Night had fallen by the time Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room, his face flushed with excitement.
He found Ron waiting for him, and eagerly shared the news: Fred and George were planning to film next week's Quidditch match.
"They want me to be the star, Ron! You know what a 'star' is, don't you? The one the camera focuses on the most—"
Ron had watched Muggle films before—thanks to Ginny dragging him along and a bit of parental indulgence from Mr. Weasley. So of course, he knew what a "main character" was.
He stared at Harry's glowing face, feeling as though someone had dumped a bucket of lemon juice over his head. Sour and stinging.
"Congratulations, Harry," he said dryly.
Harry responded with mock modesty. "It's not that big of a deal, really. Kind of a hassle, actually. Fred and George want to mount a camera on my broomstick. I'm still thinking about it—it might mess with my flying."
Thud!
Ron felt like he'd been stabbed right in the chest. Even Harry's glasses seemed to reflect the firelight too brightly—so blinding he couldn't even look at him properly.
He couldn't help himself. With barely concealed spite, he asked, "So, what are you going to tell Wood? Didn't you promise him you'd get Fred and George to focus on Quidditch? And now you're joining in?"
But Harry didn't look the least bit concerned.
"Don't worry. We're planning to get Wood on board. I mean, every movie has supporting roles, right?"
That response just made Ron's mouth taste sour. He suddenly had no interest in talking anymore.
"Well… good luck with that," he muttered. "It's getting late. I'm tired. I'll go to bed first."
Caught up in his own excitement, Harry didn't notice anything unusual about Ron's mood. He was used to it by now—Ron had a few days each month where he acted a little off.
Lying in bed, Harry replayed the day in his mind—especially the image of the filming equipment and the dazzling future Fred and George had described.
Sleep eluded him once again.
And on the bed beside his, the very same Ron who had claimed to be "tired" was also wide awake.
Envy and jealousy buzzed around him like a swarm of mosquitoes, making it impossible to rest. This wasn't new—he'd carried a certain question with him for years now.
Why is it that the people around me are always so good at making me feel like I'm utterly useless?
Bloody hell.
The next day, Ron realized his jealousy had come a little too early.
Dragging himself out of bed with under-eye circles that matched Harry's, he headed to the Quidditch pitch.
He'd come to watch Fred, George, and Harry attempt to convince Wood, fully expecting Wood to blow a fuse and give them an earful.
Instead, he watched them… actually succeed.
Which really shouldn't have been all that surprising. Harry was the most important player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team—Wood's prized Seeker, a once-in-a-generation talent he'd waited four years to find.
As long as Harry supported the idea, Wood would do anything to keep his star player happy.
That's also why Fred and George had roped Harry into this in the first place—he wasn't just a "Boy Who Lived" publicity gimmick; he was useful at Hogwarts.
Useful enough to sway Wood, and even more importantly… the professors.
Ron witnessed the twin Weasleys pull off something miraculous. After winning over Wood, they brought Harry along to persuade Madam Hooch (Flying Instructor and Quidditch referee) and even Professor McGonagall.
By evening, under the supervision of both professors, Fred and George had already begun mounting cameras onto broomsticks.
"This is an innovation, team," Professor McGonagall addressed the Gryffindor players on the field, then cast a glance at Ron, who stood among the spectators. "And for those observing as well. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley have proposed a method to document the entire match through these Muggle devices mounted on your brooms. According to their plan, this will provide valuable footage for training and strategy."
"If we win, it'll be a record of our triumph. If we lose, it'll show us our mistakes and areas to improve. So I hope everyone will learn to adapt to these small devices."
What utter nonsense.
Ron screamed internally.
Harry had clearly said they were making a film to sell!
But whatever inner protest Ron had, Professor McGonagall obviously couldn't hear it. After she finished speaking, she smiled warmly at the twins—relieved, perhaps, that they hadn't ended up as the next generation of Zonko's shopkeepers.
She had been a bit annoyed earlier that afternoon when they pulled out modified Muggle cameras. But after hearing their plan—and with Harry vouching for them—she gave her full support.
