Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 175 Biological Male, Lupin Who Identifies as Female
“I have my own channels,” Vaughn said casually. “In short, that’s basically the relationship between Salem and the Purifiers. There’s no strong connection between them. The protest group that Tonks and Kingsley encountered may not be related to the events we’re trying to investigate.”

"Of course, this clue shouldn't be overlooked either... The Purifiers mentioned in Oliver's memories might not be the same type as the Purifiers we know!"

"What do you mean?"

Akinbad was somewhat puzzled, "What do you mean by saying that the Purgers and the Purgers are not the same kind of people?"

Vaughn stood up, gently stretched out his hand, and looked at a "viscous" moonlight that fell like mist or cloud onto his palm.

A cool, watery sensation rippled across my palm.

Gazing at the moonlight, Vaughn slowly said, "The Purifiers in our understanding are those wizard mercenaries who betrayed the magical world and converted to the Muggle Church hundreds of years ago. Although no one understands why they betrayed or converted, they were still wizards, people who wielded great power."

"Here's the problem. They possess power and magic, which is an unparalleled advantage in Muggle society. But... Arkinbad, the Federation, which has been infiltrating the United States for hundreds of years, especially since you don't ignore the existence of Muggles, then tell me, in these three hundred years, apart from Byrben, have you had any news of the Purifiers?"

Akinbad paused, staring intently at Vaughn, his voice deep and serious: "What are you trying to say?"

"I think... perhaps the true purgers no longer exist!"

Vaughn toyed with the moonlight in his hand and shrugged: "One of the reasons the Magic Congress was established was to purge the Purifiers. They paid a huge price for it. Almost all of the original 12 Aurors died in battle. Such a tragic ending, how much bloodshed and cruelty must have occurred during the process? How much hatred must have been bred? From my personal perspective, I am more inclined to believe that the Magic Congress had already wiped out the Purifiers long ago—even if the Magic Congress itself hadn't done it, the 12 families would have."

“But…” Akinbad frowned: “What about Bartholomew Bailbern and Mary Lou Bailbern? They must be descendants of the Purifiers.”

“Who said that?” Vaughn retorted.

"Uh--"

The old wizard was stunned.

Vaughn smiled: "It was the Magic Congress that said it. You, the Federation, and I all get our information from the Magic Congress. The Magic Congress says that Bartholomew is a descendant of the Purifiers... Whether it's true or not, we have no way of verifying it. They can even point to a bottle of flour and say that it's a deadly poison!"

Akinbad had begun to understand. He took a deep breath, suppressing his inner turmoil: "You mean, the Bartholomew incident, the Second Salem incident... all these crises under the Secret Code were orchestrated by the Magical Congress itself?"

He stared at Vaughn: "Where's the evidence?"

“There is no evidence.” Vaughn shook his head slightly. “It’s all just speculation. The Magical Congress needs such an external threat. They need the public to believe that the magical world is likely to be exposed and that the Salem witch trials are likely to be repeated. But the public isn’t stupid. Just talking about it won’t work. That’s why there was Bartholomew, and then there was a second Salem!”

These speculations were not made up by Vaughn out of thin air.

All sorts of doubts are recorded in history, the most typical example being Mary Lou Byrben, whose investigation at the time was carried out by Tina Goldstein.

Although Tina couldn't help but use magic because of Mary Lou Byrne's punishment of Credence, that was not a reason for the Magical Congress to ignore her findings.

The truth is that Tina has already submitted a report suggesting that the Second Salem is highly suspected of leaking information about the magical world, but the Magical Congress is turning a blind eye to this!
It's hard not to suspect that Vaughn believed the Magical Congress, including its then-speaker Piqueli, had always known the source.

But they don't want to get involved.

Or rather, it was they who facilitated it!

This makes sense, since Grindelwald was convinced that the Obscurials were in Second Salem, and thus transformed into Graves to contact Credence—because the two already knew each other!
Akinbad was unaware of these secrets (which Newt didn't reveal until 2015).

