Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 98 Pre-exam Crackdown and the Desperate Twins

Dumbledore appreciated his caution, which was what he liked most about Vaughn—his awe of the unknown.

What people should fear most is never ignorance or stupidity, but arrogance.

Ignorance won't destroy you, but arrogance will.

Looking at the golden hourglass that had returned to his hand, Dumbledore sighed, recalling Vaughn's earlier mention of the concept of four-dimensional beings.

"The wizards' manipulation of time still has significant flaws, so your 3.5-dimensional division makes a lot of sense."

"Oh? You actually agree with my idea. I thought you would strongly refute my idea because this division is demeaning to Muggles."

Dumbledore smiled: "Don't test me, child. You should know that my care for Muggles stems from a compassion for the weak... This is a concept that every wizard unconsciously develops, even those born into Muggle families."

"When power is concentrated in the individual, class divisions become inevitable. To put it bluntly, it's hard to consider ants as one of our own."

Vaughn remained silent; great power resides in the individual, like carrying a sharp blade.

Even the most law-abiding person, if they are carrying a weapon that could easily take someone's life, will subconsciously want to use a weapon to solve problems when they encounter them.

Because people instinctively understand that all problems are created by people, and solving the problem of those who created it will resolve their troubles.

Even Vaughn, with his mature worldview from his past life, no longer considers Muggles as his own (otherwise he wouldn't use the word Muggle), which is an inevitable result of wielding great power.

This situation is common even among Muggles; great power can be magic, or it can be wealth and authority!

Vaughn changed the subject: "Albus, do you have the manufacturing data for the Time-Turner? I'd like to learn more about it."

"Ah, I don't have any, but Nico should have some in his collection. I can ask him next time I visit him."

"Thank you. Also, how long will it take you to complete these mechanisms?"

Dumbledore did the math for a moment and replied, "Around the end of May, just when Nobeta will have grown up... There are still two months left, I can't wait!"

"I'm also really looking forward to seeing Harry's heroic performance in the challenges."

The two foxes, one big and one small, looked at each other and smiled.

……

"Achoo!"

In the library, Harry sneezed violently.

He had a cold and had just gone to Mrs. Pomfrey's in the morning to get a bottle of energy drink. Now, steam was billowing from his ears, completely obscuring Ron's head next to him.

But Ron didn't care about any of that. He didn't even care if Harry's sneezing might worsen his cold. He just looked at his fingers, which were swollen like carrots, and felt like crying.

Across from Ron, Hermione, who was engrossed in her studies, occasionally looked up and saw his expression. She couldn't help but sneer, "You didn't go to see Madam Pomfrey when I told you to. Serves you right!"

Ron was listless and had no energy to argue with Hermione.

He muttered under his breath, "How was I supposed to know that such a tiny dragon cub would be so poisonous? It swelled up like this overnight..."

Harry blew his nose and advised, "You should still go take a look later!"

"What if Mrs. Pomfrey asks what bit her? I think she doesn't even need to ask; she can tell at a glance."

To the young wizards, Madam Pomfrey was the most magical person at Hogwarts; she could cure any ailment.

There's only one thing: the potions she brews are incredibly effective, but also incredibly awful to drink!

Harry also thought that Madam Pomfrey would likely notice that the wound was caused by a dragon, but he felt that he couldn't just endure the pain for fear of the professors finding out.

After some more persuasion, Ron was finally convinced. He covered his hands with a worried expression and went to the school hospital.

Not long after he left, the twins suddenly appeared.

"Hi, dear Harry, dear Hermione, good afternoon!"

"Fred, you're too stiff. We've never greeted each other like this before."

"But George, we need Harry's help, and I think we should be polite to him."

"Help?" Harry suddenly remembered the canary cookies the twins had secretly given him a few months ago on the day he first participated in a Quidditch match.

