Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 196 Black Market and Underground Rules

Vaughn gave a half-smile.

This praise seemed utterly ridiculous in contrast to the magical creature auction taking place on the other side of the stage.

"In short, help me find or find out information about that thunderbird. Its name is Frank, and you must not disturb its habitat. Can you do that?"

This is a bit difficult.

Thunderbirds aren't people, after all. They don't settle down in one place like people do, and they can communicate without barriers. Arizona is so big, who knows where a Thunderbird family might go?

But after some consideration, John accepted the commission.

If you offend this big shot by not answering, he might just poke a "sphere" in the air with his wand and summon a bunch of burly men.

How could I possibly resist?

Of course, John also explained beforehand: "You know how difficult it is to find a group of magical creatures, and you also require that the Thunderbirds' lives not be disturbed, so it will likely cost a huge sum of money to hire a seer, and there's no guarantee of success, so..."

Vaughn dismissed it: "The cost is not a problem."

John suddenly felt envious and secretly began to label Vaughn Weasley's name with a new tag in his mind:
Rich and powerful!
Suppressing his envy, John continued, "And the second one?"

"The second thing may be much simpler for you. I need to find an elderly couple. The husband is named Jacob Kowalski, 92 years old, and the wife is named Queenie Kowalski, formerly Queenie Goldstein, 89 years old."

"The two originally lived in Queens, New York, but they disappeared after the Woolworth Building incident last year. No one knows where they went, and the only conclusion is that they are still alive."

Hearing this, John did indeed breathe a sigh of relief.

Finding people is indeed much simpler than finding magical creatures.

John asked for more details, such as the appearance and features of the Kowalskis, as well as their relatives, but did not ask why he thought the elderly couple were still alive.

In the magical world, there are too many methods to determine whether someone is alive.

Vaughn answered each question in detail. Regarding appearance and characteristics, there were photos and oral accounts provided by Tina, as well as information about relatives. Queenie and Jacob now even have a grandson named Quentin Kowalski.

However, their relatives probably can't provide any clues. Queenie and Jacob's disappearance was very sudden, and Tina even noticed it before their children did.

After recounting the relevant information, Vaughn opened his satchel, took out a money pouch, and placed it in front of John.

The crisp jingling sound made the other person's eyes widen immediately.

“This is a deposit, one-tenth of the total reward according to your rules, 200 gold gallons,” Vaughn said. “At the current exchange rate, that’s roughly equivalent to 700 zhuo guo. Is that enough?”

"That's enough, that's enough."

John beamed, "You're such a generous person."

He grabbed the money bag, trying to put it in his pocket, but Vaughn held him back.

John looked up in surprise and saw the other person looking at him calmly, with a faint magical light flashing in his eyes: "I abide by your rules and trust the credit guarantee of the organizer behind this black market, so I did not bind you with a contract, but I also hope that you can abide by the rules as I do."

The air suddenly became thick, and the light and shadow distorted.

That is the powerful influence of magic on reality.

Wizards, whether chatting privately, bidding against each other around the stage, or drinking and playing around, suddenly seemed to have been silenced.

The previously noisy sounds stopped abruptly.

Pairs of eyes turned toward them, their gazes revealing provocation, hostility, surprise, and fear. However, no one showed any unusual reaction, including Mr. Joker, the black market manager who, according to the rules, should have come to maintain order.

In the sudden silence and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Vaughn remained calm, only staring at John opposite him:
"I'll give you a month. Can you do it?"

John was covered in sweat. He felt as if he had been thrown into the sea, with immense pressure pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Not to mention making any moves.

The suffocating, near-death feeling made his face turn deathly pale!

For a fleeting moment, many thoughts flashed through John's mind.

None of the wizards who roam the underworld are innocent lambs; even those who appear docile are merely wearing a mask.

There are no good people here. Beneath all sorts of appearances, they are all wolves who believe in the law of the jungle.

However, they also show far more respect for the strong than ordinary wizards.

Feeling the heavy atmosphere and the threatening sense that seemed to cut through his skin, John's smile became even more humble: "A month is a tight deadline, but since you have made this request, we will do our best to fulfill it, Mr. Weasley."

As soon as the words were spoken, the air suddenly relaxed.

Vaughn withdrew his hand from the money bag: "That's settled then, Mr. Anonymous. I'll be waiting for your good news."

The "anonymous" man, carrying a pocketful of Galleons, quickly took his leave. Noticing that the conflict had not ultimately erupted, the gazes that had come from all directions in the bar, whether open or furtive, shifted back to their original positions.

