Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 124 The Hidden Dangers of Werewolves

hiss--

The black mist coiled into the shape of a snake, emitting a hissing sound, but the next second, the hissing suddenly turned into a scream—Vaughn held his wand in one hand, and with a light tap, a faint light flashed, and the snake-shaped black mist twitched a few times and disintegrated!
Hermione, who had been watching intently the entire time, asked nervously in a low voice, "Vaughn, is it resolved?"

“It’s done,” Vaughn said, grabbing a bottle of white essence from the table and applying it to the wounds on his chest and shoulder. He then thanked Snape, saying, “Thank you for your help lately, Professor.”

Snape said expressionlessly, "I don't deserve any credit. I'd be grateful if you and Granger could leave my office right away and never come back here again!"

At the wound site, under the combined effects of the white cinnamon essence and the remaining Phoenix Tears medicine, the budding granulation tissue gradually connected and healed.

Before long, the once gruesome wound was reduced to a faint red mark.

He moved his arm; the wound was still slightly painful, but it no longer affected his daily activities. Vaughn thanked him again, saying, "Thank you, Professor. It seems Albus was right; you know Voldemort's methods very well."

Snape's expression changed slightly. He glanced at Hermione, and seeing that the girl seemed not to have heard him, he said nothing more, saying, "Even without me, the curse wouldn't have bothered you for long. Judging from the strength of the curse, he was in a lot of trouble and his condition was terrible, worse than anyone could imagine..."

His dark eyes glazed over for a moment before he shooed him away: "Now that you're better, leave my office!"

Vaughn, shameless as ever, chuckled and said, "Oh, Professor, we haven't had a proper chat lately. I'd like to have another talk with you."

"Get—away—from—this place!" Snape said firmly, drawing out the last words.

"Are you angry, Professor? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked about Voldemort in front of you. Speaking of which, did Albus take you to see his 'corpse'? It was horrible..."

Snape's face turned ashen, and he didn't even want to say a word, pointing at the door.

Those cold eyes were wide open, as if they wanted to devour someone.

Worried that the Dark Lord fan might get too angry, Vaughn could only shrug and leave with Hermione.

Before leaving, he added, "By the way, Professor, I told Harry about your relationship with Lily. You probably don't mind, right? After all, Harry is Lily's son, and he has the right to know..."

"Vaughn! Weasley!"

Vaughn quickly closed the door, shutting out Snape's hysterical roar, and then walked away with Hermione in a cheerful mood.

It wasn't until they were far away from the Potions office that Hermione, who had remained silent the whole time, finally couldn't help but ask, "Snape... what is the relationship between Professor Snape and Voldemort?"

"The professor used to be a Death Eater."

Vaughan said.

There's nothing wrong with talking about this. Snape's bad reputation isn't just because he's biased and petty, but also because the entire wizarding world knows that Severus Snape was once a staunch supporter of the Dark Lord.

When the Dark Lord fell, Snape would have been imprisoned in Azkaban long ago if it weren't for Dumbledore's guarantee!

Hermione covered her mouth in surprise: "So, when he threatened Quirrell and called Voldemort 'Master,' it wasn't a pretense... Good heavens, why wasn't he arrested?"

"There are far too many Death Eaters in the entire English wizarding world who haven't been imprisoned in Azkaban. Adult society isn't just black and white, good or evil; it's full of compromises and exchanges of interests... Like the professor, he was indeed a Death Eater, but he also made deals with the side of justice, which is why he was able to escape trial 11 years ago during the post-war reckoning."

Hermione couldn't understand this logic.

Limited by her age and experience, her little mind still retains a naive way of thinking, which is why Vaughn said those words to her.

Previously, in the world of the painting, he had paid special attention to the fates of Ron and Hermione, whose fates had become part of the vortex of Harry and Voldemort's destiny.

Until Vaughn has the ability to decipher fate, they have no way to break free from the entanglement of the two chosen ones.

As fate spirals out of control along its predetermined path, Hermione will encounter more and more things beyond her years, and she must learn to grow up quickly in order to minimize the harm and shocks she suffers.

