Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 157 Chairman Vaughn and the Hidden War

As she watched, Hermione realized something was wrong.

This writer, who may be an opponent of Fudge, was praising Vaughn at the beginning, but then started using Vaughn's speeches and actions to make sarcastic remarks about the Ministry of Magic.

Sure enough, once there's big news, all sorts of weirdos and monsters come out!

Hermione flipped through the pages; the author was named John Smith (John Smith is often used in Britain to describe anonymous people), probably out of fear of retaliation from Fudge.

Further on, there were more related reports.

Today’s Daily Prophet seems to have a special feature dedicated to Vaughn and WAC.

Every word and phrase that Vaughn said and every action taken at the WAC internal meeting was thoroughly analyzed by the writers, showcasing the media's keen pursuit of public opinion.

For example, in the fourth edition, several anonymous social activists who co-authored the article provided a lengthy reconstruction and analysis of the internal meeting content released by WAC.

[Without a doubt, President Weasley distrusts the International Wizarding Federation. The insider's revelation a few days ago that President Weasley clashed with Arkinbad may not be unfounded… According to the WAC's announcement, the first item on the agenda at President Weasley's Executive Council meeting was to send Vice President Pierre Chevalier to cooperate with Barty Crouch in contacting various European countries to discuss cooperation on the "international trade of wolfsbane"...]

Meanwhile, Mr. Vaughn Weasley has decided to visit North America soon at the invitation of Ifamoni… Several months ago, Ifamoni’s representatives arrived in England, but Mr. Vaughn Weasley has not responded. It seems he is waiting to obtain legal status. Considering his vision for “international trade,” can we reasonably suspect that he is preparing to rally multiple countries against the Federation?

Of course, the Federation's influence is far greater than his. While Europe, seemingly a monolithic entity, may not have the resolve to respond to Mr. Vaughn Weasley's vision, North America, currently mired in division due to the Rappaport Act, seems like a suitable stepping stone?

Looking at the various analyses in the newspaper.

This was the first time Hermione had realized that the WAC, which seemed to be just for managing and protecting werewolves, actually involved so many issues.

The girl leaned against the window, absentmindedly flipping through the newspaper, looking somewhat melancholy.

She knew about Vaughn's plans to visit North America, but she thought it was just a trip abroad, like her parents would take her to France or Italy every summer.

She never imagined that a trip abroad would hide so many reasons, and... potential risks!

Vaughn rarely talked about these things in front of her.

Hermione suddenly longed to see Vaughn, even if... even if she couldn't help him solve his problems, at least she could be there for him while he was thinking...

……

WAC headquarters.

In the magical world, there's never a problem with insufficient space in buildings. Buildings enchanted with the Unseen Stretching Charm, even if not very tall, can accommodate tens of thousands of people.

Given the ample space, the president's office was built to be very spacious.

The newly established WAC is very busy, with insufficient staff and little experience in each department, which means that Vaughn has to solve many problems personally.

The paper rustled as Vaughn looked at a document requesting an investigation into Fenrir Graybuck.

He was in great pain watching it.

The handwriting on the document was broken and discontinuous, clearly written by someone without magic using a quill pen, as that tool is not suitable for prolonged writing.

The wrinkles between his brows deepened as he pressed his temples and called out, "Phil!"

The office door opened quietly and then closed again.

Phil Travers appeared before him, bowing respectfully: "Mr. Chairman?"

"Inform Remus that from now on, WAC will uniformly purchase Muggle pens or ballpoint pens for all office use. I don't want to see quill pens anymore!"

Actually, Vaughn would prefer to purchase a batch of computers or typewriters!
The inefficiency of quill pens has not yet been resolved.

Vaughn soon noticed that the clerks were reporting that they were using parchment...

The ink used was also mixed with dragon's blood!

This wouldn't normally be considered anything special in the magical world, it's standard equipment for wizards, but in the hands of the werewolf clerks, it's a complete waste.

