Chapter 99: Ilvermorny’s Invitation, Tests And Training
It seemed he saw that Vaughn understood.
Crouch began to talk to Vaughn about matters in North America.
He said, “I’ve also been paying attention to issues in North America in recent years… Don’t look at me like that. Regardless, I am the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation; it’s my job.”
“The North American Muggle government is indeed trying to crack the power of wizards, but countries around the world know that they started this in the 1920s and 30s. After decades, they’ve made virtually no progress. Muggles…”
Crouch paused. “I still prefer to say Muggle… Muggles without magic simply cannot comprehend the power of wizards. Their so-called science does have its merits. I’ve studied it in detail. Yes, the power of nuclear weapons is astonishing, but that’s all.”
Speaking of the most terrifying technological achievement of Muggles, nuclear bombs, Crouch exhibited neither the ignorant disdain of many wizards nor the fear of Muggles.
Instead, it was an attitude of considerable detachment, as if discussing a novel, oversized toy.
Vaughn knew that this detached attitude was precisely how enlightened individuals in the wizarding world truly viewed Muggles and Muggle creations.
It was all because Muggles couldn’t do magic!
The longer Vaughn was exposed to magic, and the deeper he delved into the path of magic, the more he understood how fragile Muggles were when facing wizards.
One fact that must be acknowledged is that the technology Muggles apply to weapons, purely in terms of destructive power, is indeed not comparable to what wizards can achieve.
However, the issue is that since the phasing out of ancient magic, the modern spell system developed by wizards has already abandoned the concept of prioritizing sheer power, turning instead towards diversified development.
To use a few common spells from the wizarding world as an analogy.
First, the Obliviation Charm and the False Memory Charm!
This pair of spells allows a wizard to arbitrarily alter another’s memories. The Obliviation Charm, in particular, causes an almost permanent effect.
Even wizards have limited countermeasures against these two spells, primarily Legilimency and counter-spells. The Obliviation Charm, due to its thorough clearing of memories, has a less than ideal counter-spell effect.
And Muggles?
Their minds, in the eyes of wizards who possess Memory Magic, are practically public restrooms; they can enter whenever they please, with no defenses.
To Vaughn’s knowledge.
Of the magical accidents the Ministry handles each year, at least several hundred are cases where wizards have used Memory Magic on Muggles—Obliviation is regulated by the Ministry, but the Sweet Dreams Charm and Nightmare Charm are not prohibited.
Even the Obliviation Charm, despite strict usage restrictions, has long been rampant.
Under the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes in the Ministry of Magic, there is an organization called the “Memory Cancellation Department,” which is the workplace for Memory Cancellation Officers.
Since the implementation of the International Statute of Secrecy, through centuries of evolution, the once inconspicuous Memory Cancellation Officers have seen their numbers swell year by year in modern times with the frequent occurrence of Muggle-witnessed magical accidents.
Today, the Memory Cancellation Department has become one of the largest departments in the Ministry, second only to the Auror Office—in times of peace, the role of Aurors is greatly reduced, while handling magical accidents and maintaining the Statute of Secrecy has become the Ministry’s focus.
Of course, another significant reason is that the current Minister of Magic, Mr. Cornelius Fudge, originated from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, which can be considered his faction.
The work of a Memory Cancellation Officer, as the name suggests, is to erase memories, making Muggles who accidentally witness or experience magical events forget everything they saw and experienced.
And this method has become the primary means for the Ministry to handle magical accidents in recent years. Even though wizards know that Obliviation is a spell that can easily spiral out of control, it’s difficult for wizards not to choose this simplest method when facing the defenseless minds of Muggles.
Besides Memory Magic, there are also the Confundus Charm, the Muggle Repelling Charm, and spells involving the soul, such as the Imperius Curse.
These magics are defenseless against Muggles.
Especially the Confundus Charm.
‘In my past life’s memories, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Gellert Grindelwald used the foretold nuclear explosion scene to propagate the Muggle threat theory, but that was merely his means.’