The girl frowned in distress and stopped talking.

Vaughn didn't say anything more, letting her think and calm down on her own. He believed that Hermione would eventually figure it out and understand that the girl he liked was not just a pretty face, nor was she an inflexible bookworm.

As can be seen from the original work, she has a strong ability to adjust her mindset. Her "good learning ability" is not limited to knowledge from books, but also extends to interpersonal relationships and, more importantly, her adherence to her own beliefs!
Such a person is born to be a politician!

Vaughn pondered this as the two returned to the second floor of the castle. Just as they were about to part ways (their courses were different), he asked, "Hermione, have you ever thought about working for the WAC? How about spending some time as a frontline clerk during the summer? Just as extracurricular practice."

Hermione, who was still hesitating, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately shifted her attention: "A frontline clerk? What kind of job is that?"

Vaughn gave a brief introduction to the composition of WAC. The committee is composed of a complex group of werewolves, old wizards from Wizengamo, and foreign wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards.

The composition of the committee dictates that we cannot expect them to implement decisions or handle specific tasks such as paperwork, logistics, and finance every day.

We definitely need to recruit a large number of front-line clerks.

They will be responsible for the implementation of specific decisions, such as the placement of werewolves under the committee's management, the establishment of departments, and liaison with the Ministry of Magic and even other national magical institutions.

"The job of a clerk is very good for personal development. You can come into contact with all kinds of people and problems. When you encounter a problem, you have to consider how to solve it, whether it will have any follow-up effects, and what kind of results those effects will cause. You have to consider all aspects."

Vaughn said sincerely, "To put it another way, clerks may be more important than committee members. After all, decisions only remain on paper. Whether they are good or bad, they must ultimately be tested in practice. Clerks are the people who implement decisions, and this job determines whether decisions can have a positive effect!"

Hermione's eyes gradually brightened; she was moved by Vaughn's description, but also hesitated: "Is such an important job really something I can do?"

Vaughn comforted him, saying, "Why not? WAC is a completely new organization. There has never been a similar organization in the wizarding world before. No one has any experience in dealing with the needs and problems of werewolves. Everyone is on the same starting line."

"I believe in your abilities, Hermione. You always manage to find the key elements in a chaotic situation..."

A well-informed pep talk stirred the girl's emotions, and she finally nodded in agreement, eager to try: "Does the WAC have any decision-making materials or guidelines? I need to study them carefully... Hmm, no, I need to look into organizations with similar functions. The wizarding world might lack this, but there are plenty in Muggle society, like human rights organizations, animal protection organizations, and so on..."

As she spoke, she began planning where to find relevant information after returning home for summer vacation!

Seeing the girl's enthusiastic expression, Vaughn smiled.

He suddenly discovered that he had a talent for being a capitalist, and he started making grand promises and even luring his girlfriend away!

However, Vaughn did want to find something for Hermione to do, partly to train her, and partly to prevent her from having wild thoughts, or perhaps starting some kind of house-elf protection association like in the original story.

The issue of raising house-poms is complex.

They had been tamed by wizards for too long and too successfully, their minds had been completely transformed. When Vaughn was looking for targets to recruit, he had considered house-elves, but ultimately gave up on them.

It is because of the wizards' successful indoctrination that the house-elves have no will to resist!

After a moment of excitement, Hermione suddenly remembered something and asked, "I'm not even 13 years old yet, is it okay for me to work for the WAC?"

Vaughn said nonchalantly, "That's why I said extracurricular practice is fine as long as it doesn't pay you!"

"Oh." Hermione felt something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She stopped thinking about it and asked excitedly, "When does it start?"

"Don't rush, let me greet Remus first... Remus is a werewolf wizard, and he's in charge of recruitment."

Vaughn decided to go today because he hadn't been very active for a week due to his injury, and hadn't even attended many classes. He thought it would be a good opportunity to get out and relax.

……

In the evening, Manchester City saw a surge of people leaving get off work.

This city, located in the northwest of the British Isles, is one of the few remaining industrial cities in England since the implementation of deindustrialization policies and the full development of the tertiary sector.

