Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 276 The Cold-Blooded Vaughn

That was the first time Matthew had ever felt such profound fear simply by standing before someone and sensing their emotions.

The fear wasn't because the other person was so cold-blooded or cruel, but because that person simply didn't possess any of those qualities—positive emotions, negative emotions—none of them existed.

It's like suddenly being lifted off the ground and falling into deep space; a vast, endless emptiness arises from this, and so does fear.

Knock knock—

The sudden knocking snapped Matthew out of his reverie. He snapped back to reality and refocused his gaze to see an owl perched outside the window, pecking at the glass with its beak.

Matthew paused for a moment, then grabbed his wand and waved it. The window opened automatically, and the owl flew in with a sharp hoot, kicking Matthew's teacup away with one claw. It then landed aggressively in front of him, hiding the claw that was clearly bound with a letter under its body, and staring at him with its round eyes.

With a few twitches at the corner of his mouth, Matthew had no choice but to get up and fetch the specially prepared owl snacks, placing a whole box of snacks in front of her.

Only then did the incredibly temperamental owl extend her claws, gesturing for Matthew to quickly retrieve the letter.

"1

Forget it, don't bother arguing with animals.

Matthew silently comforted himself, put on a stern face, fed Zhu Weiqiong a few pieces of dried rat meat, fulfilling his "etiquette," before starting the text message.

The note was small and contained little information. Matthew read it quickly and then burned it.

Zhu Weiqiong quickly finished her snacks, flapped her wings and flew away, and the room returned to silence. In the atmosphere where time seemed to stand still, Matthew sat there for a long time.

"Oh!"

He suddenly gave a cryptic laugh.

The short message he burned could be summarized in just a few words:

Once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked!

Vaughn Weasley, his new master, was indeed as unfathomable and unfathomable as he had felt when they first met.

He could have ordered François to kill Alexander and Taylor, and incite the separatists in the North American werewolf pack to lead a rebellion, simply because of the statement "we need to get them moving so that we can distinguish friend from foe."

Now, the fate of separatists can be casually pronounced in a letter simply because "the honeymoon period is coming to an end."

That's so cruel!

However, wasn't it precisely because of the lofty and ruthless nature of the respected Mr. Weasley that he decided to follow him?

Matthew felt that he was probably mentally ill. He was not afraid of Mr. Weasley's ruthlessness and viciousness. On the contrary, he was actually very excited under his calm exterior.

Like a loyal yet bloodthirsty vicious dog.

He didn't like guarding the house; only when his master ordered him to bite someone did the bulging bloodline make him feel alive.

"Hand over the killer!"

"Respond to our demands!"

"Let's bring our loved ones!"

On the narrow streets of Diagon Alley, the slogans went from being chanted in unison to being sparse and scattered. Another day has passed, and today's march is nearing its end.

Having completed their day's tasks, the North American werewolves orderly handed their banners and posters to their leader. A female werewolf in her thirties, looking somewhat worried, glanced at both sides of the street and asked the leader, "John, how much longer are we going to march? Still no word from the committee?"

The John she mentioned, whose full name is John Mill, is a middle-aged man who leads the marching procession in London.

Upon hearing her question, John Mill followed her gaze and looked at the people dressed as wizards who were loitering on both sides of the street, watching from the sidelines.

He knew what she was worried about.

As time went by, the Ministry of Magic continued to evade the protests by North American werewolves, and C failed to take any effective measures to urge the Ministry to resolve the dispute.

During the ongoing stalemate, some conservative forces in the English magical community who opposed werewolves noticed the shift in the wind and gradually began to rise up.

Moreover, it is developing very rapidly.

Initially, those people were just playing with words in the newspapers with wizards who supported werewolves, but now, more than a month later, more and more conservative wizards are appearing at the North American werewolf marches and protests.

They haven't done anything yet, but who can guarantee that those people won't make any moves? The shift from online to offline indicates that some uncontrollable situations are brewing.

Many of the North American werewolves who participated in the march and demonstration noticed something amiss.

Many people participate in the march simply to fight for their legitimate rights; not everyone is willing to risk escalating the conflict and turning the march into an uncontrolled clash.

That would actually be bad for werewolves.

John Mill did not answer the female werewolf's question, but simply comforted her, "Anna, don't worry, we're working on it."

