Hogwarts: From Little Wizard to White Lord

Harry munched on his bread and asked vaguely, "Rita Skeeter? Who's that?"

"A woman full of lies." Ron said with disgust and a little frustration: "But the adults believe her words very much. My mother especially likes to read her reports."

Harry glanced at the newspaper. "I didn't realize she wasn't reporting it fairly."

"Hehe, she was the one who came to interview Vaughn last time. Maybe she provoked Vaughn and was cursed by him!"

Ron habitually made fun of his brother.

Then he rolled his eyes at Hermione, who had returned to school the previous night. "If you have time to be jealous of Vaughn, why don't you do your homework properly? I can't believe that you two didn't write a single word during the Christmas break—"

Ron muttered: "Who would be jealous of him..."

But considering that he still had to copy Hermione's homework, he only dared to hum twice. Harry opposite him buried his head in his plate, pretending that he was so engrossed in eating that he didn't hear anything.

Ron said he wasn't jealous, but when he saw Vaughn appear in the restaurant in formal attire, following Dumbledore, he was drooling with envy.

The moment Vaughn appeared, people were discussing everywhere.

"Today is the awarding day, right?"

"Well, it seems Dumbledore is taking him there. That's great! He's the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class! I bet he's the youngest!"

"Hey, Ron, aren't you going to your brother's award ceremony?"

Ron hesitated. Of course he wanted to go, but Vaughn hadn't invited him at all.

This fact suddenly made him lose his appetite. He was depressed for a while, and couldn't help but say to Harry, "Harry, you should also get an Order of Merlin. You killed You-Know-Who when you were only one year old. If you get a medal, I bet there won't be anyone younger than you!"

This time it was Harry's turn to hesitate. Sometimes he really wanted to open Ron's head and see what was inside.

Vaughan turned a deaf ear to the discussions around him.

He finished his breakfast slowly, and when he saw Dumbledore raise his hand, he grabbed it.

Fawkes, who was still a little chick just two days ago, has grown hair again, which means that he has regained his magic power and can Apparate again.

After a period of space distortion, the two had arrived at Diagon Alley. Gradually adapting to the appearance of their followers and no longer feeling nauseous, Vaughn glanced at Fawkes.

The phoenix was so frightened that its feathers stood up and it suddenly disappeared.

Dumbledore blinked and said, "Who told you to use it to block the Killing Curse? You better be careful. Fawkes holds a grudge very well!"

Vaughn didn't care that he didn't get any phoenix feathers. He smiled and retorted, "Like owner, like pet. Looks like he's as petty as that old man!"

Dumbledore didn't take it as an offense at all, and laughed heartily while stroking his beard.

The award ceremony and press conference were held in Diagon Alley, so of course it couldn't be held outdoors. Fudge was hoping that today would be the highlight of his tenure.

Two days ago, after the specifications for the press conference were confirmed, Fudge gave the order to temporarily build a building next to Gringotts in Diagon Alley.

This request, which seems extremely absurd to Muggles, is not uncommon in the wizarding world.

The wizards from the Ministry of Magic only needed to stretch the corridor between Gringotts and the next door to create a 10-foot-wide open space, and then use magic to move the soil to lay the foundation. The problem after that would be simple.

They placed a miniature, model-like building on the foundation, and after a few magnification spells, a magnificent auditorium rose from the ground!

As for the fact that Gringotts was shifted 10 feet and made the goblins unhappy, Mr. Fudge didn't care.

He is now standing in front of the auditorium with a smile on his face, welcoming every guest, shaking hands with them and posing for photos.

"Ah, Mr. Quickley, welcome. How is your grandfather? Yes, he is a great man..."

"Ms. Jenkins, please come in. It's so cold, but you're really taking the trouble to come here... Yes, it's busy, but don't we all enjoy it?"

"Mr. Ollivander, you're here too. It's a happy day, isn't it? Oh, and the wand? Of course I..."