It was also the world's first industrial city, where the Industrial Revolution began 200 years ago. The reason it can still retain its industrial heritage under the current national policy is probably due to this history.

Industry is a labor-intensive sector, and Manchester is naturally the best place for workers to go.

As Remus Lupin walked out of the factory, the setting sun cast long shadows of him and the crowd into the vast factory area, passing through the towering buildings of the city center. Behind them stood the factory's numerous chimneys.

"Hey Remus, wanna grab a drink?"

A worker greeted Lupin.

Lupin waved his hand: "Sorry, Charles, I'm very tired today. I just want to go home and rest."

“Dude, you can’t do this. Every time I ask you to drink, you say you’re tired. You’ll never become a Manchester resident if you do this.”

Other familiar workers nearby chimed in, "Drinking beer and watching football is the lifeblood of Manchester. You don't like either of those things, Lupin? I seriously doubt you're even from Earth."

"I found that the guys who came with Lupin didn't like beer football, which is not good."

"Forget it, don't force them if they don't like it... What should we say today? Those guys in Portsmouth have been acting really arrogant lately..."

A group of guys who turned into football hooligans after get off work walked away arm in arm.

Watching their retreating figures, Lupin sighed softly.

He knew, of course, that he and the other werewolves would seem out of place by not participating in Muggle social activities, but that's precisely where the werewolves' awkwardness lies.

For their own sake and the sake of others, they must keep their distance from others so that Muggles won't notice their abnormality.

At least things are much better now than before. Since the advent of the wolfsbane medicine, they no longer have to hide like rats or swarm into the mountains to live like savages. Now everyone can walk openly in the sunlight, be a civilized person, and even support themselves with their own hands, enjoying delicious fried cod and hamburgers every day.

But Lupin, who was already a member of the WAC committee, also knew that life was actually very fragile.

Working in Muggle society only provides enough to make ends meet; without Galleons in income, the monthly cost of wolfsbane potions for 1600 werewolves is a huge burden.

The WAC, which has yet to hold its first plenary meeting, already owes Vaughn and Dumbledore more than 3 Galleons!
This enormous debt gave Lupin a headache just thinking about it.

Pinching his brow, Lupin wearily returned to the werewolf settlement—originally an old Muggle neighborhood built 50 years ago, consisting of three buildings, one of the aid projects provided by Wizengamor after the formal establishment of the WAC.

The property belongs to Wissengamo and is temporarily being provided to werewolves working in Manchester to help them through the initial difficult phase.

The neighborhood is lively. Despite having been homeless for many years and now having no worries thanks to the wolf poison, the werewolves still dare not speak much outside.

Only when they return here, surrounded by familiar people, can they release their pent-up emotions.

Groups of children played and ran through the hallways, while adults chatted and drank in small groups. Everyone greeted Lu Ping when they saw him.
"Remus, want to grab a drink?"

"Thank you, but I don't want to drink today. You should all drink less too."

"Remus, have you eaten yet? Come and try the pie my Mary made?"

"Thanks. I'll go if I don't feel like cooking, Charlie... Hey, Marcus, don't use magic so casually, Charlie. You should discipline your son!"

“I didn’t intend to use magic, Mr. Lupin. My magic has gone out of control; it’s not obeying my commands now…”

As they made their way back to the room, Lupin felt his head throb even more. The werewolf problem was never just about having enough to eat and wear, nor was it just about wolfsbane; there were some more important hidden dangers.

Like Marcus, a werewolf teenager who awakened his magical powers!
He closed the door, shutting out the noise outside, leaned against the door panel, and sighed heavily.

Then, a voice rang out in the dark room: "Remus, what are you troubled by?"

"Who?"

Lupin instinctively drew his wand, and with a thought, a transparent membrane of light from the Ironclad Charm quietly appeared in front of him.

The tip of the staff also lit up with a red light!
It's pitiful, really. He was a wizard who grew up during the war years. From the day he stepped out of the ivory tower, he was caught up in the war. He also had the identity of a werewolf, and the best years of his life were always accompanied by misery.

In terms of stress response, he is similar to Barty Crouch, instinctively choosing to use force to protect himself when faced with a stranger suddenly appearing in his home.

