Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 258 The Wounded Vaughn

The utterly despicable Vaughn Weasley, who commands respect through gritted teeth, and the seemingly respectable Professor Rozier, who inspires forced smiles and admiration—despicable, no. The game innovatively incorporates a "two-way journey" setting into its missions.

In other words, the moment they received their mission, the Neferpitou already knew that someone was going to steal their eggs.

??????????.??????

Most importantly—and innovatively, they can accept quests to steal Neven snake eggs, just as Neven snakes can issue quests to recruit helpers to stop them.

As the geniuses know, when Harry learned of this setting, he nearly broke his clenched teeth.

When the practical class ended, he "tactfully" told Professor Rozier that the task was unreasonable. The professor argued, "This is a compromise made due to insufficient time in the practical class. My dear Mr. Harry Potter, first of all, I must emphasize again that this is a practical exercise, not real wilderness. Otherwise, I bet you little wizards would never have been able to find the Runeboding Serpent in three hours. Therefore, we must mark the location of your task items on the task scrolls you received."

"But this is obviously unfair to Rune Serpent. In order for the practical course to exist for a long time, I have to make corresponding adjustments. The two-way transparency between the task executor and the task target is the result of my careful consideration."

How can this be considered well thought out?

Harry couldn't understand Professor Rozier's thought process, but there was some good news: at least, this strange setup wasn't Vaughn's doing.

However, according to Ron, "Thank goodness it wasn't Vaughn, or he would have definitely screwed you over!"

As for the second problem, it also involves Vaughn—yes, it's still Ron and Hermione. Because Ron "slandered" Vaughn after the practical class, Hermione broke up with him again.

"I'm fed up with you always slandering your brother, talking like a child about how he'll torment and harm others. Ronald, have you considered the impact your words will have on Vaughn? People might take it as a joke once, but twice? Three times? One day they'll believe it. Do you want to tell everyone that Vaughn is a villain, a scoundrel, a devil?"

After saying this, Hermione stormed off in a huff.

Of course, this distress wasn't all bad news. This time, Hermione didn't take her anger out on Harry. Before leaving, she even made a promise with Harry to go to the library to look up information that evening.

The awkward thing was, she didn't want Ron to go with her—

And the last problem is Colin Crevey!

No one knows how this first-year student managed to get into the small world where the practical classes were held. As far as Harry knows, entering the small world requires guidance from either Vaughn or Professor Rozier.

They possess the "key," which is that strange teleportation magic.

But Crevy, who shouldn't have been involved in the practical class, showed up while their team was on a mission. He was like—forgive Harry for saying that, but Crevy really was like a pervert, frantically taking pictures of Harry after he appeared.

Harry checked the scroll and was photographed.

The observation route was photographed.

Even if Harry just sits down to rest and have a drink of water, he has to be wary of a camera suddenly appearing next to him.

Harry had never had such a difficult two hours as he had today.

"—What I mean is, of course I understand his enthusiasm; he wants to record my every word and action. Although I don't think I'm anything special, I shouldn't interfere with his ideas. But shouldn't he at least consider my feelings?"

"I've cooperated with everything I could. I can tell that his living environment is like mine in the past. I don't want to say anything hurtful to him, but he's getting more and more out of line. He doesn't realize at all that his behavior is seriously interfering with me."

As Harry left the floor where the practical classes were held, he grumbled to Ron.

Ron was absent-minded, babbling on and on. Ever since Hermione scolded him, he'd been acting like this, lost in thought, and it was unclear what he was thinking about.

Harry had tried to comfort him a couple of times, but it didn't seem to have any effect, so he gave up—he already had enough on his mind.

There was something else Harry didn't mention: what troubled him about Crevy wasn't just the man's untimely enthusiasm, but also—the Crevy he'd encountered today gave him a strange sense of familiarity—

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what felt familiar.

Thinking about it, Harry subconsciously touched the scar on his forehead.

Then he heard an annoying voice: "Hey, Scarface, is your scar starting to hurt again? Or are you thinking about your mom and about to cry while touching it? Oh, Mom, practical class was awful, I got hit so hard, I want to go home~"

Harry swore there was only one guy in all of Hogwarts who could say such rubbish!

He turned around, and sure enough, Malfoy, with his two burly henchmen, caught up from behind, a wicked smile on his pale face.

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

Harry cried out in disgust.

Well, here comes another new problem—the familiar Malfoy from last semester is back!

Back when school started, he thought Malfoy had become taciturn and unpleasant to be around, and even started to worry that Malfoy might have some kind of illness, like depression.

