Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 340 Nine Magic Universities

After watching carefully for a while, the group finally understood why Lee Jordan had been cursing so vehemently earlier.

Hogwarts students all know that the Potions Exchange Program is a project strongly promoted by Vaughn, while Dumbledore has been working tirelessly on it since the start of the school year, and he hasn't been seen for a long time because of this.

"How shameless!"

"When that fat bastard came to visit the school last year, I knew he wasn't a good person."

"Despicable—despicable—"

Seymour, Dean, and Neville were indignant.

On the contrary, Ron, after his freckles flushed for a moment, suddenly said, "The article says that the Central Alchemy Academy of China will be sending an exchange delegation soon, which means that the potion exchange event will be held very soon?"

The group of people were taken aback.

Even Hermione glanced at Ron in surprise and nodded: "That's right. There are a total of 11 magic schools registered with the International Wizarding Federation worldwide, 9 of which are regional magic schools. Previously, Beauxbatons and Castorbushers had already indicated that they would participate. I heard from Vaughn that Fudge has secured Durmstrang. Once the negotiations with China are successful, the Potions campaign will be equivalent to gathering magic schools from half of America, most of Asia, and the whole of Europe. At this stage, the remaining Magic Institute (Japan), Cordostadt (Russian Federation), Vargado (Africa), and Iphamoni (North America) will definitely automatically request to join."

If you don't join, you'll fall behind.

In particular, China's movements are of great significance. As one of the world's largest magical civilizations, after decades of separation, every move they make in resuming international exchanges is being scrutinized and analyzed by countless people.

In a sense, the potion exchange activities limited to magic high schools are an excellent channel for the world to reconnect with and understand China without causing too much political trouble. After all, it is nominally for students to learn, so what bad intentions could the students have?

Of course, Hermione heard all of this from Vaughn, but Harry and the others didn't think much of it. They excitedly discussed China and several other universities.

"The Central Qi Refining Academy, and the Qi Refining Committee—what strange names."

"I heard that things are different over there. They don't follow the secrecy laws at all. The wizarding world and Muggle society are one entity, governed by the same system."

"Harry, how did you know?"

"Professor Binns mentioned this in his history of magic class a few days ago."

"You didn't fall asleep during Professor Binns' lecture?"

"Uh, I borrowed Hermione's class notes—"

"I've heard that Durmstrang is particularly evil; it doesn't forbid students from studying dark magic, and it doesn't even admit Muggle students—"

"Who told you that?"

"Malfoy, haven't you noticed? He's been showing off ever since he enrolled last year. His father wants to send him to Durmstrang, where only pure-bloods and children of wizarding families are accepted, which perfectly suits his 'noble' status."

"Pah, don't mention that unlucky thing. I've heard Mom mention Kodosdoriz and Iphamoni, but where are that magic place and Vagado?"

"I think the magic institute is in Japan."

"Ron, where is Dong-Ying?"

Ron Weasley, a semi-Asia expert, scratched his head: "I've only heard Vaughn mention it before, it should be somewhere in China—"

At this point, perhaps feeling that inaccurate information might damage his reputation, Ron added, "Vaughn doesn't like the Japanese, just like we don't like Slytherin."

The vivid metaphor immediately made everyone realize, "Oh!"

The young wizards had little real understanding of England or the world outside of Europe.

Hermione, who occasionally travels to European countries like France and Germany with her parents, is already quite worldly-wise. Most children from wizarding families, especially first-year students, are even surprised that there are countries outside of England.

Harry is one of them.

His knowledge of foreign countries was limited to television.

The result of this lack of knowledge is a strong sense of curiosity, especially among young wizards from countries they have never heard of, who may very well come to Hogwarts in the near future.

After lunch, the group returned to the Gryffindor common room with newspapers, discussing with great interest when the Potions exchange event would begin and what the "Strangers" would look like.

This process wasn't entirely based on guesswork. While having lunch in the auditorium, the group specifically sought out someone "in the know" to learn some information about the schools.

For example, Malfoy.

