Vinson Wright was not quite normal.
The spells this little fellow cast were far more practiced than those cast by the old wizards, and the power of the two sides' magic could not even be compared.
Old Barty Crouch never criticized Vinson's learning methods again. He merely hinted darkly that Vinson, with his diligence, would very likely be sorted into Ravenclaw House when he entered school.
Of course.
Vinson might also be sorted into Slytherin.
At least in Old Barty Crouch's eyes, a Slytherin full of ambition and fond of protecting his own interests could not have been a better fit for Vinson Wright.
Likewise.
Vinson might also be sorted into Gryffindor.
There was no doubt that this little brat had never lacked courage.
In fact.
Old Barty Crouch believed there was nothing wrong with Vinson Wright joining any of Hogwarts' houses—except the Hufflepuff House Vinson had always longed for.
What kind of students did Hufflepuff House have?
Hufflepuff House was made up of the most ordinary students. Every year, Hufflepuff received the most new students.
Honesty.
Kindness.
Integrity.
Equality.
Loyalty.
Diligence.
These were all traits possessed by Hufflepuff's new students.
At first glance, these character traits seemed deeply admirable. However, they were traits that any ordinary person could possess, making it difficult for their owners to stand out from the crowd.
Some people had neither noble families nor worldly ambitions, so they did not enter Slytherin; some wanted peaceful, stable lives, so they did not enter Gryffindor; and some lacked exceptional talent, so they did not enter Ravenclaw.
That was the truth behind Hogwarts' Sorting Ceremony.
Yet they were the most widespread group in the wizarding world.
"I like Hufflepuff."
Before Hogwarts began, Vinson Wright had a very serious discussion with Old Barty, hoping to justify his reasons for choosing Hufflepuff.
"Hufflepuff is not like Gryffindor. They may seem to lack the courage to break their peaceful lives, but they will never retreat when facing evil."
"Hufflepuff is not like Slytherin, either. They do not possess the so-called noble bloodlines of the Pure-blood families, but they are now the largest group in the entire wizarding world."
"Hufflepuff is not like Ravenclaw. They cannot completely lose themselves in knowledge, but they have their own thoughts and knowledge, and they work hard at both learning and living."
"I admit that what you said is very accurate."
Old Barty Crouch agreed with Vinson Wright's viewpoint very seriously. He had even been successfully persuaded by Vinson Wright himself and changed his attitude toward Hufflepuff House.
However...
After saying that, Old Barty Crouch looked at Vinson Wright with deep suspicion. "But there is not a single Hufflepuff trait in you..."
Hufflepuff was full of good people...
Wouldn't sending this little brat there just make him a menace?
At this point, Old Barty Crouch felt that he had spoken too harshly. He hesitated before explaining, "Of course, I'm not saying that you don't deserve to be in Hufflepuff House or anything..."
"...Then what are you saying?"
Vinson Wright's face nearly turned black with anger.
He had been working so hard to explain just how excellent Hufflepuff House was. Old Barty Crouch had listened to him, so how had he ended up deciding that Vinson did not deserve to be there?
"Which house someone enters is not something one person can decide..."
Old Barty Crouch shook his head and tried to soothe Vinson's emotions. "I'm only trying to advise you in advance. I hope you won't place too many expectations on entering Hufflepuff."
"I understand what you mean, but..."
Vinson Wright's emotions gradually settled. He slowly raised his head and stared at Old Barty Crouch. "For the future of the wizarding world, I must enter Hufflepuff. In the future, we must get the majority of people to stand on our side."
"..."
Old Barty Crouch nodded stiffly.
He was already this calculating. How could he possibly not be sorted into Slytherin House? And yet he was still thinking about going to Hufflepuff?
"All right, let's discuss something else..."
Ignoring Old Barty Crouch's strange look, Vinson Wright raised another topic. "If a first-year student causes a little trouble during the Sorting Ceremony, he shouldn't run into too much trouble, right?"
"...Sorry, I have no experience with that."
The corner of Old Barty Crouch's eye twitched.
All these years, every new student entering Hogwarts had been trembling with fear during the Sorting Ceremony. What kind of new student would think about causing trouble at a time like that?
"You can go rest."
Vinson Wright waved Old Barty Crouch away, then suddenly called him back and gave him one final instruction. "Also, before school starts, find me the potion recipe for Polyjuice Potion—the one that can make someone take on another person's appearance..."
"..."
What mischief was this little fellow planning now?
Old Barty Crouch immediately grew wary. "I still hope you won't cause too much trouble at Hogwarts. Otherwise, Dumbledore might turn his attention to you. If he discovers that you've been hiding your talent for Dark Magic..."
"Don't worry."
Vinson Wright answered seriously, then casually brushed him off. "No matter how big an incident happens at Hogwarts, it definitely won't have anything to do with me..."
"..."
Old Barty Crouch relaxed a little.
Generally speaking, time did not stop according to anyone's wishes. Comfortable holidays always passed quickly, and at last, it was time for Hogwarts to begin its new term.
September 1, 1989.
The day Hogwarts began its new term had finally arrived.
During this time, Vinson Wright had stayed at home and studied tirelessly. He had finally gained enough from his efforts and mastered quite a few spells from his textbooks.
He had even learned many spells that first-year students were not yet allowed to study, using Old Barty Crouch's magical notes. The power of the spells Vinson cast was also more than dozens of times greater than Old Barty Crouch's.
It was simply terrifying.
Name: Vinson Wright Gender: Male Birthday: August 8, 1978 Health Value: 330 (an ordinary adult man has 100) Health Regeneration: 2/second Magic Power Value: 1925 (an ordinary Auror wizard has 500) Magic Regeneration: 2/second Magic Spells: [The Killing Curse], [Imperius Curse], [The Cruciatus Curse], [Legilimency], [Unlock Charm], [Scouring Charm], [Transfiguration Spell], [Disarming Charm], [Lumos], [Mending Charm], [Fire Charm], [Levitation Charm], [Petrifying Charm], [Accio], [Revealing Charm], [Finite Incantatem]. (The Magic Power Value consumed by any Magic Spell will automatically stabilize according to the spell's power.) Magic Skills: [Purification], [Void Orb] Magic Specialties: [Never Petrified], [Wind-Riding Flight] Potion Recipes: [Health Potion] [Mana Potion] [Polyjuice Potion] Magical Pets: [Avenia, an ice crystal phoenix skilled in ice magic.] [Tom, an owl skilled at catching mice.]
"Everything should be fine now..."
Vinson Wright looked over his learning results with satisfaction. Then he raised a hand and used the Levitation Charm to lift his luggage, controlling it as it flew one piece at a time into the trunk of the car.
With Vinson's current level of magic alone...
He had no problem handling a first-year student's curriculum.
Old Barty Crouch glanced down at his watch and sat in the driver's seat. "I heard there are many new students entering this year. We might run into quite a few familiar people at the station..."
"Then you should remember them carefully."
As he spoke, Vinson opened the car door and got in. He leaned against the back seat and closed his eyes for a brief nap. "If their children do anything wrong at school, hold their parents responsible..."
I feel Vinson should be worthy of Hufflepuff House.
Before you continue