Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 173 "The Future" and the Torn Magic World
Akinbad now understands what Vaughn means!

"...No technology appears out of thin air; it inevitably shows signs of evolution...The development of technology also requires a large number of samples and consumables..."

He muttered the words Vaughn had said before.

Yup!

First, is it possible for America to unlock the secrets of the soul?
Akinbad wouldn't say for sure it's impossible, but it's just too difficult. Over thousands of years in the magical world, countless exceptionally talented wizards have fallen into the trap of "breaking the soul."

The most famous living figures are Nicolas Flamel and Albus Dumbledore!
In the mainstream view of the magical world, the soul is related to magic, mysticism, and even the essence of this world.

This is one of the reasons why he and the Federation were so anxious and fearful when they learned about "artificial wizards".

If his previous mood was one of utter darkness and unbearable torment, then at this moment, Akinbad, repeating Vaughn's words, seemed to see the light again.

So much so that in his eyes, the various bloody illustrations on the unfolded parchment suddenly became adorable.

His eyes gleamed as he looked at Vaughn: "How likely is that?"

Vaughn shrugged, somewhat speechless: "How can I be sure? But it seems to be the most likely and feasible option at the moment, doesn't it?"

Yes!

Akinbad understood what Vaughn meant; the possibility Vaughn mentioned was no different in the direction of the investigation from before.

They all investigate the traces of "technological research and development evolution," which is essentially experimental consumables.

The difference is that the previous target was the missing wizard, while Vaughn's new approach targets... magical creatures!
He stood up excitedly, pacing back and forth, and said enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, assuming it's the technical route you're talking about, then the consumables needed for the research are no longer limited to wizards; various magical creatures are also among the consumables... Compared to the sensitive factor of 'missing wizards,' the trading and flow of magical creatures is much more transparent. Investigating the trading records of magical creatures won't arouse suspicion from others, because it's just normal market behavior!"

Since the enactment of the Secrets Act, in order to avoid attracting the attention of Muggles to the activities of magical creatures, almost all magical creatures have been included in their habitats and scattered in protected areas in various countries.

In today's global magical world, magical creatures and herbs are the cornerstone of international trade. Any normal country that wants to maintain or develop its economy cannot afford to withhold various trade data; otherwise, supply and demand will become unbalanced!

As for whether Vaughn's speculation might be wrong?
Akinbad didn't care at all; no matter how wrong he was, it was still better than having nowhere to start!
"Mr. Weasley, your hypothesis is excellent, excellent!"

Akinbad praised him repeatedly, feeling a sudden sense of clarity before him, and could no longer sit still: "I must tell the Federation about your hypothesis... You have helped us a lot and given us a glimmer of hope from the most frightening and worst possible scenario. Of course, the situation is still quite bad. The fact that Muggles have mastered magic is already terrifying enough... I must go back and talk to you after I've finished all this!"

After saying that, he walked out.

“Babajid, don’t forget your promise. You still owe me one thing,” Vaughn reminded him as he watched him leave.

Akinbad readily agreed: "No problem, please trust my and the Federation's credibility, as long as your request isn't too unreasonable!"

He left in a hurry.

Satisfied with the promise, Vaughn sat back down in his chair, beckoned, and summoned the diagrams of the magical organs inside the werewolf and fire dragon that he had previously shown to Akinbad. He stared at them, lost in thought.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard Lupin come in.

“I saw that Akinbad was very happy when he left.” Lupin said, carrying a tray with prepared tea and snacks.

These are all flavors that Vaughn prefers.

He clearly understood that Akinbad's so-called afternoon tea was just an excuse to get rid of him, so he only prepared Vaughn's and waited outside.

"He traded a future condition for a prediction from me that was crucial for him and the federation."

Vaughn casually summarized what had happened before and told Lupin.

Lupin was somewhat surprised: "Mr. Chairman, do these Muggles in America really master magic through magical organs?"

"Maybe, just maybe... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh, I..."