One reason is that Vaughn looks like someone you don't want to mess with.

On the other hand, Mr. Joker, the black market manager who was originally sitting on the stage, walked over.

"Good day, Mr. Weasley. How did the commission go?"

"Not bad. I hope their abilities are as good as you described."

“You don’t need to worry about that at all. We are different from the Magic Congress, or even any organization that can operate in the open. The black market deals with black and gray industries, and there is no law to protect them. If we want to make money, we have to follow the order and agreements even more than legal industries to build our reputation. You are just looking for people and magical creatures, and it’s not to the point where we need to destroy our reputation.”

Vaughn remained noncommittal, changing the subject: "Any new intelligence you can share in the last couple of days?"

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Mr. Joker said apologetically. “The biggest events recently have all involved you… Hmm, the Magic Congress is still arguing, is that news?”

After glancing at him, Vaughn sensed something else in his words. He thought for a moment, then followed up, saying, "If there are detailed points, then yes!"

“Coincidentally, I have some inside information.” Joker hesitated before continuing.

Vaughn understood immediately: "What do you want?"

In places like this, nothing is free, but Vaughn didn't think Mr. Joker, as the head of the black market, would lack a pot.

Upon hearing this, the Joker, wearing a clown mask, chuckled: "It's not what I want, but the esteemed gentleman who supports me behind the scenes desires the friendship of you, Mr. Babajid Akimbad, and even Dumbledore."

"It's easy to gain my friendship, but as for Akinbad and Albus, I can't make that decision for them."

“It mainly depends on you.” The Joker smiled nonchalantly, paused for a moment, and then continued, “Michael Graves has disappeared.”

"As expected."

"Also missing were members of six other families: Fisher, Fontana, Lopez, McDuff, O'Brien, and Wilkinson. They were also the heads of their respective families in Woolworth. According to the intelligence I received from Congress, their disappearances occurred when Donald led the Auror squad to Boston."

"Did the Magic Congress reach any conclusions?"

"It's obvious they were captured by the real DeSantis. The 12 Purebloods secretly installed a key in Woolworth Building, where key installation is not allowed... Congress wanted to know what was on the other end, but the 12 Purebloods quickly took over and destroyed it under the pretext of 'insecurity.' These days, almost the entire Congress is arguing about this."

Vaughn showed no surprise at what the Joker said.

This was also expected. Judging from the Magic Congress's series of slow actions, it was clear that the Magic Congress and the 12 Purebloods were not entirely on the same side.

The Magic Congress represents the entire United States of America, and the 12 Purebloods are merely the 12 families that wield the most power within it.

In other words, it is precisely because the 12 purebloods have seized too much power that there will inevitably be their opponents within Congress.

If the 12 purebloods are still strong, or if they are in sync, Congress will naturally not have any dissenting voices.

But this situation was reversed a few nights ago. The huge losses suffered by the Graves family affected not only the Graves family, but also the entire 12 purebloods.

Furthermore, regarding the WAC issue, the Porter, Weiss, and Fontana families formed the "Ilvermorny Gang" with the Stuart family (the Stuarts are not 12 purebloods), constantly opposing the other nine families in Parliament.

Now, the already nearly disintegrating 12 Pureblood Alliance, after suffering heavy losses, has been completely besieged by members of other families in Congress.

One side finally seized the opportunity to settle scores.

The other side, of course, would not sit idly by and wait to be killed.

"The series of threats brought by DeSantis has kept lawmakers up at night. Unfortunately, the obstruction from nine families, including Graves, has made it impossible for the investigation to move forward. The destroyed door key is now the focus of Congress's attention and the first hurdle to overcome in the investigation."

Joker slowly said, "In the surviving Auror memories, we see that you are highly proficient in spatial magic. Suppose... just suppose, if we were to hand over that destroyed portal key to you, would you have a way to restore its destination?" Ha!
So that's the real purpose.

Vaughn smiled knowingly, but did not refuse. Instead, he asked, "According to your assumption, if I could be restored, what would I gain?"

"Hehe, just as we long for your friendship, you can also gain the friendship of many families."

Joker let out a low laugh: "For example, regarding the issue of establishing the North American WAC, Graves and his group were firmly opposed, while Porter, Weiss, and Fontana were outnumbered and outmatched. I think if we had a friendship, perhaps Porter and his group could have received assistance and the WAC issue could have been resolved completely."

Vaughn fell into thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

It must be said that this was a very tempting offer. In addition to searching for and rescuing Isabella Rozier, one of the main purposes of his visit to the United States was to take advantage of the chaos in North America to lay the foundation for WAC's international expansion.

