Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 233 Snape's Wrath

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Dumbledore took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

My head hurts a little.

Snape wouldn't let him off the hook, sarcastically remarking, "But you're probably mistaken. That kid is far more cold-blooded than you think—don't tell me you really believed that the deaths of the two werewolves that triggered the werewolf parade were the work of English wizards!"

"Outsiders may not understand Vaughn, but you and I both know that the catalyst for this incident, the deaths of those two werewolves, is definitely related to Vaughn—Your Excellency the White Demon King, you always put on a righteous and indignant face, forcing me to cross the line time and time again, why do you turn a blind eye to his actions?"

Dumbledore remained silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "That was our tacit understanding. I loosened my control over him in exchange for Vaughn's assistance in the entanglement of Harry and Tom's fates."

Snape frowned, somewhat confused: "What do you mean?"

"I can't say for now."

"You—" Snape realized he really disliked the Riddler.

Faced with his resurgent anger, Dumbledore shook his head: "I'm not telling you because I haven't fully considered it either. You just need to know that Vaughn and the WAC's existence is very helpful for Harry's future. For Harry's sake, I must tolerate him!"

Snape fell silent.

Although he still had a stern face and his gaze was cold and sharp like a knife, the tense atmosphere had indeed eased considerably.

At this moment, Fox, who had been squatting on the bird stand on the desk, letting the two argue and sleeping soundly with his head down, suddenly burst into flames.

Startled awake, Fox flapped its wings and disappeared in a burst of intense firelight.

They returned shortly afterward.

There was an extra letter on its paw.

Dumbledore reached out and took it down. He saw the cover and chuckled, "Ha, speaking of Vaughn, his letter has arrived. Let me read it for a short while; old Dumbledore finished reading it quickly."

He hesitated for a moment, then handed the letter to Snape: "I must say, your favorite student is far more mature than you in dealing with me."

The next day, which was also September 1st.

Just like every family outing, the humble abode was in chaos from early morning, with Molly's loud voice echoing throughout the entire building.

Especially now that the children are leaving for Hogwarts and she won't see them for at least several months, she has become increasingly suspicious, always wondering if the children have brought enough or if they have forgotten something.

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After breakfast, Arthur drove his beloved car out of the carport next to the garden. Over the past year, he had made some more modifications to the car.

Especially during the summer holidays, although Vaughn, who was most skilled in Muggle technology, was not there, the twins Fred and George were still there, and they were researching how to solve the problem of the magic field interfering with the electric field.

This summer, they experimented with many materials and technical solutions, almost all of which have now been applied to Arthur's beloved car. Therefore, Arthur finally had no more worries this summer and successfully modified his car to have magical functions such as invisibility and flight.

In fact, these spells could have been applied to the car long ago, but Arthur wanted to keep the things in the car that required Muggle electricity working properly, such as the radio and air conditioner.

He has always regretted that he couldn't listen to the radio on the way to school last year when he took Vaughn and Ron to school.

Driving a Muggle car, speeding along Muggle roads while listening to the radio and enjoying air conditioning – that's the real Muggle life!

Arthur dreamed of experiencing what it was like to be a real Muggle.

Unfortunately, his dreams were always crushed by Molly.

When Arthur carried Ginny's heavy suitcase, which was stuffed full of clothes and blankets by Molly, and opened the trunk of the car which had been enchanted with a tamper spell.

Molly, carrying two more dresses, hurried out of the house. She glanced at the spacious trunk, which resembled a warehouse, and retorted, "If one day you get caught by an Auror for unauthorized modification of Muggle items and are fined a huge sum, I wouldn't be surprised at all!"

Arthur didn't dare to retort. He opened the suitcase and helped his beloved wife stuff the dress inside, while trying to soothe her by changing the subject, "The dress is beautiful. When did you buy it for our daughter?"

Molly sneered.

Ginny, who was already in the car and peering out the back window, pouted and said, "Daddy, that's a gift Vaughn brought me from America. I showed it to you when I tried it on last time."

"Well----"

Molly continued with a sneer: "Yes, but I think the esteemed Arthur Weasley probably hasn't even noticed. It's quite curious, as Ginny's father, what clothes have you ever bought for her in all her life?"

Arthur quickly shut up.

This was just a minor incident.

Mornings away from home are always particularly hectic, sometimes even making people feel irritable, which may be mixed with nostalgia, reluctance to leave, and the melancholy of parting.

I had actually packed my luggage last night, but when I woke up this morning, it felt like there was still a lot to do. Just like Molly running around, picking cotton and constantly rummaging through various places to find Ginny's clothes, opening the suitcase again and again to stuff more clothes inside.

