The Chinese girl from Hufflepuff is both timid and brave

Neville stared at Sun Zhu blankly, forgetting to cry. It was the first time he heard someone scold his grandmother in front of him - the most authoritative and respected person in his mind.

If it was anyone else, he would have waved his fist at him to express his protest. But this person happened to be a senior whom he also respected very much.

Yes, even though she was only two years older than him, he still regarded her as an "elder".

"I...you..." He murmured, but couldn't finish the sentence.

He really was a coward, just as his grandmother had said.

"You think what I said was unpleasant, or that I was wrong?" Sun Zhu raised his eyebrows. "Even if you don't like to hear it, I still have to say it."

Cedric glanced at Neville and saw that he seemed a little dazed. He said to Sun Zhu helplessly: "Eat lunch first, it's getting cold."

"Neville, you are crying here. Do you also think that those who don't go to Gryffindor and come to Hufflepuff instead are cowards? Not going to the house that represents courage means you have no courage?" Sun Zhu took a piece of strawberry pie from the plate in front of Cedric, took a bite and said.

Neville's lip quivered and he shook his head.

"Do you know when you are the most like a coward?" She swallowed the food in a few gulps, drank a few sips of honey water, then turned to look at Neville who was silent and said, "It's now when you are crying because of a letter. Are all your grandmother's words sacred in your eyes? If she scolds you, won't you question it?"

She rubbed her temples with a headache, feeling annoyed that she shouldn't be so impulsive in interfering in other people's family affairs. At the same time, she felt that Neville, who had always been denied and belittled by his own family, really deserved a push.

Perhaps not everyone has the courage and ability to overthrow the authority they have recognized for a long time. That means that everything they have always insisted on and believed in will no longer exist. Even if these insistences make him painful, they are also the driving force that keeps him alive.

But she believed Neville had the potential - not that he was supposed to be a "Gryffindor," of course.

She poured a cup of hot water, handed it to Neville, and said in a slow tone, "In fact, I had some expectations of you that I couldn't express directly, so I was a little impulsive just now. Your grandmother is of course a respectable elder. She is strong in all aspects, so she was able to raise you and raise you so well. You may not know that you have accomplished a great thing, but no one knows how great you are, and instead misunderstands you because of this - even that person is your closest person."

Neville took the water subconsciously and looked at her stupidly until Cedric reminded him: "You just cried for too long, drink some water first."

Neville lowered his head in a daze and gulped down the water.

Cedric looked past Neville and at Sun Zhu, who was stuffing his cheeks again.

He wanted to ask her what her expectations were for Neville. She seemed to have some extra special feelings for many people, but she had no idea where they came from.

He felt a little clogged up in his heart, but what position did he have to ask her?

He was not as magnanimous and calm as others imagined. Sometimes he even despised his own narrow-mindedness - why should he care about this and that?

He lowered his head slightly, trying to hide the shadow in his eyes.

When others are sad, he still cares about how Zhu comforts them. This is not what a Hufflepuff should do.

"…Yes, choosing to come to Hufflepuff is exactly the most amazing thing you have done so far."

Neville, who had no system, no knowledge of the original plot, and no "golden finger", was an "original character" whose fate was arranged, but he was able to go against "fate" and took the initiative to change his own academy.

"Your grandmother thinks you are running away. Do you think so too?" Sun Zhu continued to ask.

Cedric looked at her quietly, only hearing her voice in his ears, and completely ignoring Longbottom's reply.

"Why do you all think that coming to Hufflepuff means you don't have to face any danger? Only the adventures and challenges of Gryffindors are called stories, and everything about Hufflepuff is just a background decoration?" Her voice seemed a little crazy. "I thought that only those decadent and backward pure-blood families would care about their children not going to Slytherin, but I didn't expect..."

"Because both of your parents are Gryffindors? Are only Gryffindors qualified to be Aurors? Do you know that the famous magical creature expert Mr. Newt Scamander's elder brother, Theseus Scamander, was once the Chief Auror of the Ministry of Magic, with a great reputation, and he also participated in the fight against the first generation Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald! And my senior sister Tonks will soon become a formal Auror..."

"I'm sorry, I remembered another senior of mine who has already graduated. If she were here, she would probably be able to reason with you... But I just want to say that even your closest relatives have no right to deny you like this."

Then there was a long silence. The girl seemed to be tired of talking, or as if she regretted having talked too much, so she simply focused on eating her lunch, which was no longer very hot.

Cedric finally turned his gaze back to Neville. The blond boy had loosened his grip on the letter paper and was staring at the back of his hand, as if thinking about something.

Originally, he just came to the restaurant to leave some of Zhu's favorite meals, but he met this first-grade badger who excitedly opened the owl's letter and then shrank into a corner and cried alone.

He had an impression of the little badger. Delphine had mentioned that Zhu had specially sent him a birthday cake.

Some inexplicable complex emotions lingered in his heart, including concern, curiosity, and a trace of care that could not be ignored.

It was easy for him to pry open the mouth of someone who really wanted to talk, but most of the time he just listened and didn't express his opinion.

Not everyone is good at sorting out other people's family affairs, and he didn't know Longbottom well. Although he subconsciously felt helpless about the other parents' disdain for Hufflepuff, all he could do was tell him that it didn't matter which house he was in, and he didn't need to care too much about the misunderstandings of his elders.

But Zhu, who had always been kind and friendly, became angry as soon as he arrived, and directly asserted that Longbottom's elders were wrong, and even taught them to sing a different tune from his grandmother...

"Are you still in a daze? Are you scared by me?" A warm breath suddenly brushed across his face. Cedric came back to his senses and saw Sun Zhu leaning over and standing beside him, smiling at him with his eyes crooked.

Longbottom beside him was no longer visible.

"I asked Neville to write back to his grandmother. Write down everything that happened after he read the letter - even the scolding I said to her, although he doesn't seem to dare to - let her know how much harm her words have brought to her grandson." Seeing his puzzled expression, Sun Zhu simply explained: "I know that Lady Augusta definitely loves Neville, but the way she expresses it is not suitable for him now. It is better to let Neville be open and honest and tell his grandmother his truest thoughts. This is also a kind of courage."

Cedric nodded, and then saw her smile again: "Are you wondering why I should mind Neville's business?"