Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 240 As long as the rumor is outrageous enough, no one will believe it.

Sure enough, when Vaughn asked the twins, they excitedly explained, "It's the edge of a dream!"

"Ever since you raised the need to establish an information network, we have been searching for a reliable channel" to realize your idea, but it won't be easy, my dear brother, esteemed benefactor!"

"Yes, this world is too noisy. About a month ago, we used a ritual to divine the sky. Muggle stuff filled the whole world. Just like your magic field theory, magic fields affect electric fields. Conversely, similar conclusions can also be drawn."

"So we abandoned traditional physical methods—Merlin, George, I still remember how painful it was for us to struggle with Muggle physics books back then!"

"Yes, Fred, thankfully those days can be said goodbye to forever."

The twins high-fived and cheered.

These two guys are always so unconventional. After a while, they explained their thinking to Vaughn in detail. In short, the two of them used magic to make the two telephone mirrors have a "dream"!

Yes, in the view of modern alchemy, any object can "dream".

After all, "dreams" are not the result of material movement, but rather the manifestation of "spirit" in the ether. At the boundary between the ether and the matter and spirit associated with it, the spatiotemporal attributes of the material world are blurred.

The twins then used this feature to manipulate a miracle, overlapping the "dreams" of the two telephone mirrors at the edge of the dream world.

In this way, even if the two telephone mirrors are separated in reality, their "dreams" remain connected.

Then, the two can exchange information through dreams.

"But this method consumes too much magic power."

After explaining, George suddenly sighed.

"Yes, it takes a lot of magic to get information from reality into the boundary zone and then out through the dream to the other side. Also, the distance between the telephone mirrors can't be too far. The farther the distance, the greater the consumption."

"My magic only lasts for 30 minutes to keep the telephone mirror connected —"

"I can talk for 36 minutes straight, I'm better than you, George!"

"You cheated!"

"I----"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Vaughn had to stop them. Once the twins calmed down, Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose.

It has to be said that the twins gave him a pleasant surprise.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name for a bit of fun: ??????.?????? (Super smooth)]

Vaughn didn't know much about the edge of dreams. His last contact with it was when he was in Egypt with Dumbledore to visit the Dream Messenger.

He was very curious about the Dream Messenger's ability to travel on the edge of dreams, and he even consulted the Dream Messenger to see if he could learn that method from them.

Unfortunately, they ignored him.

Unexpectedly, the curiosity that was not satisfied back then has found a glimmer of hope today with the twins.

However, today is not the time to discuss academic matters. We can talk about how the twins managed to do it in detail another time.

His and Isabella's main purpose in coming here today was to select prizes for their future practical classes.

Thinking it over, he looked at Isabella: "Do you think this would be a suitable prize?"

Isabella hesitated: "It should be possible—but as it is now, I feel it's no different from a two-way mirror, and it has many drawbacks. Fred and George are already in their fourth year, and the magic can only support a 30-minute call—"

Fred reminded her, "It's 36 minutes, Isa!"

George glared at him.

"—No matter how long it takes, this thing isn't very practical for lower-grade students."

Although she had never been a professor, Isabella was still clear about the level of magic and magical abilities of lower-grade students.

She didn't quite understand it, nor did she think much of it.

However, this did not diminish Vaughn's interest in the telephone mirror. He was very interested in the communication technology that the twins had somehow created, which was conducted at the edge of dreams.

Dream Network?

That's interesting!

Therefore, after Isabella expressed her dissatisfaction, Vaughn didn't try to persuade her further. Instead, he said to the somewhat dejected twins, "Keep developing it. When I have time, I'll join in—look at something else. Haven't you made quite a few prank gadgets? Bring them all out!"

Both the previous electric field interference suppression project and Warn's "telephone mirror" project were very serious research directions.

Twins love everything in their lives, except serious things.

The reason they were able to patiently work on the project for two months was because they needed Vaughn's funding for research and development; prank props were what they really wanted to do.

During a summer sponsored by Vaughn, the two of them used their "spare time" to create quite a few things.

One of the twins’ proudest creations is called the fake magic wand!

"Dear esteemed benefactor, respected professor, this is our favorite work. As the name suggests, it is a fake magic wand. It cannot be used to cast spells, but it cannot be said to be completely fake either. The essence of pranks is seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, using the contrast between people's expectations and reality to create dramatic effects —"

"Yes, fake wands also possess magic, but the magic they contain may not have the effect the user desires!"

