Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 166 Sudden Battle

When it comes to scientific research, Vaughn is still very rigorous, only saying, "To be precise, this possibility is more likely."

"..."

Akinbad was not comforted by Vaughn's caution.

His taut jaw muscles twitched a few times, and a powerful pressure suddenly emanated from his body, causing his loose robe to bulge.

The air was heavy and viscous.

This influence even extended to more distant areas, and the once peaceful harbor was suddenly swept by a strong wind.

Despite being at the center of the "storm" and bearing the most pressure, Vaughn remained calm. He even had the composure to discern several discordant areas in the port from the frenzied magical fluctuations of Akimbard.

For example, there's a cannery in the distance!
The wind howled throughout the entire harbor area.

In the northeast corner of the port, inside a cannery that had already ceased operations, several middle-aged men in suits gazed out of the window at the dock.

"It's Babajid Akinbad. The old man's magic is truly amazing. But why did he suddenly cause such a commotion?"

Hearing his companion's question, one person closed his eyes and sensed it: "The emotions in the wind are very violent... He's very angry, and..."

He frowned slightly: "Fear?"

Someone asked in surprise, "Could we have misjudged it?"

“Perhaps…” The Sensory One reopened his eyes, looking puzzled. “I’m more interested in what Vaughn Weasley said that made Akinbad lose his composure like that?”

Their eyes all gleamed with a faint magical light.

The extrasensory spell allows them to observe targets from a great distance.

Of course, their target was not Akinbad!

“Vaughn Weasley…”

A Black man whispered the name as the wind howled against the windows outside, the rattling of the glass as rapid and chaotic as their inner turmoil.

"Damn it, why is this guy always working with the Federation?"

"Don't be fooled by his age. He's not stupid. I saw an article in the newspaper the other day analyzing that Evamoni is being targeted by various organizations because he sheltered students, and that WAC's trip to North America is fraught with danger... Even reporters can see the danger, do you think they wouldn't be aware of it? Wouldn't they be on guard?"

"Speaking of his age... how much of what's circulating in the newspapers about him is true?"

"Which aspect are you referring to? Inventing the wolfsbane medicine, or founding WAC? I think it's probably both true, otherwise why would those people in England push a fake to the forefront?"

"I don't think so. I've heard that the Weasleys are one of the pure-blood families in England. Pure-blood... Hmph, what wouldn't those guys do?"

"Didn't the newspapers say that Weasley was called a pure-blood traitor?"

"You believe this nonsense? Those lime bastards (a derogatory term for Englishmen) were spreading rumors more than a decade ago that their one-year-old savior killed a legendary dark wizard. Ha, do they think everyone is a fool?"

"Speaking of which, the savior is said to be a member of the Potter family."

Which Porter?

“Joshua Potter, remember him? Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in school, the bald guy who always liked to brag about his family lineage.”

“How could I forget? I remember it clearly. Marino was killed by the Potters last year, right in front of me!”

The heavy topic ended their desire to chat, and silence fell over the cannery.

The black man who first called out Vaughn's name loosened his tie somewhat awkwardly and changed the subject: "Why does the organization force us to wear Muggle suits? To be honest, I haven't worn them more than a few times in the past twenty years."

By the window, the middle-aged wizard who had sensed Akinbad's emotions earlier and had been observing the group's conversation replied, "Chairman DeSantis believes this will reinforce our beliefs, reminding us where we come from and why we fight against purebloods."

The Black man shrugged. "Yes, Essex. We're from Muggles. Our fight is a just struggle against discrimination and oppression. I know it by heart. I don't need this damn tie to remind me... And these damn windows, they're driving me crazy."

As he spoke, he raised his wand.

The middle-aged wizard known as Essex, sensing what he was about to do, frowned and said, "Don't do anything rash, or you'll be exposed."

"I just wanted to quiet them down, just a little spell. The harbor outside is a mess because that old guy made a mess of it, no one will notice."