Upon hearing Vaughn's explanation, he instinctively retorted, "Why would the Magic Council create threats? They..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Vaughn's lips curl into a mocking smile: "Of course, it's because the threat theory is most beneficial to them. Using the threat theory to spread fear among the people is in line with the implementation of the Rappaport Act, so that magic can return to pure blood, instead of a bunch of bastards and mudbloods sharing it with them."

"..."

Akinbad was speechless.

His family, the Akinbad family, is also a prominent family in Uganda, considered a pure-blood lineage. Based on his understanding of pure-bloods, this mindset is indeed widespread.

I was speechless for a moment.

We could only listen to Vaughn continue:
"Of course, the threat theory is not a real threat. It is most advantageous when it remains in the unestablished stage. Those who benefit from the system are far more afraid of the threat theory becoming a reality than the people they intimidate."

"Taking this idea as the basis for our reasoning, it is clear that eliminating all the Purgers, cutting off the real risk of the magic world being leaked, and leaving only a few under our control is more logical and in line with the rules."

Listening to this so-called speculation, although there was no evidence or definitive conclusion, Akinbad's inner balance was gradually tilting.

He also somewhat understood Vaughn's intention in saying all this.

He looked up, and like Vaughn, gazed at the watery moonlight, murmuring, "If the Purifiers had been wiped out long ago, the procession that Shackleton and Tonks saw..."

“It might just be bait, or a decoy set up for us!” Vaughn said casually.

Akinbad glanced at him but didn't ask Vaughn why, if he had already considered this, he still sent Kingsley Shackle and Lupin to investigate.

Those in power don't need pity, they only need results!
If it were him, even if he already had some suspicions, he wouldn't mind using the safety of his subordinates as evidence for his suspicions!

His questions lay elsewhere: "If your reasoning holds true, then why would the Magic Congress, which wants to monopolize magic, research artificial wizards? Aren't they trying to eliminate the threat?"

“Eliminating threats and the Magic Congress’s potential involvement in the research of artificial wizards are not contradictory.” Vaughn shook his head. “Control! As long as they think everything is under control, they will do it, just like humans researching various biological and nuclear weapons… In the end, wizards are also human, and they can be blinded by profit and become arrogant.”

As he spoke, Vaughn turned around, looked at Akinbad's increasingly serious expression, and smiled, "I'm saying all this just to remind you not to be blinded by historical records, and not to habitually assume that the source of those artificial wizards is the Purifiers, or that it's an internal matter within the magical world. You need to be prepared that magic has truly been exposed!"

"..."

Akinbad's dark face grew even darker, and the implied meaning behind Vaughn's words made his throat feel dry.

After a long silence, he emphasized again, "...I need evidence!"

"That depends on what Kingsley and Remus will encounter over there."

Vaughn waved his hand, letting the moonlight in his palm slip away like sand, scattering into countless glittering fragments...

……

After leaving the briefcase space, Kingsley first found an Auror and asked him to control Umbridge, planning to go to Vaughn after he returned to remove the Transfiguration Charm from the toad lady.

Now?

The most important thing now, of course, is to investigate Third Salem as Mr. Weasley instructed!

This was the first serious matter to be addressed after joining Vaughn's team, and Kingsley was very proactive.

In his view, since one has already chosen a side, any negative or ambivalent actions are unwise; only a positive attitude is the best way to prove loyalty and gain trust.

Muggles say attitude determines destiny, and that applies to the wizarding world too!

For someone with Kingsley's high emotional intelligence, a positive attitude is not just about having a passion and sense of mission to complete the tasks assigned by the boss, but also about paying attention to every detail.

So when Vaughn told him to find Lupin and bring a few more men, he carried it out without hesitation.

Lupin is not hard to find.

His daily activities were basically confined to the floor where the WAC delegation was staying, either dealing with the jokes made by the committee members or being ready at all times to serve President Vaughn Weasley!
When Kingsley found him, he was scolding two elderly wizards, both over fifty, who were parading around the hotel in sexy nightgowns:
“…Albert, Miller, how many times has this happened? I’ve emphasized this more than once: wear Muggle clothes…”

"We're dressed in Muggle clothes!" an old wizard exclaimed, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

Another man, puffing out his beard, said, “I suspect he’s targeting us, Albert.”

