Friendship Cherished Only When Paid For

In fact.

The new students of Hufflepuff actually thought so too.

All the first-year students in Hufflepuff began to surround Vinson, actively willing to greet him. This made them realize that the gray-haired young man didn't seem as aloof as they had imagined.

Vinson would politely chat with every classmate who greeted him, an action that made quite a few young wizards feel honored.

Because from the start of the school year until now, Vinson Wright had been like a legendary figure they could only look up to. He was a first-year who had drawn the Gryffindor Sword from a rival house!

Even today...

He had dealt with Slytherin Prefects!

To be honest.

Cedric was actually much more popular among the new students than Vinson Wright.

Or rather, if the attitude of these young wizards towards Cedric was affection, then their attitude towards Vinson Wright was probably nothing more than respect for a strong individual.

If it weren't for the fact that Cedric, who was always warm and kind to his classmates, was Vinson Wright's friend, these little badgers felt that they and Vinson Wright couldn't possibly be in the same year.

"Sorry, Vinson, I always thought you were cold..."

A Hufflepuff girl greeted Vinson Wright with some apology on her face. She honestly shared her thoughts: "Because when we saw you, you were always reading in the common room, or drinking tea with Cedric..."

As she said this, the girl glanced at Cedric again before continuing, "And it was always Cedric who greeted us. You rarely spoke first..."

"It was my impoliteness."

Vinson Wright humbly accepted her words and politely explained, "Mr. Crouch taught me that I should always think that greeting strangers first might be too abrupt, as I didn't want my actions to make others uncomfortable..."

"Okay... but, this is also good."

The girl suddenly shook her head to herself and continued with a smile, "Vinson, actually, your usual aloofness is also very attractive. We all think you're cooler than those Slytherins!"

"Thank you."

Vinson Wright nodded politely to express his gratitude.

Obviously.

This girl still possessed a touch of Hufflepuff's innocence.

Since joining Hufflepuff, Vinson had never been stingy with his friendship, as long as those who wanted his friendship were a little more proactive.

Generally speaking.

People would consider friendship that was easily given to be somewhat cheap.

Only the friendship that people felt they had earned through their own efforts would seem precious to them, and precious things would be cherished even more.

Now, all the students in Hufflepuff were envying Cedric for having a friend like Vinson Wright, which perfectly proved the preciousness of Vinson's friendship.

Now, all the new students in Hufflepuff were hoping to gain his friendship!

As they hurried to the Transfiguration classroom that afternoon, all the first-year Hufflepuff students began to follow behind Vinson, heading to the classroom in a grand procession.

Afternoon.

Transfiguration Classroom.

The young wizards of Hufflepuff's enthusiasm remained undiminished.

These young wizards even gave up the best seats in the classroom for Vinson.

Actually, Vinson felt this was unnecessary, because the young wizards considered the best seats in the classroom to be right below the podium, directly under the Professor's watchful eye.

This kind of enthusiasm...

Made it impossible for Vinson to slack off.

Cedric, sitting next to Vinson, still had complicated feelings.

This naive big boy couldn't quite let go of what had happened today. He even had a strange illusion...

Cedric felt as if his friendship with Vinson might be cursed. Why did it always seem to bring trouble inexplicably...

The first time, Vinson, for a friend, gave up the Gryffindor House that suited him best and chose to join Hufflepuff;

The second time, Vinson, for a friend, directly attacked all the new students from two houses and three Prefects, causing even bigger trouble than before.

Wouldn't there be more trouble next time?

Impossible.

This must be an illusion.

Cedric rubbed his temples.

As long as he paid attention, there shouldn't be any more trouble in the future.

Some people.

Always possess the simplicity of a pure heart.

Just as Cedric perceived his friend Vinson Wright, Vinson Wright held the same evaluation of his friend Cedric.

They both thought their friend was very simple.

Vinson Wright inwardly sighed at Cedric's naivety, truly accepting a classmate's kindness and insisting on having him sit in the front row.

This seat...

Was truly agonizing.

Vinson could only sigh helplessly, picking up his Transfiguration textbook and flipping through it casually, appearing somewhat absentminded.

As a Wizard who had already mastered the Animagus form, Vinson Wright didn't really need to pay much attention to Transfiguration class anymore.

His mastery of Transfiguration was such that Vinson could rival any Transfiguration master in the world, even though he hadn't yet attempted his own Animagus transformation.

According to the information on his Transfiguration ability...

Theoretically, Vinson could transform into any animal. He just didn't know if he could transform into an animal he imagined, otherwise it would only be useful for escaping or something.

Class time quietly arrived.

The entire classroom gradually fell silent.

Even though Professor McGonagall, who was in charge of Transfiguration, hadn't arrived yet, the obedient Hufflepuff little badgers had already begun self-studying.

Just as Vinson was absentmindedly flipping through his Transfiguration textbook while lost in thought...

A tabby cat suddenly jumped onto his desk, staring intently at Vinson's actions. It tilted its head as if puzzled.

"Vinson, look!"

Cedric noticed this and quickly nudged Vinson's arm.

The simple, big-hearted boy couldn't help but smile as he watched the tabby cat exhibit surprisingly human-like behavior.

Cedric even reached out, intending to shake the cat's paw. A Hufflepuff would never hide their affection for any animal.

However...

Some animals are not to be touched carelessly!

When Vinson Wright noticed this, his gaze fell upon the tabby cat, and he immediately realized the cat's strangeness!

This was no ordinary cat at all!

"Don't..."

Vinson Wright didn't have time to stop Cedric.

No, or rather, this tabby cat wasn't a cat at all. It was the Animagus form of a Transfiguration master!

The next second.

The tabby cat leaped swiftly off the desk.

As the tabby cat jumped down, its form rapidly changed, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a witch who left all the students present dumbfounded.

Minerva McGonagall.

The teacher for this Transfiguration class.

She was also a Deputy Headmistress known for her fairness.

Because Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor House, yet when dealing with school affairs, this Professor treated students from every house equally.

"Mr. Wright."

Professor McGonagall stood by the desk, ignoring the somewhat awkward Cedric, and softly admonished Vinson, "I hope you will concentrate more when reading your textbook next time, and slow down a little when turning pages."