On Saturday, the day off, at the staff gathering, Vaughn attended the event as a teaching assistant (though to avoid the curse, he held no official title or position).
Professor Sinistra, tall and gaunt, gripped Vaughn's hand tightly and wiped at the corner of her eyes emotionally. "Honestly, I never imagined that the one who would save me—save Astronomy—would be you, Vaughn. Dear, I'm so sorry I once thought you didn't have even the slightest talent for Divination—"
Vaughn's mouth twitched. He really wanted to tell Professor Sinistra that if she was truly sorry, she really did not need to bring it up again!
Having been marginalized for too long, Professor Sinistra failed to notice Vaughn's embarrassment and continued with teary eyes, "It was unexpected, yet so incredibly heartwarming. What a good child, what a wonderful idea—and yet there are people slandering you, trying to make trouble for you."
"Dear, rest assured, I firmly support you and Professor Rosier in continuing these practical classes. If anyone wants to cause you trouble, they'll have to ask whether I agree first. Your teacher may not be particularly capable, but Astronomy hasn't died out yet. I have many friends in the Prophets' Club, and there's distant Uagadou, my alma mater. It is the holy land of astronomers around the world, and it will be the pillar behind you!"
The people Professor Sinistra meant by "making trouble" were the Hogwarts Board of Governors.
The Practical Class in Defense Against the Dark Arts led by Vaughn and Isabella had only passed the Hogwarts Board of Governors because Dumbledore had exploited the factions within it, joining forces with representatives of wizarding families and prominent figures in society to suppress the opposition from pure-blood families. Even then, it had only barely succeeded.
But now that the practical