To soothe the unease in a formulaic way, John Mill saw everyone off onto the Knight Bus, watched them drive away, and then glanced at the wizards still reluctant to leave along the streets of Diagon Alley.

He pulled down his hood, turned into a complicated alley, and after a few transformation spells, he appeared with a different look, brushed past the two wizards who were chasing him, and walked into Knockturn Alley.

Flip-Flop Alley is dangerous, but for someone like him who hides his face, it's actually a safe place.

John Mill dismissed three witches who approached him, peddling dark magic items; two thieves; and four furtive men dressed as dark wizards.

Arriving at Bokin-Bok, deep within Knockdown Alley.

This is a historic shop, famous throughout England for selling all sorts of strange and unusual alchemical items, and even items of black magic.

However, John Mill was not there to buy or sell anything.

Pushing open the door, the crisp sound of the doorbell woke up Mr. Bojin, the shop owner who was dozing behind the counter. He was an old wizard with a hunched back, greasy hair, and a tone as greasy as his hair.

The other party was one of the owners of the Burkin-Bock store; John Mill had heard that there was another owner, Mr. Burke.

But he had never seen it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Borkin." John Mill bowed to the shopkeeper.

Mr. Bokin, however, looked away as if he had seen something he disliked. He didn't even bother to speak, and lazily pointed to a downward staircase deep inside the shop before stopping.

John Mill clenched his fist and then relaxed it.

"Thank you, Mr. Borgin." He maintained his politeness, as an outsider, he dared not offend a guy who dared to openly open a shop selling dark magic items.

Even though he is not entirely without support in the English magical world now.

John Mill walked past shelves filled with all sorts of strange and unusual items and went down the stairs into the basement. The basement windows were covered, and it was pitch black, so he couldn't see anything.

But John Mill knew that someone was hiding there.

Because this wasn't the first time he had met the other party.

Sure enough, as John Mill descended the last step of the stairs and entered complete darkness, a voice rang out in the darkness: "Good afternoon, Mr. Mill."

"Greetings, Mysterious Gentleman—"

"No, I'm not fine at all, I feel terrible!" Mr. Mystery interrupted John Mill, his deep voice echoing in the quiet basement: "You're just going through the motions, dear Mill. These past few days, the procession you led hasn't done anything drastic, hasn't escalated the conflict between werewolves and wizards. On the contrary, you've been as amicable as if you were doing business, Mill. This isn't what we agreed on!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Mystery, there's a reason for this. Please hear me out, Vaughn Weasley—"

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Mill. We were willing to contact you because you promised to help us thwart Vaughn Weasley's scheme, to use intense conflict to force C into the opposite side of the wizarding world, to make the wizards hate it, resist it, and even dismantle it. But it's been more than a month and you haven't made any progress. This makes it hard for us to trust you anymore."

Although Mr. Mystery spoke very rudely, John Mill was neither angry nor anxious.

The fact that the other party is willing to come today means there is still room for discussion. If the other party is truly "very disappointed" or "finds it hard to trust again," then they wouldn't have come today.

He didn't give up on "arguing" and patiently said, "I haven't forgotten my promise, esteemed Mr. Mystery, but I need time, I need an opportunity, and even more so, I need your actual support. A group as large as the North American werewolves, with hundreds of werewolf wizards, cannot be decided unilaterally by any one person. Many people have different ideas and concerns."

"Actual support? Concerns?" The mysterious man seemed puzzled, drawing out his words.

"Yes," John Mill said calmly. "I know your strength and power, and I trust you. But others are different. Their demands for the march may be an excuse, but they are also their concerns and urgent needs."

"They fear that if the conflict escalates, they will truly face a purge by the English magical community, and they are even more afraid of never being able to reunite with their loved ones again. This fear of an uncertain future and their longing for family cannot be persuaded by me with just a few words. Mr. Mystery, your side must take concrete actions and offer benefits to resolve their concerns and fulfill their wishes before things can move forward!"

After he finished speaking, an awkward silence fell over the basement.

After a long pause, John Mill heard the mysterious man's response: "Are you threatening us?"

"No, it's a discussion, and it's also a mutually beneficial arrangement. You need our help to intervene in C, and we also need you to solve some practical difficulties. This is clearly a win-win cooperation, so how can it be called a threat?"

John Mill was quite composed.

