Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 147 Showing Strength
Shanshan enthusiastically promoted her specialty skills.

She had almost forgotten how many years it had been since she had a day like this.

She was once a little elf who was highly praised by guests. Countless people were captivated by her superb cooking skills. The Crouch family's social life was made more dazzling because of her, and it was a place that wizarding gentlemen talked about with great relish.

But those glorious days have been gone from this family for more than ten years, with the young master...

Shan Shan was momentarily distracted, but quickly snapped back to reality. She tried her best not to show any sadness, as the master had specifically instructed her not to appear unusual in front of the guests.

Of course, no one cared about the little elf's expression.

In the living room, bathed in warm orange light, Amelia looked around at the furnishings and casually remarked, "A cup of Duke's tea, with some scones, but no blueberry jam... What about you?"

Nearby, several hooded men in black robes sat scattered about.

Upon hearing Amelia's question, the group stated their requirements, but their attention was clearly not on the black tea.

Once the phantom had teleported away, one of them eagerly rushed to Crouch, who was sitting by the fireplace with a sullen face, and asked, "Why isn't he here yet?"

Crouch glanced at the man but didn't want to say anything.

This arrogant attitude seemed to displease the man, who sneered, "Ha, dear old Barty Crouch is strutting around again, just like he was ten years ago, the Auror's Chief of Staff. Oh—I almost forgot, the esteemed Mr. Crouch has been clinging to that big shot for a long time, no wonder he's not cowering in a corner like last year, wishing no one could see him."

Barty Crouch raised an eyelid and snorted, "If you can't speak properly, then speak less. Nobody thinks you're mute. After all these years, all you can do is spew nonsense!"

"you!"

"Enough!" Amelia Borns snapped, stopping the conflict from escalating further. She glanced around; her years of experience presiding over the Wissengamo Conference had earned her considerable authority.

"Bailder, don't forget why we're here today. If you don't want to get involved and only want to settle your personal score with Crouch, then please leave. Otherwise, go back to your seat!"

The black-robed man she called "Bailder" grunted a few times, but still sat back down in his seat.

Amelia then looked at Crouch: "Barty, I know you don't want us to disturb your life, but the meeting place was chosen by Mr. Vaughn Weasley. If you're not satisfied, you can give him your opinion yourself. Don't involve others, okay?"

Barty Crouch paused for a moment, then finally nodded, his voice dry as he said, "I'm sorry, I've just gotten used to being alone all these years and I can't adjust right away."

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, the others also stepped in to smooth things over:

"That's right. It's good to talk things out. It's not easy for our families to get together. Why make a fuss over a small conflict?"

"Yes, now that we've decided to come here, we're all in the same boat, so it's best not to hurt our relationship."

Barty Crouch remained expressionless.

His face was droopy, not because he couldn't adapt to being alone for too long, as he claimed, but because he knew what kind of people these secretive guys were.

Baird, Travers, Greenwell, Ross...

Yes, they are all surnames, and behind each one represents a wizarding family.

Of course, apart from Travers, who was from one of the 28 Holy Clans, the others were all from relatively old wizarding families.

Some families, like Greenwell and Ross, were even nobles in the Muggle Kingdom era, so they still retain the custom of intermarrying with Muggles, something that pure-blood families find particularly unacceptable.

Thus, long ago, these families were excluded from the circle of power by the pure-bloods, and they tried every means to break through the blockade imposed by the pure-bloods.

Crouch, who had once headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, knew these people all too well. If he were to give them an evaluation, he would say:
This is just a bunch of rabble!
Indecisive, wavering, fence-sitter, opportunist... these words perfectly describe them.

Crouch had heard that Dumbledore had gathered these people together to form a small alliance, but unfortunately, more than ten years had passed and he had never seen that small alliance make a sound.

The purge of the Death Eaters after the last Wizarding War severely damaged the power of the pure-blood families. Crouch saw that power vacuum as the perfect opportunity to swallow up the political power of the pure-blood families and reshuffle the power structure.

However, these insects watched helplessly as the purebloods recovered, yet dared not make the slightest move.

What future is there in cooperating with guys like these?
Amid Crouch's scornful disdain, Sparkle returned, cups of tea and snacks floating around her, the elves serving the wizards with great enthusiasm.

She felt as if she had returned to the happy and fulfilling life she had lived more than ten years ago.

When she sensed a tremor in the space and a familiar magical aura appeared out of nowhere, she screamed with excitement, rushed to open the door, and looked at the boy outside with teary eyes:
“Young Master Weasley, welcome, welcome! Good heavens, your clothes are soaked with dew! Why didn’t you summon Gilgamesh to bring you here?”

