Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 247 Vaughn's Ambition

But Harry felt it wasn't that simple: "Do you think Vaughn would leave us any loopholes? Besides, Luna said that Vaughn and his team are building a new world, and this world in the painting might be completely different from what we've experienced before."

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Remember this website's domain name: ??????????.??????

"That's true."

Ron was a little disappointed, but he quickly cheered himself up and winked at Harry: "Want to go check it out?"

"After a summer vacation, the world has changed so much I hardly recognize it anymore—if I hadn't stopped Neville today, can you imagine that one day he would have taught me a lesson!"

The stairs at Hogwarts often move automatically.

No one knows why the four great wizards who built the castle gave the stairs such an unnecessary function. Every young wizard who enters Hogwarts will experience the tragedy of being late for class because of the stairs.

However, young wizards usually adapt within a few months.

On a staircase that was drifting in mid-air, a sound suddenly came from the air, and then the light and shadow distorted, revealing Harry and Ron's heads.

Two lonely heads floated in mid-air, looking somewhat eerie, but the two, having used the invisibility cloak many times, were already used to it.

Harry took a few deep breaths of fresh air and complained, "Ron, you ate too many onions today."

Before Ron could retort with a flushed face, he responded to his earlier complaint: "I don't think it's a big deal, but I suddenly realized that I don't really understand Neville. I always thought he shouldn't have been sorted into Gryffindor, and I even thought that the Sorting Hat was probably senile. Today, I realized that he is neither cowardly nor timid."

Hearing Harry's reflective words, Ron opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed his words back.

He was a little sullen.

Harry saw right through him: "Don't you want to end up like Neville and get tutoring from Vaughn?"

Ron remained silent, tilting his head back and staring into the air below.

Harry knew that Ron was definitely picking his fingers under the Invisibility Cloak; his good friend always unconsciously made these little gestures when he was embarrassed or annoyed.

To be honest, it wasn't just Ron who felt embarrassed; he felt the same way.

Ron's embarrassment stemmed from his long-standing "hostility" towards his brother Vaughn, a reason Harry understood. Last semester, Ron complained more than once about the history of being "bullied" by Vaughn when he was a child.

But in the end, it all boils down to Vaughn being just too outstanding.

Although they were twins, Vaughn learned to walk and talk earlier than Ron. According to Mrs. Molly, Vaughn started learning to read by himself from the family newspaper when he was 3 years old. When Vaughn started begging Arthur to buy him Muggle magazines when he was 5, Ron was still an illiterate man who couldn't even read a single word.

Harry could understand that pressure, after all, the Dursleys he grew up with, his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, always praised Dudley and belittled him in front of him—although the two things meant completely different things.

If Ron's embarrassment was understandable, then Harry felt that his underlying resentment towards Vaughn was somewhat inexplicable.

Think about it carefully, when did you start to be wary of Vaughn?

Harry, who maintained his Occlumency as usual, had many memories surfacing, mostly related to the diary. He vaguely felt that he had forgotten something—

I was just thinking about it.

Click.

The sound of the moving staircase connecting the floors interrupted his thoughts. At the same time, several sets of footsteps came from the depths of the corridor outside the staircase.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and quickly pulled up their Invisibility Cloaks to cover their heads.

After they regained their invisibility, the two had just stepped out of the stairwell when their footsteps turned around the corner of the corridor, and appeared before them were Vaughn, Professor Rozier, and Professor Sprout, whom they had just met that morning.

Professor Sprout was still dressed the same as when he taught herbal medicine: a coarse robe, covered in mud, as if he had come over right after class.

Harry noticed that she was carrying an empty flowerpot under her arm and a piece of black cloth in her hand.

During his study of Occlumency with Vaughn last semester, he mastered memory magic techniques that allowed him to recognize at a glance that the empty flowerpot and black cloth were the same dangerous plant that Sprout had warned them not to approach before the herbalism class that morning!

Harry immediately started thinking: "Was that dangerous plant that Professor Sprout moved into Greenhouse 1 this morning meant for Vaughn?"

Unfortunately, this question could not be answered.

Even Harry didn't dare to breathe loudly at this moment, while Ron next to him simply covered his mouth and nose, preferring to have difficulty breathing rather than reveal the slightest movement.

Outside the invisibility cloak, Vaughn escorted Professor Sprout to the stairwell and shook the professor's hand: "Thank you for your support, Professor."