"Remove the word 'doubt,' Miller. That's how Muggles dress on TV, and everyone else thinks we look great. It's just him who keeps nagging all the time!"

Do you think he might be using us to show off his official power?

"Probably!"

The two old men chatted back and forth, while the Muggles passing by gave them astonished, curious, and strange looks.

Kingsley saw that Lupin's face was flushed red, and he was worried that the other man's head would explode at any moment!
Fortunately, Lupin wasn't so easily fooled. When he saw Kingsley in the distance and realized that the other man was looking for him, he waved weakly, sending the two increasingly angry old wizards away.

Once the farce had subsided, Lupin wearily approached and greeted him, "Kingsley, what's up?"

Watching the two old wizards, dressed in their finery, disappear around the corner of the corridor, Kingsley relayed Vaughn's instructions and then said, "...I suggest you select a few reliable members from the WAC delegation, such as wizards who have participated in similar investigations. If you have anyone familiar with Muggle society, culture, and customs, that would be even better."

Lupin's expression was somewhat unpleasant.

It wasn't for any other reason—he certainly knew that Kingsley had joined Vaughn's ranks, and he had no objection to it, since the two were quite familiar with each other.

He sighed, "Apart from a few werewolf committee members, the members of this delegation are almost all at the same level as those two just now in terms of their understanding of Muggles..."

"..."

Kingsley was surprised, but couldn't help but show a hint of sympathy for Lupin.

And then he suddenly wondered why Vaughn had been staying in the briefcase space, seemingly oblivious to the delegation's affairs. Was he genuinely engrossed in his research, or was he trying to shirk his responsibility of managing the team?

He quickly shook his head, trying to shake off the disrespectful thoughts that had popped into his head about the esteemed Mr. Weasley.

"How are your Aurors doing?" Lupin suddenly asked.

Kingsley glanced at Lupin, seemingly hesitant, and after a moment's thought, replied, "They are indeed all excellent investigators, having received very professional training and practice, but..."

“Kingsley,” Lupin interrupted him, his expression sincere. “The Chairman has already recognized you as one of us. Both I and the other werewolves fully support his decision, so you don’t need to have any concerns.”

Upon hearing this, Kingsley secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That's exactly what he was worried about.

His upbringing had instilled in him a cautious and timid nature, and he was worried that as a newcomer, with Vaughn's attention on one side and his own team on the other, he might be viewed with hostility by "veterans" like Lu Ping.

Therefore, after receiving instructions from Vaughn, he did not make the decision himself, but instead went to Lupin and gave him the initiative.

However, these concerns are only one of the reasons.

As he lowered his guard, Kingsley shook his head in response to Lupin's questioning gaze: "It's best not to use those Aurors. Even I don't know how many of them are loyal to Fudge or Scrimgeour. Even if some are willing to listen to me, it's because I'm a senior Auror. If I were to lose that Auror status, it's hard to say whether I could still command them."

Surprisingly, after saying these words, Kingsley did not see any disappointment on Lupin's face.

The middle-aged wizard, whose face was covered in hideous scars and who always wore a melancholy expression, said, seemingly casually, yet also with a hint of something:

"It's not necessarily true that not everyone can use it, right? That... that Nymphadora Tonks... is that the name? I heard she's Muggle-born, so she seems to fit the criteria quite well..."

"..."

Kingsley stared at Lupin, a smile gradually creeping onto his lips.

But then, as if thinking of something, his expression gradually drooped down, fully demonstrating the extraordinary flexibility of human emotions and expressions.

Lupin twisted his neck awkwardly, glancing away from the side: "Uh, why aren't you saying anything?"

"It's so embarrassing, I don't know what to say!"

"what?"

“Lupin, perhaps I should remind you, Tonks is only 19 years old. To your age, she's still a child…”

Get excited.

Lupin's face visibly flushed red, his ears perked up, making one almost feel as if a steam whistle would burst from them at any moment...

The two eventually sought out Nymphadora.

The young girl, playing pool in the hotel's entertainment area, was delighted to participate in the investigation.

“What did I say? That team was very suspicious. We should have infiltrated them back then. You insisted on coming back to report. I don’t understand what you’re thinking… Hey, Remus, why are you always secretly looking at me? Is there something wrong with my clothes?”

