Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 229 The Mastermind Behind Voldemort

As such.

They express their desire to be content with the status quo in a straightforward, subtle, or packaged way.

Frankly, François could partially understand their psychology.

He had similar thoughts when he was in America.

After all, werewolves who are willing to isolate themselves from society and hide in the wilderness are mostly good people in the conventional sense, and good people do have this "weakness" and are more likely to compromise.

Of course, unlike those in England who suffered similar fates, the Magical Congress of America, ruled by pure-bloods, would very mercifully use fire and blood to teach people what reality is!

François was taught a lesson, and his remaining kindness was shattered.

Ultimately, these English folks were too "protected." They had Dumbledore and had even experienced the Dark Lord's rampage.

Yes, in François's eyes, the Black Demon's chaos had a positive effect.

During this time of solitary reflection, considering the history and political changes in the English wizarding world over the past decade, François often felt that the appearance of that mysterious man was almost like a charade with Dumbledore!

One was responsible for inciting the purebloods to unite, the other for wiping them out in one fell swoop, and then redistributing power.

That's obviously a joke.

However, it is undeniable that the rise of the mysterious figure more than a decade ago accelerated the process of pure-blood monopolizing politics in England, while also accelerating the decline of pure-bloods. In particular, after the opponent's defeat and death, the "fair and just" and "reasonable" reckoning reshuffled the power structure and greatly enhanced the vitality of the English magical world.

At least the upward mobility channels at the bottom level still exist to this day.

Several times, François harbored a dark suspicion that the rise of the Mystic might be a result of Dumbledore's deliberate indulgence.

Such thinking is somewhat of a conspiracy theory, but that's normal; isn't America a breeding ground for conspiracy theories?

With a jumble of thoughts swirling in his mind, François went to the public bathhouse to wash up, grabbed a quick bite at a nearby werewolf stall, and headed to his night shift.

He works at a small cannery.

In fact, this type of manufacturing industry is rarely seen in Liverpool today. Although Liverpool is known as one of the eight major industrial cities in England and the second largest trading port, it had already begun to decline in the 50s.

With the decline of the coal mining industry and the hollowing out of the industrial sector, coupled with the manufacturing transformation of the Muggle government in England, this port city, which originally connected Ireland, Europe, and Africa, completely declined in the 70s and could not even maintain its port trade.

It wasn't until the 80s that the city gradually began to develop in the direction of culture and tourism, thanks to football.

Walking down the street, François looked at the dazzling array of bars and clubs and shook his head. England was not a country that could absorb "foreigners".

It's too small, both in Muggle society and the wizarding world.

The limited land area and declining economic situation meant that WAC's original plan to have Muggle society accommodate werewolves was not applicable to these outsiders from North America.

So after they disembarked, they were assigned to Liverpool.

This is a city that has transformed into a service industry, and the basic principle that the werewolves originally followed was to separate themselves from the Muggles and avoid daily contact between them as much as possible.

As a result, they were assigned to this place.

Those like François who can get into factories are a minority. These days, two-thirds of the werewolves from North America have been arranged by WAC to work in bars and clubs as waiters and other service jobs.

This completely violates basic principles.

It is evident that the more than 2000 werewolves in England have, in the past few months, mostly filled the Muggle jobs operated by the WAC.

"—Mr. Weasley's previous desire to expand WAC's North American branch must have been due to the insufficient size of England?"

'

François thought about it and couldn't help but sigh.

Poor Mr. Weasley probably never imagined that the pureblood forces in North America would be so complex, and the situation so dire.

As a result, all their efforts were in vain.

François didn't know whether this setback would have any negative impact on Mr. Weasley, the WAC, or even the werewolves' fate.

He has never been one to sit idly by and wait for his fate, so his proactive analysis of the current situation in England these days is also his way of trying to help Vaughn.

Unfortunately, we haven't found any clues yet.

François arrived at the factory looking dejected. He greeted several werewolves who had also been assigned there, and then silently went to work.

This cannery, established in the 90s, is a property invested in by Wiesengamo, just like the apartment François now lives in, and has a history of over a hundred years.

More than a hundred years is a very long time, even in the magical world where lifespans are generally long.

In the small factory, many things were outdated and decaying, to the point that François suspected its value might not lie in producing canned goods, but rather in the fact that Wissengamo needed such an industry in Muggle society.