‘Why is it that in the years since the birth of nuclear weapons, the wizarding world has continued its quiet life without any sense of urgency of being destroyed by Muggles? Because after nuclear weapons were invented, wizards discovered they were just another tool created by Muggles.’
‘In the eyes of Muggles, all tools are inanimate objects, but wizards are different. In a wizard’s eyes, all things possess a spirit, so some spells are not limited to intelligent beings or inanimate objects, such as the Confundus Charm!’
Vaughn’s thoughts wandered.
The Confundus Charm can not only confuse and manipulate a person but also confuse and manipulate an object. In the “future,” Barty Crouch Jr.’s Confundus Charm confused the Goblet of Fire, sending Harry into the Triwizard Tournament.
Muggle nuclear weapons are certainly terrifying, but as tools, they, like other tools, can be affected by the Confundus Charm.
Imagine a wizard maintaining a Muggle Repelling Charm, walking into a Muggle nuclear base as if on an outing, and casting a Confundus Charm on a nuclear bomb.
With just one spell, the Muggles’ most powerful weapon loses its control…
Crouch was unaware of Vaughn’s deep contemplation. His expression was solemn. “Therefore, the wizard’s concession, the promotion of the Statute of Secrecy, was never due to fear of Muggles, but rather a combination of various reasons.”
He did not elaborate on what these “various reasons” were. The Statute of Secrecy has been in existence for exactly 300 years. The International Statute of Secrecy was enacted in 1692. Everything from the past is now a distant memory.
However, if this scope is limited to pure-blood families, then the psychology of pure-blood families cooperating to promote the Statute of Secrecy is easy to summarize—compared to enslaving “useless” Muggles “without magic,” it is clearly more in line with their ideals to sever the connection between Muggle society and the wizarding world, allowing magic to forever belong to pure-bloods.
This is likely the unified thought of pure-blood families worldwide; otherwise, the Statute of Secrecy would not have appeared 300 years ago.
The North American wizarding world, which evolved from England and adopted almost all of its systems, is certainly no exception.
“So the essence of the current conflict in North America is still pure-blood families using the Statute of Secrecy to attempt to return magic to its pure state.”
Crouch said, “The threats and persecution of wizards by the Muggle government are mostly staged by them. I dare say that the tragic examples Isabella mentioned in her letter were likely orchestrated by North American pure-blood families.”
“On one hand, they promote the Muggle threat theory and strictly enforce the Statute of Secrecy; on the other hand, they sell intelligence on Muggle-born wizards to the Muggle government, creating persecution and intensifying mutual conflict.”
“…Highly likely.”
Vaughn nodded. With his mature way of thinking, he had always been unafraid to speculate about anything involving politics with the greatest possible malice.
However, Vaughn didn’t understand why Crouch was telling him all this.
Soon, he received the answer.
“The reason I’m telling you this is that I want to tell you not to try to retrieve Isabella through pure-blood families or through me and Dumbledore. She is now caught in such a whirlpool, and those of us outside the situation can do little.”
“Even the Watchers organization she has joined is likely not entirely clean. Organizations that issue death threats to pure-blood families as soon as a conflict becomes public are either foolish or malicious, perhaps even tools used by certain radical families to ‘persuade’ other pure-bloods.”
“Coupled with the conflict between her surname and the Graves family, if we rashly interfere, it could very well backfire.”
Hearing this, Vaughn paused, then suddenly understood.
He hadn’t thought in that direction before, but hearing Crouch’s subtle mention, he immediately realized.
Humans are creatures whose goals and thoughts are difficult to unify. Perhaps all pure-bloods worldwide want to drive away half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards, but in terms of specific actions, disagreements are inevitable.
With so many pure-blood families in North America, it’s impossible for all of them to want to achieve their goals through the radical methods currently being employed.
Where there are radicals, there are naturally conservatives.
Vaughn recalled Isabella’s letter mentioning the pure-blood families who received death threats and connected it to Crouch’s words. He looked at the other man. “You suspect the radical faction is using organizations like the Watchers to force the conservative faction onto the warpath? For example, the Graves?”
