Hogwarts: What wicked thoughts could a little wizard possibly have?

Chapter 35 Quidditch Test

Since the start of the semester, Vaughn's academic excellence has become widely recognized.

Hermione used to want to compete with him.

But perhaps because she spent a lot of time hanging out with underachieving students, she gradually became less obsessed with getting extra points.

Currently, only deducting points can still anger her.

When the owl delivered the package, Vaughn was pretending to think. Ron, sitting opposite him, was eagerly anticipating the result and was practically lying on the long table, as if being closer would allow him to hear the answer sooner.

The package dropped by the owl hit him directly on the head.

"Damn Zhu Weiqiong, I knew it! It's been wanting to get rid of me for a long time!"

Ron was cursing the family owl, whose name Ginny had given him.

This young eagle owl is Errol's successor and currently serves the entire Weasley family.

Zhu Weiqiong, who landed next to Vaughn, glanced at Ron with disdain, as if he were a piece of trash.

Ever since Ron called it a pig, it has never looked at him properly again.

Harry didn't want to talk to Ron, who was arguing with a bird.

He stared blankly at the familiar-looking package, then asked Vaughn, "Vaughn, what is this...?"

Vaughn, beaming as he unpacked the package, nodded and said, "Just as you expected, Harry, a flying broomstick, Nimbus 2000!"

"Merlin..."

Ron clutched his chest, as if he could see Galleons glittering inside the package. He stared at Vaughn: "You, you actually bought a Nimbus 2000?"

"Of course I didn't buy it, Professor Snape did."

This familiar plot made Harry increasingly uneasy. Not long ago, he also received a Nimbus 2000, which Professor McGonagall bought for him to celebrate becoming the Seeker of Gryffindor.

Hermione realized it too, and she covered her mouth: "Vaughn, have you joined the Quidditch team too?"

"That's right, Hermione. Professor Snape thinks I have a great talent for Quidditch and hopes I can lead Slytherin to victory!"

Vaughn smiled at her.

His tone was cheerful, but Harry couldn't feel happy at all.

He recalled the day of his first flight lesson, when he and Vaughn flew around the field, and how Vaughn demonstrated an amazing adaptability and responsiveness to flying.

The two performed equally well that day.

This made Harry anxious for the rest of the time, and he even forgot to ask Vaughn about it until he suddenly remembered it before going to bed that night.

Vaughn hasn't told him who Nick Lemaître really is yet.

Ron, in the next bed, was furious about Vaughn joining Quidditch: "...That old bat Snape did it on purpose! He just can't stand to see you succeed, Harry! So when Professor McGonagall made you the Seeker, he made Vaughn the Seeker too!"

"How malicious!"

He suddenly shouted, startling the sleeping Seamus Finigan so much that he jumped up, completely waking him up.

Ron paced back and forth in front of Harry's bed. "Harry, you must not fall for Snape's schemes. He's trying to destroy our friendship. He wants you and Vaughn to become enemies. He..."

Harry had to interrupt him: "What are you talking about? This is getting more and more ridiculous."

"Uh, I've noticed you've been really unhappy..." Ron stammered, "Do you think Vaughn will steal your thunder? You can learn from me; I've lived in his shadow my whole life, and I haven't lost anything..."

As Harry listened, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Ron.

But he interrupted Ron: "No, don't talk nonsense. I'm worried... Vaughn is very strong, and I'm worried about losing to him. Everyone on the team is pinning their hopes on me, and I'm afraid of letting them down..."

Ron scratched his face, unsure how to comfort him.

……

On Saturday, as October officially began, temperatures in the Scottish Highlands dropped again.

In the morning, the grass was already covered in frost.

Today is Slytherin Quidditch team practice day. As the second Seeker after Harry Potter to join the Quidditch team as a first-year student, Vaughn attracted a large number of students to watch.

When Harry and Ron arrived, the stands were already packed with people, including Slytherin students, Hufflepuff students, and Cedric Diggory with several classmates who often discussed Transfiguration with Vaughn, holding up a banner that read "Go Vaughn!"

The stands where Ravenclaw was located were filled with women, and the air seemed to become sweeter. They conjured fireworks and teased and screamed at Vaughn, who was flying in the air.

Not to mention Slytherin, even Gryffindor had quite a few people standing there. The twins were shaking a bed sheet with a comic strip drawn on it by magic, depicting Vaughn riding a broomstick and catching the Golden Snitch.

Hermione was there too, casting a spell on the sheets to make the painting move.

Ron was furious and yelled at the twins, "You two traitors!"

The twins replied, "That's our little brother, Ronnie."

"He's also your brother, Ronnie."

"Those two guys are definitely sucking up to Vaughn," Ron said to Harry indignantly. "I bet they wouldn't do that if I joined the team; they'd probably do something to me instead!"

Harry wasn't in the mood to talk. He saw Wood and squeezed past him with Ron.

Wood didn't seem to be in a bad mood; he even comforted Harry, saying, "Don't worry about Harry, I don't believe anyone can be as talented as you!"

Until Slytherin's training began.

Today's training mainly focused on testing Vaughn's ability to catch the Golden Snitch, with the other players acting as opposing players, trying to interfere with him through techniques such as hitting the ball.

Wearing windproof goggles, Vaughn rode on his brand-new Nimbus 2000, looking down at the crowd below.

"...I think I underestimated Quidditch's popularity..."

Although we know from the original books that Quidditch is the most popular sport in the wizarding world.

But since arriving in this world, Vaughn, who had never watched a game, ultimately didn't feel a sense of reality.

He was pondering a question—shouldn't the popularity that Quidditch brings also be considered a form of fame?

If he could win over all those little wizards and their families by playing ball, he could at least add 1 point to his monthly reputation points, right?

"Get serious!"

Vaughn gripped the broom handle tightly, braced his feet on the broom's footpads, and slightly raised his body.

With a whistle, Captain Flint released the Golden Snitch, and the other team members quickly moved to disrupt Vaughn's vision and movement.

But all of that was in vain!

Harry's feeling was right; Vaughn's reaction speed was indeed on par with his. As Vaughn pressed down on the broom, the Nimbus 2000's terrifying performance immediately surged to its limit.

The players responsible for close-range interception only saw a dark shadow flash past their eyes.

One of them even nearly collided with Vaughn.

But Vaughn reacted quickly, wiping his broom as he broke through the formation.

It weaves through the crowd like a flower, darting and striking, heading straight for the golden dot of light that dances back and forth below.

One minute later, Vaughn raised his hand high, the Golden Snitch gleaming in his hand.

Cheers erupted from the stands!

Harry looked up and saw Wood's pale face...