Fudge finally met his opponent. He was held tightly by the arm by the old Ollivander, who spoke crazy words about wand personalities in a hazy voice.

So when Fudge saw Vaughan and Dumbledore coming, it was like he saw an angel, and he quickly pushed away Ollivander's skinny claws.

He warmly hugged Dumbledore, then put his arm around Vaughan's shoulders and faced the media: "Look, gentlemen, today's protagonist has arrived!"

The spotlights flashed one after another.

Spotlight, spotlight!

Vaughan was pulled by Fudge, and no matter where he went, there were flashes in front of his eyes.

Dumbledore had disappeared, and Fudge and the media he had recruited deliberately ignored Dumbledore. The minister, who was now deeply immersed in the power, was eager to reduce the influence of the person who once supported him the most.

He just wanted to bring Vaughan to every guest, introduce them to the English potion genius, and be happy to show off their "friendship".

"Vaughn, this is Mr. Francis, the French liaison. Dear Francis, this is Vaughn Weasley... Hey, Ael, is it you who came this time..."

"...Haha, don't be so surprised, gentlemen. I can guarantee that the newspapers are not exaggerating. 12 years old, Potions Master!"

"Actually, it's just as hard for me as it is for you. I only met him once before, when he was very young... Oh, you might not know this, but his father and I are colleagues and good friends who can talk about anything. I bet Arthur must be ecstatic. He's such a lucky bastard to have such a promising son!"

Vaughan felt like his face was about to freeze from smiling. He was surrounded by well-dressed officials, who looked at him kindly, listened attentively to Fudge's praise and boasting of him, and applauded in agreement.

Among them were liaison officers from various countries, as well as some powerful figures in the English wizarding community, such as members of a pure-blood family who had once produced a Minister of Magic.

Fudge regarded this press conference as a stage to expand his network and demonstrate his value - he hoped that those pure-bloods in power would see that he would soon possess a huge force, and the cornerstone of this huge force, the wolfsbane potion, would be handed to him by its inventor personally today.

Vaughn cooperated with him, but actually watched coldly from the sidelines.

Those foreign liaisons were also part of Fudge's value proposition. The newspapers weren't exaggerating; the spread of lycanthropy was a thorny issue in every country.

The reason why it has never been discussed openly is that many attempts have been made in the past, but all have ended in failure.

Before a decisive solution is found, other countries, like England before, retain several dispensable departments in their ministries (such as the Werewolf Registry, the Werewolf Capture Program Group, etc.) to show that they have tried, but the werewolves are not cooperating.

It has to be said that Fudge is actually a very smart person. He keenly grasped the needs of various countries. After listening to Vaughn talk about the concept of a press conference, he immediately jumped to an international perspective.

They used the wolfsbane potion as an excuse to attract international attention, and then used the international attention to promote the diversity of their own values ​​to pure-bloods.

Although in fact, his stage was a wedding dress for Vaughan.

But that was also because Vaughn was too young. In Fudge's eyes, he was a naive and somewhat foolish child, so he believed Vaughn's promise. Otherwise, with the ability he showed, he would most likely be able to complete a gorgeous turnaround with the opportunity today.

“I feel a little embarrassed when I think about it…”

Vaughn's conscience twitched for 0.1 second.

The auditorium is an alchemical wonder, and it is unknown how many years it has existed. Judging from its gorgeous Baroque style, it may have been born in the 16th century.

Today, this building, which has complex geometric shapes, crystal chandeliers, and is so magnificent that every wall tile exudes luxury, and is probably an antique, is already full of people.

The oval-shaped hall was divided into two floors. Members of the Wizengamot and Merlin's Order sat on the second floor, overlooking the main podium. Sitting at the head of the table was a solemn witch.

Amelia Burns, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic and Chief Justice of the Wizengamot, led the Wizengamot in witnessing the birth of the new Order of Merlin.

And notarize the ownership of the wolfsbane potion.

