Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 225 Vaughn: Albus, wanna give it a try?

"Snapped!"

Vaughn snapped his fingers lightly.

In the restaurant, on a level inaccessible to the Muggle eye, ripples spread through the space, and a smooth sphere quietly emerges from the shadows beneath the dining table.

Vaughn took a sip of his juice, glanced at Dumbledore across from him—whose expression was shifting between light and shadow as he sensed the sphere—and chuckled, “The ‘Dimensional Gate’ isn’t just for teleportation; its unique form can also be used for defense—this is a method I’ve just developed these past few days after encountering Wilkinson. Want to give it a try?”

He wasn't being deliberately mysterious; the "dimensional gate" can indeed be defended against.

Moreover, the effect is extremely strong.

After all, its essence is a distorted spacetime membrane, which erases the wrinkles on the path of an object sliding in spacetime, making it "flat" and "smooth", shortening the distance and realizing "teleportation" in space.

Therefore, all we need to do is reverse the process and make the smooth and flat teleportation channel of the "Dimensional Gate" full of "wrinkles" and ruggedness.

In that case, the attack can be neutralized by increasing the distance!

Dumbledore didn't understand the underlying principles, but he knew Vaughn and knew that the other man wasn't one to boast.

Therefore, the old wizard's immense magical power fluctuated briefly before quickly returning to calm.

He picked up his favorite sherry, shrugged as if nothing had happened, and continued the previous topic: "Do you know where the secret room is?"

Vaughn drank his juice and didn't answer.

Dumbledore sighed helplessly, "Alright, the principle of equivalent exchange. What do you want?"

Vaughn finally spoke: "Do everything in your power to get the werewolf class together!"

It really was this!

Dumbledore put down his glass, pinched the bridge of his nose, and Vaughn deliberately steered the conversation towards the Chamber of Secrets. This was partly because he was now powerful enough to be fearless, and partly because he had the intention of making a deal.

This guy never lets himself be taken advantage of!

After a moment of silence, Dumbledore finally agreed: "Very well, I will do my best to persuade Wizengamor and the pure-blood families on the Board of Trustees who are inclined towards me—this will require a lot of exchange, and I'm not sure if your secret information is sufficient to achieve an equivalent exchange!"

The old fox smiled.

Vaughn knew that dealing with the werewolf class was indeed difficult.

Dumbledore's statement that a lot of benefits would be needed was not an exaggeration. Purebloods are the group most opposed to werewolves, and it would indeed require a considerable sacrifice to get them to risk having their children or even heirs attacked by werewolves.

At the very least, their gains should be enough to offset the risks.

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Vaughn revealed some information: "Have you investigated how Tom murdered Myrtle?"

Not understanding why he asked that, Dumbledore pondered and said, "Of course I investigated. I personally came into contact with Myrtle's body back then—that poor girl, she died in an instant, and later she became a ghost. I also asked her, but she was very sensitive about her death and also harbored resentment towards us—"

As he spoke, Dumbledore became somewhat melancholic.

He didn't blame Moghan for hating them; after all, she had been bullied and had secretly gone to the bathroom to cry before being attacked and killed.

Essentially, the disastrous consequences were caused by the dereliction of duty by these professors and principals, who failed to properly handle the relationships and problems among students.

Of course, that was 50 years ago, and even now, the sadness doesn't last long. Dumbledore quickly recovered and looked at Vaughn: "Back then, I suspected that Aragog couldn't have killed Myrtle. She didn't have the venom of the Octopod Spider. I was more inclined to believe that she was afflicted with a curse I didn't understand—"

He stopped, his eyes full of questions as he looked at Vaughn.

After all, the fact that Vaughn raised this question most likely means that his judgment back then was wrong, and that Myrtle might not have been killed directly by Tom using some obscure curse.

Sure enough, he saw Vaughn speak, saying, "It's a basilisk!"

This is a very old term.

So old that it almost seems like a myth or legend, hidden in distant memories, that it takes a long time to unearth it.

Dumbledore stared blankly for a long while before a look of realization dawned on his eyes. His white beard trembled slightly as he murmured, "Yes, yes, that explains it—the Basilisk, a bizarre, powerful, and uncontrollable monster. Legend says that any life that comes into direct contact with its gaze will instantly perish. But because it only obeys Parsley's commands, no one has bred such a monster for centuries—not even the most wicked dark wizards would want to. After all, who would want to create a monster that can kill them and that they cannot control?"

Then, as if remembering something, his gaze fixed intently on Vaughn: "So, the Basilisk is in the secret chamber? Fifty years ago, Tom released it, killed Myrtle, and then—"

Vaughn nodded and continued, "Then Tom locked it back up, and it's still there!"

Dumbledore took a slight breath, still shaken.

Although he had always known that a part of the ancient Hogwarts Castle was not under his control, nor under the control of any of the successive headmasters.

