Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 200 Voldemort wasn't extreme enough.
A moment later, the noise resumed. Essex gradually realized something was wrong and groped his way back into the darkness, cowering in a corner.

Excited yet fearful, they stared at the source of the noise.

Before long, the solid darkness loosened, and with a creaking sound, a ray of light shone in.

Essex, who had already adapted to the darkness, was moved to tears by the not-so-intense light. He waved his hands, wanting to stop it, yet unwilling to.

She was crying and struggling in the void, looking like a madwoman.

Outside the door, a deep voice asked in surprise, "Dolores, I just asked you to deliver some food, how did you drive him crazy?"

Another gentle, sweet voice said with a wronged tone, "Oh my god, how could I dare—the respected Mr. Weasley forbade me from speaking to him, and I have been obedient to his orders without exchanging a single syllable with him!"

There must be truly strong-willed people in the world.

Kingsley himself had heard of examples like the Longbottoms, who, despite being tortured by the Death Eaters' Cruciatus Curse until their mental breakdowns, never revealed a single piece of information about the Order of the Phoenix.

But he also knew that such people were extremely rare.

Dolores Umbridge is clearly not that kind of person!
Walking down the hotel’s spacious and bright corridor, Kingsley turned his head slightly, and the chubby Dolores Umbridge followed cautiously behind him.

This once arrogant representative of the Ministry of Magic is no longer the same as he was just over ten days ago. He no longer wears pink and sweet dresses or large floral headdresses, but only a simple robe, and his hair is neatly tied back.

When Kingsley looked at her, she instinctively put on a flattering smile.

Of course, Kingsley knew she wasn't trying to please herself, but rather the person who had turned her into a toad for over a week. Clearly, that experience had completely corrected her arrogance and bad temper.

And floating beside Umbridge is Essex, who is missing a leg.

This wizard, who was very calm and unyielding just over ten days ago, is now like a frightened quail.

He was curled up in mid-air, his hands covering his eyes. Through the gaps between his fingers, his eyes scanned his surroundings frantically and nervously. Even a ray of light could make him tremble.

Kingsley's expression was somewhat strange.

He knew Umbridge; if she said she hadn't communicated with Essex, then she definitely hadn't, because the terrified Umbridge was now extremely docile.

Since Umbridge didn't do anything wrong, then Essex was simply kept in the dark and forced into this state.
He remembered that Vaughn had once mentioned the name of this punishment: the solitary confinement room!

Vaughn said that few people could resist the power of the solitary confinement room, and he was somewhat skeptical at the time, but now it seems... this punishment from Muggles really works?
Lost in thought, Kingsley led the two men to the floor where Vaughn was staying.

He encountered Lupin at the elevator entrance—Lupin was leading several werewolf wizards who had just received the wolfsbane potion and were about to take the elevator down.

Tonks was with them.

Upon seeing him, Tonks, with his arm around Lupin's shoulder, greeted him: "Hey, bro!"

Boom!
Kingsley gave her a smacked head, and amidst the girl's groan, snapped, "Speak properly, or do you want me to tell Andromeda about your behavior?"

"Damn it, I'm an adult now, Kingsley!"

"Wait until you officially become an Auror and no longer need Andromeda's allowance before you say that."

As he spoke, Kingsley glanced at Lupin, whose expression was stiff, and said meaningfully, "As long as you are not independent, you will still be a little girl in my eyes, right, Remus?"

Lupin: "..."

Tonks clearly didn't grasp the implication, pouting and muttering something before glancing curiously at Umbridge and Essex, who was cowering in mid-air:
"You're taking this pink butterfly and the quail to see Vaughn?"

Kingsley hated his undercover life, not only because he made a huge sacrifice for his sexuality, but also because Tonks developed a love for giving people nicknames because of it.

He was really afraid that one day he would hear someone call him "homo"!

“Yes, Vaughn is looking for them.” Kingsley gave a perfunctory answer, quickly changing the subject to avoid Tonks getting hooked on calling him by his nickname: “Where are you going?”

Tonks' attention was immediately diverted, and he exclaimed excitedly, "I'm going to spend Transformation Night with Remus and see someone turn into a wolf with my own eyes. That would be so cool!"

"..."

Kingsley's face was ashen, and the other werewolves also had strange expressions. Only Tonks, who was immersed in excitement, and Lupin, who always seemed to lose his mind in front of her, appeared completely oblivious.

"Oh, is it a full moon tonight?" Kingsley hesitated, then uttered some dry, meaningless words.

