Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 204 Dumbledore in Action

Before she could ask further questions, Dumbledore had already stretched out his arm at the window:
"Come on, dear Fox, we have a long way to go from England to America."

"Gah!"

Fox was unwilling, but it could not disobey its master's command.

Moments later, amidst the intense burst of firelight, the old wizard and the phoenix vanished, leaving only the continued snoring of the portraits in the vast headmaster's room.

And Matilda's soft sigh...

……

A centenarian wizard is about to cross the Atlantic overnight.

On the other side of the sea, a group of elderly wizards, having also stayed up all night, were engaged in a tense and exciting parliamentary vote.

dong dong!

In the Woolworth Grand Council Chamber, Josiah Parker strained to open his puffy, droopy eyes and listlessly pounded his mallet.

But it did nothing to stop the noise below.

Since the plenary committee reached a consensus to submit a bill to Parliament to "sanction the illegally gathered werewolf group" in accordance with the rules, the entire Parliament has been in an uproar.

As expected, the Stewart family strongly opposed it.

The Porter, Weiss, and Fontana families, who had previously voted in favor of the committee, suddenly changed their stance and joined the Stewart family in cheering.

Even the other nine families, who were originally steadfast, became ambiguous in their attitudes, while the pure-blood alliance, including Rappaport, watched coldly from the sidelines.

The resolution of the entire committee was actually blocked.

However, Josiah Parker's mood was not affected.

Because he knew very well that this was just a minor setback, a response from the 12 Purebloods and the Pureblood Alliance to his surprise attack on the Academy Committee.

They expressed their dissatisfaction with him, this puppet, for acting arbitrarily.

In politics, there is no such thing as one person being able to completely prevail over another.

He could use small meetings to entice and coerce the 12 purebloods and the pureblood alliance to reach a consensus, so they could naturally give him a hard time when he thought he had won.

Josiah Parker, who had spent many years in the Magical Congress, was very familiar with this process.

When he was first elected and took office, in order to secure his position as speaker, he served the 12 purebloods like a dog. He was ordered around by his ministers and committee members, but he didn't seem to lose anything.

What does this situation amount to now?
On the contrary, he knew very well that the consensus reached by the entire committee in the small hall would not disappear, as long as those gentlemen vented their anger and found a way to back down.

They will eventually agree to his proposal!

After all, he persuaded them not by force, but by weighing the pros and cons. Regardless of their differences, the two groups were not in conflict on the point of weakening Vaughn Weasley.

The only one who's a bit troublesome is Stewart.

This family, which has controlled Iphamoni for over 300 years, has enormous potential influence, even though it has never obtained a seat on the Council of the Academy despite the hostility of the 12 Purebloods and the Pureblood Alliance.

On the other hand, this deliberate targeting also earned Stewart a lot of sympathy from many smaller families.

As the only magic school in North America, it has nurtured almost all the wizards in North America for over 300 years.

Some people don't care about it.

Naturally, some people regard it as their second home.

Those who sympathize with or are close to the Stuart family usually don't show much power, since power has already been monopolized by the 12 purebloods and the pureblood alliance.

But in the grand council chamber, where everyone has one vote, if Stewart strongly objects to anything, these guys will suddenly appear and temporarily form a huge troublemaker around the Stewart family...

Josiah Parker, who was lost in thought, suddenly stopped.

Stuart is a troublemaker, so what about us...?

He quickly shook off the inappropriate metaphor in his mind and continued to pretend to bang the mallet listlessly.

Yes, he does this for show.

Let the 12 purebloods and the pureblood alliance see his predicament and vent their anger.

This also showed Stuart's supporters how tenacious he was—he had been looking like he was about to die for almost 10 hours since the end of the mini-meeting.

They were just dragging on, half-dead.

Those who support Stewart out of sympathy, discontent, or a desire to cause trouble will eventually grow impatient.

Once they are exhausted and have no energy left to jump around, the resolution will naturally be passed smoothly.

It just takes a little more time.

With victory firmly in his grasp, he can afford to wait!
thump...

thump...

As the hammer blows grew fainter, the fighting resumed below. Josiah Parker craned his neck slightly and saw the Stuart family's lion-like, burly senator roar and leap towards the gaunt old Wilkinson wizard in the other row.

A strong yet agile body leaps forward!

Grab him and throw him to the ground!
A crisp thud masked Josiah's unconscious strike with the mallet. A swift and decisive attack sent Wilkinson's eyes rolling back as he slid under the table.

So exciting.

