Chapter 98: Strict Crackdown Before The Exam And The Twins At Their Wits’ End
Dumbledore appreciated his caution; it was precisely this trait that he liked most about Vaughn—a reverence for things he didn’t understand.
What people should fear the most is never ignorance or stupidity, but arrogance.
Because ignorance will not destroy you, but arrogance will.
Looking at the golden hourglass returned to his hand, Dumbledore sighed. He was reminded of the concept of a four-dimensional being that Vaughn had mentioned earlier.
“Wizards’ manipulation of time still has significant flaws. Your division into 3.5 dimensions is quite sensible.”
“Oh? You actually agree with my idea. I thought you would strongly refute it, believing that such a division belittled Muggles.”
Dumbledore smiled, “Don’t try to test me, child. You should know that my protection of Muggles stems from a sense of pity for the weak… This is an idea every wizard unconsciously develops, even those of Muggle origin.”
“When great power is concentrated in individuals, the division of classes is inevitable. To say something unpleasant, it’s hard to consider ants as your own kind.”
Vaughn remained silent. Great power concentrated in an individual was like possessing a sharp weapon.
A law-abiding person, if they are armed and can easily take another’s life, will instinctively try to use their weapon to solve problems when they encounter them.
Because people instinctively understand that all problems are created by people; solve the person who creates the problem, and the distress will vanish.
Even Vaughn, with his mature outlook from a past life, no longer considered Muggles his own kind （ otherwise he wouldn’t use the word Muggle ）. This is an inevitable consequence of wielding great power.
This situation is not uncommon even among Muggles. Great power can be magic, or it can be wealth and influence!
Vaughn changed the subject, “Albus, do you have the manufacturing details for the Time-Turner? I’d like to understand it better.”
“Ah, I don’t, but Nicolas should have one in his collection. I can ask him when I visit him next time.”
“Thank you. Also, how long will it take you to perfect these mechanisms?”
Dumbledore calculated silently and replied, “Around the end of May. It will be just in time for Norbert’s growth… Two more months, I can hardly wait!”
“I am also looking forward to Harry’s impressive performance during the trials.”
Two foxes, one large and one small, looked at each other and smiled.
…
“Achoo!”
In the library, Harry sneezed violently.
He had caught a cold. This morning, he had just had Madam Pomfrey give him a Stamina Potion, and now steam was puffing from his ears, obscuring Ron’s head next to him.
But Ron didn’t pay attention to that. He didn’t even care if Harry’s sneeze meant his cold was getting worse. He was just staring at his fingers, swollen like carrots, and wanted to cry.
Opposite them, Hermione, engrossed in her studies, looked up and saw Ron’s state, then sneered, “You deserved it for refusing to go to Madam Pomfrey!”
Ron was dispirited and lacked the energy to argue with Hermione.
He mumbled softly, “How was I supposed to know a baby dragon that small would have such a potent venom? It swelled up like this overnight…”
Harry wiped his nose and advised, “You should still go see her later!”
“What if Madam Pomfrey asks what bit me? I think she wouldn’t even need to ask; she’d know at a glance.”
To the young wizards, Madam Pomfrey was the most magical person at Hogwarts; she could cure any ailment or pain.
However, there was one thing: the potions she brewed were truly effective, and truly awful to taste!
Harry also thought Madam Pomfrey would likely recognize the wound as being from a Fire Dragon, but he felt they couldn’t endure pain just because they were afraid of the professors finding out.
After a little more persuasion, Ron finally relented, and with a dejected expression, he clutched his hand and headed towards the Hospital Wing.
Not long after he left, the twins suddenly appeared.
“Hello, dear Harry, dear Hermione, good afternoon!”
“Fred, you’re too stiff. We’ve never greeted each other like that before.”
“But George, we need Harry’s help, so I think we should be polite to him.”
“Help?” Harry suddenly remembered the Canary Creams the twins had secretly given him on his first Quidditch match months ago.
