Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 81: Tom's Mystery and Return to Hogwarts

Snape didn't know why Dumbledore wanted Harry to learn Occlumency.

The reason Dumbledore gave him was that the Dark Lord and Harry's fates were intertwined, and that they might have some connection on the occult and spiritual level.

Dumbledore told him that Vaughan believed this connection would allow the Dark Lord to read Harry's memories and thoughts.

This reason sounded quite reasonable - at least to Snape, who knew nothing about fate and was in awe of it, he thought it was very reasonable.

Snape used to be a person who despised fate.

Until the year Harry was born.

He overheard Shelby Trelawney's prophecy.

The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches... born into a family that has thrice resisted him, born at the end of July...

After hearing only these three sentences, Snape, who was worried about his master's cause, hurried back to tell Voldemort without listening to the whole prophecy.

Everything seemed like a mockery and joke of fate.

The true prophecy is... the Dark Lord can choose his enemies, and once chosen, his enemies will have powers beyond his comprehension.

The Dark Lord, who was inadvertently misled by Snape, chose his own mortal enemy, and his killing curse was rebounded upon himself by the "magic of love" that he could not understand.

He died, and so did Lily, who cast the spell.

Memories of the past emerged in his cold brain. Snape, who now kept his distance from fate, trembled in his heart as he looked at Dumbledore's pensive expression.

He clenched his hands quietly in his sleeves: "Is it...a change of fate?"

"what?"

Dumbledore suddenly woke up and quickly realized: "No, Severus, of course not. It's just that I found something when I went out this time, and I hope to verify it as soon as possible."

Snape secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then he regained his cold voice and reminded, "But Potter hasn't fully mastered Occlumency yet."

"It's okay. I will urge Vaughn to speed up the process. Besides, it will take some time for Quirinus to prepare."

"...I hope you know what you are doing."

Dumbledore started to act crazy again. He wiped his eyes with emotion and said, "Dear Severus, you still say you don't care about Harry?"

Snape's cheeks trembled, he snorted coldly, and left quickly.

When he was the only one left in the office, Dumbledore's smile faded and he put on his glasses again.

He opened the map, and magic automatically drew a path on the map - all the places he had been in the past few months.

That path extends from France, jumping directly to Croatia, Hungary, then Romania, Bulgaria...

In the end, the little footprint-like mark stopped in Albania!

Dumbledore looked at Albania on the map, lost in thought:

"Have you been hiding here all these years? Why? Tom..."

……

As a big figure involved in politics today, Vaughan was briefly given the privilege of not returning to school.

So after the questioning meeting, while waiting for the Wizengamot's resolution - which usually takes some time, the old wizards with an extremely slow pace of life need to go home and rest to make up for the energy loss caused by several days of meetings, and then send letters to vote.

Vaughan did not return to Hogwarts for the time being.

He found a luxury hotel on Whitehall Street, above the Ministry of Magic.

He used the wizarding world's waste paper, pounds, to book himself a luxury suite, which was said to be a filming location for 007.

Vaughan, who has never lived in London in his past or present life, rarely indulges himself.

Unfortunately, the experience was not pleasant. He even felt that it was not as good as Snape's home in Cokeworth. At least there was an iron that could iron clothes automatically, and the clothes would be put on him by themselves, making him look clean and tidy.

From a purely enjoyment perspective, Muggles are no match for wizards who have all sorts of household spells at their disposal.

In addition to the consideration for the pound, the service is meticulous.

The next day, Vaughn made up his mind for the third time to learn household spells when he returned. Then, with the help of the butler, he tied his tie, went downstairs, and got into the luxury car arranged by the hotel.

The driver asked, "Mr. Weasley, where are you going?"

Vaughan handed over a note.

He had no plans to travel to the wizarding world today, but instead tried his best to dress like a Muggle. He was going to Granger's house to deliver a letter for Hermione.

The driver took the note, looked at it, said a few more words of greeting, and started the car.

Looking at the scenery slowly receding outside the window, Vaughn resisted the urge to chant a spell and felt a little emotional.

Unconsciously, he had become more and more accustomed to magic.

At some point, like many wizards, he began to see himself as another class and showed discomfort with everything Muggle.

Should this be considered as him being assimilated into this world?
Under the same sky, Mr. Granger had just finished mowing the lawn at home.

"Jane, what do you think?" (The original book does not mention the Grangers' names, but judging from Hermione's middle name, Jane is most likely her mother's name)

He raised his head and smiled triumphantly at his wife who was cleaning the terrace on the second floor.

Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes. "Your daughter used magic to give her a nice trim at Christmas, and now you've ruined it all."

"Shh—" Mr. Granger hurriedly signaled her to be quiet. He looked around furtively and trotted back into the house. "Have you forgotten the warning from those people in the Ministry of Magic? If the Muggles hear it, Hermione's studies will be over!"