"Perhaps you'll utter a cleansing spell and end up hitting yourself with a tooth-crushing club; perhaps you'll try to stop the spell and end up turning yourself into a fluffy lark—the Weasley brothers can only guarantee that everything will be beyond your expectations!"

The twins stood proudly with their heads held high.

What excited them even more was that they finally saw a look of interest on Isabella's face.

However, this time it was Vaughn who poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "Is it just those pranks?"

Out of respect for their sugar daddy, the twins didn't get angry. Instead, they asked firmly, "Dear brother, what function do you want?"

Vaughn held up a fake wand that looked a lot like beechwood, examined it carefully for a moment, and asked them, "Since you can make fake wands distort spells, can you solidify specific magic on them?"

Fred and George exchanged a glance, wanting to avoid answering that they understood what Vaughn was up to, but that went against their grand prank philosophy.

but----

Fred patted the few remaining silver coins in his pocket and forced a smile: "Of course—you can!"

Standing nearby, George thought he heard the sound of teeth breaking.

In the dead of night, the Man-Beating Willow, which stood proudly on the edge of the forbidden forest in the wilderness, twitched a few times and then stiffened completely. Its roots, which no one could approach in the past, opened automatically, revealing a dark hole.

Vaughn and Isabella came out together.

Walking under the moonlight on the soft lawn, the two chatted idly: "Actually, I think the prank props that Fred and George brought out later were quite appropriate as prizes."

Isabella told Vaughn, "There's no barrier to entry, and the effects are harmless, even a bit entertaining. For example, the Lilliputian Wizards' Chess they made later, where you'd be shrunk and fall into the chessboard after a few moves, swapping roles with the pieces. It was quite fun."

"And there's also the monster tapestry they supposedly developed, inspired by you. If a little wizard touches it, he'll be sucked into the tapestry and fight the monsters inside—it's all very interesting."

"But it's not lasting enough, and it's not engaging enough!"

Vaughn's expression remained indifferent: "Isha, what is the purpose of our new curriculum reform, establishing the venues and standards for practical classes?"

Isabella glanced at Vaughn, unsure of his motives, even though she knew he must have his own reasons for suddenly intervening in the teaching.

But she knew exactly why she had been persuaded by Vaughn: "To improve the teaching quality of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts, so that future students wouldn't have to worry about having a different professor every year."

"Having personally traveled and gained experience, do you think the young wizards will accept my proposed adventure-style practical course plan?"

Isabella's lips twitched a few times, as if she really wanted to say, "Yes!"

However, after nearly two years of traveling abroad, she knows very well that real-world exploration and adventure are not about sitting at home playing cards and telling stories, but rather about doing very hard work.

Initially, people may be able to persevere because of the novelty, but as the course continues and the novelty gradually fades, everything will become very difficult.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "Their acceptance level depends on whether our subsequent adjustments to the difficulty and enrichment of the content can maintain their interest and engagement in the long term."

"Yes," Vaughn interrupted her, "That's why I included treasure chests and prizes in the practical lessons. It's to maintain their enthusiasm for participation with valuable rewards. Prank props are only fashionable for a short time; things that are truly helpful and useful are the right way!"

Upon hearing this, Isabella said nothing more.

She knew Vaughn was right.

After a moment of silence, she nodded: "Okay—but you should keep an eye on Fred and George. I think they were quite upset by you later. Except for a few things, you almost completely rejected the value of their research."

Vaughn wasn't worried about that, and laughed, "They're not as fragile as you think. As long as I'm still willing to support their cause financially, they'll adjust on their own."

Since Vaughn, as her younger brother, wasn't worried, Isabella stopped talking and the topic returned to the prizes and how to maintain the students' enthusiasm: "I suddenly think your initial idea for the telephone mirror was very interesting. A small mirror that can make calls, can—what was your name again? Video calls? It can be used for homework, answering questions, taking exams, and—surfing the internet! I've been trying hard to imagine what that would be like, but my imagination is too limited, and there's no real-world reference. But I think if it could really be realized, the little wizards would definitely be very interested!"

As she spoke, she stared at Vaughn: "Can a telephone mirror do all the functions you mentioned?"

Vaughn nodded, then shook his head: "I'm not sure yet, but I'll try my best."