The same applies to others.

Ron went into his bedroom five times, always feeling like he must have forgotten something, until the fifth time, just as he was about to get in the car, he realized with a start that he had forgotten Banban.

Percy made three trips to load all his books and letters into the car. Even after sitting in the back seat, he was still holding a long parchment, repeatedly checking the preparations recorded on it.

The twins were even busier. They spent the entire summer doing experiments and accumulated a lot of odds and ends, such as newly developed electric field anti-interference materials and experimental records.

Because Molly couldn't bear to scold him, and Harry, who had gotten up a little late, even left the Burrow halfway through dressing, with half a loaf of bread in his mouth.

The entire morning was spent bumping into each other on the stairs.

Only Vaughn, who didn't have many clothes to organize, was idly keeping Ginny company amidst the hustle and bustle, who also didn't have anything to do, while playing with Fruit Tea.

At ten o'clock, Harry rushed into the Burrow for the last time, then rushed out again, clutching his schoolbag tightly, and it was finally time to set off.

Sitting in the back seat, this was Harry's third time riding in Arthur's car. The first time was on his birthday, when he had a falling out with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.

The second time was more than two weeks ago, when his conflict with the Dursleys intensified, and Ron, Arthur, and Molly took him to live in the Burrow.

However, when Harry got into the car, he was still amazed by how spacious it was—it was practically a house, and the seats had been extended like park benches.

Seeing that Harry was seated, Arthur started the engine.

Last year, due to his lack of driving skills, Arthur's car stalled several times when starting. He learned his lesson and worked hard to improve his driving skills this year, and now he is much better.

The car slowly and smoothly drove out of the yard. Arthur raised an eyebrow at Vaughn, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "Son, how are you?"

Vaughn gave him a thumbs up.

A smug Arthur then looked at Molly.

Before he could speak, Molly raised her eyebrows: "Don't even think about it!"

"Uh—honey, I'm just trying it out. I promise, it'll only be on this stretch of road. I'll turn it off immediately on the way to the Muggles. Think about it, don't you want to experience what it's like to fly?"

Molly flatly refused: "Your fight with Malfoy already embarrassed the Weasley family enough. I don't want to see news like Arthur Weasley of the Department for the Prohibition of Muggle Misuse arrested for illegally modifying Muggle vehicles in tomorrow's paper!"

Arthur tried to struggle: "Just once—"

"I said no! Drive!"

Around 11 a.m., the car arrived at King's Cross Station without any problems. A frustrated Arthur found a luggage cart, and the family was in a flurry of activity again.

By the time they found Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Express was about to depart.

Arthur and Molly arranged for the children to rush one by one into the wall on the platform that Muggles couldn't see. Harry, who was placed at the back, looked at this familiar scene and felt as if he had returned to last year.

He couldn't help but turn around to look at Vaughn standing behind him.

Then I noticed that the other person's eyes were shining with a faint light.

That was magical vision. Although he didn't possess it, he had seen it with Dumbledore before. It was said to be able to see through things hidden by magic.

"Vaughn, what happened?"

He asked instinctively.

This was the first time he had taken the initiative to communicate with Vaughn since he got the notebook.

Noticing nothing amiss on the platform, Vaughn's gaze dimmed, and he smiled at Harry: "It's nothing, it's our turn. Let's go in, Harry."

Harry scratched his head, feeling something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It was getting late, so he stopped thinking about it, took a short run-up, and pushed the cart towards the wall.

"Is everything ready? Have you taken everything?"

"Percy, take good care of your younger siblings, understand?"

Oh—my darling—

—

The station was as bustling as last year, with a dense crowd of parents lining the platform to see their children off, their feet enveloped in the steam billowing from the Hogwarts Express.

Because they arrived late, apart from Percy having a long carriage, everyone searched for quite a while before finding an empty compartment. By the time everyone had settled their luggage and sat down, the train had already sounded its whistle in the direction of the front.

Molly leaned in through the window and kissed her son and daughter one by one.

She looked very sad, a far cry from the fierce demeanor she displayed that morning. Tears welled up in her red eyes, threatening to spill over.

No one refused their mother's kiss, including Vaughn.

He understood Molly's sadness. Last year, when he and Ron left, at least Ginny was still at home. But this year, even Ginny left.

The once cramped and humble dwelling suddenly became "empty," and once Arthur went to work, Molly was left alone in the house.

Vaughn's eyes went vacant for a moment, and buried memories of his past life surged up. His expression softened, and he ran his fingers across Molly's fat, rough face, wiping away her tears.

No words of comfort were offered; any words of comfort at that moment could only serve to induce tears.

