Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 100 A Trip to the Forbidden Forest with Hermione
It’s not that Vaughn is narcissistic, it’s just that Deng has a criminal record.

The greatest white wizard of this century is respected not only for his strength, but also because he is never stingy in supporting the younger generations.

However, Dumbledore was famous throughout his life for his love of supporting the younger generations, as well as his penchant for mystery and being a riddle teller, and he was also very good at playing crazy and stupid.

Over the next week or so, Vaughan hinted at it several times, but Dumbledore just kept smiling and refused to make any statement about the invitation to Ilvermorny.

After trying a few times, Vaughn was too lazy to bother with him anymore.

Of course, the main reason is that as Easter approaches, the first-grade curriculum becomes increasingly heavy.

These courses were mainly aimed at exams two months later, which were related to college entrance exams. Vaughn, who usually enjoyed privileges, had to become a student again, memorizing knowledge points and writing papers according to the key points planned by the professors.

As we enter April, summer is suddenly approaching.

The young wizards threw away their fleece robes and put on summer clothes, but this still could not stop the torture brought by the increasingly scorching sun. The dazzling sunlight burned the earth, and the heat waves it created raged in every classroom at Hogwarts.

It would be even worse if there was no sun. If it gets cloudy, it would be hot and stuffy, as if you were stuffed into a sauna. Every pore would be blocked by sticky air, making it hard to breathe.

As the climate changes, insects that were once extinct are making a comeback, and the chirping of cicadas is gradually being heard in the nursery outside the window, making people feel irritated and annoyed.

In this "restless" time, it slowly came to the last holiday before summer vacation, Easter.

In England, Easter is a grand festival, and Hogwarts, which follows tradition, is no exception. This festival lasts for two weeks.

But any little wizard would rather not have it!
"I just can't take it anymore!"

In the library, Ron, who was so dazed that he was almost drooling over his homework, tried to guess the answer by using the magic wand for the tenth time, but got it wrong again.

He threw away his quill in frustration and angrily pounded his wand. "Stupid thing, how come you always manage to avoid all the correct answers? You didn't get a single one right out of 30 questions!"

Harry, who was sitting opposite him, staring blankly at a three-foot-high stack of homework, heard Ron's words, and forced himself to use his almost numb brain, and replied subconsciously:

"Maybe you should try rolling the dice. I heard it works well."

Ron slumped his shoulders in despair, his voice weak. "I tried it yesterday, it was no use at all. I finally understand that all this dice rolling and wand divination is just bullshit from those seniors. I'd be a pig if I kept believing them!"

Harry had a sullen expression, obviously having suffered a loss.

Compared to their seven years of student life, the two of them, who were still relatively new even though their first year was almost over, would never have imagined that the professors would become so crazy in order to prepare for the exams.

I never thought that one day I would hate holidays so much.

Halloween and Christmas used to be so happy, with parties, play, carnivals... every day of the holiday was filled with laughter and joy. In comparison, Easter is like hell!
Looking back to a few days ago, when they were counting the days on the calendar and waiting for Easter with anticipation, they were wondering why the expressions of the seniors became more desperate as the holiday approached.

Now, they understand.

Ron slumped over his desk like a ball of mud, reminiscing for the umpteenth time about the time he'd spent three days in the hospital at the end of last month, having mistakenly eaten the twins' candy to skip classes.
"I've never missed Fred and George and their pranks so much!"

"yes……"

Harry missed him even more than he did. At least Ron had been in the hospital and had some rest, but he hadn't had a single day of leisure in a long time.

It's not just because of the endless homework, but also... Quidditch!

"Hi, Harry!"

When you think of an unlucky thing or person, he or it usually appears in front of you.

Harry buried his face in his arms in pain when he heard Wood's familiar, headache-inducing voice calling his name.

But Wood obviously wouldn't let go of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's biggest trump card.

He dodged Madam Pince's sharp gaze, moved closer to Harry, and pulled him away. "Hurry up, Harry. We're going to be late for training. I finally managed to get the right to use the court today, so we need to practice some more tactics."

After Harry lost to Vaughan in his first match last year, although some members of the team thought Harry did not live up to his name - yes, that was Alia Spinnet - Wood still believed in Harry's ability.

He took all the blame for the failure, thinking it was all due to his own tactical mistakes and his failure to notice in time that Harry's broom was out of control.

