Chapter 127: The End Of Term Approaches
He didn’t go in. The student-teacher ratio for Ravenclaw was severely imbalanced, with too many young witches, and even as headmaster, he had to avoid suspicion.
He just lightly knocked on the door. Not long after, the door opened from the inside. Vaughn emerged from the Ravenclaw tower, smelling fragrant, and greeted him with a cheerful expression, “When did you get back?”
He looked as if he were the owner of this castle!
Dumbledore was a little displeased, “My dear, if I recall correctly, you’re a Slytherin, so why do you always like to run over to Ravenclaw?”
“Don’t be so serious!” Vaughn smiled, unconcerned, “Does the school rulebook state that students from different houses can’t visit each other? No, right?”
“Besides, I’ve always felt that segregating students into houses is unreasonable. Forcibly labeling students with house affiliations is very detrimental to the harmony and unity of the entire school. Albus, you should thank me; I’m trying to help the school resolve hidden dangers!”
“…You have a thick skin…”
“Thank you, you too.” Vaughn retorted with a smile, but didn’t return to Ravenclaw. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn’t seek him out unless there was something important.
The two strolled leisurely along the deep corridor, the faint glow of magical flames flickering above them, stretching their shadows.
No one spoke for a while, seemingly enjoying the tranquility of the late night.
After a long pause, Dumbledore finally spoke, “I told Nicolas about your request.”
“Oh, what did he say?”
“In principle, Nicolas also doesn’t want to take all his knowledge to his grave. He’s willing to teach you, but before you truly interact and establish a master-disciple relationship, you still need to pass his assessment!”
“The assessment items are not yet determined, but based on my intuition, Nicolas will most likely test your thought process and imagination.”
“I told him all the information you gave me when you entered Aether, your hypothesis about the universe of information. He’s very curious about your path… You are taking completely opposite paths; he likely wants to verify your theories.”
“…”
In the early morning, Vaughn, who hadn’t slept all night, sat on a sofa in the Slytherin common room, troubled by Dumbledore’s reply from yesterday.
He didn’t mind Nicolas Flamel conducting a so-called assessment.
After all, the knowledge belonged to the other party, and they had the right to set conditions for teaching. He just hadn’t expected that Nicolas Flamel’s assessment would likely be incredibly difficult!
The universe of information… was a new understanding of the world and the universe proposed by Vaughn, combining Muggle scientific theories with alchemy.
But to put it bluntly, it was just a brain dump and a brainstorming session!
Vaughn himself was still in the novice stage of alchemy; he currently had no ability to bridge two different knowledge systems and transform his brain dump into tangible theories.
Let alone producing results based on the theories.
“Sigh, I suspect he’s deliberately making things difficult for me, don’t you think? Guo Guo Cha?”
Guo Guo Cha, who had been lying next to him snoring, opened its eyes.
Sensing the distress in its master’s sigh, it buried its large head into Vaughn’s embrace and rubbed against him.
“Meow~”
“At worst, I won’t learn it? That’s fine, but it’s truly a shame. Once Flamel dies, the ‘Golden Soul’ will be broken. These useless alchemists now can’t even create a Time-Turner, let alone a Philosopher’s Stone.”
“Meow?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. How could I scold our dear headmaster? You naughty thing.”
“Meow~”
“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time. Albus told me that Nicolas Flamel had originally decided to stop taking the Elixir of Life, but now he’s changed his mind.”
“Meow meow?”
“Yes, he doesn’t want to die anymore. Perhaps he also knows that his assessment is currently unrealistic, so he didn’t bring it up at all and decided to wait another year. That’s good, at least I still have a year!”
Vaughn was both comforting the overly worried Guo Guo Cha and himself.
At least he had another year, at least he didn’t have to cram everything into this summer break. He could relax for a while longer.
Indeed, these three weeks before the final upgrade exam, the final sprint phase, were a rare period of relaxation for Vaughn.
He had long since completed his review of the written exam courses, and as for practical application, there was no need to mention it. He was qualified to leisurely await the final exams.
For other students, however, each of these three weeks felt like hell.