Upon hearing this, Essex thought for a moment and then did not stop him.

After a moment of contemplation, the Black man unleashed a spell of imprisonment at the surrounding windows.

The spell was successful.

As the windows were frozen in place by the spell, the annoying clanging noise immediately ceased, and Essex continued to look towards the docks.

His extrasensory perception was enough to allow his vision to penetrate the gale and mist, and to see clearly the 12-year-old target on the dock.

Then, something terrifying happened to Essex—

Just as the black man's magic took effect and the noise from the window disappeared, he saw the boy at the end of his line of sight suddenly turn his head to look at him!

Essex was startled.

Did he find out?

How can it be?

What terrified Essex even more was that the little wizard who was looking in their direction suddenly smiled and his lips moved.

In that instant, the vast distance seemed to vanish, and the boy's voice, just beginning to change, rang in Essex's ears...

No, that's not right, it appeared directly in his mind!
"Hello there!"

The next second, the boy disappeared from his sight!

As a seasoned wizard, Essex turned around almost without thinking and shouted, "Everyone be careful, Apparition!"

Before the words had even faded, the wizards, including Essex, saw the air around them distort!

The vortex formed by the folds in space expanded with a soft crackling sound and a "poof".

A distorted human figure appears within it!
"Exterminate you, Wu—"

These wizards were seasoned veterans; they had already drawn their wands when Essex warned them.

The black wizard who had just finished chanting the incantation then seamlessly switched to chanting the disarming spell the instant the figure appeared.

However, this time his spell was not completed!

The figure that traversed space was still distorted like an image pasted on a mirror, and before it could fully take shape, a beam of red light shot out from the uneven vortex of space.

The sudden red light struck him, abruptly halting the black man's spell. Under the spell's terrifying power, he was sent flying backward, his wand slipping from his grasp.

Snapped!
A fair hand caught it!
Vaughn stepped out of the spatial vortex, and with his other hand, he lightly waved his wand beside him, summoning a gleaming, armored spell that protected him firmly.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of incantations overwhelmed him!
"Why is this happening!"

"How did he find us from that distance? He's only 12 years old, how could he be so skilled with Apparition and Disarming Charms? Why?"

A multitude of "whys" filled Essex's mind.

Of course, with his extensive combat experience, even in his shock, he instinctively threw out two blasting spells. The roar, the flames, and the colors of the various spells cast by others engulfed the terrifying boy.

But this scene did not reassure Essex!

In this world, wizards from all countries believe that the human being as a whole is composed of sex and spirit.

Sex represents the physical body, a tangible entity existing in reality.

The spirit is a unified term for the soul, consciousness, and spirit. Wizards believe that magic, emotions, and other elements that create magic and miracles all originate from the spirit!
The spirit is a miracle, a mystery, a hand that changes reality, and an eye that glimpses the future!
Therefore, there are naturally born shapeshifters, Legilimency practitioners, and naturally born prophets in this world. Essex is one of those people who were born with prophetic abilities.

However, his talent was not as great as that of the great prophets recorded in history; his prophecies were more like a premonition of danger.

Even now, looking at the place submerged by the spell, Essex felt a strong sense of unease!
The unease was so clear, like a frantic warning from his spirit:

Danger!

Essex couldn't explain why, but his past experience told him that listening to his instincts was often far more effective than making rational judgments.

"careful!"

He spoke loudly, using the fewest words he could muster, to remind his companions.

The next moment, Essex saw the source of the danger—

Amidst the incantation, the light and smoke from the explosion, two beams of azure light appeared. The moment Essex saw the light, he felt as if his brain had been struck a heavy blow!
boom!
Amidst a dull, booming sound that seemed to reach the depths of his consciousness, Essex felt himself floating up, and a vast expanse of darkness appeared before his eyes.

His field of vision was like a small window, floating above his head!

"This is... my consciousness being forced into the mind's world? Was that blue light Legilimency?"

This realization filled Essex with a sense of absurdity and fear.