"Durmstrong is indeed full of dark wizards; they even teach dark magic in class." Neville, who was in charge of gathering information, spoke with a hint of fear in his eyes, nervously glancing back and forth between the boys. "I heard Malfoy say smugly that Durmstrong's headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was his father's former colleague and good friend—you know who Lucius Malfoy used to be with—"

When he said "who," Neville gripped his collar tightly, his face so pale he looked like he couldn't breathe.

Everyone knows what he's afraid of.

The thought of a group of dark wizards arriving at Hogwarts, led by a former Death Eater, made even the most carefree Dean feel uneasy and a sense of dread wash over him.

Seamus couldn't help but start cursing Fudge again: "That fat bastard is definitely up to no good! I bet he's hiding something bad by bringing Durmstrang in here!"

Hermione opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.

She knew that inviting Durmstrang was Vaughn's idea, but after seeing the news today and discovering that Fudge had stolen the credit from Vaughn, she was furious and naturally didn't want to speak up for the "enemy."

What worries everyone is not only Durmstrang, but also the Magic Institute.

Later, they made a special investigation, mainly into Hermione. She found Cho Chang, who was of Chinese descent, and after careful questioning, they learned that there was a decades-long feud between the Central Alchemy Institute and the Institute of Magic.

"—According to Qiu, it may have started as a competition between the two academies for Asian students, but 100 years ago, the balance of power between Muggles in the two countries reversed. As a result, the magical communities of the two countries also shifted. Wizards of Muggle origin from East Asian countries were more willing to go to the Institute of Magic, ignoring the predecessor of the Central Academy of Magic, the Luo Tian Academy—"

Hermione softly repeated Cho Chang's words, though she didn't quite understand the complex, indescribable expression on Cho Chang's face when she said them.

After all, it's hard for people to empathize with things they haven't experienced.

Harry and the others couldn't understand it either.

But that didn't stop them from realizing how terrible it would be if the junior wizards from the Central Qi Refining Academy and the Magic Institute were in the same place.

Not to mention, in addition to the animosity between the Central Qi Refining Academy and the Magic Institute, they also learned from senior students that Castorbusher and Iphamoni also had a falling out.

The South American proverb, "Too far from heaven, too close to America," is deeply imprinted in their minds.

These two pieces of information, so weighty, caused everyone to fall silent as they began to discuss them.

Silence hangs like a haze in the sky outside the window, hazy and indistinct, yet impossible to shake off.

As evening fell, the festive atmosphere suddenly intensified as the professors began decorating the auditorium, with colorful Christmas ribbons singing cheerful songs as they flew from the corridors to the courtyard.

The little angels, transformed by Professor McGonagall, danced in each tower, carrying colorful lanterns.

Professor Flitwick's fireworks magic exploded above the castle, the brilliant fireworks reflecting colorful light and shadow on the clouds.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione also set off for Hagrid's hut, having promised Hagrid they would spend Christmas Eve with him.

The three said goodbye and "escorted" them out of the castle, then the little angel returned, waving a lantern.

Treading through the thick snow, they trudged towards Hagrid's hut, which resembled a firefly in the distance. After an unknown amount of time, Harry, who had been silently hurrying along, suddenly said, "Thinking back, so many things have happened to Vaughn this year, and none of them have been easy."

The practical course reform, the school board with its own hidden agendas like playing a game of tangled yarn, the mysterious wizard's covetousness that forces Professor Snape to sign a confidentiality agreement, and the potion exchange activity that initially seemed to be going smoothly but turned out to be full of traps upon closer inspection, with Fudge even stealing the fruits of their labor.

This made Harry feel inexplicably exhausted by Vaughn.

Come to think of it, he had previously complained that Vaughn was acting like a riddle-teller in front of him, but now that he thinks about it, that resentment has suddenly disappeared.

Perhaps Vaughn kept quiet because he didn't want to bother him!

Ron and Hermione, who were standing beside Harry, didn't know what to say. All that could be heard from the three of them was the crunching sound of their ankles sinking deep into the snow.

After a long while, until Hagrid's cabin was almost in sight, Hermione said softly, "That was the path he chose. He was mentally prepared to face the challenge—"

Changing the world is no easy task.

As Vaughn's closest person, Hermione certainly knew what Vaughn was thinking. She didn't know if it was right or wrong, but she knew very well how determined Vaughn was.