The ink is mixed with dragon's blood to make it easier to cast spells that make the text move, or to automatically replenish the ink or exhibit other magical effects. The biomass properties of parchment can increase the flow of magic and facilitate the short-term retention of magical effects—but what does all this have to do with werewolves who don't know magic?

Afterwards, Vaughn had to call Remus over and ask him to cooperate with William in replacing all office supplies with Muggle items.

In the office, Lupin, who had been summoned, listened to Vaughn's request without showing any resistance. He simply asked, "I don't object to purchasing Muggle tools, but this would violate the law enacted by the Muggle Abuse Prohibition Division. Wouldn't that cause some trouble?"

"The chairman's father is the director of that department!" William, who had also been summoned, reminded him.

“I know, but that doesn’t stop the Ministry of Magic from using this excuse.”

“I will say hello to Dad… but to avoid trouble, we also need to issue a rule that wizards working at WAC are not allowed to cast spells on office equipment!”

Vaughn thought for a moment and gave the order, but he also knew that these were only temporary solutions!

In a broad sense, these are all very minor matters and seem to have little impact.

However, it exposes some differences between wizards and Muggles in their work and lives, and these seemingly minor differences, if allowed to develop, could potentially become the root of conflict.

Replacing office supplies with Muggle products and prohibiting the casting of spells on office supplies may seem to solve two problems, but in reality, it comes at the cost of impairing the wizard's convenience!
One or two times is nothing.

But what about the cumulative effect over time?

After seeing Lupin and William off, Vaughn rubbed his temples. He knew perfectly well what the root of all the problems was.

It's the same old issue again: the International Federation for the Protection of Minds' secrecy law!
The Secret Service Act is 300 years old, dating back to its formal legislation in 1692.

300 years is a very long time, even for long-lived wizards.

It was so long that the two sides had almost no understanding of each other's social, academic, and cultural development; it was so long that the two sides completely split into two societies!
To change this situation, forcibly merging the two is not a good solution; we must find a basis for their coexistence.

In Vaughn's view, this problem is both simple and complex!

The reason it's simple is that wizards and Muggles are, after all, human beings. 300 years has not yet reached the point where the two are completely separated in terms of society and culture. All the existing differences are simply because wizards and Muggles have taken different technological paths.

Magic and technology!

By connecting the two and combining magic and technology, the problem can be solved naturally.

But this simple conclusion is also the most troublesome!
"I wonder how the twins' research is going these days?"

Vaughn suddenly thought.

During his summer vacation, he assigned the twins a task: to solve the problem of magic fields interfering with electric fields.

Electricity is the basic energy source for Muggles. After the Second Industrial Revolution, all Muggle technology was built on electricity. If this problem can be solved, technological unification will be a big step forward!

However, the twins have hardly contacted him this month...

If everything had gone smoothly, they probably would have come to claim credit long ago!

After dealing with official business all morning with a headache, around noon, as the green flames in the office fireplace swelled, Barty Crouch the Elder emerged.

He brought a message:
"Joshua Porter has agreed to contact Ifamoni to discuss extending a higher-level invitation for you to visit North America..."

……

The Leaky Cauldron.

After arriving in England, Joshua Potter spent most of his time living in a room on the second floor of the pub.

Compared to the bar downstairs, the guest rooms on the second floor were surprisingly spacious, clean, and comfortable, and the hunchbacked old Tom kept them in perfect order.

Joshua Potter sat before the fireplace, where flames roared and the glowing red ashes, under the influence of magic, outlined several human faces.

Bathed in the orange-red light of the fire, which seemed devoid of heat, Joshua Potter was conversing with them:
"...We misjudged. Vaughn Weasley is no puppet or manipulator. He is indeed the inventor of Wolfsbane Potion and the founder of WAC. You can look at this newspaper; it's full of news about him and WAC."

As he spoke, he made several copies of today's Daily Prophet and threw them into the fire.

Soon, the faces formed by the embers inside the fireplace received the newspaper and began to read it.

After an unknown amount of time, a human face opened its lips, spitting out a few sparks: "It's unbelievable, you haven't actually had any contact with him?"