"Uh, no, no, you dressed very well, very pretty... no, not pretty... no, you were stunning... I, I..."

Seeing Lupin stammering and struggling to speak clearly, Nymphadora quietly moved closer to Kingsley.

"Is he alright? He looks strange, is he cursed?"

"Hmph, he's doing just fine. He doesn't have any curses, but he certainly has plenty of dream curses!" Kingsley said irritably.

"Your outfits won't do."

"Why not? These are Muggle clothes, aren't they?"

"Muggle clothes also come in different groups and categories. You go to a group of protesters and one of them is wearing an African robe and the other is wearing a wool coat. What kind of combination is that? Halloween isn't even here yet. You're just telling everyone that you've got something wrong with yourselves. Who are those protesters? They're non-mainstream. Don't you understand, you two uncles?"

Uncle Kingsley & Uncle Lupin: "..."

Nifadora gave the two middle-aged men a scathing critique of their taste and culture, then stormed out of the hotel, only to return shortly afterward carrying a pile of clothes.

Looking at the colorful clothes covered with all sorts of bizarre skulls, bloody letters, and even abstract patterns that are hard to define, as well as the leather jackets and pants that are inlaid with nails, chains, and flails and look more like torture instruments than clothing.

Kingsley and Lupin exchanged glances. To be honest, before this, neither of them thought that investigating a group of Muggles would be difficult. In their minds, it was simply a matter of dressing up as Muggles, finding the group, infiltrating them, figuring out their hideouts and meeting places, in order to find the person who truly knew the inside story or the mastermind behind it all.

The whole process should be as uneventful and uneventful as when Kingsley protected the Muggle prime minister. The only difficulty is probably that the people involved should not make a fool of themselves.

but……

In the same Muggle society, how can people still have different cultures?

Could it be that I'm the one who's making a fool of myself?

The two looked at the excited Nymphadora, then exchanged a glance, both seeing the hidden worry and ominousness in each other's eyes.

Nifadora didn't care what the two middle-aged men were thinking. She grabbed a brightly colored shirt, its vibrant and alluring colors indescribable, and scrutinized Lupin with her sharp gaze, making Lupin's hair stand on end and his scalp tingle.

Fortunately, Lupin's skin saved his life.

“This hip-hop style doesn’t quite suit fair skin…” Nymphadora muttered to herself, stroking her chin.

Lupin breathed a long sigh of relief.

Kingsley, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, suddenly sensed something was wrong. Sure enough, Nymphadora's gaze slowly shifted towards them...

……

In the afternoon, the sun on the east coast was neither too gentle nor too intense.

The humid wind lessened the summer heat, carrying the salty smell of the sea as it rushed into the seaside city of Boston.

One woman and two men, three oddly shaped people who seemed quite commonplace in the magical land of America, walked out of the hotel.

The Muggles passing by merely glanced at them before brushing past them with normal expressions.

The two men in the trio seemed rather reserved. The hip-hop styled black man kept pulling up his loose pants, which looked like they would slip off his buttocks if he took a big step.

The white man in the leather jacket was sweating profusely, his posture tense, as if afraid that the sharp ornaments on his clothes would pierce him with several bloody holes.

Only the girl dressed in a hippie style among the three chewed gum, her expression calm.

"Relax, everyone. Hold your heads high and straighten your chests. What did I tell you? Be confident! Be assertive! Show your style! How can you accomplish important tasks with me if you're so tense?"

"Kingsley, shake it up! You can't walk like that with that serious look on your face, understand? Swing your shoulders, sway your hips!"

"Lupin, you too, stop looking so wronged. You're not a bookworm or autistic, stop with the crooked mouth! Don't look down on people!"

"Ah—that's right!"

After fiddling with the two middle-aged men for a while, Nymphadora finally nodded with barely satisfied expression. As she led them toward the street from which slogans could be faintly heard in the distance, she gave them instructions:
"However, your disguises are still not working. When we get there, listen more and talk less. Leave the communication to me. If you have to speak up, remember the personas I've given you... Kingsley, what's your persona?"