Just as Josiah was about to look again, the door to the Great Council Hall suddenly opened, and his secretary hurriedly walked in.

Meanwhile, Donald, who was representing his family in parliament but stayed far away and had not participated in the fight at all, also noticed it.

He saw Speaker Parker's secretary walk through the crowd, whisper to the Speaker, and glance at him discreetly.

Donald's heart skipped a beat.

What happened again?
Before he could even process his thoughts, Speaker Josiah Parker on the platform had already stood up, his finger pressed against his throat, and a deafening roar instantly echoed throughout the hall:

"quiet!"

The enormous sound wave shook the fighting members below, making them stagger and finally bring them to their senses. They looked at the speaker in astonishment.

Magic is not allowed in the Grand Council Hall. Of course, the rules are there, waiting to be broken, but there needs to be a sufficient reason to break them.

Today, Speaker Josiah Parker seems to feel that his reasons are sufficient.

Gone was his previous listlessness; Speaker Parker's sharp gaze swept over the crowd below before he said, "Congress has just received intelligence that Vaughn Weasley's English Aurors, Kingsley Shackle, Dolores Umbridge, John Dexter, and others, have suddenly escaped from their hotel of confinement."

He paused for a moment as he spoke.

The secretary, quick to read the report, said, "Your Excellencies, based on the tracking by MSA agents and the analysis by the Dreamcatcher management team, they are likely trying to contact the werewolf pack outside of Boston."

Upon hearing this information, the senators instantly understood why Speaker Josiah Parker had broken the rules—

Vaughn Weasley wants to run!
Don't say that you can't escape when caught in the dreamcatcher. A few days ago, all the senators participated in the post-battle debriefing of the battle in which Jack Graves betrayed them.

Many survivors recalled seeing Vaughn Weasley use a strange spell to summon a teleportation portal.

This is why the Magical Congress did not target Vaughn Weasley after that.

What's the point of targeting a wizard who can't be controlled at all?

Josiah Parker's proposal to target the werewolves was approved by the entire House Committee because it prevented a complete falling out with Vaughn Weasley, leaving no room for negotiation, while also exploiting Weasley's weakness.

After all, Vaughn Weasley wanted WAC to be based in America.

But now... has that potion-making genius changed his mind?

Among the crowd, Marian, Abernathy, and others exchanged glances, all seeing the surprise and panic in each other's eyes. What if Vaughn Weasley led the group of werewolves that had already gathered away?

What are they still arguing about?
They got nothing!
In an instant, the pain from the fight, the estrangement caused by past disagreements, and even the resentment from being pressured by Josiah Parker all vanished under the threat of "loss of benefits."

An eerie silence fell over the air. After a short while, Marian Rappaport's resolute voice rang out:
"I propose a second vote on Speaker Josiah Parker's motion to 'sanction the illegal assembly of werewolf groups,' and I agree to pass it!"

After a brief pause.

One by one, echoes of this emerged.

"The Fisher family agrees!"

"Wilkinson agrees!"

"..."

One "agree" after another rose and fell.

Only the Stuart family stubbornly continued to shout "oppose".

But when the 12 purebloods stopped wavering and the pureblood alliance stood firm, the voices that had previously supported Stewart immediately disappeared.

Politicians are the most savvy about situations; they know when they can act recklessly and when they should follow the lead of others.

The long-delayed bill was passed in the blink of an eye!

Donald, who was in the crowd, did not have a chance to speak; he was merely representing other members of the family.

But he was far from calm; he noticed the way Josiah Parker was looking at him.

Those were scrutinizing, cunning, and greedy eyes.

The other party may have discovered that his stance is problematic... Most importantly, he didn't even know the information about the hotel where WAC was located, yet someone directly reported it to the Speaker, bypassing him!
The implications behind it were enough to shake Donald's resolve.

.........

boom--

Lightning flashed across the sky, and seconds later, deafening thunder rolled overhead. A torrential downpour engulfed New York City, but Machiavellian society doesn't stop turning because of bad weather.

In front of a guard post at an apartment building, several unlucky men without umbrellas huddled under the eaves, complaining about the weather and the strange and unusual things that had recently happened in society:

"Damn the weather, it's almost September, how can there still be such a big storm?"

"What aspect of this country doesn't deserve to die? Those idiots in the Republican Party are constantly yelling for war, and the donkey party's lunatics are talking about building some Rainbow City in Los Angeles... FK!"

