Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 167 Dumbledore's Implicit Deterrence

This strategy had already begun when Vaughn said, "You don't want to die!"

This sentence is interconnected.

Essex recalled that before he fell into a coma, Vaughn said he "didn't like dead people." The implication was clear: you don't want to die, and I don't want you to die either. Look, we have a basis for cooperation, so why can't we talk?

The itching of the wound brought Essex back to his senses. He glanced at the thigh he had separated from his body; the wound was well bandaged.

Vaughn Weasley even conjured him a cane.

Even though he understood the other party's conciliatory intentions, Essex still couldn't help but feel a little grateful at this moment, which was why he was willing to "chat".

Of course, another reason is that Vaughn Weasley seems very familiar with Muggle society!

This is quite rare among wizards. As Vaughn said, "get to know each other." He also wanted to get to know the English genius in front of him, whom he had only heard of for the past few months.

Therefore, after answering, Essex said, "My turn. Why did you come to America?"

Through the flickering firelight, Essex couldn't see Vaughn's expression, only noticing that he seemed to smile slightly: "Would you believe me if I said I initially just wanted to rescue a friend?"

"I believe!"

"Oh why?"

"You don't need to lie to a prisoner. I might be able to provide some clues about his name."

"Her, a female friend, is named Isabella Rozier."

"The Rozier family?"

"Ah, yes, but they've already split up, and the main branch isn't too keen on getting involved in her affairs... Have you heard?"

Essex thought for a moment and shook his head: "Sorry, if I had encountered this surname before, I would definitely remember it."

Vaughn wasn't disappointed. He smiled and said, "It's okay. Actually, I already have a way to find her. I was planning to hold a media conference in Boston with the Federation. If it weren't for the fact that I was there to arrest you, the news of my attendance at the conference would probably have already been reported back to the press, and she would have seen it in the newspaper tomorrow."

"..."

Despite their differing stances, Essex still felt a little awkward at that moment.

He saw Vaughn Weasley smile and say, "So, you want to kill me, don't you? Because my arrival might resolve Iphamoni's current predicament, preventing you from taking revenge on those purebloods?"

The forest was pitch black in the dead of night.

Vaughn chose a resting spot on a small hill, from which he could see the dark jungle stretching out like an ocean across his horizon.

Everywhere, shadows sway in the wind.

Only further away, the moon, which had somehow emerged from the clouds, cast its faint silvery light, illuminating the undulating mountains at the edge of the field of vision in a grayish-white hue.

Essex looked up at the bright moon, lost in thought for a moment, and instead of answering Vaughn's question, said, "This month is almost halfway over again."

Crack!

A few sparks flew from the burning firewood.

Vaughn curled the corners of his lips into a smile and remained silent. He knew that when Essex said "this month," she meant not the Gregorian calendar, but the lunar phase calendar.

In a few days, the full moon will arrive again!
"You said before that your original purpose was to come to America to rescue your friends, so it must be more than that now. You deliberately chose this time to give those werewolves hope, right?"

"If there is no hope, by this date, most of those werewolves will have already begun preparing various tools to bind themselves under the full moon a few days later... Is this kind of self-awareness really something that werewolves are willing to do? It is undeniable that some werewolves are still very moral. I have met a werewolf who has never harmed a single life in his life and has instead saved many magical creatures."

"But when the base of this group expands to hundreds or thousands, it must be admitted that most werewolves are just like ordinary wizards and Muggles. Don't expect them to make sacrifices willingly. Their self-awareness is only because of fear. It's not fear of hurting others or spreading werewolf disease, but fear of causing trouble and being killed by the wizards!"

"A werewolf's self-awareness can be considered a form of self-preservation..."

When Essex got to this point, Vaughn interrupted, saying, "You're talking about the living conditions of werewolves in America. Different countries treat werewolves differently."

"It's all pretty much the same anyway: execution, or being sentenced and forced to reveal your identity, facing open discrimination that makes it impossible to survive. Is there any difference?"

