Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 181 The Amazing Muggles of America

"If it were the student council president, she would definitely be very interested in researching this..."

Lupin suddenly thought.

"What are you spacing out for?"

The sudden question startled Lupin, who quickly looked in the direction of the voice and then breathed a sigh of relief.

It's Kingsley.

Dressed in a hip-hop outfit that looked very avant-garde, Kingsley walked over listlessly, his eyes swollen with heavy bags and a tired expression.

"Didn't you sleep well last night? You look like you're about to collapse from exhaustion."

"If I don't leave this godforsaken place soon, even if I don't die from overwork, I'll go insane and commit suicide." Kingsley complained, then went to Lupin's side, poured some water to wash his face, and sighed, "Phew—I feel alive again. You have no idea, my tent was full of black people, the smell in the morning was just…"

Lupin interrupted his musings: "The white people weren't much better. Don't remind me of that scene again, thank you."

Kingsley shrugged and asked, "Anything you learned yesterday?"

He was asking about the investigation into Third Salem.

Lupin shook his head: "I have absolutely no clue. I've been here for three days, and I still don't know where to begin with these Muggles—"

As they were talking, a series of strange howls came from the woods near the riverbank, growing louder as they approached.

"Oh~ Oh~ Oh~~~~~~~~"

The two turned their heads and saw the bushes part at the boundary of the woodland, revealing a naked, white, fat man who rushed out with a strange cry, ran past them, and plunged into the river.

Two seconds later, he sank...

The two exchanged a glance: "Sigh!"

Without a doubt, he's another idiot who's high on drugs, feeling hot all over, instinctively trying to cool down, but is so delirious that he doesn't even remember if he can swim!

They've seen a lot of people like this over the past few days.

The so-called demonstrations are just a pretext; the real purpose of these Muggles is to engage in retaliatory socializing and embark on a fantastical journey in a world of drugs and alcohol.

Then, while criticizing the grass, he also promoted environmental protection and vegetarianism, which was one of his side jobs. It was quite an eye-opener for people, letting them know what freedom and democracy are.

Even Kingsley, who prides himself on his extensive experience in Muggle society and his considerable understanding of Muggles, never imagined that his so-called understanding was merely a superficial one. It wasn't until the last two days that he realized—Muggles actually possess such diversity.

The two men sighed and pulled the fat man who had sunk to the bottom of the water out of the water.

Seemingly because he had been submerged in water, the fat man, who had just been in a state of restlessness and feverishness, sobered up after spitting out the river water.

He gratefully hugged Lupin and Kingsley's legs: "Thank you, my friends, and you, my African brother, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be meeting my grandmother by now."

Lupin calmly pried his hand away: "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." The fat man licked his lips and muttered, "It's just that the river water tastes a bit strange..."

Lu Ping's face twitched.

This section of the river is downstream of the camp. There are over a hundred random guys at the camp. If each of them takes a piss, it's enough to enrich the periodic table of elements downstream. Isn't that a bit strange?

The fat man's brain, already fuzzy from the fever, was clearly incapable of thinking. He quickly forgot his doubts and stared at Lupin and Kingsley with his muddled eyes for a moment.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh: "I remember you! You're Tonks' friends! You..." He pointed at Lupin, then suddenly remembered something, his expression turning serious. He grabbed Lupin's hand: "I'm sorry, I was delirious with fever. Please forgive my slip of the tongue, sister!"

Lupin, who has an LGBT persona: "..."

Come to think of it, he had almost forgotten the character Tonks had created for himself.

"And you, bro!" The fat man expertly punched Kingsley's fist, making a series of complex gestures. "Tonks told me about you guys. Your fate is heartbreaking. Damn Bush, damn Elephant Party. But don't worry, we're here to fight injustice, to oppose those rednecks who deserve to be blown up by their guns..."

When the topic of rednecks came up, the fat man went on and on, gritting his teeth.

Lupin and Kingsley looked at each other in bewilderment.