Crouch nodded. “From a political perspective, there is no irreconcilable contradiction between radicalism and conservatism. The difference between them is merely in their differing opinions and the urgency of their actions; this is not immutable, it only requires external pressure…”
This external pressure could be the so-called “thug groups” composed of North American Muggle-born wizards, or it could be… other countries!
Vaughn’s mind suddenly cleared.
Crouch was right. In the current situation, it was indeed unsuitable for him and Dumbledore to get involved. In fact, any external force wanting to intervene would immediately send the situation in North America into an unknown state.
Radicalism usually implies a lack of control, and given the volatile state of the North American wizarding world, if it were to spiral out of control, it could very well lead to war!
Thinking of this, Vaughn felt a headache coming on.
He had initially felt that the chaos in North America was far from him. Although he had paid attention before, he hadn’t felt any real impact. He hadn’t expected that suddenly that flame of chaos would burn near him.
Because he suddenly realized that Crouch’s lengthy discourse on the essence of the North American situation might not just be because of Isabella Rosier.
As expected.
When Vaughn asked, Crouch’s serious face twitched a few times, and he still pulled out a thick parchment envelope from his pocket.
He handed the envelope to Vaughn and said dryly, “Actually, I don’t think you should get involved in this mess. The North American wizarding world has no Dumbledore, and the influence of pure-blood families runs deep into every aspect. There is only one place they find difficult to interfere with, and that place has now become a gathering ground for half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards, and the place with the most severe conflict in the North American wizarding world…”
Vaughn looked at the envelope.
A large crest was printed on the envelope. The crest was composed of crossed ribbons and the images of four animals. For a moment, Vaughn thought he saw Hogwarts’ shield crest.
In the world, crests that used images of four animals, apart from Hogwarts, were only found on another magical school created in its imitation—
Crouch uttered the name in a dry voice: “—Ilvermorny! Yesterday, the International Confederation of Wizards forwarded me an invitation from them, inviting you to North America during the summer for a Potions academic exchange and to discuss the possibility of establishing a North American branch of the Werewolf Affairs Committee!”
Hearing Crouch’s words and looking at the letter, Vaughn was stunned…
…
Vaughn returned to Hogwarts at night.
As soon as he walked out of Professor McGonagall’s office, he was ambushed by the twins.
The twins had been in deep trouble all day.
Given Ron’s previous successful trial of a potion, which earned him a 3-day holiday, the twins’ Puking Pastille business had not only spread throughout all seven years of Gryffindor but had also expanded its customer base to other houses.
Even Slytherin, which had the worst relationship with Gryffindor, had many fifth and seventh-year students who couldn’t bear the academic pressure and secretly placed orders.
The scheme was exposed, and the Gryffindor customers, considering they were in the same house, didn’t push too hard.
The Hufflepuff badgers were also always honest; they’d just urge the twins to return the money and wait patiently.
However, Ravenclaw and Slytherin were not so easily fooled, especially Slytherin. Those guys usually found ways to annoy Gryffindor, let alone now with such righteous indignation.
As soon as class ended, Malfoy, with his two cronies and several fifth-year “victims,” unfurled a banner in front of the Gryffindor Tower.
It read, “The Weasleys don’t pay their debts, their red hair drinks sweat and blood.”
He was also disruptive during classes. He bribed several Slytherin students in the same year as the twins, instructing them to wear magically enchanted armbands in class and repeatedly demonstrate the message on the banner.
Although there was no physical attack or bullying, this kind of public humiliation, comparable to social death, was far more damaging to the twins than any actual harm.
So much so that Vaughn almost didn’t recognize them when he saw the two—their red hair was as messy as a bird’s nest, their faces pale and gaunt, showing none of their usual liveliness and optimism.
The two looked at Vaughn with pleading eyes.
After a day of encounters, their ambition had long since collapsed under the pressure from their creditors and the humiliation from Slytherin.
The words they often uttered, “Weasleys never go back on their word,” had suddenly become a joke.
Now, they just wanted to refund the deposits quickly. In the afternoon, they had contacted the shops where they bought raw materials, attempting to get them to buy them back.