"It's nothing. After all, Dumbledore supports your curriculum reforms. I was just helping out with small things," Professor Sprout said kindly.

Then, she hesitated for a moment: "Vaughn, are you really going to put Chinese venomous cabbage in there?"

I think you should be well aware of just how aggressive it is —

"Of course I understand, Professor, but that's the point of practical lessons."

"But I still feel it's inappropriate. I understand your idea of ​​promoting practical courses, but—but isn't it a bit too radical? Maybe those magical creatures and magical plants are nothing to you, but for other young wizards, their danger could be fatal. I think there's nothing wrong with some courses being a little conservative."

Professor Sprout was interrupted by Vaughn before he could finish speaking: "Professor, let me give you a simple example. Do you remember what you did with the Devil's Web last semester? Although you didn't end up using it."

"Uh, yes————"

"Back then, in order to fulfill Dumbledore's instructions, you repeatedly emphasized its habits in class. But Professor, after a summer vacation, if you suddenly asked second-year students in class now, 'What kind of environment does the Grimm's Web like? What does it fear? What does it disguise itself as?' how many of them do you think could give the correct answer?"

When Harry asked the question, he noticed that Professor Sprout suddenly fell silent.

Harry also fell silent for a moment.

He looked at Ron, his eyes asking inquiringly: What's Devil's Web? Did we learn about it last year?

He was met with Ron's clear, bewildered gaze.

Professor Sprout was unaware that just a few feet away from her, at the corner of the corridor, two invisible students were putting Vaughn's question to the test.

However, as the Headmaster of Hufflepuff, Professor Sprout possesses insight that is quite different from her unassuming appearance.

She knew very well the level of the students she personally taught.

How many people can answer correctly?

Professor Sprout quickly assessed the situation and felt a sense of despair. Apart from a few attentive students like Hermione Granger, most of the young wizards had probably already forgotten about the Devil's Web.

Vaughn seemed to know what she was thinking and said sincerely, "Professor, it turns out that simply lecturing is not enough for young wizards to learn and remember knowledge. They are currently in the stage of learning for others."

"Learning for others?"

"Yes, they don't yet realize the importance of knowledge to themselves because they don't understand what use what they've learned is for them—adults certainly understand, because adults have experienced setbacks, the collapse of ideals, and the ruthlessness of reality."

"But young wizards aren't adults; they don't have that concept. In their current understanding, learning is just a chore to get through, a prerequisite for having fun!"

"The purpose of practical lessons is to pull young wizards out of their warm greenhouses and expose them to the elements—only through real hardship and crisis can they realize the significance of the knowledge they've acquired and the magic they've mastered in their future lives!"

Professor Sprout was not unaware of these principles.

But she is an adult, and the "obvious" and "self-evident" concepts in her eyes are only because she has experienced them as an adult. So even if she understands them, she may not realize how superficial those concepts are for young wizards who are still children.

Just like in Muggle society, parents and schools constantly emphasize how important knowledge and academic qualifications are, but how many people can actually listen to them?

When we reach adulthood and look back on our wasted youth, how many of us will regret not studying hard enough or getting into a good school?

Vaughn looked at her earnestly: "Professor, the essence of education is not just the transmission of knowledge, but also the sharing and transmission of experience. And experience is something that can only be understood through personal experience!"

Professor Sprout hesitated for a moment, unable to offer a rebuttal, and simply asked, "Is this your summary?"

"No, it's a summary from Muggles."

"Oh—that's very insightful—so that's why you suggested adding herbalism lessons to your practical course plan? It's for sharing and passing on experience?"

"You could say that. In fact, according to my plan, practical courses, such as Defense Against the Dark Arts, are the most important courses in the Hogwarts education. If possible, I hope to incorporate all current courses into the practical course plan!"

Professor Sprout asked in surprise, "All classes?"

"Yes!"

She seemed shocked by Vaughn's "ambition" and was speechless. After hesitating for a while, she finally stopped dwelling on the "danger" of the practical class and left with a thoughtful expression.

She needs to think about it carefully.

Isabella Rozier, who bid farewell to Professor Sprout, also needs to think carefully.

Watching Professor Sprout's figure disappear into the distance, Isabella turned back and looked at Vaughn with surprise: "You never said you'd include all the courses in the practical program!"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No!" Isabella said firmly.

"Oh, I was probably too busy and forgot!" Vaughn said casually.