Essex scoffed: "No matter the country, werewolves are pathetic creatures, rats in the gutter. It's just that before, when they had no choice and no hope, they could only endure the pain. But now it's different..."

He turned his head and looked at Vaughn:

"Wolfsbane Potion and WAC, these two concepts bring hope like a candle flame to a moth... I've been following your news and WAC news for a long time."

"Starting a few months ago, I noticed the discussions in newspapers about the impact of the establishment of WAC. There were positive and negative opinions, and the arguments were heated, with neither side willing to concede. Perhaps as the arguments escalated, both sides began to cite sources to provide theoretical support for their views. Then, somehow, two factions emerged as a result: the so-called progressives and the conservatives..."

A faint smile appeared on his pale face: "How interesting. Why is the discussion about a werewolf management organization going on for so long? Why has the management of werewolves gradually involved the Secrecy Law? I have a feeling that there is a mastermind behind all this. He guides public opinion, stirs up conflicts, and uses these conflicts to make WAC a media darling. As public opinion ferments, he and his WAC gradually become well-known!"

Essex's gaze was sharp.

Across from him, in the flickering firelight, Vaughn listened quietly with a faint smile on his lips, as if he were listening to a rather captivating story.

After watching for a while, perhaps because her weak body could no longer provide the strength, or perhaps because she thought of something, Essex sighed, and her sharp eyes gradually softened.

He lay back down and looked up at the sky: "The story before was just my guess when I was bored. After all, I didn't know you back then. Until today... WAC was just established, and you couldn't wait to come to America. You thought the publicity was in place and the time was right, right?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Vaughn shrugged: "That's only one aspect. Even without the WAC visit, I would still have to come to America."

He did not refute Essex's words.

This made Essex's eyes light up, but then he gave a bitter smile.

Even if your guess is proven true, what then?

It's nothing more than adding a label like "deeply thoughtful" to Vaughn Weasley's already mysterious and unpredictable image!

He knew that he was still somewhat unconvinced, resentful that he, a 38-year-old veteran wizard, had been defeated by a child.

He wanted to see Vaughn Weasley's plans exposed and his panicked reaction.

But thinking about it carefully, what's the point?
Moreover, the other party was far calmer than he had imagined, or perhaps, for Vaughn Weasley, it didn't matter whether anyone saw through his plans.

The important thing is that things are going in the direction he expected!

For months, the debate surrounding WAC has resembled a protracted propaganda campaign, especially in the United States—where some of the country's largest newspapers are controlled by the Magical Congress, which clearly does not want the media to focus on the series of violent conflicts, such as the anti-secrecy law and the anti-Rappaport Act.

The solution to prevent people from discussing things they don't want to see is not prohibition, but rather diverting their attention!

This year, several major American newspapers, including The Daily Prophet North America, have published extensive reports on the WAC (World Association for the Advocate) discourse in England!

This is also the main reason why Ilhamone was able to react so quickly and send representatives to England to make contact.

After months of publicity... even werewolves living in the Arctic Circle have probably received the news. Essex can almost imagine how excited those werewolves hiding in the American mainland must be!
They've been on the fringes for too long!

If there were no hope, that would be one thing, but now, Vaughn Weasley and WAC have set foot on American soil.

As the full moon draws near and a once-in-a-lifetime hope arrives on this land, what choices will those werewolves make?

Essex doesn't even need to think—

"If I were a werewolf, I would crawl, even if it meant crawling, to Boston!"

He sighed and said, "Especially your speech on the day WAC was founded, 'Let werewolves live in the sunlight,' how tempting it was, even I felt trembling all over when I heard it... and fear!"

After listening silently for a long time, Vaughn finally spoke: "So, you and your organization are coming to cause me trouble because of fear?"

"No!"

Essex shook his head: "Actually, neither I nor the other leaders in the organization intended to attack you. We... just wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you alone."