Although he had been in contact with them for so long, he still didn't know what kind of force they were. But what he just said was correct. They had probably long coveted C, but because of Vaughn Weasley's strength and the support of Wizengamor, they were unable to intervene.

These North American werewolves were arguably the only way for the other side to achieve their goals.

That's why he chose to negotiate with the tiger, using the other party to realize his own ambitions—his ambitions weren't that big, it was separatism, he just wanted to separate such a powerful force as the North American werewolves from the framework of C.

As for who they will belong to after the separation—we'll see then. John Mill doesn't think he's inferior to François and Bruges!

To be honest, the original leaders of this group of separatists included Alexander and Taylor, but those two unlucky guys died inexplicably.

It is comforting that their deaths were not in vain. It was because of their murder that there were more than a month of protests and demonstrations, and that the fear of an uncertain future fueled the great development of separatism!

Good riddance!

Of course, John Mill knew very well that the deaths of those two idiots, Alexander and Taylor, were very suspicious.

Just like everyone's analysis on the day it happened, since everyone had only been in England for a short time, it was impossible for Alexander and Taylor to have made enemies with anyone.

They were killed either by English wizards who hated werewolves.

Either you die at the hands of your own people!

John Mill leaned towards the latter possibility, and his first suspect was François.

François discovered the assassination attempt on the two men, and he was also the first to raise the rallying cry for the North American werewolf march.

That perfectly fits the characteristics of an ambitious person.

However, John Mill didn't care. He preferred his current life to being subservient to Vaughn Weasley.

Without having to work themselves to the bone in Muggle society, all they need to do every day is lead a group of fools to shout slogans, provoke the wizards, and create some antagonism. Then, more fools will be forced by circumstances to gather under their command, allowing their power to grow day by day.

The best part is that England has "good guys" like Mr. Mystery, and these rats who are eyeing Vaughn Weasley's power are very generous.

He simply expressed his dissatisfaction with Vaughn Weasley appropriately when they approached him.

The other side immediately launched the Galleon tactic, using money to "corrupt" him, trying to make him a traitor and dismember C in collusion with them.

However, John Mildred said that although these guys hiding in the gutter were secretive, the plan itself was quite feasible.

They keenly perceived that the North American werewolf marches were rapidly escalating the conservative tendencies within the English wizarding community. Coupled with the Ministry of Magic's constant excuses that fueled the emotions of the North American werewolves, the conflict between werewolves and conservative wizards had almost reached a tipping point within a little over a month.

Next, all that's needed is a suitable "event," whether it's an event targeting North American werewolves or an event targeting English wizards.

This powder keg will explode immediately.

The mysterious figures wanted John Mill and his separatists to act as the fuse to ignite the powder keg. According to their plan, they wanted John Mill to deliberately clash with the wizards watching during a parade, causing bloodshed.

Once blood is drawn, the peace will absolutely collapse completely, given the anger and resentment that both sides have accumulated.

At that time, Vaughn Weasley, C., will face the wrath and contempt of the entire English wizarding world.

Even the most peaceful wizard cannot continue to support a group of people who will harm them!

Without the support of public opinion, Vaughn Weasley and his C lost their biggest protector, Wizengamo.

Then, the mysterious gentlemen can sharpen their knives and forks and enjoy the fruits of their victory!

Therefore, John Mill was certain that the mysterious man hiding in the shadows would eventually accept his "win-win" terms.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence in the basement, the mysterious man's deep voice rang out again: "If I agree, when will you act?"

"soon."

John Mill smiled. "All the conditions are ripe. As long as I and my close friends are rewarded, what you want to see will happen within days, we can guarantee that."

"—Vaughn Weasley must be out of his mind to bring you back to England."

Despite the sarcasm in Mr. Mystery's words, John Mill remained unperturbed, still smiling broadly: "No, no, his problem is that he's too dismissive and unwilling to listen to our thoughts or consider our feelings."

"So you betrayed us?"

"How can it be considered betrayal? We only had some disagreements with Mr. Weasley, and with your help, we freely made our own choices based on our own will."

"Hmph, silver-tongued indeed—aren't you afraid Vaughn Weasley will settle scores with you later?"

John Mill chuckled. He knew that although Mr. Mystery was referring to Vaughn Weasley, his words were actually a reminder: you threatened us today, and we will definitely retaliate later!

Ah, those arrogant John Bulls!