If that's an illness, I really hope this guy stays sick forever!

Draco Malfoy sensed the malice in Harry's disgusted tone, but he didn't care at all. He continued to squeal and feign a sobbing voice, touching his forehead and calling for his mother.

Ron, who had been in a daze, finally snapped out of it and taunted him, "So lively, Malfoy. Is it because Vaughn's been too busy to discipline you lately?"

Upon hearing this, Draco Malfoy's already pale face turned even paler.

But he quickly recovered and glared fiercely at Ron: "I don't want to talk to an incompetent idiot like you. Dad said that spending too much time with people like you will make you brainless too!"

"you-

'

"What, are you getting angry because I'm telling the truth? Some people have the best older brother, but they don't know how to cultivate a good relationship. All they know is jealousy. Then they use him as a shield when they need him. What are these people if not fools, not incompetent?"

Now it was Ron's turn to turn pale—

"Only incompetent fools would be jealous of those who are better than themselves. That kind of jealousy can even overshadow family affection. It's really unfair to Vaughn. He was born into an incompetent family and has an incompetent brother. They can't see the difficulties he faces. His stupid brother even spoke ill of him behind his back during his most difficult time."

Seeing the change in Ron's expression, Malfoy mocked him even more smugly.

Ron's freckles have faded.

Harry, however, astutely picked up on another detail in Malfoy's words: "Difficulty? What difficulty?"

"Huh? You didn't know?"

Draco Malfoy looked at Harry in surprise, and then, a complex expression suddenly appeared on his clean-cut face, which always wore that annoying, provocative smile whenever Harry saw him: "He's being questioned by the Board of Governors—that's what my dad told me. I think I told you, Potter, my dad's on the Board of Governors."

Harry's ears and brain automatically ignored Malfoy's almost explicit boasting, accurately grasped the key point, and eagerly asked, "What kind of questioning?"

"Of course, it's practical lessons—"

As Harry spoke, he noticed that Malfoy's expression became increasingly complicated, as if he was also troubled by something: "Some board members think the Practical Course is dangerous. My dad said they're prepared to use the giant wolf that appears in the Practical Course as an excuse to force Vaughn to make concessions—don't ask me what concessions, my dad didn't say, but I guess it's other plans Vaughn has put forward regarding the Practical Course."

Upon hearing this, Harry immediately realized that Draco Malfoy's distress stemmed from his desire to prevent any unexpected incidents from occurring during the practical lessons.

Could it be that this bastard actually likes practical classes?

Harry thought back carefully and suddenly realized that since the first practical lesson, Malfoy had never seemed to show any resistance.

Even though he was utterly defeated by the Giant Wolf Squad during that class.

However, now was not the time for gossip. Compared to Malfoy's changing emotions, Harry was more concerned about Vaughn's fate: "Using a giant wolf as an excuse? What will they do?"

"What else can we do?" Draco Malfoy asked helplessly. "Unless Vaughn can prove in person that the giant wolves, descendants of werewolves, are incapable of transmitting werewolf disease—"

Having said that, Malfoy's spirits waned further. He waved his hand dismissively, no longer in the mood to mock Harry or berate Ron, and hurriedly left with his two henchmen.

Harry and Ron were left standing there.

The two stood there for a while, deep in thought, before returning to the Gryffindor Tower.

When I got back to the dorm, my other roommates hadn't returned yet; they were probably all in the courtyard bragging about their experiences in the practical class.

The huge dormitory room was empty except for the two of them. They looked at each other, listening to the rustling sounds coming from the cage.

"Uh, Ron————"

"Harry————"

The two spoke at the same time, then paused simultaneously. Ron then gestured, "You go first."

Harry nodded, glancing at Ron's still pale face, and said carefully, "You don't need to pay attention to Malfoy's taunts. That guy loves to exaggerate, I know that. You didn't—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ron shook his head: "No, he's right, I am indeed jealous of Vaughn!"

"Well----"

Harry didn't know what to say.

His reaction made Ron laugh self-deprecatingly: "So, you thought so too, only I was unaware of it."

Harry quickly reassured him, "That's not your fault. I understand how you feel. Vaughn is just too outstanding, and it's easy for him to put pressure on others, especially since you're twins—"

Harry didn't actually feel any empathy at all.

Given his cousin Dudley's character, Dudley's understanding of brotherhood and the concept of "brother" had been at a basement level since childhood. He felt that anyone who replaced Dudley could not be lower than the basement level and would definitely be more reliable than Dudley.