However, distance couldn’t solve immediate problems, and with the cost of buying and selling raw materials, they couldn’t expect a full refund. Their only hope to cover the shortfall now was Vaughn.
Unfortunately, Vaughn couldn’t spare them any attention at the moment.
Ignoring the twins’ attempt to cling to him, Vaughn told them to wait in the Room of Requirement and then hurried to the Headmaster’s Office.
Dumbledore, as usual, began with sweets, but Vaughn refused without hesitation. Dumbledore shook his head regretfully and unfolded the invitation Vaughn handed him, looking at it:
“Oh—an invitation from Ilvermorny, how rare. The North American wizarding world is very insular; they rarely bother with other countries and magical schools, always wanting to live in their own little world behind closed doors…”
This was common knowledge, and Vaughn, not wanting to hear his rambling, interrupted, “What do you think Ilvermorny’s intentions are?”
Dumbledore smiled, his sapphire-blue eyes as bright as the moon outside the window. “It’s obvious, Vaughn. You’ve shown the world the potential of werewolves. Ilvermorny wants to recruit werewolves through you!”
“If werewolves are considered magical creatures, then they are likely the most widespread species in the world… Forgive an old man’s stubbornness, but I always unconsciously exclude werewolves from humanity.”
“Understandable. You are over a hundred years old, with your grave already dug up to your eyebrows.”
Vaughn, accustomed to Dumbledore’s catchphrases, said sarcastically.
Dumbledore smiled indulgently and continued, “Lycanthropy—oh, I almost forgot you wrote a thesis that reclassified it as the werewolf virus… In any case, the unique mechanism of the werewolf virus means there are almost no constraints on the expansion of the werewolf population.”
“Even in a place where there were never any werewolves before, if one were to appear, they could quickly infect a group.”
“The Americas are a severely affected area for werewolves. This is related to its history of development. You, who are familiar with Muggles, should know that Muggle colonists did not use normal labor but slaves, criminals, and condemned prisoners.”
“Muggle society is like this, and so is the wizarding world. However, compared to the vast population of Muggles, the scarce number of wizards used for colonial expansion was a tremendous waste. Therefore, at that time, some people set their sights on werewolves.”
“While the werewolf virus is a disaster for Muggles and wizards, in the eyes of some, it is not without its uses. At least when they transform and go mad during the full moon, they are the most efficient killing machines—physically strong and ruthless. Besides magic, almost no weapon can harm them.”
“Any life in front of them can only be slaughtered. Even more terrifying is that as long as some powerful wizards intervene to prevent them from killing completely, and as more Muggles are scratched and bitten, the werewolf virus spreads, and this killing machine will grow larger and larger…”
Dumbledore sighed. “To colonize the Americas, wizards in Europe at the time rounded up large numbers of werewolves and vampires and sent them there. It is difficult for us now to imagine how chaotic and bloody the Americas were in that era.”
Vaughn was somewhat taken aback.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered a movie he had watched in his previous life, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a bizarre film that reimagined American history and portrayed the Civil War as a war between humans and vampires.
The scene Dumbledore described suddenly gave him the illusion of having time-traveled again.
Seeing his bewildered expression, Dumbledore shook his head. “I know you find it absurd, but everyone was insane back then. New world, new lands, trade, gold… Greed drove people from the entire European continent to become demons.”
“Since the birth of wizards, there has never been an era as crazy as that one. Modern magical history is vague about the events of that time, but from the details, we can infer that the birth of the Statute of Secrecy was not solely due to the Muggle witch hunts.”
“Including the several wars fought by Muggles in the Americas, they are likely related to the eventual loss of control over werewolves and vampires in the Americas… The wizards of that era chose to bury everything, but some traces cannot be erased, such as the much larger werewolf population in the Americas compared to Europe.”
“According to investigations by the International Confederation of Wizards, there may be tens of thousands of werewolves and thousands of vampires in the entire Americas… These are problems left over from centuries ago.”