"...You're a Muggle too!"

"No, we are different. My baby daughter is a wizard, so as parents, we are half wizards."

Mr. Granger was elated.

But he soon stopped being so proud, as Mrs. Granger, who was cleaning the terrace, found a few newspapers in the corner where her daughter usually stayed.

She was flipping through the newspaper when she suddenly shouted, "Red hair!"

"What red hair?"

"What else could it be? The one Hermione hates talking about all the time!"

Mr. Granger's face suddenly tightened.

He snatched the newspaper from his wife and looked at the photo of the red-haired boy surrounded by the crowd.

Damn it!
Thinking of the name his precious daughter had been repeating every day during Christmas, Mr. Granger felt sour in his heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "Let me see, Vaughn Weasley...it really is that bastard. Damn it!"

Mrs. Granger stood on tiptoe beside him, peering in for a closer look, but disagreed. "She's really beautiful."

"...Which side are you from?"

Mrs. Granger ignored her husband's words and continued to clean the terrace. "What a cute boy! No wonder my daughter likes him."

Mr. Granger's face turned black. "He'd better pray that I don't see him, otherwise, I will definitely break his legs!"

After saying that, he waited for a while, but got no response from his wife.

He turned around and found that his wife had stopped and was looking downstairs in surprise.

"what happened?"

Mrs. Granger turned around blankly: "...The person whose legs you want to break is down there..."

"It's not April Fools' Day, honey."

Mr. Granger smiled, walked to the edge of the terrace and looked out.

Below them, a red-haired jerk kid was smiling and waving at them.

As a father.

If your daughter suddenly tells you one day that she has someone she likes, and that guy appears in front of you, what would you do?
This is a problem every father faces.

The only difference is that for Mr. Granger, this problem came too early... at least 10 years early!
The atmosphere in the Granger household is rather strange right now.

Mr. Granger sat on the sofa, glaring at Vaughan, who was sitting opposite him, smiling.

Mrs. Granger bustled around, bringing snacks and drinks before sitting down next to her husband.

Compared to her husband's stiff expression and attitude, Mrs. Granger was much better. She glanced out the window at the luxury car parked on the curb outside the door. It was the car Vaughn had driven when he arrived. She couldn't help but greet him, "Mr. Weasley, I heard from Hermione that your family is a wizarding family. Do you have any business in Muggle society?"

"No, ma'am, that car outside is not mine. It's a courtesy car arranged by the Muggle hotel."

Vaughn's smile was sweet and clean.

This undoubtedly greatly increased Mrs. Granger's favorability towards him, and also made Mr. Granger even more disgusted.

He couldn't help but hum under his breath: "The only hotels that can afford to send limousines are luxury hotels. Some people are wasting their parents' money at such a young age... Ugh!"

Mrs. Granger elbowed him stealthily and cruelly, her smile a little awkward.

To their surprise, Vaughn, dressed like a wealthy second-generation, was not angry. "I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with Muggle society. In order to avoid getting lost and attracting attention with my attire, staying in a luxury hotel is the best way I can think of."

"Perhaps Hermione forgot to tell you that I'm a pharmacist and have achieved some success in the wizarding world. Sometimes I'll open a batch of potions and require payment in Muggle currency. Some wizards who have large sums of Muggle currency really like this way of trading."

"It's just a small amount of money for staying in a luxury hotel. At worst, I can earn it back by opening a few more potions next time!"

Mr. and Mrs. Granger: "..."

So sour, as if I had eaten a lemon!
Mr. Granger's cheek muscles twitched, and in a trance, he seemed to see the red-haired boy opposite, with "I'm rich" written all over his face!
Damn upstart!

But before he could taunt her, Mrs. Granger suddenly cried out, "Ah, I remember now."

As she spoke, she hurried upstairs and soon returned with the newspaper she had found earlier. She flipped through it casually and soon said excitedly to her husband, "Look, the newspaper says that Vaughan invented something called Wolfsbane Potion, which caused a big sensation... That's a magic potion, right?"

She asked the last question, looking at Vaughan curiously.

Vaughan nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It has strong political significance. The reason I was able to leave school this time was because the Wizengamot, the legislative body of the wizarding world, held a plenary meeting regarding the Wolfsbane Potion and my proposal. As the proposer and a member of the Wizengamot, I must also attend the meeting."

As he spoke, Vaughn explained to the two of them what Wizengamor was and the Werewolf Affairs Committee. Lady Granger gasped in surprise, covering her mouth. "My God, so you're a councilor of the wizarding world?"

Even Mr. Granger was startled and quickly picked up the newspaper. He had been so busy looking at the photos before that he hadn't read the content at all.

After reading the reports, he realized that Vaughn was not exaggerating at all. Look at what those reports said!

The dawn of the wizarding world, the tearing apart of the Ministry of Magic, the struggle for supreme power!