It also made him realize that Vaughn Weasley, this 12-year-old wizard, was far more powerful than he and the organization had anticipated!

In the world of thought, time flows very slowly.

But it also allowed Essex to see, frame by frame, what was happening in the outside world through that window-like view!
He saw that everyone, including himself, was frozen in place.

As they stopped fighting, the semi-transparent Iron Armor Spell gradually appeared in the area filled with light, fire, and smoke.

The curses cast by several people did not seem to cause it much damage; it continued to function perfectly, protecting its owners.

He saw Vaughn Weasley “slowly” flick his wand, and the cannery window shattered silently.

A strong wind swept in!

Like a slow-motion scene in a Muggle movie, Vaughn Weasley, that dreadful fellow, slowly emerged from the haze created by the violent air currents, his robes and red hair fluttering in the wind.

He raised his wand!
Broken glass, window frames, debris... everything usable was transformed into ropes under the control of the magic wand in that fair hand.

Then, like a snake, it coiled around them!
They want to capture them alive!

Essex struggled desperately, but fortunately, he also possessed memory magic. Over the past year, in order to combat purebloods and to prevent anyone from being captured and threatening all members of the organization, they had all been placed under mental defense.

Essex struggled to communicate with that cold feeling deep within her heart.

President DeSantis had personally built a barrier for him, its primary function being to conceal secrets, but in moments like these, its power could also help him break free from Vaughn Weasley's Legilimency!
He succeeded!

When that thing hidden deep within his heart answered his call, enveloping his consciousness in a cold embrace.

His consciousness returned to his body.

The moment he opened his eyes, he heard the howling wind in his ears. His subjective sense of time returned to normal, and the rope that he had seen slowly winding around him in his mind's world was now in front of him in the blink of an eye.

Essex skillfully spewed out a burst of flame, burning the transformed rope to ashes.

"what?"

He heard Vaughn Weasley's surprised voice, but he dared not look. The other man's mysterious Legilimency left him with lingering fear!
He didn't even dare to linger. He unleashed several spells in quick succession, slightly hindering Vaughn Weasley, before stepping back and disappearing as his body twisted and contorted with the air.

"interesting……"

The wand swept across him, restoring the nearly collapsed Ironclad Charm to its full strength. Vaughn stared at the spot where Essex had disappeared, his eyes narrowing slightly.

At that moment, two crackling sounds rang out.

It's Lupin and Matthew.

"Master, what happened?" Lupin looked warily at the wizards holding wands opposite Vaughn.

Matthew was more direct than him, raising his wand to attack.

“They pose no threat for now, dear Matthew,” Vaughn said with a smile, shaking his wand and calming the surrounding winds.

At the same time, the deformed ropes had already bound those people.

“These are all living witnesses who can provide intelligence. You two have come at the right time. Take them away and I will interrogate them later.”

"Yes!"

The two agreed, and Lupin asked, "Aren't you going back?"

Vaughn shook his head: "One of them escaped. I have to go check it out. If I can find the lair of these hospitable Yankees, it will save me a lot of trouble!"

……

Apparition! Apparition!
The sensation of his body constantly distorting with space and light made Essex dizzy and nauseous.

But he dared not linger. Vaughn Weasley's immense power weighed heavily on his heart, forcing him to constantly traverse space, trying to escape his opponent as quickly as possible.

In just a few minutes, Essex had traversed the vast urban area of ​​Boston and appeared on the other side of the city. Once again, she appeared in a phantom form, and having escaped the distorted space, Essex finally couldn't help but vomit.

He knelt on the ground, vomiting and coughing as if suffocating, and it took him a while to calm down.

He looked up and around. The sparse houses and dense vegetation around him told him that he was probably somewhere in the far suburbs.

This relieved him.

But what followed was frustration!

"damn it……"

He was annoyed by the inaccuracy of the intelligence—the organization had never mentioned before that Vaughn Weasley was so powerful, with his spell proficiency, power, magic, and so on, all of which far exceeded the average level of an adult wizard!
Especially the opponent's skillful and terrifying mastery of memory magic!