Of course, relaxing didn’t mean doing nothing. After waiting in the common room for a while longer, Vaughn saw several older students, their faces unwashed and teeth unbrushed, sleepily clutching their textbooks to the common room.
Among them was Phil Travers.
This seventh-year Slytherin, who had openly declared his allegiance to Vaughn at the Quidditch championship banquet two weeks prior, was surprised to see Vaughn there. He managed to pull himself together and greet him, “Mr. Weasley, good morning.”
“Good morning, Travers. Is your review going smoothly?”
“Yes, please rest assured, I have absolutely no problem passing my NEWTs.” Phil Travers suppressed a yawn, trying his best to appear composed.
But the wrinkled robe he had thrown on casually after waking up, the thick book clutched under his arm, and his sleepy expression were hardly convincing.
Vaughn said nothing, nodded, and greeted the others, reminding them, “I’ve already submitted your names to the WAC. They’ll be holding a recruitment fair at the school at the end of the month, so pay attention to the publicity.”
The group exchanged glances. Phil Travers, being the most quick-witted, realizing that WAC’s social recruitment might not go smoothly, quickly replied, “Understood, Mr. Weasley!”
“Thank you for your hard work,” Vaughn said casually.
Phil Travers suddenly seemed as if he had been injected with adrenaline.
Thus, the news of the recruitment fair at the end of the month spread throughout Hogwarts in just half a day.
…
In the afternoon, Harry and Ron heard the news in the library.
“I heard several Slytherin graduates went to WAC,” Seamus Finnigan said, a hint of fear in his expression, “Aren’t they afraid of werewolves?”
Although Seamus’s father was a Muggle, his mother was a witch, and he had grown up hearing terrifying stories about werewolves.
His expression made Harry frown.
However, before he could speak, Ron exclaimed, “So what if they’re werewolves? With Vaughn’s Wolfsbane Potion, there’s no need to fear werewolves losing control anymore. I don’t understand what you’re all so afraid of!”
Harry looked at Ron in astonishment.
Seamus’s eyes widened in surprise, “Merlin, you’re defending Vaughn? Don’t you hate him the most?” His gaze was as if he were looking at a troll sitting in front of him.
Ron puffed out his cheeks, “I… I’m just stating facts. It has nothing to do with Vaughn.”
Seamus remained unconvinced, “Of course I’m afraid. Fear is normal. What if one of the many werewolves at WAC loses control and bites you? Your whole life would be ruined!”
Seamus’s words were essentially the mainstream opinion among the general public in the Wizarding World.
Everyone understood the effect of Wolfsbane Potion, of course, but people naturally gravitated towards safety and avoided danger. The brutal reputation of Lycanthropy over thousands of years could not be overturned in a short time.
Ron’s anger couldn’t solve anything.
In fact, he didn’t have the energy to focus on so many things.
Time continued to move forward. The news of WAC’s recruitment fair at the end of the month only circulated for a few days at Hogwarts before settling back down.
As the exam week drew closer, the young wizards’ attention was entirely focused on revision. At their youthful age, no one wanted to become a laughingstock by failing and having to repeat a year.
Everyone threw themselves into intense and exciting studies. The gradually accumulating psychological pressure caused exam anxiety to spread once again.
On Friday morning, Harry and Ron were awakened by Neville’s distraught roar—this poor fellow, clutching the glowing red Memory Charm, couldn’t for the life of him remember what he had forgotten.
Dean Thomas also suddenly burst into tears one night, wanting to go back to his home in Muggle Society, attend Muggle secondary school, and never return to Hogwarts.
Harry and Ron struggled with all their might to drag the now tall and developing Dean Thomas into the Hospital Wing.
And then they dragged him back—the Hospital Wing was full of fifth and seventh-year students!
Near the end of the term, these two year groups were always the primary victims of exam anxiety. Harry and Ron also saw Wood in the Hospital Wing.
He was curled up in a corner bed, staring blankly, and didn’t utter a sound no matter how Harry and Ron called him.
But when asked about his condition with concern, Madam Pomfrey was very calm, “He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
“Why? He looks terrible.”
Madam Pomfrey said as if accustomed to it, “Children, someone who pretends to be mad will naturally look terrible, but I believe he’ll eventually realize he can’t escape his OWLs and will go back to studying obediently in a few days!”
