Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 230 Framing and Suspicion

Once the conflict becomes public, or even escalates to the point of armed conflict, then it can be said with almost certainty that W

AC is not far from falling apart!

The corpse's contorted face made it impossible for Lupin to recognize it. He then asked, "Who died?"

The people surrounding the bodies remained silent, except for Matthew, who calmly replied, "It was Alexander and Taylor. They died on their way back to the dormitory after get off work. François found them. As for what happened and who the murderer is, we don't know yet."

"I think it's very clear now!"

Before Lupin could ask any further questions, François waved his arms and said loudly.

Lupin then noticed that François was clutching a newspaper, shaking it vigorously. The photos on it, featuring menacing faces, glared angrily at Lupin and everyone else: "Look at this! Look at these interviews! Those native English wizards are clamoring to exterminate us, and they've already done it!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ping's heart skipped a beat. He quickly grabbed the newspaper and looked down to examine it.

The others had obviously already seen it.

"Enough, François!"

Matthew's voice was somber: "You didn't see the killer. When you arrived, all you saw was darkness receding into the distance. No one can prove that the attacker was a native wizard."

"Yes, yes, I didn't see it. Then, Mr. Matthew—" François pointed to the two corpses on the ground, his eyes wide like pebbles: "Can you tell me, who exactly did Alexander and Taylor, who had only been in England for a week, offend, and what deep-seated hatred did they incur to be killed by the Killing Curse?"

He suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present before settling on two werewolf wizards whose faces were a mixture of confusion and grief: "Mir? Bruges? You two were closest to Alexander and Taylor. Tell me, who did they offend to deserve this fate?"

Mil and Bruges, who were named, did not usually have a good relationship with François, but at this moment, it was clearly not the time to worry about past conflicts.

The two thought for a moment and slowly shook their heads: "No, as you said, we just arrived in England and didn't have a single copper nut. We were all busy working and had neither the energy nor the opportunity to meet people outside."

Upon hearing this, the werewolf wizards around him nodded unconsciously; everyone was in a similar situation.

Having received a satisfactory answer, François looked at Matthew again: "Yes, we have absolutely no contact with outsiders. Conflicts, disputes, revenge—excluding these options, does the truth need any further explanation?"

Beside him, Lupin, who had finished reading the newspaper, looked up at the aggressive François and the werewolf wizards around him, whose whispers and murmurs gradually turned into expressions as François pressed him for answers.

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A bad feeling suddenly arose in my heart.

He couldn't help but speak up to dissuade him: "François, there's no clear indication that the attackers were English wizards. The statements in the newspapers are just a tendency, an emotional outpouring. According to your logic, what deep-seated hatred could drive an English wizard to use a vicious, unforgivable curse to attack Alexander and Taylor?"

"Of course!"

François said loudly.

The entire space fell silent for a moment because of his words.

Everyone looked at them with surprise.

François remained unfazed: "Mr. Remus, and my fellow countrymen, are you aware of the shift in public opinion in the newspapers, and why?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, someone finally said, "Didn't the newspaper say that England can't accommodate so many people—"

"Yes, that's certainly a reason, but have you considered that our presence hasn't affected those wizards yet? Since arriving in England, we've followed Mr. Weasley's orders, accepted the WAC's arrangements, and done Muggle work. So far, we haven't had any contact with the English wizarding world at all!"

François paced back and forth, his sharp gaze intimidating: "Normally, public opinion shouldn't be this intense before there's a real threat to the survival of native wizards."

"You mean—someone is deliberately manipulating things behind the scenes?"

Someone in the crowd guessed.

François, having gradually gained the upper hand, nodded slowly: "That's right!"

"Who is it?"

François looked around: "Mr. Weasley's opponent, the dissident against the WAC, the enemy of all werewolves!"

Upon hearing this, Mill and Bruges, who had been singled out earlier, instinctively retorted: "You said it yourself, we haven't even made contact with the English wizarding world, and we haven't threatened their living space, how could that be—"

"What if it already poses a threat?"

François turned around, glared at the two men, and sneered, "I know you're unhappy with Mr. Weasley's decision to take everyone away from North America, but I need to tell you that while you were dissatisfied with him and hostile towards him, he was quietly fighting for our rights!"