Then he heard someone snap their fingers.

Snapped!
With a snap of his fingers, a ripple swept through the air, and Lupin was horrified to see that the Ironclad Spell he had cast had quietly shattered. The light membrane disintegrated in the air, and countless fragments scattered in all directions like unburnt scraps of paper.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful sense of oppression swept over him, and Lu Ping groaned as he was pressed against the door by the seemingly frozen air.

A familiar encounter, familiar magic, and a familiar voice—"Lumos!"

With a brief incantation, the darkness in the room was dispelled, and a wisp of light appeared, hovering beside the sofa where Lu Ping usually rested. On that sofa sat a familiar young figure.

The boy held a book, seemingly reading it in the dark, and only looked up now: "Long time no see, Moon Face. Your way of treating guests seems a bit too harsh."

Looking at the boy, Lupin's expression was complicated: "Vaughn Weasley, when did you arrive?"

"About 20 minutes ago?" Vaughn thought for a moment. "I read for a while and had a cup of tea... By the way, how did you come to have this book?"

Under the faint fluorescent light, Lupin saw the name of the book.

Wandering with Werewolves

Author: Gilderoy Lockhart
“I bought it for reference.” Still pressed against the door by magic, Lupin looked helpless. “I heard he’s also an expert on werewolves. His book details his experiences with a group of werewolf wanderers. Judging from the details, it seems very credible… How long are you going to keep me trapped?”

"what!"

Vaughn smiled, said nothing more, and waved his hand to dispel the flying spell.

As the magic that had been immobilizing him dissipated, Lupin breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression turned somewhat grim.

But he also noticed that after not seeing him for several months, Vaughn's strength had become increasingly unfathomable. He had never seen anyone use the Flight Spell to achieve the "imprisonment" effect.

Just a few months ago, the other party could only knock him flying... which doesn't seem like something to be proud of...

Lupin rubbed his shoulders in frustration, walked over and sat down on the opposite side of the sofa. Looking at Vaughn, who was still engrossed in his book and drinking tea, he couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Did you suddenly appear in my house for a reason? Or do you just want to mooch off my books and drink my tea?"

"Don't be like a hedgehog, Moonface. I thought that after forming WAC, we were like-minded partners. Your current attitude hurts me!"

"...You suddenly showed up at my house and pinned me against the door. Is this how you treat your partners?"

"Oh, sorry, I just saw you were having a very strong stress reaction and wanted to calm you down. Remus, are you calm now?"

"..."

Lupin took a deep breath, deciding not to lose his temper. "Thank you, I've remained calm."

He seemed a bit timid, mainly because his previous encounter with Vaughn had left a deep impression on him with Vaughn's methods—at the time, he had been skeptical, suspecting that Vaughn's organization of werewolves had ulterior motives.

But Vaughn accurately grasped his character weakness and assigned him to take charge of settling the werewolf nomads in London. He was struck by the werewolf nomads' tragic situation and willingly became an "accomplice"!
They've even been "helping" us until now, and in the process, they've even helped us get into management...

They were truly sold out and then helped count the money!

Across from him, Vaughn didn't answer Lupin's earlier question, continuing to look at the book in his hand while sipping his red tea: "Judging from your dejected look just now, are you having trouble working in Muggle society, or is it something to do with werewolves?"

"It's a werewolf."

When this was mentioned, Lupin looked tired again. "The more organizational work we do, the more we realize that many issues are not so simple, especially regarding how a group survives."

Vaughn casually flipped through a couple of pages without looking up, and continued, "Tell me more details?"

Lupin smiled wryly: "Why do you ask when you already know the answer? Me, Barnald Jr., William, and all of us regional leaders report to you every month, and the problems are still the same: the lack of Galleon revenue, the difficulty in ensuring the normal procurement of Wolfsbane, how WAC will develop... and there's something I've only recently come to realize."

He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed: "Some of the werewolf children are beginning to experience magical awakening or loss of magical control!"

Upon hearing this, Vaughn finally looked up from his book: "What's the proportion?"

