"Quidditch ended completely today. He cried and threw a tantrum about going to London, and I really had no choice. You know me—I can never bring myself to refuse."
Vaughan was speechless.
That shameless old bastard was actually using him as a shield behind his back!
Seeing that Professor McGonagall seemed to believe him and was beginning to hesitate, Vaughan quickly coughed loudly and strode over.
At the sight of Vaughan, Dumbledore showed no sign of anything unusual and called out cheerfully, "Vaughan's here. We were just talking about you... Oh, right, Minerva, you needn't worry about the school's affairs for now. I just asked Vaughan to explain the situation to Severus. He'll temporarily take over for you these next few days."
"Vaughan, dear, what did Severus say?"
Vaughan smiled without smiling. "Professor Snape wasn't very pleased. He said he's more interested in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Of course, he wouldn't reject the headmaster's position either. He's very dissatisfied with the current headmaster, because that man is full of lies and even uses children!"
Hearing Vaughan say something so "treasonous," Professor McGonagall first shot him a stern glare, then turned a suspicious gaze toward Dumbledore.
Unfortunately, Old Dumbledore's skin had been weathered for over a hundred years, and its thickness was simply impossible to measure. Unfazed by Vaughan's sarcasm and Professor McGonagall's suspicion, he calmly changed the subject and said brightly:
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go. If we hurry to London now, we'll still have time to browse the Muggle night market. There are several stalls with particularly delicious desserts—I strongly recommend you try them..."
As he spoke, Fawkes flew over and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
It stared straight ahead, trying hard not to look at Vaughan, but Vaughan's gaze still made its feathers stand