He said suspiciously, “Are you trying to use me again to give Ron something strange to eat? I’m not an idiot; I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”
The twins exchanged glances:
“Good heavens, Harry saw through our foolproof scheme.”
“What do we do now, Fred? It’s over. Vaughn is going to check our research progress. If we can’t provide experimental data, he’ll definitely withdraw his investment!”
“How pitiful and tragic. We’ve spent all 10 Galleons and have no money to repay him. If we don’t get the money, Vaughn will kill us.”
“He might even strip us and hang us at the castle gates for everyone to see the Weasley twins’ disgrace.”
“Yes, he’s absolutely capable of that.”
The twins lamented in turn, but Harry remained unmoved.
Ron had already told him about the bad things the twins had done, so 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 stack of textbooks on her desk and said angrily, “Fred, George!”
She couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of Vaughn.
But she also knew that the twins wouldn’t give up until they achieved their goal. She reached out, “Give me the item, and I’ll give it to Ron later. But let me be clear, if I hear you slander Vaughn again, I’ll tell him what you said!”
The twins’ faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they repeatedly agreed, “No problem, dear Hermione.”
They took out a piece of hard candy wrapped in wax paper and handed it to Hermione, “This is our carefully developed ‘Quick Escape Candy.’ It takes effect very quickly and always works.”
“That’s right. We’ve fully learned from last time and will no longer damage relationships between classmates. Instead, we will help those who deserve help.”
“Yes, for example, those young wizards who are deeply tormented by classes and have lost their freedom and dignity!”
Hermione frowned tightly. How could classes be tormenting? How could they lead to loss of freedom and dignity? Being surrounded by an intense learning atmosphere, with professors available to answer questions at any time, was surely happiness.
Unable to comprehend, Hermione put away the so-called escape candy and buried her head back in the mountain of reference books.
When Ron returned from the Hospital Wing, she casually tossed 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 moment, Ron—”
Overwhelmed with joy, Ron could no longer wait. He quickly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. This was the first time Hermione had ever been so nice to him; usually, she was always finding fault with him.
“Mmm, it’s really sweet…” Ron swayed his head, “Just as I finished drinking Madam Pomfrey’s antidote, my mouth tasted like I’d eaten almonds. Thank you, Hermione…”
As Ron spoke, he suddenly felt a warmth in his nostrils. Across from him, Harry, who had been wanting to speak but couldn’t, suddenly looked terrified.
Hmm? What happened?
The thought had barely surfaced when Ron heard a “Pfft—ch!”
Bright red blood gushed from his nostrils like a fountain. The force even made his head jolt, and the stream of blood shot straight out, drenching Harry.
“What a powerful gush of blood!”
Ron subconsciously praised it, then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
It was only after he came to that he realized that powerful gush of blood was his own!
Vaughn learned about Ron’s incident the next morning.
While eating breakfast, Hermione said to him remorsefully, “If I had known that ‘Quick Escape Candy’ was so terrible, I wouldn’t have given it to Ron.”
It was said that after Ron fainted last night, Hermione, Harry, and Neville rushed him to the Hospital Wing, and he had bled nearly two pints of blood （ about a liter ） from his nose.
In Harry’s words, “Ron’s skin had turned transparent from blood loss. When Madam Pomfrey finally woke him up, he didn’t even remember who I was!”
However, in the wizarding world, such simple blood loss symptoms were trivial.
By the time Vaughn leisurely finished breakfast and went with everyone to visit Ron in the Hospital Wing, he had already regained his rosy complexion and even had the appetite to gnaw on a pork chop.
“It was terrible. I drank Blood Replenishing Potions for hours before I remembered Harry’s name,” Ron said, his mouth full of greasy meat, unable to curb his desire to recount. “In fact, only this aspect exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect severe blood loss to be so serious.”
“Quick Escape Candy? Hmph, when I put that candy in my mouth last night, I knew it was Fred and George’s doing. This is experience, do you understand?”