The "international trade system for wolfsbane medicine" can only open the doors of small countries and cannot penetrate large countries. In fact, because the Skapin Manifestation Charm can break the formula, if a large country is willing to break the "international patent agreement" and mass-produce wolfsbane medicine, it will have a very bad impact on the international trade system it has established.

This is also the main reason why Dumbledore, the WAC Executive Committee, and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic such as Amelia planned Vaughn's trip to visit various continents.

While WAC is courting smaller countries, it also needs several major allies. This is because, internationally, especially under the federation system, there is a "consensus principle" agreement among major powers to avoid disputes.

Vaughn's original plan was to support and unite some organizations in the United States to establish a North American WAC, modeled after the WAC headquarters in England.

The reason why the Magic Congress was not initially considered was because the 12 purebloods at the time held absolute power within the Congress. Cooperating with such a behemoth with concentrated power would be tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.

But now, the situation is indeed different.

Benedict!
Benedict!
Amidst the light tapping of his knuckles on the table, Vaughn's eyes flickered with uncertainty. In fact, his constant release of information to the media and his manipulation of public opinion over the past few days were also intended to sow discord within the Magic Congress.

But he had previously thought that the Porter, Weiss, and Fontana families would be the first to contact him, since the "Evermony Gang" had always been very enthusiastic about bringing in WAC.

Unexpectedly, it was another group in the Magic Congress that took the first step.

Faced with Vaughn's prolonged contemplation and hesitation in not giving a response.

Mr. Joker wasn't particularly surprised or disappointed.

His tone remained warm and reasonable: "I know you can't answer right now, after all, this is no small matter and you should think about it more. But I still have to say that cooperation is the best option for both of us."

“Yes, we have studied your series of actions.” Beneath the Joker mask, Mr. Joker let out a low, benevolent laugh: “You advocate that werewolves decide the fate of werewolves, which is a very bold move. In England, you have Dumbledore’s support, but you still can’t avoid sharing power with Wizengamor and the Federation. In the Commonwealth… the situation facing the WAC will be even more complicated. You desperately need friends.”

Vaughn paused, his fingers tapping the table, and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you threatening me?"

“No, no, no,” the Joker said sincerely. “This is a friendly reminder. In fact, the reason you chose America as the first stop for WAC’s voyage was because it’s chaotic enough to make it easier for you to find and cultivate your allies, wasn’t it?”

There aren't that many fools in the world.

Especially those involved in politics, you can criticize them for having problematic values, you can call them idiots, but don't actually believe they are stupid.

Politicians often devise seemingly foolish strategies not because they are mentally ill, but because they choose what is most advantageous to them.

As the Joker laid bare his thoughts, Vaughn's expression turned somber, and after a long while, he finally spoke:
"As you said, I need to think about it."

"Of course, we sincerely look forward to your reply."

Seemingly realizing that his final tone was somewhat inappropriate, after receiving Vaughn's reply, the Joker wisely bowed, then got up and returned to the stage to continue hosting the remaining auctions, without disturbing him any longer.

Vaughn did not remain seated.

As Vaughn left the magic black market, amidst John's somewhat hesitant farewell, he walked out of the alley and looked up at the clear Boston sky.

The turmoil in the magical world did not affect the lives of the Muggles. On the street outside the alley, pedestrians strolled leisurely, and a few teenagers, perhaps from the nearby university town, walked together, their youthful laughter ringing out.

A pleasant breeze, carrying the moist scent of the sea, swept into the city, and at the edge of the view, a green sea swayed, which was the Boston Public Garden, the most famous green belt in New England, comparable to New York's Central Park, nicknamed the Emerald Necklace.

Cross it, then cross the Charles River, and on the other side is the city of Cambridge.

Harvard and MIT are both there.

Over the past few days, when Vaughn went there to attend Muggle classes, he passed by the public garden several times without going in. Today, when he walked by and saw the park full of colorful flowers and shady trees, he subconsciously went in.

After passing through the woodland surrounding the garden, you are immediately enveloped by greenery and cool air.

The hustle and bustle of the city seemed to be filtered out by the dense foliage of the forest.

After walking along the path for a while, he found a bench in a secluded corner, sat down, and his thoughts began to wander.

He was still pondering the message the Joker had given him.

Although the exchange was brief and the Joker didn't reveal much about the Magic Council's internal affairs, it was enough to show how devastating the loss of the 12 purebloods was in the events of a few days prior.