On the other hand, he was annoyed with himself. He should have noticed Vaughn Weasley's abnormality immediately and led everyone away decisively. However, when faced with the opponent's Apparition attack, he subconsciously chose to fight back.

As a result, others fell into enemy hands!

After pounding the ground a few times to vent his anger, Essex struggled to his feet. He knew that regret wouldn't change anything.

What he should do now is get away from Boston as soon as possible, and then find an opportunity to return to the organization and report the intelligence on Vaughn Weasley's strength to avoid greater losses!
After resting for a while, Essex resumed Apparition.

Being cautious by nature, he did not choose to return to the organization immediately, but instead prepared to be teleported to a more desolate wilderness to confirm his safety first.

After several more apparitions, Essex appeared in a forest.

This is a protected area established by Muggles, far from towns and rarely visited by people. It is also one of the hiding places he has set up for himself.

"Let's rest for a couple of days and go back when it's safe!"

He sighed, looked around at the dense jungle, determined his location by the direction of a few trees he remembered, then walked to the edge of a small mound and softly recited the incantation.

The next moment, the small mound disappeared, revealing a simple campsite.

Upon seeing the camp, Essex relaxed somewhat, then a voice came from behind him:
"Aren't you planning to go back anytime soon? I'm a little disappointed. I followed you for several tens of minutes!"

That voice was both so unfamiliar and so familiar!

Just a few tens of minutes ago, it was still ringing in his ears and in his mind.

Essex was shocked. Fear gripped his heart like an invisible hand, making him gasp for breath, but he was a warrior, a veteran of countless battles!

Without even turning around, the wand he had been holding suddenly swerved, and a thin beam of red light shot out from the tip of the wand.

Boom——

Essex heard the sound of the spell being deflected, but he couldn't care less. He seized the opportunity to rush forward a few steps, his whole body stretched into a long strip by the distorted space, and he entered the vortex that suddenly appeared in the air!
But Vaughn was faster than him!

"Your surrender spell is as thin as a chopstick."

The devilish whispers caused Essex's pupils to dilate violently.

when?
During Apparition, Essex, who couldn't make many movements, saw out of the corner of her eye that Vaughn Weasley had caught up behind her.

Even though he had successfully entered the vortex and apparated, he still couldn't shake off his opponent—

The cylindrical space is a passageway where countless objects appear as flat pictures, gliding along the surface.

The light and shadow spun rapidly.

Vaughn Weasley's distorted figure moved and entangled in his eyes, amidst the swirling light and shadow, within countless pictorial scenes.

Soon, the other party "intruded" in!
The shock of having his magic corrupted by someone, the visual impact of a person gradually stretching from a two-dimensional plane into a three-dimensional entity, made Essex unable to suppress his fear any longer.

For the first time in his life, he instantly mobilized a large amount of emotions, combined with magic, and forced the spatial passage to "spit" him out!

The perspective shifted rapidly, and Essex staggered into view.

But to his despair, he clearly saw that Vaughn Weasley, dressed in a flawless velvet robe with flowing red hair, had also materialized and was waiting in front of him.

Damn!

hateful!

Anger and despair nearly overwhelmed Essex, but the remaining sanity told him he couldn't stop. His figure blurred for a moment, and the distorted vortex reappeared.

escape!
Even if it means splitting into pieces, we must escape!
Counterattacks are pointless; Apparition is his only way out. He must live and bring back the information that Vaughn Weasley possesses formidable power!

Essex gritted his teeth and plunged into the vortex once again.

The moment he entered the vortex, he felt a sharp pain in his body, probably due to a splitting accident. He saw his body spinning like a lump of noodles at high speed, with many bright red things being flung out.

Of course, more importantly, he saw Vaughn Weasley's figure ahead, which was also blurred due to the distortion of space, reaching out his hand in this direction.