He said warily, "Are you trying to use me again, feeding Ron some weird stuff? I'm not stupid; I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

The twins looked at each other in bewilderment:

"Good heavens, Harry saw through our tried-and-true trick."

"What do we do now, Fred? We're doomed. Vaughn wants to check our R&D progress. If we can't provide experimental data, he'll definitely take back our investment!"

"It's so pitiful and tragic. We've spent all 10 Galleons. Where are we going to get the money to pay him back? If we don't get the money, Vaughn will kill us."

"They might even strip us naked and hang us at the castle gate so everyone can see how embarrassing the Weasley twins look."

"Yes, he absolutely could do it."

The twins tried to elicit sympathy from each other, but Harry remained unmoved.

Ron had already told him about the evil deeds the twins had committed, and he wouldn't believe a word they said!

But Harry didn't know that the twins' target wasn't him at all, but Hermione!

Hermione looked up from the towering pile of textbooks on her desk and snapped, "Fred, George!"

She can't stand anyone saying anything bad about Vaughn!

But she also knew that the twins wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted. She held out her hand: "Give me the thing, and I'll give it to Ron later. But let's make it clear first, if I hear you slandering Vaughn again, I'll tell him what you said!"

The twins immediately beamed and readily agreed, "No problem, dear Hermione."

They pulled out a piece of hard candy wrapped in parchment paper and handed it to Hermione: "This is our carefully crafted quick-acting truancy candy. It works extremely fast and never fails."

"That's right. We've learned our lesson from last time and will no longer damage relationships between classmates. Instead, we'll help those who deserve it."

"Yes, like those young wizards who have been poisoned by the classroom and have lost their freedom and dignity!"

Hermione frowned deeply. How could the classroom be so corrupting? How could she have lost her freedom and dignity? Surrounded by a strong learning atmosphere, and with professors available to answer her questions anytime, anywhere, wasn't she wonderful?

Hermione, unable to understand, put away the so-called candy for skipping class and buried her head again in the pile of reference books.

When Ron came back from the school hospital, she threw the candy to him.

"Merlin..." Ron was stunned, thinking he was dreaming, and pinched himself. "Harry, did you see that? Hermione gave me a candy!"

"Uh, wait a minute, Ron—"

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Ron couldn't wait any longer. He quickly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. This was the first time Hermione had ever been so kind to him; usually, she would constantly find fault with him.

"Mmm, so sweet..." Ron shook his head. "I just drank Madam Pomfrey's antidote, and my mouth feels like I've been chewing on almonds. Thank you, Hermione..."

As Ron spoke, he suddenly felt a heat in his nostrils. Across from him, Harry, who was hesitant to speak, suddenly showed fear on his face.

Huh? What happened?

The thought had barely crossed Ron's mind when he heard a soft "pfft!"

Bright red blood gushed from his nostrils like a fountain, and the force of the impact even made him shake his head. The large amount of blood sprayed straight at Harry's face.

"What a powerful jet of blood!"

Ron subconsciously gave a silent compliment, then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

He had just realized that the powerful jet of blood was his own!

Vaughn only learned about Ron's situation the next morning.

While having breakfast, Hermione said to him with guilt and regret, "If I had known that quick-acting skipping candy was so terrible, I wouldn't have given it to Ron."

It is said that when Ron collapsed last night, Hermione, Harry, and Neville rushed him to the school hospital, and nearly two pints (about a liter) of blood spurted from his nose.

In Harry's words, "Ron's skin had turned transparent from blood loss, and when Madam Pomfrey revived him, he didn't even remember who I was!"

However, in the magical world, such simple symptoms of blood loss are really trivial.

When Vaughn leisurely finished his breakfast and went with everyone to visit Ron at the school hospital, his complexion had returned to normal, and he even had an appetite to eat a pork chop.

"It was horrible. I drank blood-replenishing potions for hours before I remembered Harry's name." Ron, his mouth full of meat, couldn't stop his urge to talk: "In fact, this is the only thing that exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect blood loss to be this serious."