"The shift in public opinion, fueled by behind-the-scenes adversaries, certainly didn't start out of thin air. It's because Mr. Weasley is planning to open a werewolf class at Hogwarts, intending to bring our families here so our children can receive a systematic and formal magical education—doesn't that threaten the interests of native wizards?"

Everyone was stunned.

A surprised voice came from the crowd: "Where did you hear that from? How come we didn't know?"

"After arriving in England, you selfishly thought only of yourselves, harboring resentment and prejudice, and did not communicate with your fellow WAC members. Of course, you were unaware of this."

François scoffed, then looked at Matthew, William, Barnald Jr., and the others: "Gentlemen of the committee, tell everyone, is Mr. Weasley pushing for such a plan?"

Under the gaze of those who expressed surprise, unexpectedness, fervor, bewilderment, and other emotions.

The people being questioned slowly nodded: "François is right, Mr. Weasley is working with Dumbledore to establish a werewolf class at Hogwarts!"

The admissions by Matthew and others sparked a wave of discussion among the crowd.

Werewolves are also human beings; their emotions, their attachment to family, and their sense of responsibility are no different from those of humans.

Many people were dissatisfied with leaving North America, not because of any financial gain, but because they couldn't let go of their family, friends, relatives, and especially their children.

This, in turn, leads to anxiety about the future.

Amidst the subtle commotion of surprise and astonishment in the crowd, François's voice grew louder: "But Mr. Weasley's plan is not progressing smoothly, not because he is not trying, but because the resistance is far stronger than he and Dumbledore combined."

"The specific reasons, even if I don't say, you should understand—wild wizards are that kind of group; they both fear and discriminate against us. They don't want their children to come into contact with the offspring of us beasts, even with Mr. Weasley's wolfsbane potion, which ensures that we and our children will no longer go out of control!"

"This fear and discrimination is irrational, because it's essentially a competition for survival. Every werewolf and werewolf wizard that joins us makes the wizards feel they're losing out, so they push public opinion to condemn us. That's why they're clamoring in the newspapers to wipe us out!"

"No, they're not just talking, they've already started doing it. Look at Alexander and Taylor, M."

They are the ones lying on the ground today; who will be lying there tomorrow?

"Or are we supposed to live in constant fear of being attacked and killed, hiding like quails in this apartment building?"

As François roared, Lupin was horrified to see that the crowd's emotions were gradually being stirred up.

The situation is getting increasingly wrong.

Lupin couldn't help but look at Matthew.

But Matthew shook his head slightly at him.

Lupin's initial urge to dissuade them was immediately suppressed. He looked around blankly at the North American werewolves whose emotions were gradually being stirred, and at their originally numb, melancholy, and sullen expressions, which gradually turned into anger and fanaticism as François spoke.

My heart is already ice-cold!

How did things turn out like this?

Not far away, François continued to incite: "—I know we haven't been on good terms before. I and some like-minded people firmly support Mr. Weasley, while some people are actually prejudiced against him. We've had a lot of friction with each other—"

"But that's all in the past. When new, hostile external environments come pressing down on us, we should set aside our prejudices and reform into a cohesive whole, instead of wasting our limited energy on endless internal strife."

"—It is time to put aside prejudice, my fellow countrymen. The enemy's sword is already hanging over our heads. What we must do now is to unite under Mr. Weasley's command and speak out against the attackers, against those who are hostile to us, and express a unified attitude—"

The atmosphere around them became intense.

However, Lupin only felt a chill.

But there was absolutely nothing they could do!

If one person becomes fanatical, it can be stopped, but what if there are dozens or hundreds?

Looking at the bright eyes in the space expanded by the Traceless Stretch Spell, each one either actively or passively gazing fervently at François's face, Lupin couldn't utter a single word.

How so?

Should we ignore the corpses on the ground and go up to them, using words and orders to tell them to calm down?

Stop joking!

At this point, it no longer matters who killed Alexander and Taylor; François has already provided a reason, a seemingly plausible motive.

In particular, he mentioned Vaughn Weasley's plan to start a werewolf class.

This plan gave many werewolves hope for the "future"—

They can bring their relatives and children, have a stable life, and truly gain the hope of a "new life" in a foreign country!

This hope is being shattered by "a group of despicable dissident thugs".

At this moment, no one will be calm and rational. Whatever their true thoughts may be, at least for this moment, no one wants to hear any harsh noise.

In the vast space, the fervent atmosphere quickly spread to those who, like François, supported Vaughan Weasley.