Judging from the telephone mirrors currently being produced by the twins, there is still a long way to go before they can achieve the goal of becoming "smartphones".

However, the idea of ​​a "dream network" that had previously popped into his mind may increase the likelihood of it being realized as soon as possible.

Of course, this requires him to later learn in detail about the technical methods of dream information channels from the twins, and to actually "see" it for himself.

.

But that will probably be some time from now.

They chatted for a while and soon arrived at the castle. They agreed to start building the world in the painting the next day and then parted ways at the castle gate.

Back in his Slytherin dorm, Vaughn hugged Fruit Tea's huge and heavy "delicate body" as she came to greet him, and laboriously moved to the desk.

With a wave of his hand, blue magical fire ignited the brazier beside the bay window. In the cool light, Vaughn took out a stack of parchment and turned to the section where he had recorded his plans for the new semester.

Today, Vaughn has put in a lot of effort to help Isabella think about teaching issues. His plan is actually not that complicated: to expand his influence!

Hogwarts is the cradle of all wizards in England, and wizards from all over the British Isles, and even some Commonwealth countries, come from here.

They are students now, but in a year—in seven years, many years from now, they will all grow into pillars of the magical world.

If someone can exert influence on them while they are still students—even a small one, just a teacher-student relationship—the resulting prestige is immeasurable!

This is also why Voldemort went to great lengths to teach at Hogwarts.

It must be said that before he recklessly split his soul and clouded his judgment, the Socket Hero had a very sharp and far-sighted vision.

Vaughn's current idea is based on this senior's experience!

"I suppose Dumbledore is aware of my plans as well—"

As he cast a spell on the automatic quill to record the day's experiences and problems, Vaughn thought to himself.

However, he is different from Voldemort. Poor Tom, his unfortunate family background and origins led to a perverse thirst for power.

Vaughn, on the other hand, always wanted to make the wizarding world a "better" place!

The purpose of intervening in teaching is this, and the purpose of having the twins develop electric field anti-interference technology and "smartphones" is also this.

Vaughn didn't really care about the convenience of Muggle products or what the advent of "smartphones" could bring him.

To put it bluntly, the profitability of those other things is not as good as the few potions that are currently selling well under his name.

The Vaughn beauty line, designed by a master, has been a favorite of witches since ancient times!

Even this summer, because he went to the United States and didn't have time to supply the products, the beauty potions he personally brewed have now been inflated to 10 times their original price!

It's truly astonishing how easy it is to make money off witches, and how arrogant Professor Snape is. As the teacher of Vaughn Weasley, the Potions Master, Professor Snape could have easily replaced Vaughn's market position for the time being.

As far as Vaughn knew, it wasn't that no one contacted the professor during the summer, hoping he would step in to alleviate the market's thirst.

However, the professor rejected all of those invitations.

The proud Severus Snape wouldn't even bother to make his own potions taste better, so why would he bother to please a bunch of stupid witches who only know how to dress themselves up all day?

Not to mention, the beauty potion was the result of his student's efforts; he would not, and could not, steal his student's honor.

Last year, when Vaughn was developing the wolfsbane medicine, he provided a lot of support, including providing medicinal materials and experimental samples. However, when Vaughn published the paper, he resolutely refused to have his name listed on it.

Traditionally, he could have received the recognition he deserved as a co-author and mentor.

But Professor Snape disregarded tradition!

In short, Vaughn is not short of money now; the potions he makes, backed by his reputation, are far more profitable than outsiders imagine.

Therefore, Vaughn's attempt to bring Muggle technology into the wizarding world and to develop "smartphones" was not driven by any hidden profits.

What he wanted to see was the stimulating effect of Muggle technology products and smartphones on the magical world.

He hoped that these new things would stimulate the magical world to have more possibilities, a more competitive and active side, and break free from its current stagnant state under the guise of peace.

Instead of being a boring Muggle, trying every possible way to squeeze the last copper nut out of the wizards' pockets!

Many thoughts arise, only to vanish in an instant.

The automatic quill quickly finished recording today's events. Vaughn then beckoned over a parchment and glanced through it: "The remaining magical creature communities still need further negotiations—the magic field—let's put that aside for now. There's no time to deal with that issue right now."

"And then there's the dream network—Fred and George's talent in alchemy is even greater than I originally thought; there's still potential to be explored!"

However, this needs to be put on hold for now.

Currently, his main focus is still on reforming the Defense Against the Dark Arts course!