Upon hearing this answer, Vaughn didn't seem surprised at all, merely raising an eyebrow: "Interesting, you've also set your sights on werewolves."

Vaughn was not surprised at all.

If Iphamoni could perceive the potential of WAC, then other factions and organizations can as well.

More importantly, although WAC is an outsider, it has its necessity and monopoly function. As long as Vaughn and his delegation arrive in North America, they will definitely establish a branch in this land, and it is meaningless for anyone to oppose it.

Because werewolves and wolfification are objective and undeniable problems, the existence of "wolf poison" can naturally unite werewolves, give them a common interest, and help them get rid of their disorganized state.

And when werewolves band together, no force dares to ignore their opinions!

Vaughn kindly reminded him, "Since you want to see me, you don't need to be sneaky. You can just send a letter of request. You've already noticed that I'm guiding public opinion and promoting WAC. You should understand that I'm eager to expand my influence, so I won't refuse other organizations' participation in cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Essex gave a wry smile: "I only realized that after witnessing your strength, and besides..."

He did not continue.

But Vaughn could basically guess that there are bound to be differing opinions within any organization.

Each different voice basically represents a group with vested interests.

Taking his own experience as an example, the reason he was able to leisurely attend classes and build organizations after offending Cornelius Fudge was because the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation were outwardly compliant but inwardly supportive of Fudge.
The WAC, which currently appears united, does so because Vaughn initially gave the werewolves half of the committee seats, causing others to feel they could not compete and voluntarily give up.

As for the werewolf committee members... to put it bluntly, in the current environment, they have no choice but to rely on Vaughn to preserve their hard-won achievements!

It won't be long before the werewolves' position becomes stable after 10 years of WAC development. With power in their hands, they will naturally have various ideas, which will then give rise to factions!
Such is the law of social development; this problem has existed since the moment human classes emerged.

Therefore, Vaughn asked with interest, "What did you originally intend to do with me? Kidnap? Control me?"

Essex paused for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "There's nothing to ask. Those thoughts are meaningless now."

"How could it be meaningless? If it weren't for going too far, I might even cooperate with you!"

"Ah……"

Essex scoffed. He didn't believe Vaughn's nonsense. How could someone who quietly stirred up conflict between people for months just for publicity, someone who attacked without a word when he noticed something was wrong, be so easy to talk to?
Faced with his sarcastic attitude, Vaughn remained unfazed, sensing that his guard was still up. Vaughn didn't press the matter further and smoothly changed the subject:

"Since you're unwilling to discuss this possibility or reveal your organization, you wouldn't refuse to answer some American questions for me, would you?"

"Excuse me," Essex said without refusing.

“Before coming here, Joshua Porter said that Ifamoni was in a dilemma. They chose to protect the students in the conflict, while other forces wanted them to hand over the students… To be honest, I don’t quite understand your insistence on this point of contention. Those were just students. Why did you have to kill them?”

Vaughn looked at Essex: "From our conversation just now, I can see that you are intelligent and rational. You should understand that this behavior is unnecessary..."

"No, it's absolutely necessary!"

To Vaughn's surprise, Essex interrupted him, saying firmly, "I don't know what the purebloods think, but my organization, including myself, is determined to exterminate all purebloods, even if he or she is just a child!"

Vaughn frowned: "Why?"

Initially, he didn't see Iphamoni's act of sheltering the students as a major conflict; he thought it was merely a consequence of the chaos and the resulting lack of order and morality. But now it seems there might be more to the story?

Hearing Vaughn's question, Essex didn't hide anything and said, "To survive!"

"Ok?"

Essex glanced at Vaughn, then looked away, gazing at the bright moon and sparse stars in the night sky above: "You should be glad you were born in England... no, that's not right, your surname is Weasley. Although various sources say that the Weasleys are pure-blood traitors, the truth is that your father, Arthur Weasley, was an ordinary wizard who was able to become the head of the Ministry of Magic, even though that position seemed completely useless."