"Quick-acting skip-class candy? Hmph, I knew it was Fred and George's trick the moment I put that candy in my mouth last night. Experience tells me, you understand?"

Under the astonished gazes of Neville, Seamus, and Dean, he waved his greasy hand, looking as if to say, "I've seen it all."

Harry looked puzzled, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He clearly remembered that last night, after Ron recovered his health and regained consciousness, he lay on the hospital bed, clutching his pants, sobbing and wailing, "Harry, am I going to die? Those damned Fred and George, I knew it, sooner or later I would die at their hands!"

But now, Harry's ruddy complexion shows no trace of what it was like last night.

It wasn't until Neville asked a question: "So... Ron, did Madam Pomfrey say you could take a few days off?"

Ron beamed, "Of course, of course! I lost a full three pints of blood... Don't interrupt, Harry, two pints is just your estimate, only I know for sure... Madam Pomfrey gave me three days of sick leave. She thinks I might have damaged my brain from the blood loss and will need a few days to recover!"

"oh--"

Neville, Seamus, and Dean looked on with envy. Harry, who understood why Ron had suddenly changed his attitude, also wanted to express his own desire for sick leave.

Unfortunately, Hermione, standing beside him with her lips tightly pursed and eyes glaring fiercely like Norbert's, made him swallow his cry.

Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. She dragged Vaughn away from the school hospital, angrily saying, "And I felt so guilty, complaining to you about how Fred and George went too far, but look at him, he's probably even grateful!"

Before she finished speaking, she heard Ron say loudly in the ward:

"Yes, Neville, the quick-acting truancy candy is fantastic! I dare say it's Fred and George's most successful creation, and even if they used me as a guinea pig, I still have to give it a fair assessment!"

Hermione was so angry she couldn't speak.

If she still had her previous temper, she would have reported the matter to the professors by now. Even if she was now tolerant of this behavior that went against her ideas, Ron's stupid choice was still hard for her to accept - not only did he not resist the twins' mischief, he also added fuel to the fire!

Hermione could already foresee that once Neville, Seamus, and Dean returned, the "miraculous effect" of the quick-acting truancy candy would spread throughout Gryffindor.

In fact, ever since Ron collapsed last night, the twins have been celebrating the success of their new invention and enthusiastically promoting it to their classmates.

However, given the precedent of the Canary Cookies incident, everyone is still waiting and seeing. For example, did Ron survive after eating the quick-acting skip-school candy? Or were there any serious side effects?

Indeed, events unfolded exactly as Hermione had predicted.

Vaughn finally coaxed his girlfriend into going to the library, where they spent the entire afternoon immersed in the ocean of knowledge.

When he took Hermione back to Gryffindor, he could see from afar that the Gryffindor Tower was packed with people, and Fred and George were surrounded by crowds, busy with their own affairs!

"The Weasley Magic Tricks Workshop's quick-acting skipping candy has been personally tested by our brother Ron Weasley. Of course, his experience is far from enough to demonstrate the greatness of our product. We plan to continue developing a series of products after the Nosebleed Nougat—yes, the kind Ron eats—and we have already started projects for Fever Candy, Coma Candy, and so on."

Lee Jordan, standing in the crowd, shouted, "George, remember the butterbeer I treated you guys to at Hogsmeade? Can I have one on credit?"

George generously replied, "Fred, remember to cross out Lee Jordan's name!"

"Okay, George!"

"Everyone, please come one by one and register with Fred. Our business is small and operates on thin profit margins; we do not offer credit!"

Looking at this lively and absurd scene, Hermione's face turned blue with anger.

Sharing the same expression as her was Percy on the other side of the crowd. He desperately tried to squeeze in to stop the twins, but unfortunately his classmates' enthusiasm for skipping classes made his efforts in vain.