"We've only met once."

"Your judgment?"

"Those reports, except for some, were not exaggerated. He didn't seem like a 12-year-old wizard at all... He was intelligent, mature, rational, and rather proud. That was the most profound impression he left on me during that meeting, and judging from the current newspaper reports, my impression was obviously correct."

Several faces fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, another person asked, "Where's Dumbledore? And that kid named Harry Potter?"

“I’ve only met Dumbledore once, and he barely said a word the whole time. As for Harry Potter…” Joshua Potter paused, “Dumbledore refused to let me visit him. I’ve heard some things about him through various channels, and his performance at Hogwarts doesn’t quite match the prophecy.”

Joshua knew why the other person had asked about Harry Potter, so after a brief introduction, he concluded: "He was completely outmatched by Vaughn Weasley... no, to put it another way, the two are simply incomparable!"

"Why is this happening?"

A face near the edge of the fireplace asked in bewilderment, “According to the prophecy, for at least the next 10 years, he and the mysterious man will be the protagonists of destiny. In the future, he should be an important figure who can influence the English magical world. Why hasn’t he shown the talent he should have? Now, it is a child who did not appear in the prophecy who has made a name for himself?”

No one answered him.

This is also where everyone feels confused.

After a long silence, the first person to speak said:

"That's how fate is. It's always unpredictable and manipulates everyone... We can't keep making the same mistake we made before, so we have to do something to fix it."

Sparks continued to spit from his mouth as he said, "It seems that Vaughn Weasley has not abandoned the possibility of cooperation because of our previous underestimation. Since they are requesting a higher level of hospitality, I think we can agree to it."

Someone objected: "You should know what he's up to!"

“Yes, Akinbad clearly covets the WAC and the terrifying power of the werewolves. Vaughn Weasley kept Joshua waiting for three months before finally accepting the invitation, clearly intending to use us against the Federation. His so-called ‘international trade’ is treacherous. Once we agree, regardless of the internal workings, from the outside... to be precise, from the Federation’s perspective, we will be seen as endorsing the ‘international trade’ system of wolfsbane potion.”

The people present were all seasoned veterans who had worked their way up in the industry for decades. Even if they didn't know much about the situation, they could still understand Vaughn's purpose to some extent with the help of newspapers.

Moreover, the situation is different from that in England.

Although England also enforces the Act of Secrets, the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government even have a connection and cooperate. The Muggle government helps handle magical incidents and cover up the existence of wizards, while the Ministry of Magic provides protection for the Prime Minister and ministers.

In essence, however, the two do not interfere with each other and do not disturb each other.

In contrast, the situation in North America is much more complicated. The Rappaport Act completely separated the wizarding world from Muggle society in North America.

This division is not restrained or indifferent, but rather as intense as boiling oil over a raging fire!
Since the fall of the "Second Salem", the two sides have been fighting each other in various hidden corners for decades, and what was originally a simple conflict has gradually evolved into hatred and hostility.

Driven by the escalating conflict, the magical world and Muggle society have become deeply intertwined!
At least the few people present are very familiar with Muggles and their social conditions.

They could see at a glance that Vaughn Weasley's proposed "international trade in wolfsbane" was less a trade system and more a variant of the Muggle "Marshall Plan" after World War II!

Using trade as a pretext, they have coerced other countries into forming a de facto alliance!

The first person to speak waited until the dissenting voices had finished before slowly saying, "Of course I know that Vaughn Weasley's 'international trade' system is extremely vicious, but do we have any choice? The wolfsbane potion is in his hands; he is 'Marshall,' and he holds the initiative. If you are willing to give up the governance of the werewolf problem and abandon the werewolves' immediate combat power, then I have nothing to say!"

"We can decipher the prescription!"

"And then what?" he retorted. "The WAC is the target of the Federation, but aren't we? The London Convention stipulates the recognition of potion patents in various countries. When Vaughn Weasley sues us to the Federation, do you think those hyenas will use this excuse, under the guise of an investigation, to send a permanent special forces unit to interfere in North American affairs?"

