“Miss Rita, I still have official business to attend to.
Let’s continue our discussion another time.”
“Of course, Mr.
Kyle.”
After enduring half an hour of utterly soul-crushing conversation, Rita’s entire face felt stiff from forcing smiles.
Right now, she only wanted one thing:
Escape this demon’s nest as fast as possible.
Eric’s calmness was one thing.
Evelyn’s graceful smile was another.
But Vincent—
Vincent casually playing with her wand while teasing an owl— had shattered her remaining sanity.
This was a gold-tier reporter’s wand!
Even if the ruby embedded in the handle was fake— it still cost far more than an ordinary wizard’s wand.
“Oh?”
“Nice flexibility.”
Vincent stared in surprise at the slightly bent wand.
It was somehow enduring the weight of Hoot, who had practically become a furry ball.
The moment Kyle finally left—
Rita’s expression darkened immediately.
“Excellent work!”
Hoot cheerfully bounced up and down on the wand like a trampoline.
Rita’s face became so dark it looked ready to drip water.
Sensing something, Vincent glanced back.
Seeing her still wearing that huge smile, he relaxed.
Taming a wild horse like this—
No.
Correction.
Getting this insane little beetle to behave obediently would absolutely require a long process.
Beneath Rita’s vain and flashy exterior— there was probably a fragile glass heart hiding underneath.
And luckily for them, Kyle—the legendary man who drove police cars to clubs—had shown up tonight.
Those precious memories?
They’d stay unforgettable for a lifetime.
Without an Unbreakable Vow, they still needed fear.
Fear she couldn’t resist.
And along the way— they could also settle accounts for those ridiculous articles she’d written.
One peanut round.
That investment had been absurdly worth it.
“Miss Rita, you’re always welcome to visit us again.”
Under the smiles of the Wayne family—
Rita’s hand holding her wand trembled violently.
She desperately wanted to cast an Unforgivable Curse at every single person here.
But staring at her heavily deformed wand— she reluctantly abandoned the thought.
“You’ll all suffer retribution someday…”
That vicious curse, however— failed to come true even by Hogwarts opening day.
The Wayne family’s following five days had been incredibly fulfilling.
Eric no longer cared about fame.
Evelyn obtained countless magical story collections.
Hoot somehow became even fatter.
And Vincent successfully self-studied all first-year coursework.
The day he finally closed the third-floor door—the room trapped in endless cycles of destruction and rebirth— the Vincent Principle finally came to an end.
The potion he’d exploded two days ago had been terrifying.
Even Hoot had developed boils afterward.
After washing up, Vincent touched his smooth face.
Seventeen failures.
A full seventeen.
For a subject like Potions, where success depended heavily on experience—
“Let’s go.”
As a Hogwarts owl, Hoot clearly wasn’t suited for cages.
THUD—
Dragging his suitcase downstairs with both hands, Vincent turned around— only to see Hoot somehow tumble down the steps.
“Professor McGonagall will probably like this…”
Scooping up the fluffy brown ball, he hurried downstairs.
Breakfast remained the usual trio:
Milk.
Bread rolls.
Fried eggs.
Vincent’s eating speed remained as terrifying as ever.
“Wait for me!”
Eric drained his milk in one gulp.
“I’ll drive you to the station.”
“No thanks.”
Vincent glanced toward today’s Daily Prophet.
Hogwarts Opening Day: The Wizarding World Welcomes a New Chapter
The article felt surprisingly positive.
Even mentions of the Wayne family had been relatively restrained.
Meanwhile— coverage of the Boy Who Lived occupied huge sections.
There was even a giant lightning bolt in the center.
“Dad…”
“You should probably stay home.”
The image of crowds of young wizards chasing Eric for autographs still felt painfully fresh.
Evelyn grabbed the car keys.
“Sweetheart, Mommy will take you.”
Under Eric’s slightly dissatisfied gaze— mother, son, and Hoot all headed outside.
