Back in the common room, Vincent took about half an hour to finish translating.
Hermione initially watched with great interest, but later she became expressionless, just like Vincent.
Xenophilius's unsubstantiated guesses were surprisingly mostly correct.
"I actually had some expectations for this!"
She gave the translated article to Fred.
George immediately leaned over to look, "Mr. Lovegood is actually quite interesting."
"How is it interesting?"
"His hair was as fluffy as a marshmallow, and he often didn't shave."
Hermione suddenly pictured a greasy middle-aged man in her mind.
"Okay, hopefully it's not what I'm thinking."
"What a coincidence," Vincent said, recounting Luna's story.
"She looks quite old; perhaps we'll see her in a year or two."
George poked his little head out and said, "She and Ginny should be the same age, so she can be next semester!"
Mentioning Ginny, Fred poked his head out and asked, "Dude, are we really not going to go to the Forbidden Forest to find the little cutie?"
"Gwent is selling quite well, and it should be available in Diagon Alley this summer."
"I agree!" George excitedly raised his little hand. "I'm going to write back to Mom and tell her that Fred and I are both dropping out of school to go into business!"
"Impossible." Hermione looked at Percy walking towards them from a distance.
"We can pay some money to have the stores in Diagon Alley sell it on our behalf."
"Great idea!" the twins exclaimed, then got up and ran off.
The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, left Percy, who was standing still, looking conflicted.
"Vice President, I suggest we go find George first!"
Vincent, who kept his achievements hidden, began to discuss the details with Hermione.
"If Gwent grows bigger and stronger in the future, it will definitely be the best support for your candidacy."
Are you painting a rosy picture of the future for me?
Subtext: Deception.
"Of course not!" Vincent denied it quite confidently. "We are all Muggle-born wizards, we must not be like those Pure-blood and create conflict."
Hermione exclaimed "Oh!" as if she suddenly understood, then stared at him meaningfully.
"Ahem—I need to go to bed now."
"Oh~"
Vincent ran faster than Fred and George had run earlier.
Hermione, who remained behind, smiled slightly, picked up "The Quibbler" and went back to her dorm.
Oh, Percy finally caught George.
The Quidditch arena was already packed with people early the next morning.
Wood took the whole team to watch the game.
Except for Vincent.
He is teaching combat sports in the Club Room.
"Keep your arm straight to maximize the power of your punch."
When Rolf, who hadn't gone to watch the match, saw the sandbag being knocked down, he immediately started clapping.
"Who can help me demonstrate?"
Neville, who also didn't go, raised his little hand high, "Me—"
"I!"
Everyone looked over at the sound and saw that it was the two little witches of the Black Swan, Pansy and Daphne.
Hermione watched them warily.
There is an old saying in the distant East: "No one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason."
She knew what the Three Treasures Hall was, but knowing that it harbored ill intentions was enough.
"Okay, come on up." Vincent gentlemanly lifted the ropes around the ring.
They really came out in the open.
Pansy didn't even take off her shoes; she just stepped onto the platform like that.
Sure, let's start with a show of force.
Daphne did take off her shoes, but her gaze towards him remained haughty.
The students below the stage were whispering among themselves.
"Neville, don't blame him for forgetting his friends for being attracted to women."
"I know they're here to cause trouble, aren't they?"
"Yeah, Black Swan probably only sent them because they had no one else available."
As everyone knows, our President Wayne never lays a hand on a girl himself.
Hermione glanced at the three of them one by one. "Quiet down, I can barely hear what they're saying."
After a brief exchange, Vincent on stage waved to Pansy and Daphne.
They're not too busy to be impatient; they're probably still laying the groundwork.
Pansy raised her little face haughtily, "Wayne, you don't actually think we'd cooperate with you, do you?"
"I don't care." Vincent shrugged, completely unguarded.
She slowly walked over. "You should know perfectly well what you've done to us."
This most likely refers to the dismantling of the Black Swan Club.
However, this dialogue could be misunderstood...
"Sorry, I don't understand."
Pansy lifted her foot.
Vincent took a half-step back as if by reflex.
Hermione's lips twitched slightly upon seeing this.
Looking at it from a different perspective, she realized just how much she had hated herself before.
The sturdy little leather shoes were disassembled and left on the ring.
Pansy winced in pain.
"You!"
Vincent stood back innocently, "Faced with a sudden attack, a normal person would usually dodge."
Daphne, understanding the subtext, frowned.
She couldn't understand where he got the confidence to disregard the dignity of Pure-blood Wizard and provoke her time and time again.
"Wayne— "
She took out a green envelope. "I'll wait for your reply."
"No need, I refuse."
Vincent looked her over with interest. "Whatever it is, I refuse."
"Why don't you take a look first?" Daphne handed over the letter.
Since you've offered it so sincerely, I'll reluctantly accept it.
The moment the two women turned around, the students below stopped talking.
Hermione, who hadn't heard the whole story, stared intently as they left.
Vincent, on stage, carefully put away the letter. "There was a slight mishap, but it's nothing serious."
He calmly jumped off the ring, saying, "I think I have to go to my appointment first."
"Whoa—"
Amidst a chorus of boos, Hermione followed behind him.
"Show me."
"Oh."
The letter contained a price quote.
The key is the very last line of text at the very bottom.
Nothing good will happen if we go outside the castle.
"You're going alone?"
"It's just an ambush," Vincent nonchalantly, taking out his wand. "Given Malfoy and his ilk's logic, there are definitely a lot of little swans waiting for me over there."
"Winning is best, but even if you lose, you can still turn the tables and blame others."
Hermione stopped in front of the stairs. "The reason you sent Parkinson and Greengrass, besides lowering your guard, is that they'll also play the victim and frame you afterwards?"
"Probably, if we're really that powerful, we might even be able to call the Old Bat over."
"Then are you still going?"
"Solve all the problems at once."
The anxiety on her face had mostly disappeared. "I still want to go with you."
"Their way of thinking is very easy to understand, just like our former aristocracy."
Vincent looked out the window toward the Black Lake.
"They don't think they've done anything wrong; they only think they're inherently superior and that whatever they do, no matter how outrageous, is right."
Hermione understood what he meant.
Getting rid of the troublemaker is equivalent to getting rid of the trouble itself.
Everyone involved in the Black Swan will receive a real beating.