"..."

Everyone fell silent for a while.

They knew very well that the Federation would never give up the opportunity to control a major power; in fact, they had experienced something similar decades ago during the Second Salem riots when they were still young.

It wasn't until Salafina Picqueli, the then-president of the Magical Congress, resigned in disgrace that the Federation finally gained its "understanding"...

Seeing that the others had stopped speaking, the man continued to explain the situation: "Moreover, the situation we are facing now is far more complicated than it was decades ago. In recent years, there have been a number of Muggle-born and half-blood wizards disappearing. The culprit is the Muggle government. The twelve families that control the Magic Congress are the ones who are truly harboring evil intentions. They would love for all the bastards and Mudbloods they see to die out."

"How did the conflict suddenly escalate last year? Wasn't it because of their deliberate indulgence and instigation?"

"Now, everything is out of control, old folks. Extreme separatism is spreading across this land. The wizards who can still walk openly in the sunlight are either extreme purebloods led by the Twelve Families, or so-called civilian wizarding militias from Muggle origin who occupy certain states and carry out separatist regimes under the banner of 'revenge'."

"And our strength is dwindling, our cards are dwindling..." A wisp of sparks rose with the smoke. His sigh reached everyone's ears: "I don't know if, if things continue like this, without reinforcements and international support, Iphamoni can continue to exist."

"I'll say it again: we have no choice. We need werewolves, and we need a new and effective reason to undermine separatist tendencies. WAC is an opportunity given to us by an unpredictable fate. No matter what you think, I just want to seize this opportunity!"

……

While Joshua and the others were discussing Vaughn, Vaughn and Old Barty were also talking about Efamoni.

And the current situation in North America.

"It's complicated and chaotic."

Old Barty took the tea offered by Vaughn and sighed, "I only received the news today that the vast North American magical world has effectively split apart."

"Various unofficial wizarding militias, whose origins are unknown, each occupy one or two states as their territory. They not only fight against the Magic Congress but also wage war against each other internally. The Magic Congress, on the other hand, does nothing and almost watches as these unofficial wizarding militias kill each other."

"What's even more confusing is that, beneath these two major camps, there are many smaller organizations stirring up trouble. They are usually small in number and territory, but their goals are purer and their methods are more extreme."

"Some seek revenge against the Muggle government, some against the Twelve Families. Those with principles will directly attack their targets, but many more are without principles. They don't care about the so-called 'target of revenge,' as long as they kill a Muggle or a wizard."

"And I've heard that the descendants of the Purifiers seem to have reappeared. They've partnered with the Muggle government to form a 'Third Salem,' attacking and capturing wizards everywhere... Ugh, all I can hear is the news; it's like the end of the world!"

It was difficult to get information from isolated North America.

The only information Vaughn knew was a few casual remarks he made in Isabella Rozier's last letter a few months earlier.

He never imagined that the situation in North America had become so dire.

But in a sense, this situation is very advantageous to him and WAC!
Just as he had originally thought, a complete national government might be wary of the federation, but when it splits into several or even a dozen parts that are in opposition to each other, it is no longer possible for them to have a global perspective to consider the federation.

All they cared about was their own survival and how to kill the enemy!

This gave him and WAC the opportunity to negotiate with all parties.

Thinking it over, Vaughn asked, "Have you found out anything about Iphamoni's situation?"

“It’s been investigated.” Old Barty nodded, then shook his head. “They’re in a bad situation now. Because they have a large number of students, and the students are of mixed backgrounds, including purebloods, half-bloods, and Muggles, Ifamoni has been attacked by multiple organizations in the past year, including the Magic Congress, which has demanded that they hand over all their half-blood and Muggle students.”

"Iphamoni's unwillingness to hand over any students has led to its isolation by all organizations in North America, which is why it is so eager to seek new assistance and a way out!"

.........

In the early hours of the morning, Isabella was jolted awake from a hazy dream.

Dreaming was a rather rare occurrence for her in the past.