Dumbledore paused here and added, “This is still intelligence from 60 years ago. At that time, Grindelwald was rampant in North America. To track his whereabouts, the Confederation was able to force the International Magical Congress to open its doors. Since then, the International Magical Congress has not allowed the Confederation to interfere. What the situation is now, no one knows.”
He then looked deeply at Vaughn with his bright sapphire eyes. “But we can imagine that the werewolves in North America must be a tremendous force, so much so that they could directly determine the situation in North America, and your Wolfsbane Potion and the Werewolf Affairs Committee could be the key to influencing the situation!”
Vaughn was speechless.
He naturally understood Dumbledore’s meaning. Connecting it with the intelligence revealed by Crouch, the main conflict in North America was between pure-blood families and half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards.
Ilvermorny, in this conflict, chose to protect half-bloods and Muggles, which forced it to stand in opposition to the pure-blood families.
A single magical school fighting against all pure-blood families—let alone Ilvermorny, even Hogwarts with Dumbledore could not achieve this.
Therefore, Ilvermorny began to try to rally magical creatures.
This was not the first time the school had done such a thing. At its founding, it had recruited Pukwudgies—small creatures with gray skin, close to goblin ancestry, possessing great magic.
If it were just this, Vaughn would have had no hesitation. He could have accepted the invitation, gone to North America, expanded the Werewolf Affairs Committee, spread his fame, and incidentally rescued Isabella.
However, if werewolves were to become the key to determining the situation, the problem would be quite serious.
At the very least, those pure-blood families would certainly not stand by idly while tens of thousands of werewolves joined the Ilvermorny faction. It was difficult to say what measures they would take.
Seeing Vaughn’s rare furrowed brow and indecision.
Dumbledore resumed his smiling expression. “My dear, there are still 3 months until the summer vacation. You can take your time to consider.”
Vaughn gave him a sidelong glance. “Are you gloating?”
“No, no, no, I just find it amusing. As you progress faster and faster on the path of magic, it seems difficult for anything to trouble you anymore.”
That old scoundrel!
Vaughn impatiently asked, “Stop the nonsense, what’s your advice?”
“I have no advice. If I were to consider it purely from the perspective of a headmaster, I would advise you not to go. Matters in America have nothing to do with Europe, and it’s certainly not for a student like you to bear the danger.”
Dumbledore said with a smile, “But I am not just a headmaster, and you, Vaughn, are not just a student!”
…
Vaughn had no idea what riddle Dumbledore was spouting now.
He couldn’t be bothered to press further. The old man was most fond of being a riddle-master and was adept at feigning foolishness; he wouldn’t get anything out of him.
Not getting advice from Dumbledore didn’t discourage Vaughn. Ultimately, he had to make the decision himself, and Dumbledore was right; there were still 3 months, and he could take his time to consider and deliberate carefully.
At the very least, he needed to cram some history and related events of the North American wizarding world during this time to understand the situation there, which was quite necessary.
However, that would have to wait until tomorrow.
For now, Vaughn still had to deal with his two brothers, to show them his “brotherly” affection!
The corridor outside the Room of Requirement.
As per Vaughn’s instructions, the twins, who had arrived early, paced back and forth anxiously.
Opposite the tapestry, Guo Guo Cha squatted by the wall, its large round eyes fixed on the pacing twins. The door to the Room of Requirement had long since appeared above its head.
Because of Vaughn, the twins had known about this magical place for months. However, Vaughn often came here to practice magic and read, so the twins, not daring to disturb their brother, visited infrequently.
If it were any other time, they might have been curious to explore, but now, with their minds preoccupied, they had no leisure, not even bothering to acknowledge Guo Guo Cha.
After pacing for a while, the twins suddenly stopped, their expressions dejected:
“Fred, I think our good days are over.”
Fred sighed, “Yeah, George. The last person in the family willing to support our research might not be supporting us anymore today!”
The twins were very intelligent, with excellent IQ and EQ.
Previously, they had only focused on finding ways to balance the books and hadn’t thought much about it. Now, calming down and carefully considering Vaughn’s attitude, they had to sadly realize that Vaughn, who had always supported them, might also give up on them this time.