In front of the amazed gazes of Neville, Seamus, and Dean, he waved his greasy hand, looking like someone who had “seen through it all.”
Harry looked puzzled and wanted to speak but hesitated.
He clearly remembered that last night, after Ron had regained his blood and normal consciousness, he had clutched Harry’s pants on the hospital bed, crying and wailing, “Harry, am I going to die? Damn Fred and George, I knew I would die by their hands one day!”
But now, Harry saw no trace of last night’s appearance on his ruddy face.
It wasn’t until Neville asked a question: “So… Ron, did Madam Pomfrey say you need to rest for a few days?”
Ron said gleefully, “Of course, of course! I bled a full three pints of blood… Don’t interrupt, Harry. Two pints was just your estimate; only I know the truth… Madam Pomfrey granted me 3 days of sick leave. She thinks the severe blood loss might have affected my brain, and I need a few days to recover!”
“Oh—”
Neville, Seamus, and Dean looked envious. Harry, now understanding why Ron’s attitude had suddenly changed, momentarily wished he could express his own desire for sick leave.
Unfortunately, Hermione, standing nearby with her lips tightly pressed and eyes glaring fiercely like Norbert’s, made him swallow his words.
Hermione couldn’t stand it anymore. She pulled Vaughn away from the Hospital Wing, angrily saying, “I even felt guilty and complained to you about Fred and George being too much, but look at him. He’s probably grateful!”
Before she finished speaking, she heard Ron exclaim from the ward:
“Yes, Neville, the Quick Escape Candy is truly amazing. I dare say it’s Fred and George’s most successful creation. Even if they used me as a test subject, I have to give a fair evaluation!”
Hermione was so angry she couldn’t speak.
If she had had her old temper, she would have reported the matter to the professors by now. Even though she now tolerated such behavior that went against her principles, Ron’s foolish choice was still hard for her to accept—he not only didn’t resist the twins’ mischief but even encouraged it!
Hermione could already foresee that once Neville, Seamus, and Dean returned, the “miraculous effect” of the Quick Escape Candy would spread throughout Gryffindor.
In fact, since Ron fainted last night, the twins had been celebrating the success of their new invention and actively promoting it to their classmates.
However, with the precedent of the Canary Creams, everyone was still waiting and observing. For example, had Ron, who had eaten the Quick Escape Candy, come back to life? Were there any serious side effects?
The situation indeed unfolded as Hermione had predicted.
Vaughn finally managed to appease his girlfriend and took her to the library to immerse themselves in the ocean of knowledge, spending the entire afternoon there.
When he escorted Hermione back to Gryffindor, he saw that the Gryffindor Tower was overcrowded from afar. Fred and George were surrounded by a crowd, busy and happy!
“From the Weasley Wizard Wheezes’ Quick Escape Candy, personally verified by our brother Ron Weasley. Of course, his experience is far from sufficient to showcase the greatness of our product. After the Bloody Nose Nougat—yes, the same one Ron ate—we plan to develop a series of products. We have already initiated projects for Fever Candy, Coma Candy, and so on.”
Lee Jordan shouted from the crowd, “George, I treated you to Butterbeer in Hogsmeade last time, remember? Can I have one on credit?”
George responded generously, “Fred, remember to cross Lee Jordan’s name off the list!”
“Alright, George!”
“One by one, everyone, please register with Fred. Our shop has small profits and thin margins; no credit is allowed!”
Looking at the lively and absurd scene, Hermione’s face turned green with anger.
Percy, on the other side of the crowd, had a similar expression. He tried desperately to push through and stop the twins, but the students’ enthusiasm for skipping class made his efforts futile.
To appease Hermione, who was on the verge of losing her temper, Vaughn had to temporarily change his plan to visit Ravenclaw and stay in Gryffindor to be a sounding board for the young witch as she ranted.
The lively scene continued until lights out. Fred and George, having jotted down a thick stack of orders, ignored an enraged Percy and came before Vaughn, shaking a money bag full of deposits with broad smiles:
“Vaughn, we succeeded!”