To appease Hermione, who was about to lose her temper, Vaughn had to temporarily change his plans to visit Ravenclaw and stay in Gryffindor, acting as the little witch's confidante and listening to her endless complaints.

The lively scene continued until lights out. Fred and George, who had filled a thick stack of orders, smugly ignored the furious Percy and approached Vaughn, grinning as they shook their purses full of deposits.

"Vaughn, we did it!"

"That's right. Although we experienced setbacks last year, that was just due to our lack of experience. Today, we've proven our strength with facts!"

"Look, your initial donation didn't go to waste; this deposit is enough to pay back that 10 Galleons!"

Vaughn looked at the twins and said slowly, "Pay it back? I remember you said it was an investment in you, like I was taking a stake, right?"

"Good heavens, Fred, did you hear that? Our proud little brother wants a share of our profits! He sees we've made it big and wants to invest!"

"Yes, George, incredible! Our genius younger brother has clearly succumbed to our abilities!"

The twins looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Vaughn smiled at their smugness and said, "If I were you, I would be more humble and cautious."

The twins laughed and joked, completely ignoring Vaughn's words, lost in their dreams of future riches. They patted Vaughn's shoulders hard on both sides.

"Don't worry, little brother, Fred and George are just joking with you. How could we forget our little brother who supported us so much?"

"Of course, even brothers need to be clear first: if you want to buy skip-school candy, there's no discount!"

Tsk... These two guys are getting a bit cocky!

Vaughn, of course, would not tell the twins that he had overheard Professor McGonagall reporting on the school to Dumbledore before he returned from Dumbledore's place yesterday.

The deans of the other three colleges were also present.

So in reality, it was a school affairs meeting that discussed recent student issues.

"Every year around this time, students experience various psychological changes. The pressure of assignments from professors and the upcoming exams can cause some students who are more sensitive and vulnerable to stress."

"Specifically, this manifests as a sudden aversion to studying, desperately trying to skip classes, being terrified of exams, frantically flipping through books but remembering nothing, or having crooked thoughts, pinning their hopes on illusory lucky charms or spells, and of course, the worst—various cheating techniques!"

"Albus, it's time to introduce temporary measures to crack down on these bad signs, just like in previous years!"

This is the important matter. When Vaughn left, Dumbledore had already agreed to Professor McGonagall's request.

In other words, Hogwarts is about to begin a strict crackdown before the exam.

Yes, I'm sure Fred and George will be pleasantly surprised.

The twins, of course, were unaware of all this. They enthusiastically threw themselves into their money-making venture, and more and more students came to them to buy "skip-class candy," with even some older students coming from far and wide.

This group of senior students, mainly fifth and seventh graders, will take OWLs this year and NEWTs respectively. NEWTs determine the fate of a wizard after graduation, while OWLs determine which subject you will advance to in the future.

Therefore, these two grades are also the hardest hit areas for students to have mental breakdowns before exams.

Two days later, Vaughn witnessed an example firsthand. A fifth-year student from Gryffindor suddenly burst into the classroom while Vaughn and the first-year students were having a Transfiguration class.

Clutching her books, she breathlessly apologized to Professor McGonagall, "I'm so sorry, Professor, I'm late."

Professor McGonagall, who was about to write on the blackboard, was both surprised and understanding. She pushed up her glasses and said, "Miss Dormer, this is a first-year class. The fifth-year class ended an hour ago, and I remember you were not late."

Miss Dormer was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into a loud cry, startling the bewildered first-grade students:

"No! I'm a first-year student! Professor, I'm a first-year student!"

She danced and hysterically pulled Neville up, trying desperately to prove that she was as tall as Neville and that she was 12 years old.

Neville was grabbed by the collar and lifted up to her height, almost choking on the bow tie.

Seeing the situation getting increasingly chaotic, Professor McGonagall had to cast a spell to knock her unconscious and explained to the first-years, "It seems Miss Dormer has developed exam syndrome, a very peculiar condition that usually flares up suddenly before exams and then miraculously heals after being given sick leave."