Madam Pomfrey’s experience proved to be very extensive.
Two days later, Harry and Ron saw Wood again in the Gryffindor common room. He was like other fifth-year students busy with revision, clutching a thick book and poring over the soporific 《 History of Magic 》.
Harry and Ron were happy to see him out of the Hospital Wing and regaining his spirits, but Wood frowned, “What are you talking about? I’ve never been to the Hospital Wing!”
Other fifth-year students around them chimed in:
“That’s right, Wood has been with us the whole time, he’s never been to the Hospital Wing.”
“What a joke, you two must be reading too much. How could tough guys like us avoid revision?”
“Yes, studying brings us joy!”
That was the first time Harry and Ron felt fear for their future fifth-year lives. The pressure of the upgrade exams was already immense; what terrors did the OWLs hold that would drive these seasoned veterans, who had survived four upgrade exams, to mental distress?
Of course, not everyone was in hell.
For example, Vaughn—
Harry and Ron had seen Vaughn more than once, dressed in exquisite velvet robes, wandering through Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor.
His smile was as clear and sunny as the Scottish sky outside in early summer, surrounded by young witches who seemed to have emerged from a shower of rain, their laughter and joy a stark contrast to the anxious, tense, and gloomy young wizards.
Or Hermione—
This bookworm friend’s studies were also intense, but unlike others, she had already completed her first-year coursework and was now self-studying second-year material.
“If I were you, I’d use this time to have some fun. Can’t you ever get enough of these books?”
Ron said this with envy, jealousy, and hatred, while he was using tape to hold his eyelids open to prevent them from closing uncontrollably while he read.
Beside him, Hermione was practicing the movements for a ‘Spell-Stopping Charm’ with her wand.
“There’s nothing fun to do at Hogwarts; studying is better,” Hermione replied while meticulously correcting her movements.
Ron encouraged her, “Go find Vaughn, silly girl. Haven’t you noticed? He’s always flirting with the young witches in Ravenclaw these days. Aren’t you worried? I noticed one named Cho Chang, she’s really pretty!”
Harry, who was silently copying a text nearby, paused his quill, his expression glum.
Hermione was unfazed, “He just likes playing with girls. I trust him.” With that, she glanced at Ron, “Ronald, don’t try to sow discord between me and your brother. I’ll tell him.”
“Foolish little girl, I’m worried about you. You have no sense of crisis and don’t appreciate good intentions. Do you think Vaughn inviting you to his home for the summer means you’ll be able to take the surname Weasley?”
Hermione’s face flushed a shade of crimson, and she stammered, embarrassed and angry, “What nonsense are you talking about? Who… who wants to be surnamed Weasley…”
She couldn’t sit still any longer, hastily gathered her schoolbag, and fled.
Having “driven away” Hermione, Ron was smug, “I knew she was easily embarrassed.”
Harry ignored his inexplicable boastfulness and asked, “Hermione is coming to your house for the summer?”
“Yes, I only found out last week when I received a letter from Mum.” Ron pouted, “Mum is so excited, she practically wants to treat Vaughn like a hero. She says among her sons, Vaughn is the first to bring a girl home, and she’s so proud. In her letter to me, she even called him ‘darling,’ ‘sweetheart,’ and things like that. Pfft…”
Harry didn’t pay attention to the sour undertones hidden behind Ron’s disdainful tone; he just felt envious, “Vaughn is so good to Hermione. Sigh, I can only stay with the detestable Dursleys during the summer…”
Ron then remembered Harry’s less-than-ideal living situation. Being a loyal friend, he said, “You can come play too, Harry. I invite you. Mum will be very happy. And Ginny, she’s always been very curious about you!”
Harry’s expression turned gloomy, “I can’t, Ron.”
“Why?”
“The magic on me, Vaughn told me. The curse my mother cast on me, one of the rituals to maintain its existence, is that I must stay near my blood relatives… My only remaining relatives are Aunt Petunia. Even if I don’t like her, I have to spend some time at the Dursleys’ every year.”
Ron was speechless. After a moment of silence, he suddenly became excited again, patting Harry’s shoulder forcefully, “You can’t leave, but I can come visit you!”