“It’s all your fault, George! Why did you go flaunt it in front of him those days? You knew very well that our dear brother is petty!”
“Shut up! You were the one who said we should let our petty brother see our achievements!”
“Don’t talk nonsense, I never said that.”
“Then neither did I.”
The twins, accustomed to blaming each other and bickering, remembered something and furtively looked up and down the corridor, lest some petty individual suddenly appear.
Then, they looked at Guo Guo Cha again.
“Is it looking at us?”
“Mm…”
“I heard Kneazles are very smart, what if it tells on us?”
“Are you an idiot, Fred? Kneazles can’t talk, and besides, it’s a half-blood!”
“That’s right!”
Guo Guo Cha’s round eyes, with pupils contracted into slits, reflected the figures of the twins pacing back and forth and sighing.
They heard them discussing:
“How about… we threaten him with his dating life?”
“How do we threaten him? Mother can’t wait for us to find girlfriends at school; she’s had ball gowns ready for us since we enrolled!”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“I think we should be firm and negotiate with him. That’s right, we did make some mistakes this time, but it’s not our fault! The school is suppressing us. I firmly believe that once this storm passes, the Skipping School Candy series will be a bestseller!”
“Then you better be firm later, don’t you dare get on your knees just because he scares you.”
“Heh, are you talking about yourself, George?”
The two exchanged cold laughs and glared at each other, but soon they were arm in arm again, whispering together for a while about their strategy to deal with Vaughn.
After another ten minutes or so, a crisp sound of footsteps appeared in the deep darkness of the corridor.
Before long, in the dim light of the corridor’s torches, Vaughn walked over. He frowned slightly, seemingly lost in some distress. He didn’t even greet the twins, but directly picked up Guo Guo Cha, who came to greet him, opened the door of the Room of Requirement, and went inside.
Only after entering did his voice ring out, “Come in!”
The twins exchanged glances, reminding each other to be tough and not slack off, then followed him into the Room of Requirement.
The room had been summoned by the two of them when they were pacing back and forth outside earlier. It was an ordinary abandoned classroom with almost no furnishings.
As soon as they entered, they saw Vaughn draw his wand and point it at the ground. an old table turned into a rocking chair, trotted over to Vaughn, and served him to sit down.
Vaughn picked up Guo Guo Cha and looked at the twins.
Before he could speak, the twins, who had been warning each other to be tough just a moment before, lunged to Vaughn’s side, hugging his thighs from left and right, and complained in unison:
“Dear brother, I want to report George （ Fred ）, he just said you were petty!”
The two were stunned, then glared at each other:
“You detestable liar, George, I knew your words just now were not well-intentioned!”
“Weren’t you the same? You tempted me to badmouth my dearest brother, trying to ruin our relationship!”
Guo Guo Cha, squatting on Vaughn’s lap, tucked its paws and swayed its head from side to side, curiously watching the twins tear each other down, then meowed at Vaughn.
Vaughn listened, tilted his head, and looked at the two with a half-smile, “I heard you two wanted to be tough with me?”
The twins stared foolishly at Guo Guo Cha, still tucking its paws and looking full of curiosity, and said sheepishly, “It… no, she can talk?”
Vaughn smiled without answering.
Of course, Guo Guo Cha couldn’t talk. In reality, he had woven a Persona Embodiment onto Guo Guo Cha. It could collect everything Guo Guo Cha saw and heard and convey some simple information to him when Vaughn approached. It also allowed him to read it with Legilimency.
The specific effect was somewhat similar to innate Legilimency in the Wizarding World.
However, innate Legilimency couldn’t control itself; they would receive the scattered thoughts of anyone. Vaughn’s developed technique, on the other hand, only received the thoughts of the being to whom he had implanted the Persona Embodiment.
This was originally a technique he developed to continuously monitor Barty Crouch Jr.’s mental world. Later, he discovered he could use it on pets, allowing him and his pets to communicate across languages.
The twins naturally didn’t understand such advanced concepts. Besides their interest in Alchemy, they had always performed ordinarily in other areas.
However, at the same time, their Alchemy was indeed quite interesting.