The Order of Merlin is mainly responsible for awarding medals and recognizing Vaughn as a member of the Order of Merlin. Since many members of the Order of Merlin have joined the Wizengamot, the distinction between the two is not obvious.

When everyone was seated and the awarding ceremony was about to begin, Vaughn looked up and could only see patches of purple robes over there.

Then he saw Amelia Burns.

The solemn witch nodded to him, and Vaughn returned the greeting.

On the side stage, Mr. Fudge had already walked up to the main podium. He put his wand to his throat and delivered a bunch of nonsense in a passionate and high-pitched voice.

The content was nothing more than the significance of the wolfsbane potion to the wizarding world and what kind of problems it could solve. The speech was very lengthy, and only in the middle did he play a British humor and say that with the wolfsbane potion, countries no longer had to worry about which department to assign the werewolf problem to, because it could set up a separate department, which caused a burst of laughter.

After speaking for more than 20 minutes, he finally reached out to Vaughn in the audience, his face flushed under the flashing spotlights.

"Let us welcome the inventor of Wolfsbane Potion, the new Potions Master, Mr. Vaughan Weasley!"

Thunderous applause!

The flashes of the cameras turned into a white blur in front of Vaughan's eyes. Fudge shook hands with him warmly, hugged him, and then stood on the stage with a smile. A fat woman in a pink woolen skirt came up to him and whispered compliments to him, which made Fudge very proud.

Vaughn looked away, his eyes calm and indifferent.

On the second floor, Amelia Burns stood up and unfolded the scroll in her hand. Magic made her voice loud and majestic:

"The Wizengamot bears witness: Werewolves and lycanthropy have plagued the world. Many gifted wizards have attempted to resolve this problem, but their magic and wisdom were ultimately succumbed to this disease. For millennia, it has accompanied wizards through their growth, becoming an indelible pain. Some, in despair, have declared that lycanthropy is the world's curse upon wizards."

"December 1991, 12, is a moment worth remembering in history. The wolfsbane potion invented by Mr. Vaughan Weasley solved the pain that had lasted for a thousand years, making the chaos and savagery of werewolves a thing of the past. Therefore, the Order of Merlin has decided to award Mr. Vaughan Weasley the Order of Merlin, Second Class, and invite him to become a member of the Order and the Wizengamot!"

She closed the scroll, looked down at Vaughn, and asked in a majestic voice:

"Mr. Vaughan Weasley, do you have any objections?"

"no disagreement!"

Hearing this, in a solemn silence, Amelia Burns threw out the scroll.

The scroll was an alchemical item. It transformed in mid-air into a golden medal with a purple ribbon and landed on Vaughn's chest.

Amelia Burns smiled. "Welcome, Mr. Vaughan Weasley!"

As she spoke, applause suddenly broke out like thunder.

The applause lasted for a while, but not too long, because it was time for the medal recipients to give their speeches as usual.

And more people know that the inventor of the wolfsbane potion is preparing to announce the transfer of his ownership of the wolfsbane potion on this occasion.

Fudge's chubby face was radiant, and some people were looking at his back and talking quietly to each other.

Vaughan glanced at all this and nodded to Fudge, who responded with a friendly and cheerful smile, which made the discussion below even louder.

Vaughn smiled slightly: "It seems that everyone already knows what my speech is."

The people in the audience chuckled.

"but……"

I am afraid of everything. However, Fudge, who was whispering to Umbridge beside him, suddenly felt a pang in his heart when he heard this word.

He raised his head and looked at the child on the main podium who had to stand on a footstool to be higher than the podium.

The child who always showed an innocent smile in front of him, had become indifferent at some point.

"But before I make that announcement, I have something else to say."

Chapter 73 Vaughn's Speech

At this moment, the more than one hundred people sitting in the hall fell silent the moment Vaughn opened his mouth.

They looked, stared, and examined the child.

Vaughan ignored those gazes. His eyes passed over the stiff smile on Fudge's face, passed over the crowd, and looked at the snow-covered streets outside the luxurious floor-to-ceiling windows of the hall.