Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 255 Vaughn and Dumbledore's Mutual Deception

"Everyone at the meeting was laughing at him. Two magic schools publicly responded that they accepted Hogwarts' invitation, and as the Minister for Magic, he was the last to know, and only in a French newspaper—I dare say, The Quibbler will ridicule him mercilessly tomorrow!"

"I think Connelly hastily ended the interpellation session because he was trying to figure out—what's the word for Muggle again?"

"Crisis management?"

"Yes, crisis management!" Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Connelly is having a tough time right now. His poll numbers have plummeted due to your setbacks, and now every little mistake he makes is scrutinized by the public. His opponents are also pressing him hard."

"Today, Connelly took the initiative to back down, postponing the inquiry about the practical course by a month. This will allow us—"

No, it's to let me catch my breath.

Dumbledore's tone was sarcastic and mocking.

But Vaughn ignored him and analyzed, "Fudge isn't so easy to compromise with. He's a complete political animal. We can't let our guard down during the extension period."

"Of course, Amelia will be keeping an eye on him."

"We can't just keep an eye on him," Vaughn disagreed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually—we could involve him in the international magic school potion exchange program."

"Oh?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes narrowing. "You want to exploit Cornelius's greed for political achievements to undermine his relationship with your opponents?"

Asking a question you already know the answer to.

Vaughn rolled his eyes.

He didn't believe Dumbledore hadn't considered using Fudge. After all, Fudge was someone Dumbledore had personally promoted, and he knew Fudge's personality better than anyone else.

For someone like Fudge, his power and status are more important than anything else.

In the first two years after he took office, when his position was unstable, he would diligently report everything, big or small, to Dumbledore, just so that the "White Lord" would continue to support him.

When Vaughn first emerged at the beginning of the year, Fudge also rushed over to win him over. The man in his fifties took a special train ride to Hogwarts and was arrogant to an 11-year-old.

Their shamelessness is astonishing.

It was also because of his extreme lust for power that Fudge, after realizing he had been tricked and that C could not be controlled by him, reacted by making things difficult for Vaughn at every turn.

Looking at his actions, everything stemmed from the pursuit of power!

Therefore, Vaughn never regarded Fudge as a rival, and his limited perspective destined him to achieve little.

However, such people are actually quite simple-minded; when you threaten their power, they will bite you like a mad dog.

But if you can help him consolidate his power, he can also swallow his pride and greet you with a smile!

"The potion exchange event is yours. Since you're willing to let him participate and share some political capital with him, I have no objection."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, he changed the subject: "My dear, everything I promised you before the start of the semester is progressing. I helped you withstand the pressure of the practical course reform, and we had a month-long buffer period beforehand. The potions exchange program is also showing initial results, with Busbarton and Castor Busher already responding to the invitation—what about what you promised me?"

Vaughn remained unmoved: "Our original deal involved the werewolf squad."

"I'm also doing my best to facilitate the Werewolf Class —"

"Not enough, Albus!" Vaughn slowly shook his head. "Your progress is too slow, and your methods are also problematic. You revealed the idea of ​​creating a werewolf class at the board meeting without proper preparation, which has made those purebloods very hostile towards me now—sometimes I even wonder if you did it on purpose?"

He looked at Dumbledore, a standard smile playing on his lips, but his eyes remained calm.

Dumbledore was also looking at Vaughn, his deep blue eyes as unfathomable as the ocean. He laughed too: "You too, child. You keep urging me to push forward with the werewolf class, seemingly unconcerned about the wizards' objections. I'm also curious about your intentions."

"Is it wrong to be impatient?"

"That makes perfect sense, so revealing the werewolf class information at the board meeting was just me being senile, do you believe me?"

"Oh!"

The brief exchange ended with Vaughn chuckling. He didn't press the matter further and said, "I can fulfill our original agreement first. You wanted to know where the secret room was, didn't you? Its entrance isn't hidden at all; it's right in the women's alliance's bathroom on the second floor!"

Dumbledore looked surprised to receive the answer, but his attention quickly returned to Vaughn's reply.

"The women's restroom on the second floor? The abandoned one? The one Myrtle used to frequent?"

"Yes."

Old Deng's expression was strange, a mixture of realization and regret. He realized that he had recalled the death of Peach Blossom Girl, the poor child who died tragically in the women's restroom. Now that he thought about it, he realized that when they were investigating, they hadn't even considered why Peach Blossom Girl died in the women's restroom and not somewhere else.