"..."

The young wizards below the stage were speechless. Of course, they understood what the professor meant—Miss Dormer was pretending to be crazy to avoid class.

Moreover, her behavior is not an isolated case.

In the days that followed, the first-year students witnessed all sorts of bizarre "symptoms." For example, one day at the end of March, a seventh-year student suddenly went missing, and the professors searched for most of the night before finding him in the Forbidden Forest.

He claimed that he was abducted by a UFO and that aliens subjected him to cruel magical experiments in an attempt to understand Earth's magical system in preparation for an invasion. He endured this for a full 10 years before finally escaping.

He found himself back in the days when he was kidnapped 10 years ago. Even more "unfortunate" was that the long 10-year prison sentence made him completely forget the knowledge he had learned.

So... he hopes the professors can make an exception for his special circumstances and allow him to pass the NEWTs exam directly this year...

It was a Ravenclaw, so Professor Flitwick, the usually gentle and kind Ravenclaw headmaster, did not hesitate to put him in solitary confinement.

Of course, such storytelling geniuses are quite rare. Most people just pretend to be crazy, and some are even more ruthless. They might even break their own arms and legs and try to stay in the school hospital and never leave.

It was in this absurd environment that the twins' truancy candy business flourished, with orders piling up to a foot thick.

On the 31st, Fred and George waited deliberately at the Slytherin gate, pretending to bump into Vaughn. They sighed and complained that they had too many orders and were exhausted. They were getting tired of hearing the jingling of Galleons and Silver Sickles every day.

Vaughn smiled without saying a word.

The twins thought he had nothing to say, and left triumphantly with a high five. Then, on the night of April Fool's Day, when all the students and faculty gathered in the cafeteria as required, the twins heard news that struck them like a thunderbolt.

Professor McGonagall read the message.

Every wrinkle on the vice-principal's face spoke of seriousness and uncompromising attitude:

"...I've discovered a bad trend of selling fake potions and truancy gadgets in the school. After discussion among all the faculty and staff, it has been decided that the following items will be added to the confiscation list: Buffet's Mind-Boosting Potion—I'm extremely disappointed in the students who bought it. How could such a top-tier potion, which only Professor Snape and Mr. Vaughn Weasley know how to brew, be sold to you for only 1 siecos a bottle?"

"An automatic quill pen for answering questions—a truly absurd lie. I thought even a first-year student could figure out how Hogwarts could possibly allow you to bring something like that into the exam hall!"

The first-year students below the stage looked at each other in confusion. So, magical cheating tools weren't allowed in the exam room?

Seeing this, Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. To avoid getting angry, she quickly read out the next name:

"Quick-acting skip-class candy..."

The twins couldn't help but stand up: "It's April Fool's Day, you must be joking, right?"

They looked expectantly at the podium, hoping to hear the answer they were looking for.

Professor McGonagall's temper finally flared. She glared at the twins and said sternly, "...Fred Weasley and George Weasley are prime examples of wasting talent and going astray. Their rampant production and distribution of this kind of material that undermines school rules and classroom discipline is extremely detrimental!"

"By a decision made by all the professors, not only will your 'skip-class candy' products be confiscated, but you will also be forced to return the proceeds from their sale. As far as I know, you have detailed order records, and I will personally supervise your execution!"

Finished!

Fred and George suddenly felt their vision go black.

April Fool's Day, which should have been a happy day, turned into a shocking discovery for them... that fate had played a cruel joke on them.

Where would they get any money?

All those deposits were used to buy raw materials...

April Fools' Day in 1992 passed slowly as Fred and George endured a torment that felt like a year. The twins, who had always been mischievous and unscrupulous at Hogwarts, experienced the reality of adulthood for the first time.

That day, their dormitory was surrounded by creditors!

"Fred, open the door right now! I know you're in the dorm. Give me back my deposit!" This was a rude, direct demand for repayment.