The machine creaked and groaned, its monotonous and numb rhythm mirroring François's mood.

This kind of life is absolutely terrible.

François felt that his life was being wasted.

Therefore, he was delighted when Matthew suddenly came to see him late at night, especially when they went to the factory backyard, lit a cigarette, and Matthew explained his purpose: "François, would you be willing to do something for Mr. Weasley?"

As night fell, bars and clubs of all sizes in Liverpool began to close one after another.

"Jim, let's head back now."

Goodnight, Alex!

Alexander changed out of his waiter uniform, said goodbye to his Muggle colleagues in the locker room, and walked out of the Petit Club where he worked. His good friend Taylor was already waiting for him at the door.

The neon lights at the club entrance were flashing. Taylor was leaning against a lamppost by the entrance, flipping through a newspaper in his hand.

Alexander rolled his eyes and walked over: "Damn it, you're reading the Daily Prophet on the streets of Muggle again."

"What are you afraid of? The newspaper is soaked in a confusing agent; the Muggles won't see the photos moving."

"But the confusion potion is not absolutely effective. I've heard that some Muggles, although they haven't awakened magic, still have a certain level of spirituality and can be unaffected by the potion, just like wizards."

"So what?"

Taylor shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.

Taylor is a typical Irishman, with ginger hair, thick eyebrows, and green eyes, making him, who was born in North America, look perfectly at home on the streets of Liverpool.

Similarly, he also seems to have inherited his ancestors' aversion to England.

Alexander sighed: "We're here to live a good life, Taylor. Stop acting like a hedgehog, always looking for ways to provoke us—"

"Enough. You know I never wanted to leave America and come to this shitty place," Taylor said impatiently, then shook the newspaper in his hand and sneered, "Besides, this place might not even welcome us."

Alexander took the newspaper and glanced at it.

The Daily Prophet unsurprisingly published news of North American werewolves entering England, even though it had actually been more than a week since then.

These outsiders even had their jobs arranged for them.

The English wizarding world is so peaceful that news from over a week ago is still dominating the front page.

Of course, there were other reasons as well. This time, Vaughn Weasley brought back hundreds of werewolf wizards from America, a number that far exceeded the capacity of the English wizarding world.

After all, there are only tens of thousands of wizards in all of England.

Such a size is enough to shake up the original social structure of the English wizarding world.

Therefore, the recent follow-up reports in The Daily Prophet are not only because there is no other news to report, but also because the large number of North American werewolf wizards is indeed a common concern among wizards in England.

The newspaper Alexander saw contained articles submitted by some of the wizards, along with interview transcripts.

"—I'm not discriminating against werewolves. In fact, I strongly support Mr. Vaughn Weasley and the WAC. But he's really gone too far this time. I find it hard to imagine how the wizarding world, with only tens of thousands of people, can accommodate these poor souls.—Yes, they are pitiful, but what about us? In normal years, just the annual Hogwarts graduates give the Ministry of Magic a headache, trying to figure out how to accommodate them!"

"—Of course I support Mr. Vaughn Weasley. Some people only notice the risks brought by those North American werewolf wizards entering England, but they fail to notice the opportunities that come with them. Yes, how to settle those werewolf wizards is indeed a problem. After all, if not handled properly, they could very well disrupt the long-standing peace in England. But why don't we think about it from a different perspective? Look, we have several hundred more powerful wizards who have fought their way out of North America!"

The above was relatively rational, but as Alexander continued reading, the published interview transcripts gradually became more and more agitated.

"You ask me what my opinion is? My opinion is that those guys who agreed to the damn North American werewolf invasion are idiots! You let in hundreds of wild beasts!"

"Vaughn Weasley? A fame-seeking, selfish, and unrealistic ambitious man, a sinner of England!"

"The Ministry of Magic should refuse entry to those North American werewolves and expel them all. We have no obligation to take them in. The WAC and Vaughn Weasley are willing to do good deeds, so why should we foot the bill?"

"My opinion has always been this: werewolves should be executed!"

Looking at the increasingly volatile words and the increasingly distorted faces of the interviewees in the photos, Alexander sighed deeply.

Hearing his sigh, Taylor sneered, "See? I told you from the beginning that coming to England with Vaughn Weasley was a mistake. Nobody welcomes a bunch of vagrants into their home."

"Look, we've only been here for a little over a week, and the local wizards are already starting to reject us..."