"Such ambitious ideas, and you're telling me you've forgotten?" Isabella began to grit her teeth. "What did you say back then? You said we were partners, and this isn't how you treat a partner!"

"Relax, Isha, you're only in charge of teaching for one year. Even if you know a lot more, you won't be the one in charge after that!"

"Vaughn joked."

Isabella first found Voldemort so hateful because of his curse, which could cause her to miss out on a "great" plan!

Think about it, there has never been a single course at Hogwarts that could unify all the courses.

If it could really be achieved, then —

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will likely become the most powerful person at Hogwarts, and even in the English wizarding world!

hateful!

That damn mysterious man!

While cursing Voldemort, Isabella watched Vaughn's smug smile with some annoyance and deliberately nitpicked, "The plan sounds grand, but how are you going to incorporate all the courses? Some of them are purely theoretical, like astronomy, Muggle studies, and the history of magic—"

"That shows your limited understanding, Isa. There's no such thing as pure theory when it comes to knowledge. Take astronomy as an example, what is the most prominent characteristic of ancient magic?"

Ok?

Isabella didn't understand why the topic had jumped so drastically, but she still answered honestly, "A ritual, a kind of ceremony that uses rites and celestial phenomena—oh!"

She suddenly realized.

Vaughn smiled approvingly: "You think astronomy is a theoretical course only because it seems dispensable in the modern spell system, as if it's only needed for conquering. But in reality, this course is very important in the ancient magic system. If I design a level where the content is to explore an ancient wizard's tomb, and all its protective magic is ancient magic, then, in order to break them, the interpretation of celestial phenomena is extremely important."

"Muggle studies is the same. In fact, in my opinion, this is the course that requires the most practice—you've been exposed to Muggle society, so you should understand that many wizards have a very one-sided understanding of Muggles. They don't even know how to wear Muggle clothes, so how can they hide in Muggle society?"

Isabella listened with fascination. "Yes, I once saw an old wizard wear women's underwear over his pajamas, and he thought he was perfectly disguised—what about the history of magic? History is always theory, isn't it?"

To her persistent nitpicking, Vaughn responded easily: "The history of magic is even simpler. What if I designed a level related to history, such as a recreation of the witch hunts or the fairy wars, allowing students to experience history firsthand, even role-playing historical figures, making choices based on their own ideas, and then deducing the outcome through the level? What do you think?"

How is it?

Isabella's eyes lit up: "My God, time travel? Back to the Future?"

She couldn't help but look at Vaughn's head, really wanting to open it up and see what kind of brain it was that could come up with such an idea.

Then she noticed that Vaughn suddenly frowned and looked toward the corner of the corridor entrance, right next to the stairs.

Isabella looked in that direction as well, but there was nothing there.

"Vaughn? What are you looking at?"

"—It's nothing, I've just been a bit tired lately, and my eyes are a little blurry."

"Oh—I just thought of another one, Potions class. It's a practical class, so how are you planning to—wait, that doesn't count. Preparing herbs and brewing potions based on the environment during wilderness adventures can indeed be considered an advanced practical activity in Potions class—"

The two talked and walked away into the distance.

As the sounds faded and became indistinct, Harry and Ron's heads finally emerged from the air in the once quiet corridor.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Leaving the corridor and returning to the world within the painting, Vaughn continued to refine the space, his slightly furrowed brow remaining furrowed even after noon.

This is because he had spotted Harry and Ron in the corridor earlier.

This made him take it seriously.

Why are the two of them wearing invisibility cloaks and sneaking around here?

After all, just two days ago, those two guys were wearing invisibility cloaks and, under the manipulation of "fate," went to the potions office to "cause trouble."

Vaughn witnessed the entire process firsthand.

Some small questions inevitably arose in his mind: Was Harry and Ron's visit to him a coincidence, or were they once again driven by "fate" in their ignorance?

"—Is this the formation of a chain of suspicion?"

Vaughn realized what was truly troublesome about "fate".

Its existence is invisible, untraceable, and lacks any means of defense. Once you recognize its existence and realize that you have been manipulated and fooled by it, it will be difficult to ignore any tiny "abnormalities" around you.

Because you are unsure whether those "abnormalities," "coincidences," and "coincidences" are simply unintentional or have a purpose.

Vaughn once thought he could take his fate in stride.

But now he realizes that he thought that way back then only because he wasn't caught in the web of fate. Now it's completely different. His previous experience has made Vaughn realize that "fate" has taken notice of him.