They belonged to the castle's original owners, the four giants.

But he never imagined that Slytherin, one of the four great leaders, would hide such a terrifying monster in the castle!

Is it true that the four leaders parted ways due to ideological differences, and that Slytherin eventually returned to Hogwarts Castle on his own, leaving behind the legend of the Chamber of Secrets where he intended to kill all the "Mudbloods"?

Dumbledore wasn't quite able to accept it.

Despite Gryffindor's long-standing tradition of hostility towards Slytherin, Dumbledore wondered how a legendary wizard like the Four Great Wizards could have such narrow-minded thoughts.

In contrast, Vaughn didn't seem surprised, as if he had guessed what Vaughn was thinking. Vaughn said calmly, "Your views don't represent universal values, Albus. What level a wizard can reach has nothing to do with his morality. Even a madman like Tom can become a legendary wizard!"

Dumbledore:

'

He makes a very good point.

I have indeed fallen into the trap of preconceived notions.

He opened his mouth, about to ask something else, when Vaughn, who had just taken a bite of grilled meat, put down his knife and fork with a hint of disgust.

Today's main course is French Le Cordon Bleu pork chop, which is a pork chop filled with blue cheese!

He's a devil!

He completely lost his patience, casually untied his napkin, and complained, "I should have known better. Your taste in candy alone shouldn't have given me any expectations of your food—that's enough for today!"

With that, Vaughn snapped his fingers, and the spherical object under the table disappeared silently, then reappeared behind the curtain.

At the same time, Vaughn shook his wand, and strange magical fluctuations quickly spread out, covering the entire restaurant.

It's a confusion spell.

He made it impossible for the Muggles around him to notice his abnormality.

Turning to look at the Muggles around him who were affected by the magic, Dumbledore sighed and reminded them, "My dears, you are not allowed to cast spells during the summer vacation."

Have you ever followed this rule?

"————Haha!" Dumbledore suddenly laughed. Of course, he had never followed the rules. Gryffindors never liked to follow the rules, and he was no exception.

So he didn't stop Vaughn, much less prevent him from leaving. Just before Vaughn retreated into the dimensional portal, he said, "I'll start lobbying soon, but you'll have to cooperate yourself—your media resources, old Crouch's political influence—"

His last sentence was quite meaningful.

This is clearly an allusion to the younger generation of wizarding families that Vaughn has gathered in North America, the Travers branch that has completely sided with him, and the wizards who were swayed by public opinion and cheered for Vaughn in the newspapers during the previous hype.

Yes, in Dumbledore's view, a new political force had formed around Vaughn.

Moreover, it has considerable influence.

Vaughn said nothing, took a step back, and his figure was immediately "swallowed" by the sphere, leaving only the words, "I understand—", before disappearing.

Soon, he and the sphere disappeared.

In the Muggle restaurant affected by the Confusion Charm, no one noticed his abrupt disappearance, nor did anyone find it strange that Dumbledore, an old man, occupied a table with two dishes.

All they could see was the old man in his strange pajamas, cutting open a steak, picking up a piece, dipping it in the thick blue cheese oozing from the steak, and stuffing it into his mouth while muttering, "It's delicious, smelly, spicy, and satisfying—sigh, but it still gives me a headache. How am I supposed to convince those pure-blood families?"

Not long after, the old wizard also disappeared, along with all the food on the table.

But no Muggles noticed, as if everything was perfectly normal.

In the evening, Ron wandered around the Burrow for quite a while before finally finding Harry on the steps of the pond in the garden outside.

The boy, clutching his schoolbag and bathed in the glow of the sunset, stared blankly at the pond rippling gently in the breeze.

"Hey Harry, what's wrong?"

Ron called out from afar.

Harry hurriedly stuffed a notebook into his bag before turning around and giving him a stiff smile: "No, nothing, is something wrong, Ron?"

"Vaughn is back. Dinner will be ready soon. Mom told me to call you."

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there!"

Sensing the tension in Harry's voice, Ron glanced at him questioningly, but said nothing, simply waved and left.

Watching Ron's figure disappear behind the bushes, Harry looked down at his bag, and at the notebook under the open zipper of his backpack.

His expression was unpredictable!

When Harry returned to the Burrow, the crooked house was already lit up.

The soft, warm candlelight shone from the only somewhat orderly floor of the humble dwelling, reflecting the candlelight on the reeds near and far, and the afterglow of the fiery clouds on the distant horizon, swaying in the breeze.

Clutching his schoolbag, Harry pushed open the door and immediately heard Mr. Weasley shouting, "—That fool Malfoy! He actually went to the Ministry of Magic to complain about me, trying to put pressure on the Auror's office to make the punishment harsher. I can only say he picked the wrong target. Scrimgeour doesn't tolerate him. That old lion coldly banished Malfoy from the office, everyone saw it, and Malfoy? He didn't dare utter a single harsh word, coward—"

"Arthur!"