Lupin had mixed feelings; this kind of... technology was simply unheard of.

On the contrary, Vaughn was not surprised, as Muggles have been trying to unravel the mysteries of the human body ever since they first learned about the genetic code more than 40 years ago.

In the previous life, in a world without magic, the first cloned sheep was still created in the 90s.

In this world, if magical organizations were to participate in Muggle research, genetic engineering would develop even faster, which wouldn't surprise Vaughn at all.

Because magic can do many things that Muggles cannot!

Taking human research as an example, if Muggle scholars want to see the functional movement of human cells under normal conditions, they have to go through many steps, such as extracting a large number of cells for special culture and staining, and then simulating the human body environment.

Not only is the success rate low, but it also has limitations—cells are not independent systems, each performing its own function without any connection to each other.

They are interconnected; the enzyme produced by A dominates the behavior of C, and the potential difference of B may be related to DEFG, etc.

These technical limitations and difficulties are not insurmountable problems in the face of magic!

Like most wizards, Lupin, who only had a superficial understanding of Muggles, couldn't quite comprehend Vaughn's calmness and asked his own question:

"President, aren't you worried about Muggles mastering magic?"

"Why worry?"

Vaughn countered with a question.

“For…” Lu Ping hesitated, unable to speak.

But Vaughn knew that it wasn't that he couldn't say it, but rather that the underlying logic made it difficult for him to speak—if Muggles could also use magic, what would wizards do?
Undoubtedly, magic is the only thing that gives wizards a sense of superiority over Muggles.

No matter how close a wizard is to Muggles, he still has this sense of superiority!

No wizard could imagine what they would do if everyone in the world possessed magic.

Including Lupin!

Just thinking about it made him feel ashamed and pessimistic, concluding that it must be a hellish future...

Unlike Lupin's worries.

Imagine a future world where everyone possesses magic...

Vaughn felt he must be very happy!
In his view, any progress in knowledge or technology, or leaps in the times, can hardly be attributed to one or a few individuals.

Some great figures in certain fields of knowledge are indeed great, just like theoretical physicists such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, and Pauli among Muggles.

They did indeed put forward some great theories and hypotheses that broadened people's horizons.

However, without the countless scientists who followed in their footsteps and designed various experiments to prove or refute their theories, even the greatest theories would remain mere fantasies on paper.

It is precisely because of these "nameless" people who are completely unknown to ordinary people that Muggle technology can advance at an astonishing speed!

In Vaughn's view, while the quality of scientific development (yes, Vaughn also includes magic in science) is important, its quantity is equally important.

He never forgot his goal.

magic!

The true nature of the world!

And, the truth!
On the path to truth, the more companions one has, the greater the probability of getting closer to the truth.

Therefore, Vaughn did not comfort or enlighten Lupin, because his views were completely different from Lupin's; what Lupin feared was exactly what Vaughn expected.

Vaughn stared blankly at the pages of illustrations of magical organs spread out before him.

When he first came into contact with magic, Vaughn wondered what the physical differences were between wizards with magical powers and Muggles.
The diagram before him contained anatomical diagrams belonging to Muggles and wizards, products of his past answers to his own questions.

The final result disappointed him, but he did not give up on his idea of ​​magical organs.

While studying werewolves, he discovered extra organs inside their bodies that harbored the werewolf virus!
From that time on, he began to conceive of the idea of ​​generating or implanting magical organs in the human body, and he even thought of a name for the magic obtained by implanting magical organs.

It's a concept taken from a game I played in my past life—spell-like abilities!

This implies that it's not magic bestowed by knowledge, but merely a similarity!
He had high hopes for this idea, and as mentioned earlier, while traditional wizards were instinctively terrified of losing their monopoly on magic, he was actually happy to see it happen.

So when he saw the memories of the Purifiers from Oliver, who brought the fire dragon, that night, his first reaction was joy!

Then I became curious.