This incident touched Harry deeply. Later, in the battles against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Harry finally lived up to Wood's trust and defeated these two "powerful enemies" that had been threatening Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup progress in the past few years.

In the match against Hufflepuff, Harry even set the record for the fastest time to catch the Golden Snitch at Hogwarts.

That was a rare highlight in Harry's twelve years of life, and he personally sent Gryffindor, which had not reached the final for several years since Charlie left, to the final again.

Everything was going well. Wood got the grades he had always dreamed of, and Harry received cheers and love from all the Gryffindors—if Wood hadn't gone crazy!

Anyway, after defeating Ravenclaw and witnessing the team's glory again, Wood was not satisfied and stopped, but became more "greedy".

When the team was last, he wanted to reach the final, and when he reached the final, he wanted to win the Quidditch Cup.

The only one who suffered was Harry.

Wood learned the lesson from last year's match against Slytherin, when Harry had little practice time and lacked tacit understanding and tactics with his teammates, so he had to leave the team alone and was besieged by Slytherin.

This year he prepared a lot of tactics and supervised them personally.

Vaughan met Harry in the courtyard.

At that time, he was like a helpless doll, being dragged by the tall and burly Wood by the arm towards the Quidditch field.

"Wood, I still have a lot of homework to do. Can we practice it tomorrow?"

"Homework can be done anytime, Harry. It's nothing compared to Quidditch. Just wait and see. I've come up with a few new tactics these days that will surely make you the best Seeker you can be..."

Then they saw Vaughn.

Wood looked very alert, while Harry looked surprised and winked desperately at Vaughan, hoping that he would lend him a helping hand.

Unfortunately, in the face of his expectant gaze, Vaughn simply nodded at him and exchanged pleasantries with Wood, "Ready to go to the Quidditch field for training?"

"Yes, Weasley."

"You can call me Vaughn, Oliver."

"...Okay, Vaughn, if you don't mind, I'm going to take Harry away first. The game is approaching and Slytherin has been vying for the right to use the stadium. We can't delay any longer!"

Facing Wood's subtle provocation, Vaughan smiled and said, "Ah, sorry, Marcus is too sensitive. He sees Gryffindor as a serious threat. You know, you have the talented Seeker Harry Potter."

Wood raised his head proudly. "You're also a genius, Vaughn, but I believe Harry is definitely stronger than you. Even though he lost to you last time, I will help him surpass you!"

Harry blushed and wanted to retort, but he didn't know how to start.

In any case, Wood spoke for him, even though he didn't think he was better than Vaughn - after several months of training, he increasingly realized how powerful Vaughn was when he participated in the team's offensive system in his first game.

Now, several months have passed, and no one knows how much progress Vaughn has made.

Only Wood is optimistic.

After saying goodbye to Vaughn, on the way to the Quidditch field, he was still cheering Harry on:
"Don't be afraid of him, Harry. Vaughan Weasley hasn't been on the field for months. He's wasting all his time with that werewolf… werewolf what was it?"

"The Werewolf Council," Harry replied. "Besides, it's a very noble thing, Wood, you shouldn't..."

"There's nothing more noble than Quidditch!"

Wood's expression was solemn. The thin sunlight that shone through the clouds shone on his face, which was so holy and solemn. "Quidditch is the most meaningful thing in the world. Your thoughts are very dangerous, Harry. It seems that I must not only give you special training in your skills, but also help you become stronger mentally!"

Harry: "..."

……

After saying goodbye to Wood and Harry, Vaughan went to the library, borrowed a few books, sat by the window, and leisurely flipped through them in the sunshine to pass the time.

Not long after, a faint fragrance mixed with book ink approached him.

Hermione rushed over to him with a pile of books in her arms. "Vaughn, how's your review going... Oh my God, why are you reading alchemy? And magical plants?"

Her voice was so loud that Madam Pince glanced at her sharply.

Ron, who was alone in the distance, also looked over here.

Vaughn, caught reading extracurricular books by his academically gifted girlfriend, remained unfazed. "I've finished my homework, and the review work I needed was finished yesterday. Now it's my free time."

Hermione puffed out her cheeks: "Why are you always so fast?"

"Hmm!" Vaughn looked up at her and said, "Girl, never tell a man to hurry up. That's an insult to him!"

"?"

Hermione tilted her head, confused.

Vaughn shrugged regretfully. This is the bad thing about being young. No one can pick up on a lot of his jokes. He really wants to grow up quickly!