The swirling light and shadow in the spatial passageway suddenly dimmed because of this hand!
It broke free from the constraints of space, emerging from those flat drawings like a monster leaping out of the screen in a mushy movie.

What terrified Essex even more was that, despite her body spinning at high speed, she seemed unable to escape the hand that was pressing down on her!
He suddenly realized that it wasn't that the hand was fast, but that he had become "slow"!

Just like the moon, no matter how fast it rotates, it can only follow the Earth's movement!

Vaughn Weasley, that terrifying, utterly shatter-the-common sense guy, can not only invade his Apparitions, but also forcibly "steal" control of his magic!

Essex watched helplessly as that slender, pale hand slowly pressed against her neck.

The next moment, excruciating pain!

In a desolate valley, the air exploded with a bang, and Vaughn, with one hand around Essex's neck, broke free from the void.

Essex was covered in blood.

thump!
He fell to the ground and screamed.

The piercing cry startled a flock of birds and the sound of wild beasts fleeing in panic.

Vaughn looked down at the poor fellow—one of his legs was missing, and there was a huge, smooth wound that ran from his back down to his buttocks.

Blood gushes out like crazy.

Extremely severe splitting!
However, Vaughn was not worried at all. For a potions master like him, as long as the person did not die immediately, there were plenty of ways to save them.

After observing carefully for a while, they confirmed that there were no other hidden or invisible wounds on the other person's body, nor were there any signs such as limbs being separated and appearing inside the abdomen, or half of the internal organs being missing.

Waving his wand, Vaughn summoned a stream of water to wash away the blood and grime from the other's body. He then opened his satchel, took out a bottle of White Essence, and gently dripped it onto the wounds on the other's broken leg and back.

The potion took effect, wisps of white smoke rose up, and the middle-aged wizard lying on the ground was convulsing from the intense pain.

Vaughn reassured him, "Bear with it. This is a high-concentration white essence that I specially refined when I was practicing Apparition. It hurts a lot, but the effect is also great... Your leg is probably gone forever. Why bother running away? You should understand that my Apparition skills are above yours. You can't escape. Not only will you waste your energy, but you'll also end up like this!"

"Ugh—" The middle-aged wizard gritted his teeth, the excruciating pain making his face pale and his forehead covered in sweat.

His injury was severe. Vaughn used two whole bottles of white cinnamon essence to finally get the wound to close up again. A newly grown, almost transparent membrane, mixed with foam and soft scabs, covered the wound.

It looks disgusting.

Putting the bottle away, Vaughn looked around, then continued waving his wand, summoning some enormous leaves from some unknown tree species, which he spread on the ground as a makeshift bed.

The function of dandelion extract is to promote the body's self-healing, not to make the injury disappear. However, newly grown human tissue is still very susceptible to infection.

Severe injuries, blood loss, and excruciating pain tormented Essex, causing his vision to gradually blur. His oxygen-deprived brain could no longer maintain a conscious mind.

Once the bleeding is controlled and the person is temporarily out of danger, the body's self-protective mechanisms, which activate adrenaline and atrial natriuretic peptide, cease secretion.

Weakness and exhaustion swept over Essex.

In a daze, he felt himself being moved to the "bed" by Vaughn Weasley, and heard the other man say teasingly:

“...You should be glad that I generally don’t like dead people, because once a person dies, they can no longer speak, and their value goes from being priceless to a pile of useless fat, protein, and carbohydrates.”

Familiar yet distant words.

More than 20 years ago, when he was still a nobody.

Essex tried to open his eyes to see this incredibly powerful, yet seemingly knowledgeable, genius wizard, but he was too tired.

He heard Vaughn Weasley summon flames and light a campfire, and then, in the warmth of the firelight, he fell into a deep sleep…

When Essex woke up again, it was already night.

The flames licked the firewood, making crackling sounds. Further away, in the pitch-black, dense forest where nothing could be seen, came the chirping of insects and various rustling sounds.