Thinking this, Vaughn opened his satchel and took out a Skipping School Candy.
Many people thought the candies developed by the twins were Potions. In fact, they had little to do with Potions and were a form of Alchemy.
It was a magical effect created from “Nothingness” by borrowing “Aether” and Potion Ingredients.
In the past, Vaughn didn’t understand Alchemy and his perception of the twins’ talent was limited to their wildly imaginative thinking and their enthusiasm for pranks.
Only after he could finally understand introductory Alchemy books did he realize that the twins’ seemingly unreliable Alchemy skills actually held more potential.
It was a waste to use it for making prank props.
Vaughn looked at the twins, pondered for a moment, and said, “Hermione told me you want to borrow money from me to pay off the deposit?”
Fred and George nodded repeatedly.
Vaughn smiled, reopened his satchel, and while rummaging through it, asked under the twins’ anxious gaze, “If you want my help, what can you offer in return?”
“Uh…”
The two looked at each other. It wasn’t that they couldn’t accept “offering something,” but rather that they didn’t know what they could do to help Vaughn.
Vaughn didn’t expect them to answer. After rummaging in his satchel for a while, he took out a small box, opened it, and inside lay two Muggle light bulbs—
Fred and George had seen these before. When their father was fixing his car, he had removed the front and rear lights.
The two looked at the light bulbs, then at Vaughn, utterly confused.
Vaughn didn’t say anything either. He continued to rummage through his satchel, took out a lamp holder, wires, and a battery, and assembled them.
The twins silently watched his actions.
They were not unfamiliar with these items. Influenced by Arthur and Vaughn, they had often come into contact with Muggle technology since childhood and had even modified many Muggle technological products with their own hands.
It wasn’t until Vaughn finished assembling and screwed the light bulb into the holder, then flipped the switch.
The light bulb did not turn on.
One of the twins then “kindly” reminded him, “Dear brother, Hogwarts is filled with magic, which can cause great interference to magnetic fields. Muggle technological items won’t work here.”
Vaughn nodded and thanked him for the reminder, “Thank you, but if I recall correctly, I was the one who told you this, right when you started at school. Your radio broke then, and you thought you’d been ripped off by a Muggle merchant.”
“…”
The twins scratched their faces simultaneously, feeling a bit embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject, “So, dear brother, what do you want us to do?”
Vaughn no longer teased them. Looking at the electric lamp he had assembled, he stated his plan, “I hope you will put aside your prank ideas for now and use your Alchemy knowledge to make electric lamps usable in Hogwarts, or simply abandon Muggle electricity and research how to make magical lamps!”
“…Huh?”
The twins looked at each other.
For the two of them, creating prank props was like their belief and soul. Giving it up, even temporarily, would make them feel very uncomfortable.
But now they were asking Vaughn for a favor, and they didn’t dare to refuse directly. After much hesitation, one of the twins, it was unclear whether Fred or George, argued,
“What’s the point of such a thing? Hogwarts has magical braziers and oil lamps, and we also have Illumination Charms…”
Before he could finish, Vaughn interrupted him, “Over a hundred years ago, Muggles also had oil lamps and gas lamps. So why did they invent electric lights?”
The twins were somewhat bewildered. They were not yet at an age to ponder such questions, so they naturally couldn’t answer why.
Vaughn didn’t want to lecture them with empty words. He just said, “In short, this is my only request. Now, tell me, how much money is needed to pay off the deposit?”
Seeing their brother’s firm attitude with no room for negotiation, the twins finally faced reality, knowing that this matter, unlike usual, could not be brushed aside with their usual tantrums and begging.
“12 Galleons.”
The two drooped their shoulders, looking dejected, but they didn’t spout nonsense. They even added, “You can give 4 Galleons. We are currently processing the materials we bought earlier, so we should be able to gather 8 to 9 Galleons.”
Vaughn didn’t listen and directly took out a small bag of gold coins, “Here are 20 Galleons, considered as payment for your materials, and for your subsequent research expenses… You know my personality. I am very serious this time. Not only will I regularly supervise your progress, but I will also have deadlines. I hope you can complete this research before the end of the summer holiday, whether it’s solving the problem of electric lights in Hogwarts or creating magical lamps.”