Molly roared.

Mr. Weasley quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, dear, I shouldn't have sworn in front of the children, you know, I was just too angry—"

Harry cautiously entered the living room.

In the brightly lit living room, the Weasley family was all present. Percy, as usual, sat by the window, holding a book and listening intently.

The twins lazily huddled around him, playfully fidgeting and whispering excitedly to each other.

Mr. Weasley sat on the sofa facing the fireplace, Ron behind him, and opposite him, Vaughn and Ginny Weasley.

When the little girl saw Harry come in, her face turned bright red, and she quickly snuggled into her brother Vaughn's arms.

Harry was a little embarrassed. He had already heard from Ron that Ginny used to love hearing the story of Harry Potter defeating the Dark Lord and had always admired him.

But Harry knew that it was not he who defeated the Dark Lord, but his mother.

At the beginning of the year, a remnant of the Dark Lord's soul "resurrected" in Professor Quirrell's body. He was completely overwhelmed by the opponent, and it was only after Vaughn intervened that he was defeated.

Besides, the story features him at age 1.

Undeniably, Harry did become arrogant for a while when he first enrolled because of his "savior" title, but he became much more sober after the Quirrell incident.

Therefore, he felt particularly uncomfortable when faced with praise and admiration from others.

Besides, Vaughn was sitting on the sofa facing this way.

Upon seeing Vaughn, a flood of thoughts rushed through Harry's mind, leaving him unsure of what expression to make.

He just stared blankly, then Vaughn, who had also noticed him, smiled and greeted him, "Hey, Harry!"

Hearing Vaughn's greeting, Arthur turned around enthusiastically. From the kitchen, Molly, who was cooking with her wand in hand, also poked her head out: "Harry, darling, come in quickly. Do you want to come and see the kitchen? Vaughn went to the Chinese supermarket and bought a lot of Eastern ingredients. You're in for a treat today, kid."

"Of course, madam!"

Harry was more than happy to oblige, so he quickly forced a stiff smile and dashed into the kitchen.

Watching Harry's hasty retreat, Vaughn smiled slightly, but instead of provoking him further, he talked to his father about how to deal with Malfoy.

"You can't solve anything with fists, Dad, against someone like Lucius Malfoy."

Vaughn said calmly, "He can use his status and power to find ways to cause you trouble, so why can't you use your power to cause him trouble?"

Having been a slacker for decades since joining the Ministry of Magic, Arthur was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this: "My power? What power do I have? The Department for Prohibiting the Misuse of Muggle Items has no jurisdiction over Malfoy—"

"Dad, have you forgotten the proposal I had you submit before summer vacation to search for and confiscate dark magic items?"

"Uh—of course I remember, but I was only one of the proposers of that motion; it wasn't within my scope of responsibility."

"Dark magic items are certainly not within your jurisdiction, but what about Muggle items? You could easily propose another bill for the search and confiscation of Muggle items for misuse, and then use that as a pretext to cause trouble for the Malfoy family!"

Upon hearing this, Arthur chuckled: "How could that be, Vaughn? The Malfoys are one of the most stubborn pure-blood families; how could they possibly possess Muggle items!"

Vaughn remained calm: "Who says there won't be? Dad, what was the original purpose of establishing the Muggle Misuse Prohibition Division?"

Arthur didn't understand why his son asked that, but he still answered, "It's to prevent wizards from arbitrarily modifying everyday items, causing those things to flow into Muggle society and violate the Law of Secrecy."

Vaughn continued, "So, what defines 'everyday items'?"

"certainly--

'

Arthur, who was about to answer, suddenly stopped.

Yes — what defines everyday items?

Before he could think it through, Vaughn had already fired off a series of questions: "Take our house as an example, aren't plates everyday items? A full-length mirror? A clock? And if we broaden the scope a bit, aren't the planks used to build the house? The roof tiles?"

"These things are all very ordinary, and they can easily be transformed into magical items by wizards who seek convenience in life. At the same time, their shape, function, and purpose are almost indistinguishable from those in Muggle society, making them the most likely to flow into Muggle society. Thinking about it this way, Dad, don't you have a lot to manage?"

"Uh—" Arthur was a little stunned.

The other Weasley children in the living room were also stunned.

Percy, who had always been obsessed with power, had a strange look in his eyes. He stopped reading and his ears were practically perked up like donkey ears.

The twins stopped whispering and started shouting, "Merlin's socks, George, so our dad doesn't actually clean up the trash!"

"Yes, Fred, it's incredible."

Even Ron gasped in surprise. Although he quickly covered his mouth, his wide eyes still darted between his father and Vaughn, a hint of excitement in them.