Amid the little elf's concerned chatter, Vaughn smiled and patted her head, letting her use magic to remove the dampness from his body.

He then scanned the black-robed figures sitting scattered throughout the living room.

Upon seeing him appear, Amelia put down her tea, stood up, and gave a slight bow: "Mr. Weasley."

Given her status, she didn't actually need to adopt such a humble posture, but ever since Dumbledore gathered everyone together and decided to invest more in developing Vaughn Weasley, and everyone voted in favor, in a sense, Vaughn Weasley had already secured his position as the future leader of the minor leagues.

As Dumbledore's assistant in the League, Amelia had a responsibility to set an example, and she always adhered to the rules.

Vaughn was naturally aware of this.

So he didn't stop her. After Amelia bowed, he stepped forward and took her arm, saying, "Dear lady, you don't need to do that... Please introduce me!"

This marks the first official meeting between Vaughn and Dumbledore, a small alliance between them.

It is only natural that Amelia, who holds the highest position and is most familiar with both parties, should make the introduction.

Amelia readily agreed: "Yes, Mr. Weasley, please allow me to introduce you to Aldridge Travers..."

As Amelia gestured for him to join in, a man in a black robe on a sofa not far away removed his hood, revealing an old face.

His wrinkled face broke into a smile as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum: "Mr. Weasley, it's nice to see you again."

"Yes, Alred, how have you been lately?"

Vaughn smiled and stepped forward to shake hands and hug the old man.

Everything seemed harmonious and warm, and Mr. Aldridge Travers responded with even greater enthusiasm, chatting intimately with Vaughn while following him around and supporting him.

“Phil has been a great help to you lately, but he has certainly gained more experience than we could have imagined. I heard you arranged for him to be in charge of receiving members of the International Federation of Wizards? Thank you for giving him this opportunity… Oh—this is John Baird, the next heir of the Baird family, a fine young man.”

The "good young man" in his thirties, Mr. John Baird, under the watchful eyes of Amelia and Alred, had completely lost the impatience and arrogance he had shown not long ago when he was mocking Crouch.

He bowed stiffly and said, "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Weasley."

“You too, dear Baird.” Vaughn smiled gently.

In fact, he knew the names of everyone who came today. Dumbledore had given him the list long ago, and these people were definitely not strangers to him.

But that's how interpersonal relationships work. Being familiar doesn't mean there are no disagreements or conflicts. That's why Amelia took the initiative to lower her stance, and why Alred showed intimacy. They were standing up for him.

What Vaughn has to do is accept this goodwill for the time being.

Age is both Vaughn's biggest advantage and his biggest disadvantage.

His advantage lies in the fact that at the age of 12 he has already shown terrifying potential. Considering that the average lifespan of a wizard can be over a hundred years (there are many wizards over a hundred years old in the original work), Vaughn has only lived one-tenth of his life.

From a biological perspective, Vaughn is about to enter the most rapid developmental stage of his life.

This phase will last for 6-8 years, and will gradually stop when the person is 18-20 years old.

Of course, for a wizard, adulthood does not mean that he will remain unchanged. From the age of 20, a wizard's overall physical condition will still move towards its peak.

However, like Muggles, wizards have an extremely long adulthood, and their physiological characteristics are relatively stable, unlike the dramatic changes that occur during childhood and development.

But unlike Muggles, the wizarding stage can span 40-60 years!
Yes, in the wizarding world, 60 to 80 years old is considered the prime of life, and even for some powerful individuals, over 100 years old is still considered the prime of life.

For example, Dumbledore!

This long span also means that Vaughn has at least another 50 years of growth ahead of him...

No one could predict how far Vaughn Weasley would grow during such a daunting time.

Therefore, those who know Vaughn's current true achievements and magical level have high expectations for him.

However, his tender age of 12 always subconsciously sends a strong signal to people's minds—Vaughn Weasley has not yet grown up, can he really take charge?
Vaughn believes that such doubts likely exist in the minds of many people.

For example, Wizengamo, the International Confederation of Wizards... and the black-robed people present today!
"This is Mr. George Greenwell, the current head of the Greenwell family."

"Hello, Mr. Greenwell. In fact, I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. I've heard that your family has branches throughout England and North America. I'll be traveling to North America in August, and at that time..."

"This is Mr. Henry Ross..."

Amelia paused in her introduction.

Upon approaching Vaughn, Mr. Henry Ross, whose face was still concealed by his hood, bowed slightly and said, "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Weasley. On behalf of Edward Ross, the head of the Ross family, I extend my greetings to you!"

