Chapter 13: Chapter 11: Secondary Education Muggle
The shyness in Angelina's gaze had vanished in an instant, replaced by cold and bored eyes.
"Is there anything you want to do?" Cedric asked her without paying much attention to the radical change in her facial expression.
"Unfortunately, it's boring to be with you. You'd better read your books, bookworm," she replied dryly.
Seeing that she wasn't going to cooperate to make his day more peaceful, Cedric simply nodded and chose a book to read.
Observing Cedric's calm expression, as always, while he started reading as if nothing had happened, she suddenly became more infuriated.
Angelina didn't know what she expected him to do, but she certainly didn't expect him to be so cold. No, the idea was that she should be the one acting this way.
Originally, she wanted to tease and embarrass Cedric as revenge, but now she was just in a bad mood because of how he was acting. She stomped the floor in frustration, walked to the desk, found a chair, and sat down, pursing her lips, not knowing what to think or do in this situation.
Cedric, who had observed all her behavior, instantly knew that the girl had been offended for some reason. He couldn't help but think that if he left things like this, she would only get angrier, and things would become more difficult for him. So, he decided to make one last attempt to talk to her.
"By the way, there's a short and quite interesting book on ancient myths on the shelf. It talks about the time when dragons used to fly freely in the sky. If you're feeling bored, you can take a look," Cedric suggested casually as he watched her reaction to what he said.
"Huh? Why would I want to read a silly book? I'm not like you!"
"Oh... well, you'd be surprised at how interesting that book is. I lent it to two restless boys who hate reading, and they loved it," Cedric said, remembering that day with the Weasley twins.
"Humph, I don't believe a word you're saying."
"Um... why don't you read a bit and then decide if what I'm saying is true or not?"
"Fine," Angelina said dryly as she turned around, staring at him without speaking.
Cedric sighed and closed the book he was reading. He then got up to search the shelf for the book he had mentioned to her. After finding it, he handed the book to her, and she took it in silence.
...
A few moments later...
'Hmm... it's actually quite interesting,' Angelina thought as she read the book attentively.
She gradually became more interested in the story and was curious about what would happen next at times. If the proud, cold, and dry Angelina had disappeared, now there was only a curious and animated girl left.
"Wow... it's really incredible," Angelina murmured.
"Thinking that things were like that is amazing and fascinating. Although I find it hard to believe that dragons ruled over all other species," she added aloud without realizing it.
"It's a myth... we don't know if it was really like that, but many believe it was," Cedric commented calmly, although he had to restrain himself from smiling or laughing when he saw how excited Angelina was about the story.
"I see... but... is this how it ends?" Angelina asked disinterestedly after finishing reading the book.
"Yes, it's not the best ending, but that's how myths are."
She simply nodded without saying anything else, creating an awkward silence between the two for a few moments.
"Well, even though you're still a bookworm to me, I have to admit the story was interesting," Angelina said, although it was more than just interesting.
In several parts of the reading, she even laughed a bit at various things.
"But I suppose, having read so many books, it's normal that you finally found something interesting," she added.
Cedric simply shook his head amused and didn't bother to respond to her unnecessary comment.
"Although it was really interesting. As a reward, from now on, I'll let you recommend other stories like this," Angelina said confidently, as if she had already won something.
'Yeah... she just wants to annoy me,' Cedric concluded, but if resolving his issue with this girl required only that, he would do it. After all, it was more beneficial for him.
"So... any other books you'd recommend?" she asked while looking at Cedric with bright, anticipatory eyes.
"Sure…" he nodded without hesitation as he searched for another book, this time about Quidditch.
And that's how Angelina and Cedric started talking more often and without as many fights.
...
"Oh, have you read that book already? It's one of the few that everyone I know has read," Angelina suddenly commented, pointing to one of the books on the shelf.
'The Chronicles of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the Potter-Who-Lived,' Cedric read the title of the book she was pointing at.
"Um, yeah, I guess we all know the Potter story..." Cedric said boredly.
...…
A few hours later, Barbara and Priscila returned to the Diggory Manor much earlier than expected, as it seemed that the problem had been resolved without much trouble, so everything had gone well for the two of them.