"Well, these don't count as extracurricular books. I'm going to the Forbidden Forest soon and need to review them temporarily."

"To the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione's face quickly turned stern.

Vaughan casually flipped over a page of illustrations and added leisurely, "Don't worry, Dumbledore approved it, and Hagrid is with us!"

Hermione, who was obsessed with school rules, breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you going to look for potion ingredients? I saw you borrowed alchemy books. Could it be alchemy ingredients?"

Vaughn thought about it and nodded: "Both!"

It is not wrong to say that the mechanisms that Dumbledore has carefully prepared for Harry for such a long time are of many types, involving potions and alchemy, and there is a huge gap in materials.

After turning a few more pages and not hearing Hermione continue to ask questions, Vaughn looked up and saw Hermione biting her lip with a hesitant expression.

"what happened to you?"

"No, nothing..." Hermione said, looking at him and then at the book in front of her.

Vaughn suddenly realized: "You want to come with me?"

"...Yeah!" Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded with some anticipation: "Is it okay?"

She has been busy with schoolwork recently. Although she is often with Vaughn, they are mostly busy with their own things, and even if they communicate, it is related to study.

She suddenly wanted to go on a date with him again.

Facing the girl's expectant expression, Vaughn showed a wicked smile: "Ha, did I hear correctly? Our always strict and rule-abiding Miss Granger wants to go to the Forbidden Forest with me?"

Hermione puffed up her cheeks unconsciously, "...If it doesn't work, then just—"

She stood up and tried to leave, but Vaughn grabbed her hand and smiled brightly, "Well, Miss Granger, may I invite you to break the school rules for me?"

……

"Merlin, he has such a greasy smile."

Ron, who had been secretly paying attention to Vaughn's situation, couldn't help but shudder.

"No, I think they have a really good relationship."

A voice said from behind.

It's Neville.

Ron said without even turning his head: "How long have you known Vaughan? I bet he's trying to charm Hermione with all the sweet talk she's saying. He's the best at coaxing silly girls like this from childhood to adulthood... Why are you looking at me?"

Ron looked at Neville in confusion as he came closer to him.

Neville scratched his head: "Ron, I think... you seem jealous."

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?" Ron sneered and pushed Neville's head away. "Why should I be jealous of Hermione? That guy better never talk to me again, and Hermione better not come to me crying and accuse Vaughan of cheating on her... Jealousy? You're kidding!"

Neville: "But Ron, I didn't say you were jealous of Hermione."

Ron: "...Oh, you're so annoying!"

Only by walking into the forest in person can you realize how early the summer atmosphere arrives in the Scottish Highlands in April.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Vaughan and Hermione raised their heads and looked at the tall, straight trees in front of them, with their canopies blocking out the sun. Twisted and tangled vines hung down from the trunks and branches, all the way down to the dense bushes below.

Those shrubs embody the wildness and unrestrainedness of nature, and the sunshine and rain in this season that is most suitable for plant growth give them vigorous vitality.

As far as the eye can see, the bushes' dense leaves and scattered flowers almost fill the spaces between the trees.

The soil and roads were all covered, with only a thin layer of mist floating above the bushes, winding and lingering in the woods, providing some colors other than green, adding a bit of dreaminess.

"it's beautiful……"

"Yes, it looks a bit like when we first came to Hogwarts last year, but it's also different. Back then there weren't so many bushes in the woods, and the light wasn't so dim. Now it's worthy of the name 'Forbidden Forest'."

Hermione was always good at grasping the key points that others didn't notice: "It seems that you have been here quite a few times last year?"

Vaughn was about to answer when there was a rustling behind him. The bushes shook a few times, and a big black dog rushed in from outside the woods, shaking its head.

"Hey, Fang!"

"Wang Wang!"

Fang trotted over to Vaughn and Hermione, wagging his tail like a fan. Behind him, the bushes shook violently a few times, and Hagrid's huge figure appeared in front of the two.

"Vaughn, I'm sorry I'm a little delayed... Hermione, are you here too?"

"Hey, Hagrid, long time no see."

Hagrid was carrying a cloth bag and an axe. With his giant height and huge size, as well as the gloomy environment around him, it was inevitable that he gave people a huge sense of oppression.

