Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 95: Alchemy Talent Vaughn and the Dragon
It was not until the evening that Vaughan saw the letter from Hagrid.

At that time, he was making plans for the future, especially the research and use of the Philosopher's Stone.

These days, he spent almost all his spare time on rebuilding the Philosopher's Stone mechanism. For this purpose, he specially applied to Dumbledore to extend the time he could borrow the Philosopher's Stone.

Extended from the original 7 days to 1 month.

The Philosopher's Stone was now in his hands, and he was expected to design the mechanism. What else could Dumbledore say? Of course he could only agree.

However, Vaughn didn't mean to refuse to pay it back, he just didn't have time to study it.

Some time ago, he met with Dumbledore almost every day to draw blueprints for the new mechanism of the Philosopher's Stone - he dictated and Dumbledore drew. This was probably the greatest use of an old man who had lived for over a hundred years, as he knew a little bit of everything.

Until today, when the construction was about to begin, in order to prevent Quirrell and Socket Man from becoming suspicious, Dumbledore reallocated the project to the professors.

Vaughn was no longer in a position to be there, so he had time to take care of his own affairs.

"system!"

As he called, the system panel appeared in his field of vision:
[Host: Vaughn Weasley]

[Magic Scale: 470 (500 for an ordinary adult wizard)]

【天赋：魔咒学7、黑魔法6、变形术8、魔药学10、草药学6、炼金术6、占卜学2 (满值为10)】

【魔咒：大脑封闭术LV5(MAX)、铁甲咒LV5(MAX)、缴械咒LV5(MAX)、飞走咒LV4（11/16）、漂浮咒LV4（10/16）……摄神取念LV3(1/32)、幻身咒LV2（7/8）、神锋无影LV2（3/12）、呼神护卫LV1（6/8）、幻影移（显）形LV1（1/6）……】

[Alchemy Level 0 (0/20)]

[Potions: "Vaughn Beauty" series, "Vaughn Hair" series, Wolfsbane Potion, etc....]

【Reputation Points: 16】

[Side Quest ①: Obtain the Philosopher's Stone (Completed)]

[Reward: Alchemy Talent (Received)]

Looking at his information panel, the completed side quests and received rewards, Vaughn looked at the talent column.

The alchemy talent didn't give him too many surprises, with a value of only 6 points.

According to his personal experience in practicing black magic, it was only slightly above the passing level.

However, Vaughn had no complaints. Alchemy was not like Muggle physics and chemistry. It had no fixed formulas and no standard answers, so its study placed special emphasis on talent. Having it and not having it were two completely different concepts.

This can be seen from the first sentence of the introductory textbook on alchemy:

The natural universe is one, and the body and soul are also one. This is the dualistic theory. The great real form divides the world like the sun scatters light, without diminishing the perfection of the ether. When one is unified with another, it is the source of miracles. (Adapted from the Emerald Records, the "Bible" of alchemy)
It looks a bit weird.

The amazing thing is that Vaughan had hardly been able to understand this passage before, as he felt it was fragmented and confusing.

It wasn't until he received the alchemy talent that he suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence -

It explains the world as it is and the role of alchemy.

"One" is the "great reality" in that passage. It is the original appearance of all existing matter and illusory spirits, and it is also the original integration of the universe.

One day, it dispersed like sunlight, and the world and all things were born. However, all things were not completely separated. They were closely connected with each other by something called "ether", which was similar to the soul of the world.

The secret of alchemy is to travel in the ether, communicate with the macrocosm of the natural universe through the microcosm composed of one's own body and soul, and create miracles!
"Sure enough, the underlying logic of this world is rather strange. Anything related to magic will turn from materialism to idealism. Nuclear physics in the magical world has actually become a kind of philosophical thought..."

Vaughn smiled bitterly. No wonder he had always found it difficult to get started with alchemy. At that time, he had no talent for alchemy and couldn't even understand what was written in the book. How could he get started?

The so-called alchemical talent is actually more like an enlightenment, a channel that connects his "own microcosm" with the outside universe.

Thinking about this, Vaughn looked at the additional [Alchemy LV0 (0/20)] on his information panel.

This was the first time he saw a subject other than spells (charms, dark magic, and transfiguration were essentially all spells, with different emphases) applied to the LV grading system, but not integrated into the spells category.

Moreover, the difficulty is extremely high. It takes 0 reputation points to fill up LV20, which is outrageous.

After hesitating for a moment, Vaughn did not invest the reputation points reserved for this month's settlement. After acquiring the talent for alchemy, he found that his previous understanding of alchemy theory was full of fallacies.

If he wanted to learn, he had to re-read the theoretical books, at least to understand the various tricks of alchemy, so as to avoid going astray in the future.

He turned off the system panel, opened his small satchel, and took out a scarlet translucent stone.

