Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 93 Vaughn: I want the Philosopher's Stone!

Ultimately, Vaughn neither agreed nor refused.

He still needs to digest the amount of information brought by the web of fate and the path of legend.

Another point is that although the topics he discussed with Dumbledore touched upon the most profound magical knowledge.

But in essence, he is still just a first-year student.

For the sake of his talent points, he still has to return to reality.

Try your best to catch up on your studies and ensure you can complete the system's main quest and receive the rewards.

Since Harry's trial hadn't even begun yet, Dumbledore's invitation was merely a way to involve him more deeply in the plan, hoping that his presence would interfere with Harry and Voldemort's fate.

That night, Vaughn suffered from insomnia, a rare occurrence. When he appeared in the dining room the next day and made his long-awaited visit to his loyal Gryffindor, the dark circles under his and Harry's eyes became a unique sight at the long table that day.

"I bet he's been up to no good while he was gone, probably spending all last night figuring out how to torment us, Harry!"

At noon, Ron spoke desperately to Harry and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room.

Unfortunately, Harry, who had stayed up all night and was in a daze, didn't pay attention to what Ron said.

Only Hermione, her ears twitching, took note of Ron's words.

So, in the afternoon, everyone saw Ronald Weasley, the boy who became famous for being "the Savior's friend" and "killing trolls with his brother Vaughn," and whose fame quickly faded, suddenly become a star in the castle again—

For some reason, the mischievous ghost had its eye on him.

It rode on Ron's head, dyed his hair in strange colors, and then, during Ron's class, it imitated Ron's voice, shouting, farting, swearing, and so on, disrupting the class.

Even if Ron eventually proves that Peeves was the one who did those things.

But the annoyed professors still punished him—they made him double his homework.

"If you didn't misbehave and annoy Mischief, why is Mischief targeting you like this, Weatherby!"

Professor Binns' words comprehensively summarized the professors' true views on the incident, although he unsurprisingly mispronounced Ron's last name.

At night, while taking a bath, Ron, who had been hit by a dung bomb thrown by Peeves, finally lost his temper. When he unleashed Vaughn, disregarding the embarrassment, he finally understood why Peeves was targeting him.

"Oh—poor, stupid Wetherby, he tried to scare Peeves with Vaughn Weasley's name, but..."

Peeves blinked his wicked little eyes and grinned widely: "But the person who sent Peeves to deal with Weatherby is Vaughn Weasley—hehehehehehe, the Great Demon King said that poor, stupid Weatherby is talking bad about him behind his back, and Weatherby needs to wake up. Peeves is happy to accept this job commission, hehe!"

Ron stormed back to the common room, completely ignoring the stench that nearly made everyone faint.

"I knew he wouldn't let me off the hook. See? From childhood to adulthood, he's never gone more than two weeks without messing with me!"

He loudly accused Harry and Hermione, then glared fiercely at the other students in the common room, "You better not find out which guy tipped you off to Vaughn, or I'll give him a taste of these fists that have fought trolls!"

In his anger, he certainly didn't notice that his good friend Hermione was quietly lowering her head.

For Vaughn, disciplining his brother was merely a matter of weighing the pros and cons and reviewing a minor incident from his life.

In fact, for several days after his conversation with Dumbledore, he hadn't stopped thinking about what Dumbledore had said: the existence of the web of fate, the impact of his efforts to establish the Werewolf Affairs Committee on fate, and the excitement of glimpsing the future.

It took him several days to temporarily put aside these unrealistic things and refocus on reviewing and accumulating college points.

Another week passed, and he finally caught up with the schedule. He used his personal "affability" to make a few of the more unruly students in Slytherin—such as Malfoy, who had become a bit wild and started swearing everywhere because of his departure some time ago—become well-behaved and obedient again.

As March arrived, Slytherin, who had briefly lost their top spot in the House standings, returned to the top.

Vaughn, who was taking a break for a while, decided to go out with Hermione on the second weekend of March.

As March arrived, the Scottish Highlands finally stopped being constantly shrouded in rain. Especially on this day, the weather was sunny and breezy, the sky was so clear it resembled a sea of ​​forget-me-nots, dotted with a few white clouds, the bright sunshine illuminated everything, and even the wind carried a touch of warmth.

Suddenly, the air felt like summer.

Hermione readily accepted Vaughn's invitation. She changed into a dress, used the hair serum Vaughn gave her to make her fluffy hair smooth, and tied it into a ponytail.

They wandered from Black Lake to the Forbidden Forest, finally resting under a huge oak tree where sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the girl's face.

The light reflected off the light downy hair on her face, as if casting a halo around her, a sight usually seen on young girls.

Vaughn watched quietly and listened attentively as Hermione talked about the little things happening around her.