“That’s right. Although we failed last year, that was just due to our inexperience. Today, we’ve proven our capabilities with facts!”
“See, the money you invested last year wasn’t wasted. These deposits are enough for us to repay that 10 Galleons!”
Vaughn looked at the twins and said slowly, “Repay? I recall you said it was an investment, that I was taking a share, right?”
“Good heavens, Fred, did you hear that? Our proud younger brother wants to take a share of our profits. He sees us getting rich and wants to invest!”
“Yes, George. Incredible! Our genius younger brother has clearly been won over by our abilities!”
The twins exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Vaughn met their triumphant arrogance with a smile, “If I were you, I’d be more humble and cautious.”
The twins chattered happily, completely ignoring Vaughn’s words, lost in the dream of impending wealth. They slapped Vaughn on the shoulders with all their might, one on each side.
“Don’t worry, little brother. Brothers Fred and George are just joking with you. How could we forget our brother who supported us so greatly?”
“Of course, even brothers need to be clear first. If you want to buy escape candy, there are no discounts!”
Tsk… These two have gotten a bit too cocky!
Vaughn, of course, did not tell the twins that before he returned from Dumbledore yesterday, he had happened to overhear Professor McGonagall reporting on the school’s situation to Dumbledore.
The heads of the other three houses were also present.
So, in fact, it was a staff meeting discussing recent student issues.
“Every year around this time, various psychological changes occur among students. The pressure of homework assigned by professors and impending exams can cause some more sensitive and fragile students to experience stress-related situations.”
“Specific manifestations include a sudden aversion to studying, finding any means to skip class, being terrified of exams, frantically flipping through books without retaining anything, or having wicked ideas and pinning their hopes on illusory good luck charms or spells, and of course, the most egregious—various cheating tricks!”
“Albus, it’s time to implement temporary measures to crack down on these negative trends, just like in previous years!”
This was a serious matter. When Vaughn left, Dumbledore had already agreed to Professor McGonagall’s request.
In other words, Hogwarts was about to begin a pre-exam crackdown.
Well, Vaughn believed Fred and George would certainly receive a surprise.
The twins, naturally unaware of this, enthusiastically threw themselves into their money-making venture. More and more students sought them out to buy escape candy, with even some older students coming out of curiosity.
These older students were mainly from the fifth and seventh years; one was taking OWL exams this year, and the other was taking NEWT exams. NEWTs determined a wizard’s destiny after graduation, while OWLs determined which academic track one would pursue.
Therefore, these two year groups were also the most prone to pre-exam mental breakdowns.
Vaughn witnessed an example of this firsthand two days later. It was a fifth-year Gryffindor prefect who suddenly burst into the classroom while Vaughn and other first-year students were in Transfiguration class.
Clutching her books, she rushed towards Professor McGonagall, apologizing breathlessly, “I’m sorry, Professor, I’m late.”
Professor McGonagall, who was about to write on the blackboard, looked both surprised and understanding. She adjusted her glasses, “Miss Domel, this is a first-year class. Your fifth-year class ended an hour ago, and I recall you were not late.”
Miss Domel was silent for a moment, then suddenly started shouting, startling the bewildered first-year students:
“No! I am a first-year student! Professor, I am a first-year student!”
She gestured wildly and hysterically, pulling Neville towards her, desperately trying to prove that she was as tall as Neville and that she was 12 years old.
Neville, with her grasping his collar, was pulled up to her height, nearly choking from his bow tie.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Professor McGonagall had to cast a Stunning Spell on her and explain to the first-years, “It seems Miss Domel is suffering from exam syndrome. This is a very peculiar illness that usually erupts suddenly before exams and then magically disappears after receiving sick leave.”
“…”
The young wizards in the audience were speechless. They all understood the professor’s implication—Miss Domel was pretending to be crazy to avoid classes.