His manners were impeccable. Compared to the taciturn Greenwell and the stiff Baird, Henry Ross appeared particularly proactive and well-intentioned.

Vaughn shook his hand warmly with a smile and exchanged pleasantries.

But Vaughn knew very well that of the people who came today, apart from Amelia and Travers, only the Greenwell family had a high opinion of him.

Human interactions may be influenced by individual personality and other factors, but the degree of importance attached to them will never be the same.

The head of the Greenville family was present in person.

Next came Baird, who had a successor.

The last of the Ross family... Henry Ross, who represents Edward Ross, was probably just an ordinary family member.

With thoughts swirling in his mind, Vaughn calmly completed the formalities of getting to know him, and the men in black robes gathered around him and sat down again.

Sparkle busily darted about in the air, delivering the prepared tea and snacks to Vaughn—the little elf was very grateful for his help to the Crouch family and remembered his dislike of sweets.

Red tea swirls in the delicate teacup.

Vaughn picked up a teaspoon and tapped it against his cup. The crisp sound drew the attention of the newly seated people.

Vaughn looked at each of them with a gentle and bright smile: "It's great to meet so many new friends today. Of course, I know that you must have learned about me beforehand, and so have I."

"We are sitting here today not to appreciate art, nor because we are bored, but because of our shared aspirations and interests. I need your support and investment, and you need my future returns. I don't think anyone will object to that, right?"

Such blunt words made the people present shift their positions uncomfortably.

Vaughn ignored their awkwardness; frankly, he had never liked the pretense and insincerity between people—it was too much of a waste of time.

Therefore, after a straightforward opening, he got straight to the point: "In two days, the first WAC meeting will be held, and Dumbledore should have conveyed to you my emphasis on this meeting."

He glanced around, scanning everyone's eyes, and smiled slightly: "I know that some of you are still undecided and have doubts about me. That's okay, that's normal. That's why I organized this gathering. There are two purposes for this gathering: 1. Let us meet face to face. Distance is a barrier to communication. You've only heard about me from the side before, so why not meet in person?"

"2. I would like to hear your reports on the preparations for the WAC meeting in two days, identify problems, solve problems, and strive to make this meeting a complete success!"

Because of Vaughn's warm attitude, the atmosphere in the living room was very relaxed.

Shining, who had served the Crouch family for many years, was indeed a master chef. The aroma of her homemade black tea filled the entire space, complemented by the subtle fragrance of various pastries, creating the atmosphere of a relaxed tea party.

Hearing his words, Amelia gently twirled the delicate bone china cup: "I am in charge of Wizengamor. So far, no wizard in Wizengamor has shown any interest in the positions of WAC chief committee member, president, or anything like that. The general attitude is to remain neutral... Some people may be more inclined to side with you, Vaughn."

Vaughn had no objection to Amelia.

Wissengamo rarely engages in political struggles or openly supports any particular individual. Because 90% of its members are from the Order of Merlin, Wissengamo is more of a scholarly salon than a political group.

A large proportion of the members are scholar-type wizards.

For these kinds of wizards, taking sides and getting involved in politics is not as interesting as going back to their crooked houses and burying themselves in various ancient documents.

So Vaughn looked at Travers.

During their previous meeting, Travers thanked Vaughn for arranging for Phil Travers to host members of the International Confederation of Wizards.

That was just a polite remark.

In fact, Vaughn arranged for Phil Travers to handle the reception work because the Travers family had some connections within the International Confederation of Wizards.

Unlike the long-established Greenwell family, which focused on Europe, America, and the New World and built Muggle families, the Travers family only began implementing its branch expansion plan in the last 100 years.

The direct result of waking up too late was that the Travers family found it difficult to break through in Muggle society and rise to the upper class.

Therefore, they could only rely on their family's influence to infiltrate the magical communities of Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

Then it went public through a reverse merger!
Today, thanks to the expansion of its branches within Commonwealth countries, several members of the Travers family hold positions in the International Federation of Wizards.

One of the delegations attending the upcoming WAC conference is from the Traverse branch.

Seeing Vaughn looking at him, Alred Travers took a sip of jasmine tea and said, "The Federation's attitude is rather ambiguous. We haven't found out what their plans are yet. As far as I know, the Federation is very interested in the WAC... In fact, who wouldn't be interested? The sheer number and fighting power of werewolves are enough to drive any organization crazy."

Upon hearing this, Vaughn frowned slightly.

International Federation of Wizards...

This global organization of the magical community is a global institution established with funding and support from the magic minions of multiple countries.

The Federation has a long history. It was originally established as an executive and supervisory body by European countries such as England, France, and Germany in order to implement the Secrecy Act.