“I’m not familiar with the areas that Barnald and William are responsible for. In the community I’m responsible for, there are three children who show signs of magical activity: one is 7 years old, one is 9 years old, and there’s a boy named Marcus who is already 16 years old.”

Vaughn knew immediately what Lupin was worried about.

The awakening of magical power is a phenomenon that only occurs in humans. Compared to other magical creatures, the wizarding talent of humans seems to be latent.

It is also the gold standard in the magical world for judging whether a person has wizarding talent.

In a normal Muggle or wizarding society, such a child would be recorded in the Book of Admission the moment of awakening—in fact, any child connected to the magical world is recorded at birth, but at this time they are under close monitoring until they show clear signs of magical awakening, at which point the Book of Admission will officially record them.

Normally, when the person being recorded turns 11, Hogwarts will issue a notification letter based on the list in the Book of Admissions.

In theory, the Pen of Acceptance and the Book of Access, two alchemical artifacts, are responsible for monitoring humanity throughout England.

However, judging from the enrollment situation over the past thousand years, the Book of Admission does not seem to consider werewolves to be human...

Clearly, the werewolf wizard does not meet the admission requirements for Hogwarts!
This brings some hidden dangers—a young wizard whose magic is in its active phase may cause big trouble!
For wizards, magical awakening or even magical riots are not uncommon events; every wizard has experienced them and has enough experience and strength to handle them.

But werewolves don't have that ability.

After thinking for a moment, Vaughn asked, "How did the werewolves deal with this before?"

Lupin shook his head: "I've inquired. If the werewolf tribe has wild wizards, they'll try to teach the children whose magic has awakened. If the tribe doesn't have wild wizards, or if the wild wizards aren't skilled enough..."

He paused, then continued, "...those children usually don't live past 10 years old..."

Upon hearing his words, a term immediately came to Vaughn's mind: the Silent One!
Before understanding the silent ones, we must first define a concept:
Once the magic is awakened, it will never stop!
It grows stronger as the young wizard ages, with the peak of the magic growth curve occurring during the adolescent developmental period, much like the human body, which leaps from infancy to maturity in a little over a decade.

This process cannot be suppressed, and any attempt to suppress it will lead to instability!
The silent are the most dangerous of all “unstable” types.

According to the official definition given by the Ministry of Magic, when young wizards consciously suppress the growth and use of their magic in order to avoid dangers around them, but lack guidance and do not learn how to control their power, a parasite will emerge—the Obscurus!

The Silent One is the host of the Silent One.

The birth of an Obscurus is usually accompanied by huge emotional conflicts. It is a distorted product of long-term repressive living environment and psychological pressure. It is a kind of natural black magic!

It cannot be controlled.

The moment the Obscurial is born within its host, the Obscurial, it is like the awakening of magic, and it can never be stopped.

This out-of-control dark force can evoke anger, pain, or other intense emotions in its host, destroying everything it sees.

Until the host itself is also destroyed...

Vaughn closed the book: "Are you worried that more silent individuals will emerge from among those children?"

“It’s not that I’m worried, it’s that it’s bound to happen.” Lupin said with a serious expression. “The werewolves’ survival strategy dictates that they need to have long-term contact with Muggles, which in itself increases the risk of them violating the Secret Service Act and will bring them serious psychological pressure.”

"Not to mention, in addition to the werewolf identity, there's also the risk of being exposed as a wizard..."

As he spoke, Lupin sighed: "For the past two months, I've been working in the Muggle factory with the werewolves in this community. I've personally experienced the psychological state of werewolves and Muggles when they come into contact with each other, that desire yet fear of getting close, the need to stand out, and the strange looks they receive from the Muggles."

"To be honest, that feeling is awful. It's oppressive, lonely, and makes you feel like you can't fit in. Even if you have werewolf companions around you, you still know deep down that you're being rejected. There's no place for you in this city, and this place can't be your home."

Vaughn remained silent.

He is not a werewolf, has no experience with werewolves, and naturally cannot empathize with werewolves.

Just like now, he didn't think Lupin's problem was that serious. He couldn't understand why the werewolves wanted to settle down in this city and integrate into the Muggle community.