As for his frustration, he suddenly remembered that last year, he often saw Vaughn strolling around the castle at night, and there were a few places that Vaughn visited most frequently.

One is the "Every Request is Required" room, and the other is the abandoned women's restroom on the second floor.

He couldn't help but ask, "You've been inside the secret room?"

"Of course not."

"Why?" Dumbledore asked doubtfully, not quite believing it.

"The Chamber of Secrets was cursed by Salazar Slytherin. Only Parseltongue can open the entrance, and I don't know how," Vaughn said calmly.

"Snake-like voice—"

Dumbledore was taken aback, then became indignant: "You broke your promise!"

"Where did they break their promise?"

"We agreed on information about the secret room, but now you've only told me the entrance, and it turns out the entrance requires a Parsleyan to open it. Where am I supposed to find a Parsleyan? This isn't fair!"

Vaughn watched his performance quietly: "How do you intend to be fair?"

"You need to tell me at least two more Horcruxes!"

'

""

"Uh, one piece will do too—"

"Don't dream about it," Vaughn scoffed. "Besides, who told you I can't find a Parsleyan? We have one right here!"

"You mean—Harry?"

Late at night, Vaughn walked out of the principal's office.

Dumbledore's return this time brought some good news.

First and foremost, the potion exchange activities are showing initial promise.

This relates to the tasks issued by the system and his subsequent publicity campaign. Although he had made advance plans, using the theory of medicinal properties and the method of magic extraction to develop a spell to attract Castorbusher.

But that's all the effort he can put in.

Dumbledore's persuasion of Flamel and his getting Beauxbatons to express their support greatly increased the likelihood of the exchange taking place, even though Flamel seemed to have other conditions.

In addition, the practical course inquiry was postponed.

Fudge's concession means that for at least a month, he will no longer have to worry about interference from the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors.

At the same time, it also means that the obstacles to establishing the werewolf class are likely to disintegrate, and the situation will become more chaotic.

Vaughn likes order, but the order he likes is one that benefits him. Rules made by others are ultimately not meant to serve him. If he wants to establish his own rules, he must first smash the rules of others.

The werewolves cannot be a monolithic group, otherwise they will want to break free from his control, or he himself will be held hostage by the werewolves' interests.

At the same time, the forces opposing the werewolves cannot unite, otherwise he is likely to stand on the opposite side of the majority, which does not conform to his expectations for the future.

If we can "turn" Fudge to the enemy, then the chaos will be just right!

"You must take good care of yourself, Albus. You'll have to work hard from now on!"

As he left the corridor, Vaughn glanced back at the direction of the principal's office, lost in thought.

Mr. Savior is exhausted these days.

Ever since the first practical class on Monday, he and Ron had fallen from heaven to hell, surrounded by parchment, textbooks, spellbooks, and old notes.

Many times, when Harry saw the stacks of books around him, he had the illusion that they turned into a sea, slammed him into the seabed, and drowned him.

For the first time, he regretted why he had been so foolish as to befriend Hermione Granger on the train last year.

She's a devil!

And that's not even the worst part.

With the first week of school over, the Gryffindor Quidditch team's training has begun.

Perhaps due to a summer of rest and recuperation, Oliver Wood was incredibly energetic after the start of the school year, especially after he learned some news—

Rumors are circulating at school that Vaughn Weasley is so busy this year that he might quit the Slytherin team!

"This year is the most likely year!"

Harry knew he'd never forget that Friday night, the windswept Quidditch pitch, Wood, fist pumping, face flushed, his expression contorted with rage: "Last term we lost, but not to Slytherin, we lost to Vaughn Weasley! And now, that bastard has wronged Fred George—I didn't mean it—and now our dear, respectable Mr. Vaughn Weasley, busy with teaching, probably won't be playing again—hahahahaha!"

Wood burst into laughter as he spoke, appearing almost manic, which was worrying about his mental state.

In short, the news that Vaughn might leave Quidditch greatly excited Wood. As he himself said, he always thought that Gryffindor was better than any other team last semester, except that Slytherin had an even stronger Vaughn.

Now that the great enemy is about to leave, Wood believes that Merlin has finally seen the light, and the opportunity has finally arrived.

He began to train the team intensely, creating rigorous training plans for everyone, especially Harry, who was the Seeker and could single-handedly decide the outcome of a game.

That day, Harry was trained until late at night before returning to his dormitory. His limbs ached, and he shakily climbed into bed. Ron, who was woken up by him, thought he had seen an Infernal!

