"Interested in joining Slytherin? If you follow me, it'll definitely be better than sticking with your two unreliable brothers," Sean teased Ron, ignoring George.
"Get lost. Ron's our brother. Everyone in the Weasley family has always been Gryffindor," Fred shot back.
"Relax, I'm not trying to steal your brother," Sean said with a cheerful grin.
In truth, Ron's personality had no chance of landing him in Slytherin anyway. He had no ambition, no clear goals, and certainly wasn't cunning. The Weasley family were Gryffindors through and through—an undeniable fact.
It was Sean's first time seeing Ginny. The little girl was prettier than he had imagined. In a few years, she would surely grow into quite a beauty—otherwise Harry wouldn't end up falling for her.
Nearby, Arthur had just finished chatting with Old Tom and walked over to the children. He looked at Sean and said,
"Sean, I heard you're the second-year representative for the Four-School Friendship Tournament next year."
The Four-School Friendship Tournament wasn't exactly a secret. It was simply held once every ten years. Since Hogwarts only had seven years of schooling, no student would experience it twice. Most students only learned about it from older siblings or their parents.
That was why Percy and Charlie weren't completely clueless when Dumbledore summoned them for a talk. They felt proud to have been chosen as representatives—especially Percy.
Percy's serious demeanor stood out awkwardly in the lively, joking atmosphere of the Weasley family. He preferred rules and order, with a rigid personality. He was the sort of person who made a huge fuss whenever someone broke school regulations and liked giving orders to everyone around him.
He admired people with authority and status. Although he was Mrs. Weasley's proudest son, his personality and behavior often made him the target of teasing from his younger brothers. His classmates also loved imitating him mockingly. Ron, Fred, and George always considered him "the biggest fool in the world."
"Dad, Sean is much more outstanding than George and Fred," Percy said, looking at Sean.
This was the first time Percy had spoken to Sean, albeit indirectly. Even though the two had no interaction at school, Percy had been paying attention to the extraordinarily talented first-year.
"So I'm already that famous at school? Even third-years know me," Sean said with a laugh.
Percy replied seriously, "If my two brothers were even half as outstanding as you, Gryffindor wouldn't have missed out on the House Cup this year."
"So it's our fault?" Fred and George said in unison.
Judging from Percy's personality, Sean guessed he was trying to build a closer relationship. Sean didn't mind giving him the opportunity.
"You're excellent too. Otherwise the headmaster wouldn't have chosen you as a representative."
Percy liked hearing praise. A pleased smile appeared on his face.
"By the way, you probably don't know the rules of the Four-School Friendship Tournament yet. When we return for training before the term starts, I can explain them to you."
Sean actually had no idea what the rules of the tournament were. He didn't even know whether it involved life-threatening danger. If it did, he wondered if it was still possible to back out by talking to old Dumbledore now.
"Alright, we should go buy the textbooks for the new term," Molly called out to the children.
Diagon Alley had been extremely lively these past few days. New students who had received their admission letters were coming to buy school supplies, while returning students needed textbooks for the coming year.
Over the next few days, Cassius, Chris, and Graham all made a point of visiting Sean at the Leaky Cauldron. But because the pub was so busy, Sean only had time to greet them briefly before returning to work.
That afternoon, the bar was once again packed with customers. The wizards seemed to enjoy being served by the other Boy Who Lived. Old Tom even refused to pay Sean wages, claiming he was "saving it for him" and would give it all at the start of the school term.
An elderly woman with graying hair, wearing a hairnet and slippers, walked into the bar carrying a large basket. She approached Sean, who was busy working.
"Hello, I'm looking for Hearns."
Sean glanced at her. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite remember who she was.
"Ma'am, he's probably very busy in the kitchen right now. Could you tell me your name? I'll let him know who's looking for him."
"Arabella Figg," the old woman replied.
"Alright, Mrs. Figg," Sean answered casually.
But a moment later, he realized something wasn't quite right.
"Figg? Mrs. Figg?" Sean activated his Magic vision and examined her carefully. There was no magical power radiating from her.
From her name and appearance, Sean quickly concluded that she was the Mrs. Figg who lived next door to Harry and secretly watched over him.
Sean had no idea why Mrs. Figg had come to see his uncle, but he went to the kitchen to inform him anyway.
"Figg, you're two days later than we agreed," Hearns said.
"Sorry, Hearns. Bringing it here was a bit troublesome, so it delayed me," Mrs. Figg replied.
The two of them spoke mysteriously, as if they were carrying out some secret transaction. From Mrs. Figg's words, it sounded like there was a living creature inside the basket.
"Sean, bring the basket over and open it," Hearns said.
"This better not be something dangerous," Sean thought to himself.
Mrs. Figg looked at Sean with surprise. "He's your nephew? Sean Grylls?"
Hearns said proudly, "He's the most outstanding of the Hogwarts first-years."
Mrs. Figg lived on Privet Drive. It was less than an hour's drive from Charing Cross Road, where the Leaky Cauldron was located. But because she had to watch over Harry, she rarely left the area around Privet Drive.
All these years, she had only heard that another Boy Who Lived stayed at the Leaky Cauldron. She had never had the chance to come see him personally. After all, the Boy Who Lived on Privet Drive was the key to Dumbledore's plan.
Sean took the basket from Mrs. Figg. It was very light, with nothing heavy inside. Under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Figg and Hearns, he lifted the lid.
"Wow—it's a cat… no, wait, it doesn't look like a cat," Sean said excitedly.
Inside the basket was a small creature that looked somewhat like a wildcat. Sean lifted it out and examined it carefully.
Its fur was covered with various spots, its ears were unusually large, and its tail resembled that of a lion.
"This is your twelfth birthday present," Hearns said.
"That's a Kneazle," Mrs. Figg explained. "They have an incredible ability to sense a person's character. An adult Kneazle can grow to about a meter in length."
Sean thought for a moment. Today was August 18th, while the birthday of his current body was August 21st. The bar had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten his birthday was coming.
"So this year's birthday gift isn't a Chocolate Frog," Sean said in mock surprise to Hearns.
"It was bought with your summer wages. Of course, I paid most of it myself," Hearns said shamelessly with a grin.
Sean turned to look at Old Tom behind the counter. The old man's wrinkled face broke into a faint smile.
"Brilliant. Using my wages to buy me a gift. Absolutely brilliant."
Sean raised both hands and forced a stiff smile onto his face, giving Old Tom two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
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