As time goes on, the more contact we have with the native wizards, the worse this situation will become. Just like those interviews said, our arrival is squeezing the living space of the John Bull natives—Vaughn Weasley is truly malicious.”

Upon hearing this, Alexander, feeling a bit of a headache, instinctively retorted, "Taylor, perhaps Mr. Weasley didn't consider that—"

"Come on!"

Taylor interrupted him: "Are you still dreaming? He's English, doesn't he know this place better than you? Even if he doesn't, doesn't Dumbledore, who's with him, know what the consequences would be if hundreds of wizards immigrated to England?"

"They just overlooked—no, it should be said, the opinion in the Daily Prophet was exactly what Vaughn Weasley wanted to see. Look at us, these poor wretches, far from home, having lost loved ones..."

Friends and familiar surroundings, we arrive in a strange country where we are rejected and met with hostility. How can we survive?

Taylor's laughter grew colder: "We have no other choice but to remain subservient to Vaughn Weasley and the WAC. With that, he easily keeps hundreds of werewolf wizards on his chariot!"

Alexander remained silent.

Taylor's words sounded somewhat like a conspiracy theory, but there was no denying that they made a lot of sense.

Otherwise, he couldn't figure out why Vaughn Weasley insisted on taking them with him, or rather, what value did these reclusive werewolf wizards have besides their magic and fighting prowess that made them worth being coerced.

The two walked back to their dormitory, one after the other.

Taylor was still talking about Vaughn Weasley's insidious methods, while Alexander remained deep in thought, a hint of worry in his eyes.

He sensed the danger.

It has both external and internal aspects.

The outside world's opinions, which he had just seen in the newspapers, made him even more pessimistic about the future of this group of North American werewolves.

Internally, there is a dissatisfaction and hatred towards Vaughn Weasley, just like Taylor is right now!

He, Taylor, and some werewolves were originally dissatisfied with leaving their homeland, which is why they subconsciously banded together, but that dissatisfaction did not escalate into hatred.

Their initial motivation for banding together was simply to hope that one day, if the situation in America improved and became more peaceful, they would be able to ask Mr. Weasley for permission to return home.

But for some reason, the dissatisfaction changed, like a fermenting colony of bacteria.

Taylor, Mill, Bruges, Anne—many of his familiar friends—began to become hostile towards Vaughn Weasley and his supporters.

This team of several hundred people naturally split into two factions.

Those who support it, and those who oppose it.

There are no centrists.

Alexander didn't understand why everyone had gone to such extremes. He knew that many people on the side supporting Vaughn Weasley didn't actually identify with him; they just didn't dare to express their opposition to Vaughn Weasley.

Similarly, within their opposition, there weren't many who hated Vaughn Weasley; many, like him, were simply dissatisfied and wanted to go home.

Unfortunately, neither faction can tolerate dissent anymore; to not support them is to oppose them!

The current state of division deeply worries Alexander, especially given the current external public opinion. The rejection of local wizards will further exacerbate the centrifugal tendencies of the opposition, while also strengthening the centripetal force of the supporters.

Alexander could almost foresee the terrible consequences that would ensue when the hatred in the hearts of opponents like Taylor accumulated to a certain degree and then erupted.

And what kind of disputes will those who support Vaughn stir up when their antipathy for the opposition reaches a certain level?

Sadly, however, he couldn't think of any way to bring everyone back to their senses.

When a person is controlled by their emotions, don't expect them to "wake up," because you can't wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Just like Taylor, who was walking in front of him at this moment.

"—Just watch, Alex. Our situation will only get worse. Today we can walk safely on the streets, but I dare say it won't be long before we outsiders are attacked by the native wizards—"

It's all Vaughn Weasley's fault!

Taylor was talking incessantly and seemed very excited.

He clutched the newspaper tightly in his hand.

Perhaps when he gets back to the dorm, he'll gather the werewolves who share his hatred for Vaughn Weasley, then spread his views to them and stir up their emotions.

Alexander was somewhat confused.

Although he was unhappy with Vaughn forcing them to come to England, he also didn't want this "new life" to be the way he was.

He couldn't help but urge, "Taylor, I hope you'll think about it again. You've witnessed his magic; you should know we're not—"

His words were interrupted again.

In the dim streetlights, he saw the contours of Taylor's facial muscles tremble slightly: "Of course I know he's powerful, Alex, but who says we have to risk going against him? No one in this world can please everyone. As long as a person is alive, there will always be enemies and opponents—"

"And our dear Mr. Weasley has quite a few enemies in England!"