Hermione noticed his gaze, blushed slightly, and asked shyly, "What are you looking at?"

Vaughn smiled and took her hand: "Look at a beautiful girl."

A bit greasy, but girls in love are usually brainless. Hermione, who is usually clear-headed and sharp-tongued, blushed and stammered, unable to say a word. She just quietly moved her body and sat closer to Vaughn.

Their hands clasped together, feeling each other's body heat, letting the ambiguity spread.

But in Vaughn's heart, what he was thinking had nothing to do with romance. Memories of his past life kept surging up in his mind, and finally, they settled on George, who had lost his ear, and Fred, who died with a smile.

Harry and Voldemort's fate is a meat grinder; unless they abandon everything now and leave England and even the wizarding world, no one can escape it.

He already knew this, but he always thought that when that time came, he might be strong enough to save them.

Until Dumbledore told him about the nature of fate.

The web of fate is too ethereal for him to grasp or comprehend, but the example of the playwright that Dumbledore gave was quite interesting.

Fate is cruel in both the heavens and the earth, because fate is the interaction between people and the conflicts that arise from that interaction.

He may have power in the future, but can he really restrain George and Fred?

Humans cannot be controlled.

Even if you explain the danger to them, they will do it for their ideals, for freedom, or for something else.

They may still end up on the battlefield and die in some forgotten corner, just like their mother's two brothers.

The only way to avoid all of this, the only way to put one's mind at ease, is to kill Voldemort, or rather, to break Harry and Voldemort's fate!

That evening, Vaughn went to the eighth-floor office, knocked on the door, and looked at the calm Dumbledore: "I'd like to make a deal."

Dumbledore nodded: "Please speak!"

Dumbledore remained calm in the face of Vaughn's demands for a trade; he even leisurely poured himself a glass of juice.

With the wealth he had accumulated over a hundred years, he could produce anything, whether it was Galleons, rare materials, or profound knowledge and magic.

He believed that Vaughn wouldn't make any unreasonable demands.

After all, if Vaughn agreed, it means he's willing to cooperate, so we certainly won't make things difficult for him.

Then he heard Vaughn say, "I want the Philosopher's Stone!"

"Pfft—cough cough!"

Dumbledore spat out a mouthful of juice, but fortunately, he was alone this time.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Dumbledore's robe, soaked with fruit juice, instantly became dry and clean, his beard trembling.

What do you want?

"The Philosopher's Stone!" Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it for a while. I'm almost broke from dealing with those werewolves, so I'm planning to use the Philosopher's Stone to get some gold."

This is obviously just an excuse made up.

In reality, he was still thinking about the system's side quests. Since he had agreed to Dumbledore and become more deeply involved in the Savior's plan, Vaughn would feel he had to take advantage of it.

Stroking his beard, Dumbledore felt a toothache and suddenly couldn't bring himself to refuse.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally asked, "How long do you need to borrow it?"

"One week."

Vaughn said that according to the system's mission description, he only needed to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, but since he had acquired this alchemical artifact, it would be unreasonable not to study it.

Thinking about it, he smiled again: "Of course, if you could introduce me to Nicolas Flamel, I wouldn't need to borrow the Philosopher's Stone. I heard he and his wife live in seclusion in Devonshire?"

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore didn't hesitate, a gentle yet insincere smile appearing on his face: "Although using the Philosopher's Stone to create gold is somewhat unethical, your intentions are good. As the headmaster, how can I stop you from doing good?"

He got up and walked outside:

"Come with me, son, I'll show you the trials I've prepared for Harry."

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me, Albus. Actually, I just wanted to ask Nicolas Flamel about alchemy. You know, this subject is too ancient and lacks systematic organization and classification, making it very difficult to get started."

"What did you say? Sorry, as people get older, their hearing always seems to develop some inexplicable problems."

Vaughn didn't seem to care and followed Dumbledore out of the headmaster's office, saying slowly, "Oh dear, I suddenly wonder if my decision was a bit hasty? Getting involved in Harry and Tom's fate so rashly doesn't seem very wise."

Despite his advanced age, Old Deng reacted quickly, replying immediately, "Ah—you mean Nicolas Flamel? Yes, he's practically a living fossil when it comes to alchemy, but…"

He sighed. "Let him rest, Vaughn. He and Perel have decided to stop taking the elixir of immortality. As an old friend, I hope they can spend the last leg of their lives in peace."

Vaughn didn't say anything more.

Although he never considered himself a good person, even the most flexible bottom line has its limits, and naturally he couldn't really disturb an elderly couple who had lived for six centuries and now only wanted to die peacefully.

Even if he genuinely wanted to consult Nicolas Flamel.