"Speaking of which, the Boston incident seems to involve the Democratic Party, right? I heard that the candidate named William went crazy after being triggered by something during that incident of residents mysteriously leaving their homes in Boston."

“I’ve heard about it too. Fox News published a report a couple of days ago saying that he kept making a fuss about demons and wizards in the mental hospital.”

"Didn't WAPO refute the rumors? They said it was a smear campaign by the Elephant Party, and that William didn't have mental problems; he was just a little confused about the situation in Boston at the time..."

"You believe WAPO? It's just a lackey of the Democrats!"

"If that's the case, then Fox News is also a dog of the Republican Party. Everyone knows that. Roger Ailes served as an advisor to Reagan and George H.W. Bush for three terms. He's a staunch supporter."

"At least Fox News isn't that shameless; sometimes it's even kind of cute. Yesterday, when Williams and I were watching Fox News, we saw them seriously reporting on a werewolf howling at the moon outside Boston and a wizard riding a broomstick. Hahaha... Uh, Williams, what are you watching?"

Under the eaves, the white man named Williams looked up at the sky as if he were in a daze, completely unaware that he had stepped out of the shelter and his clothes were instantly soaked by the heavy rain.

Hearing the question, he turned around blankly and glanced at his friends under the eaves, pointing one finger to the sky:

"I...I think I saw a wizard..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The group of men, swearing, stepped out from under the eaves and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Then I froze.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, and a curtain-like curtain descended from the sky, seemingly falling into the city's dark clouds, with shadows suspended one after another.

The powerful electric field of lightning seemed to disrupt some kind of concealment, casting their figures, which appeared and disappeared on broomsticks, into the clouds.

They were densely packed together; at a cursory glance, there were probably over a thousand!
They floated above the distant Woolworth Building, surrounded by lightning and accompanied by strong winds, creating an oppressive feeling that made one's breath catch in their throat just by looking at them!
"My God—"

At that moment, countless people throughout New York groaned in this manner.

……

"These families aren't even willing to cover it up anymore..."

The wind whipped up rainwater, which rushed into Donald's mouth, leaving a slightly bitter taste on his taste buds.

Spitting to the side, Donald looked back at the densely packed wizards in the swirling clouds behind him, a sense of helplessness washing over him. "They're terrified that Vaughn Weasley will lead the werewolves away from the country, and then they'll get nothing... Man, thy name is greed!"

But there was nothing he could do.

The wizards behind him had nothing to do with him.

Yes, they are not MAC agents, nor are they Commonwealth Aurors, but rather the private armies of various families—which is why Josiah Parker had to persuade the members of the plenary council and submit the issue to the Grand Council for a vote.

The true power of the Magic Congress, and the true power of the pure-bloods who control the Congress, has never been the Magic Security Department.

The Department of Magic Security is merely a permanent, legitimate agency, a product of compromises between powerful clans.

After a series of political conflicts and compromises, the pure-blood families "entrusted" the Graves family with the sole violent institution of American magic.

Similarly, when the Graves family can no longer exercise power normally, Congress will, with the support of all families, rebuild an armed force by having each family provide private armies!
Just like more than 200 years ago, when 12 families united to form the original 12 Aurors.

This is an American tradition (ancestral system).

boom--

A violent clap of thunder exploded in the rain cloud not far away. The sky was unobstructed, allowing the power of nature to rage unchecked. The air trembled violently, and Donald felt his face shaking.

But ahead of him, in the direction the crowd was facing, Josiah Parker, seated in a Thestral-drawn chariot with his wand pressed against his throat, seemed oblivious to everything, delivering a resounding speech:

"...Nowhere is more peace-loving, more in line with international order, or more socially responsible than the Magical Congress of America (MACUSA). We actively respond to the Secrets Act and have been committed to isolating magic for many years to protect vulnerable Muggles."

"But now, our centuries of hard work are being challenged and sabotaged. Those werewolves, those despicable outcasts, are now gathering near Boston, waiting for the full moon..."

Listening to the Speaker's impassioned mobilization speech, Donald was not excited, but rather detached.

He saw Speaker Parker in the flying car ahead, his booming voice amplified by magic, stirring the air in front of him and creating ripples.

In the distance, lightning bolts leaped between the clouds, stretching into arcs that etched strange shapes between heaven and earth.

The azure light tinged the dark clouds, himself, and the wizards around him and behind him with an eerie hue. He watched coldly as they frantically raised their wands and shouted along with the Speaker's speech.

He was the only one who seemed like an outsider!

In reality, Donald knew very well that America had not changed, nor had the private armies of those families; it was only he who had changed.