But after thinking about it for the past two days, Vaughn was somewhat disappointed.

"Regardless of whether the Magic Congress is behind those Purgers, and regardless of whether the technology they use is the magical organ I envisioned, judging from the current trend, they probably haven't succeeded yet... Those Purgers are probably just half-finished products!"

This is very simple logic; just put it into perspective and you'll understand.

In Oliver's submitted memoirs, what were the Purgers doing?
Without a doubt, they are slaughtering wizards!

Everyone's attention was focused on the identity of the "Purgers," and people had a preconceived notion that the Purgers should slaughter wizards.

That's how it's recorded in the history of magic.

But no one has considered who is behind those purgers.

Why are the people behind them slaughtering wizards?

Regardless of the pretext for the massacre—whether it's populism or venting anger—that's just a reason given to the lower classes. The higher-ups issue the order for only one reason: they feel that they lack the power to completely control those targeted for slaughter, so they must first eliminate a portion of them!

So the problem arises:

Assuming the technology for creating artificial wizards has been successfully developed, would the forces behind the Purgers still lack combat power?

Traditionally, it takes at least seven years to train an adult wizard, but with the efficiency of industrialized assembly lines, the forces behind them don't need to worry about things getting "out of control."

The massacre proves that they lack confidence, so they took advantage of the current chaotic situation in North America to stir up trouble and eliminate manpower!
However, just because it may not have been successful does not mean it was worthless!
Thinking of this, Vaughn smiled slightly.

In fact, just as Akinbad guessed, Vaughn knew better than anyone how terrifying the concept of "artificial wizards" was.

Even if the Federation doesn't come looking for him, after finishing the side quests, Vaughn plans to personally search for the "Purgers" and study their technology.

All I can say is that the federation, which had come to him of its own accord, was even more nervous and apprehensive than he had anticipated!

That's why he's willing to cooperate with the federation...

……

The federation is very efficient.

Perhaps the impenetrable Woolworth Building was indeed a headache for the Federation, and Vaughn's proposed method for investigating the magical creature trade did seem quite feasible.

So by evening, Akinbad had successfully persuaded the federation to grant authorization.

He came again, and when he arrived at Vaughn's room, he saw two Aurors squatting dejectedly at the entrance of the suitcase. One of them, a witch whose hair kept changing, was holding a toad with a disgusted expression.

“Ha, Kingsley Shackle, right? I remember you. You attended the Federation meetings with Dumbledore... and I also noticed you were there doing security at the last WAC conference.”

Having persuaded the Federation and seeing that the investigation was finally about to make progress, Akinbad was in a good mood and greeted the wizard among the two Aurors, one of whom had dark skin and was clearly of African descent.

Kingsley forced a smile: "Vice Chairman Akinbad, hello, it's been a long time."

"What are you doing here..." As he spoke, Akimbard noticed the toad in the witch's hand again, "...Oh—is this the witch who was cursed by Weasley last time? Hasn't the curse been lifted yet?"

Kingsley's smile turned bitter: "Yes... there might be some misunderstanding, or perhaps Ms. Umbridge accidentally entered Mr. Weasley's room, so she was recently cursed again..."

Upon hearing this, even the "heartless" Akinbad couldn't help but look at Kingsley with pity.

He could almost imagine the pressure this poor Auror squad leader was under—Aurors were enforcers and had the right to stop any malicious attacks against innocent wizards, especially since that person was his superior!

As for Umbridge, forget it. Akinbad watched the spectacle from afar the day he was turned into a toad.

The other party's pretentious and unreasonable behavior would have earned him a death curse if he had been younger.

Patting Kingsley on the shoulder sympathetically, Akinbad asked, "Don't worry too much, Weasley is probably just angry for a moment. He's not a mean person..."

He just said it casually; he didn't even believe it himself.

In Akinbad's mind, Vaughn Weasley was second only to Dumbledore in how difficult he was to deal with!

Kingsley clearly understood this as well, and his expression grew increasingly somber.