Moreover, her behavior was not an isolated incident.
In the following period, the first-year students witnessed all sorts of bizarre “ailments.” For example, one day at the end of March, a seventh-year student suddenly went missing. Professors searched for most of the night before finding him in the Forbidden Forest.
He claimed to have been abducted by a UFO, that aliens had conducted cruel magical experiments on him, attempting to understand Earth’s magic system in preparation for an invasion, and that he had endured it for 10 years before finally escaping.
However, he found himself returned to the day he was abducted 10 years ago. Even more “unfortunate” was that his decade-long imprisonment had made him completely forget all the knowledge he had learned.
Therefore… he hoped the professors would consider his special circumstances and allow him to pass his NEWT exam directly this year…
He was a Ravenclaw, so Professor Flitwick, the usually gentle and kind Head of Ravenclaw House, unhesitatingly gave him detention.
Of course, geniuses who could weave such tales were rare. Most people feigned madness, and some more extreme individuals even broke their own limbs, attempting to be admitted to the Hospital Wing and never leave.
It was in this absurd environment that the twins’ escape candy business flourished even more, with orders accumulating to a foot high.
On the 31st, Fred and George deliberately waited at the Slytherin entrance, pretending to bump into Vaughn. They sighed, complaining that their orders were too numerous and they were exhausted, growing tired of the constant clinking of Gold Galleons and Silver Sickles.
Vaughn smiled and remained silent.
The twins thought he had nothing to say, and smugly high-fived each other as they left. Then, on April 1st, April Fools’ Day night, when all the students and staff gathered in the Dining Hall as required, the twins heard news that struck them like lightning.
Professor McGonagall was the one reading the news.
Every wrinkle on the Deputy Headmistress’s face was etched with seriousness and no room for leniency:
“…I’ve discovered a deplorable trend of selling fake Potions and items for skipping class is rampant in the school. After deliberation by all faculty and staff, the following items will be added to the confiscation list: Batty-Eyes Potion – students who buy this deeply disappoint me. This top-tier potion, brewed only by Professor Snape and Mr. Vaughn Weasley in the entire school, how could it be sold to you for only one Sickle a bottle?”
“Self-Answering Quills – a preposterous lie. I thought even first-year students would understand that Hogwarts would never allow you to bring such an item into an exam hall?”
The first-year students below exchanged glances. So, magical cheating tools weren’t allowed in exams?
Seeing this, Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, and to avoid dying of anger, she quickly read out the next item on the list:
“Instant Get-Out-of-Class Candy…”
The twins couldn’t help but stand up: “It’s April Fools’ Day, you must be joking, right?”
They looked hopefully at the podium, trying to hear the answer they wanted.
Professor McGonagall’s temper could no longer be contained. She glared at the twins and said sternly and loudly: “…Fred Weasley, George Weasley, you are prime examples of wasted talent and straying from the path. Manufacturing and selling such items that violate school rules and classroom discipline has had a very negative impact!”
“After a decision by all professors, not only will your entire line of Get-Out-of-Class Candy products be confiscated, but you will also be forced to refund all proceeds from your sales. As far as I know, you have detailed order records, and I will personally supervise your compliance!”
It was over!
Fred and George felt their vision go black.
April Fools’ Day, which was supposed to be a happy day, but they were stunned to discover… destiny had played a huge joke on them.
Where did they have any money left?
All the deposits from before had been used to buy raw materials…
April Fools’ Day in 1992 slowly passed in the agonizing wait of Fred and George. The twins, who had always been mischievous and lawless at Hogwarts, experienced the reality of adulthood for the first time—
That day, creditors surrounded their dormitory!
“Fred, open the door quickly, I know you’re in the dormitory, give me back my deposit!” This was a direct demand for payment from a rough character.
“George, Professor McGonagall said you have to return the money according to the list. You don’t want us to report you to the Professor, accusing you of planning to default, do you?” This was a threat.
