As she said this, she winked at Cassandra.
"But... none of this has anything to do with me," she said.
"?" Cassandra looked at Vivi in confusion.
"I'm no longer a member of the Grindelwald Clan, Kathy," Vivi said with a smile, winking, "I'm part of the Potter family now. You should know that, so whether the Grindelwald family is disgraced or not, what does that have to do with me?"
As she spoke, Vivi's demeanor was exactly that of the matriarch of the Potter family.
Cassandra took a deep breath.
She hadn't expected to see the Grindelwald family's joke. Now it seemed she had miscalculated a bit.
Not only miscalculated, but was also counterattacked by Vivi, a fierce counterattack.
People from the Potter family...
Good, very good!
You aren't even married to Potter yet, and you're already carrying yourself like the family matriarch...
I can't imagine what kind of airs you'll put on in front of the sisters after you marry Potter!
Vivi isn't a fool. She, of course, knew what kind of thoughts Cassandra had.
Wasn't she just hoping to see me go berserk after finding out the truth and then beat up Gellert?
Hehe.
But I just won't do what you want.
My brother has grown up; it's normal for him to have his own choices. After all, he is the current patriarch of the Grindelwald family.
"Very mature, Vivi," Harry remarked sharply, "Compared to what happened after you first met Gellert, your response is much more mature."
"Hmph," Vivi snorted adorably, "Even if I make noise, so what? I can't possibly stop Gellert from doing anything... Forget it, let it be, let him do what he wants."
Harry shrugged, grabbing the small cake Vivi had ordered and stuffing it into his mouth.
He turned his gaze to the dance floor, where Hermione and Ron seemed to be having a great time, dancing recklessly and full of youth.
"Youth is great," Harry sighed.
"You're not that old," Vivi said. "Why are you sighing like that?"
"Look at Ron and Hermione," Harry told her. "I think that's what young people should be like, don't you? Want to go dance some more?"
"Go invite Kathy," Vivi said, "I still want to eat something. I didn't have time for dinner, and the little cake I just ordered was taken by you, you little rascal."
"Alright," Harry shrugged, extending his hand to invite Cassandra to dance.
They played in the hall until midnight, then reluctantly returned to their common rooms.
The Christmas ball was destined to be an unforgettable memory for the students, especially Neville, who still had those shoes hanging around his neck, dancing energetically.
"Looks like a worm," Ron whispered a sharp comment.
But he wasn't much better; dancing with Hermione felt great.
The most important thing was that this version of Hermione at the Christmas ball was one he had never seen before, and if she usually looked this pretty, he might not find her that annoying, Ron thought.
The day after Christmas, everyone woke up late.
The Gryffindor common room was much quieter than in the previous days, as people chatted sporadically, interrupted by frequent yawns.
Hermione's hair was back to being bushy, and she confessed to Harry that she had sprayed a lot of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion on it for the ball.
"But doing it every day is just too much trouble."
She complained as she groomed Jack's feathers.
"I still think it looks better that way," Ron said from the side, "But if it's such a hassle, then it's better not to do it."
Vivi stayed at Hogwarts for a few more days and then returned to Vienna.
It's said she has many things to deal with, and if she's free during the second task of the tournament, she'll come to watch.
Having nothing else to do, Harry invited Cassandra to go out for a stroll and relax.
"Why not go to Hogsmeade?" Cassandra suggested, "We haven't sat in the Three Broomsticks for a long time, don't you think? Harry? Maybe have a drink of Butter Beer together?"
That was a good suggestion, and Harry didn't decline.
The tavern was as crowded as ever, and as Harry's eyes swept over other tables, he saw Ron drinking Butter Beer with Hermione.
Upon seeing Harry, the two waved at him happily.
Harry bought two Butter Beers from Mrs. Rosmerta and sat down with Cassandra to one side.
"What's that?" Cassandra pointed to the mirror behind the bar. Harry saw the reflection of Ludo Bagman, sitting with a group of fairies in a dimly lit corner.
Bagman was standing there with his hands on his hips, speaking excitedly to the fairies, who all looked dejected and very disheartened.
This was indeed odd, Harry thought, as it was still the Christmas holiday and there wouldn't be any Triwizard Tournament activities for some time, so there was no need for a judge. Why would Bagman be in the Three Broomsticks now?
He watched Bagman in the mirror, noticing his expression turning serious, something Harry had never seen him do before.
Mr. Bagman was always a kindly-faced person, at least in Harry's impression.
Just then, Bagman glanced at the bar, spotted Harry, and stood up.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Harry heard Bagman say sternly to the fairies, then he hurried over to Harry, his baby face once again smiling.
"Harry!" he said, "How are you? I was hoping I'd run into you! Everything alright?"
"Fine, thanks," Harry said.
"I wonder if I could have a word in private, Harry?" Bagman said eagerly, "Esteemed lady, could you give us some privacy?"
Cassandra looked at Mr. Bagman expressionlessly.
"She's my girlfriend," Harry told Mr. Bagman. "Don't worry, you can say whatever you need to."
Mr. Bagman opened his mouth.
Wait, what?
She's your girlfriend?
Wasn't your girlfriend Miss Grindelwald?
But he quickly caught on and didn't say anything.
After all, this was a private matter between Harry and Miss Grindelwald, none of his business.
Besides, it's not like he hadn't seen this Malfoy family lady with Miss Grindelwald before, and they seemed to know of each other's existence...
Forget it, it's not my problem.
My grandfather lived to be over a hundred, and his secret to longevity was never meddling in others' business! Mr. Bagman thought fiercely.
"Harry, I want to congratulate you again on your outstanding performance against that tree bee," Mr. Bagman said, chuckling and forgetting the gossip, "It was amazing!"
"Thank you," Harry said, but he knew Bagman wanted to say more.
He looked past Mr. Bagman's shoulder at the fairies in the mirror.
"Oh, you're looking at them," Mr. Bagman said, following Harry's gaze to the fairies, then turning back with a chuckle, "Thanks to Miss Grindelwald and yourself, I earned quite a bit from the World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament... The fairies owe me a large sum of Golden Galleons, and now... they've come to me to negotiate."
"But that's not the point. This time I came to Hogwarts to find..."
At this point, Mr. Bagman looked around, lowered his voice, and said, "Barty Crouch."
"Barty Crouch?" Harry frowned, asking, "Shouldn't he be at the Ministry of Magic? Why are you looking for him here?"
"He's missing," Mr. Bagman continued in a very low voice, "I planned to find you right after dealing with the fairies; I think this information will be... um, definitely useful for Miss Grindelwald."