However, when a smile appeared on his thickly bearded face, with such enthusiasm and innocence, it was hard for anyone to have any other thoughts. "Welcome, Hermione! Harry and Ron were telling me about you the day before yesterday. You're buried in a pile of books every day, and you're almost reading yourself silly. Are you here on a date with Vaughn? Very good, kid. You should get out more often and see the nature..."

Hagrid kept on talking, unintentionally betraying Harry and Ron. However, being careless as ever, he didn't pay attention to Hermione's suddenly sweet smile and clenched teeth. After a few more pleasantries, he waved to the two of them:

"Let's go. We still have a lot to do today. We need to patrol the Forbidden Forest and go deep into the forest to collect some for Dumbledore..."

He paused suddenly.

Hermione was curious: "What are you collecting for Dumbledore?"

"Oh... just some materials, nothing to say, Vaughn knows." He hesitated and Hagrid shouted: "Fang, coward, go ahead and clear the way!"

"Woo-"

Fang bared his teeth, his ears and tail drooping, until Hagrid gently kicked his butt, and then he reluctantly walked to the front and used his strong body to push aside the dense bushes.

"Fang is a little timid, but I promise, he'll be my good helper in the Forbidden Forest and very reliable... Come on, kids, follow me."

Hagrid picked up the sack and axe and followed Fang, following the path he had cleared.

Behind him were Vaughn and Hermione. Vaughn held Hermione's hand tightly. Hermione raised her eyebrows slightly: "I thought you were collecting materials for yourself, but it turns out you were helping Dumbledore. No wonder the headmaster approved you to come to the Forbidden Forest. You two have a really good relationship..."

The girl was a little jealous. Not because Vaughn helped Dumbledore, of course, but because she had been spending a lot of time with Vaughn lately and had keenly sensed that he and Dumbledore seemed to share some little secret.

Many times, when she was reading with Vaughan, Dumbledore's iconic Phoenix Patronus suddenly appeared and whispered a few words in Vaughan's ear, and Vaughan would put her down and go to see the headmaster.

It would be okay if it happened once or twice, but if this happened almost every day in the recent period, I'm afraid any girl would have some concerns in her heart.

Vaughn teased her with a smile, "Hermione, do you smell it?"

"what?"

"There's a sour smell in the air. A little girl is jealous..."

"Hateful!" Hermione's cheeks flushed and she hit Vaughan.

Hagrid, who was walking in front, glanced back at the two flirting, his beard wrinkled, and he couldn't help shouting, "Okay, kids, don't fight in the Forbidden Forest, and be quiet!"

The Forbidden Forest is indeed not a place for fun. In addition to being called the Forbidden Forest, this vast forest is also called the "Dark Forest". It not only refers to the interior of the woods, because the lush crowns of the towering trees block the sunlight, but also represents the danger here.

There are many magical creatures living here, many of which are listed as "XXX" or above in the magic department's classification level list (somewhat dangerous and lethal, requiring experienced wizards to deal with).

Vaughan had been here before, and had accompanied Hagrid along his patrol route, observing many magical animals. However, this was Hermione's first time in the Forbidden Forest, and everything she saw was inevitably new to her - apart from the herbs she learned in her first year, it was difficult for students to come into contact with living magical creatures.

As a boyfriend and potions master, Vaughn naturally replaced Hagrid's commentary position and was responsible for explaining to the newbie Hermione:

"...Do you see that plant with small yellow flowers over there? That's rue, a herb whose juice can detoxify. As far as I know, Madam Pomfrey's most important detoxification method is rue extract."

"Dicuminium, something you can learn in first-year Potions. It's recorded in 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi'. You should be familiar with it. It's most commonly used to treat accidents of separation caused by Apparition."

"Don't touch the nightshade, it's highly poisonous..."

After listening to Vaughn's explanation with great interest, Hermione couldn't suppress her love of learning. She opened the small shoulder bag she carried with her - the same model as Vaughn's, a gift Vaughn gave her a few days ago, hidden in an Easter egg - took out a notebook and wrote down everything Vaughn said.

Every time this happened, she would regret it: "I really should have brought my camera from home!"

Hagrid was a little regretful about coming out today. Vaughn and Hermione were being affectionate with each other, while he could only squat aside and stare at Fang.

He usually talks all the time, but today he has a lot to say, but he can only act like a candle, burning himself to illuminate and set off others!
Fortunately, not long after, when passing through a relatively open woodland, Hagrid finally had a chance to interrupt.