After graduating from Hogwarts, she was assigned by her family to the Memory Deletion Command of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, becoming an intern memory deletor.

There, Isabella learned some memory magic, including the Forgetting Charm.

The first step in the growth of any memory mage is to transform and manage themselves. Ever since learning her first memory spell, Isabella has basically stopped dreaming.

Until I arrived in North America!

She opened her eyes, the lingering fear from the dream still gripping her heart, her body soaked with cold sweat.

Isabella threw back the covers, and the cool air made her shiver, but she seemed not to feel it.

Instead, he slowed down and tiptoed to the door.

Prick up your ears and listen to what's going on outside.

This is Minnesota, where the harsh winters necessitate building very thick walls, with only the area around the doors offering slightly poorer sound insulation.

“Supra sensum!”

Isabella softly recited the incantation for the Extrasensory Charm, and in an instant, her five senses were enhanced under the magic's effect.

The hairs on my body stood on end, and my pores, taut with each breath, detected even the slightest disturbance in the air. My sense of smell became clear and sensitive, as if I had taken off a mask. With each breath, the musty smell that was unavoidable in the old apartment filled my nostrils.

The room was no longer dark, and her dilated pupils were able to receive light more acutely, making the objects in her field of vision emit a hazy glow. Although it was still not very clear, it was enough to distinguish things.

The biggest change is in hearing.

She heard rustling sounds moving between the walls; it was mice moving in the wall crevices. She also heard water flowing in the iron pipes.

I could hear the buzzing sound of electricity passing through the wires.

And then, nothing!

There was no snoring from next door, no sound of that Muggle nerd downstairs watching a movie, nothing...

clatter--

The faint, seemingly distant footsteps that her ears caught suddenly jolted Isabella awake, who had been sensing something was wrong and whose nerves were beginning to tighten.

She quickly left the room, rushed to the bed, grabbed a coat, put it on, and drew her wand.

The next moment, a powerful spell burst forth from the tip of her wand, blasting the door open and creating a tremendous noise!
And her warning:

"Those who have been purged!"

The tranquility of the early morning was thus shattered.

Perhaps a few seconds later, the sound of incantations rose and fell outside the door, someone created wind, and smoke was summoned.

The entire floor was suddenly shrouded in mist, which quickly spread throughout the building.

But Isabella didn't care about anything else. She picked up her backpack, and without even changing her clothes, she waved her wand and blew open the window. She turned into a wisp of white smoke and went out through the hole.

The night wind carried the white smoke she had transformed into, drifting for a while before slowly settling on the roof of another building.

Isabella deactivated her transformation spell, her face pale as she glanced back at the apartment building behind her, which had become a complete battlefield.

Thick fog enveloped the entire building like a viscous liquid, and numerous flames suddenly burst and extinguished within it, accompanied by deafening roars and the sound of crumbling walls and ruins.

In the next instant, a green light blurred the thick fog, and the commotion grew even louder, with faint cries of grief audible:

"The Killing Curse! Jason is dead!"

"Don't get entangled, scatter and run!"

Before long, all sorts of things flew out of the thick fog and fled in all directions, but the attackers obviously did not want to let them go. One after another, figures riding brooms and magic carpets rushed out and chased after them.

Isabella did not move.

She threw her backpack under the water tower and hid it, then transformed into a cat and curled up next to the air conditioner on the roof.

A wizard flew over, his gaze sweeping over her, but he paid her no attention.

It paused briefly in mid-air before chasing after something in another direction.

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief, but still didn't make any rash moves. Instead, she licked her fur like a real cat, aloof and seemingly indifferent to everything.

At this moment, any wizard would probably not doubt her identity, because in their eyes, she was just an ordinary cat.

She learned this shapeshifting magic from a shaman named Waggado when she traveled to Egypt early last year.

As one of the oldest magic schools, Vagado naturally has its own unique characteristics.