Kingsley's eyes were vacant, and he subconsciously mumbled, "African American, fatherless since childhood, grew up in a gang, suffers from bipolar disorder and drug abuse, idolizes Manson, likes Dr. Dre's music, and firmly believes that Dee Barnes framed him..."

Listening to Kingsley's recitation, Nymphadora nodded repeatedly in approval, then glanced at Lupin and asked, "And you?"

Lupin tilted his head and asked, "Huh?"

"Your persona!"

"..." Lupin looked to Kingsley for help, while Kingsley gazed into the distance, as if he had gone mad.

hateful!

Kingsley was unreliable, and under the intense gaze of Nymphadora, who was petite in stature but exuded an overwhelming aura, Lupin finally stammered out the things his brain told him not to understand: "White... extreme environmentalist, biologically... biologically male, considers himself... female..."

"puff--"

“Kingsley!” Nymphadora glared angrily.

"Sorry, I'll shut up!"

"Hmph! Be serious, all of you. What's so funny? I racked my brains to come up with these ideas. Only with these can you fit in with those Muggles in the parade..."

The girl's scolding echoed in the ears of the two dazed middle-aged wizards, numbing their brains and making them buzz. Their usually sharp minds seemed to have suddenly gone mad, or as if they had been stuffed with too many things, causing them to become congested and crash.

Only the eye, the primary sensory organ, is still functioning.

They watched as they followed Nymphadora down the street to a sun-drenched neighborhood, where they saw many people dressed in strange ways, holding banners and signs just like themselves.

Seeing Nifadora walk into the group of people and say a few words in the bright sunlight, the crowd cheered and waved to them.

Kingsley and Lupin exchanged another glance.

The sunlight was bright, illuminating their pupils.

But in each other's eyes, it seemed as if all they saw was darkness...

……

On the hotel rooftop, Matthew kept a close watch on the three of them. The Senses Charm he was maintaining allowed him to hear many things that were impacting his mind.

This made him look rather grim, a mixture of lingering fear and sympathy—he had wanted to go before, but Lupin had rejected his suggestion, citing his long absence from Muggle society.

He was initially a little dissatisfied, thinking that Lupin was underestimating him.

just now……

I'm sorry, Lupin is a good person!
Thankfully, he turned to look at his side and saw a silver-white, semi-transparent cat lying on top of the hotel's exhaust fan, seemingly resting with its eyes closed.

It is Vaughn's guardian spirit.

Of course, it also represents Vaughn himself to some extent.

Matthew bowed slightly respectfully and asked, "Sir, they're just a bunch of Muggles. Magic can easily read their thoughts and memories, so why did you condone Miss Tonks'... bizarre undercover plan?"

The silver-white cat gently opened its eyes.

Even on a blazing afternoon, those eyes still shone with a brilliance like a galaxy.

At the same time, in the suitcase space, Vaughn, who had also opened his eyes, slowly spoke:
"Because someone is watching our actions, your thoughts may be exactly what they want to see."

"Who?"

"I also want to know."

Through the eyes of the guardian deity, Vaughn saw an illusory curtain of light descending from the sky, which, when viewed from afar, resembled a veil or a tangled net.

They slid down from the sky, unmoved by the wind, and unaffected by anything. Even wizards like Matthew couldn't see them, yet they truly covered the entire city!
.........

call out--

A beam of magic shot out from behind, flashing through the thick darkness of the night.

Isabella's heightened reflexes from transforming into a cat, combined with the intuition honed after arriving in America, allowed her to barely shift her position in mid-air.

The spell grazed her abdomen and crashed into a house in front of her.

boom!
The brick house exploded instantly, and countless fragments, accompanied by smoke and dust, rained down on them.

The hair on his abdomen smelled burnt, and like the head and back that had been hit by several pieces of broken bricks, it sent waves of intense pain through him.

But Isabella dared not linger for even a moment.

She landed lightly on the ground, nimbly avoiding several threatening pieces of broken wall and debris, and darted into the swirling smoke and dust. The darkness and smoke obscured her vision, but she still had her hearing and her sense of smell.

She smelled a strong stench of blood emanating from the collapsed house, suggesting that the owner had likely perished.