“What?”
“I can come to your house to visit you, Harry. Anyway, I don’t want to see Vaughn and Hermione all lovey-dovey all the time, it gives me nightmares. I might as well stay at your place, how about it?”
This…
Harry’s heart fluttered. One of the main reasons he hated going back to the Dursleys’ was that going home meant leaving his playmates, his friends like Ron, Vaughn, and Hermione.
He hated being locked alone in the cupboard under the stairs…
Wait, the cupboard under the stairs!
Harry suddenly remembered where he lived and blushed with embarrassment. That dirty, cramped place was hardly suitable for entertaining friends.
Just as he was pondering how to politely refuse, two hands landed heavily on his and Ron’s shoulders, along with two teasing voices:
“Where are you going to stay? Little Ronnie?”
“Has our dear brother finally couldn’t stand the excellence of his older brothers and his own mediocrity, and decided to run away from home?”
Ron was furious, “Fred! George! Damn it, stop calling me by my nickname!”
The twins didn’t care if he was angry. They cheerfully ruffled Ron’s hair, making him erupt in rage.
After a bit of roughhousing, they sat down next to Harry.
Harry hadn’t seen the twins for a long time. No one knew where they hid all day, but it certainly wasn’t for studying.
They were also among the few students who didn’t worry about exams.
Hearing Harry ask about their whereabouts, one of the twins raised an eyebrow, “Of course, we’re busy with our own careers, careers that can shock the eyes of the ignorant wizards!”
Ron grumbled from the other side, “Isn’t it going to be something like generating electricity again?”
He vividly remembered being electrocuted and ending up in the Hospital Wing last time.
The twins chuckled, “Ignorant little Ronnie, we advise you to show respect to your brothers, lest you regret it in the future.”
“Heh, it’s too late. I heard little Ronnie was bragging about fighting a fire dragon a while ago. Perhaps we should show everyone the truth?”
“Oh—naughty George—but I like it. Though won’t it be a bit too disgusting?”
“You’re too kind, Fred. We have to let little Ronnie know the price of offending us!”
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, suddenly having a bad premonition.
Harry asked cautiously, “Fred, George, what are you talking about?”
The twins winked at him, “Don’t you already know, Harry? We told you before that we wanted to make a movie for you, and it’s finished now!”
“We’ve even come up with a title: 《 Harry Potter and the Painted World War Against the Dark Lord 》!”
“Paired with 《 Ron’s Adventure in the Dragon’s Lair 》, it’s perfect!”
“Yeah—”
The twins high-fived each other in celebration.
Harry was dumbfounded, and as for Ron, his face turned green…
Harry found Vaughn later that afternoon.
“You… you put cameras in the Painted World?” His face was red, and he stammered, “Why didn’t you tell me? You, you didn’t get my permission!”
Vaughn, blowing the gentle evening wind by the Black Lake, casually turned a page of his book and skillfully deflected the blame, “That was Dumbledore’s decision, Harry.”
“Don’t try to trick me!”
“It’s true. He wanted to film Voldemort. You know, many people in the Wizarding World think he’s dead, especially the Ministry of Magic, and our dear Minister Fudge. No one wants to believe the Dark Lord is still alive. If Dumbledore wants to convince them, he needs to show them evidence.”
Harry didn’t quite understand, “Why don’t they want to believe it?”
Vaughn shrugged, “Because of politics. If the Dark Lord is alive, someone needs to deal with him. Who is the Dark Lord’s opponent in the Wizarding World? Of course, it’s Dumbledore. If they believe the Dark Lord is alive, it means they have to make concessions in exchange for Dumbledore’s military power. The Minister and some people in the Ministry don’t want someone to stand above them.”
Although he still didn’t understand, it sounded very reasonable, and Harry immediately believed him.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked with a troubled expression, “Then, then can you cut me and Ron out? I heard from Fred and George that you’ve been having them edit… the film. Can you not have us appear in it?”
“No!”
Vaughn leisurely turned another page and refused indifferently.
Harry’s shoulders slumped, “Why not?”