Since enrolling at Hogwarts, Vaughn has borrowed many books on alchemy from the library, and so far he has been able to make some small gadgets. The magical gadgets he modified with Muggle equipment in his research on Wolfsbane Potion used some alchemical techniques.

But those techniques are very basic; they simply involve applying a spell to the equipment and then solidifying it.

It's less about alchemy and more about a modern, improved version of item enchanting.

True alchemy should involve altering the nature of matter. According to some books that Vaughn has read, alchemy believes that all matter in the world can be transformed into one another, and that stone can be transformed into gold through a series of transmutations.

Soil can also be transformed into a living body through a series of metamorphosis.

If we disregard the idea of ​​creating life and simply look at the transformation of matter through alchemy, it's practically the nuclear physics of the magical world!

However, while Muggles use particle acceleration, high-energy rays, and other methods to activate protons and neutrons to bombard atomic nuclei, wizards use magic to achieve similar goals more efficiently.

For example, manufacturing gold.

Muggles only recently began using particle accelerators or high-energy rays to bombard substances similar to gold nuclides (such as mercury) to artificially produce gold. This requires a large amount of energy and the results are uncontrollable (energy cannot be used evenly and precisely on every atomic nucleus).

Wizards have been able to do this for a long time, at the cost of magic or some relatively rare materials.

For Vaughn, using alchemy to create gold was actually a very boring thing.

He has plenty of ways to get gold, why waste magic on something like that?

Nuclear physics in the magical world naturally involves studying nuclear energy and radioactive isotopes!

Dumbledore was clearly unaware of Vaughn's dangerous ideas; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have agreed to let Vaughn learn alchemy.

Now leading the way, he simply compromised and said, "Vaughn, don't bother Nico. If you want to learn alchemy later, I can teach you... Of course, I suggest you wait two years before starting, since you still have a lot to learn right now."

Vaughn accepted the suggestion.

He has so much to learn right now, there's no need to rush. Improving his magical abilities is the most important thing.

The two were talking as they went downstairs.

When Dumbledore brought Vaughn to the start of the school year, he deliberately forbade students from wandering around the floors.

"Albus, you've been preparing Harry's trial since the start of the school year. When did you discover Quirrell's problem?"

"...Before the start of school." Dumbledore walked unhurriedly, his hands clasped in front of his lower abdomen, his gaze fixed on the door at the end of the corridor, the door he had warned his students not to go to when school started.

"Actually, Tom hid it very well. You must have used magic to observe Quirinas, right? You couldn't detect any traces of dark magic on him at all, could you?"

Vaughn nodded: "Apart from the fact that Tom later drained his life force, causing his life force to dim, there was almost nothing unusual about him."

"Yes, I didn't notice at first either," Dumbledore sighed. "He had his head wrapped in a turban, and I just thought he'd had an accident on his journey and was a bit nervous, which is why he's acting so neurotic. You know, there are quite a few wizards like that in the wizarding world..."

"Tom underestimated how much I valued Harry. I don't know either. Although I don't perceive anything in terms of magic, fate will give me warnings. Before Harry entered school, I used the magic I showed you before, the Web of Fate, to spend more than ten days inspecting the entire castle, including the professors."

Vaughn paused for a moment, then asked, "Is there any hope for Quirrell?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then spoke: "No... when he opened his soul to allow Tom to inhabit it, Quirinus Quirrell was already dead!"

This is a sad topic.

Vaughn had heard Dumbledore talk about Quirrell's past.

According to Lao Deng, he was a young man with a strong thirst for knowledge, great talent, and a positive and optimistic attitude.

Professor McGonagall also spoke highly of him. Vaughn recalled that once at the Transfiguration Club, he saw Quirrell, as an outstanding student, in a graduation photo with Professor McGonagall on her desk.

Apart from the divination class, the other professors spoke in a similar tone. Of course, they were unaware of the truth, and when they talked about Quirrell, they mostly expressed regret.

Some of the more short-tempered ones even believed it was a curse from the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that had turned Quirrell into a babbling, timid coward.

For example, Professor Silvanus Ketterburn.

This professor of the Magical Creatures class is known for his volatile and reckless nature. As a result, after teaching at Hogwarts for many years, he now only has one original arm and half a leg; the rest are magically enchanted prosthetics.

However, over the decades, he has had many students, including Voldemort and Hagrid, who were once little wizards who followed him around asking questions.

Dumbledore was very pleased that Hagrid had followed him and learned so much about magical creatures.

Dumbledore, not wanting to talk much about Quirrell, began to discuss the trials he had prepared for Harry.

The first person mentioned was Hagrid and Professor Kettleburn: "Over the years, I have been unable to get Sylvanas to change his strange hobby of large, fierce magical creatures. Decades ago, when he was still Principal Armando, the school was rehearsing a play called 'Good Luck Fountain' and asked him to provide a giant earthworm."