Tonks asked with great interest, "Tonight, or tomorrow night, is Kingsley coming?"

Lupin immediately tensed up, staring intently at Kingsley.

Kingsley glared back forcefully, managing only a weak smile: "I won't go, you..." He had originally intended to tell Tonks to be careful.

But after thinking about it, it seemed inappropriate to say such things in front of a few werewolves, so he had to shut up in frustration.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two groups quickly parted ways. Watching Lu Ping and the other werewolves descend the stairs as usual, Kingsley, setting aside his anger at the shameless middle-aged werewolf, was actually quite moved.

The miraculous wolfsbane medicine.

Although it was heavily promoted before, he had never experienced it and couldn't understand it.

This time, I truly shared a hotel with the werewolves and watched them calmly await the arrival of the full moon under the protection of the wolfsbane potion.

This experience was quite strange—before the beginning of this year, the two or three days around the full moon were the Aurors' day of suffering.

All Aurors must be deployed during this period to patrol villages, settlements, or Muggle communities that are more vulnerable to werewolf attacks.

No matter how careful they are, every few years there will be one or more incidents of Aurors being scratched by werewolves.

That was a truly heartbreaking and despairing scene!
Silently sighing, he and Umbridge led Essex into the suitcase space, where they saw iron cages almost filling the plain, along with frenzied Purifiers and unused werewolves inside.

And in the experimental area, the humanoid objects were dismembered and mangled, and Umbridge trembled with fear.

Kingsley, however, was already used to it. He bowed to Vaughn, who was floating high in the air and brimming with magic from presiding over a magical ritual: "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Essex has arrived."

Vaughn turned his head slightly.

Kingsley's heart skipped a beat at those eyes that shone with a purple light.

For some reason, he felt as if he were being pierced by a gaze. Umbridge, who seemed to have the same feeling, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.

Vaughn withdrew his gaze, and the feeling of being pierced disappeared.

Kingsley breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Vaughn's almost emotionless voice: "Put him down. You and Umbridge do one more thing for me. There's a letter on that table over there. Take it and it will guide you there. Give the letter to the recipient."

Kingsley agreed and found the letter.

The thick parchment envelope was unremarkable, with no address written on it, only a name:
Pandora Lovegood

.........

When Umbridge came out of the suite, his legs were so weak that he could not stand up.

However, she was in a good mood.

She turned to Kingsley, who was silently supporting her, and gave him a sweet smile: "Kingsley, my dear, Mr. Weasley has asked me to work with you for him, hasn't he?"

"……Um!"

Kingsley gave a sullen reply.

Umbridge didn't care at all about his perfunctory attitude: "So, the great Mr. Weasley has already forgiven my previous foolish mistakes?"

"...I think so..." Kingsley hesitated for a moment before answering.

After all, according to Vaughn's wishes, he would be "partnering" with this witch for a period of time. Even though he looked down on her, Kingsley, who was used to being kind to people, did not want to have any conflicts with his partner because of this.

Umbridge's pale face visibly regained its color, and his expression changed from its previous listlessness to one of radiance.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

While praising him, Umbridge blinked her small eyes, squeezed between her swollen cheeks, and stared at Kingsley with bright eyes: "Dear Shakel, when do we set off?"

Uh……

Kingsley was momentarily speechless upon noticing her sudden change in attitude.

Putting aside personal prejudices, to be honest, he quite admired Umbridge's mental fortitude—not everyone could be like her, having been turned into a toad for over a week, only to have the spell broken so recently, and just a minute ago her legs were trembling with fear, yet she could immediately shamelessly address everyone as "respected" and "great."

It was as if the previous calamities had never happened at all.

Thinking about it, Kingsley couldn't help but sigh.

No wonder Umbridge was able to rise from a lowly clerk in the Ministry of Magic to become Fudge's right-hand man.

Previously, his circumstances were different, and he only wanted to escape the isolation of his family. In fact, he still had the pride of a pureblood.

That's why he never liked the other person.

It wasn't until recently, when he joined Vaughn's side and began to change his mindset, that he suddenly realized that the witch he had once despised might not be as useless as she seemed.

At least her shamelessness in seamlessly switching stances is something I should learn from.

Out of genuine respect, Kingsley instinctively said humbly, "There's no need to rush. Mr. Weasley didn't insist on leaving immediately. You can take some time to handle your personal matters first..."

But before she could finish speaking, Umbridge interrupted her. The witch's expression was so solemn and serious that even her fat face seemed strangely sacred: "Dear Shakel, I know you mean well, but you are harming me!"