Resisting injustice?

Aren't these two days' marches the "Third Salem Movement"?

What does this have to do with injustice? Is this Third Salem some kind of organization advocating for the exoneration of wizards?

It doesn't look like it!

After rambling on for a while, the effects of the drugs on the fat man's body finally wore off. He was covered in sweat, his face was pale, and he looked weak yet comfortable.

Standing up, he thanked Lupin and Kingsley again for their rescue and said to them, "Sisters, brothers, we have another meeting this afternoon for the core members. You can come with Tonks to discuss this important matter!"

After saying that, he staggered away.

The two were left standing there in a daze, wanting to say something, yet seemingly unable to say anything at all.

assembly?

To work together on this grand plan?

What the hell is that?!

After the fat man left, the two discussed it and decided it would be better to find Tonks and ask him for clarification.

To be honest, they've seen Tonks very little these past few days.

Surprisingly, the witch got along well with these Muggles, unlike them who, being too normal, felt out of place and had to wear a mask of pain to pretend to be friendly.

Back at the camp, some Muggles, like the fat man, who had been awakened by their hunger early in the morning and couldn't resist taking a bite, ran around the camp like madmen.

Tonks was one of them.

Lupin was startled and quickly grabbed Tonks, who was running frantically between the tents, looking extremely nervous: "You...you...you also used those drugs?"

Tonks, whose face was flushed and looked very abnormal, glared at him fiercely.

She then led the two men to an empty tent. As soon as she lowered the curtain, the flush and dazed look on her face miraculously disappeared.

She cast a spell to block the sound from getting out of the tent, then kicked Lupin hard: "Want to shout even louder? Why not just yell in those Muggles' ears: 'Hey, hello, we're not like you!'"

"Well……"

Seeing Tonks' sudden change of expression, Lupin realized that the girl was a rare disguise Magus, and pretending to be high would be easy for her.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you..."

"You think I'm on drugs? Mr. Remus Lupin, do you think I'm stupid?"

"Uh, no, no... I... I..."

Lupin was at a loss.

Kingsley couldn't stand it anymore and forced his way between the two: "Alright, Tonks, Remus was just worried about you. Let's get down to business. Remus and I just rescued a fat white guy..."

He mentioned the invitation from the chubby man not long ago, then asked, "What kind of gathering was it? Is it related to what we're investigating?"

Tonks was still angry. She didn't know why she couldn't tolerate Lupin looking down on her. However, even though she was angry, she wouldn't let it interfere with her business.

Hearing Kingsley's question, Tonks shook his head: "I don't know either. I've been trying to get in touch with the management of this Muggle team these past few days. The fat white guy you saw should be Ryder, who is also one of the management members..."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lupin couldn't help but interject.

Tonks rolled his eyes: "How can I tell you this? What did I tell you before? Remember your personas, and who did? Those Muggles aren't stupid. They've seen through your abnormalities. They don't trust you, understand?"

abnormal……

Lupin and Kingsley exchanged a glance. It turned out that what they considered normal values ​​and behaviors were actually abnormal in the eyes of these Muggles…

Lupin was about to say something more when Kingsley quickly stopped him:

"Alright, we can talk about this later... Tonks, you can continue."

"There's not much to continue." Tonks took out a piece of chewing gum and stuffed it into his mouth, scoffing, "Thanks to my disguise Magus, I successfully portrayed myself as a staunch Donald, barely gaining their trust."

"They promised me last night that they'd take me to an important meeting this afternoon. As for whether it's related to what we're investigating... who knows? I can't exactly ask them directly: 'Hey, are you going to see the Purgers?'"

"..."

The two middle-aged wizards were speechless, and a little ashamed.

The speechlessness was due to Tonks's sharp tongue, and the shame was... even though everyone came out to investigate together, the two of them made no progress at all, and could only rely on a little girl. Even though they received an invitation from the chubby guy, it was probably only because Tonks had already made connections that the guy accepted them.