The stone was not big, and even though he was just starting to grow, he could hold it in one hand.

"I remember that in the alchemy books I read before, the Philosopher's Stone was called the fifth element. The element here is not a Muggle chemical term, but a term used by alchemists to describe the dynamic relationship between the material world."

"The first four elements are called earth, water, fire, and wind. They represent essentially all the forms of matter—gas, liquid, solid, and plasma... Matter flows between these four states, from light to heavy and back again, from cold to hot and back again. The four elements describe cycles, so what does the fifth element describe?"

All kinds of puzzles lingered in his mind, and finally, Vaughan had no choice but to give up thinking. He planned to consult Dumbledore when he had time, and then go to the library to reread the basic knowledge of alchemy.

He intuitively felt that alchemy might be an important tool for him to find the essence and source of magic.

Put the Philosopher's Stone away again.

It was only then that Vaughn saw several unopened letters on the dormitory desk, the top one from Hagrid.

Unwrapping it, Vaughn raised an eyebrow. "It actually hatched today? I didn't catch the moment Charmander was born. What a shame. I might not be able to see it in the future. After all, mother dragons are usually very irritable when raising their young."

"Let's go check it out later. A dragon... well, maybe I can help Hagrid solve this problem?"

Thinking about the level he was designing, Vaughn felt his inspiration coming again. He put down Hagrid's letter and picked up the next one.

The envelope read:

"Dearest Vaughan Weasley!"

"Your dear friend, Isabella Rosier."

Seeing this familiar name, Vaughn was a little speechless. If he remembered correctly, the last time the two of them communicated was during Halloween.

At that time, he also asked her to leave North America as soon as possible and return to Europe, wanting to invite her to attend his awarding ceremony.

It seems that Isabella did not listen to him, or the situation in North America is getting worse and worse, so she can't leave?
Vaughan thought about it, removed the seal and pulled out the parchment.

Sure enough, Isabella had indeed encountered an accident, or rather, she was now wanted by the Magical Congress of North America...

"Dear Vaughan, I'm sorry I haven't replied to you until now, several months later. It's true that I've encountered a series of events recently, and I've been on the run. My wand and owl, registered with MACUSA, are no longer usable. To avoid being hunted by the Aurors, my companions and I have no choice but to hide in the vast desert of Colorado, far away from human habitation..."

"Remember the witch I told you about in my last letter? The one who attacked the Woolworth Building? That poor woman, after being caught, committed suicide in prison on Christmas Day. When the news got out, all of North America was like a boiling crucible."

"Over the past few years, due to the strict enforcement of the International Statute of Secrecy in North America, wizards have accumulated too much resentment, and their trust in the Magic Congress has dropped to a freezing point. Some wizarding groups have emerged, accusing the Magic Congress of lynching without trial."

"At this time, the No-Maj government also suddenly showed signs of activity. Shortly after Christmas, a No-Maj wizard living in Kansas was arrested by the No-Maj government on charges of endangering national security. No one knew why the No-Maj community knew about that wizard's existence. Everyone said that the Magical Congress deliberately leaked his information because he had criticized the Magical Congress in the newspapers just a few days before."

"After the news got out, you can imagine what the situation is like here..."

"From Christmas until now, Woolworth's and the surrounding neighborhoods have received 52 attack warnings, all targeting members of the Magical Congress, or pure-blood families... The pure-blood families have announced that they will retaliate in kind, Merlin..."

"...My dear, you are right. The situation in North America is sliding towards the abyss at an alarming speed. Everyone is like a bottle of poison horn explosive liquid dangling in mid-air. Who knows when it will BOOM——"

"But unfortunately, I can't escape this vortex of impending chaos. One day after Halloween, I encountered some misfortune, and a wizard from Ilvermorny saved me... She was also a member of an organization called the Watchers. On Christmas Day, this organization issued death threats to the Graves and Wilkinson families. Afterward, all those associated with the Watchers were retaliated against by the two angry families and put on wanted lists..."

"Unfortunately, I'm also on the list while recovering from my injuries at the Watcher. Of course, I don't blame anyone. After all, they saved me. I can only say that fate played a rather nasty joke on me..."

"...Also, I'm so proud of you, my friend. Your fame has now spread to North America. You invented the wolfsbane potion and promoted the establishment of the Werewolf Affairs Committee. You're truly impressive..."

As if she had been feeling suffocated in the Colorado Desert, Isabella wrote a full six pages of parchment, describing in detail her experiences over the past few months and what she had seen and heard in North America.

Vaughn never thought that she would have such a thrilling experience in just a few months.

However, what reassured Vaughan was that Isabella seemed to have gotten over her difficulties and, at least, she was able to write to him.

After reading the contents of the letter again, Vaughan did not rush to reply.