Brilliant children. Not only had they returned to the right path, they were even using their creativity to further Gryffindor's Quidditch glory.
Of course, not everyone agreed with the twins' vision.
Alicia Spinnet, for instance, raised her hand in protest. "Professor, this isn't fair. These devices might interfere with flying, and having them on our brooms could put us at a disadvantage during plays."
"No need to worry, Miss Spinnet," McGonagall assured her. "I'll speak with Professor Snape and propose that Slytherin install similar equipment. If he refuses, I won't force Gryffindor to use them either."
Alicia reluctantly backed down, confident that the cold-hearted bat Snape would never agree to something so ridiculous.
She was, of course, far too young.
Snape wasn't interested in cameras—but he was aware the project was backed by Vaughn. And more importantly, he had full confidence that under Vaughn's leadership, Slytherin would crush Gryffindor.
So that very night, when McGonagall brought the proposal to him, he not only agreed… he even suggested:
"The match footage should be made public. I recommend the school rent a shop in Diagon Alley to broadcast the games 24/7—let all of wizarding Britain see our illustrious Harry Potter."
The suggestion was, frankly, ridiculous, and McGonagall rejected it outright.
But she did approve Snape's request to privately purchase a projector and screen the matches at Hogwarts.
Vaughn didn't hear about any of this until the next day.
He had barely been paying attention to the twins' latest business venture, letting them run wild on their own. Even Quidditch practice had become a formality lately.
Two months into the new term, most of his academic backlog had been resolved, and other responsibilities no longer needed his attention—for example, the Werewolf Affairs Committee was in the middle of international negotiations, led by Crouch and Remus.
As for rescuing Isabella, their only hope currently rested on an academic invitation from Ilvermorny—something Dumbledore had put on hold for now.
So Vaughn had turned his focus back to his greatest passions:
The pursuit of knowledge and power.
"System."
Inside the Room of Requirement, a dimly lit training chamber, Vaughn whispered. A translucent panel materialized before him.
[Host: Vaughn Weasley]
Magic Scale: 484 / 500 (Average adult wizard: 500)
Talents:
Charms: 7
Dark Arts: 6
Transfiguration: 8
Potions: 10
Herbology: 6
Alchemy: 6
Divination: 2
(Max value: 10)
Spells:
Occlumency Lv5 (MAX)
Protego Lv5 (MAX)
Expelliarmus Lv5 (MAX)
Depulso Lv5 (MAX)
Wingardium Leviosa Lv5 (MAX)
Legilimency Lv3 (15/32)
Disillusionment Charm Lv3 (7/16)
Sectumsempra Lv3 (3/24)
Patronus Charm Lv2 (3/16)
Apparition Lv2 (2/12)
Alchemy: Lv0 (0/20)
Potions:
"Vaughn's Beauty" Series
"Vaughn's Haircare" Series
Wolfsbane Potion, etc.
Reputation Points: 0
Main Quest ②: Help Slytherin win the House Cup this year (In Progress)
Reward: 1 Talent Point, +50 Magic Scale
Side Quest ③: Study all dragon-related magic and understand their core principles (Activated)
Reward: +100 Magic Scale, Spell Development Module
Compared to two months ago—when he had just returned to Hogwarts and unlocked his Alchemy talent by claiming the Philosopher's Stone—Vaughn's spell progress had skyrocketed.
He had now mastered five spells at the maximum level, and both Legilimency and Sectumsempra were progressing steadily through level 3.
His growing proficiency in Legilimency alone could probably rank him among the top in the magical world.
And yet, he had invested none of his Reputation Points into his newly acquired Alchemy talent.
Because, just like when he first unlocked it, Alchemy—mysterious, abstract, and deeply philosophical—was something he wanted to explore from the ground up.
And the deeper he dived into its theory, the more he realized: modern alchemy might hold the key to understanding the origin of magic itself—and the very fabric of reality.
At least… in theory.
(To be continued)
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