He pointed at the woodland and said to Vaughan proudly, "You must not know what that place is. I just discovered it a while ago. It's a unicorn's nest! It's incredible. Those arrogant little scoundrels used magic to hide the nest. I passed by it many times and never noticed it. If you and Dumbledore hadn't taken them away and the magic hadn't broken off, I'm afraid I would never have known where they were hiding."

Hermione grasped the key point keenly. She looked at Vaughn beside her and grabbed his arm tightly.
"Hmm - I didn't know you took the unicorn with Dumbledore?"

Vaughn covered his forehead speechlessly.

After the words left his mouth, Hagrid saw Vaughn's speechless look and realized something was wrong. He quickly coughed, "Ahem, I mean...ah, look, a fairy!"

Poor acting.

This trick of changing the subject wouldn't fool even a child, but to save Vaughn and Hagrid's face, Hermione still looked over.

Then she saw several magical creatures with transparent wings like dragonflies flying out from a bush full of blue flowers not far away.

Fairy!

Magic classification level: XX
There were little creatures that looked very similar to humans, but were only 4 or 5 inches tall. They circled in the air for a few times. When they saw Vaughn and the other two, they acted as if they didn't care and instead waved the small branches in their hands.

They were chirping and shouting something to each other in a very fast language that sounded like the chirping of insects.

It was the first time Hermione saw a living fairy. In the past, the only thing she could touch were the raw materials collected from them - fairy wings.

It was the main ingredient in many potions, such as the "Vaughan Beauty Series" potions that Hermione knew Vaughan was famous for.

After watching intently for a while, Hermione saw the fairies in the air arguing more and more fiercely. She didn't even remember what unicorns were, so she couldn't help but ask, "What are they doing?"

"Oh, they're arguing," Hagrid replied quickly.

Vaughn continued, explaining, "Fairies only look pretty on the outside, but they actually have a very bad temper. That insect-like chirping sound means they're arguing."

Hermione quickly opened her notebook and took notes.

And asked for more details: "So fairies have their own language?"

Seeing her attention diverted, Vaughan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. While signaling Hagrid, who wanted to speak, to shut up, he walked over to Hermione and answered his girlfriend's questions:
"As for whether the 'words' fairies use when they quarrel are actually their language, there's no definitive answer yet. Some wizards agree with this view, while others believe that the insect chirps they make are monotonous and lack phonetic symbols, so they might just be simple calls, just like when humans scream when they're mad."

Hermione wrote furiously.

"Then why did they quarrel?"

"do not know."

Vaughn spread his hands. "They are naturally very irritable. Anything that humans may not even notice or imagine will cause them to quarrel, and they will even fight..."

Before he could finish his words, a fairy with colorful wings in the air screamed "Ahhh" and waved the twig in his hand violently.

"I almost forgot to mention that the small branches in their hands are somewhat similar to wizards' wands, which can help them cast spells—"

Biu——

As Vaughan explained, Hermione saw a barely perceptible flash of rainbow spurt out from a small branch and hit another fairy.

It screamed and was knocked away. After rolling a few meters, the fairy became angry and immediately fought back by waving its "magic wand".

Soon, the air became a mess, with thin rainbow strips flying against each other, leaving Hermione below dumbfounded.

In a flash, the first victim appeared.

The fairy who took action first was beaten up by her companions. A fairy with completely transparent wings bit off its wings, and it fell from the sky.

It has to be said that creatures with cute looks are always more likely to arouse human sympathy.

Hermione instantly forgot what Vaughn had said about the irritable nature of these guys, and quickly stuffed the notebook into Vaughn's arms and rushed to rescue it.

"Hey, Hermione, don't..."

Unfortunately, Hagrid was a beat too late to stop it. The next moment, Hermione, who caught the fairy, screamed - the fairy's small mouth bit the skin on Hermione's finger hard.

The damage wasn't serious given the size of the body, and there wasn't even any bleeding, but it was still enough to frustrate a kind-hearted little girl.

Enduring the pain, Hermione looked frustratedly at the fairy in her hand that was still struggling with her skin, and said to Hagrid and Vaughn who came over, "I'm sorry, I was confused by her appearance."

"Don't be sad, child, you are trying to save it." Hagrid comforted him in a gruff voice, "But as you can see, these little creatures have no brains. They are wild beasts and cannot discern your intentions."

As he spoke, Hagrid reached out and grabbed the fairy, ready to deal with it in his own way -

To Hagrid, fairies were not a rare thing; in a sense, they could even be considered pests.