Of course, logically he could understand the fundamental reason why werewolves had such demands.

It's just that I can't empathize with them emotionally.

“No need to sigh, you did a great job, Remus,” Vaughn said. “That’s why when I was setting up WAC, I made sure that werewolves had to make up half the seats on the committee… Only werewolves know what werewolves need.”

He paused for a moment, then asked, "So, have you considered any solutions to these problems?"

"I...I don't know..."

Lupin looked somewhat bewildered. He faced Vaughn, but his gaze was unfocused and scattered: "There are always solutions. If we lack Galleon income, then we'll earn Galleons. If we lack social status, then we'll improve our social status."

"For example, the young wizards among the werewolves who awaken their magic—if we're afraid they'll become Obscurials, then we should send them to Hogwarts..."

As he spoke, his gaze refocused as he looked at Vaughn, a wry smile on his face: "The methods all seem simple, but how do we do them?"

These seemingly simple things are sometimes actually quite difficult to do.

It goes without saying that earning Galleons and improving one's social status are also benefits.

The infamous reputation of werewolves over thousands of years has deeply ingrained their image in the minds of wizards, an impression that cannot be changed by a few political slogans.

Before the "werewolf syndrome" is completely resolved, don't expect the magical world to accept werewolves; that's unrealistic.

The same applies to the werewolf wizard.

Vaughn knew why Lupin had brought this up...

He hoped that Vaughn could discuss with Dumbledore the possibility of Hogwarts accepting werewolf students.

But Vaughn knew it was simply impossible!

Even Dumbledore couldn't do that.

Even Lupin himself only dared to hint at it, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

No parent would want their child to attend class with wolf cubs, and the school's professors would probably strongly object.

The wolf cubs were pitiful, but they dared not and could not abandon the safety of the other children.

After a moment's thought, Vaughn closed his book, walked over to Lupin, and patted the very frustrated-looking middle-aged man on the shoulder.

He noticed that Lu Ping's mindset was off; he seemed a bit depressed.

About six months ago, I was forced to deal with too many troubling things, the pressure was too great, and I couldn't handle my emotions anymore.

This is not okay.

Vaughn was counting on Lupin to be his right-hand man!
“Remus, I understand your pain. You’ve identified the problems, but you don’t know how to solve them because they are complex and cannot be changed in a short time. However, my friend, the significance of WAC lies precisely here—we are a pioneering organization, the first organization whose primary purpose is to solve the werewolf problem!”

"There's nothing scary about discovering complex problems. It means we're on the path to solving them, instead of ignoring them and stagnating for over 200 years like the Ministry of Magic used to."

The very responsible Lupin had clearly not thought about it from this perspective. He paused for a moment, then gave Vaughn a smirk: "What you're saying sounds to me a bit like... a contest of who's worse?"

This was a word he occasionally corresponded with Vaughn, which Vaughn "invented" when he joked about politics.

Vaughn chuckled: "Don't be so pessimistic. In terms of ideas, we've made more than just a little progress compared to the Ministry of Magic. However, every little bit of progress is difficult, and there are indeed many problems. But don't be impatient. Take it slow and solve them one by one. One day we will be able to mold WAC into the ideal form we envision."

"I've come to you this time to help you solve your problem."

Lu Ping is a man in his thirties whose life has been full of hardships, giving him a keen intuition for certain rhetoric.

He could certainly hear the hollowness in Vaughn's words; he was simply making empty promises and trying to fool him and the other werewolves into continuing to work hard by painting a rosy picture of the future.

But frustratingly, whether in the wizarding world or Muggle society, this world is indeed, as Vaughn once said, a world where everyone competes to be the worst.

WAC may not be able to fundamentally change the werewolf's situation, but at least it has made a change.

Thinking it over, he sighed, "Where do you plan to begin?"

"How about we address the funding issue for purchasing the wolfsbane medicine first?"

This issue has been discussed many times within WAC, and Lupin is aware that when Vaughn was planning for WAC, he provided WAC with a batch of Muggle currency through a loan.

(End of this chapter)