Time slipped away amidst Harry's anguish.

For other students, the new semester is actually much more interesting than before.

The term "practical course" remained the hottest topic in the entire school for some time afterward. In the second week of school, grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 all went through a trial run of the practical course.

In the third week, the rules for practical classes were drastically changed.

This time, the course is no longer a simple challenge, but is more diversified, with many other contents added. The teaching scale has also changed. Instead of teaching only two colleges in one class as before, all four colleges in one grade participate together.

Therefore, the duration of each practical lesson was also adjusted to 3 hours.

Second graders were still among the first batch of "guinea pigs".

The new practical course no longer started with giant wolves chasing everyone away. Instead, a large sign was erected on the grass at the entrance, listing a series of tasks.

Each team must accept a mission and complete it according to the requirements to earn points, which can be exchanged for blind box treasure chests.

These are fairly straightforward and simple rules, but the list of prizes that can be obtained from the blind box treasure chests, posted next to the sign, makes every little wizard incredibly motivated—

The number one item is a set of love potions personally brewed by Vaughn Weasley!

"Shameless! Vulgar!"

This was Ron's righteous roar when he saw the list of prizes, but Harry noticed that he accepted a task faster than anyone else.

Facing Harry's questioning gaze, Ron remained unfazed: "I despise him for brewing a love potion. Such a potion, if possessed by an evil person, would have extremely dire consequences. However, the potion itself is innocent; only an upright person like myself can wield it and prevent it from causing evil!"

After a barrage of sophistry, Harry couldn't find a single point to refute it.

Bizarre!

The forest was dark, with the vast canopy of trees spreading out overhead like a lid, preventing any light from penetrating the indigo sky.

Moreover, the sky in the small world is always dark; the young wizards have never seen daytime here since the practical classes began.

Many people find this very strange and are not used to it.

Only Ron wasn't surprised.

"This was definitely Vaughn's idea." Walking through the woods, Ron said confidently, "He's the most wicked of all the Weasleys, and the most mischievous. He loves to amplify people's inner fears. Without the night, how can the terror of those shapeshifting, hidden monsters be highlighted? How can the devil's web be hidden? How can Nellie and the Evil Spirits lurk in the darkness to ambush people?"

Evil spirits are a type of spirit that lives in Central Europe (Germany and surrounding areas). They make a piercing but magical gurgling sound that can bewitch children, causing them to leave the protection of adults without realizing it, and then be eaten because they are alone.

Nari is a similar sinister monster, a type of fairy, but mainly lives in Eastern Europe.

In European folklore, elves are considered embodiments of nature, and can be regarded as spirits. Just like nature in reality, which is both beautiful and cruel, elves, according to human morality, are also divided into good and evil. At the same time, fairies are also considered elves.

Listing numerous examples to support his point, Ron snorted, "I know him too well. He's been using the same methods for so many years, without improving at all. Humph, I wasn't afraid of these things when I was five!"

Harry was speechless: "If you're really not afraid, can you please stop hiding behind me? You keep tugging at my robes, it's making it hard for me to walk!"

Ron chuckled and quickly let go of her hand. Just as he was about to say something, a few bushes in the distance suddenly rustled and swayed a few times.

Ron quickly shrank back behind Harry, screaming, "What the hell is that?!"

Harry and Hermione, who were holding their wands and using the glow charm to illuminate the area, were not startled by the commotion from the bushes, but were instead terrified by Ron.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "If you're too scared to stand it, then please go back now and don't hold Harry and me up, okay?"

"That, that might be a spider!"

"There was no spider, just a small animal, and it's already far away!"

"How could there be small animals here? Maybe it's a shapeshifting stealth monster?"

"No hidden monsters————"

Ah, that familiar argument!

Harry was speechless. This wasn't the first time. Last time she came, Hermione had been looking down on Ron at every turn.

They might still be holding a grudge.

Or, Harry looked up at the gloomy forest.

It's also possible that there's something wrong with the forest.

Before class today, Harry had heard that some upperclassmen had encountered a strange incident in the Small World: two teams had encountered a giant snake with three heads in the forest during a practical lesson.

Then, the memories of the two groups of senior students suddenly went blank, and when they regained consciousness, they had been teleported back to the lawn at the entrance.

It is said that all members of both teams were trapped in an illusion and were judged to be about to be fatally attacked, thus their adventure failed.

The numerous strange creatures that have appeared in the small world over this period of time have raised everyone's threshold, but the giant snake with three heads still arouses everyone's great interest.