After a brief chat, Akinbad went inside. As one of the vice presidents of the behemoth that was the Federation, and also the head of the delegation investigating the United States, his time was of the essence.

If the Shakel family didn't have African ancestry and good relations with many pure-blood families in Africa, he wouldn't have wasted time stopping to talk nonsense with a mere Auror.

Watching Akinbad step into the entrance of the briefcase space, Nymphadora chewed her gum and asked, "Kingsley, why didn't you ask him to put in a good word for you? I thought he treated you quite well."

In fact, just last month, Nyfadora was calling Akinbad an old fox.

The reason, of course, was that Akinbad was targeting Vaughn at the time, and she considered herself a friend of Vaughn.

but now……

Thinking about Vaughn's cold treatment of Kingsley these past few days, and how she had tried to see Vaughn several times but always ran into a wall with Lupin, Nymphadora snorted in dissatisfaction.

She wasn't stupid; she knew Lupin was definitely acting on Vaughn's orders.

So these days, not only has her impression of Vaughn plummeted, but she's also become increasingly distant towards Lupin.

Sensing Nymphadora's temper, Kingsley sighed, "He and I have only met a few times, there's no way he can help me. And Tonks, I must remind you, whatever problems Vaughn Weasley and I have is between us, you shouldn't get involved."

"You are my and my mom's friend..."

"Isn't Vaughn your friend?"

“It stopped when he started making things difficult for you!” Nymphadora said, sounding a little aggrieved and resentful. After a pause, she added, “Of course, Hermione and I are still friends.”

Kingsley chuckled.

Although Nymphadora's statement warmed his heart, as an elder, he still subconsciously advised her: "Don't be so willful. In interpersonal relationships, if you always judge other people's behavior based on your own likes and dislikes, your social circle will only become narrower and narrower. When you think about someone, you have to think from their perspective and why they did what they did."

As he spoke, Kingsley seemed to feel that this simple preaching lacked impact, so he changed his approach.

He pulled out his wand and silently cast "Hear Me" on the plump pink toad that Nymphadora was holding.

Having been transformed for over a week, the side effects of turning into an animal are beginning to appear. Recently, Umbridge's behavior has become more and more like that of a real toad, and she doesn't even have the stress response of being under a curse.

On Nifadora's palm, she absentmindedly stroked her eyelids.

After silencing the onlookers, Kingsley looked at the bewildered Nymphadora and tested her, "Why do you think Vaughn Weasley has been making things difficult for me?"

Nymphadora opened her mouth as if to say something, but then paused, speechless.

Yes, why?

In the girl's memory, Kingsley and Vaughn had a good relationship on their previous occasions, and Kingsley had even helped Vaughn.

In her opinion, Vaughn was not a mean-spirited person who could change his mind easily.

Seeing her hesitant expression, Kingsley felt somewhat relieved—at least she wasn't as carefree as when she first came under his command.

“You might think that Vaughn and I have some kind of conflict, but I want to tell you, no!” Kingsley said. “Vaughn’s difficulty is not because of any problems with our personalities or beliefs; on the contrary, it’s because he values ​​me!”

"……what?"

Nymphadora's eyes widened, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Kingsley's head, as if suspecting something was wrong there.

"Kingsley, do you know what you're saying?"

“I’m not confused.” Kingsley slapped away Nymphadora’s hand that reached for his head, rolled his eyes, and then sighed. “I know he wants to win me over, but I’m still hesitant. He’s noticed that too, which is why he’s pressuring me like this. It’s not because of any conflict, but because of our positions… Times have changed, Tonks.”

He looked at his old friend's daughter with a sigh.

Nymphadora's simplicity and clear-cut likes and dislikes are certainly good qualities.

Despite a turbulent life and growing up amidst implicit exclusion and discrimination, Kingsley still hoped that her old friend's child could avoid some of the pitfalls in the future.

Even if what he teaches might make her less pure!
But as he said, times have changed!