…
…
Every September 1st, King’s Cross Station filled with Hogwarts students.
Especially around Platforms Nine and Ten before eleven o’clock.
“The third pillar in the middle…”
Dragging his suitcase behind him, Vincent looked carefully.
As expected— there stood many strangely dressed people wearing clothing styles decades out of date.
To be fair— regarding secrecy, wizards really had tried their best.
“Mom, I’m heading in.”
“Study hard.”
“Whether you become first in your year doesn’t matter.”
Vincent curled his lips.
“I will.”
The hidden meaning behind those words was impossible for Vincent not to understand.
If Europe and America hadn’t always embraced the philosophy of “happy education,” he probably never would’ve become the treasured jewel of the Wayne family.
Evelyn watched as her son—now tall enough to reach her shoulder—walked farther away.
She wasn’t worried in the slightest that he’d suffer at school.
Bullying?
Unfair treatment?
That child had been frighteningly clever since he was little.
If anything, she was more worried about his future classmates.
Would they end up receiving treatment similar to that unfortunate little beetle?
Honestly, if one day a crowd of wizards gathered outside their house demanding justice for their children…
she wouldn’t even find it strange.
Carrying several labels already attached to his name, Vincent had arrived very early.
Forget Mr.
Potter— even a certain red-haired family hadn’t appeared yet.
Following behind a beautiful older student, Vincent calmly crossed through the metal barrier after nearby wizards disguised as station guards gave subtle signals.
A crimson steam train sat quietly beside the platform.
Vincent glanced upward at the sign:
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
Only then did he drag his suitcase aboard the Hogwarts Express. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Hello.”
The beautiful older student from earlier turned around in the corridor.
“Your owl is incredibly cute.”
“Can I pet it?”
Her Chinese features immediately made Vincent feel somewhat closer to her.
“Of course.”
“Hoot loves head rubs and belly pats.”
“Hoot?”
“That’s its name?”
“Yes.”
She carefully extended her hand and gently pressed against Hoot’s round little belly.
“So squishy…”
“And really comfortable.”
Vincent hugged Hoot slightly tighter.
“Actually, it isn’t really my pet.”
“It’s—”
“Move.”
An impatient and arrogant child’s voice suddenly interrupted from behind.
“Sorry.”
Vincent stepped aside.
A fluffy brown-haired head immediately marched past without slowing down.
She had obviously misunderstood something.
Using Hoot’s fluffy backside to think with, Vincent could still tell:
This girl, clearly a first-year student at first glance, had probably assumed he and the beautiful upperclassman were flirting in the middle of the corridor.
This wasn’t fair.
He was obviously the one being flirted with.
“Sorry.”
“I just really liked his owl.”
Just as the situation seemed about to end— the beautiful upperclassman casually explained.
“You could’ve gone inside a compartment.”
The girl coldly walked past.
“Hey!”
Vincent immediately felt the need to clarify things.
“There’s really nothing between me and Senior!”
“Senior?” ×2
Two pairs of eyes— one black and one brown— carefully scanned him from head to toe.
Slightly over 160 centimeters tall.
Ash-gray hair swept rightward.
Not skinny at all—in fact, fairly athletic.
This…
was a junior?
Both the upperclassman and the first-year girl looked stunned.
“I’m Cho Chang.”
“Ravenclaw, second year.”
“And you’re sure you’re my junior?”
“I’m a first-year.”
Vincent gently patted Hoot’s head.
“So really.”
“Senior and I just met.”
The other first-year girl opened her mouth slightly and narrowed her eyes before circling behind him.
“No mistake.”
“You’re Vincent Wayne—”
Excitedly grinning, she revealed two large front teeth.
“The son of Europe’s greatest weapons dealer!”
Vincent hadn’t even had time to marvel at how familiar her face looked— before his entire body suddenly felt awful.
Rita had technically issued a correction.
But fake news…
really ruined lives.