It spread to the original opponents.

Then, even the native English werewolves, as well as the werewolf committee members such as Matthew and William, were swept up in the atmosphere and shouted.

Amidst the cacophony of noise, Lu Ping's body trembled slightly.

Mundungus once said that he was a delicate flower growing in an ivory tower, who had never experienced real hardship and did not understand what grassroots thinking was.

He was very resentful at the time.

I've been tormented by wolf-like behavior for decades and suffered countless hardships. You think I don't understand?

Only now did he realize that he truly did not understand why these people would give up the pursuit of the truth for a small hope, and instead become trapped in extreme emotional outbursts from which they could not extricate themselves!

I don't understand why, given the many suspicious points surrounding the deaths of Alexander and Taylor, people blindly started waving flags and shouting slogans after just being pointed in a certain direction and given a few incited words.

Looking at the faces in the flickering candlelight, which gradually shifted from wavering and hesitant to resolute and fervent.

Lupin was deeply confused.

And fear—

This confusion and fear intensified the next day when François led all the North American werewolves, along with some werewolf wizards from the WAC, to take to the streets and "occupy" Diagon Alley.

It also came to mind for all the wizards who witnessed the procession.

People stared in astonishment as the group that had recently dominated the Daily Prophet's headlines carried two corpses and held wands, completely blocking Diagon Alley.

Their expressions were serious and indignant.

A chilling atmosphere prevailed!

The Aurors who rushed over upon hearing the news barely dared to look at each other, because anyone could tell that this pack of werewolves had become an unstable powder keg.

If not handled properly, it could escalate into the largest and most damaging conflict in the English wizarding world since the downfall of Varian and the destruction of the Death Eaters in 1980!

Early in the morning, the Ministry of Magic, located underground on Whitehall Street, was in a tense atmosphere.

When Arthur arrived at the department using Apparition, the relaxed feeling that usually lingered in the underground hall was clearly gone.

A tense expression appeared on everyone's face, and even the "paper airplanes" that were usually responsible for delivering documents seemed to be moving faster.

Arthur also noticed that everyone who saw him would give him a stiff smile and greet him.

Of course he knew why.

Because of those werewolves in the parade.

Because those guys were his son's subordinates—

"Merlin—hundreds of werewolf wizards are gathered in the street—I have never seen so many wizards standing together!"

"If they get out of control, who can stop them?"

"Aurors—well, the Aurors are completely unstoppable. When I came up from the second floor, I saw that lion throwing a tantrum—he sent all the Aurors he had to the ground, but it's not enough against hundreds of wizards!"

"And our dear minister, he—"

Several passing Ministry of Magic employees were "whispering" loudly around Arthur.

Then, the next second, Arthur heard, "What's wrong, dear Minister? The Minister's office is in the basement."

The room on the upper floor, above the main hall of the plaza, is closest to the ceiling and offers a panoramic view of the entire hall and the public fireplace area.

A huge ribbon hung down from the window of the minister's office, with a full-body image of Cornelius Fudge printed below it.

It was so conspicuous that every employee who came to work through the communal fireplace could see the esteemed minister at first glance.

But today, the photo of "Minister" on the sash completely lacks his usual warm smile.

Its face flushed red, and it glared at everyone.

Above it, through the open window, the real Mr. Cornelius Fudge, his trembling roar contrasting sharply with the disastrous expression on the sash photograph: "—He refused? How dare he—"

The people around them who had just been whispering loudly, along with Arthur, all pricked up their ears to listen to the sounds coming from the minister's office.

A high-pitched female voice, choked with sobs, said, "Vaughn Weasley did say that. He refused your order to intervene and disperse the werewolf procession. He said—he said—"

"What did he say?"

He said school was starting soon, and he needed to pack his luggage and check his homework. He also said—

"Speak!" Fudge roared, his voice cracking.

Umbridge screamed in fright and quickly replied, "Vaughn Weasley also said that what the Ministry of Magic should do is to quickly find out who attacked and killed the two werewolves, catch the murderer as soon as possible, and handle matters related to werewolves fairly, justly, and openly in order to quell the anger, instead of trying to silence public opinion by asking him to do it—"

boom!

The sound of something breaking came from afar.

The minister must have been furious and smashed something again!