"George, Professor McGonagall said you have to refund the money according to the list. You don't want us to report you to the professor and say you're planning to renege on your debts, do you?" This was a threat.

Some even went so far as to shout, "Alahora! Damn it, those two guys cast a reverse-picking charm inside!"

Some people wanted to take a roundabout approach: "Lee Jordan, you've shared a dorm room with them for years, you should talk to them!"

Lee Jordan was devastated; he had even lost 1 Galleon himself and was standing outside the door, ready to call for the money to be paid!

All in all, Hogwarts' April Fool's Day operation was quite successful. Although there was no visible effect in the confiscation of other illegal potions and props, Fred and George had already tasted the iron fist of the school.

The next morning, the twins wrapped themselves tightly to make sure no one could tell it was them before they dared to leave the dormitory.

As soon as they stepped outside, the twins were nauseated by a stench. Some despicable person had tied several dung bombs to the door and cast a spell on it.

The dung bomb will detonate as soon as the door is opened.

If the twins hadn't been so experienced in their battles, grabbing their wands early on, holding their breath, and using Cleanse immediately, they probably would have vomited bile.

"Damn it, these bastards! Just a few days ago they were begging us to put orders in their favor, and now they're turning their backs on us!"

"Stop complaining, help me... Damn it, what kind of glue is this? My shoes are stuck!"

"I'm stuck too... Sigh, let's forget about the shoes and go, so no one gets up early and runs into us."

"The Weasleys have never been this disheveled!"

The two didn't even dare to complain loudly, muttering curses under their breath. The twins were exhausted and covered in sweat after finally clearing all the traps at the entrance.

As a result, when he walked into the common room stealthily with a cloak on, he was frightened again.

A hairy head popped out from behind the desk, glanced at them, and said gloatingly, "Fred, George!"

The twins nearly fled in terror, only breathing a sigh of relief after recognizing Hermione: "Damn, how did you recognize us?"

The two not only wore hooded capes, but also covered their heads and faces with scarves, making them look just like Professor Quirrell.

Hermione scoffed, "Who in all of Gryffindor would dress like this now?"

As she spoke, she glanced at their attire, raised her voice slightly, and asked suspiciously, "You two aren't planning to skip out on your bill and run away, are you?"

"Shhh-keep it down!"

"The Weasleys are a family of integrity; we will definitely pay you back!"

"That's right!"

The twins answered with absolute certainty.

Hermione, however, didn't believe it at all: "Vaughn told me yesterday that all your money went to buying raw materials, and you have no money left to pay back!"

"So we need to go out and find a solution!"

"That's right, we're going to find Vaughn!"

"George, you really didn't have to say it..."

"But it's true, Fred."

That's right, no one in the Weasley family is untrustworthy. Even if Professor McGonagall hadn't asked them for a refund yesterday, the twins would have voluntarily refunded the money when the Quick Skip Candy series was banned by the school.

All their fear stemmed from a lack of money...

Fortunately, they are not yet in dire straits, and there are still people who can support them.

The twins discussed it all night and decided to swallow their pride and ask their younger brother for help.

Hermione's face darkened. She was already against the twins making truancy props, and now that she heard they were going to ask Vaughn for help, she was even more dissatisfied. It wasn't that she thought they shouldn't ask Vaughn for help, but rather that she could tell these two guys hadn't given up!

She pursed her thin lips: "So, you're planning to borrow money from Vaughn, return the deposit, keep the raw materials in your hands, lay low for a while, and make a comeback after the exams?"

"clever!"

The twins gave her a thumbs up. "We talked it over all night and realized that this was just bad luck. It happened to be during the exam preparation period, and the school made an example of us."

"That's right, our products are actually very popular, and the market demand is very broad. Schools can't keep prohibiting students' normal needs indefinitely..."

Hermione complained, "When did skipping class become a normal requirement?"