There is an ocean between England and North America, and replying letters cannot solve any problems.

He was considering whether to ask someone for help, or go to North America himself to see if he could get Isabella back.

After all, she was his first pen pal since he came into this world and the first person to support him.

"The Rosier family is very large, with branches in England and France. I can explain the situation to them first and see if they can find a way to rescue him."

"If all else fails, there's still Crouch and Dumbledore..."

Thinking about this, Vaughn took out a notebook from his bag. When he attended the questioning meeting before, he met many representatives of pure-blood families, including the main branch of the Rosier family in England.

Although Isabella also shared the surname Rozier, her branch had fallen into decline. Her letter pleading for help would likely be less effective than Vaughn's. After finding the contact address in his notebook, Vaughn pondered for a moment, unfolded the parchment, exchanged pleasantries, and then tactfully explained the situation.

After sending this letter, he wrote back to Isabella, asking her to continue hiding and not to conflict with the Aurors of the Magic Congress, and to provide a relatively safe and convenient way to contact her next time.

For example, the Muggle phone is pretty good!
When everything was done, it was already dark and Vaughn came out of the owl shed.

Seeing that it was already evening, he didn't bother to go back to Slytherin and just walked through the castle.

When he passed by the courtyard, he saw Malfoy happily talking to Goyle and Crabbe. When they saw Vaughn, the three of them immediately huddled behind the pillars like quails.

Vaughn didn't bother to pay attention to them and walked towards Hagrid's hut with the fruit tea.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest shrouded in the veil of night, Hagrid's hut was lit with warm yellow lights, but unfortunately the atmosphere inside was not harmonious at all.

As Vaughan approached, he heard Hagrid's loud and stubborn voice shouting:

"...I won't agree to this. Norbert is a newborn and so small. He will die if he leaves his mother!"

And Harry yelled angrily: "You are not its mother. Don't forget, you won the egg from the Greek, you didn't lay it... God, do you really not know how serious this matter is? You may end up in Azkaban!"

Ron was also trying to persuade him: "Yeah, Hagrid, didn't you hear what Hermione said? A Norwegian Spinosaurus can grow bigger than your house in two months, and it can breathe fire. If you don't send it away while it's still small, not only will you be in trouble, but it will be doomed too. I heard from Dad that large dragons are difficult to deal with. To avoid trouble, the Ministry of Magic usually destroys them on the spot."

Hagrid whimpered, but still refused to let go.

Listening to the noisy noise inside, Vaughn rubbed his brows and pushed open the door. Several people in the cabin immediately looked over and were delighted to see it was him.

Hermione was naturally the happiest. The girl dropped her notebook and ran over to hold Vaughn's hand.

The other three also came over, and Harry hurriedly said, "Vaughn, come and help us persuade Hagrid. This dragon can't stay with him. Malfoy saw it today, and he will definitely tell everyone."

Malfoy?
Vaughn was a little confused. No wonder he felt that guy was weird when he came here.

But he knew that Malfoy would definitely not say anything nonsense.

Because Malfoy only has eyes for Harry, and he doesn't care whether Hagrid has a dragon or not. At most, he uses this to control Harry.

It’s true love!

Hagrid also came over. Harry didn't know how long he had been arguing with him. His black beetle-like eyes were already red from crying.

He was still wiping away tears while talking to Vaughn: "Wow...Noble was just born. How could such a small cub leave its mother? A mouse could bite it to death."

While crying, he loosened his huge palm, and a skinny, extremely ugly little dragon was lying in his palm, gnawing on his fingers.

Only one day old, the little dragon was already able to bite through Hagrid's rough skin inherited from the giant, and trickles of blood oozed out.

Harry and Ron, who were watching from the side, became more and more anxious to send it away - the more curious they were before, the more scared they were now.

Vaughn ignored their chatter and leaned in to observe the tiny Norwegian Spinosaurus. He asked Hagrid, "You call it Norbert?"

Hagrid sniffled and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, look, what a fine fellow."

Observing the little dragon, Vaughn said unceremoniously, "It seems you really aren't suited to raising dragons, Hagrid. This little fellow is a female dragon."

"..." Hagrid, who was sobbing, stopped talking immediately. Harry and Ron also fell silent. The three of them stared with wide eyes. Only Hermione quickly took back her notebook and filled in "female" in the gender column of "Norbert".

"How about giving it a new name, Norbeta?"

Vaughan first looked at Hagrid, and finding that he was still in a daze, he looked at Hermione.

Hermione thought about it and nodded: "It sounds nice."

Thus, the new name of the little Norwegian Spinosaurus was decided.

Vaughn stretched out a finger and tentatively touched its head.

As if feeling that Vaughn's skin was more tender, the ferocious little guy immediately let go of Hagrid's fingers and bit Vaughn.

