Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 43 Transition
Vaughn neither agreed nor refused Deng's question.

He wondered if this old fellow was trying to guide him in some way—Dumbledore's reputation in this regard was not very good.

But at the same time, he didn't want to give up the opportunity to get to know Newt.

A knowledgeable expert on magical animals, he was very helpful to Vaughan in broadening his horizons.

In a sense, Vaughn is also a magical animal... a materials expert!
For example, the fur of the Invisible Beast, the explosive fluid and horns of the Venomhorn, the blood of the Fire Dragon, the belly pouch of the Niffler... He knew all about these potion materials taken from magical animals, but he had never seen a living one before.

As his research into magic extraction deepened, Vaughan sometimes wondered what the materials he was extracting properties from were like when they were alive, and how they were born in magical animals.
This even reminded him of a profound, mind-numbing topic:

How did the first wizard come into being? Are magical animals the source of magic? If we dissected them and observed their magical powers and physical condition, could we find the answer directly?
Just thinking about it, I can't help but become interested!

After returning to the Slytherin common room, Vaughan excitedly recorded his observations and thoughts of the day in a diary.

The fragrance of knowledge and truth is so intoxicating. I believe Mr. Newt will also support his career, right?
Far away in Dorset, Newt, who was preparing fruit for the unicorn herd in the basement, couldn't help but sneeze.

"Strange, do I have a cold?"

Tina said unhappily, "Maybe Dumbledore is talking about you again!"

It was unclear whether Newt had a cold, but the next day, a sudden flu hit Hogwarts.

A large number of young wizards with red eyes and runny noses lined up on the second floor of Hogwarts.

The experienced Madam Pomfrey made an accurate judgment based on the situations in previous years and prepared a large pot of refreshing potion in advance.

This potion is very effective in treating the flu, but like all potions, in order to blend its properties and complete the ritual, its auxiliary ingredients cause it to have some minor side effects.

It'll make your ears smoke!

As soon as Vaughan stepped into the auditorium the next day, he saw a spectacular sight—

The little heads of hundreds of little wizards were like boiling teapots, spewing out steam.

The long tables of the four colleges were all shrouded in smoke.

Fred and George happily moved among the crowd, using their wands to make the steam into all sorts of funny shapes.

In the teaching seats, the professors were not spared either. Professor Flitwick's pointed ears, which were probably inherited from a goblin, emitted a long and violent sound as he exhaled smoke due to their peculiar structure.

"That's very funny, Filius!" Dumbledore shouted happily, taking a sip of the tonic, then covering his mouth and trying to imitate.

Then Snape, who was sitting between the two of them, was in trouble. The rolling smoke completely obscured his face, and only his dark eyes could be seen, staring at Dumbledore with icy coldness, as if he wanted to kill someone!
When Vaughan arrived at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron were stealing glances at Snape and laughing.

"Look, he's ready to eat Dumbledore," Ron whispered. "What a shame the flu hasn't caught that damn old bat."

Then, he saw Vaughn sitting down opposite him and pointing at him: "Guo Guocha, bring Banban to me!"

"Meow-"

Guo Guocha, who hadn't had a toy for a long time, jumped onto the table excitedly and pounced on Ron as his expression suddenly turned pale.

"Don't scratch Scabbers, you stinky cat... Help me—"

Watching Ron screaming as he was pinned to the ground by the "kitten", he covered his pockets and peed and shit.

Harry suddenly felt relieved that he had just drunk some pumpkin juice and hadn't had a chance to say anything bad about Snape. Hermione had also caught a cold.

The white smoke coming out of the ear swirled in the messy hair, making people wonder if it might be a steamer.

She approached Vaughan, holding a large tome, and asked him for advice on transfiguration.

After getting the answer, he quickly asked another question.

Vaughn's talent for Transfiguration was better than hers, so he naturally learned faster than her. He even took private lessons in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club, so it was not difficult for him to answer her questions.

As I said before, he was very patient with the cute little girl.

"...In the process of Transfiguration, strong will is very important, Hermione, or any spell requires your emotions to be clear and strong enough."

"Of course, this doesn't mean you need to maintain a calm mind; that would be counterproductive. You only need to maintain a limited level of calmness. For example, if you want to transform a button into a beetle, maintaining your mind to analyze the button's structure and construct the beetle's structure is certainly important, but you also need to have a strong desire to successfully transform, and repeat this desire over and over again. The stronger the desire, the easier it is to succeed."

Vaughan shared his thoughts.

The magic in this world is so unreasonable. Its foundation is a bit like wish fulfillment, which is similar to the performance of the so-called "Word Spirit" in some magical works in previous lives.

Magic is not a cold product that can be applied to formulas. Instead, it is an emotional expression. Therefore, wizards have rich emotions. Even if some dark wizards are crazy, they can still use magic successfully.

As long as there are no emotional barriers!

But Vaughan believes that everything in the world has its own internal logic.

Even if the appearance seems chaotic, there must be objective laws behind its existence.

The only question is whether anyone will discover it.

This was also another research topic he had set for himself besides potions when he started planning his life a few years ago.

The nature and laws of magic!

However, this topic is a bit too grand and far-fetched.

Of course, Hermione would never have thought that Vaughan had such ambitions. This studious girl's biggest worry now is her studies.

At the end of the question, Hermione hugged her book and looked at Vaughn expectantly: "The exam is coming soon, and I feel that I still have many weaknesses. Vaughn, can I study with you often in the future?"

Before Vaughan could answer, Harry, who had been unable to get a word in, couldn't help but ask in surprise, "An exam right away? Isn't it still early?"

Hermione glared at him. "Is it still too early? We've already been in school for several weeks. With the remaining time, minus the weekends and sleeping time every month, how much time is left for actual study..."

She spoke so much that Harry's eyes were dazed. He felt that his leisure time was suddenly shortened and a sense of urgency came over him, as if wasting a minute would lead to death from old age.

He hadn't recovered until he finished breakfast and returned to the Gryffindor common room with Ron.

Ron, covered in dust, locked Scabbers in a cage. Seeing Scabbers shivering, Ron said distressedly, "Damn Vaughn, damn Guo Guocha, they've frightened Scabbers so much that his hair is falling out again. My poor little guy will be killed by them one day."

Then Ron discovered sadly that he didn't seem too angry, as if he had begun to get used to the life of him and Banban being bullied.

(End of this chapter)