He simply assured her, "Mom, don't worry, I'll take good care of Ginny."

Ginny was in his arms. Perhaps the excitement of going to school had finally faded, or perhaps she was infected by the atmosphere. Ginny had been sobbing uncontrollably for some time.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Molly took a breath, held back her tears, and then looked at Harry, who was huddled to the side watching her silently. She stretched out her arms to him and said, "Harry, darling, let me hug you."

Harry, who hadn't expected to get a turn, eagerly approached and buried his head in the broad chest.

"—I will take good care of Ginny, madam."

Harry said in a muffled voice.

Molly kissed his hair hard: "Good boy—"

In the distance, the whistle sounded once again.

This is the last notification.

Molly released Harry and let the children return to their seats.

Soon, steam engulfed the platform like a cloud of mist, and the train slowly started moving. Molly chased after it for a few steps, but Arthur stopped her and pulled her into his arms.

They waved their arms, their figures gradually receding into the distance and disappearing into a misty haze.

Parting is always sad.

Ginny, who was leaving home for the first time, sobbed in Vaughn's arms. Ron, who was experiencing it for the second time, and Harry, who was experiencing it for the first time, were also depressed.

The twins, who had already experienced this four times, quickly overcame their melancholy. As the train pulled out of London and the open countryside appeared outside the window, they immediately forgot their sorrow, dug out the fireworks they hadn't finished setting off the night before, and ran off to play with their classmates, laughing and joking.

Vaughn was left to face the dejected Harry and his two companions.

Fortunately, Hermione found her soon after.

The girl appeared outside the carriage shortly after the twins left.

The last time they met was more than a month ago, when Hermione was living in the Burrow.

It had been over a month since they last saw each other, and she had gotten a bit tanned. Vaughn had been in America, where communication was difficult, but Hermione had kept in touch with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. After Vaughn set off for North America, Hermione was taken on a trip by the Grangers.

After more than a month apart, the girl's eyes sparkled when she saw Vaughn again.

"I saw in the newspaper that you're back."

She blinked as she spoke.

Vaughn knew what she meant; she was subtly reminding him that he hadn't contacted her since returning. He apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, you know, my trip to North America didn't go very well, and I had a lot of follow-up matters to deal with back in England. I was thinking that school was about to start, so I didn't come to see you."

"Okay, I forgive you!"

Hermione is very magnanimous; when she actually expresses her dissatisfaction, it's just a little bit of coquetry.

Despite never having had romantic experience before, girls are always more mature than boys in this regard.

She then greeted Harry, Ron, and Ginny one by one, pretending not to see Ginny's red and swollen eyes from crying. She held Ginny's hand and chatted about life at Hogwarts and the Sorting Ceremony that Ginny would experience that evening.

Upon hearing about the Sorting Ceremony, Ginny's attention was quickly diverted, and she looked somewhat nervous: "I asked Percy, Fred, and George, and also Vaughn, Ron, and Harry, but they never told me. I heard there are a lot of difficult and dangerous challenges involved, is that right?"

"ha?"

Hermione looked puzzled, then saw Ron and Harry frantically giving her meaningful glances, while Vaughn smiled without saying a word.

Hermione immediately realized that this was probably Hogwarts' tradition of not using written language, creating a sense of mystery to frighten the new students, while a group of senior students would watch the terrified newbies and have fun.

What a boring and twisted sense of humor!

If it were last year, she probably would have already started to undermine others out of a desire to perform, but now, she has learned to consider others.

Anyway, they were just harmless jokes.

Hermione, who wasn't good at lying, stammered and brushed it off. She chatted with Ginny for a while longer, and when she saw that the girl's mood had improved and she started arguing with Ron, she sat down next to Vaughn and hugged his arm.

"I read yesterday's newspaper. Is there still no lead on the killer of the werewolf?"

"No." Vaughn shook his head. "There were almost no witnesses at the crime scene. The Muggles in the vicinity had long been driven away by the exorcism charm. The only witness, François, only saw a dark mass leave."

Hermione frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "Do you really believe what François said?"

Upon hearing this, Vaughn was somewhat surprised.

Noticing his gaze, Hermione's expression grew even more hesitant. "I always felt that the werewolves' march was strange. To be precise, they acted too quickly. The murder happened one day, and the next day they were gathered to protest, demanding that the Ministry of Magic hand over the murderer."

"Without hesitation, without communication, as if overnight they had already determined it was retaliation from so-called extreme wizards in England, without considering any other possibilities—what if it was a dark wizard? Or some other reason?"