“It’s not that I disagree, Harry, it’s Dumbledore. He needs the entire event as corroborating evidence—Voldemort wanted to steal the Philosopher’s Stone to revive, and then you, Hermione, Ron, and I, we all stopped him. Everyone was indispensable, everyone had a shining moment in this battle. This will give people confidence!”
No!
Only you and Hermione had shining moments!
I was beaten the whole time, and Ron was even worse!
Harry wanted to complain, but facing Vaughn’s well-reasoned explanation, he couldn’t say anything other than to feel even more dejected.
No one wanted their embarrassing past to become a movie for everyone to watch.
Even the thick-skinned Ron was unwilling.
Ron was very annoyed by Harry’s fruitless attempt, “He lied to you, you idiot Harry. I don’t believe it’s all Dumbledore’s idea, I bet!”
“Just watch, he just wants to see us make fools of ourselves, no, to see me make a fool of myself!”
Harry thought Ron was being too extreme. That was Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Who would dare to blame him?
In response, Ron let out a cold laugh.
He mocked Harry for being too young and not knowing how audacious a certain malicious person could be.
Ron’s words angered Harry, “Then you go find him yourself, Ronald. Think carefully, why should I refuse? Anyway, I didn’t have to clean up after a fire dragon…”
Ron quickly covered his mouth.
At Ron’s plea, the two quickly stopped their bickering and reconciled, then looked on with worry—according to Vaughn, the so-called 《 Harry Potter and the Painted World War Against the Dark Lord 》 and 《 Ron’s Adventure in the Dragon’s Lair 》 would likely be released soon.
Facing the prospect of social death, what should they do?
In the following days, many young wizards noticed that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had suddenly become secretive.
Whenever students gathered anywhere, they would be seen lurking around, snooping.
“What are you looking at? Is it a movie?”
“Have you seen any movies recently?”
These became the questions they asked most often.
It didn’t stop there. According to Neville, their dorm mate, he heard Ron suddenly wake up in the middle of the night crying, begging everyone to stop watching movies.
Everyone assumed that the heavy revision pressure at the end of the semester and the approaching exam week had completely crushed the Boy Who Lived and his sidekick.
This became a popular anecdote amidst the monotonous revision.
Finally, time moved past mid-June to the third weekend of June. The weather that day was not good. The Scottish Highlands, officially entering summer, were not cool at all; the air was hot and suffocating, making people restless.
The gathering dark clouds on the horizon seemed to weigh down the young wizards’ hearts as well.
On Saturday morning, Harry heard a commotion outside. When he and Ron and Hermione went to the dining hall, they learned that the examiners sent by the Ministry of Magic had arrived at Hogwarts.
For the next week, they would preside over the （ Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWL) exams ） and the （ Ultimate Wizarding Level (NEWT) exams ）.
Harry noticed that the fifth and seventh-year students by the four House long tables looked deathly pale, like rows of ghosts sitting there.
Soon, during breakfast, Harry saw the delegation of examiners sent by the Ministry of Magic.
They were wizards wearing purple robes, led by a very thin and small old witch.
Dumbledore, whom Harry hadn’t seen in a long time, and Vaughn were also wearing purple robes and accompanying them.
The old witch, though skinny to the bone, had a strong voice. Even from afar, Harry could hear her exclaim, “…Everything feels like it happened yesterday. Dumbledore, this Great Hall is just as it was back then, just as it was when I presided over your graduation exams. Nothing has changed. You’ve done well.”
Harry gasped, exclaiming in surprise, “She presided over Dumbledore’s graduation exams? Then she… isn’t she older than Dumbledore?”
Ron whispered, “Of course. That’s Mrs. Marchbanks. She’s been responsible for NEWT exams for at least 120 years. My parents, Bill, and Charlie all graduated under her.”
“Why are they wearing purple robes?”
Ron didn’t need to answer this question; Hermione knew, “That’s the insignia of the Wizengamot. You really need to brush up on your common sense, Harry.”
Harry then remembered that Vaughn and Dumbledore were also members of the Wizengamot.
The appearance of the examiner delegation further lowered the atmospheric pressure around the fifth and seventh-year students at the House long tables. Students from other year groups were also affected and dared not joke or speak loudly as they usually did.
