Teaching Malfoy a lesson was a trivial matter for Vaughn.
But for Hermione, it left her with a strange, unfamiliar sensation—one she had never experienced before.
Watching Vaughn walk over, she had prepared plenty of words of gratitude, but for some reason, what came out of her mouth turned into a stuttering lecture.
“Y-you shouldn’t have used a spell to attack them.
What if they report you to the school…” Before she could even finish, Hermione felt a pang of regret.
But Vaughn didn’t seem to mind.
He simply smiled.
“At least they won’t dare eyesore us for the next few hours.
I’m going back to my compartment to rest.
See you around, Miss Granger!” Oh, Merlin!
Hermione Granger, where on earth is your brain?
Hermione wanted nothing more than to punch herself in the head.
Seeing Vaughn walk away, she finally managed to salvage the situation.
“Thanks for just now.
Y-you can call me Hermione!” Vaughn nodded.
“Alright, Hermione.
You can call me Vaughn too.” With that, he raised his wand again.
Just like their first meeting so many days ago, a small trick brushed through the girl’s hair.
This time, however, it didn’t float up; instead, it became smooth and fell gently along her cheeks.
He smiled at her and added, “Don’t listen to Malfoy’s nonsense.
You’re actually very pretty.” “…” At that moment, Hermione felt as if the temperature of her head had shot up by a hundred degrees, her face burning hot.
Having teased the young girl, Vaughn—whose good mood had been momentarily dampened by Draco Malfoy—felt his spirits lift again.
He hummed a little tune all the way back to his compartment.
Before he even stepped inside, he heard Ron boasting: “…I asked around, and it was Vaughn who taught Malfoy a lesson.
I bet he must have cast a jinx on them.
Did you see?
Malfoy’s teeth grew like a warthog’s!
Maybe he’ll never be cured.” Then came Harry’s trembling yet excited whisper: “What kind of jinx?
That’s incredible!” “Who knows?
Vaughn always knows strange things, and he has a terrible personality.
I wouldn’t even be surprised if he used an Unforgivable Curse on Malfoy!” Vaughn rolled his eyes, pushed the door open, and, under their bewildered gazes, pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ron.
“Ah—!” Ron shrieked in fright, startling Harry as well.
Before Harry could even react, Ron had already ducked behind him.
The movement was so practiced it was almost painful to watch, but…
why use him as a human shield?
Having given his younger brother a scare, Vaughn didn’t bother with him further.
He returned to his seat, pulled out a Potions book, and began reading it with great interest.
Harry looked at Ron, whose face was so pale he could give Malfoy a run for his money, and stifled a laugh.
Ron felt a bit humiliated but didn’t dare say anything, only giving Harry an angry glare.
But soon, the two new friends huddled together again, whispering about topics of interest.
Nothing else happened after that.
In the meantime, the twins only dropped by once.
They knew exactly how to flatter their benefactor.
After greeting Harry, they mentioned that they had borrowed a camera from an older student and were planning to take photos of Draco Malfoy’s miserable state, intending to distribute them to the entire school for free.
To publicize their “dear younger brother’s grand exploit.” As evening fell, the Hogwarts Express finally began to slow down.
When the sky had turned pitch black, the train ground to a halt.
A voice echoed through the train: “We have arrived at Hogwarts.
First-years, please change into your robes as soon as possible and leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to your dormitories…” Ten minutes prior, Vaughn had already had Harry and Ron change into their robes.
The two stood nervously behind Vaughn.
Harry kept rubbing his legs, and the freckles on Ron’s face had gone pale.
All sorts of legends about the Sorting ceremony conjured terrifying scenes in their young minds.
When the train finally stopped, Harry and Ron followed Vaughn out almost out of sheer habit, having completely lost the ability to think.
It wasn’t until everyone was jostled and shoved down onto a dark, tiny platform that the cold wind finally snapped them out of it.
Hogwarts’ Keeper of Keys, Hagrid, was waving a lantern above the first-years’ heads.
“First-years, any more first-years?
Come over here to me…
Oh, Harry, are you alright?” Not even Hagrid’s smile could make Harry feel warm.
Seeing Ron clutching tightly to Vaughn’s robes, he grabbed hold of them too.
Vaughn glanced back at the two of them and whispered, “Don’t pull so hard!” The two shook their heads frantically.
The older students quickly departed.
Hagrid called out a few more times, and once he was sure all the first-years had gathered, he raised his lantern and began to lead the way.
It was a steep, narrow path.
The way was pitch-black, offering no visibility, and no one dared to speak.
Everyone could only watch the lantern bobbing ahead, stumbling along to keep up, until Vaughn raised his wand high.
“Lumos!” A soft halo of light instantly dispelled the darkness.
Around him, the fluffy heads of the little wizards gathered close to Vaughn like baby chicks finding their mother hen.
After walking a moment longer in silence, they rounded a corner, and their narrow field of vision suddenly opened up.
At the end of the path, a great black lake stretched out like an ocean to the base of a distant mountain.
Perched atop the mountain stood a towering castle, with winding stone walls, many-spired turrets, and windows shining with warm lights against the dark night sky.
Looking at this panoramic view, Vaughn had to admit it was rather breathtaking.
Hagrid led them to the lakeside and pointed to a fleet of small boats moored there.
“No more than four to a boat!
Don’t crowd, don’t overload!” Vaughn climbed aboard a boat with Harry and Ron.
The other “baby chicks” around them tried to squeeze in too.
Fortunately, Vaughn called out loudly, “Hermione?
Hermione!
Come over here!” Thankfully, it was night, so no one could see that Hermione’s face was almost completely red.
She tried her best to act casual and jogged over to board the boat.
Ron stared at her the entire time, but Harry was quite pleased that the boat was filled with familiar faces.
Once all the young wizards were aboard, at Hagrid’s loud shout, the fleet of boats aligned in a row and began to glide automatically across the smooth lake.
As they moved forward, they drew closer and closer to the mountain and the towering castle silhouetted against the night sky.
By the time they reached the cliff beneath the castle, everything above them seemed to hang suspended in the air.
The sheer visual spectacle left everyone breathless; no one spoke a word.
Hagrid guided them out of the boats, and after crossing a stretch of cobblestones and climbing a flight of stone steps, they arrived before a massive front door.
He raised his gigantic fist and knocked on the door a few times.
A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a figure familiar to Vaughn.
“The first-years, Professor McGonagall.” “Thank you, Hagrid.
I will take them from here.” Professor McGonagall maintained her usual stern countenance.
Under her sharp gaze, all the first-years instinctively stopped their fidgeting and followed obediently behind her.
Only Vaughn looked around, observing their surroundings.
They first passed through an archway of simple stone walls lined with torches, with shrine-like relief carvings and stone statues ascending the walls toward a ceiling so high it was lost from view.
It looked mysterious and solemn.
But once they passed through, they were greeted by a vast, magnificent hall bathed in brilliant light, with a grand marble staircase sweeping upward, leading to the deep, mysterious upper floors of the castle.