Their unique hand gesture magic and animal transformation magic are considered exceptional skills even on a global scale. Isabella has never seen hand gesture magic and doesn't know exactly what it looks like, but Vagado's animal transformations are definitely comparable to the Animagus popular in England.

The only difference is that once Animagus is mastered, it becomes permanent and constant. As long as one is not afraid of losing one's mind, one can change as long as one wants.

Animal transformations can only last for a limited time.

About 10 minutes later, finding that no one else was coming, Isabella crawled under the water tower and her transformation was restored.

The transformation from a cat back to a human resulted in the cramped space under the water tower being completely crammed full.

But Isabella decided to spend the rest of the night there anyway.

She lay quietly in the darkness, her extrasensory perception still active, allowing her to hear the sounds of battles taking place in the distance.

Some things happened suddenly and abruptly; it was unclear whether they had been captured or had killed their pursuers in self-defense.

Some battles dragged on for a long time, with the fighting escalating further and further away.

But the Muggle town seemed to fall into a deathly silence; all the Muggles remained motionless, allowing the wizards to chase them under the night sky, staging a noisy, secret war.

"Those who purge..."

Isabella knew who the attackers were tonight; to be precise, she hadn't escaped their shadow for the past few months.

The civilian wizarding forces that she once sheltered were also wiped out by the Purifiers. If it weren't for her Vagado transformation magic, Isabella felt that she would probably have followed in that organization's footsteps long ago.

Thinking about it, she felt a little sad.

That organization is actually not bad. Although they act somewhat extreme and shout that they want to kill all purebloods, in essence, they are just some pitiful people who have been persecuted by purebloods and have no choice but to rise up in resistance and revenge.

That's why she went with them.

A few months ago, the situation had improved somewhat. Taking advantage of the Magical Congress's deliberate leniency, the organization settled in a Muggle town, intending to make it their base of operations.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the Purgers and the "Third Salem" emerged.

A group of people who look like wizards, can use magic, and ride brooms and magic carpets, but whose behavior and temperament are very different from wizards.

It's like... an army of Muggles!

Previously, Isabella had never seen the Puritans in person.

Her only impression of the word was from "The History of Magic" she learned in school, and from a "story" told by a witch who escaped with her after the organization was destroyed.

The witch's name is Natalie, and she's from New York.

Three months ago, after barely escaping their pursuers, the two prepared to cross the border into Canada.

Canada is a Commonwealth country. In Muggle society, under the personal confederation system, the so-called "Commonwealth" is more symbolic than practical, and all member states are sovereign, independent, and equal countries.

However, the situation is different in the wizarding world. Although they are also sovereign and independent, Commonwealth members, including Canada, are heavily dependent on England.

Besides the fact that wizarding powers in various countries are not strong enough and require protection from the English Ministry of Magic, it is also because under the Commonwealth system, member states are naturally allied with the International Federation and have great influence and say in certain matters.

Therefore, in the magical world, member states such as Canada have always maintained a very close relationship with England.

At the time, Isabella and the witch named Natalie hoped to use Isabella's British identity to obtain asylum in Canada.

Even though the two were very careful, under Natalie's leadership, they bypassed the powerful states controlled by purebloods and the Purifiers, traversed most of the United States, and deliberately chose Minnesota, a relatively unknown state in the United States bordering Canada, as their smuggling destination.

But they were still exposed.

Natalie didn't live to see the dawn!
In the cramped space beneath the water tower, Isabella stared wide-eyed into the darkness, tears welling in her eyes. She seemed to see again in that darkness the image of Natalie being blown to pieces by a strange weapon from a Purifier riding a broom a month ago.

Back then, she was just like she is today, transformed into a cat, hiding in the narrow, filthy sewer entrance, watching helplessly.

Of course, that helplessness was not self-blame or guilt for not being able to save Natalie.

In fact, although their whereabouts were exposed, they were not without the ability to escape, and the Purifiers could not possibly use a large number of people to hunt down the two witches everywhere.

Natalie was desperate; she took her own life.

She said the country was becoming unfamiliar.

She said the purgers shouldn't be like this!

(End of this chapter)