At that time, its basic principle was to act as a third party to supervise the implementation of the Secret Laws of Magic in various countries, and to urge and criticize countries that failed to implement them effectively—which in fact served to annoy people.

Therefore, the early federation was entirely controlled by Britain, France, and Germany. This international organization was merely a tool for them to trip each other up.

By the 19th century, this situation began to change.

With the onset of the Second Industrial Revolution, the demand for workers brought about by the rapid development of machinery compelled the bourgeoisie to actively build educational institutions worldwide and enlighten the public in order to train qualified workers.

With the spread of knowledge came the rise of democratic consciousness and nationalism in Europe's vast colonial and semi-colonial territories.

Compared to the arduous struggles for independence in the various colonies of Muggle society, independence was much simpler for the magical world, whose power resided within itself.

Therefore, by the late 19th century, the increasing number of sovereign states and ministries of magic led to a growing number of member states of the Federation.

The rapid expansion of membership led to a swift weakening of British, French, and German control over the federation.

The world has never lacked ambitious people. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the federation's management at the time frantically recruited members and cadres from other member states, diluting the power structure of Britain, France, and Germany, while also pushing itself to its peak!

This is perfectly reasonable. The smaller a country is in terms of territory and strength, the more it will support the International Federation. They would rather have a third party, a de facto ruler without geopolitical influence, than be manipulated by other major powers.

After all, no matter how little influence they have within the federation, they still have the power to cast a vote, and if handled well, they can even rally a group of fellow sufferers to stick together for mutual support.

If a major power is in power, which major power will listen to the voices of a small country?
By the end of the 19th century, the International Confederation of Wizards' status was quite different from when it was first established.

It's starting to resemble the United Nations of Muggle society... no, it's far more powerful than the United Nations!
The United Nations has at least a Security Council as a constraint, with 15 member states sharing the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. However, the International Confederation of Wizards does not have such an institution.

The Federation has its own fully-fledged armed forces!
The Permanent Special Operations Team of the International Wizarding Federation (abbreviated as Special Operations Team)!
The members of the Special Forces are powerful wizards from various countries, but once they join the Special Forces, their organizational and personnel affiliations are transferred from the Ministry of Magic of their respective countries to the Federation.

Only by possessing its own military force can an organization truly establish itself in the world. After acquiring a permanent special operations team, the Federation's power rapidly expanded.

By 1992, the International Confederation of Wizards had developed three main functions:
First, the Federation will supervise the implementation of the International Secrecy Act by the magic ministries of various countries. This supervision is no longer just lip service, but real. If any country fails to implement the Secrecy Act effectively, resulting in a large number of magical leaks, the Federation has the right to warn and punish the magical community of that country.

During the 20s, when Grindelwald was rampant, even the powerful Magical Congress of North America was held accountable by the Congress because of the "Second Salem" (an anti-wizard Muggle group led by Credence's foster mother, Mary Lou Barryburn).

If a country repeatedly fails to correct its mistakes, the Federation may even order the country to dissolve its government agencies and accept a permanent special operations team to be stationed there. Under the guidance and supervision of the Federation, the country will undergo comprehensive reforms and purges from top to bottom until it meets the standards of the Secret Service Act!

Second, the regulation of magic schools and organizations. As the name suggests, all magic schools and organizations worldwide must obtain approval from the International Federation of Magical Societies. This was the reason why Vaughn planned to introduce the International Federation of Magical Societies into the WAC – even if you don't introduce it, you will still be subject to its regulation. Without its approval, your organization is illegal internationally!

The third point is quite ordinary; the International Wizarding Federation simply holds the rights to host all major international sporting events, making it a relatively purely profit-driven organization.

But the first two functions alone are enough to illustrate just how behemoth the federation is today!

After thinking for a moment, Vaughn asked, "Does the Federation intend to participate in the election?"

“There’s definitely no way for now.” Alred Travers thought for a moment and said, “You have a high reputation among werewolves, and with the WAC just starting out, nobody knows what the future holds. I think at least in the early stages, they will just observe rather than rush to make a move.”

"But what if things go better than expected..."

Travers didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Then, the peach pickers will arrive!

This gave Vaughn a bit of a headache.

He suddenly remembered Gettler Grindelwald from decades ago—why did this once arrogant and domineering figure ultimately insist on vying for the position of president of the International Wizarding Federation, even going so far as to kill a Qilin for it?
Because when faced with a behemoth like the Federation, there is no way to reform the Secret Service Law unless you go deep inside and take control of it yourself, under its threat!
After a moment of contemplation, Vaughn instructed, "Make sure the delegation is well taken care of. Alred, if possible, use your connections to arrange a meeting between me and the head of the delegation."