The damage was so severe that even the smaller factions that had previously been suppressed by them in Congress now dared to contact him, an outsider, and invite him to join them in opposing the 12 purebloods.

This would have been almost impossible in the past.

“Fischer, Fontana, Wilkinson…” Vaughn frowned slightly as he silently recited the surnames of the missing senators he had heard from the Joker.

"Including Michael Graves, seven out of twelve pureblood families have lost their leaders in Congress."

According to Vaughn's understanding of the Magical Congress's organizational structure, the so-called "leaders" here are not just titles; they actually lead their respective factions within the Congress.

It should be noted that the Magical Congress and the Muggle Congress of the United States are both different and similar.

Unlike other systems, the Magical Congress is unicameral, and its selection of members is entirely based on the Pureblood Guide, a bloodline guide text commonly used in Europe and America, without any election system.

In other words, as long as a family is of pure blood and has federal citizenship, they will automatically receive a seat in the Magic Congress. According to the congressional system, they all have a "sacred and equal" vote.

However, widespread equality equals a waste of efficiency. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of deliberation, the Magic Congress has an internal management body called the Committee of the Whole.

The full committee holds the final approval power for congressional decisions—when an issue is raised, Congress first debates and discusses it, and all members can participate in this stage.

Once the debate is complete and a majority vote is obtained, the issue will be submitted to the plenary committee, which will then announce its approval and implement it.

Functionally, it is similar to the WAC Executive Committee.

It has a total of 17 seats. Apart from the speaker who automatically has one seat, of the remaining 16 seats, 12 are entirely inherited by the 12 pure-blood families, and 4 belong to smaller pure-blood families outside the 12 pure-blood families and are appointed in rotation.

The reason why the 12 pure-bloods have been able to maintain control of the Magic Council is because of the advantage they have gained by holding 12 hereditary seats on the Council's committee.

But everything changed after the incident a few days ago!

"Now, with Graves, Fisher, and seven other committee members missing, only five seats remain for the twelve pure-blood families on the entire council. The other pure-blood families, plus the speaker's seats, also make up five seats... What a coincidence!"

Vaughn muttered to himself.

Yes, what a coincidence.

The coincidence was so striking that Vaughn couldn't help but wonder—was it an accident, or... was it intentional on the part of "DeSantis" who kidnapped Michael Graves and the others?
Of course, the hereditary seats of the 12 purebloods in the Council will not disappear. Once the families recover from the shock, they will still be able to use the rights granted by the Constitution to re-select representatives from within their families to fill the seats.

The problem is that the disappearance of the seven committee members was too sudden, and the Graves family and others were completely unprepared.

When it comes to family development and power succession, committee members cannot be chosen arbitrarily by any family. They will go through a series of competitions, infighting, exchanges, and compromises.

During this period, a power vacuum inevitably emerged among the 12 pureblood families in the Academy Committee, and they no longer had the overwhelming advantage they once had over other pureblood families.

It's at most a 5-5 stalemate!

Even more coincidentally, and worse still, because of the previous issues concerning WAC, the Porter, Weiss, and two other families were at odds with the other nine of the twelve purebloods, making it highly unlikely that they would be able to form an alliance with them again...

"If you calculate it this way, after Michael Graves and the others disappeared, the forces outside the 12 purebloods suddenly gained a lot of strength within the Magic Council... No wonder they seem so confident!"

In fact, this is very disadvantageous for Vaughn.

Although there had been many conflicts with the 12 purebloods, the truth is that Vaughn and WAC have never had any irreconcilable conflicts with the 12 purebloods.

Their previous rivalry was actually a struggle for control of the North American werewolves. It's just that the 12 purebloods, who controlled the Magic Congress at the time, were more assertive, while Vaughn, who had no roots in America, was relatively more passive.

In other words, a Magic Council controlled by the 12 purebloods would pose a threat to Vaughn's WAC strategy.

So, if the Magic Congress is controlled by a small pure-blood family alliance, is there no threat?

Of course not!
At least, their current plans are already shaking his plans—those small families have no good intentions at all. They know better than anyone that the Graves family and the other seven families have indeed suffered losses, but they are not all dead. The seven vacant seats will eventually be filled, and at that time, the Council will still be dominated by the twelve purebloods!
Therefore, their primary objective at present is to find a way to weaken the 12 purebloods before those 7 seats regain their functionality.

How to weaken it?

The knife is readily available—the Graves family and others are collaborating with Muggles on a project to create artificial wizards!
(End of this chapter)