"As a result, he cast a powerful spell on a fire ash snake and lent it to the film crew... You can imagine what a disaster that was."

Vaughn raised an eyebrow.

Fire serpents are magical creatures with very short lifespans and a very peculiar way of life. They are born from uncontrolled magical flames.

During their lifetime, they will frantically lay eggs, and an hour later, their bodies, having laid their eggs, will burn violently, turning to ashes and losing their lives.

Normally, a slender fire ash snake, similar in size to an ordinary water snake, is enough to set a house ablaze if it dies, let alone after being amplified by a curse.

Vaughn knew about it because of the Fire Ash Snake Eggs, which were the ingredients for aphrodisiacs.

"For the original trial, I wanted to ask Sylvanas to provide a magical creature, but my aging memory told me that if I didn't want to kill Harry, I'd better choose someone else, so I chose Hagrid—he lent me a very fierce magical creature that looked pretty much like one."

As he spoke, Dumbledore led Vaughn to the end of the corridor and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, a stench mixed with heavy breathing rushed out, and a huge shadow loomed over Vaughn and Dumbledore.

It was a large dog, about 14 feet tall, with a huge body that almost filled the room. It had three heads, each one ferocious and cruel. Even when it was fast asleep, its long, dagger-like teeth protruding from its lips were full of savagery.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the three-headed dog opened its eyes, its huge, bloodshot eyes staring at the two of them.

Good evening, Lou Williams.

Dumbledore greeted it.

Unfortunately, the three-headed dog didn't listen. Its three heads growled, and one of them opened its mouth and bit at the dog.

Dumbledore wasn't nervous at all. He even said to Vaughn with interest, "Compared to those cruel little creatures that Sylvanas keeps, Fluffy is much safer, and he's trained this big guy to have a unique hobby."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and magic began to play music.

The three-headed dog, which was tearing at the ground, immediately stopped. Its six ears stood up, and its three fierce faces quickly became dazed and confused in the music.

Soon, it yawned, its huge body wriggled a few times in the room, making the floor and ceiling creak, and then it fell into a deep sleep.

Dumbledore blinked. "What do you think of it as the first trial of Harry's?"

Vaughn scoffed, "Not very good. It can only fool little kids, or fool a desperate Quirrell and Tom."

"Oh, Vaughn, don't be so harsh. At least before we knew its weakness of being easily hypnotized by music, it was still quite intimidating. A three-headed dog isn't so easy to deal with."

"One Killing Curse will solve it."

"No, the Killing Curse requires a lot of magic, especially to kill such a huge creature. Quirinas probably can't provide that much magic... Come on, let's go to the next level."

Dumbledore used magic to move Fluffy aside, revealing the trapdoor beneath it.

He opened it and floated down with Vaughn.

The passageway beneath the trapdoor was pitch black, and something seemed to be rustling and wriggling in the darkness.

This level was even more boring. Even without relying on his memories of his past life, just by smelling the dampness in the air and its unique movement pattern, he knew what it was.

"Ha, Devil's Web, a harmless little thing."

Vaughn summoned flames, and a huge magical fireball hovered above their heads.

In the instant that light and heat burst forth, darkness was dispelled. The snake-like vines that had been hiding in the darkness and coiling towards the two from all directions suddenly screamed and retreated back into the cracks in the wall.

Dumbledore clapped enthusiastically: "Excellent, Vaughn, Pomona will be very proud of you. I must say, in the field of botany, being able to apply what you've learned from books is more than enough."

Vaughn gave a half-smile: "Thank you for the compliment, but unfortunately I'm not Harry."

"To be honest, this challenge was added later. I didn't really expect Harry and Ron to know how to solve it. On the contrary, it's more suitable for Miss Granger."

Speaking of this, Dumbledore had a bit of a headache. Although he didn't expect Harry to be as academically excellent as his parents, Harry becoming a poor student still bothered him quite a bit.

Vaughn was equally displeased: "You secretly included my girlfriend in the trial; shouldn't you have consulted me first?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I assure you there's no danger. In the end, only Harry will be able to face Tom."

Dumbledore apologized as usual, then looked at Vaughn with a strange expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What are you trying to say, Albus?"

"...While I'd love to see you in love, you're both still young. Shouldn't you be a little more reserved in front of me? I'm the principal, do you remember?"

"Oh, Albus, is there any Hogwarts rule against dating?"

"..." Dumbledore's beard twitched as he began to consider whether to add some new school rules.

But think about it: if he forbade students from dating, he would likely immediately oust Phileas Black and become the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history.

(End of this chapter)