The twins wouldn't listen to that. They winked at Hermione, "The difficulties are only temporary. After the exams, the ban will be lifted, and our product can go live again. We've already thought of something. The name 'Quick Skip to Class' is too narrow. Actually, it can also be used to skip chores, skip homework... Basically, as long as you're sick, you can do nothing. It's practically the perfect cure for school and summer vacation!"

Hermione: "..."

Hermione realized she had been narrow-minded; she had thought this setback would teach the twins a lesson, showing them that crooked paths couldn't last...

The twins did learn their lesson, but because someone was backing them up, they were clearly emboldened!

Hermione sighed. After the April Fool's Day dinner yesterday, she had made a bet with Vaughn about it. At that time, she firmly believed that people would correct their mistakes after being punished.

But Vaughn remained noncommittal about her point of view: "Darling, perhaps you should read more Muggle philosophy books. There was a Muggle named Hegel who was right: the only lesson mankind has learned from history is that it has learned nothing from history."

It must be said that Vaughn clearly knows his two older brothers better.

Therefore, the twins' reaction was not beyond his expectations.

Thinking this, Hermione smiled slightly, and as Fred and George were about to emerge from the Gryffindor tower, she spoke:

"I don't think you need to waste your time, Fred, George."

The twins turned around in astonishment: "What?"

They heard Hermione say gleefully, "Vaughn has had some urgent business and has left Hogwarts. You won't be able to find him for at least the next few days!"

The twins' lips trembled, and their faces visibly turned deathly pale: "You...you're joking, right?"

Hermione smiled without saying a word.

Just then, someone yawned as they walked out of the boys' dormitory corridor. It was Lee Jordan, the twins' "former friend," who recognized them the moment he stepped into the common room.

"Ha! Fred and George, are you planning to run away?"

"Damn it, how did everyone know it was us? Li, we're good friends..."

Lee Jordan sneered through gritted teeth. He had said the same thing a few days earlier, only to have George ruthlessly reject his request for credit.

Seeing that things were going badly, the twins quickly called for the fat lady guarding the gate.

The plump lady, still grumbling and muttering, was about to open the door when Lee Jordan called out, "Plump lady, lock these two guys up for me. In exchange, I can listen to your opera all day!"

The sleepy, plump lady suddenly perked up, leaving the twins dumbfounded.

What grudge could lead to such a huge stunt?

Vaughn didn't care about the impending ordeal Fred and George were about to face. In fact, he wasn't deliberately hiding the twins to teach them a lesson; he simply had something come up.

On April Fool's Day, he received a letter.

The Rozier family from England.

Unfortunately, it brought bad news!

"...I regret to inform you, dear Mr. Weasley, that although I would very much like to help rescue your friend, to rescue a Rozier, it is embarrassing that the Rozier family has long lost its power in the North American wizarding world because of an incident that occurred decades ago."

"A distant relative of the family, Vinda Rozier, from the main branch of the French Rozier line, was once the second-in-command of the famous Gethler Grindelwald... I don't mean to deny anything, but it is clear that when Grindelwald failed and was imprisoned in Nurmengard by Dumbledore, all of Grindelwald's followers were investigated and purged."

"Unfortunately, Vinda Rozier gained widespread attention because of his position in Grindelwald's gang, especially in the Magical Congress of North America, where Grindelwald had disgraced them—he had infiltrated the Magical Congress disguised as Percival Graves and used that poor Auror commander's face and name to cause trouble in North America."

"You can imagine how ashamed the Magical Congress of North America was when the truth came out. They certainly wanted to take revenge on Grindelwald, but Dumbledore refused their request to execute Grindelwald... Those Yankees didn't dare to offend Dumbledore, so they could only vent their anger on others."

"I read the letter you sent from Isabella. I bet you, with my pure-blood honor, that the trouble Isabella is in is definitely the work of the Graves family. Those petty fools consider Percival Graves's past as an indelible shame. Since they can't get revenge on Grindelwald, they're targeting the Rozier family everywhere."

