Chapter 13: Hogwarts
To Vaughn, teaching a Malfoy a lesson was a small matter.
But for Hermione, it filled her heart with a strange feeling.
It was unfamiliar, something she had never experienced before…
Watching Vaughn walk over, she had prepared many words of thanks, but for some reason, what came out was a stuttered lecture: “You, you shouldn’t have attacked them with spells, what if they report you to the school…”
Before she could finish, Hermione already regretted it a little.
But Vaughn didn’t seem to care, he just smiled: “At least for the next few hours, they won’t dare to bother us again. I’m going back to the compartment to rest, see you later, Miss Granger!”
Merlin’s beard!
Hermione Granger, where exactly is your brain located?
Hermione almost wanted to punch herself in the head. Seeing Vaughn leave, she finally managed to salvage the situation: “Thank you just now, you, you can call me Hermione!”
Vaughn nodded: “Alright Hermione, you can call me Vaughn too.”
Saying that, he raised his wand again, just like the first time they met not long ago, a small trick flickered over the girl’s hair.
But this time, they didn’t float up; instead, they became smooth and fell onto the girl’s cheeks.
He smiled at her and said again: “Don’t listen to Malfoy’s nonsense, you’re actually very beautiful~”
“…”
Hermione felt that at that moment, the temperature of her head must have soared a hundred degrees, and her face felt burning hot.
Having teased the young girl and had his mood soured by Draco Malfoy, Vaughn’s spirits were lifted again, and he hummed a tune all the way back to his compartment.
Before he even went in, he heard Ron boasting: “…I found out, it was Vaughn who taught Malfoy a lesson. I bet he cast some evil curses on them. Did you see? Malfoy’s teeth are like a warthog’s, maybe he’ll never be cured.”
And Harry’s trembling, excited whisper: “What evil curse, that’s so powerful?”
“Who knows? Vaughn always knows some weird stuff, and he has a bad personality. I wouldn’t be surprised if he cast an Unforgivable Curse on Malfoy!”
Vaughn rolled his eyes, pushed the door open, and to the shocked gaze of the two, took out his wand and pointed it at Ron.
“Ah—”
Ron screamed in fright, startling Harry too. Before he could react, he saw Ron already shrinking behind him.
The movement was so practiced it was heartbreaking, but… why did he have to be a shield?
After scaring his brother, Vaughn couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. He returned to his seat, found a Potions Book, and began reading it with relish.
Harry watched Ron, whose face was as pale as Malfoy’s, and covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.
Ron felt a little embarrassed but dared not say anything, so he could only glare angrily at Harry.
But soon, the two new friends were huddled together again, quietly chatting about topics that interested them.
Nothing else happened during the rest of the time, except for the Twins who came to visit. They knew very well how to please their patron.
After greeting Harry, they announced that they had borrowed a camera from an older student and were preparing to take pictures of Draco Malfoy’s miserable state to distribute to all the students in the school for free.
To publicize their “dear brother’s great achievements.”
In the evening, the Hogwarts Express finally began to slow down. As the sky turned completely dark, it stopped, and a voice echoed through the train: “Hogwarts has arrived. First-year students, please change into your robes as soon as possible and leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to your dormitory…”
Ten minutes earlier, Vaughn had already changed clothes with Harry and Ron.
The two stood nervously behind Vaughn. Harry kept rubbing his legs, and Ron’s freckles had turned white. All sorts of legends about the Sorting Ceremony conjured up terrible scenes in their young minds.
When the train finally stopped, Harry and Ron, almost out of inertia, followed behind Vaughn, their minds completely blank.
It wasn’t until everyone was pushing and shoving that they finally got off onto a dark and small platform, and the cold wind made them a little more alert.
Hogwarts’ Keeper of Keys, Hagrid, was swinging a lantern above the first-year students: “First-year students, any more first-year students? Come to me… Oh, Harry, are you alright?”
Hagrid’s smile couldn’t bring Harry any warmth. He saw Ron tightly gripping Vaughn’s robe, and he grabbed onto it too.
Vaughn looked back at the two of them and whispered, “Don’t pull so tight!”
The two shook their heads desperately.
The older students soon left. Hagrid called out a few more times to ensure all the first-year students had arrived, and then he began to lead the way, holding his lamp.
It was a steep, narrow path, completely dark, and nothing could be seen. No one dared to speak.
Everyone could only see a lamp swaying ahead, stumbling along to keep up, until Vaughn raised his wand high:
“Lumos!”
A soft glow instantly dispelled the darkness. The fluffy heads of the young wizards around them, like chicks finding their mother hen, wriggled and gathered around Vaughn.
After walking in silence for a while longer, they turned a corner, and the narrow field of vision suddenly opened up.
At the end of the path ahead, a vast black lake stretched as wide as an ocean, extending all the way to the mountains in the distance. And on those mountains stood a magnificent castle, with undulating stone walls and a forest of spires. Windows lit with warm lights glowed in the night.
Looking at this distant view, Vaughn had to admit it was quite breathtaking.
Hagrid led everyone to the Lakeside and pointed to a row of moored boats: “Four people per boat, don’t crowd, and don’t exceed the limit!”
Vaughn took Harry and Ron onto a boat. The little chicks around them also wanted to squeeze in.
But Vaughn called out loudly: “Hermione? Hermione! Come over!”
Thank goodness it was night, so no one saw Hermione’s face turn almost completely red. She tried hard to act as if nothing had happened and jogged onto the boat.
Ron glared at her the whole time, but Harry was happy that everyone on the boat was someone he knew.
When all the young wizards had boarded, under Hagrid’s loud shouts, all the boats lined up and began to glide across the calm lake surface automatically.
As they moved forward, they got closer and closer to the mountain and the castle towering under the night sky, until they reached the cliff below the castle. Everything above them seemed to hang in the sky. The visual impact left everyone breathless, and no one spoke.
Hagrid guided everyone off the boats, and after passing through a pebble path and a stone staircase, they arrived at a large door. His huge fist knocked on it a few times.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing a figure familiar to Vaughn.
“First-year students, Professor McGonagall.”
“Thank you, Hagrid, leave them to me!”
Professor McGonagall’s expression was still stern. Under her strict gaze, all the first-year students unconsciously stopped their fidgeting and followed her obediently.
Only Vaughn looked around, observing his surroundings. They first passed through a doorway, a simple stone wall, with many torches inserted into it. Shrine-like reliefs and stone statues lined the walls, leading up to a dome that seemed to reach the sky.
It looked very mysterious and solemn.
But after passing through here, they entered a spacious, luxurious Hall, brilliantly lit. A marble staircase wound upwards, connecting to the deep castle floors above.