Glancing at their awkward expressions, Tonks softened his tone: "Never mind, you saved Ryder, perhaps to repay him, or perhaps because of me. He seems to have accepted you. Either way, it's a good outcome."

"You'll all be with me today. With Ryder's invitation, no one should be paying attention to your unusual behavior anymore..."

Upon hearing this, before Tonks could finish speaking, Kingsley exclaimed happily, "We don't have to pretend to be depressed or gay anymore?"

Lupin also showed a relieved smile.

Then Tonks gave them a stern reprimand: "Don't even think about it! These identities are the most important labels that allow you to stand among these Muggles. Without my permission, even if you're crying, you have to keep pretending!"

"..."

"That's all for now. I have other things to attend to. Come find me later!"

Tonks stormed off, stepping out of the tent. Her enviable ability to disguise herself immediately came into play, and she transformed back into the same mad, insane woman she had been not long ago, running around the camp with the other Muggles.

Watching all this from inside the tent, Kingsley sighed, "Her growth rate has truly exceeded my expectations. I was worried that her personality might not be suitable for being an Auror, but now it seems that it might just be because I haven't discovered her true strengths."

"yes……"

"If it weren't for the task Mr. Weasley assigned, I might never have seen her like this. Sigh, Remus, don't you think I'm a pretty bad elder?"

"yes……"

"?"

Kingsley was completely bewildered.

He just said it casually, how come this guy actually agreed?

Turning his head, Kingsley's already dark expression darkened even further upon seeing Lupin.

Lupin stared intently at Tonks's retreating figure, his expression one of utter infatuation and utter disorientation.

It's just like a—

"abnormal!"

"yes……"

……

To be honest, the longer Lupin and Kingsley stayed in this so-called Third Salem group, the more desperate they became about the possibility of investigating the Purifiers.

If the third Salem is full of guys who talk about freedom, drink drugs, and live a life of debauchery.

In that case, the so-called purgers probably won't even need to investigate; they'll be finished on their own!

However, this was, after all, a task assigned by Vaughn, and even though they felt the chances were slim, the two were not prepared to give up.

At noon, following Tonks' instructions, they found her and the fat man named Ryder, removed them from the drugs, and Ryder remembered them and happily introduced them to the team's management.

Tonks also spoke up for them, saying that because they had long suffered unfair treatment and discrimination, they lacked the courage to express their orientation and mental health issues, which was why they seemed abnormal.

They actually believed this ridiculous story full of holes, and happily welcomed Lupin and Kingsley to join them.

They even had a pleasant lunch together.

Seeing their confusion, Tonks took a moment to quietly explain to them what it means to be biased: "They don't care if you're a sexual minority or a real minority. If they're willing to acknowledge you as such, then you are. The truth doesn't matter; choosing sides is!"

Kingsley never imagined he would hear such philosophical words from Tonks!

This world is truly bizarre.

Of course, even more bizarre things can happen in a reality that doesn't require logic.

In the afternoon, the two followed the management team to an auditorium at a university in Boston to attend what was touted as an "important gathering."

The solemn auditorium was brightly lit and decorated, and many people, like the management of "Third Salem" and seemingly having their own teams, appeared in the auditorium.

There were several hundred people, divided into more than ten teams.

If each team were like "Third Salem," with over a hundred members, that would represent thousands of people!

However, that's not the point.

The point is-

Why does the banner in the auditorium read "Anti-Abortion Rally"?

Kingsley and Lupin were completely bewildered. What bewildered them even more was that on the stage of the auditorium, a middle-aged Muggle in a suit and tie, exuding an air of elite sophistication, was shouting loudly at them:

"Brothers and sisters, remember me, William Clinton. Please vote for me in the upcoming election. If you don't, and those rednecks elect another Elephant Party president, they will pass bills banning abortion, bills promoting gun violence, bills discriminating against minorities and sexual minorities, and even—"

"They might even unleash those damned purgeers, those damned wizards, kidnapping all the federal people who yearn for freedom and democracy onto a populist, fearful, neo-Nazi war machine, turning free America into a democratic nightmare rife with far-right ideology!"