He said with a smile, "Please rest assured, after we help you dismember C, we will leave England obediently. You know, we were originally coerced into coming here by Vaughn Weasley."

He wasn't lying about that.

Whether it was himself or the separatists who gathered around him, they all came together initially because they didn't want to stay in England.

Of course, they can't go back to North America. After the battle in the Alabacia Mountains, the Magic Congress mostly hates them to the bone. If they dare to enter the country, the alliance of 12 pure-blood wizard families, which suffered huge losses and lost hundreds of wizards, will definitely capture them and torture them to death.

To be honest, John Mill was quite surprised that the United States had only issued an arrest warrant but had not sent out any pursuit teams.

What exactly is Vaughn Weasley's identity that makes those arrogant, power-hungry Americans so wary?

After his thoughts wandered slightly, John Mill brought them back to reality, looking at the pitch-black darkness before him, and quietly awaited the mysterious man's reply.

A deathly silence lasted for a while, then he heard the other person's voice again: "That's enough for now. Someone will contact you later to discuss the details—Mr. John Mill, I hope you won't try anything clever; our patience has its limits!"

"Of course, esteemed gentlemen."

John Mill, struggling to suppress his inner joy, gave a slight bow: "Then I shall take my leave. Good evening, gentlemen!"

He left the basement quickly.

The door opened and closed, a ray of light shining from above the stairs into the basement, only to disappear again as the door closed. The space, shrouded in deep darkness, remained silent for a long time before a new sound finally broke the silence: "You greedy bastard!"

A voice, clearly not belonging to "Mr. Mystery," said with disgust, "If I hadn't had no other choice, I would have just recited the Cruciatus Curse!"

Another voice reassured, "Just bear with it. If he can get things done, judging from what he said, those stray dogs will leave this land—though their plans might not go too smoothly."

"Ha, you vicious old man, what are you planning to do?"

"What can I do? I can only pray that those poor bastards don't run into dark wizards. I heard that after C was established, werewolves became very sought after on the black market. I think those guys who risk their lives shouldn't mind being hired to hunt these high-value commodities."

"Hahaha!"

After several short bursts of laughter, one person said, "Yes, it would be a pity to kill him. We could consider contacting the Wilkinson family in North America. I heard that Wilkinson has privately ordered a bounty on the werewolf wizard who escaped from the Alabacia Mountains."

"Where's Vaughn Weasley? No bounty on him?"

"Never heard of it, probably not — it's said that Dumbledore personally went to North America back then, maybe the old madman reached some kind of agreement with them. The International Federation has also recently transferred a lot of wizard troops to America. I always feel that something big might happen there."

"Even bigger than what Vaughn Weasley caused? Speaking of which, aren't you curious about what he actually did in North America? He actually had such a huge conflict with the 12 purebloods—"

"Okay, there's plenty of time to chat later."

The voice that had been talking to John Mill came on, abruptly ending the discussion in the basement. The deep voice said calmly, "Dismissed. Send someone to contact John Mill later. Whatever conditions he proposes, agree to them for now. Of course, be careful with your strategy; don't agree too easily and arouse his suspicion."

"clear!"

"Just don't tell the person in charge of the negotiations the truth, I'll handle it."

"Also, can Hogwarts accurately monitor Weasley's movements? I don't want everything to fall apart at the last minute!"

"Hmm? Why do we still need to monitor him? Isn't it already confirmed that he's currently focused entirely on practical lessons and that dueling club? The castle is secluded and remote, so his information is already delayed, and he shouldn't be able to detect the problem."

"Just in case—I have a bad feeling about this."

"Old friend, your family only had a marriage alliance with the Trelawney family a dozen or so generations ago. There is no bloodline of the prophets that has been passed down. Don't scare yourself."

The mysterious man paused for a moment, his voice growing even deeper: "I just feel that the cause of death of the first two werewolves was very suspicious—"

"Didn't John Mill say that it was probably done by that werewolf named François? Weasley was just taking the opportunity to condone the North American werewolves for C's benefit. In essence, he is no different from John Mill."

"I've heard that Vaughn Weasley's memory magic is incredibly powerful—"

"Yes, I've heard that too, but so what? Before we even met John Mill, didn't we already hire a memory magic master from Germany to show him those werewolves leading the parade?"

Neither of them showed any signs of being manipulated by memory magic.