Although it wasn't quite appropriate, for a moment, Arthur really felt an urge to laugh—he was already fed up with that idiot Fudge. Any normal person would find it hard to like that bureaucratic guy.

What's more, it was his son who made the other party lose face!

However, there was one thing Arthur was unhappy about: Vaughn had lied. He hadn't seen Vaughn at home before he went to work, so the story about packing and checking homework was clearly a lie. The kid had gone astray!

Just then, he heard the minister's angry roar coming from afar: "Send men, prepare a speedboat, and go to the Burrow to arrest Vaughn Weasley!"

"Minister, he's not at the Burrow; he's currently a guest at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second floor!"

The esteemed Minister Fouché's roar abruptly ceased.

Many people in the square who were eavesdropping chuckled in tacit agreement. Clearly, everyone still remembered the famous scene a few months ago when the Minister was kicked out of the Great Court by Vaughn Weasley's curse.

Arthur was also secretly chuckling, very pleased that his son hadn't lied and was just using an excuse to provoke him. It was good that Vaughn was indeed in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in Amelia Burns' office, and that he and Amelia weren't the only ones present, but also Barty Crouch the Elder and Dumbledore, who was remotely connected in a fireplace burning with blue fairy fire.

The flames crackled, and Dumbledore's voice came from within: "—This has gone too far, my dear. You shouldn't have rejected Fudge's suggestion and let those werewolves march unchecked. Hundreds of wizards are in a state of extreme agitation. It's too dangerous. Any slight disturbance could set them off."

Wearing a purple robe of Wessengamo, Vaughn, who was slumped into the sofa, shrugged slightly: "After all, people have died, Albus. They're convinced that those wizards in the newspapers who clamored to kill all the werewolves were responsible. Now the werewolves are all living in fear. How can I persuade them?"

The flames flickered a few times, and Dumbledore said nothing more.

Amelia walked over, handing the cups of red tea floating beside her to Vaughn and Old Barty, and sighed, "I'd heard from Albus that the werewolves from North America weren't very stable, but I didn't expect something like this to happen—Vaughn, do you have any concrete information? Who exactly is the killer?"

Vaughn shook his head: "There were almost no eyewitnesses at the scene. Lupin went to investigate at dawn. Someone used a wide-range Confusion Charm to disperse all the Muggles, and the remaining magical traces were also disturbed. We can only judge based on the remaining magical fluctuations on the corpses. The attacker was very skilled in the Unforgivable Curse. The two victims were killed by the Killing Curse in one blow."

Hearing this, Amelia felt a headache coming on.

Murders in the wizarding world are usually difficult to solve because killers have many ways to confuse the investigation. In this case, unless the entire wizarding world is investigated, all the wands of suspected wizards are confiscated, and a "rewinding charm" is used to rewind the spells they have recently used.

But that's obviously impossible.

And it's meaningless.

Who says wizards kill with their wands?

Of course, if the time converter were activated, it would be possible to go back in time and see who the murderer really was, but that thing is too risky to use, especially since there is no sign that the real murderer has been revealed, which means that there was no one else at the scene at the time.

In this case, using a time converter would mean changing the past, which would very likely cause irreparable harm.

No one can be held responsible for that possibility.

After thinking for a moment, Amelia asked, "How credible is the story of François, who discovered the body?"

Her expression was normal, as if she were asking a routine question based on clues she already had, and Vaughn's answers were also normal.

He replied casually, "I'm not sure. I've hardly ever interacted with them. Although he claims to be my supporter, who knows what he really thinks?"

"yes----"

Amelia sighed.

Meanwhile, after a moment of silence, Dumbledore changed the subject again, asking Vaughn, "Are you just going to let the parade continue like this?"

Vaughn shrugged: "It's not that I want to let it go. They march to express their demands. I can only restrain them from actively provoking conflict, but I can't forcibly eliminate their ideas and inner drive."

Dumbledore fell silent again.

Amelia also quieted down, lost in thought.

Shortly after, there was a knock on the office door, and an employee told Amelia that Rufus Scrimgeour wanted to speak with her.

With Amelia's departure, Dumbledore also disconnected, bringing the brief meeting to an end.

Only Barty and Vaughn remained in the office.

Old Barty, who hadn't uttered a word since entering the office, flicked his wand, a faint magical fluctuation sweeping across the space. Confirming there was no surveillance magic, he finally spoke softly, "They suspect you!"

Vaughn replied calmly, "I know."