Taylor wore a smug smile.

Alexander was somewhat surprised and was about to say something when his gaze swept across the quiet streets late at night. Suddenly, he paused and stopped in his tracks.

"Um?"

Noticing his unusual behavior, Taylor stopped as well: "Alex, you..."

"Shh!"

Alexander, his expression serious, gestured for him to be quiet, then frowned and said softly, "Didn't you feel it?"

"What?"

"It's very quiet!"

"What's the big deal? It's late at night."

"In other cities, it's normal to be this quiet late at night, but this is Liverpool, and many bars and clubs have just closed up —"

Taylor's sneer stopped abruptly.

Yes, he almost forgot that this is a city known as an entertainment hub that never sleeps!

He slowly turned around and looked at the street stretching out into the darkness. Like many cities in England and America, the street had terrible sanitation and was littered with garbage.

A humid sea breeze blows, and plastic bags flutter in the air, swaying in the dim light of the streetlights and reflecting dappled patterns of light.

Beyond the road, the shadows of buildings, along with the darkness of the night, resembled collapsing mountains or boundless seas.

They were heavy and crowded.

They're closing in!

Yes, they saw it with their own eyes; the darkness seemed to come alive, squeezing out the light from the streetlights, squeezing out the air, and squeezing out the floating garbage.

They pressed in from all directions!

"Damn it!"

Taylor roared, yanking his wand out and unleashing a blinding light as he shouted, "See! I knew it! Those damned, despicable Englishmen, they've made their move!"

Darkness, like a surging tide, like billowing clouds, covered everything.

Alexander, who also unleashed a glowing spell in an attempt to dispel the darkness, felt as if his magic, his raised wand, had struck an iron plate and been buried in the deep sea.

In just a moment, the light went out.

His raised arm shrank back to his chest under the immense pressure. He still wanted to resist, but the next second, the dense darkness completely engulfed him.

In the final moments of his slumber, he saw a glimmer of green light in the direction Taylor was in, a place also shrouded in darkness.

"Avada—Kedavra!"

Accompanying the evil incantation was Taylor's faint, distant, and hollow scream—

Late at night in Liverpool, Lupin was awakened by angry shouts from the dormitory area.

When he hurriedly dressed and rushed downstairs following the sound, the first floor of the apartment building, which was temporarily housing North American werewolves, was already crowded with werewolf wizards in a room that had been enchanted with a smudgeless stretching spell.

Some people crowded into the room, while many more stood under the window and in the hallway.

They looked into the room with different expressions.

-

A roar erupted from inside the house: "—Shameless, despicable attack! This is war!"

Lupin recognized the voice; it was François, a North American werewolf wizard who was close to Matthew and a strong supporter of Vaughn.

What happened?

Why is he so angry?

Lupin squeezed into the crowd somewhat flustered. He noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the North American werewolf wizards he had pushed aside, but he didn't yet understand why.

Finally, he managed to squeeze into the room!

The room, which had been enchanted with a spell that allowed it to stretch without leaving any space, was packed with people. Only in the center of the room was there a small, spontaneously cleared space.

In the open space, there were several people he recognized: Matthew, William, and Barnald Jr.

And François, they formed a small circle.

Everyone looked very solemn, so solemn that the air seemed to freeze!

Lupin struggled to squeeze in, and then he finally understood why the atmosphere was so heavy, and why François was roaring—

Two distorted corpses lay on the open ground.

The lingering waves of evil magic vibrated across the surface of the corpse; those waves were so familiar.

"The Killing Curse—"

"What happened?"

Lu Ping asked instinctively.

Upon seeing the two corpses and sensing the traces of the Killing Curse remaining on them, combined with the earlier roar of François, his subconscious guess was that the opposition within the North American werewolves had actually made a move.

That would undoubtedly be a terrible thing.

If the North American werewolves were to completely split and turn against each other, it would not be a good thing for either Vaughn or WAC.

It will deal a huge blow to the unity process of the entire werewolf pack. After all, WAC was able to develop entirely because the werewolves were united under a common goal.

This unity suppressed dissenting voices, strengthened the convictions of the swingers, and molded the werewolves into a cohesive whole, rallying under Mr. Vaughn Weasley's command, leaving no room for external hostility.