"woke up?"

Upon hearing the sound, Essex instinctively tensed up. Then, memories from before he fell into a deep sleep surfaced, his expression stiffened, his muscles relaxed, and he turned to look in the direction of the sound.

The campfire was burning brightly, and Vaughn Weasley sat at the other end with a very familiar wand and a wallet at his feet.

Essex felt his pockets and, sure enough, his wallet was gone.

Seemingly noticing his movement, Vaughn looked up and waved the card in his hand: "I'll be a little bored when you wake up, so I'm looking for something from you to learn about you beforehand and kill some time... Your name is Bruce Essex?"

His familiar and gentle demeanor left Essex momentarily bewildered.

"you……"

Essex found that her throat was so dry and hoarse that she could not make a sound.

Across from him, Vaughn, who was reviewing the documents again, pointed to the person beside him: "Don't worry, you've just lost too much blood and are a little dehydrated. Just replenish your fluids. I've already prepared some for you, and there's also a potion next to you to help you recover. Drink it together!"

Essex hesitated for a moment.

But thinking about it carefully, if the other party wanted to harm me, there was no need for such a roundabout way. Anyway, I couldn't beat him, and he had plenty of opportunities when I was unconscious.

Without further hesitation, he picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp. The sweet water soothed his throat, which was almost burning.

Essex sighed, picked up the potion again, and frowned at the strange smell of it, but he drank it anyway.

This gesture brought a smile to Vaughn's face.
"A wise choice. It seems you don't want to die. That's good. It lays a good foundation for our smooth communication later."

Is this considered irony?

Essex didn't know, but he knew Vaughn Weasley was right: he didn't want to die!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have drunk the water and the potion.

But out of pride, Essex said in a hoarse voice, "You... don't try to get anything out of me, I won't say... and don't even think about getting anything from my memories, I have a mental barrier that both protects my inner secrets and watches over them..."

Vaughn nodded: "I know. I tried it while you were unconscious. It's a rather ingenious self-destructive defense. If I were to break it by force, it would 'dissolve' in your consciousness with its secrets and burn you into an idiot."

"...I know its function, and that's what I requested. I don't need you to stir things up!"

Essex said, panting heavily.

Vaughn, unfazed by the fact that his intentions had been exposed, chuckled, "Well, it seems your situation is even more difficult than I anticipated, resorting to such extreme methods to keep your secrets... In the past year, quite a few people from your organization must have been arrested, right?"

Essex closed her eyes, not wanting to answer.

He said he wouldn't reveal any organization's secrets!

Seeing his determination, Vaughn shrugged and put down the documents in his hand: "Bruce Essex, that's your surname. Your ancestors were English?"

"..."

"This isn't asking you to reveal information, is it? It's just a chat. You're very weak right now and can't handle Apparition. We'll be here for at least one night, and we're just killing time anyway, so why don't we get to know each other better?"

"..."

Still silent.

But a moment later, Essex opened her eyes: "Yes, my great-grandfather immigrated to America at the end of the 19th century, and changed his surname to Essex in honor of his hometown."

"After immigrating to the United States, have you been living in Massachusetts?"

Upon hearing this, Essex glanced at Vaughn.

Vaughn smiled: "When you Apparated before, I followed behind you and found that you were very familiar with Boston, so you are probably a local."

"That's right..."

Essex gave a brief reply, and when he thought of the boy's incredible apparition, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

The terrifying scenes of the space tunnel being invaded by the other party a few hours ago reappeared before my eyes.

Is this genius?

Essex couldn't help but feel frustrated.

He was 38 years old, while the other person was only 12 years old!
The reality is that he was almost powerless against his opponent in every sense of the word!
The same applies to physical combat, and the same applies to verbal exchanges right now!
Yes, both Vaughn and Essex understood that there was no real conversation between them. What they called a conversation was actually a negotiation tactic, a psychological tactic of softening the conflict by "chatting about everyday things."

(End of this chapter)