Someone even tried to force their way in: “Alohomora! Damn it, those two have cast an anti-unlocking charm inside!”
Some people tried a more circuitous route: “Lee Jordan, you’ve shared a dormitory with them for years, hurry up and persuade them!”
Lee Jordan was in tears. He had lost a Galleon himself and was waiting outside, ready to demand payment!
All in all, the April Fools’ Day operation at Hogwarts was quite successful. While the confiscation of other illegal potions and items hadn’t shown immediate results, Fred and George had already tasted the iron fist of the school.
The next morning, the twins, heavily wrapped up to ensure no one could recognize them, dared to leave their dormitory.
As soon as they opened the door, the twins were nauseated by a foul stench. Some heartless bastard had tied several dungbombs to the door and cast a spell on them.
As soon as the door was opened, the dungbombs would explode.
If the twins hadn’t had extensive combat experience, holding their wands ready, holding their breath, and using the Scouring Charm immediately, they would have likely vomited their guts out.
“Damn it, these bastards! A few days ago, they were all smiles begging us to take their orders, and today they’ve turned on us!”
“Stop complaining and help me… Damn it, what kind of glue is this? My shoe is stuck!”
“Mine is stuck too… Ah, forget the shoes, let’s go first, so no one early in the morning bumps into us.”
“No one in the Weasley family has ever been this embarrassed!”
The two of them didn’t even dare to complain loudly, just muttered curses. The twins painstakingly cleared the traps at the door and were already covered in sweat from exhaustion.
As they crept to the Common Room cloaked and suspiciously, they were startled again.
A furry head popped out from behind a desk, glanced at them, and said gloatingly: “Fred, George!”
The twins almost fled in terror. Only when they saw it was Hermione did they breathe a sigh of relief: “Bloody hell, how did you recognize us?”
Not only were they wearing the hoods of their cloaks, but they had also wrapped their heads and faces with scarves. Their appearance was comparable to Professor Quirrell’s.
Hermione snorted: “Who else in Gryffindor would dress like this now?”
As she spoke, she looked at their attire for a moment and raised her voice slightly, suspiciously: “You’re not planning to default and run away, are you?”
“Shh—keep your voice down!”
“There’s no one in the Weasley family who doesn’t keep their word. We will definitely pay back the money!”
“That’s right!”
The twins answered resolutely.
Hermione didn’t believe them at all: “Vaughn told me yesterday that all your money was used to buy raw materials, and you have no money to pay back!”
“So we have to go out and find a way!”
“Exactly, we’re going to find Vaughn!”
“George, you really didn’t have to say it out loud…”
“But it’s the truth, Fred.”
That’s right, no one in the Weasley family broke their word. Even if Professor McGonagall hadn’t demanded the refund yesterday, when the Instant Get-Out-of-Class Candy line was banned by the school, the twins would have voluntarily refunded.
All their fear was because they had no money…
Fortunately, they weren’t pushed to absolute desperation yet; there was someone who could back them up.
The twins discussed it all night and decided to shamelessly ask their younger brother for help.
Hermione’s expression turned grim. She had already opposed the twins’ actions in creating items for skipping class. Now, hearing that they were still going to find Vaughn made her even more displeased. It wasn’t that she thought they shouldn’t ask Vaughn for help, but rather, she sensed that these two hadn’t given up!
She pursed her thin lips: “So, you plan to borrow some money from Vaughn to return the deposits, keep the raw materials on hand, and lie low until after the exams to make a comeback?”
“Clever!”
The twins gave her a thumbs-up. “We discussed it all night and decided this was just bad luck, catching us right in the middle of exam preparation and making us a prime example for the school.”
“That’s right, in fact, our products are very popular, and the market demand is very broad. The school can’t possibly ban students’ normal needs indefinitely…”
Hermione retorted: “When did skipping class become a normal need?”