A year ago, Kingsley wouldn't have taught Nymphadora these things, because the English wizarding world at that time, despite various problems, was generally peaceful.

The wizards lived the same lives as they had decades ago, like walls blackened by torch smoke, looking old and decaying, but beneath the terrible surface, the interior remained solid and stable.

But all of this changed this year after Vaughn Weasley's sudden emergence and the appearance of WAC...

Thanks to the environment he grew up in, Kingsley, who was very sensitive to things, began to clearly perceive the undercurrents in the English wizarding world as summer approached, due to the impending establishment of the WAC.

Newspapers, magazines, radio... all media platforms are hyping up the significance of WAC's establishment and the challenges it brings.

As if an invisible hand were guiding him, he saw the wizards, who used to be engrossed in their pleasures, no longer interested in teasing their poor Muggle neighbors, but instead wielding their quills, sometimes annoyed, sometimes excited, sometimes indignant, sometimes passionately throwing themselves into this sudden and grand debate.

Debate itself is not the problem; the problem is the antagonism that arises from it!

Kingsley was personally following the debate about the WAC, and somehow it suddenly brought up the Law of Secrets from the angle that "werewolfs entering Muggle society would expose the wizarding world."

And in the midst of the debate and arguments, the bewildered pure-blood families were drawn in!
When the pure-blood families instinctively began to protect their own interests—namely, the Secret Service Act—the situation suddenly spiraled out of control, and conflict arose without anyone noticing!
And it's irreversible.

For the first time, people who disliked purebloods discovered that there were so many others like themselves who also disliked them.

It was also because the purebloods discovered for the first time that there were so many people in the magical world who were hostile to them and whose interests were contrary to their own!

This trend made Kingsley very uneasy.

Although both the so-called "progressives" and "conservatives" are now consciously restraining themselves and not letting the debate or disagreement escalate to a deeper level, they are basically still just engaging in verbal sparring around WAC—

The newly emerging "progressives" were still somewhat apprehensive and did not want to overly stimulate the sensitive nerves of the purebloods.

The same goes for the "conservatives"; they were suddenly pulled into the vortex, and their internal stance and ideology are not yet unified.

But how long can this situation last?
Kingsley dared not make a judgment lightly.

But he knew very well that this "balance" and restraint would not last forever!
Kingsley's heart sank when he recalled the pure-blood banquet held by the Malfoy family before the WAC conference, in which they even made a high-profile invitation to Babajid Akinbad.

That banquet indicated that the purebloods had already realized what was happening.

But the method was not what he wanted to see...

They invited Babajid Akinbad and Cornelius Fudge, but not Weasley or any other non-pureblood celebrities!
These families, who once ruled the magical world for thousands of years, still instinctively distinguish between internal and external threats when faced with threats, just as they have long ago, and then coordinate their efforts, rather than choosing to negotiate or consult.

Muggles call this behavior path dependence.

This means that once people make a choice, whether it's good or bad, they tend to follow that choice again and again out of habit.

It's as if we've embarked on some kind of one-way street!
Kingsley couldn't understand the principles behind that Muggle theory; that was a philosopher's job. All he knew was that the purebloods' choice this time was very problematic.

Perhaps they didn't notice.

Perhaps they noticed, but the inertia of path dependence made them unwilling to step out of their comfort zone, so they subconsciously ignored it. This time is different from before.

The last time the purebloods of England united to lead the "witch hunt," they held all the power of discourse.

Ordinary wizards are scattered all over the world, without even a channel to get information, and can only be inexplicably lost in the vast ocean of Muggles!

But now, there are newspapers, radio, and magazines, and more importantly, the invisible hand that guides everything has quietly but clearly divided the factions in the debate over whether or not to support the WAC!

Over the past few months, the seemingly boring and meaningless, protracted arguments have actually made the non-pure-blood wizards understand who their friends are and who stands against them.

They just haven't quite figured out how to handle this sudden "collective power" yet.