These little guys are very fertile. They like to lay eggs on the back of plant leaves, up to dozens at a time. After hatching, the larvae survive their infancy by eating leaves and absorbing tree sap. In just six to ten days, the larvae will spin a cocoon, and after a month, they will break out of the cocoon and transform into fairies.

Fairies have been one of Hagrid's biggest headaches since he started guarding the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione looked longingly at the beautiful fairy, then at Hagrid's hand. Even Hagrid, who was slow-witted, could sense that Hermione didn't want to hurt it.

He couldn't help but look at Vaughn.

Vaughan shrugged. He was the one who knew Hermione's character best. She had a quick temper and seemed difficult to get along with at first glance, but in fact she was a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and was very kind by nature.

Vaughan never thought that kindness was a trait that needed to be avoided. Even though he himself had nothing to do with the word, he still liked kind people.

So when Hermione saved the fairy before, he was not surprised at all and did not stop her.

At this time, of course, she would not be deliberately taught a lesson or asked to face cruelty - there is no need to use adults' thinking of seeking good and avoiding danger to restrain the growing character of a 12-year-old girl.

Besides, fairies are not high-risk creatures.

He would rather teach Hermione some less popular knowledge.

Vaughn motioned Hagrid to let go, gently stroked the still angry fairy, and said to Hermione with a smile:

"In fact, besides being irritable and quick-tempered, fairies also have another very interesting personality trait."

As he spoke, he picked up a leaf and turned it into an exquisite glass bottle with a hollow texture. Under his magic, the bottle looked like a work of art carved out of crystal.

Vaughan brought the glass bottle close to her hand, and then, Hermione was surprised to see that the fairy, who had been biting her skin stubbornly, raised her head stupidly and looked at the exquisite glass bottle as if she was under some kind of magic.

Then, dragging her injured wings, she limped and crawled into the bottle by herself. She groped around and found the most comfortable position. She hummed comfortably, struck the most beautiful posture, and pressed herself completely into the bottle.

Like a relief inside a bottle!

What surprised Hermione even more was that as the fairy lay down in the bottle and chirped, the other fairies who were still fighting in the air immediately stopped.

They scrambled to fly down, flew around the bottle a few times, and then pushed each other to climb into the bottle.

Like the fairy at the beginning, they find the position they think is comfortable, the most beautiful posture, and quietly stick themselves there.

Hermione hesitated: "Uh..."

"In addition to being short-tempered and easily angered, fairies are also particularly vain. As long as there are beautiful, shiny things for them to hide in, they will be happy to disguise themselves as beautiful and luxurious decorations."

"We didn't catch the right time last year because Professor Flitwick was quite busy. In previous years, he would specially catch fairies to decorate the lanterns at Hogwarts during Christmas. Bill told us about this when he came back from school that year. Since then, we have also caught fairies for Christmas decorations."

The three of them left the abandoned unicorn nest. Along the way, Hermione couldn't let go of the glass bottle that contained several fairies and looked particularly gorgeous at the moment, while listening to Vaughn's explanation.

Hagrid listened with great interest.

"Merlin, I never knew there was such a method. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them doesn't even mention it."

"Newt's purpose in writing the book was to tell the wizarding world what magical creatures there are and their current living conditions. His original intention was to awaken everyone's awareness of protecting magical creatures. Of course, it couldn't possibly explain how to capture them."

"Newt?"

Hermione caught the point immediately.

Hagrid, who was as good as Harry in keeping his mouth shut, replied without a trace of guardedness, "Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a noble and great man... Vaughn, did you see his basement when you went to his place?"

Hagrid's small black beetle-like eyes sparkled.

Looking at his curious and innocent look, Vaughan was speechless, but in the face of Hermione's inquiring eyes, he could only answer calmly:
“I have.”

"Oh, is it really as big as the legend says? I read a report in the newspaper. It is said that there are hundreds of magical animals living there, such as bird snakes, thunderbirds, leopards, and horned beasts... Oh, and there are also horned beasts!"

For Hermione, who had just been exposed to magic for a year, she didn't recognize any of the names Hagrid mentioned.

But Hermione, who was familiar with Hagrid's character, knew that the animals he was interested in must be extremely rare and dangerous!

She took Vaughn's hand and shook it, her bright eyes full of curiosity.

