Hermione's hunch was right.
After she Vincent arrived at Hogsmeade Station, they carried their two adorable pets to the waiting area. Not long after, the Hogwarts Express arrived at the station.
Before the train had even come to a complete stop, the twins jumped down from the control room at the front of the train.
Vincent and Hermione watched the two running towards them, they finally understood where that ominous feeling came from.
"I miss you so much, my good buddy~"
Vincent cleverly sidestepped, dodging two large hugs.
Fred, who had stretched out his hands, looked at Hermione, but after being glared at, he pouted and lowered his hands.
"Please, you guys are being so heartless."
Vincent dodged George's hug again. "Didn't we just meet in Diagon Alley yesterday?"
George grinned widely. "Yesterday is yesterday, today is today."
He lowered his hands and, together with Fred, curiously looked around.
"Dude, where did you hide your car?"
Vincent raised his left hand and shook his index finger, which was adorned with Flamel Ring.
The twins' eyes gleamed, and they rubbed their hands together with a grin. "Dude, we've been wanting to drive Muggle car for ages."
"Didn't you drive Uncle Arthur's car before?"
"That's different. My dad's old car can only fly. I'm always worried that the wheels will fall off when it's running."
Vincent thought about it and realized that lending it to them wasn't out of the question.
"It's possible, but..."
The twins looked at him expectantly. "But what?"
"However..." Vincent gestured for the two to look behind them, "You have quite a few competitors."
Cedric came over, followed by James and Alfred.
Muggle vehicles held no appeal for wizards, but Vincent was designing a future Speed Myth.
No boy can resist Bugatti, just like no girl can resist a sparkly little dress.
"Old Wen~"
"Stop." Vincent took the car key from the Flamel Ring. "Whoever finds it gets the right to use the car for one day."
After casting several amplification spells, he threw the car keys heavily toward the castle.
Hogsmeade is quite far from the castle, yet the car keys kept disappearing through the rain at an unbelievable speed.
The group exchanged glances and then rushed toward the castle.
The twins and Cedric took a shortcut, while James and Alfred chose the shortest straight line.
The freshmen who had just gotten off the train saw several blurry figures flash past them.
Just as they were wondering what was going on, a loud voice rang out.
"First-year students, this way!"
The source of the sound was a Giant figure holding a huge umbrella.
As is customary, the new students had to travel by small boat to reach the castle.
Hagrid was in charge of leading them as usual, but his appearance this year was rather unsightly. His oversized mole fur coat had many holes, and his hair was a mess.
Vincent watched the new students leave, then turned the club's emblem into an umbrella. "Let's go."
Hermione didn't dare to take his arm, but she stayed close to him.
Outside the station, a hundred horse-drawn carriages waited quietly for the students.
We arrived a bit late; most people had already taken their seats.
Daphne and Astoria stood under umbrellas in front of a carriage in the middle.
The two sisters waved to Vincent and Hermione.
Like the small boats carried by the new students, the carriages could only seat four people.
Of course, those riding on the back of Thestral don't count.
If it weren't raining heavily, Vincent would have liked to take Hermione to experience it.
Once inside the carriage, Daphne quickly took Hermione's hand. "So that's why you disappeared! You were with your boyfriend."
Her tone was sarcastic, making Hermione feel a little awkward. "Actually, we didn't want to drive directly to school either..."
Being chased by Muggle police? And they even deployed a helicopter?
Hermione recounted the thrilling adventure they had just experienced, and Daphne and Astoria listened with sparkling eyes.
"Envious?"
The two sisters nodded instinctively.
Hermione's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "If you're so envious, why don't you hurry up and find a boyfriend?"
Daphne glanced at Vincent, who was sitting idly across from her, and said, "Forget about the boys at school. You've already hooked up with all the best ones. I don't care about those ugly ducklings."
"Who told you to have such high standards?"
"Heh heh—" Daphne sneered, reaching her small hand towards the ticklish spot on her waist. "You little brat, you actually dare to make sarcastic remarks."
Hermione giggled as she was tickled, "No... I'm ticklish..."
As the commotion continued, even the usually well-behaved and sensible Astoria joined in.
Vincent pretended not to see his girlfriend's pleading look.
It's best for guys not to meddle in girls' business.
They didn't seem to treat him like an outsider; their close interaction made it easy for him to be exposed.
The Thestral, leading a hundred carriages, flew over the gate flanked by sculptures of winged warthogs and came to a steady stop in front of the long stone steps.
Vincent was the first to get off the bus.
After waiting for a few minutes, the three girls finally came out, having straightened their disheveled clothes.
The four followed the students up the stone steps.
In the distance, several figures could be seen running from the Forbidden Forest toward the castle.
"Old Wen! I found it!"
James, who was at the front, had just finished speaking when Fred tackled him to the ground from behind.
George picked up the car keys, but Alfred snatched them away as soon as he got them.
"Haha! I got it!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the car keys were in Cedric's hands.
He rushed over as soon as he got his hands on it.
The Little Badger, who had been quietly making a fortune, finally got the right to use the car for a day.
The twins were naturally annoyed. They used magic to dry their clothes, then followed the smug Cedric into the castle with wicked grins.
The Entrance Hall was wet everywhere, with puddles of water on the floor.
As soon as Vincent entered the castle, he suddenly had a strange feeling, as if he had established some kind of connection with the castle.
He suddenly raised his hand, and a large red balloon filled with water was blocked by the rising floor.
The three girls were startled and glared fiercely at the surprised-looking Peeves in mid-air.
Just as the boys were about to retaliate, Hermione drew her wand and cast a Freezing Charm on Peeves, then swung it hard, sending it flying out of the Entrance Hall.
If it weren't for Vincent, their clothes would definitely have gotten wet.
"Old Wen, you reacted quickly."
"Uh..." Vincent stared blankly at his raised hand. "I feel like something's different."
"What's different?" After Fred finished speaking, George reached out his hand to Cedric with a sinister look.
"Very different." Vincent seemed to anticipate their movements, and with a slight flick of his fingers, he lifted the floorboards beneath Cedric's feet.
George nearly got hit in the nose. "Dude, can you see through things now?"
Vincent's gaze remained fixed on his hands. "It's not X-ray vision, but rather I feel like I've established some kind of connection with the castle, which allows me to roughly understand what's happening around me."
"And..." His fingers twitched, and the floorboards he had lifted lay back down quietly, "And it seems I've also gained control of the castle."
Controlling the castle is the exclusive domain of the headmaster; even the School Board Member do not have this authority.
Hermione frowned, then suddenly covered her mouth with both hands, her delicate face filled with surprise. "Vincent, the magical Contract you made with Gu Gu and Uncle Lestrange to temporarily serve as School Board Member was until you came of age, right?"
"Yes." Vincent also looked shocked.
The remaining people stared at each other in disbelief.
To become a Hogwarts School Board Member, Gold Galleons are secondary; the key is to have a certain level of fame and influence in the Wizarding World.
Since its founding, no one has ever held more than two seats on the School Board Member.
To avoid the rule that a total of seven School Board Member seats could be temporarily held by others, Vincent reclaimed all seven School Board Member seats the moment he came of age and entered the castle.
The rules of the magic Contract do restrict one person to only one School Board Member seat, but they do not stipulate that multiple Contract cannot be in effect at the same time.
Thus, through a series of coincidences, Vincent became the largest School Board Member in Hogwarts' history, and thereby gained some of the exclusive powers of the headmaster.