Hogwarts: What wicked thoughts could a little wizard possibly have?

Chapter 44 Ron's Courage

He nudged the dazed Harry, wanting to say something to pull himself out of his depression: "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry was jolted awake.

When I came to my senses, I realized I had already taken out my textbook and was ready to do my homework!

terrible!

He quickly forgot about Hermione's haunting voice and forced himself to shift his attention:

"I'm thinking about Halloween presents!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Harry was startled. Halloween was almost here? Time had flown by?

Rounding up, the year is almost over?

Hermione's instilled sense of urgency nearly drove Harry to despair.

Ron, trying to escape depression, also let out the lament of a defeated dog.

Because he suddenly remembered something—everyone gives gifts on Halloween!

Here's the problem: giving gifts costs money, but I don't have any...

This is the real tragedy.

……

In the days that followed, Harry had nightmares for several days.

I dreamt that time flowed by like waves, and I grew old in the blink of an eye, dying before I had had enough fun.

How can this be allowed?

He had been having a blast for days, and it was only with great difficulty that he forgot Hermione's terrible words. Then he received a notification from Wood that the first Gryffindor Quidditch match of the season would be after Halloween.

The opponent is Slytherin.

This plunged Harry's newly improved mood back into slump, and what made it even worse was that as Halloween approached, his two best friends were becoming increasingly strange.

Hermione is another story; her time anxiety is incurable.

Strangely, even Ron started acting weird. He began to daydream and space out all day, and occasionally you could hear him sighing in the bathroom.

The symptoms were worst in the mornings, and Harry saw Ron staring at Vaughn's back several times, eager to try but hesitant.

Harry asked him several times, and each time Ron stammered and brushed it off.

Vaughn naturally noticed Ron's unusual behavior.

However, he wasn't in the mood to pay attention to it for the time being.

Dumbledore's question from that day was put on hold; his "interest" in magical creatures could wait, as potion development was the top priority at the moment.

So after that day, Vaughn spent all his time buried in the rich archives of materials in Snape's office.

He used the 5 reputation points he earned from the previous month's settlement to further invest in the "Scarpin Manifestation Spell".

Due to frequent use over the past month, and driven by Vaughn's Spellcasting talent 7 and Potions talent 10, the number in parentheses of Scarpin's Manifestation Spell increased by 1 point a few days ago.

Therefore, after investing 5 reputation points, the spell naturally advanced.

[Scarpin's Manifestation Charm LV3 (0/32)]

With a thought, Vaughn closed the system panel, looked at the potion in front of him, and chanted the incantation.

Soon, familiar light and color appeared in his eyes, and as he waved his wand, the potion was restored to its original state.

But unlike usual, his mastery of the Scarpin Manifestation Charm had suddenly reached an extremely profound level today.

He gradually became able to perceive the process of the spell's effect, and when casting the spell, he infused more magic power, causing some positive interference with the result of its restoration.

The result was that the restoration of the raw materials caused by the curse did not further deepen into the material itself, but instead gradually began to fluoresce.

That is the magical light of special properties!

Noticing the change in the room, Snape, who was grading homework, looked up and saw the glowing liquid floating in front of Vaughn.

He could barely maintain his aloof expression.

"You used the Scarpin Reveal Charm to restore the properties of a finished potion, rather than restoring the materials?"

He asked in surprise, "How did you do that?"

Equally delighted, Vaughn gently directed the clumps of liquid to fall into the vessels, replying cheerfully, "When I cast the spell, I added a little magical interference technique, as well as unwavering faith, Professor."

But Snape, who was also familiar with the Scarpin Revealing Charm, did not consider it a "small trick".

The more advanced and sophisticated a spell is, the harder it is to change. Any rash change may cause the spell to become ineffective or even lead to unpredictable consequences.

Vaughn's success demonstrates his profound mastery of the Scarpin Manifestation Charm.

At least, he surpassed him!

Snape's feelings were complicated for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was jealousy, jealousy of Vaughn's talent, an emotion that anyone would feel when they see someone else doing better than themselves.

More or less.

But what followed was joy.

It was a joy that contained many complex thoughts, both because as a teacher I saw my students achieve something, and because the magic extraction method and the new magic potion were beginning to show promise.

Furthermore, it was all accomplished by an "evil Slytherin".

Snape hadn't forgotten Dumbledore's plan to cultivate the famous Potter... Hmph!

If he can train Porter, I can also train a Vaughn who will be even more famous than Porter in the future.

This thought nearly melted the coldness on Snape's face, and even made him raise his voice slightly the next moment: "Slytherin +10, Vaughn, well done!"

"This isn't a classroom, with professors, or anything like that..."

"I will explain to Professor McGonagall."

The biased Snape didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. Just over ten minutes later, he left the office in a good mood, only to see Harry's good friend, another Weasley, at the door.

He didn't hesitate to make up an excuse:

"Ron Weasley, for spying on the professor's office, Gryffindor loses 2 points!"

Then, lifting his robe, he glided away like a bat.

Ron was completely dumbfounded, and his hands and feet were shaking with anger.

Can this world ever get any better? When will honest people finally be free from being bullied?

But when Vaughn heard the noise outside, he opened the door and asked, "Ron? What are you doing here?"

Ron immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.

He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, stammering, "You, um... could you lend me some money? Halloween is coming soon, and I want to buy some gifts for my friends... Mom said homemade candy would be fine, but I... I..."

By the end, his voice was barely audible; he dared not look at Vaughn, yet he couldn't help but hope.

There was a glint in those evasive eyes.

Vaughn didn't speak, but looked him up and down. Ron's hand, clutching the hem of his shirt, tightened even more as he tried to muster his courage: "I... I can call you, brother... brother..."

Vaughn suddenly burst out laughing.

He never expected that this stubborn and defiant guy, who had always been so defiant since childhood, would actually back down today.

So sudden, so... brave!

Not everyone has the courage to bow down to the bully who has been harassing them just to give a Halloween present to a friend!

Vaughn, who had initially intended to tease him, suddenly lost interest: "How much do you need?"

Ron was both delighted and suspicious, and cautiously asked, "10...10 Xike?"

Vaughn took money out of his bag and gave it to him. Even after the silver coin landed in his palm, Ron still looked dazed, as if in a dream.

He couldn't help but ask, "You...you don't have any requests? You're just going to lend it to me like this?"

Vaughn was speechless.

But then he thought of something, and a slow smile crept onto his lips:

"Since you're so insistent, I do have something I'd like you to help me with..."

Seeing that familiar smile, Ron wanted to slap himself!