The people around started yelling.

They chanted the name of that Muggle politician, and cried out for freedom and democracy!

Among the crowd, only Kingsley and Lupin stared at each other in disbelief:

"What did he just say? Release the Purifiers? Wizards?"

"...It seems so..."

"So, the so-called Third Salem are genuinely opposed to wizards, but in their eyes, the Purgers and wizards are the same thing?"

"Uh...it sounds like that."

"And are these so-called purgers controlled by what he calls the Elephant Party?"

Lupin didn't reply. There was too much information, too dense; he felt his brain was already struggling to process it all…

The Muggle on stage was giving a passionate and inspiring speech.

His words were simple, clear, and resonated with everyone.

To Kingsley and Lupin's disappointment, the other party did not mention the Purifiers and Wizards again in their subsequent speeches.

Sometime later, the speech came to an end, and William and his entourage went to rest. The Muggles around him were excitedly discussing among themselves and dispersed in twos and threes.

Kingsley and Lupin walked to a corner, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed:

"It seems we've come to the wrong people... What's with these Elephant Party and Donkey Party Muggles? They're all so weird!"

"It's not a mistake, is it? If we hadn't been in contact with these donkey party members, how would we have known the Purgers were in the hands of the elephant party?"

"The information isn't confirmed yet; he hasn't mentioned wizards again since," Kingsley said.

Lupin thought about it and agreed.

He looked at Kingsley and asked, "So what do we do next? Go find this Muggle and ask him face to face?"

For more experienced wizards like them, the main difficulty in investigating something is how to accurately pinpoint the target within a group of people.

As long as there is a clear target, one can use magical means to obtain information.

Kingsley thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with Lupin's idea, but he still cautioned, "Even if you use magic, you can't go too far. It's best to avoid using crude methods like reading memories if possible."

"Ugh!"

The inability to use magic made Lupin somewhat anxious. "Are you really sure that the Third Salem is just a trap to lure us in?"

"Or what? Remember those Congress Aurors who came to register our wands before?" Kingsley retorted. "Do you think those arrogant fellows would obediently leave after registering our wands? And the Third Salem—the Congress Aurors came one day, and they showed up the next. Was that just a coincidence?"

Lupin had nothing to say.

He glanced around the auditorium and at the Muggles gathered in small groups, excitedly discussing something, and lowered his voice: "Do you think there are any wizards among these people? Like that William, his speech just now was very inspiring."

"It shouldn't be. I just paid special attention to the poster next to the podium, and William is indeed a Muggle candidate for president. A wizard running for president..."

Kingsley shook his head; he couldn't accept such a surreal thing!

Lupin thought about it and also felt he couldn't accept it.

"Speaking of which, what methods do you think the Magic Congress is using to monitor us?"

Upon hearing this, Kingsley looked up at the roof of the Great Hall, or more precisely, the sky beyond the roof: "I can't think of anything but a dreamcatcher!"

"Dreamcatchers? Can they really make them?"

The world is dynamic, and everything is changing. Change generates information. If the dreamcatcher were used for surveillance, let alone the 300 million square miles of the United States, the amount of information generated every second in just the city of Boston would be enough to overwhelm a wizard's brain.

Lupin couldn't imagine how many people the Magical Congress would need to process so much information.

"Just a guess. I don't know the specifics of how Dreamcatcher works." Kingsley shrugged. "Anyway, to avoid being labeled by the Magical Congress as 'using magic to harm Muggles,' we'll avoid using magic if possible."

Lupin was a little annoyed by this, but he knew he had no choice but to endure it.

"Hopefully the next operation will go smoothly..."

Before Lupin could finish speaking, the crowd parted, and Tonks squeezed through. The girl, chewing gum, greeted the two of them: "What are you talking about?"