"what?"

“Your courtesy is certainly appreciated, but I would like to ask you to retract this generous offer—how can my personal affairs compare to the task entrusted to me by the esteemed Mr. Weasley? Your concern only causes me heartache, shame, and unbearable grief…”

Kingsley's mouth grew wider and wider; his intense admiration was no longer confined to his heart, but was beginning to overflow from his eyes.

"Uh... shall we set off now?"

“You don’t need to ask for my opinion, after all, you represent the great Mr. Weasley, so you can be a little more assertive.”

"...Now, let's set off immediately!"

“Yes, Mr. Shakel.”

Umbridge flashed that sweet smile again.

But Kingsley no longer felt disgusted... That smile wasn't just sweet; it was worldly wisdom and the way of being a person!
.........

"That fat witch is terrified of you!"

Essex, who had been silent since Kingsley and Umbridge left but whose mental state was gradually improving, spoke for a long time to Vaughn, who was conducting an experiment not far away.

Vaughn did not turn around; the ethereal light of ritual magic swirled between his fingers.

Not far ahead, the Purifier, whose legs had been severed by Matthew's Oolong Out of the Cave curse, had been disassembled into a peculiar shape, its body tissues blooming like blossoming petals.

A dense purple light flickered in Vaughn's eyes. His vision, enhanced by the Vision Charm, constantly shifted in frequency and energy level. In his eyes, the blooming limbs were nothing but countless indistinguishable spots of light.

Movement, transformation, distortion!

Previously, when Vaughn was developing the Vision Charm using the Charm Development Module to study nuclear explosions, he determined that the core of this charm was the observation of electromagnetic waves.

After all, in the objective world, light (electromagnetic waves) is something that no matter can escape. As long as it does not reach absolute zero and as long as atoms do not stop moving, any matter will spontaneously radiate photons to its surroundings.

Even magic is no exception.

Now, he can directly observe changes in matter and magic by observing electromagnetic waves, greatly improving his research efficiency.

He was captivated by the ability to directly observe both macroscopic and microscopic dynamic changes.

Therefore, he did not respond to Essex's words immediately, but after a while, he said calmly, "It's just a little fear. She was on my side not long ago. I'm already being merciful by not killing her."

"kindness……"

Leaving the small, dark room, Essex, having shaken off her previous anxiety and fear and gradually regaining her true nature, couldn't help but sneer, "So you didn't kill me because of mercy?"

"You can think so."

"Ha, I thought the great Vaughn Weasley was such a charismatic leader, only to find out he maintained his position and rule through fear?"

Vaughn finally turned around and glanced at him.

The eyes glowing with purple light, and the inexplicably penetrating gaze, made Essex's heart skip a beat, and her recently recovered composure almost collapsed again.

Essex quickly steadied his heartbeat and remained expressionless.

Vaughn smiled with interest: "I heard that someone was locked in a dark room for three days and started crying and wailing, chasing after the fat witch who brought him food, wanting to talk to her."

"Just to lull you into a false sense of security," Essex said calmly. "Otherwise, why would you have released me?"

However, Essex still had some principles: "Of course, I admit that your... dark room is indeed effective in mental torture. Even someone as strong-willed as me can't quite handle it. But don't think it can really destroy me, and don't think that a little punishment can make me submit to you."

Now, Vaughn was genuinely interested.

He suppressed the glint in his eyes, looked Essex up and down, and exclaimed, "You're on guard against me, and you're also on guard against yourself... Don't try to hide it. I can see your heart pounding like a drum, and the blood flowing rapidly is reflected in my eyes like the patterns of flowing magma. This physiological resistance and stress response doesn't lie."

"..."

Essex felt her rapidly beating heart skip a beat.

Yes, his heart was racing. He was indeed on guard against Vaughn, and also against himself... on guard, afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on.

Because he is currently living in fear of the unknown future.

In particular, he was terrified of returning to that dark room. He had thought he was fearless even in the face of death, but the demon before him showed him that not being afraid of death did not mean he had eliminated his fear!

The darkness of the small dark room itself is not scary.

What's terrifying is that when a person is in such an absolutely dark and quiet environment, their thoughts become uncontrollably active, and their brain will uncontrollably recall the past, recalling those unforgettable memories.

The most unforgettable experiences for humans are often not so pleasant.

It is usually associated with negative experiences such as pain, sadness, hatred, etc.

During the few days he was locked in the dark room, Essex almost lost count of how many times he relived the most regrettable, unspeakable, and darkest memories of the past 30 years.