The twins paid no attention to such talk. They winked at Hermione: “The difficulties are only temporary. After the exams, when the ban is lifted, our products can be back online. We’ve already thought about it, the name ‘Instant Get-Out-of-Class’ is too narrow. In fact, it can also be used for getting out of chores, getting out of homework… Anyway, as long as you’re sick, you can do nothing. It’s practically a must-have medicine for school and summer vacation!”
Hermione: “…”
Hermione realized she had been narrow-minded too. She had thought that this setback would teach the twins a lesson, making them understand that crooked paths wouldn’t last long…
The twins had indeed learned a lesson, but because someone had their backs, they were clearly fearless!
Hermione sighed. After the April Fools’ Day banquet yesterday, she had even bet with Vaughn about this. At the time, she firmly believed that people who made mistakes and were punished would correct themselves.
But Vaughn remained noncommittal: “My dear, perhaps you should read more Muggle philosophy books. A Muggle named Hegel said it correctly: the only lesson humanity learns from history is that it learns no lessons from history.”
It had to be said that Vaughn clearly understood his two elder brothers better.
Therefore, the twins’ reaction was not beyond his expectations.
Thinking this, a smile curved Hermione’s lips. As Fred and George were about to emerge from Gryffindor Tower, she spoke:
“I don’t think you need to waste your time, Fred, George.”
The twins turned back in surprise: “What?”
They saw Hermione say with a gloating smile: “Vaughn had something urgent to attend to and has already left Hogwarts. For at least the next few days, you won’t be able to find him!”
The twins’ lips began to tremble, and their faces visibly turned deathly pale: “You… you’re joking, right?”
Hermione smiled and said nothing.
At this moment, someone yawned and walked out of the Boys’ Dormitory corridor. It was Lee Jordan, the twins’ “former friend.” The moment he entered the Common Room, he recognized them:
“Ha! Fred and George, are you planning to escape?”
“Damn it, how can everyone recognize us? Lee, we’re good friends…”
Lee Jordan gritted his teeth and sneered. He had said the same thing a few days ago, but George had mercilessly rejected his request for credit.
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the twins quickly called out to the Fat Lady guarding the door.
The Fat Lady, still not fully awake, grumbled as she was about to open the door when Lee Jordan shouted: “Fat Lady, help me lock these two up. In exchange, I’ll listen to you sing opera all day today!”
The sleepy Fat Lady’s eyes immediately brightened. The twins stared in disbelief.
What kind of grudge or hatred leads to such a large stake?
Vaughn didn’t care about the dire straits Fred and George were about to face. In fact, he wasn’t deliberately hiding from the twins to teach them a lesson; he genuinely had something urgent to attend to.
That very April Fools’ Day night, he received a letter.
It was from the Rosier family in England.
Unfortunately, it brought bad news!
“…I am very sorry, dear Mr. Weasley. Although I would like to help rescue your friends, and rescue a Rosier, I regret to inform you that due to an incident decades ago, the Rosier family has long lost its influence in the North American wizarding world.”
“A distant relative of the family, Vinda Rosier, from the main French Rosier line, was a trusted associate of the notorious Gellert Grindelwald… I don’t mean to shirk responsibility, but it is clear that after Grindelwald’s defeat and imprisonment in Nurmengard by Dumbledore, all of Grindelwald’s followers were investigated and purged.”
“Unfortunately, Vinda Rosier, due to her prominent position within Grindelwald’s circle, attracted widespread attention, especially from the North American Magical Congress. Grindelwald had disgraced them – he had transformed into Percival Graves and infiltrated the Magical Congress, using the face and name of that unfortunate Auror commander to wreak havoc in North America.”
“You can imagine how ashamed and furious the North American Magical Congress was when the truth came out. Of course, they wanted revenge on Grindelwald, but Dumbledore refused their request to execute Grindelwald… Those Yankees dared not offend Dumbledore, so they took out their anger on others.”
“I read Isabella’s letter to you, and I can bet on my pure-blood honor that the trouble Isabella is facing is absolutely the work of the Graves family. Those petty fools consider Percival Graves’s past experience an indelible disgrace. Since they can’t get revenge on Grindelwald, they are targeting the Rosier family at every turn.”