In Mr. Granger's eyes, the Ministry of Magic = the government, the Minister of Magic = the Prime Minister, and the boy in front of him, whom he had just been criticizing as a nouveau riche, his political enemy is actually the Prime Minister?

Mr. Granger suddenly wondered if he had been under some kind of spell.
Compared to his disbelief, Mrs. Granger accepted it quickly. After all, during the previous Christmas, she slept with her daughter every night to make up for the fact that her daughter left home at a young age.

Hermione told her a lot about Vaughan.

Genius, genius, and more genius...

According to Hermione, no problem seemed to be able to stump this boy who was one year younger than her.

Mrs. Granger knew her daughter well enough to know that she was quite competitive, and she had never before seen her so admire someone her own age.

Mrs. Granger's attitude became more enthusiastic, and Mr. Granger's stern face became less serious.

Vaughn didn't mind the change in their attitudes.

In other words, he takes the initiative to talk about his own affairs in order to show his best side.

The Grangers are adults, and adults are materialistic and realistic. That is not their nature, but the hammer of society has shaped them into this way.

Vaughan was certain that if he were just an ordinary little wizard boy, his relationship with Hermione would never have been supported by the Grangers - this was due to concerns about their age, but also because as parents, they hoped their children could make friends with better people and live a better life in the future.

At most, they would not strongly oppose it because of Hermione's personal wishes and educational philosophy.

Vaughn doesn't like to play the pig and eat the tiger, and he doesn't like to wait for the contradictions to accumulate and intensify before trying to solve them as in some novels, in order to create a pretentious and face-slapping effect... That really goes against the normal thinking of people!
So, after exchanging a few words with Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger who was finally willing to talk to him.

Talking about the purpose of this visit, Vaughn took out Hermione's letter from his bag and took out two carefully wrapped boxes:

"Sir, Madam, this is my first visit, so I've prepared some small gifts. I hope you don't mind."

"This……"

Before they could refuse, Vaughn had already opened a gift box containing ten bottles of potions. He pushed it towards Mrs. Granger and said with a smile, "Madam, this is a potion I developed myself, the 'Vaughn Beauty' series. It contains a variety of beauty and maintenance effects, with immediate results. There are instructions for use!"

As for the other gift box, it contained a head-mounted eyepiece with an exquisite shape.

"Sir, this is the eyepiece I modified last year for research. It provides a 360-degree panoramic view and X-ray function. Hermione said you are a dentist, so I believe it will be a great helper for you... By the way, the X-ray function is only limited to close range. Be careful not to stare at people!"

Mr. Granger, who had just picked up the eyepiece, blushed when he heard this.

Mrs. Granger, who was curiously looking through the beauty potion nearby, looked at Vaughn in astonishment, "X-ray vision? This..."

Vaughn smiled and gestured, "Sir, you can try."

Mr. Granger put on the goggles hesitantly but impatiently and looked at his wife - perspective always makes people imagine.

But the next moment, he screamed, quickly took off the eyepiece, his eyes were red!

Vaughn smiled and explained, "Sir, in the field of magic, we believe that everything has an aura, especially life. The aura of every healthy life is like the sun... Therefore, it is only suitable for dental care!"

The eyepiece is not an alchemical item, but a product that has been cast a spell on a Muggle product.

With use, the spell's effectiveness diminishes, and it eventually loses its effect.

But for Mr. Granger, apart from being dazzled by the so-called aura of life, he was very satisfied with this gift.

This made him feel much better, so much so that after reading his daughter's letter, he did not object to her expressing her hope that her parents would go to the Weasley family with her during the summer vacation.

In other words, Mr. Granger, who is now gradually becoming obsessed with magic, is actually looking forward to experiencing the real wizard life.

Of course, he would be happier if the experience didn't come at the "sacrifice" of his daughter's happiness.

Having achieved his goal for today, Vaughan declined Mrs. Granger's invitation to have lunch with him.

After receiving the couple's reply, he said goodbye and left.

Watching the limousine drive away, Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes at her husband and complained, "Vaughn is still a child, with a good personality and good manners. I think he's quite nice, but you have to be so angry and glare at me!"

"Humph, don't forget, they are only in middle school!"

"Isn't it normal to be in a relationship in middle school? Also, when you're glaring at someone, can you please put down the gift they gave you?"

"……I do not care!"

Mr. Granger said firmly, holding the magic eyepiece tightly in his hand.

But this toughness soon collapsed completely when Mrs. Granger tried the "Vaughn Beauty" potion.

When Mr. Granger, who was playing with the eyepiece in the living room, heard his wife screaming, he hurried to the bathroom. He looked at his wife in the mirror and opened his mouth in surprise.

In the mirror, Mrs. Granger, who was originally middle-aged and whose skin began to pigment and become rough and loose, seemed to have suddenly become 10 years younger.