"Poor Isabella, her background is too remote. Perhaps no one told her that members of the Rozier family should never go to North America. This is a lesson learned in blood... Please forgive my powerlessness..."

Vaughn had previously considered that the Rozier family might not bother with such a minor branch.

He had assumed the other party would simply make up an excuse to refuse.

Unexpectedly, I received a letter full of secrets that seemed perfectly reasonable.

"Graves...Vendor Rozier..."

Crouch's mansion in the Muggle community—Vaughn silently recited these somewhat familiar names, his consciousness constantly rummaging through the archives of his memories.

Thanks to learning memory magic and organizing his own memories, he quickly found some fragmented memories from his past life.

These are some impressions of details from the Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Crack!

The sudden green flames from the fireplace startled Vaughn from his reverie.

Crouch is back. This high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic, who always shows a serious face, probably only suddenly breaks down and twitches the corners of his mouth when he sees Vaughn.

He emerged from the fireplace, brushing the dust off his clothes, and said dryly, "Just a few days ago you told me you were busy preparing for exams and didn't have time to treat Little Barty. How come you have time to come today?"

Vaughn seemed oblivious to his sarcasm, handing over the letter. "Something came up and I needed your help."

"Oh!"

As expected!

Crouch gave a forced smile, but didn't refuse. He took the letter, read it carefully, and nodded: "Old Rozier didn't lie to you; what he said is basically true."

"You also believe that the trouble Isabella is in is the work of the Graves family?"

"Very likely." Crouch flipped through the letter from Isabella that had been sent back with the letter, and said, "At least according to Isabella, the trouble she encountered on Halloween was likely a conflict with the Graves family."

"You probably don't know this, but the Rozier family is actually a very large family. It was originally only distributed in France, but later it gradually spread to England and North America. That's right, there used to be a branch of the Rozier in North America, which developed from England."

"However, those branches are now extinct. When I was a young man, the Rozier branch in North America had already been wiped out by various reasons, such as Muggle governments, dark wizards, natural disasters and man-made calamities, etc."

"Old Rozier may be a bit mediocre and incompetent, but his assessment of the Graves family isn't wrong; that family is indeed rather petty."

Vaughn had little interest in the feud between the two families; he only felt that things were getting tricky.

If Isabella was caught in the crossfire due to official reasons, such as internal conflicts in North America, then rescuing her wouldn't be too difficult.

Barty Crouch was in charge of international relations. Given his position, all he had to do was make a call to North America and put in a good word, and he could basically get Isabella back.

But the problem now is that the trouble she's in and the fact that she's wanted may not be due to any crime officially determined by the Magical Congress, but rather stems from the hostility and manipulation of a North American family.

This dashed any hopes of getting the person out through official channels—even if the Magic Congress were closed off, it still had to consider international opinion, and everything could be discussed, but a family didn't have so many concerns.

Crouch shared the same view, handing the letter back to Vaughn: "I can't do anything about it either. At most, I can help you contact the Magical Congress so you have a way to get in touch with the Graves family... Although I don't have a high opinion of them. To be honest, the so-called pure-blood families in North America are even more stubborn and fanatical than these pure-blood families in England."

"I can imagine..."

Vaughn rubbed his temples. When he read Isabella's letter earlier, he could tell that the main conflict in the current turmoil in North America was actually the conflict between pure-blood wizards and half-blood/Muggle wizards.

North America has been vigorously promoting the International Secrecy Act, not because they are particularly enlightened or actively responding to the instructions of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Rather, it's because the pure-blood families in power in North America want to maintain their respective family interests and are attempting to use the Secrets Act to completely sever the ties between wizards and Muggles.

In a society, as long as there is no influx of fresh blood to promote class mobility, the classes will become solidified, and only old families can avoid the fate of having their interests diluted.

(End of this chapter)