Percy was the first to react.
He frowned, reached up to touch his chest, and his expression instantly changed.
"My prefect badge!!"
There was a hint of panic in his voice. He suddenly looked up and saw that the object Peeves was gleefully swinging in his hand was indeed his prefect badge.
"Looking for this?" Peeves cackled. He tossed the badge high into the air and, just as it was about to hit the ground, caught it perfectly between two fingers.
"Give it back to me, Peeves!" Percy snapped, his face tense. "Do you want me to go find the Bloody Baron?"
"Someone's getting anxious!" Peeves burst out laughing, completely ignoring Percy's threat.
Although afraid of the Bloody Baron, Peeves had already confirmed that the Baron was still in the Great Hall at this time.
Percy pulled out his wand, looking far from pleased.
Seeing this, Peeves laughed even louder. He spun in place, swinging his limbs in exaggerated circles.
"Spells don't work on me!" he taunted, sticking his tongue out at Percy. "What are you going to do, Mr. Prefect?"
Percy's expression twisted even further.
He knew Peeves was right—ordinary spells were useless on ghosts.
Just then—
"Ah? What are you all doing?"
A puzzled voice came from the back of the line.
Harry immediately felt that the tone was familiar. When he turned around, he saw Vinson walking toward them at an unhurried pace.
"The corridor isn't a place to stop and rest," Vinson said gently as he approached. "What's going on?"
Only when he reached the front did he realize Percy and Peeves were facing off.
"It's you, Peeves. What trouble are you causing this time?" Vinson's smile faded as he looked at Peeves seriously.
He had never liked Peeves.
The poltergeist spent his entire day doing nothing but pranks.
Peeves froze when he saw Vinson appear. The grin on his face disappeared instantly.
"It's you!" he yelped in shock.
Vinson noticed the sudden nervousness and smiled slightly. "It seems you still remember me."
Peeves' face drained of color, and he began floating backward, clearly trying to escape.
"Professor!" Percy said quickly, "He still has my badge!"
Vinson nodded, and in the next moment, his wand was already in hand.
"Full Body-Bind Curse!"
As the spell left his lips, an ordinary-looking rope shot from the tip of his wand.
Almost instantly, it wrapped tightly around Peeves, binding him from head to toe—complete with a neat little bow tied at the side.
Peeves struggled desperately, trying to break free from what looked like a simple rope.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" he shrieked, panic rising in his voice.
He couldn't understand why Vinson's spell could affect him. It had worked on him years ago, and now here it was working again.
The rope didn't just bind him—it made him unable to exert even the slightest bit of force.
This familiar helplessness made him feel as if he had gone back six or seven years.
Back then, this was exactly how Vinson dealt with him!
…
The truth was, the only spell Vinson could reliably use against Peeves was the Full Body-Bind Curse.
Compared to true spell masters, his skill with most spells was only average.
But when it came to the Full Body-Bind Curse?
No one in the world understood it better than he did.
It was Vinson's most confident spell.
He was, quite literally, a binding master.
A normal Full Body-Bind Curse summoned only one rope.
But Vinson was different.
He could summon anything—iron chains, ropes, thorny vines…
Even ropes capable of restraining ghosts.
During the dragon test earlier, he had summoned massive magical chains and subdued a Transfiguration-created dragon using this very spell.
Finally, once fully bound, Peeves gave up struggling. He collapsed onto the ground, face pale, and Percy's prefect badge fell beside him.
"I surrender, sir. Do with me as you please," he said weakly.
But Vinson couldn't actually punish the troublesome poltergeist.
Peeves couldn't be killed, after all.
All Vinson could do was keep him tied for a few hours to make him remember.
However, maintaining the ropes consumed a great deal of magical power. It was a thankless job.
So each time Vinson captured Peeves, he would only bind him long enough to make a point.
Unfortunately, Peeves' love for mischief was impossible to erase.
No matter how many times Vinson tied him up, the poltergeist never learned.
…
After dealing with Peeves, Vinson picked up the badge and handed it back to Percy.
"This is yours, isn't it? The prefect badge? If you really value it, you should keep a closer eye on it."
"Thank you, Professor Vinson."
Percy exhaled deeply, taking the badge with a slightly embarrassed but very grateful expression.
Thanks to Vinson's intervention, he was spared further humiliation.
Just as Vinson finished, applause suddenly broke out among the line of new students.
First from one person, then a small group, and soon the entire line joined in.
"Ah, thank you," Vinson said with a nod and a polite bow. "But I should get going. If Peeves bothers you again, feel free to come to me. I can tie him up for a few more hours."
He put away his wand and began walking in the opposite direction of the line—his office was elsewhere.
As he passed Harry, he gently patted his head and whispered, "Thanks for the applause, Harry."
"You're welcome," Harry replied, excitement all over his face.
…
After handling Peeves, Vinson headed toward his office.
Hogwarts provided each professor with a dormitory, and his was connected directly to his office.
Of course, it wasn't time to rest yet.
When Vinson opened the door, he found two pieces of parchment lying on his desk. It seemed Professor McGonagall had prepared them for him.
One was his teaching schedule, and the other was the list of students who had chosen Care of Magical Creatures.
Among all Hogwarts subjects, Care of Magical Creatures was one of the easiest for a professor to handle.
It was an elective course with few students, and only third-years and above could take it.
Most students didn't continue after fifth year—there weren't even any sixth- or seventh-year students enrolled this year.
For most, the class was simply to prepare for the O.W.L. exam. Only those who especially enjoyed the subject or intended to take the N.E.W.T. continued beyond that.
As a result, Vinson's teaching schedule wasn't particularly heavy.
Compared to professors of core subjects, he had considerably more free time.
Which meant more time for his personal research.
After reviewing the schedule and the student list, Vinson's first day of teaching at Hogwarts came to an end.
A smooth day.
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