Everyone ate in silence, occasionally stealing glances at the examiners at the high table, then envying Vaughn Weasley, who was conversing with the examiners.
In the afternoon, Hogwarts unusually held a large class on a weekend. Students from various year groups took turns attending a very spacious classroom. The professors were all present. Professor McGonagall, who was hosting the large class, became increasingly stern:
“The exams will officially begin tomorrow. I will reiterate the important points once more: One, absolutely no cheating is allowed. The school will provide anti-cheating quills and parchment, which are not to be brought in privately. Any discovery will be treated as cheating…”
Sitting in the audience, listening to the strict regulations one by one, Harry finally felt certain that the exams had truly arrived, and his first year was about to end!
…
In the early morning, Vaughn woke up, washed, and changed into a new robe.
When he stepped out, the Slytherin dungeons, usually quiet at this time of day, were bustling like a marketplace today.
Students from all year levels were crowded in the narrow corridors between dormitories and the common room with its large bay window, resembling an aquarium.
Everyone was trying to cram in the last moments, frantically memorizing exam points. The continuous whispers filled the air, buzzing like a swarm of bees.
This scene was not limited to Slytherin; the situation in the other three House towers today was almost identical to Slytherin’s.
Yes, the final exams would begin today.
The anxious and apprehensive emotions of the young wizards made the air at Hogwarts feel heavy, as if all joy had vanished in the face of overwhelming pressure.
When Vaughn encountered Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the dining hall, the trio’s faces were taut. Like other young wizards around them, they were cramming with their books.
Vaughn didn’t disturb them. The somber atmosphere in the dining hall also displeased him, so he grabbed some food and called for Guo Guo Cha to eat by the Black Lake.
After breakfast, he wandered around alone for a while. A bell rang in Hogwarts’ ancient castle—the first exam was about to begin!
The exams were conducted in batches. Except for fifth and seventh-year students who had separate examination rooms, other year groups generally shared a few large classrooms. A week ago, Professor McGonagall had led the prefects to unlock a sealed corridor on the fourth floor of the castle.
The large classrooms serving as examination venues were concentrated in that corridor, and their location and exam schedule had been conveyed to everyone by the prefects during the pre-exam pep talk a week ago.
The main exams this morning were for first and second-year students. When Vaughn arrived on the fourth floor, the spacious corridor was already crowded. Young wizards in plain robes were scattered and crowded in front of an opened wall.
The examination rooms were behind it.
Several suits of armor and statues held their weapons crossed, blocking the entrance.
Professor McGonagall was also present. She held her wand to her throat and spoke in a loud voice, “First-years, line up to my left, don’t mess around… Fred! George! Didn’t you hear me? If you don’t want me to cancel your exam and make you repeat the year, you’d better behave!”
After chasing away the giggling twins who had run into the first-year line to cause trouble, Professor McGonagall saw Vaughn and quickly waved him over, “Vaughn, come here.”
Vaughn approached Professor McGonagall, who said in a rush, “My dear, I need to search these little ones for any cheating implements. You and Argus help me.”
Argus was Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, who was holding a large burlap sack behind Professor McGonagall, glaring at the young wizards!
“Understood, Professor.”
Vaughn didn’t mind being roped into helping and agreed, while making small talk, “Professor, are there always students who cheat every year?”
“Yes, it’s impossible to eradicate!” Professor McGonagall pursed her lips sternly and waved her wand, “Despite my repeated warnings at every pre-exam pep talk, there are always audacious individuals who harbour a sliver of hope… Oh—”
The professor’s wrinkled face drooped. Vaughn also noticed that as she waved her wand, the robes of several young wizards at the front of the line began to shake violently.
Malfoy and his two cronies were among them.
“Ha!”
Filch eagerly picked up the sack and jogged over, roaring at Malfoy, “Hand it over!”
“You…”
Malfoy’s face turned bright red, but seeing Vaughn smiling and approaching, he ultimately didn’t dare to utter a sound, not even daring to put on a displeased expression.
He merely glared at Filch, lifted his robe, and threw several quills and pieces of parchment, which were bouncing erratically after being stimulated by Professor McGonagall’s magic, into Filch’s open sack.
