Harry was currently at the Weasley family home, listening to Percy show off about all the big shots he had met since joining the Ministry of Magic.
"...You haven't seen him with your own eyes, so you completely fail to understand the demeanour of Mr Crouch. Before becoming the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, he was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That is the most important position in the Ministry of Magic. If it weren't for some unexpected events in Mr Crouch's family, he would be the one sitting in the position of Minister for Magic right now. Of course, I am not saying that Minister for Magic Fudge is doing a bad job; he is still very outstanding and is one of the few good Ministers for Magic the Ministry of Magic has ever had."
Percy was spouting off, praising his immediate superior, Barty Crouch Sr., while not forgetting to kiss the feet of the current Minister for Magic, Fudge.
George, standing to the side, winked and said,
"Alright, stop sucking up, Percy. We're at home now, and those two esteemed department heads and the Minister for Magic can't hear your words."
Fred also chimed in with a grin.
"Or if you really want to brag about someone, you could try praising Dad; he is, after all, an Office Head in one of the departments."
"Oh, how could that be, Fred? A mere Office Head, even if he is our dad, isn't worth the praise of the great Percy."
"Ah, yes. If he really went and sucked up to Dad like that, Dad would probably be so flattered he wouldn't be able to sleep for three days. After all, it's the great Percy, a new employee of the Ministry of Magic!"
Facing the sarcasm of the twins, Percy never had any room to talk back. He just flushed red, snorted coldly, and turned to leave the living room.
He had graduated from Hogwarts this year with extremely excellent Wizarding Level Examinations results, especially in Defence Against the Dark Arts, where he received an O.
While those who got an O were rare, they were not unheard of, especially this year, when the pass rate for students taking Defence Against the Dark Arts exceeded eighty per cent, which shocked the Ministry of Magic officials in charge of the Wizarding Level Examinations.
But Percy only got an O because the best grade available was an O. He achieved the best grade, but that did not mean this best grade was his true level of ability.
The examiner who conducted his practical exam was well aware of this and repeatedly emphasised to the Office Head of the Auror Office that if Percy had any intention of working at the Ministry of Magic, they must recruit him into the Auror Office.
However, although Percy did enter the Ministry of Magic, he had no interest in the Auror Office, where one worked like a dog all day long for mediocre pay. Instead, he joined the Department of International Magical Cooperation, where it was easier to achieve political accomplishments in times of peace.
The Auror Office was naturally very regretful about this, and Percy, having been fought over by several departments during his Ministry of Magic interview, was naturally even more arrogant now.
Upon returning home, he couldn't help but brag for a while, and the Weasley Twins naturally didn't indulge him.
Harry couldn't say he hated Percy's personality, but he didn't like it much either.
Seeing him leave after being deflated, he and Ron burst into laughter together.
On another sofa sat two girls, Hermione and Ginny.
Hermione had also come to The Burrow at the end of this summer vacation. Mr Weasley had managed to get several tickets to the Quidditch World Cup final at the Ministry of Magic and had specially invited her and Harry to watch the match together.
"However, Percy did receive many certificates in his N.E.W.T.s." When Hermione spoke, her eyes revealed a look of longing.(TN: Certificates mean letter of recommendations I think or perhaps O's.)
Ron curled his lip.
"Don't worry, Professor Cavendish isn't going to leave Hogwarts. By the time you're in your fifth year, you'll be waving a dozen certificates around and showing off to us just like him."
George and Fred were clearly afraid of this topic and kept glancing towards the kitchen, but the conversation between Hermione and Ron still attracted Mrs Weasley out.
"Do you think someone with a dozen certificates isn't worth showing off, Ron?" Mrs Weasley was talking to Ron, but her gaze was actually glaring fiercely at the twins. "Like these two brothers of yours, aside from that Defence Against the Dark Arts certificate that is actually presentable, what else do they have! And even that is thanks to Sherlock for not giving up on you two troublemakers who spend all day thinking about tinkering with those embarrassing little gadgets!"
George and Fred listened to their mother's lecture obediently, but in reality, they exchanged glances and stuck their tongues out at each other, making faces.
Mrs Weasley's anger was not just because their O.W.L.s results were not ideal, but because a few days ago, she had found a long list of orders for magical joke items in their bedroom, believing that they were putting all their energy into studying these things and had no time to think about their studies.
Mrs Weasley's anger came and went quickly; after saying a few words, she returned to the kitchen, focusing her attention on tonight's dinner.
The twins didn't dare to stay in the living room any longer, fearing that their mother would remember this again and come out to nag them more. They slipped back to their bedroom, not knowing what they were going to tinker with.
Ginny also went to the kitchen to help her mother, leaving only the three of them in the living room.
"I wonder if Professor Cavendish will go to watch the Quidditch match too," Hermione asked, lost in thought.
After Hogwarts students achieved extraordinarily good results in Defence Against the Dark Arts for two consecutive years of Wizarding Level Examinations, she now wished that Sherlock could concurrently serve as the Professor for all subjects and teach her all the exam techniques for every subject.
Ron said confidently,
"He will! I heard Dad say before that he originally intended to send Professor Cavendish a ticket, but one of the Professors who used to be his friend at the Ministry of Magic had already sent one, so he didn't bother doing it again."
Speaking of Sherlock, Harry's eyes suddenly lit up.
He remembered something that he had forgotten to tell Ron and Hermione ever since he met them.
"I visited Professor Cavendish's house a week ago, and I ran into a... woman at the Professor's house."
He struggled with the form of address for a long time before finally choosing this term.
Hermione didn't think much of it.
"Maybe it was just someone visiting the Professor's house, and you happened to bump into them? Don't spread rumours."
Harry, however, shook his head and said,
"No! Absolutely not! When I went to find the Professor, it was in the morning. The Professor was eating breakfast with that woman named Hilke. It was obvious she had stayed at the Professor's house overnight!"
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Hearing Harry say this, their desire for gossip was instantly ignited.(TN: Pent up teens truly don't have much to do but talk about others' relationships.)
Harry leaned forward, deliberately lowered his voice, and continued.
"And you two have even met her before!"