Despair, utterly crushed by the debts of the Magic Congress and a hopeless future...

His wife's weeping and wailing, pointed at by his magic wand...

The humiliation and hatred of having one's dignity trampled into the mud by purebloods holding a handle against one's own flesh...

And then there was the conscience that tormented him for so many years, the conscience that would wake him in the middle of the night with excruciating pain...

Essex had no idea how many tricks Vaughn had up his sleeve. After these days in the dark, he no longer had the confidence that he could endure it.

He was afraid he would break down, become cowardly, become weak, lose himself in fear and regret, become unlike himself, and forget the cause and beliefs that sustained him...

As he was lost in thought, he heard Vaughn say calmly from the other end:
“I know why you’re on guard. I can assure you that I won’t force you to betray any secrets. In fact, I called you here today just to talk to you about the person who lives in your mind… DeSantis!”

Essex looked up in astonishment: "How is that possible..."

"You want to know how I knew? It's strange that your brain is full of self-destructive defenses, yet I still managed to steal your secrets?" As he spoke, Vaughn waved his hand, pausing the magical ritual, and dense magical fluctuations spread through the space.

He led the dazed Essex to the rest area, poured himself a cup of tea, gestured for Essex to make herself at home, and then continued:
"Do you remember after you split into two, we chatted by the fire, and then you passed out?"

Hearing this, even in shock, Essex couldn't help but sneer: "No, I was put into a coma by a despicable wizard who manipulated my emotions. Don't forget, I also know a little memory magic!"

Vaughn chuckled nonchalantly: "Anyway, I did manage to get a look into your mind at the time. Actually, I wasn't planning on doing anything at first, since your mental defenses are quite robust. Even though my personality-manipulation magic is adept at intrusion, it would take quite a while to break through them, but..."

He pointed to Essex's brain: "...The person living in your brain took the initiative to contact me. His name, his form of existence, were all told to me by him."

Essex's face was tense, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

But Vaughn knew that the other party believed him.

Judging from their conversation around the campfire last time, Essex had met the real De Santis and had a close relationship with him. Clearly, he understood the real De Santis's methods and habits.

Essex, her face expressionless and lost in thought, remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again: "So what?"

Sitting across from him, Vaughn smiled gently and said, "Not really, so I just wanted to chat with you. For example, what kind of person is DeSantis in your impression?"

Essex glanced at Vaughn and scoffed, "Why should I tell you? You should remember what kind of person I am, shouldn't you?"

“Of course.” Vaughn nodded repeatedly: “A desperate, pathetic wretch, and a madman driven to the brink of despair who no longer cares about basic conscience.”

"Hmph, thank you for the compliment!"

Seeing Essex's indifferent attitude, Vaughn felt a pang of emotion.

This was the most extreme wizard he had encountered since coming into this world—yes, even the extreme pure-blood Tom Riddle seemed not extreme enough compared to him.

Regardless of the process, at least in terms of the outcome, what Tom needs is power. However, winning over purebloods is more in line with his interests and preferences. He doesn't really care whether his subordinates are purebloods, half-bloods, mudbloods, or even Dementors who aren't even wizards...

And this is Bruce Essex.

He felt only pure hatred for purebloods, without any political or interest-based motivations.

Vaughn still remembers the ruthless and resolute way the wizard before him swore to kill all purebloods, young and old, without leaving a single one alive, in the woods that day.

Such a person is undoubtedly terrifying.

But it is also very fragile!
As Essex himself once said, his life had become meaningless the moment he awoke from the Magic Council and the traps set by the twelve purebloods.

Bruce Essex had already "died" when he first executed the Magical Congress's "exemption agreement" and killed his wife.

What awakens from the trap is a furious soul filled with nothing but revenge!
The only thing keeping him alive was the goal of killing all the purebloods!
A fleeting thought crossed his mind. Vaughn took a sip of tea, his expression remaining gentle as he looked at Essex, who stood up straight, seemingly to show her resistance.

"Dear Bruce, do you really think DeSantis would support your idea of ​​killing all the purebloods?"

Essex replied without hesitation, "Of course!"

Immediately, he became wary: "What sweet talk are you trying to pull now? Let me tell you, I won't fall for it again. And don't even think about trying to sow discord between me and DeSantis. Since he's told you everything, you should know the name Mystic Brotherhood. It was something DeSantis and I built up little by little. I know him and trust him far more than you think, and I trust his hatred for purebloods!"

(End of this chapter)