Thinking it over, Vaughn turned the stack of parchment to the section on course planning and, by the firelight, continued to refine it.

The next day, Harry appeared in the Great Hall (or Dining Hall) with great trepidation.

He knew he had messed up and was terrified to see Vaughn and the new professor.

Hagrid had repeatedly warned him not to reveal Professor Vaughn and Professor Rozier's teaching plans, and he had agreed, but—

"Hey Harry, is it true that Vaughn and Professor Rozier are taking everyone to the Black Forest in Albania for classes?"

"At the Gryffindor long table," an older student asked Harry excitedly.

Harry was completely bewildered.

Have the rumors spread this far overnight?

He opened his mouth, wanting to clarify, but no one seemed willing to listen to his explanation. Another older student had already shouted, "Didn't you say we were going to Romania? There are dark wizards, vampires, and dragons there!"

The series of dangerous terms caused the gossipy young wizards who had gathered around to gasp in shock.

But no one was afraid!

These seedlings, sheltered in their ivory tower, always possess unrealistic courage, and they begin to fantasize about what methods they should use if they were to face dark wizards, vampires, or fire dragons.

As their stories became increasingly outrageous, Harry finally couldn't help but ask, "Who told you all this?"

"Ron Weasley!"

"Ron? Where is he?"

"He had just been captured by Granger before you arrived."

Harry couldn't stand it any longer, so he quickly asked for directions and fled.

Then, in the corridor near the library, he saw Hermione and Ron, who were at each other's throats. From a distance, Harry could hear Hermione's shrill voice: "—Why did you spread those rumors? You know perfectly well that Albania and Romania are impossible!"

""

Ron protested, "Then what am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to tell people that Vaughn and Professor Rozier are in the Forbidden Forest? Didn't you and Hagrid emphasize yesterday that this shouldn't be told to anyone?"

"Enough, Ronald! This whole thing should never have been leaked. Professor Rozier asked Hagrid to keep it a secret; she must have had her reasons. And you and Harry have ruined everything!"

"Broken up?" Ron sounded impatient. "Yeah, we messed up. Does Professor Rozier think she's going to cancel the practical class because of this? She and Vaughn were just keeping it a secret. What's the big deal? Is it worth you dragging me out to yell at me?"

"This is a matter of principle; we promised Hagrid we wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Then go and stick to your principles. Don't think I don't know you're taking it out on me because Vaughn went to the tower with Professor Rozier early this morning and ignored you completely. I know all too well!"

"you-

'

This was the first time Harry had ever seen Hermione so angry; her fluffy hair seemed about to explode, and her golden-brown eyes were fixed on Ron.

For a fleeting moment, Harry almost suspected she would pull out her wand.

But she didn't do that in the end; she turned around and walked away angrily, not even stopping when she saw Harry.

Harry tried to call Hermione back, but she quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor. He could only sigh and go to Ron, who was equally fuming.

"You shouldn't have said that about her—"

Ron hesitated for a moment, but then turned his head away: "She provoked me first. She's been nagging me since last night. We just accidentally let it slip. Why is she making such a fuss? Even Vaughn and Professor Rozier didn't reprimand us!"

After saying that, Ron's mood still sank, and he said in a muffled voice, "—I spread rumors to make up for my mistakes. As long as I say things outrageously enough, no one will know Vaughn and Professor Rozier's real plan, right?"

Well----

That seems to make sense.

Harry scratched his head, about to say something, when the library door opened on the other side of the corridor, and a huge "bat" floated out.

The moment Harry saw that figure, he heard himself instinctively groan, "Snape—"

Fortunately, Ron covered his mouth the next second.

Snape, not hearing his voice, drifted away, leaving the two men standing there, pale-faced and shaken.

It took Harry a while to recover from the lingering shadow of the Potions Professor, his expression shifting between light and dark.

He almost forgot that his notebook was still in Snape's hands.

We need to find a way to get it back.

But how could they get it back? Steal it? That was simply unrealistic. As soon as Snape discovered the notebook was missing, he would immediately know who had stolen it!

On the way back to the Gryffindor tower, Harry seemed distracted the whole time.

It wasn't until he entered the common room that the tremendous noise brought him back to his senses. The spacious common room was packed with young Gryffindor wizards, all enthusiastically eating snacks and discussing the first Potions class of the new term that was coming up that afternoon.