"Yes, we have investigated you and your family, and don't take offense at my harsh words... You can ask yourself, did your father get into the Ministry of Magic because of his exceptional talent?"

Uh……

Vaughn shrugged. Arthur was indeed just so-so. Putting aside his character, in terms of ability alone, he didn't have anything particularly outstanding.

“Because his surname is Weasley!” Essex snorted. “After all, it’s a family that has existed for hundreds of years. Even if other families don’t like you, with the help of old ties, blood relations and other connections, he doesn’t need to do anything to be recruited into the Ministry of Magic and supported with a position.”

"This is still purebred English..."

At this point, Essex said with a mixture of envy and jealousy, "After all, you still have Albus Dumbledore. Perhaps you've gotten used to it and haven't realized how important his existence is in curbing purebloods. Everyone knows that Dumbledore opposes purebloods and is close to Muggles."

"The attitude of a legendary wizard is extremely important. It is his attitude that keeps the purebloods of England from crossing the line, and we do not have such a leader!"

He turned his head and looked into Vaughn's eyes, which reflected the firelight: "The influence of purebloods in this country far exceeds your understanding. They control all resources and monopolize all magic-related industries: potions, wands, medicine, magic... Yes, even the magic that pureblood children and Muggle children learn after entering Ivermony is different. The gap in magic begins from the moment they enter school!"

"In 1968, after the Rappaport Act was reinstated, do you know what resolution the Ministry of Magic passed to better enforce it?"

Before Vaughn could answer, Essex sneered and gave the answer: "'Muggle Informed Tax,' a heavy tax levied on all young wizards who are unwilling to sever ties with their Muggle relatives. Hah, the moment I became a wizard, before I had done anything, I already owed the Ministry of Magic 200 dovish pots!"

"There's also the 'Wand Registration Tax,' a tax specifically for adult wizards. Wizards of Muggle origin who want to carry their wands need to pay this tax—after all, you have Muggle relatives, what if your wizarding identity is exposed because of your wand? Of course, the merciful Magisterium has also given you a choice: you can choose to deposit your wand in Woolworth Building and apply to the magisters when you need it. As for when the application will be approved, who knows..."

"Oh, right, there's also the 'exposure level clause.' America is a country that strictly enforces the Secrecy Act. No wizard is allowed to reveal their identity to Muggles. But your Muggle parents must know, right? According to the rules, having your identity revealed by a Muggle is considered a Level 6 magical exposure incident, which is punishable by a fine. It's not much, though, 50 dauguries per Muggle per year. The gentlemen have kindly allowed the young wizard to delay payment and repay it all at once after reaching adulthood!"

"Don't even think about using forgetting or confusion spells on your parents to escape a fine. Casting spells on Muggles is a Level 3 offense, which not only incurs heavy penalties but also jail time."

"...By escalating the debt layer by layer, by the time I graduated from Ifamoni, at the young age of 18, I already owed a huge sum of 8000 zhuo guo!"

Essex's gaze at Vaughn gradually became unfocused, as if his attention had been drawn to the campfire between the two.

It was as if the flickering flame had stirred up memories of his passionate past.

He seemed unsure what expression to make, his lips twitching slightly as he muttered to himself, "You absolutely cannot imagine, the immense pressure is enough to crush anyone. Leaving campus doesn't mean a brilliant future, but rather hell!"

"Don't even think about finding a job to pay it off slowly. The Magical Congress doesn't offer that option. The moment you step out of the school gates, the magical mark of your debt will be branded on you... There's no clearer label in the world than this. All wizards know you're an incompetent, untrustworthy mudblood!"

"Of course, there are other options. As far as I know, many students from Muggle backgrounds have already accepted some kind of 'exemption agreement' stipulated by the Magical Congress as early as their second or third year. What does that mean?"