Ron often complains about Vaughn playing pranks on him—is that considered bullying?

But since the two were good friends, Harry had to consider Ron's feelings.

Of course, Harry couldn't bring himself to slander Vaughn against his conscience.

Fortunately, Ron was calmer than Harry had anticipated. He didn't dwell on the issue between himself and Vaughn, but instead interrupted Harry again, unusually serious in his analysis: "How credible do you think Malfoy's words are?"

"Warne was questioned by the school board?"

"Hmm—although I don't like Malfoy, I have to say, that guy is really well-informed, and you've noticed, haven't you? He actually really enjoys practical classes, so what he told us about Vaughn being questioned is probably true."

"—

Harry also thought it was true, especially since Vaughn hadn't shown up in the small world to conduct the lessons today, which made him a little worried.

However, Harry didn't easily trust Malfoy, and after discussing it for a while, the two decided to go to other houses to inquire.

They hoped Vaughn's absence today was just a routine "slacking off," like last semester, a visit to his loyal Ravenclaw.

Hufflepuff, to the point of "losing his way".

Unfortunately, after asking around Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and even Gryffindor, none of the young and beautiful female students there said they had seen Vaughn.

Back in his dormitory, Harry paced anxiously back and forth: "Those giant wolves—the reports in Extraordinary Potions and the Daily Prophet have been circulating since last week. Giant wolves don't transmit feral disease, so why is the Board of Governors questioning Vaughn?"

During the first practical lesson, many young wizards were injured by the giant wolves. It was around that time that Vaughn's paper about the giant wolves began to circulate in the school. Normally, young wizards didn't care about such academic papers.

Listening to Harry's words, Ron shook his head, unusually clear-headed: "The giant wolves are just an excuse; they're probably after something else."

,

"What?"

"—Before the start of the school year, I overheard Vaughn talking to my father about how he wanted to start a werewolf class at Hogwarts."

"Werewolf Class?"

"Well, it means that the werewolf children who have awakened magical talents are sent to Hogwarts for education—I didn't pay attention at the time, but I overheard them talking because my father praised Vaughn, saying that he did the right thing and prevented the Obscurials from being born among the werewolf children."

The Silent Ones?

Another unfamiliar word —

Harry scratched his head, forcibly suppressing his curiosity and focusing on what needed to be focused: "So, the Board of Governors doesn't want werewolves to enroll at Hogwarts?"

Ron shrugged. "Of course they don't want to—I dare say, apart from my family, no family would dare let a werewolf near their child. Even my family only changed their opinion of werewolves because of Vaughn."

As he spoke, Ron scratched his head, his voice muffled: "I thought he was just saying it, but I didn't expect—"

Harry stood there speechless, seemingly having much to say but unsure what to say.

At dinner, Harry and Ron finally saw Vaughn in the Great Hall.

At that time, they were with many lion cubs, gathered around the middle of the Gryffindor table, and the person surrounded was Neville!

In fact, because they were distracted when they left, Harry and Ron didn't know until they entered the Great Hall that Neville had gotten a good grade in today's practical class—he had unfortunately encountered the Moonfoxes who were holding a moon worship ceremony.

Then, Neville solved the problem of the Moon-obsessed Beasts that had been bothering the older students, including sixth graders!

He drove them away!

This was something that no one who had encountered the Moon-obsessed Beast before had ever accomplished; without exception, they had all been bewitched by the Moon-obsessed Beast's moon-worshiping ritual.

"How did you do that? Did you break the moon-worshiping ritual?"

This was the question Ron asked incredulously as he led Harry through the crowd.

Surrounded by the crowd, Neville wore an awkward, shy, yet excited smile. "I... I didn't break the Moon Worship Ritual."

Neville stammered that he had nothing to hide, and pulled out a doll less than a foot long from his pocket.

The doll had a strange design; its head was shaped like a frog, with horns, bright red eyes, and long fangs, while its body resembled that of a canine.

"I just... I just chose a different approach—everyone was only focused on the moon worship ritual and always tried to break it. I... I'm not very smart. The moon worship ritual was developed by Professor Vaughn and Professor Rozier. I didn't think I could break their ritual, so I took a shortcut."

"I think that no matter how magical the moon-worshiping ceremony is, it needs a Moon-obsessed Beast to be effective. What if... what if I could dispel the Moon-obsessed Beast?"

Neville fiddled with the doll, his speech gradually becoming more fluent: "This is a Divine Horned Beast, a magical creature that lives in Wisconsin, USA. It feeds on Moonfools and is their natural enemy. Moonfools are all terrified and run away as soon as they see it—"

"A genius idea!"

