Harry Potter: From Young Wizard to White Devil

Vaughn gently hugged Mrs Norris and fed her a piece of dried fish. He shrugged and said, "That's all there is to it. Take out a snack and feed it."

"Don't lie to me."

Ron muttered, "Harry gave it barbecue last time, and it ignored us, then chased us through three corridors. Damn cat!"

Vaughn rolled his eyes at him. "My foolish brother, animals are very sensitive. They know who's genuine and who's not. Your intentions weren't pure—of course, it ignored you."

He scratched Mrs. Norris under the chin, and she purred in contentment before flopping over to expose her belly.

She waved her little paws, batting lazily at Vaughn's teasing fingers.

"Alright, off you go. And don't tell Filch." Vaughn gave her fur another stroke and frowned. "You're too skinny. I'll need to make you some supplements."

Mrs. Norris licked his fingers, then cast Ron and Hermione a chilling glance with her large, eerie eyes before trotting back to the trophy room door.

Vaughn glanced that way and asked, "You're here to keep Harry company?"

"Yeah. We're worried Malfoy might pick on him."

"Don't worry. I already warned Draco—if he makes Slytherin lose points again, I'll turn him into a mouse and let Hexby use him as a chew toy."

Hermione laughed. "That's the way to deal with him."

Ron, meanwhile, clutched his pocket protectively and turned pale. He didn't think Vaughn was joking.

"Alright, I'm off to give Peeves another walk." Vaughn stood up and said to the two, "Hexby will stay with you. When Harry's done polishing the trophies, just follow it and find me. I'll take you to some fun spots—I've discovered a lot of secrets lately."

With that, Vaughn walked off with Peeves in tow.

Hermione gazed after him, eyes shining brighter and brighter.

"Ronald, you really should learn from your brother. He's such a good student—and so kind. Even Mrs. Norris likes him."

Ron puffed his cheeks and didn't want to speak to a "stupid girl" anymore.

After waiting for over an hour, Harry finally came out, looking so tired he seemed to be sleepwalking. The moment he saw Ron, he absentmindedly wiped his face with a rag.

Ron quickly stopped him. Only after telling Harry that Vaughn was taking them on a night tour did Harry perk up a little.

They followed Hexby to find Vaughn. Along the way, Harry kept complaining:

"...You've no idea how many trophies there were. No magic allowed! I had to wipe them by hand. Halfway through, I swear my brain just shut off."

Hermione scolded, "Even if you could use magic, you wouldn't be able to!"

Harry pretended not to hear and excitedly told them, "I saw my dad's Quidditch trophy! His name's on it—James Potter. Malfoy was so jealous. He always brags about his family, but I know his dad doesn't have a single trophy."

Ron was also a bit jealous. His dad didn't have one either… Though Charlie did—but it wasn't quite the same.

Hexby led them up to the second floor.

They all knew this floor well. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, and the school infirmary were all located here.

There was also an abandoned girls' bathroom. They followed Hexby into that bathroom—and found Vaughn chatting with a female ghost: Moaning Myrtle.

"…Oh—Vaughn Weasley, darling, you're so thoughtful. No one's ever cared about me. When people see me, they just scream, 'That annoying Myrtle's here!' Boo-hoo-hoo—"

She let out a few wails before suddenly screeching in fury:

"So no one gets to use this bathroom! It's mine! I died here, and I'll stay here forever!"

Several taps suddenly sprayed water everywhere.

Vaughn watched it all with fascination. When he noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive, he smiled and said, "Don't be angry, Myrtle. Look—I brought friends."

Myrtle glanced at the three of them without interest. "Sweetheart, I don't talk to ugly monsters. Only you deserve a beauty like me."

The ugly trio: "…"

"Alright." Vaughn sighed, "Then I'll take them elsewhere. We'll chat again soon."

Myrtle sank into the toilet bowl, only her head peeking out as she cooed sweetly, "Okay… I'll always wait for you, dear…"

Ron held his breath the whole way out and only started gasping once they were in the corridor. "Merlin, I think I'm gonna be sick."

He stared at Vaughn in disbelief. "How can you even talk to her?"

Vaughn looked perfectly calm. "Isn't she interesting? She's the youngest ghost in the whole school—she died just a few decades ago. How did she end up like this? And she can control the plumbing. No other ghost can do that."

Ron and Harry didn't think any of that was interesting.

But Hermione's curiosity was sparked. Myrtle suddenly seemed mysterious and filled with potential knowledge.

The whole way up, she kept pestering Vaughn with questions about Myrtle.

By the time they climbed to the sixth floor, Harry—completely winded—finally interrupted, "Vaughn, where are we going?"

"The eighth floor. Almost there."

Once they reached it, Vaughn led them along the corridor, stopping before a tapestry that showed a giant clubbing a foolish knight named Barnabas.

"Stand back and stand under the tapestry," He instructed.

The three looked at each other but followed his directions. Vaughn walked back and forth in front of the opposite wall three times.

And then, something magical happened. A smooth door appeared out of the wall.

Vaughn pushed it open and waved them inside. They followed him in—and were stunned by the sight. The room was vast and stacked with all kinds of random items, like towers made of junk.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione—welcome to the Room of Requirement!"

Even after living in the magical world, Harry was stunned. A room appearing out of nowhere still felt surreal.

The space was enormous—maybe even bigger than the Quidditch pitch. Harry wouldn't have believed this was still part of Hogwarts if he hadn't seen it himself.

Everywhere were strange objects: broken chairs and desks, intact furniture stacked to the ceiling, and bizarre things spinning or floating around.

As Harry stared, Vaughn explained:

"The Room of Requirement takes shape based on what you need. Just walk past this wall three times while focusing on your intent. I was thinking of a place to hide something—so it became this."