He suddenly smiled and chuckled, "The lawyers of the Magic Congress will create a directory based on the Muggle student's family situation, listing your Muggle relatives and friends on it, and classifying them into different levels of fines and tax exemptions."

"Break off a relationship with a mugged friend and get a 20-foot pot of rice free."

"Sever ties with a collateral relative within three generations and be exempt from 100 zhuo guo... up to the highest direct blood relative, parents, siblings, each exempt from 500 zhuo guo!"

Vaughn listened intently; this was something he had never been able to access before.

Upon hearing Essex mention the "waiver agreement," Vaughn keenly sensed the problem: "How is the 'waiver agreement' implemented?"

Essex snapped out of her daze, glanced at Vaughn, and her smile gradually turned strange and distorted: "You're very clever, you've found the most crucial point... Heh heh, who in the world is best at avoiding reversals, and best at ensuring that those who sign agreements can never turn back?"

He paused, his smile turning sinister: "Dead people, of course!"

"You foreigners probably have no idea that the Magic Congress has a very inconspicuous agency called the 'Agreement Enforcement Agency.' They are responsible for enforcing or supervising signatories to enforce 'exemption agreements'... Isn't it hard to imagine? At the end of the 20th century, now that we are approaching the 21st century, there is still such an agency that legitimizes the killing of innocent people!"

Looking at Essex, whose jaw was clenched and a muscle on his cheek was twitching, Vaughn suddenly understood:
"You—also signed the agreement?"

"..."

Vaughn was met with silence.

Essex's eyes glazed over again. He stared at the flames, his expression shifting between light and shadow. After a long while, he turned his head away and said, "...Yes!"

"At that time... I had no other choice..."

As he uttered these words, his face pale, Essex's expression grew increasingly dazed, as if he were seeing that gloomy afternoon from 20 years ago again.

He stood in front of a small building, pale and weak, just as he was now.

Heavy, gloomy clouds hung down from the sky, a cold wind rustled through the bare treetops, and a few ravens circled against the gray backdrop of the sky.

croak——

Amidst that hoarse and unpleasant cry, a male wizard in a black suit stared coldly at him, urging him to raise his wand!
"...You have signed an agreement, sworn an oath before the sacred law, and severed all ties with this Muggle..."

"Do it! Only in this way can your magic return to its pure form!"

Crack!

The sound of sparks flying brought Essex back to his senses, leaving only a faint, desperate scream echoing further and further away, as if reverberating in his ears and mind.

It gave him a throbbing headache!

On the other side of the campfire, a fleeting, eerie blue light flashed in Vaughn's eyes.

In his eyes, the bright moon hanging high in the sky, the bonfire burning fiercely... everything lost its color, leaving only pale outlines to delineate the general shape of the objects.

Only on the opposite side, a hazy fog clung to Essex, stretching and contracting erratically.

Personality in disguise!

Vaughn was never a law-abiding person, and the word "soft-hearted" was completely foreign to him. So, as early as when Essex was in a coma, he implanted a personality suit deep into the other's consciousness.

At that moment, it sent him a strong signal.

That indicates that the other person's emotions are fluctuating wildly, and emotions are usually the weakest point in one's mental defenses because they are most easily influenced, manipulated by hormones, memories, and sweet or painful experiences.

Vaughn blinked, his vision returning to normal. He continued to guide Essex without changing his expression, leading him to recall: "So, your rebellion against purebloods stems from the exploitation you suffer by the Magic Council, which is controlled by purebloods?"

That's not exploitation!

Still lost in his memories, Essex was unaware of the subtle anomalies in his mind, much less that deep within his consciousness, a wisp of mist was extending its tentacles, quietly stimulating him.

This made him increasingly emotional.

His eyes were red, and the veins on his forehead bulged with emotion: "I used to think that what the purebloods did was just to exploit us, but no, they were trying to exterminate us!"