"Um... Oh, it looks like you two get along very well now. Did my daughter bother you?" Mrs. Johnson asked with a smile.
"Mom! I would never cause trouble or bother anyone," Angelina huffed, offended.
"Mrs. Johnson, you can be sure it was a fairly calm day, and it's always good to have some company," Cedric replied politely, which made Priscila nod in satisfaction.
"It's getting late, so why don't you both stay for dinner and then head back?" Barbara offered.
"I appreciate the invitation, but it's not too late yet, and I still have some matters to deal with... I'll visit you again another time," Mrs. Johnson said sincerely, as even though the matter had been resolved satisfactorily, there were still some things waiting for her attention. Therefore, she preferred to politely decline the invitation.
Barbara understood the situation instantly and didn't press further. After some more pleasantries, she and Cedric bid farewell to Mrs. Johnson and Angelina.
Of course, before leaving, Angelina gave Cedric one last look... and her gaze clearly told Cedric that she would be back next time.
...
...
A year passed, and Cedric continued to show exceptional progress in his Muggle studies.
Mr. Cooper closely monitored his progress, making sure he remained challenged and intellectually stimulated. He conducted various regular assessments to evaluate Cedric's development and adjust his curriculum as needed.
Having demonstrated his intellectual ability for a year, Mr. Cooper was now convinced that with Cedric's exceptional talent, additional challenges were necessary for his progress. So, he began discussing with Barbara Diggory the possibility of a formal transition to secondary school at an early age to advance to a higher level of education.
But Barbara had no interest or intention of sending her son to a Muggle school, so she firmly refused.
However, Mr. Cooper offered another option: Cedric could start a formal secondary education at the age of nine through homeschooling, with him serving as the private tutor.
He would ensure that Cedric followed a customized curriculum subject to certain regulations and requirements set by Muggle educational authorities and laws.
Barbara and Amos Diggory discussed this, and since Cedric seemed to want to continue with this, they again accepted the proposal and completed all the necessary paperwork to formalize the arrangement with Mr. Cooper.
And so, Cedric began a new curriculum with advanced subjects in mathematics, science, and other fields.
While most of it was still remarkably easy for Cedric, he had to focus on subjects and topics he had no prior knowledge of, much like Anakin.
Many of these were so boring and senseless to him that it was hard to concentrate on studying them because he had no interest.
However, Mr. Cooper managed to convince him to study these subjects to progress to the things he was interested in.
Yes, the man knew how to deal with people of all ages, which is why he was a recognized and important educational authority in Great Britain.
Naturally, not everything went as Cedric wanted, as his mother, Barbara Diggory, made him agree to accompany her to more meetings with other prominent families in the magical community.
Well, it's not like he had a choice; it was either accept his mother's conditions or forget about continuing his Muggle studies.
As time passed, Cedric began to get to know other noble and ancient magical families.
As expected... he didn't like most of these families.
Ced even wondered why his mother kept associating with these kinds of people, but he supposed she must have her reasons. After all, she was the one in charge of the family's business and finances.
But it wasn't all bad.
Most of the adults in the noble and ancient magical families were pompous idiots who idolized the idea of being superior to others.
However, there were some young people of similar ages to Cedric who weren't as biased as their parents or relatives. They simply... hmmm... well, they repeated what their parents said or did, but nothing more.
Among them was a young girl with whom Cedric got along quite well.
She was part of the Dunne family, a family that despised Muggles and, at first glance, was just as unpleasant as the Malfoys.
But the daughter of Mrs. and Mr. Dunne, Agatha Dunne, was certainly different.
The first time Ced visited the Dunne family mansion and met Agatha, he couldn't help but admit that her hyperactive attitude was very contagious as she guided him through the mansion where she lived.
The girl talked non-stop, and her hands moved animatedly to match the flow of her words. Her enthusiasm was palpable, and while Ced and she walked, his initial caution and prejudices due to her family faded away, replaced by a growing sense of fun in Agatha's company.
She was different from her parents; she radiated joy and enthusiasm, something that helped Cedric have a good time despite being with an elitist magical family.
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