Any normal person would resent the feeling of being unable to control their own destiny, and he was no exception.

But the tricky part is...

He wasn't sure if his suspicions were his true thoughts, or if, like the previous two nights, his perception had been distorted, leading him to follow Dumbledore without any vigilance, thus giving the diary a chance to escape his control!

"This is a terrible feeling!"

he thinks.

This is due to both the state of being "completely unaware" and the chain of suspicion that is hard to suppress in one's heart at this moment!

boom-

While he was pondering, his hands did not stop, but continued to manipulate the world in the painting. With a muffled rumble, the ground of this space undulated like waves, passing under his feet.

The mountains subtly adjusted their structure amidst the tremors of the earth.

He was able to achieve this level not only because he held the "key" to the alchemical artifact, the world within the painting, and had the authority to mobilize the magic that constituted the entire "world," but also because his own magical power and magic had reached a certain level.

In terms of pure magic power, he has already far surpassed ordinary adult wizards.

Even so, they still couldn't have "freedom"!

Vaughn was deep in thought —

Harry was also deep in thought.

By this time, he and Ron had arrived at the courtyard. After noon, many people would sit in the courtyard. The weather was perfect today; it was overcast, without the scorching sun or rain. The wind blowing from the Forbidden Forest and Black Lake was moist and cool with a hint of moisture.

Many people were playing around in the courtyard, and Hermione was there too, sitting under the grape trellis with a book in her hand, flipping through it.

Harry instinctively pulled Ron to sit next to her.

Ignoring Hermione's disapproving eye roll, Harry was still recalling what he had overheard from Vaughn and Professor Rozier not long ago.

He was certainly not thinking about the discussion between the two about education and curriculum plans; at his age, he had no interest in those things.

What he cared about were the other messages conveyed in Vaughn's words.

Ambition —

All courses are included in the planning and control —

Muggle, disguise —

Harry himself couldn't explain why, but these words seemed to come alive, popping out of his memory and jumping around in his mind.

It made him unable to control his thoughts:

What is Vaughn trying to do?

He had previously assumed that the so-called reform of practical courses was the work of Professor Isabella Rozier, which was a reasonable possibility.

But through his conversation with Professor Rozier and Vaughn, he was surprised to discover that Vaughn was actually the one who advocated for the entire practical course.

Professor Rozier, on the contrary, was the one who assisted him.

Yes, that makes sense.

As they mentioned in their conversation, Professor Rosier's position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was cursed by a mysterious figure, meaning he could only stay at Hogwarts for one year.

She has neither the motivation nor the necessity to lead curriculum reform.

Because once this semester is over, all her efforts may be overturned by the new professor who arrives next year.

Conversely, it would be more reasonable for Vaughn, who already enjoys considerable prestige in the wizarding world but is still a second-year student and will continue to stay at Hogwarts for several more years, to lead the reforms.

The question is, what exactly is Vaughn going to do?

This question wasn't difficult for Harry to answer. In fact, the moment the question arose, he subconsciously thought of a rumor.

Rumors about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class being cursed.

Back then, the mysterious man sought this position in order to influence the young wizards at Hogwarts.

Could it be that Vaughn also—

Terrifying thoughts flooded Harry's mind in an instant. Even though he kept denying them, those absurd and frightening speculations, just like when he got the diary and subconsciously resisted contact with Vaughn, involuntarily took over his consciousness.

I'm completely hooked!

Then suddenly Ron called out in his ear: "—Hey, Harry? Harry!"

"What?" Harry barely managed to control his expression; Occlumency was working effectively.

Ron looked at him suspiciously: "What's wrong with you? You look terrible, as pale as a vampire."

"—It's nothing, I probably just didn't get enough rest."

Ron didn't think much of it. He was completely unaware of Harry's inner turmoil and shadows. In his view, he and Harry had just sneaked off to scout out the "enemy's situation." But Vaughn's gaze swept towards their hiding place as he left.

The two chickened out and stopped following them.

Other than that, there's nothing special about it.

More than the news of Vaughn leading curriculum reforms, he was concerned about another matter: would Vaughn, busy with curriculum reforms, give up this year's Quidditch competition?

In Ron's opinion, this was extremely important. As long as Vaughn didn't participate, those freaks from Slytherin would definitely be no match for Harry!

This means Gryffindor has a good chance of winning the Academy Cup!