As she spoke, she lowered her head and clutched Vaughn's robe: "I feel like they don't care what the truth is. The murder is just an excuse for them. You—"

She looked up, her eyes filled with worry: "You must be careful, don't fall into their trap and become their weapon!"

To be honest, Vaughn was quite surprised.

For Hermione's intuition.

But upon closer reflection, it's not surprising, considering that this young girl will eventually become Minister of Magic, and she does seem to have a natural talent for political sensitivity.

Of course, talent is talent.

Experience and knowledge are equally important, which is why she reminded Vaughn without realizing something deeper.

Vaughn didn't say much, just stroked her hair and smiled, "I'll be careful."

The train rattled and puffed out white smoke, carrying a carload of young wizards, through towns, fields, and mountains, all the way from London to the Scottish Highlands.

As evening fell, the silhouettes of the castle, the Forbidden Forest, and the Black Lake gradually came into view.

The new students gathered behind the car windows with a mixture of fear and anticipation, gazing at the place where they would live for the next seven years.

As the train gradually pulled into the station, Ginny thought of the Sorting Ceremony, Vaughn's enigmatic smile, and Percy...

Fred and George's fearful expressions, and Ron and Harry's unnatural demeanor.

And not long ago, Hermione gave a stammering, perfunctory answer.

She instinctively tried to grab Vaughn's hand, but Vaughn and the others had already left. As second-year students, they no longer needed to take a boat from the Black Lake into the castle; instead, they entered the school through the other main gate with the luggage-carrying carriage.

Suddenly having to face the unknown alone, Ginny felt very lost. When someone outside the car rang a bell and called out, "First-year students, come here," she instinctively went over.

Then they saw the tall, giant-like Forest Keeper, Rubeus Hagrid-Ginny, whom Harry and Ron had heard talk about.

And Rupert Hagrid obviously knew her too.

He carried a lantern and saw a striking red hair among a group of quail-like, huddled heads. He beckoned and called out, "Ginny Weasley, come to me."

Ginny squeezed through.

The bell rang again: "Alright, children, follow me!"

As the first-year wizards wobbled along behind Hagrid, like ducklings following their mother, toward the Black Lake.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking along a path on the other side of the station toward the boulevard.

Vaughn wasn't in the small group; he was talking to a few older Slytherin students in the back.

Ron spoke loudly about his sister: "—I bet she cried. Did you notice? Her eyes were red when we left, and she's probably calling Vaughn's name right now."

"Why is he named Vaughn?"

It seemed like it had just rained in the Scottish Highlands today; the ground outside the station was muddy. Harry, carrying his schoolbag, trudged through the mud, panting heavily.

But he still remembered to praise his friend.

Ron shook his head: "Because Vaughn is her favorite brother. They've been inseparable since they were little. As far as I can remember, only Ginny or Vaughn can go into each other's rooms, oh, and Mom too. Nobody else is allowed in!"

Harry stuck out his tongue, sensing an almost undisguised jealousy in his friend's seemingly teasing tone.

But it's unclear who he's jealous of.

"Are you happy to see your sister make a fool of herself?" Hermione suddenly turned cold, and for a moment, Harry thought he was seeing Professor McGonagall. "As a brother, your sister only talks to you when she's arguing and bickering, and you can actually laugh about it?"

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Oh right————

Harry suddenly realized what was happening, and Ron, who was next to him, felt as if his heart had been struck, and his face turned bright red.

That wasn't shyness, it was annoyance.

To avoid another argument, Harry quickly changed the subject: "Look, the carriage we're going to ride in is over there—uh, what's that pulling the carriage? It looks—uh—"

Harry's expression was indescribable.

Hearing the sound, Ron and Hermione looked over.

A row of carriages was parked on the tree-lined avenue. The carriages were of a very old style, with a bulky carriage, a luggage rack on the roof, and a driver's seat raised high in front of the carriage, with lanterns hanging on the side.

At first glance, it looks like a popular attraction in some tourist area, but the cart is not pulled by a horse, but by a strange, emaciated creature that is entirely black, has bat-like membranous wings, and is extremely thin.

It looks absolutely hideous!

As they stood there dumbfounded, their classmate Seamus Finnigan walked by and approached them: "What are you looking at? Oh, what's that? A magical carriage that runs automatically without animals?"

"What?"

Harry turned around and stared at Seamus in astonishment: "No—livestock?"

Seamus replied matter-of-factly, "Yeah, magic is amazing, but it looks weird. Why keep the reins if you don't need a horse?"

"You—you can't see it?"

"Huh? What did you see?"

Seeing Seamus's confused look, Harry was about to say something more, but Ron stopped him.

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