Huh? There's a magic school here.

Just like last year, Catherine chose the Dorchester Hotel in the Mayfair district, and even more people attended the banquet that evening. Besides the increasingly large staff, many people came hoping to meet Andres or Catherine.

Generally, those who want to get to know Andres are well-informed big shots who know who the real owner of the Magic Financial Investment Company is. Those who want to get to know Catherine are usually less well-informed people or even gigolos looking to live off her.

Today, Andres not only met the cunning old fox Torrey Hammond, but also the Minister of Education, and even the leader of the British Conservative Party was present at the dinner. The Conservative Party leader reminded Andres of the Golden Lion King of the United Kingdom; both had blond hair. This gave Andres a vague idea that the man before him might one day be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

But that didn't matter to Andres; perhaps the people in front of him would have to beg him later. After the prize money for this year was announced, the atmosphere at the dinner reached its climax. These young people, whose average age was only in their twenties, were going crazy over the enormous wealth, while the investors were going crazy for the huge returns.

Just as Andres and Catherine were hiding in a corner discussing the company's situation, Torren and the Minister of Education, along with the leader of the British Conservative Party, came up to Andres and warmly introduced them to each other.

"Andres, my friend! This is our Conservative Party leader. He heard you were so promising at such a young age and insisted I introduce him. So, you know what that means, hahaha. Party leader, this is the very Mr. Andres, the big boss of Magic Financial Investment Company whom I've been longing to meet!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Earl Andres! What are your thoughts on the situation in London?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency Party Leader. I don't understand what you mean?"

"Boss, the party leader is now seeking re-election as Mayor of London."

"Oh, I see! Mr. Party Leader, rest assured, our Magic Financial Investment Company has always had a favorable view of the Conservative Party! Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

"I am so happy to hear you say that. I hereby promise that London will be a strong supporter of Magic Financial Investment Company."

Andres and the Conservative Party leader had a very pleasant conversation, but the promises they made seemed like empty lies and no one believed them. The party leader even said that he had come for Andres and hoped that Andres would join his party, but Andres refused.

Just as the banquet was drawing to a close, a middle-aged man approached Andres, claiming to be an agent of the British Labour Party. This man first pretended to appear before Andres by chance, then habitually launched into a tirade against the Conservative Party for inaction. Andres was curious about which side he was really on, switching between the Conservative and Labour parties.

Then, realizing he had no grounds to support the Labour Party, which represented the workers, Andres rejected the offers from the two major British political parties that were courting him. After the banquet, Catherine took Andres back to her office. Catherine, who had assumed Andres was drunk, was surprised to see him so lively and energetic that she realized Andres rarely got drunk after becoming a magician.

The start of the new school term was fast approaching, and the young wizards who had gone home for Christmas returned to Hogwarts. On their first day back, they went to Hogsmeade Village to do some shopping. The shops in Hogsmeade Village were bustling with activity.

First, the autofocus telescopes at Devis and Bans' shops sold out, and they had to go to Andres to get some more stock to keep the little wizards entertained.

Later, due to the selection of the Quidditch team, the Quidditch boutique sold eight complete sets of equipment for the entire team to Hogwarts alone. In addition, the sales of individual Quidditch items sold by Quidditch enthusiasts also kept the store busy.

During the first week of school, the young wizards, who were still enjoying the happy Christmas holidays, completely focused on their studies. This second semester would be even busier for them. Besides the extra astronomy classes, they also had to choose electives. Fortunately, these were the three-year and five-year program students; the seven-year program students weren't old enough to take electives yet.

After the start of the school year, Mrs. Hodge and Professor McGonagall summoned the Quidditch captains from all four Hogwarts houses to the Headmaster's office, mainly to discuss the Quidditch tournament. Andreas promised that in addition to adding 100% to each house's prize money, all team members, including reserve players, would receive a bonus of £10,000 each if any house won the championship.

When this condition was set out, not only were the four captains envious, but even Professor McGonagall was a little envious. Professor McGonagall didn't care about the prize money; what she cared about was the extra 100 House Points. Although Gryffindor wasn't at the bottom of the House Cup rankings, they were still in third place. If they got those 100 points, Gryffindor would have a good chance of winning this year's House Cup.

Under Andres's witness, the four captains drew their opponents for the first round. Actually, only two people needed to draw: Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin. After the four captains returned to their houses and announced Andres's conditions and their first-round opponents, the atmosphere at Hogwarts became incredibly lively. Almost every afternoon after school, young wizards could be seen training.

At the end of the first week of school, Professor Silvanus Keitelburn found Andres.

"Principal Andres, I need to speak with you about something."

"What is it, Professor Sylvanus Kettleburn? If you're not in a hurry, you can sit down and have a cup of tea with me!"

"Of course, thank you, Principal Andres. I came here today mainly to ask you to lend me Thunder for a few days."

"Oh? Thunder? You mean...?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell the children about the Thunderbird. The principal happens to have a young Thunderbird, which can be used as a demonstration."

"But wouldn't that be too dangerous? Thunderbirds are very aggressive!"

"It's alright, I'll have Hagrid attend class with me. That way, the young wizards will be safe."

"Alright, come with me. I'll take you to find Thunder. I can only try my best to persuade it; I won't force it if it doesn't want to go!"

"I understand, Principal Andres, shall we depart now?"

So Andres and Professor Silvanus Kettleburn arrived at the Owl Tower and entered the Slothman's Traveling Tent. Once inside, they saw two birds flying overhead, one large and one small. The larger one was Thunder, and the smaller one was Snowflake, the owl.

Sharp-eyed Thunder spotted Andres's arrival, swiftly swooping down across a patch of grassland before leaping up again. This time, however, a rabbit was now in Thunder's paws. Thunder tossed the dead rabbit in front of Andres, then looked at him with a smug expression.