"Yes, Mr. Weasley."

Ald Travers readily agreed.

This drew attention from Baird, Greenwell, Ross, and others. In fact, even now, they were still unclear why Alred was actively trying to get closer to Vaughn Weasley.

Putting that aside, Vaughn turned his attention to John Baird.

The middle-aged heir of the Baird family, who, given the long lifespan of wizards, might not be able to take over the family power for the foreseeable future for 4 or 50 years, suddenly felt a little nervous as he met Vaughn's gaze.

He knew what Vaughn was going to ask, licked his lips, and answered in a dry voice, "Mr. Weasley... cough, Mr. Weasley, Fudge has been secretly contacting some people recently, and because of my intelligence channels, I haven't figured out what he's up to yet."

Seeing his nervousness, Vaughn smiled gently: "Mr. Baird, if Dumbledore is not mistaken, at your last gathering, you volunteered to monitor our dear Minister of Magic. What did you say then—"

Vaughn curled his fingers and tapped twice on the armrest of his chair.

It was a casual tap, but everyone around it suddenly felt their eyes narrow in terror—

A pressure that seemed to freeze the air was released from Vaughn.

Time seemed to slow down, and in their slowed vision, they saw a faint ripple spread out from the point where Vaughn's knuckles struck the armrest.

It rippled across, brushing past chairs, tabletops, teacups, and even people!
Wherever the ripples passed, everything before my eyes resembled a weathered old photograph, all colors suddenly stripped away, beginning to yellow, overexpose, and filled with noise.

Cold sweat trickled down John Baird's forehead.

Although he grew up in luxury, as a wizard and the next heir of a wizarding family, he was not entirely a hothouse flower.

Especially for wizarding families like Baird, which are rejected by pure-bloods, their survival depends entirely on the abilities of generation after generation of family heads.

More than a decade ago, when John Baird graduated from Hogwarts, he spent several years traveling around the world in order to compete for the succession, both to broaden his horizons and to hone his skills.

He immediately realized that he had been dragged into a strange state by Vaughn Weasley.

He suddenly remembered that Dumbledore had once said that Vaughn Weasley was very skilled in memory magic, being a master of Occlumency and Legilimency, and even creating a memory magic called "Personality Manifestation".

According to John Baird, memory magic is not limited to the mental world, but can also alter a person's memories and thoughts.

Sometimes, memory magic masters can even break through the boundaries between reality and illusion, achieving incredible results!
Like this moment.

He and everyone and everything around him seemed to be in a state between the mental world and the real world!
This state is hard to understand; apart from the change in color, almost nothing seems amiss.

But all wizards know that any magic that can alter the physical world is terrifying.

John Baird moved his arm and, finding that he was not restricted in his movements, quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said hastily, "Yes, Mr. Weasley, I said that I could get Fudge's people to pass information to us, Dolores Umbridge, that sticky fat witch."

“You should know her, that poor half-breed who always claims to be related to Selwyn. The Baird family supports her lies. Umbridge has Baird blood, and a long time ago, we intermarried with Selwyn!”

“From the day she entered the Ministry of Magic, we got in touch with her. Baird used his little connection with Selwyn to pay money to maintain her false lies, and she, in turn, provided Baird with some small assistance…”

Vaughn was not surprised by John Baird's statement.

There are plenty of people like Dolores Umbridge in the Ministry of Magic. People always say that the world of fame and fortune is dirty, but the world of power is the darkest place.

All the benefits in the world cannot compare to the power of a single word.

Within the Ministry of Magic, pure-blood families hold the most power. Wizards from mixed-blood or Muggle families, under the oppression of pure-blood children, must learn to exchange favors in order to rise above their station.

Vaughn continued to tap the armrest, the ripples spreading in the air, the yellowish, colorless space appearing slightly distorted in their eyes.

They were tense, watching Vaughn lift his head from his reverie: "Umbridge didn't keep his promise to you?"

“She wouldn’t dare. Without the protection of the Baird family, her lies would be exposed immediately. Those purebloods are most disgusted by what they see as bastards trying to claim kinship!”

John Baird thought for a moment and continued, "I think Fudge wouldn't dare let anyone else know what he's planning, not even his confidants like Umbridge."

"interesting……"

Vaughn chuckled, tapping the armrest with his right hand while resting his chin on his left, watching the sweating John Baird with great interest: "Go on, Mr. Baird, tell me your thoughts. What is Fudge plotting that would keep even his closest confidants in the dark? I'm sure you have some guesses, don't you?"

(End of this chapter)