Upon hearing this, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, then looked at Hermione, who was silent but whose eyes had inexplicably hardened, and remained speechless for a moment.

Ahead, the door of the hut opened, and Ya Ya burst out, its tail wagging like a propeller. Like a small boat braving the wind and waves, it cleaved through the thick snow to welcome the three.

Hagrid's towering figure then appeared, wearing an apron, waving his spatula high: "Hey, kids, come here! I just baked your favorite rock cakes!"

'

""

Well, sadness and sorrow are nothing compared to rock-skin cake!

With a forced smile, Harry glanced back at the castle amidst the colorful fireworks in the distance between the towers before entering the cabin, and couldn't help but wonder, where is Vaughn this holiday?

How was Vaughn's vacation?

Ravenclaw Tower.

The Ravenclaw's representative element is the wind, representing creativity, knowledge, and freedom. Its emblem is an eagle, symbolizing keenness and wisdom. Perhaps these elements are the reason for the first impression, or perhaps it is due to the founder's example.

Ravenclaw has always been the house with the most young witches at Hogwarts.

This also results in the Ravenclaw common room always being filled with a rich fragrance. You absolutely cannot imagine how crazy those little witches aged 14-17, whose concepts of the opposite sex are beginning to take shape, are about buying all kinds of beauty potions in order to be beautiful!

At least Vaughn could easily tell that the lingering fragrance contained a large amount of his beauty-related potions.

Warn brand freckle remover, Warn brand moisturizing lotion, Warn Masterpiece Premium Intensive Floral Dew (powerful and fundamental improvement of body odor) —

The money he earned from the witch not only supported his increasingly terrifying research expenses, but also provided him with enough to subsidize C.

It can be said that all the witches, including the young witches of the academy, bear an undeniable responsibility for his success today.

After talking with a group of "responsible" young witches from Eagle School for a while and sending them away, Vaughn sat on the sofa by the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the common room, gazing out the window in a daze.

Ravenclaw Tower, located at the highest point of the entire castle, offers a more expansive view than Hogwarts itself, encompassing the Hogwarts Valley and the distant village of Hogsmeade.

The scene unfolding before his eyes was the Forbidden Forest, blanketed in silver by heavy snow; the Black Lake, its surface frozen like a jewel, revealed by the wind whipping up the snow; and the orange glow of lights emanating from Hogsmeade amidst the swirling snowflakes.

boom!

The glass vibrated, and suddenly a dazzling array of colors exploded before my eyes—Professor Flitwick's magical fireworks.

In the flickering light, a series of footsteps approached: "Why didn't you go to the auditorium?"

The familiar voice, and the familiar scent.

It is Qiu Zhang.

Vaughn turned around and, in the glittering fireworks outside the window, looked at the gentle and beautiful Eastern girl.

"I don't want to go, I want some peace and quiet."

"Quiet here?" The girl's eyes flickered, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Those girls see you like bees see nectar. If we weren't in a castle, I suspect they would have eaten you up."

She glanced out the window; in the distance, she could see a swaying lantern walking towards Hagrid's hut in the snow. Then she looked away: "If you really want peace and quiet, shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?"

Vaughn smiled without saying a word. The dazzling light of the fireworks shone on his face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. In Qiu Zhang's eyes, he seemed to be imbued with a mysterious aura by the light and shadow, making people's hearts flutter. It was like gently scratching the tip of their hearts, making them instinctively fearful and shrink back, but emotionally they wanted to get closer.

The girl stared at Vaughn's profile, lost in thought for a moment, and then slowly said, "Today, Hermione asked me about the Eastern China and the Japanese Magic Institute."

"What was your answer to her?"

"I'm just giving a brief overview; neither she nor anyone else could possibly understand what my true thoughts are—"

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twirling the hem of her robe, and said softly in a hazy voice, "From as far back as I can remember, in all these years in England, only you can understand that kind of hatred that's ingrained in your bones. Sometimes, I even think you're more of a Chinese than I am."

Vaughn gazed out the window, then smiled slightly at the remark: "Maybe I was Chinese in my past life?"

Qiu Zhang smiled.

There is no concept of reincarnation in the magical world; that's a Muggle religion. Death in the magical world means true annihilation—body, spirit, magic, spells—everything comes from nature and returns to nature.