Kingsley was pessimistic.

Because he knew that those "progressives" would one day understand that the power that faction gave them was not just a light, seemingly useless label of "progress."

That's a pass for a huge group!
And this "someday" may very well have already arrived. Among those "progressives," there are certainly ambitious individuals or those who are politically astute.

In their eyes, the Malfoy family's banquet was a signal.

This signifies both the reunion of the purebloods and their finally having a reason to shatter the naive illusions of some within the "progressive" faction.

Don't expect purebreds to compromise!

They have united again!

The story of the "witch hunt" and the "secrecy law" is playing out once again!
Kingsley could almost imagine how those people would use Malfoy's banquet, and what reasons and excuses they would use to create panic and anger, forcing all the "progressives" to throw themselves into a fierce confrontation.

The purebloods made a terrible move.

They handed the key to rebellion to those who were eager for chaos and strife!
And this is the future that Kingsley spoke of: times have changed.

Kingsley couldn't even be sure whether his pessimistic vision of the future was worse than Voldemort's reign more than a decade earlier.

Voldemort's rule was certainly bloody and terrifying.

However, the confrontation between the two factions is unlikely to be anything but amicable.

Because the land he is standing on is a prime example. Look at the United States of America; the nation is almost torn apart by the divide between pure-bloods and non-pure-bloods.

This is very simple logic—once a conflict begins, it won't end easily; anger will destroy reason and lead to killing.

And killing will turn into hatred!
Hatred prevents both sides from stopping, leaving them no choice but to remain uncompromising until one side is completely annihilated.

The thoughts swirling in his mind sent a slight shiver down Kingsley's spine, not only because the bloody future terrified him, but also because he knew he had actually been drawn into it earlier than anyone else.

How did the "progressives" come about?
No one can answer this question clearly... except for the person who initiated it!

Vaughn Weasley...

Thinking of the name, Kingsley's breathing quickened. Of course, this was just a guess. At least on the surface, the "progressives" seemed to be a concept that developed gradually through debate.

There is no evidence to suggest that those debates and veiled incitement had anything to do with Vaughn Weasley.

To everyone else, Vaughn was merely a figure they would mention in their debates and arguments. You could say his actions caused problems, but you couldn't say he created them.

The person who caused the problem is pureblood!

At least that's what the "progressives" think.

Only Kingsley knew that his guess was correct. He realized this only after he had thought about it for a long time and figured out Vaughn's intentions, after he realized that he was being targeted by Vaughn!
No one but himself knew how terrified he was when he realized the secret behind it all.

This is also why he hesitated and did not respond.

but……

Looking at the suite he was in, and at Umbridge that Nymphadora was holding, Kingsley smiled bitterly. He had finally made his choice.

“From now on, everyone will have to make choices.” He said to the bewildered Nymphadora, his words earnest yet veiled: “But the basis for choice will no longer be black and white, but stance, taking sides… Tonks, you need to change your mindset as soon as possible.”

Otherwise, things will not end well!

Even if you consider yourself a friend of Vaughn and Hermione.

……

"...Next, I will notify the people the Federation has placed in the Federation to come and join us. How are things on your end?"

"The same group of people from last time will be coming to deliver the fire dragon to me in the next couple of days. I'll have them cooperate with you."

The suitcase is bathed in enchanting moonlight.

The light of the magical moon was slightly dim and not quite full, because Vaughn had just finished a full moon experiment.

The powerful magical energy still lingered in the air, causing the moonlight to "float" in patches across the space like a viscous fluid.

As wizards, both Arkinbard and Vaughn felt comfortable in this high-magic environment, including the tree bee that always accompanied Vaughn like a pet.

Hearing Vaughn's words, Akinbad nodded. He glanced at the tree bee and casually asked, "Why do we need a fire dragon? Isn't there one right here?"

"Goo-"

The tree wasp immediately raised its head, its vertical pupils fixed on Akinbad.

(End of this chapter)