Ignoring his brothers' reactions, Vaughn simply said to Arthur, "Father, you actually have a lot of power. If you want, with the Secret Code as your backing, you can do a lot of things, and the entire wizarding world can be brought under your control."

This title carries too much weight.

Even a salted fish like Arthur, who was heavy, started panting heavily.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. After a brief moment of excitement, he shook his head: "In the wizarding world today, who doesn't have those everyday items you mentioned? This suggestion is pushing all wizards to the opposite side—no, this kind of behavior absolutely cannot be done; it's an overreach and an abuse of power!"

Upon hearing this, Vaughn shrugged and smiled, "Dad, have you forgotten why I came up with this idea? We don't need to escalate it; we're just targeting the Malfoy family and causing them some trouble!"

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Arthur was somewhat tempted.

After hesitating for a while, Arthur finally couldn't resist the temptation to cause trouble for Malfoy—which was understandable, since although the Weasleys had completely defeated Malfoy in the fight a couple of days ago, the subsequent punishment, as Molly said, was just too humiliating.

It was Malfoy who came looking for trouble, so why has it become my fault?

Arthur grew increasingly indignant. After a moment's hesitation, he looked awkwardly at Vaughn: "Hey kid, what do you think we should do? Like you arranged last time, propose a bill in the ministry, and then get Amelia and old Crouch to support me?"

He had already gone through this process once before, so he was quite familiar with it.

But to everyone's surprise, Vaughn shook his head: "Of course not, Dad. The last proposal was aimed at dark magic items. That's politically correct in the wizarding world. No wizard would openly oppose it, so no one would stop us from proposing the proposal directly."

"This time is different. Muggle items aren't as sensitive as Dark Magic items. Submitting a proposal rashly will only lead to the situation you're worried about—which wizard doesn't have plates and cutlery at home? Which wizard hasn't tried casting spells on these things?"

"Investigating and confiscating them will only provoke public outrage, so we need to define the scope of 'everyday' items that need to be confiscated, such as—antiques!"

Upon hearing this, Arthur's eyes immediately lit up.

Right!

Antiques in the magical world are indeed a major area of ​​violation of the Secrets Act.

Especially pure-blood families, they generally have a long history, and many families have ancestors who held high positions in Muggle society. For example, the Malfoy family was once an aristocratic family.

These pure-blood families preserved many works of art from Muggle society before the Law of Secrecy was enacted. After all, there is little difference between wizards and Muggles in terms of aesthetics and appreciation of art.

At the same time, the decline of some pure-blood families was inevitable over a long period of time. Once a family declines, it is only natural for antiques to be lost.

"And then?" Arthur asked impatiently.

Vaughn continued to offer advice: "Then, it's about building public opinion. To avoid escalating the situation as much as possible, it's best not to mention the bill right away. After all, many wizards don't really understand the impact of magical items on Muggles. You can choose one or two examples to popularize the relevant concepts and get everyone to empathize."

"For example, a Muggle family bought an antique painting, but the painting was cursed. Every night, the people in the painting would come out and harass and frighten the poor Muggle family. They eventually broke down in fear." Vaughn made up a story on the spot, inspired by a supernatural horror movie he had seen in a previous life.

It tells the story of how a painting inhabited by a vengeful spirit gradually drove the brother and sister who bought it insane, ultimately leading to their suicide.

The atmosphere was very scary.

It scared Ron half to death; even the freckles on his face turned white.

So much so that when Harry had to come out of the kitchen and sit down next to him at mealtime, he was startled by his deathly pale face.

"Oh my god, what's wrong, Ron?"

Ron glanced weakly at Vaughn and said to Harry, "Now I understand why you've been avoiding him these past few days. If I were you, I would have stayed far away too."

"?"

'

Harry was confused, but he really didn't want to get close to Vaughn for the time being.

On the one hand, he was afraid that the other party would discover his secret.

On the other hand, it's also because of the laptop—

Today, Vaughn purchased the ingredients, and Molly was in charge of cooking the delicious Eastern cuisine. It was indeed very lavish. According to Vaughn, it involved several different Eastern cuisines—although Harry didn't know what a cuisine was.

The Weasleys enjoyed their meal, and even the troubled Harry temporarily forgot his worries.

Of course, the troubles are always there.

After dinner, as Harry returned to Ron's bedroom to rest, worries once again crept into his mind.

Pulling the thin blanket over his head, Harry recited the glow-in-the-dark spell. Using the dim light, he opened his notebook, hesitated for a moment, and wrote down a line:

[Perhaps Vaughn really did spy on me—in fact, I didn't feel it, but I feel he didn't necessarily have malicious intent—]

The writing quickly disappeared, and when it reappeared, the jumbled letters formed two short phrases:

【Really?】

What if I told you that there are traces of his magic within you?