Indeed.
The Hufflepuff first-years certainly thought so as well.
Every first-year student in Hufflepuff began trying to gather around Vinson, taking the initiative to greet him. This also made them realize that the gray-haired boy did not seem nearly as aloof as they had imagined.
Vinson would politely chat for a bit with every classmate who greeted him, a gesture that made quite a few young wizards feel somewhat honored.
From the start of the term until now, Vinson Wright had always seemed like a legendary figure they could only look up to. After all, this was the first-year who had pulled the Gryffindor Sword from the stone in the neighboring house!
And even today...
He had sorted out the Slytherin Prefect!
To be honest.
Actually, Cedric was far more popular among the first-years than Vinson Wright.
Or rather, if this group of young wizards felt fondness toward Cedric, their attitude toward Vinson Wright was likely left with nothing more than the respect due to a strong person.
If Cedric, who was always warm and kind to his classmates, hadn't been Vinson Wright's friend, these little badgers would have felt that it was quite unlikely they were students of the same year as Vinson Wright.
"Sorry, Vinson, I always thought you were very cold..."
When a Hufflepuff girl greeted Vinson Wright, a hint of apology still lingered on her face as she honestly shared her perspective, "Because whenever we saw you, you were always reading in the common room or drinking tea with Cedric..."
At this mention, the girl glanced at Cedric once more before continuing, "And it was always Cedric who greeted us; you rarely spoke first..."
"That was my rudeness."
Vinson Wright accepted her remark with modesty, explaining politely, "Mr. Crouch taught me that taking the initiative to greet strangers might perhaps be too abrupt, as I wouldn't want any of my actions to make others feel uneasy..."
"Well... but this is nice, too."
The girl suddenly shook her head to herself, continuing with a smile, "Vinson, actually, your usual aloof manner is also very attractive. We all think it's even cooler than that bunch in Slytherin!"
"Thank you."
Vinson Wright nodded politely in acknowledgment.
Clearly.
This girl still possessed the innocence of a Hufflepuff.
Ever since joining Hufflepuff, Vinson had never been stingy with offering his friendship, provided that those who wanted to win it made a little effort of their own.
Generally speaking.
People tend to find a friendship that is simply handed to them a bit cheap.
Only friendships that people feel they have earned through their own proactive efforts will appear somewhat precious to them, and it is only when things are precious that people begin to cherish them all the more.
Now, with everyone in Hufflepuff envying Cedric for having a friend like Vinson Wright, it simply proved that Vinson's friendship was precious enough.
By now, the first-years throughout Hufflepuff had all begun hoping to win his friendship!
As they hurried toward the afternoon Transfiguration classroom, all the Hufflepuff first-years fell in behind Vinson, marching in a grand, imposing procession toward the classroom.
Afternoon.
The Transfiguration classroom.
The little Hufflepuff wizards lost none of their enthusiasm.
This group of youngsters even yielded the best seats in the classroom to Vinson.
Actually, Vinson felt this was entirely unnecessary, because the young wizards believed the best seats in the classroom were right beneath the teacher's desk—a spot right under the professor's nose.
Such enthusiasm...
Made it impossible for Vinson to slack off even a little.
Cedric, sitting beside Vinson, still harbored complex feelings.
This innocent, tall boy still couldn't quite let go of what had happened today, and an inexplicable illusion even arose within his heart...
Cedric felt as though the friendship between himself and Vinson might be cursed; why did it always manage to drag in some sort of trouble for no apparent reason?
The first time, Vinson gave up Gryffindor, which suited him best, and chose to join Hufflepuff for the sake of a friend;
The second time, Vinson directly took on all the first-years and three prefects from two houses for the sake of a friend, stirring up even bigger trouble than before.
There wouldn't be another big piece of trouble next time, would there?
Impossible.
This had to be an illusion.
Cedric rubbed the bridge of his nose.
As long as he stayed watchful, there shouldn't be any more trouble stirred up in the future.
Some people.
Forever keep the innocence of a pure heart.
Just as Cedric understood his friend Vinson Wright, Vinson Wright held the exact same evaluation of his friend Cedric.
Both of them believed that their friend was extremely naive.
Inside, Vinson Wright was also lamenting Cedric's innocence, for actually accepting the classmates' kind intentions and insisting on dragging him to sit in the very front row.
This spot...
Was simply too agonizing.
Vinson could only let out a helpless sigh, pick up his Transfiguration textbook, and flip through it rather casually, looking somewhat absent-minded.
As a wizard who had already mastered the Animagus Transformation, Vinson Wright didn't really need to pay much attention to Transfiguration classes nowadays.
Regarding his mastery of transformation skills, Vinson was enough to match any Transfiguration master in the world, even though he hadn't yet tried out his own Animagus Transformation.
According to the information on transformation abilities...
In theory, Vinson could transform into any kind of animal; he just didn't know whether he could turn into the creature he imagined, or else it would only serve as a way to run away and the like.
Class time arrived quietly.
The entire classroom gradually grew silent.
Even though Professor Minerva McGonagall, who was in charge of Transfiguration, hadn't arrived yet, the well-behaved little Hufflepuff badgers had already started studying on their own initiative.
Just as Vinson was letting his mind wander while casually flipping through his Transfiguration textbook...
A tabby cat suddenly hopped onto his desk, staring intently at Vinson's movements, tilting its head with a look of seeming puzzlement.
"Vinson, look!"
Noticing this scene, Cedric quickly nudged Vinson's arm.
This innocent boy looked at the tabby cat, which was actually displaying somewhat human-like behavior, and couldn't help a smile curving across his face.
Cedric even reached out, intending to shake paws with the cat; a Hufflepuff never hides their affection for any animal.
However...
Some animals shouldn't be touched casually!
When Vinson Wright noticed this scene, his gaze fell upon the tabby cat, and he instantly realized the cat's oddity!
This was no ordinary cat at all!
"Don't..."
Vinson Wright was far too late to stop Cedric.
No, or rather, this tabby cat was never a cat to begin with—this was the Animagus form of a Transfiguration master!
The next second.
The tabby cat leaped swiftly off the desk.
Just as the tabby cat jumped down from the desk, its figure shifted rapidly, turning in the blink of an eye into a witch who left every student present dumbfounded.
Minerva McGonagall.
The teacher for this Transfiguration class.
She was also a Deputy Headmistress renowned for her fairness.
Because Professor Minerva McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor, yet when handling school affairs, this professor managed to treat the students of every house with absolute equality.
"Mr. Wright."
Standing beside the desk and ignoring the slightly awkward Cedric, Professor Minerva McGonagall looked down at Vinson and instructed softly, "I hope you will be more focused when reading your textbook next time, and perhaps slow down your page-turning just a bit."
Before you continue