Finally, Professor Kettleburn, from the Magical Creatures class, excitedly answered everyone's questions, revealing that it was a Neanderthal snake.

As its name suggests, the Rune snake is famous for the rune-like patterns on its body (hence the rune number 3 is a three-headed snake), but the runes themselves are not particularly special; what is amazing is the snake itself.

The three heads of the Neanderthal snake are not deformed; each head is an independent individual with its own thoughts.

Furthermore, in mysticism, the three heads of the Neferpitou snake represent different abilities.

The snake head on the left is the decision-maker, responsible for deciding the behavior of snakes like the Neanderthal. The snake head on the right is the critic, mainly opposing the behavior of the other two heads, and also providing protection for all three. This snake head has highly venomous fangs.

As for the snake head in the middle, it represents a dreamer.

The main reason why the snake's head is associated with the serpent is that it constantly generates fantasies, filled with brilliant and splendid aspirations or bizarre speculations. Then, any sentient being that sees the serpent will be drawn into these fantasies.

"Have we already entered a fantasy world?"

Harry's imagination ran wild.

It's no wonder he was having wild thoughts; it's because Ron's previous mission on the lawn was to find a snake egg, like a Neanderthal.

The quest description states that it is a potion ingredient with the effect of stimulating the brain, and is the main ingredient of some precious potions with effects related to thinking, spirit, and mind.

However, since rune serpents are only found in Burkina Faso, Africa, and the Burkina Faso Ministry of Magic has already included rune serpent eggs on its embargo list.

Therefore, it is now very scarce.

Thinking about it, Harry unfolded the parchment in his hand—no, it could no longer be called parchment; to Harry, it looked a bit like science fiction.

This rather wide, thick parchment was made into a scroll shape, and its surface wasn't the dull yellow of ordinary parchment.

Instead of having a finely textured appearance (residue of hair follicles and hair), it has been carefully processed to become white and delicate, close to Vellum (parchment made of cowhide).

The edges of the paper were also outlined with neat, inscription-like patterns by a medicine or some kind of paint.

At this moment, the blank spaces on the paper, surrounded by patterns, shimmer with graphics and text, much like a photograph soaked in developing agents.

[Task: Obtain Runewe Snake Eggs]

Current progress: 0/*

[Mission Map: Map]

To be honest, the moment Harry saw this thing, he thought he saw Dudley's computer—the latest high-tech learning device that Uncle Vernon bought for his cousin. Harry had never used it before, and although his cousin used it often, he only played some strange so-called "computer games."

Of course, the moving images on this parchment are much clearer than those on a computer, where everything, including text, is composed of color blocks.

The text and map on this parchment are very clear.

Especially the map, which is even displayed in real time. Most of the map is covered by black areas, with only a crooked, winding white line running through the central axis of the map. The end of the white line is in the central area surrounded by black.

There, three white dots of light flickered slightly, with several small arrows beside them.

After receiving the so-called "mission scroll" on the lawn, Harry and his two companions spent quite a while figuring out its function.

Without a doubt, this is for tracking missions.

The text indicates the mission details, but there's not much to see there; the important part is the map.

If Harry were a time traveler, he would understand the map's purpose the moment he saw it, but unfortunately, Harry isn't.

He discussed it with Ron and Hermione for a while, and then experimented for some time before confirming that the black areas on the map were unexplored places.

The white lines represent the areas the three have traversed and explored.

The three white dots represent the three of them.

Only the meaning of those few small arrows is unclear.

Based on the shape of the small arrow, Hermione thought it might be something like a compass pointer, perhaps used to indicate direction, such as their mission objective!

But Ron disagreed.

He felt that Vaughn couldn't possibly be that kind-hearted, throwing them into a giant "colosseum" and then thoughtfully telling them where the mission objective was.

"That guy's hoping for chaos. The more we're tortured, the happier he is. Giving directions? Unless these arrows point to hell!"

These are Ron's exact words.

Harry guessed that this was one of the reasons why Hermione was in a bad mood and treated Ron badly.

He also felt that Ron's guess was too extreme.

Yes, Vaughn can be quite... morbidly humorous at times, but the practical course is still in the trial phase and is a new model.

Harry thought, even if Vaughn was ruthless, he wouldn't start causing trouble now, would he?

As Harry trudged through the jungle, he looked at the map while Hermione and Ron continued arguing behind him.

As Harry watched, he suddenly stopped: "Quiet!"

He spoke with a serious expression and in a low voice.