"You think the 'exemption agreement' is the end? Those damned vampires have far more tricks up their sleeves than you can imagine. Controlling our money is just the first step. When you succumb to the pressure of money and choose preferential policies like the 'exemption agreement' offered by the Magic Congress, that's when you truly fall into the trap."

"When you smear your hands with the blood of your relatives and friends, your character has already degenerated."

"The lords of the Magic Congress will present you with even more things that shatter your dignity and your moral compass, and your choices... hahaha, they've even killed their own family and friends, what choices do you have left?"

Over the past 20 years, countless unbearable memories have flooded my mind.

This made Essex increasingly agitated; his face flushed, the veins on his neck bulged, and his struggle to control himself caused him to instinctively clench his fists.

“We can only sink into the stinking ditch like a lump of mud, little by little, irretrievably, never to climb out again… Exploitation is just a byproduct. From the very beginning, their idea was to trample on our personality and dignity, sweep us down into the dust, destroy us from spirit to body, and exterminate us!”

Essex's eyes turned bloodshot, his gaze widened, and his expression became ferocious:

"So, why do you think I killed those pureblood brats? Because this is war, a war of genocide. If I don't want my children to be oppressed by the growing purebloods like I was, if I don't want my children to die a tragic death like my wife, the only thing I can do is kill all those purebloods!"

"Leave no one behind!"

When Essex shouted out those last words.

His intense hatred, humiliation, and pain seemed to have finally reached their peak.

Vaughn shifted his perspective again, and Essex's mental breakdown allowed the personality implant hidden deep within his mind to glimpse an opportunity.

A thin white mist spread out in the void, like a soft-bodied monster stretching out its dense tentacles.

Through the feedback from the personification, Vaughn saw a "cyclone".

That was a storm in the mind, a state of chaos arising from the collapse of reason in a stable mental world!
Countless fragments of memory, thought, distraction, emotion, and other mental constructs form scattered images and phantoms, swirling wildly in the world of the mind.

Only in such a violent state is it suitable for personification activities to pry open an entrance in the opponent's mental defenses!
The misty tentacles traversed among countless frenzied memories, brushing past countless chaotic and hysterical thoughts.

This operation did not go smoothly.

"what--"

A long, distant scream came, and Vaughn "saw" that a tentacle had broken off, torn to shreds by a memory that brushed past him like a shard of a mirror.

The mirror-like image showed a screaming, bloodied woman!

It is powerful; it is less a memory and more an obsession!

A thought struck Vaughn, and more tentacles wrapped around it. In a moment, the "mirror" was engulfed by mist, and the intense memories and emotions, filtered by the personality suit, were transmitted over.

It lingered in Vaughn's mind:

"Bruce, help me—"

"Let her go! Olivia!"

Vaughn's vision flickered, and in a daze, he saw "himself" being magically fixed to a wall, watching helplessly as a group of men in black suits tortured a woman to death.

He was heartbroken, but could only listen to her screams and watch her wither away...

Such "obsessions" are not uncommon, or rather, extremely common, in the chaotic mental storms of Essex.

Vaughn's "gaze" pierced through the outline of Essex's body, looking down at the storm from above, seeing images that were selected, absorbed, and filtered by the personification device from the chaotic storm.

Essex's life experiences are constantly being diluted and passed down.

Feeling the intense negative emotions still present in those fragments, even after being diluted, Vaughn was somewhat moved.

This is hatred...

Humiliated and trampled upon time and time again, with no hope in sight, only boundless resentment and hatred for oneself and for the perpetrators!

Although Vaughn knew that the conflict between purebred and non-purebred bloodlines in North America was extremely deep, what he knew was, after all, just cold words and data.

This was the first time he truly understood why a conflict that had existed for decades could, in just one year, effectively divide North America!

If Bruce Essex's experience is the common experience of wizards from Muggle origins in North America, then he can only say that the current state of division is probably far from reaching its peak!
(End of this chapter)