Robert thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "It's probably quite rare. It's mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but it only says there are traces of it in Greece."
"Oh, of course, it's native to Greece," the white tiger rolled over. "I guess Cerberus is in deep sleep right now. The ones running around outside are probably its descendants, and they don't require much magical power."
Is that so? Robert was a bit skeptical but couldn't be bothered to ask further.
"Anyway, don't overthink it," the white tiger yawned, preparing for a nap. "The fact that you can hear plants communicating is a good sign. At least it proves you're a genuine British wizard."
Robert sighed, sounding a bit worried. "I'm just afraid I might have been hit by some dark magic."
The white tiger gave him a strange look, staring until Robert felt uneasy, then turned its head away. "You do know that white tigers ward off evil and disasters, right? If you were under some weird magic, do you think I wouldn't notice?"
"...I actually didn't know that," Robert shrugged. "I thought you were just named 'White Tiger.' Sure, it's rare for magical creatures to talk, but it's not unheard of."
The white tiger was stunned, then furious. "You idiot! I'm a real white tiger! You moron!" It waved its claws wildly, and Robert backed away in fear, completely defenseless.
After a while, Robert finally calmed the "black cat" down with catnip and dried fish. Watching it revel in the scent of mint and fish, Robert couldn't help but doubt its "tiger" nature.
The Quidditch team's training was going smoothly, but Cedric had been a bit distracted lately. He was Hufflepuff's new Seeker, and his skills were already recognized. He just had to wait for the previous Seeker to graduate before he could officially play. But his absent-mindedness definitely wasn't due to training.
"Did you know? Ravenclaw's team has a new Seeker this year. They say her eyesight is almost as good as their current Seeker's. Too bad she's only a first-year and can't play yet," Stebbins said mysteriously. "She's Asian, and really pretty."
Robert paused, then it clicked. Asian, pretty, Seeker. "Are you talking about Chang Cho?" Was she a first-year this year? Robert was a bit confused. He had to admit he didn't remember much about her, except that she had a passionate kiss with the Boy Who Lived, and they broke up peacefully not long after.
Stebbins looked puzzled. "What? What are you talking about? Her name's Cho Chang."
Robert gave him a calm look, and Stebbins instinctively shrank back. Years of Potions classes had taught him that this look meant something along the lines of, "Are you trying to kill me with your stupidity so you can inherit my Potions textbook?"
"You said she's Asian. Based on the length and pronunciation of her name, it's most likely Chinese. And in Chinese, the surname comes first, so her name is actually Chang Cho," Robert explained matter-of-factly. "I think she'd prefer to be called Chang Cho."
"Is that so?" Stebbins mumbled, then realized that wasn't the point. "That's not what I meant!" he raised his voice, forgetting they were in the Hufflepuff common room working on their History of Magic homework. His outburst drew the attention of many Hufflepuffs, and Cedric, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. Seeing Stebbins' flushed face, Cedric had a bad feeling.
"Wait, Stebbins!" Cedric's voice cracked, but it was drowned out by Stebbins' shout, "Cedric has a crush on that girl! He's always sneaking peeks during their training sessions—mmph!"
Silence.
"Buzz!" The low murmur in the common room exploded into chatter. In an instant, the Hufflepuffs exchanged information, verified, and concluded one thing: Cedric was in love! And the girl was on the Quidditch team!
A flood of congratulations overwhelmed Cedric, nearly drowning the poor guy.
Pale-faced, Cedric dragged the still-confused Stebbins away. As for Robert? He had already vanished!
In the dorm, Stebbins shivered. "Uh, did I mess up again?" he asked cautiously, looking at the expressionless Cedric and Robert.
Robert shook his head, and Cedric pursed his lips, staying silent. Stebbins sighed in relief, only to hear Robert say, "It's nothing. You just made Cedric's pursuit a bit harder."
"Hey!" Cedric panicked. "Don't say that! It's not like that. Cho and I... it's nothing, really! I just think her flying skills are impressive..."
"Oh~" Robert smirked. "Already calling her by her first name? Sounds like things are progressing well."
"There's no progress!" Cedric almost jumped up, but Robert continued, "So you're not interested in the lovely Miss Chang? In that case, I think I'll invite her for some Butterbeer. I do have a bit of Asian heritage, after all. I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about..."
"No!" Cedric blurted out, a hint of hostility in his voice.
But when he came to his senses, he saw Robert's teasing grin and Stebbins' curious look.
"Cedric!!!" A scream came from outside the dorm, and Summers rushed in, his face full of disbelief. "You're actually dating... oh, sorry, I got too excited. You've got a girlfriend!"
Robert burst into laughter.
Cedric's face turned red, and a vein throbbed on his forehead as he took deep breaths.
"Alright, buddy, I know you're a bit shy. It's your first girlfriend, after all. But you should know, going after a younger student isn't right," Summers rambled on, completely oblivious to Cedric's rising anger. "And second year isn't the best time for dating. You know, in third year, we can go to Hogsmeade!"
Cedric started grinding his teeth.
Summers excitedly pulled out a map from his pocket. "Look, I bought this map of Hogsmeade from the Weasley twins. They recommended this place for your first date—Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop."
Cedric finally snapped. He lunged at Summers, who was startled until he realized Cedric was just shutting the door.
Summers sighed in relief, then turned to see Cedric glaring at him, teeth clenched.
"Explain to me what you mean by the Weasley twins recommending my first date spot!"
(End of Chapter)