The twins, who had somehow squeezed into the crowd, wiggled their hips and pushed aside the others, sitting down on either side of Neville and putting their arms around his shoulders: "Hey buddy, where did you find information about the Horned Beast? A magical creature living in America, so obscure—no, hold on, we can talk about this privately, I've sniffed out a business opportunity!"

"That's right, Neville, and your sculpture, Merlin, is absolutely lifelike. It can even scare away Moonfoxes, which shows that your doll-sculpting skills are incredibly expressive. This could perhaps be a good business opportunity—anyone who doesn't want to be seduced by the Moon Worship Ritual should think carefully!"

Upon hearing the twins' words, the crowd erupted in commotion.

"Hey Fred, George, what tricks are you up to now?"

"What other trick could it be? These two guys are trying to market Neville's method for dealing with Moonfoxes, turning it into a monopolistic business. You two bastards!"

Fred and George scoffed, "What monopoly? The solution was Neville's idea; it's his intellectual property. We were just worried he was too naive and would be fooled and suffer losses by you bunch of scoundrels, so we helped him with business planning. Everything was well-intentioned!"

The people around him were so angry their mouths were crooked.

It's so frustrating that something that could have been obtained for free is now being sold for a fee by these two guys!

Fortunately, Neville was still kind-hearted and quickly stammered to clarify, "Everyone, everyone, don't worry. The fact that the Moonfox was scared away has nothing to do with the carving. It's mainly the smell. The material I used to carve the Divine Horned Beast was its horn—Divine Horned Beast horns are easy to buy. They're used to make hangover remedies and can be found in any apothecary in Diagon Alley—"

The twins covered their mouths too late, missing another chance to make a fortune.

The crowd was noisy and shoving, pulling and tugging, pushing away the twins who were still trying to struggle, and continuing to press Neville for details.

Ron and Harry also left.

Ron didn't seem too happy about Neville's triumph, muttering to himself, "Why didn't I think of his method?"

Harry, on the other hand, was quite open-minded. Ever since Neville showed his talent in Herbology class, he quickly accepted the fact that his roommate was a Herbology genius.

Anyway, he has never lacked geniuses around him, whether it's Hermione or Vaughn, he's long been used to being crushed.

It was at this moment that Harry saw Vaughn—he was too conspicuous!

The man wore a robe of glossy black velvet, and his shoulder-length red hair was neatly styled, radiating light like the flames in the surrounding braziers.

He didn't linger at any of the college's long tables, but instead sat on the professors' table, talking to Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.

Harry quickly nudged Ron, signaling him to pay attention to the professors' table.

The two looked him over carefully for a few moments, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief: "He seems to be in good spirits, he should be fine."

But Ron's expression wasn't good: "No, he must be injured."

"Hmm? Where?" Harry looked closely but couldn't see anything unusual.

“His left arm!” Ron said. “Vaughn isn’t left-handed, but he’s always eaten with his left hand, the opposite of us. He’s been like that as long as I can remember, and it’s never changed.”

Upon hearing this, Harry noticed that Vaughn, sitting on the professor's table, used his right hand to hold the fork and spoon, while his left arm hung down under the table.

I hadn't noticed it before, but now it seems that something is definitely not normal.

Harry felt a little worried.

But Vaughn, sitting on the professor's bench, didn't actually have the troubles that Harry and Ron had imagined; on the contrary, he was in a good mood.

Even the "British food" that he usually disliked seemed to have lost its appeal to him. While eating fries with a fork, he talked to Professor McGonagall: "—Although the board of directors did not reach a conclusion today, it seems that the representatives of the three wizarding families have dispelled their doubts. As long as they see the results at the next meeting, they should no longer object."

Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall glanced at Vaughn's left hand, which was hanging down.

Noticing her gaze, Vaughn smiled and said, "She's already taken the potion and is almost fully recovered. It's just that her wounds have only just healed, so she can't exert herself yet. Don't worry, Professor."

"Are you sure there are no problems?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Vaughn knew she wasn't asking about the wound, so he smiled and said, "No problem—anyway, it's the full moon in two days, and the board of directors specifically chose that night to hold their meeting. Then you'll see that my research is correct."

Professor McGonagall nodded, looking somewhat tired.

Throughout her life, she attended Hogwarts in her youth. Although she worked at the Ministry of Magic after graduation, it was for a short time before she returned to Hogwarts to become Dumbledore's teaching assistant. After that, she almost never left the castle, let alone experienced the complexities of society.