho Chang was indeed very beautiful, no wonder even someone as slow to react as Harry would be moved. However, Soren already had many girls around him, and he had no intention of complicating his emotional world further.
He accepted Cho's invitation, but that was only because he wanted to repay Chang He's guidance.
Soren didn't stay in the tent for too long. He explained his insights on the Patronus Charm again and then cast a Happiness Charm on Cho.
"This... is the Happiness Charm?" Cho felt a sweet sensation in her heart, and scenes of happy memories surfaced in her mind, causing her lips to unconsciously curve upwards.
"Yes, this is my improved happiness spell, which can assist in the learning of the Patronus spell and even enhance its power. How do you feel now?" Soren asked with concern.
"I feel... so relaxed, as if all my worries have disappeared, and... so happy, like I am the luckiest girl in the world..." Cho closed her eyes, immersed in the emotions of the moment, and said softly.
"Good, now freeze the image in your mind at your happiest moment, and then say the guardian summon out loud."
"Expecto Patronum!" Cho's wand burst forth with a strong light, unexpectedly releasing a swan patronus!
"Impressive!" Chang He's eyes sparkled, "You actually created a new happiness spell and managed to master the Patronus spell in such a short time. Soren, you have amazed me!"
Although spells like these were not Chang He's forte, he still had an eye for appreciation.
This young person was like a young dragon lying in wait; given time, there would surely come a day when he would rise from the depths and soar in the sky!
He looked at Cho; her talent was quite good, but unfortunately, her beautiful appearance attracted too many temptations, preventing her from focusing on magic, which was truly a pity. The Chang family's secret transfiguration technique might be lost, unless... he suddenly thought of a good idea.
"Soren, in a few days, I will also be returning home. Since you and Cho are of similar age, I hope you can help look after her while at Hogwarts and give her some guidance in your daily life." Chang He said, suppressing his amusement and maintaining a serious expression, "Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time. In return, my Chang family has some secret transfiguration techniques that I can give you."
Soren, partly out of gratitude and partly tempted by the Chang family's transfiguration techniques, readily agreed.
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