Then--

Snapped!
Vaughn bent his fingers and flicked it hard. The little dragon's long and thin neck flipped back and it fell to the ground with a scream.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Hagrid finally came to his senses and hurried to protect it.

"This is how you should tame a wild animal. You can't spoil it. Otherwise, the better you treat it, the less it will recognize its place."

Vaughn ignored Hagrid's protests, cast a silent and wandless levitation spell, and caught the Charmander in his hand through the air.

This little guy, who has been particularly arrogant since birth, seemed to have finally sensed the danger, and the fine scales on his skinny body stood up one by one.

It first let out a threatening growl, but when Vaughn's eyes lit up with a glimmer of magic, Norbeta, as a magical creature, sensed the fluctuations of magic and was so frightened that he collapsed in Vaughn's hands.

On the side, was Guoguocha, who had stretched out his cat head and stared at it hungrily.

Looking at Norbert - no, Norbeta - who had been biting everything he caught all day, now that he was quiet in Vaughn's hands, his ugly black body seemed to have become more elegant.

Hagrid and the other two were stunned. Ron quietly hid his finger, which was bitten and swollen in the afternoon, behind his back.

Harry said, "See, Hagrid, I told you you weren't cut out for a dragon."

So Hagrid wiped his tears again.

Vaughn lifted the quieted Norbeta before his eyes, and watched its life aura with his eyes filled with magic.

Compared with its previous state in the dragon egg, Nobeta's life aura has increased in brightness, and the blending of colors has become deeper, with hints of orange-red visible in the dazzling white light.

It was a very strange phenomenon, and Vaughn certainly knew what it meant - its magic seemed to be integrated into its life... No, it should be said that part of its body was made up of magic.

Vaughn couldn't help but wonder which part it was? The organ that produced venom, the organ that breathed fire, or the ability to fly?
Dragons also need magic to fly, otherwise their huge bodies weighing several tons would find it difficult to fly with just the lift provided by flapping their wings.

Norbeta trembled under Vaughn's sharp gaze, which was like a scalpel.

After observing for a while, Vaughn reluctantly looked away.

He was afraid that if he continued watching, he would be tempted by his curiosity and dissect Norbeta.

Vaughn casually placed the little dragon on his lap and looked at Hagrid who was still wiping away tears.

Harry and the others thought Hagrid was stubborn because they didn't find the right approach.

He said, "Harry and the others are right. Raising a dragon is illegal after all, let alone raising a dragon at Hogwarts. Even if the Ministry of Magic doesn't punish you, the Hogwarts Board of Trustees will definitely cause trouble for you."

"Besides, the Minister of Magic, the Honorable Mr. Fudge, is currently trying to find fault with Dumbledore and me because of the Werewolf Affairs Committee. If he knew you had a dragon, he would be so happy."

Hagrid, who has a child's mentality, may not care about himself, but he definitely cares about Dumbledore.

Sure enough, after hearing Vaughn's words, Hagrid wiped his face hurriedly and asked nervously, "Then, what should I do?"

"There are two options." Vaughn bent his fingers. "First, I'll write to Charlie and ask him to come over in the next few days and take Norbeta to a dragon farm in Romania. They're all professionals there, and they can legally take Norbeta in and care for her."

Harry and Ron looked delighted. This was a good idea, but Hagrid said nothing. He didn't like it because Romania was too far away and Norbet was too small.

Vaughn wasn't surprised either. He held up his second finger and said, "Secondly, I'll find a place for it to go. You don't need to know where it is, just know it's safe. During the first three weeks, while it's still relatively weak, I can bring it back to you often so you can feed it."

This……

Hagrid hesitated.

Ron whispered to Harry, "If I were Hagrid, I would never leave my beloved pet to Vaughn. Maybe the safety he meant was turning it into a potion... Ouch!"

Harry elbowed him silently to stop him from causing trouble.

Compared to Hagrid, who treated the dragon as a child and called himself its mother, in Harry's opinion, Vaughn was ten thousand times more reliable. At least in the process of getting along with him, even though Vaughn sometimes had a bad taste, he always kept his word.

Either way, it's better than leaving the dragon with Hagrid.

After thinking for a while, Hegbaba looked at Vaughn and said, "Do I really have to choose one?"

"Yes." Vaughn's expression was calm. "It can't stay here."

As if realizing that this conversation would determine his fate, Norbeta mustered up the courage and called out to Hagrid, but the pitiful sound was only half uttered before Guoguocha's huge cat claws pressed down on his head and blocked his voice back into his stomach.

Poor Norbeta, it curled up on the big devil's legs and didn't even dare to struggle.

Hagrid was heartbroken and tears fell down: "Just... just let me stay with it for another three weeks..."

(End of this chapter)