“Poor Isabella, her background is too complicated. Perhaps no one told her that Rosiers should never go to North America; it’s a bloody lesson… Please forgive my inability to help…”
Vaughn had previously considered that the Rosier family might not go to great lengths for an insignificant branch.
He had expected them to simply find an excuse to refuse.
However, he had not expected to receive such a detailed and seemingly reasonable letter.
“Graves… Vinda Rosier…”
At Crouch’s residence in the Muggle community, Vaughn murmured these somewhat familiar names, his consciousness sifting through the archives of his memory.
Thanks to organizing his own memories after learning Memory Magic, he quickly found fragmented memories from his past life.
These were some lingering impressions of details from the extended works of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Crackle!
The green flames suddenly igniting in the fireplace startled Vaughn from his thoughts.
Crouch had returned. This Ministry official, who always wore a stern face, probably only showed a crack in his composure and twitched his mouth when he saw Vaughn.
He emerged from the fireplace, dusting himself off, and said dryly, “You told me a few days ago that you were preparing for exams and had no time to treat young Barty. Why do you have time today?”
Vaughn seemed not to have noticed his sarcasm and handed him the letter, “I had something urgent to attend to and wanted to ask for your help.”
“Heh!”
As expected!
Crouch smiled thinly but did not refuse. He took the letter, read it carefully, and nodded, “Old Rosier didn’t lie to you. The situation he described is basically true.”
“You also believe that the trouble Isabella is facing is the work of the Graves family?”
“Highly possible,” Crouch said, flipping through Isabella’s letter that came with the package. “At least, from what Isabella says here, the trouble she encountered on Halloween was likely a conflict with the Graves family.”
“You probably don’t know that Rosier is actually a very large family. It was originally distributed only in France, and later it gradually spread to England and North America. Yes, North America used to have Rosier branches, which developed from England.”
“However, those branches are now extinct. When I was a young man, the North American Rosier branches had already died out due to various reasons, such as the Muggle government, dark wizards, natural disasters, and other ‘accidents.'”
“Old Rosier might be somewhat mediocre and incompetent, but his assessment of the Graves family is not wrong; that family is indeed rather petty.”
Vaughn had little interest in the feuds of the two families. He only felt the situation was tricky now.
If Isabella was caught in the crossfire for official reasons, such as internal conflicts in North America, it wouldn’t be too difficult to rescue her.
Barty Crouch was responsible for international exchange affairs. With his status, all he had to do was help contact North America and put in a word, and Isabella could basically be brought back.
But the problem now was that the trouble she was facing, and the fact that she was wanted, were likely not official charges by the Magical Congress, but rather the result of animosity and manipulation from a local North American family.
In this case, the hope of rescuing her through official channels would be dashed – no matter how closed off the Magical Congress was, they had to consider international public opinion. Anything could be negotiated, but a family wouldn’t have so many scruples.
Crouch shared the same view. He handed the letter back to Vaughn: “I am also powerless. At most, I can help you contact the Magical Congress so you have a channel to interact with the Graves family… Although I’m not optimistic, frankly, the so-called pure-blood families in North America are even more stubborn and prejudiced than these pure-bloods in England.”
“One can imagine…”
Vaughn rubbed his temples. When he had read Isabella’s letter earlier, he could tell that the current turmoil in North America was primarily a conflict between pure-blood wizards and half-blood and Muggle-born wizards.
North America had been vigorously promoting the International Statute of Secrecy, not because they had high moral standards and were actively responding to the directives of the International Confederation of Wizards.
Rather, it was because the pure-blood families in power in North America wanted to maintain the interests of their respective families, attempting to use the Statute of Secrecy to completely separate wizards from Muggles—
In a society, if no new blood flows in to promote class mobility, the class structure will solidify, and established families can avoid the fate of their interests being diluted.