"Uh, it's nothing." Lupin quickly changed the subject: "Kingsley and I were talking about the mission, discussing how to make contact with that Muggle named William. You heard him talk about wizards in his speech—"

Before she could finish speaking, Tonks interrupted her, blowing a bubble: "I've already spoken to him."

"what?"

Amidst the dumbfounded expressions of the two middle-aged men, Tonks tiptoed and waved to William, who had gray hair, in the distance.

On the other side, William, who was chatting with another middle-aged politician, also responded with a smile.

Looking at the Muggle's smiling face, and then at the youthful, beautiful, lively and lovely Tonks, Lupin felt as if his heart had been squeezed by an invisible hand!

The Muggle man's face suddenly became repulsive.

Tonks, oblivious to Lupin's unusual expression, said happily, "That Muggle uncle is actually quite nice. I just went to him to ask about wizards and the Purifiers, and he immediately agreed to tell me."

Kingsley quickly asked, "What did you say?"

"According to him, he saw the words 'purgers' and 'wizards' in the budget documents approved by the U.S. Congress, but because there were many people there, he didn't go into too much detail."

Seeing Kingsley's disappointment, Tonks quickly said, "But he gave me his business card and told me to contact him later. He'll try to get me the relevant budget documents."

"..."

Lupin was speechless for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Silly girl, do you really believe him? That budget document is supposed to be a Muggle government secret, right? How could he possibly have access to it? And don't forget, you've only just met!"

"But that's what he said. He also said that he had a lot of classified documents hidden in his house, and the garage was almost full. It wasn't just about wizards and the Purge; there were other classified documents too, including things like Area 51 and aliens..."

Seeing the little witch's enthusiastic expression, Lupin felt as if his heart was being roasted on fire.

"Naive, silly girl... Kingsley, you..."

Lupin was about to call Kingsley to teach Tonks a lesson when he turned around and saw his colleague stroking his chin, gazing thoughtfully at the Muggle named William in the distance.

Lupin was a little dumbfounded: "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Why not?" Kingsley pondered, then said, "You should know that I've worked in the Muggle Prime Minister's office in England. Some politicians really like to take unclassified documents home... This William is not only a presidential candidate, but also the governor of Arkansas and a high-ranking member of the Democratic Party. Perhaps he does have access to real secrets..."

Hearing Kingsley support his view, Tonks was pleased: "Yes, yes, otherwise, how could a Muggle know about the Purifiers?"

Lupin was speechless.

Ignoring his unusual behavior, Kingsley considered for a moment and then said to Tonks, "Regardless of its credibility, this is the closest we can get to the Purge. Have you arranged a time with him to see the documents?"

"Tonight, after the rally ends, he will send someone to pick me up and take me to his residence in Boston!" Tonks replied cheerfully.

Kingsley finally realized something was amiss: "At night? Alone? To his house?"

"yes!"

Kingsley couldn't help but take a step back, looking at Tonks, then at Lupin, and then at the Muggle named William in the distance.

"You can't go alone," Kingsley said, his dark face gradually hardening with a serious expression.

Lupin nodded repeatedly, "Yes, it's very unsafe. Should I go with Tonks?"

"No!"

Kingsley's expression grew increasingly grim: "That would put her in even more danger. Let's go together!"

Lupin: "?"

For some reason, he felt that Kingsley might be harboring some thoughts that offended him...

……

Nymphadora Tonks wasn't happy.

She felt that Kingsley had underestimated her.

Despite being the one who contributed the most to the entire undercover mission, she successfully infiltrated the management of Third Salem while Kingsley and Lupin were still at a loss.

She herself took action and extracted information from that Muggle named William.

Why won't Kingsley allow her to complete the mission independently?

It seems that in his eyes, she will always be a little child who needs protection!

Tonks disliked this feeling, but there was nothing she could do about it, not only because she couldn't beat Kingsley, but also because he was indeed her elder and a good friend of her mother.