That face that had become fair and smooth again was just like the moment he first saw her many years ago!
The tough Mr. Granger felt weak all over and his heart was pounding like a deer.

For the first time, I felt that Weasley boy was truly a genius...

Vaughan, who was considered a "genius" by Mr. Granger, did not stay in the hotel after returning to it. He went directly back to Hogwarts through the fireplace area of ​​the Ministry of Magic.

The Wizengamot's vote on the resolution would take a few days, and now that the last thing was done, he naturally wouldn't stay any longer.

The professors in the school have already expressed their dissatisfaction.

When Vaughn emerged from Professor McGonagall's fireplace, he saw the serious lady, her lips tightly pursed. "Mr. Weasley, when are you going to return to class?"

Vaughn was a little embarrassed. He had indeed been absent from class for too long, which was a bit unacceptable.

"Today, Professor."

"very good."

Professor McGonagall's expression softened a bit, and then she asked with concern, "I saw in the newspaper that things are going well, right?"

"Yes, Professor. Now we are waiting for the Wizengamot to make a decision. So until the voting results come out, I will stay in school and attend classes."

Hearing this, Professor McGonagall pursed her lips again - she heard the subtext, once the results came out, Vaughan would have to run to the Ministry of Magic again!
Vaughan quickly slipped away to avoid being caught and lectured by the unhappy Professor McGonagall.

He went back to the dormitory first. The fruit tea was still with Hermione.

The dormitory had not been occupied for a while and was a bit dusty. Vaughan used several "clean up" buttons to clean it up.

Then he took out a notebook from his small bag, checked the courses, and planned the next time.

There are some courses that are not convenient for him to skip even at his level.

For example, Transfiguration class, Herbology class, Astronomy class, etc.

The Transfiguration class is mainly the teaching content of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club. Vaughn's current level of Transfiguration is at the stage of transforming dead objects into living things.

The next step is to delve into living metamorphosis and cross-species conversion.

Classes like herbal medicine and astronomy mainly require practical experience. If you miss a course, you can't just read the book, you have to ask the professors for private lessons.

We need to make up for what we have missed during this period, including Quidditch.

He missed the match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff last month, and he couldn't miss the match against Ravenclaw next month.

Ravenclaw is still a bit strong.

He also hopes to complete the main task of "winning the college cup"!
"As for magic practice, household spells need to be included in the plan. Let me see... Well, some spells that have reached level 3 and whose progress has begun to slow can be postponed for the time being. I'll squeeze out some time. You don't need to be too proficient in household spells, just learn them."

"Then there's the study and experimentation of memory magic. My personality equipment isn't perfect yet, so I need to continue researching it. But there's no need to rush. I already have sufficient knowledge and understanding of memory. The next step is to observe the effects of black magic, so there's no rush..."

"Finally, there's the follow-up development of the wolfsbane potion and the improvement of the magic power extraction method..."

Vaughan wrote and drew in his notebook until dark, and then he finally put together a detailed schedule.

He likes a regular life and hates surprises!

But accidents always happen unexpectedly...

When Vaughan made his schedule and prepared to go to the restaurant to find something to eat and give the reply to Hermione, he saw an annoying old man with a white beard in the corridor outside the door.

“…Tsk, what bad luck!”

Vaughan turned around and went back to the dormitory, and Dumbledore followed him in with a smile.

"Dear Vaughn, a centenarian has been waiting for you for at least two hours. Shouldn't you be more considerate of his hardship and be gentler?"

Vaughn rolled his eyes and said, "You deserved to wait so long. Tell me, what's the matter?"

Dumbledore suppressed his smile, his expression serious and silent for a moment, then sighed, "The plan must begin in advance. Recently, you should train Harry more diligently and let him learn Occlumency as soon as possible, so that he won't come into contact with Tom and he won't notice anything unusual."

Vaughan is not Snape.

Snape didn't know what Dumbledore was doing, but Vaughn did. He understood and asked, "Have you found the place where Quirrell met Voldemort?"

"Yes, in Albania, in a primitive jungle... Tom lived there for a long time, humbly but tenaciously carrying on his dirty soul."

As he spoke, confusion flashed in Dumbledore's bright eyes. "What I can't understand is why he went to hide in Albania? It's certainly far from England, but it's not a suitable place to start over. For so many years, he could only survive by parasitizing small animals."

Vaughan knew why, of course, but he couldn't say it.

This information is inexplicable and involves secrets from long ago.

Facing the bewildered Old Deng, he could only offer a guess: "Maybe it's because that place means more to him?"

"Oh?"

Dumbledore blinked and asked with interest, "Do you think it has anything to do with his past?"

Vaughn shrugged and said, "It's just a guess. In a person's life, there are always some special experiences that cannot be forgotten even if you go crazy."

(End of this chapter)