Before Jack Graves's defection, he might have been immersed in the mobilization atmosphere at that time, fanatically eliminating all threats that were detrimental to his family and to America under the "legal" banner given by MACUSA!

From the day Jack betrayed him, Donald was terrified of this change and its consequences.

But some changes have indeed taken root firmly, especially when the Speaker, the 12 purebloods, and the family gradually realized that there was something wrong with him, and at this moment, even his subordinates were unwilling to use their power.

Traditionally, this newly formed armed force should be placed under his command as the acting head of the Department of Magical Security.

The reality is that he had absolutely no right to interfere with this armed force in this operation!

Even the dreamcatcher management team has stopped providing him with intelligence, and the parchment he kept in his arms has remained silent since today.

"This damn world..."

Donald thought helplessly.

Consciousness returned from trepidation and fear; the sound of the wind filled his ears again, followed by Speaker Parker's resounding shout:
"Go! Slaughter all those werewolves! Like the pureblood creed, let the magical world of America return to its pure state!"

The rousing cheers resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The slaughter is about to begin!

.........

"Fainting—"

"Except your weapons!"

A flash of red light, and Kingsley, whose spell arrived before Kingsley's, successfully knocked away a wizard who suddenly appeared in front of him.

The opponent's knocked-down wand flew over, and Kingsley caught it and broke it in two.

Without time to heed the man's indignant roars from the one whose wand had been broken, Kingsley swiftly turned and unleashed two consecutive spells to help Umbridge repel the two wizards who were entangled with her.

"Don't linger in the fight, their numbers will only increase!"

"Damn it, don't yell at me, I know!" Dolores Umbridge screamed, but her hands didn't slow down; she immediately pulled out a broom and flew into the air.

Kingsley followed closely behind.

Before long, John Dexter caught up with them.

Seeing that he was alone, Kingsley called out loudly into the wind, "Where's Williamson?"

“Dead!” Delilah looked at him, then at Umbridge, his face grim.

Kingsley sighed inwardly.

Although Williamson had clashed with him many times since he had sided with Minister Fudge, they were still colleagues of many years, and Kingsley couldn't help but feel saddened upon hearing the news of his death.

Unlike him, Umbridge, who also heard the news, showed no reaction whatsoever.

Ever since the fat witch mounted her broom, she had been focusing intently on the faintly glowing parchment envelope in her hand.

After the three had flown some distance, she looked up and said, "About 40 miles left!"

Upon hearing this, Kingsley's spirits lifted, and even the gloomy-faced John Dexter couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Forty miles might be a considerable distance for a Muggle, but for a wizard who can fly on a broomstick at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, it's less than half an hour.

Soon, this damn hellish journey will be over!
Since leaving Boston, the group has been like a hornet's nest, with MAC agents constantly flocking to them from all directions.

The four fought from night until dawn, and then from dawn until day, with almost no rest along the way!
It's already a miracle that only Williamson has died in the battle so far. However, the remaining three are not in good condition either, as frequent casting of spells has nearly depleted their magical power.

The most serious problem is the emotional drain.

Emotions are very physically demanding. A Muggle will be out of breath after experiencing normal emotions such as joy, sadness, or anger for a period of time, while a wizard's spells require even more emotional investment.

The fact that they've been able to hold on until now is entirely due to the magic potion.

Thinking of potions, Kingsley opened his satchel, took out a few bottles, and tossed them to Umbridge and Dwight using a levitation charm: "Mr. Weasley's potent euphoric potion, which enhances the emotions needed for white magic. The downside is that it makes it difficult to use black magic after taking it, so be careful."

The two of them didn't complain and silently drank it down.

Even with John Dexter's help, after all this fighting, he had to admit that Vaughn Weasley's title as Potions Master was well-deserved.

If it weren't for the series of potions provided by the other party, he would probably be paralyzed on the ground, unable to move, by now.

The three of them fell silent. Umbridge focused on communicating with the parchment envelope, taking care of the distance and providing directions.

Kingsley and Derek constantly scanned their surroundings, keeping an eye out for any MAC agents who might appear.

Time flew by, and as they got closer to their destination, the three of them flew more and more into the wilderness.

But in this day and age, even in the vast and sparsely populated United States, it is impossible to completely deviate from the areas where Muggles are active, and where there are Muggles, there are usually MAC agents!

As the three flew over a small town, Kingsley and Dexter almost simultaneously noticed that two figures on broomsticks were chasing after them.

(End of this chapter)