However, Tonks did not give in. After she presented the facts and reasoned with him, Kingsley finally agreed by evening to let her go to William's place alone, while he and Lupin secretly followed behind.

Tonks convinced him that if the two of them came along, the other party might not take them home.

"You think I don't know what he's up to? Humph, I can see right through this greasy middle-aged man!"

Tonks dismissively replied to Kingsley's nagging reminders to be careful.

Kingsley didn't say anything more, only glancing at Lupin a few times.

Lu Ping looked completely bewildered.

In fact, he was the one who most opposed Tonks' "adventures," seemingly forgetting that Tonks may look small, but when facing Muggles, she is the stronger one!

.........

"Huh? There's been progress in the investigation?"

In the suitcase space, Vaughn, who was conducting experiments, suddenly received a message relayed by the guardian spirit.

He paused the ritual magic, slightly raised his head, and a wisp of silvery-white light flashed across his pupils.

"William..."

Vaughn paused, stunned, as he watched the middle-aged politician giving a passionate speech, surrounded by a crowd of Muggles, in the image transmitted by the Patronus.

"Long time no see, it's you, Meilianzong!"

After making a casual joke, Vaughn continued to examine the images in his mind. When he heard the words "Purger" and "Wizard" come out of the mouth of the Meilian Sect, Vaughn frowned slightly.

After the video finished playing, Vaughn pondered for a moment, then pulled out his wand and casually turned a blade of grass into a butterfly, releasing it into the outside world.

Soon, Matthew, who had been waiting outside, came in:

"Mr. Weasley?"

"Go and call Mr. Akinbad over; I have something to discuss with him."

"yes!"

Matthew left quickly, not keeping Vaughn waiting long. The portal opened again, and Akinbad walked in. The old wizard seemed to be preparing to rest, wearing a loose-fitting African tribal-style robe, a nightcap, and reading glasses.

As soon as the man entered, he shouted, "That hateful, cunning fellow! He hid in his briefcase and dumped a whole mess on that clueless wolf cub outside. And he couldn't handle it, so this old man has to help him. For Merlin's sake, you'd better really have something important to do, or else I—"

Vaughn tossed a wisp of memory over, and the old wizard's incessant cursing abruptly stopped.

Akimbad pulled a bottle from his satchel and placed the memory inside. It seemed to be an alchemical artifact similar to the Pensieve, capable of recreating memories.

The shrewd and experienced Akinbad wouldn't dare to casually put a memory thrown at him by a memory magic master into his mind.

Who knows if there are any traps inside?

The bottle containing the memories was shrouded in mist. Akinbad peered at the rim for a moment before looking up: "How credible do you think that Muggle politician's words are?"

Vaughn and Tonks shared the same view: "No matter how many percent, the fact that he can utter the word 'Purger' probably means he really knows something about it."

Akinbad pondered.

He recalled Vaughn telling him that the real Purifiers might not exist anymore, and that the strangely behaving so-called "Purgers" in Oliver's memories might just be using a name.

They are essentially a group of "artificial wizards"!

As for who the "artificial wizards" belong to, both men had their own opinions in previous analyses. Arkinbard tended to think they belonged to the Magical Congress, while Vaughn thought they were more likely to be created using Muggle technology, so the "artificial wizards" were backed by Muggles.

Recalling the debate from a few days ago and looking at the memories in the bottle, even though Akinbad was still unwilling to admit it, he had to say that, judging from the behavior of that Muggle politician, Vaughn might be right, and the Muggle was more likely to be right.

Thinking of this, he sighed in frustration: "You called me here, not just to use this memory to verify your ideas, right? What are you planning to do?"

"To be honest, I didn't expect them to actually find anything out," Vaughn chuckled. "I originally thought that Third Salem was just bait they were openly setting up. They created a situation where I played along, and everyone tacitly kept the conflict within a certain range, each buying time for the others..."

(End of this chapter)