This made her a little sad.

But more than anything, she felt powerless. She was powerless to block the spell, which was cast at an opportune moment, nor was she able to deal with the pursuer who had cast it.

Da da…

Da da…

The sound of footsteps came again!
Isabella twitched her ears and tried to lighten her steps. The pursuers seemed to have cast a psychic spell on her, or had some kind of alchemical artifact. She had been discovered because she had moved a little too much while hiding.

She wanted to use these Muggle buildings, just like before, to crawl into the sewers.

The dirty, complex sewers were a better cover for her than running in the open plains.

But this time, the pursuers' cruelty and ruthlessness exceeded her expectations!

"Flames roaring—"

A loud chanting sounded in the night, and terrifying magical fluctuations, in the wizard's perception, were like a sudden surge of waves on a calm sea.

call--

Huge, orange-red flames ignited and swept down, engulfing everything!
That terrifying power seemed completely unconcerned that its magic would affect the houses in the area, and even less concerned about the lives of those chickens who might still be fast asleep!
Isabella's eyes contracted violently in shock and fear.

There was still hesitation.

But after a brief moment, she quickly deactivated her transformation. A gust of wind blew through the smoke and dust, and the slender, weak cat stretched and deformed in less than a second.

The woman, disheveled yet still possessing an undiminished graceful figure, had barely appeared in the smoke and dust when she drew her wand and quickly drew it a few times in the air:
"Protego Maxima!"
A variant of the Ironclad Charm, a more protective and wider-ranging spell that spreads in a bowl-shaped arc over the ruined houses of the Muggle neighborhood.

The next instant, the flames fell like a shooting star from the sky.

The terrifying impact, upon contact, instantly cracked the bowl-shaped protective shield, sending flames sliding down its length and spreading, then—

Snapped!
The protective shield shattered!
Isabella groaned, her face turning deathly pale as intense pain swept through her body. She barely managed to keep herself from collapsing to her knees, and instead waved her wand once more.

As the short and obscure incantation was uttered, several bricks, scorched red by the flowing flames, flew up and transformed into sharp arrows that shot into the darkness.

Several crisp sounds came from the darkness.

Isabella had no time to pay attention, and transformed into a cat again, using the brief cover to dart away.

She knew that her counterattack would be ineffective.

The enemy is far more powerful than her!
If she didn't want to kill those innocent Muggles, she had no choice but to change her plans, leave the residential area, go far away, and then place her hopes for escape on fate...

But today, fate played a cruel joke on her!

Just as she rushed out of the residential area, several dense spells shot out from the darkness behind her. Isabella barely dodged two of them, but three still hit her.

To her surprise, the other party did not seem to want to kill her.

She was afflicted with a petrification curse!
The spell, powered by immense magic, destroyed the shapeshifting magic she had learned from Vagado the moment it struck her, but even faster than the removal of the shapeshifting was the rapidly spreading paralysis that spread to the affected area.

Every inch of skin and bone in the body became numb and stiff.

She fell from mid-air and was caught by a silent levitation spell, which slowly pulled her backward.

At the same time, a figure dressed in a cloak slowly emerged from the darkness behind them.

"I don't know whether to call you kind or stupid!" The wizard walked up to her, poked her stiff body with his wand, and snorted meaningfully: "You finally found a place to escape, but you gave it up for a bunch of chickens. Otherwise, if you had crawled into the sewers, you might have actually been able to escape from me."

Isabella opened her eyes.

Under the petrification spell, she couldn't control a single muscle, not even her eyes, so she couldn't see what the wizard looked like.

Judging from his voice alone, he must be a middle-aged man with a New York accent.

This gave her a slight sense of relief—at least it wasn't like the silent, chilling purgeers she had encountered in the past!
But her heart was still pounding. The petrification spell wouldn't affect her thinking, and she desperately tried to guess the wizard's identity.

Civilian resistance organizations?

The Magic Congress?

After thinking it over and over, I still don't have any definite answer.

Because America is too chaotic. Ever since that young mother, in desperation, committed suicide in Woolworth Building last year for the tragic death of her child, the land has been dragged into hell.

The Wizard's Hell!
(End of this chapter)