Vaughn, who had been trying to make a fool of himself, sighed inwardly, "The bird snake is an animal that can change its size freely. It can be small enough to fit into a teacup, or it can be large enough to fill the largest classroom at Hogwarts..."

"Thunderbirds can control the weather, bringing wind, rain, and lightning. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but they're very rare even in their native North America. Newt rescued one a long time ago, but he released it back into North America. That was decades ago..."

"What about the horned camel?"

Listening to Vaughn's description of the characteristics and habits of those magical animals, Hagrid's face showed envy and a strong desire for knowledge. "I've never seen them before. Legend has it that the last pair of horned beasts in the world have been living in the basement of the Scamander family. They should have bred a large family by now, right? Can you tell me what they look like?"

"Well—indeed there was, but I didn't see it!"

"what?"

"I've never seen a Nangdu leopard or an evil bird either. These magical animals are either highly dangerous and lethal, or endangered. It's unlikely you'll see them easily..."

Hagrid felt deeply sorry.

"Actually, I've always felt that Dumbledore was completely off topic when he asked you to come to the Forbidden Forest to look for materials. Fairies and vixens are boring. He should have asked you to go to Scamander's basement. Just think about it. If you could borrow Scamander's collection of leopards and harpies and put them in..."

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that Hagrid was getting more and more excited, Vaughn had to cough loudly to interrupt him.

"Oh, sorry!" Hagrid, realizing that he had almost leaked the secret again, shut up in a depressed mood.

Hermione, who had been listening attentively, pinched Vaughn's hand with her soft fingers and smiled, "So, the fairy we just caught was also requested by Dumbledore? Vaughn, didn't you say that you were going to the Forbidden Forest just to find some potions and alchemy materials?"

"...Well, both are needed!"

"is it?"

Hermione's lips curled up into a shallow dimple. She looked at Vaughn, who remained calm, and Hagrid, whose forehead began to sweat, and did not pursue the matter any further.

Although she had already realized that Vaughn was hiding something important from her, she forced herself not to think about it.

After nearly a year of schooling, the girl realized from long-term isolation that sometimes being too sensitive and asking too many questions can appear too aggressive, which can cause great harm to the relationship.

When facing people and feelings that you think are important, it is best to be a little "confused".

After nearly leaking the secret twice in a row, Hagrid finally didn't dare to say anything. For the rest of the time, he kept his mouth shut almost the entire time.

Fortunately, rich experience does not require language. All he has to do is take Vaughn to the habitats of magical animals he knows, and then watch Vaughn use various magic to catch them.

Throughout the afternoon, Hermione watched Vaughan use his superb magic to capture many magical creatures she had never heard of before.

She looks very similar to a fairy and is said to be a distant relative of the fox spirit.

Suspended in the air, they glow like light bulbs in Muggle society, and they look like glowworms that look like bubbles.

The orb-eating birds have the ability to travel through space and can disappear freely and travel to other places. Hermione learned for the first time that they were the "dodo" that the Muggle society claimed to be extinct. The wizards found that because of the extinction of the dodo, the Muggles realized for the first time that they should protect the environment, so they began to deliberately hide the existence of the orb-eating birds.

Hermione also picked up some miscellaneous materials. For example, in a woodland, she picked up a large claw that had fallen off from an eight-eyed giant spider.

She also asked Vaughan why he didn't catch an acromantula.

But Vaughn looked at her with strange eyes, as if he couldn't bear it, as if she had made some bad suggestion. Hagrid was very interested. He kept proving to Vaughn that the Acromantula only looked scary, but was actually gentle and cute.

Unfortunately, Vaughn never actually caught an eight-eyed giant spider in the end.

As the sky gradually darkened, the journey in the Forbidden Forest came to an end. At the end, Hermione had another new experience - Apparition.

And it’s the magic of magical beasts, Dumbledore’s famous phoenix Fawkes!
Vaughn summoned it by lighting a tail feather.

Hermione always felt that Fawkes looked at Vaughn with great vigilance, as if he was on guard against something. She remembered that last Halloween, Vaughn used Fawkes to block the Killing Curse.

Memories that had faded with time were awakened again.

Hermione suddenly realized that due to her busy schoolwork, she had not paid attention to the investigation of the black-robed man for a long time. Before parting with Vaughn, she asked a question specifically.

Vaughn replied, "He hasn't been found yet. He hasn't been seen since Halloween. I've only identified two suspects, and they were the ones you were most suspicious of."

(End of this chapter)