“At that time, I will no longer restrict your research on prank props, and I will even fund you until ‘Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes’ is established… although, in my opinion, you might not even look at a joke shop by then!”
The twins mumbled indistinctly.
The joke shop was their lifelong persistence and cause; how could they give it up so easily?
Taking the money bag from Vaughn, the twins could finally resolve their debt, but they weren’t happy at all. It wasn’t just because of their brother’s coercion, but also because the deadline Vaughn set was too tight.
One of the twins decided to struggle a bit more, “Vaughn, completing it by the end of the summer is impossible. We’ve never conducted research in this direction before. You need to give us more time.”
As soon as the words fell.
They saw Vaughn take out a rather ancient-looking radio. It was made entirely of wood, and as Vaughn turned it on, the sound of static from the broadcast immediately came out.
This was a magical radio!
A rare product in the Wizarding World that combined magic with Muggle technology. Including the broadcast station that accompanied the radio, it was also a crystallization of magic and technology. It replaced electricity with magic but could reproduce the same effect and would not be distorted by magical magnetic fields.
This item was not uncommon. The Weasley family had one, and Molly often used it to listen to gossip and interesting tidbits.
“Whether it’s using Alchemy to protect electromagnetic fields and prevent them from being distorted by magic, or using technology that replaces electricity with magic, this radio incorporates both. With such a finished product for you to dismantle and learn from, I believe the mere problem of electric lights should not be difficult for you!”
Seeing that their brother had prepared so thoroughly and confirming his resolve again, the twins reluctantly agreed.
It wasn’t until they walked out of the Room of Requirement that the twins quietly and indignantly discussed, “Look at how thoroughly he prepared – money, technical products, research ideas… I bet, George, he’s had his eyes on us for more than a day or two.”
“That’s right, Fred. This sly fellow must have deliberately avoided us this morning, just to make us suffer a bit so he could squeeze us dry!”
“Detestable capitalist!”
“Exactly, Fred! But… at least I can sleep soundly tonight. Sigh…”
Touching their small money bag, the heavy Gold Galleons inside made them feel incredibly secure. Although they had paid the price of their freedom for this, the feeling of being chased for debt was even worse.
The twins, feeling both fortunate and sighing, gradually walked away. Guo Guo Cha, who had been squatting at the door watching them leave, wagged its tail, turned back into the Room of Requirement, jumped onto Vaughn’s lap, who was already flipping through a notebook and writing something, and meowed at him.
Vaughn tilted his ear slightly, then smiled and stroked Guo Guo Cha’s head,
“Oh, don’t worry about them, Guo Guo Cha. I just want to temper their character flaws and get them to focus, and also, I don’t want their talent to go to waste.”
“Meow~”
“No, I respect their hobbies, but reality is not a Storybook, and the Wizarding World is not as safe as it seems. As Wizards, they can have hobbies, but they cannot abandon the proper path because of them, as that will ultimately harm them.”
Guo Guo Cha made no further sound, but affectionately rubbed against Vaughn’s chin, then jumped off him and lay down beside him to rest.
Vaughn continued to write in his notebook.
What he said to Guo Guo Cha was indeed his genuine thought. He hadn’t felt it before, but after he obtained his Alchemy talent, he truly recognized that the twins’ talent in Alchemy was quite extraordinary.
Especially the Skipping School Candy series they developed this time, achieving the effect of Potions through Alchemy, taking a different path with a peculiar approach.
He had always felt that the twins’ inner freedom and wildness were not a good thing. Now, he naturally didn’t want to see them continue to waste their talent on the wrong path.
He intended to guide them back to the right path, both to prevent them from repeating their future outcome and in the hope that someone could help him.
Thinking this, Vaughn’s writing pen paused.
He suddenly recalled Dumbledore’s ambiguous attitude towards him regarding whether he would accept the invitation to North America.
“…That old man, could he also be thinking along the same lines, wanting to test and cultivate me?”
