Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 281 A Disturbing and Reassuring Chaos

[Remember this site's domain name tracking tool, ?????.??? is super useful]

Even the professors, unusually kind as to, allowed them a year to relax and prepare for the dreaded seventh year of high school.

The sixth-grade students were responsible for assisting Professor Rozier and Vaughn, helping to maintain order in the camp and so on.

The reward is that they can participate in the planning of the small world, such as creating level designs.

This meager payment was unexpectedly welcomed by the sixth-grade students, who worked very hard and conducted thorough body searches.

Harry didn't quite understand, but Ron muttered to himself several times, looking very envious of the upperclassmen.

The three rested for a while under the beech trees, and then helped the tree-guarding hummus dig up some more of the beetles that the hummus love to eat, before setting off back to the camp.

Harry's guess was right; the camp was in complete chaos.

The bird-snake, having lost its cub, swelled to at least 60 feet in size in its anxiety and rage, wreaking havoc on the mountainous regions of the southern and western parts of the small world.

When the three returned to the camp, Professor Rozier, along with several sixth-year assistants, had already gone to the area to appease the bird snakes and rescue the affected students.

More than a dozen sixth-grade students remained at the camp to protect the second-year students and "prevent the perpetrator from escaping."

This was said by a senior student.

Ron was quite dismissive, complaining to Harry and Hermione, "The way she looks at me, as if nobody gets to leave. Who can come and go freely in this lousy place without Vaughn's permission?"

Harry was initially laughing and joking, but his expression quickly changed.

He glanced at Hermione and noticed that the girl was looking over as well.

"Colin Creevey!"

They both gasped simultaneously.

This name has almost become Harry's inner demon. Whenever something unusual happens, he can't help but wonder if it's related to Colin Creevey—or rather, the notebook.

Hermione was similar; having experienced the threat posed by Quirinus Quirrell last semester, the young girl no longer dared to underestimate any "coincidences" related to dark magic that happened to Harry.

Ron, who hadn't initially considered that possibility, was frightened by their reactions. This guy, whose only weakness was his mouth, instinctively looked around: "By the way, where's Vaughn? Didn't we say this morning we'd look for him during class?"

Yes, but since the start of class, the trio hasn't seen Vaughn at all.

They inquired around the camp and found only a sixth-grade senior who answered their questions.

"I heard Vaughn went to Wizengamor. Apparently, something happened to C." The pretty upperclassman said, looking Hermione up and down with an undisguised scrutiny and a strange undertone in her eyes. She greeted Hermione, "You're Granger? Vaughn left without telling you?"

Even Harry, whose emotional intelligence is rather peculiar, could sense the provocation and sarcasm in his senior's tone.

Not to mention Hermione, the little girl was furious.

Harry and Ron quickly dragged her away, thus averting a potential fight.

"She's jealous of you, Hermione." Ron rarely spoke up for Hermione; he was usually the one gloating. "Everyone at Hogwarts knows that you're Vaughn's only acknowledged girlfriend. There's no one else. You shouldn't pay attention to her; the more you do, the more she'll escalate."

"Are you very experienced?" Hermione said irritably.

Ron said expressionlessly, "If you had been around the age of seven and watched your brother flitting between several little girls every day, and those silly girls fighting over him every day, I'm sure you would have plenty of experience."

Harry and Hermione:

'

—

Next, the trio, each with their own thoughts, waited patiently in the camp, just like everyone else. About half an hour later, Professor Rozier returned with his men.

This professor, who was not old and had only graduated a few years ago, had completely lost the cheerful smile he used to have when joking with his students.

She flew angrily into the air and announced the results of her investigation: "—Among you, there is a despicable thief, an arrogant and reckless fool, he is, he, the avian snake says, a little male witch—he kidnapped the avian snake's child and took it from the nest to the edge of the forest. The enraged avian snake mother nearly destroyed the entire forest in her search for her child."

"You should be thankful that the avian mother still had a shred of sanity and was willing to communicate with me and our centaur translator. Otherwise, do you think she would have let you go if you hadn't taken the baby avian? Or do you think your foolish prank was funny? No! Not funny at all, because a avian avian that has lost its mind could very well have stormed into the camp and killed everyone!"

"I expect that idiot to come to me privately after class, admit his mistake, and promise it won't happen again. This is my final warning. If I find out, I swear I'll teach him the most painful lesson!"

Professor Rozier looked genuinely angry.

His furious appearance terrified the second-year wizards, who all secretly peered into the crowd, searching for the "idiot."

Hearing that it might be an out-of-control prank, Harry and his friends put aside their worries and began to wonder who could be so bold.

In fact, practical classes have long stipulated that lower grades are absolutely not allowed to come into contact with high-risk magical animals such as birds and snakes.

Of course, guessing without any clues will not yield results. The trio's most pressing concern right now is how to find Vaughn.

Then, at dinner, they unexpectedly saw Vaughn in the Daily Prophet!

A newspaper, whose subscription was unknown, was spread out on the Gryffindor table, surrounded by mouthwatering fried chicken wraps, cheese fries, and baked beans in tomato sauce—at least Harry found it very tempting.

But his attention was completely focused on the unfolded newspaper and the moving photograph.

Due to poor magical interference, the magical world's camera technology is still stuck in the past, so the images are black and white and the colors are indistinguishable.

Harry could only see a hazy image of Vaughn standing in front of a building against a backdrop of concrete-like sky and ground, his expression serious, holding his wand to his neck and saying something.

The flashes of magnesium light never stopped, and a large, cursive title floated alarmingly at the top of the photo:

Breaking! The identity of the Liverpool murder suspect has emerged as a North American werewolf, but the behind-the-scenes story remains shrouded in mystery. Vaughn Weasley claims to have a list of the masterminds behind the crime.

Harry blinked. He recognized every word in the title, but it sounded so unfamiliar when put together.

He certainly knew about the Liverpool murders, referring to the case that occurred about two months ago in Liverpool's pub district, where two North American werewolves were murdered on their way home from get off work.

Although he had been staying at Hogwarts for the past few days and had little contact with the outside world, Harry knew from the extensive newspaper reports that the outside world was reacting very strongly to the matter.

Especially the North American werewolves that Vaughn brought back; they had been protesting for a long time.

Occasionally, the topic would be discussed at school. Because of Vaughn, the general opinion at school was more supportive of the werewolves. However, in reality, Harry had recently heard many classmates complaining that the Ministry of Magic was shirking its responsibilities and not making a concerted effort to find the killer and resolve the incident. They also complained that the werewolves had been causing trouble for too long, and that the various sharp racial conflict comments in the newspapers were making them very uncomfortable.

Just like right now.

"Ah, is it finally going to be over?"

Ron was speaking, his mouth stuffed full of food as if he were about to burst. "Every day the newspapers are full of stories about werewolf parades taking over places. I'm sick of it. The Daily Prophet hasn't serialized a novel in ages because of these things."

Harry was about to nod in agreement.

Boom!

Hermione slammed her plate down across from Ron, glaring at him sternly: "Ronald, in your eyes, are the lives of two werewolves less important than your favorite novels?"

Ron was speechless: "I, I didn't say that—"

"But that's exactly what you meant!"

"I just feel that the protests and demonstrations have gone on for too long. It's exhausting to see all that stuff every day, don't you think? Before this happened, everyone was so happy at breakfast and lunch every day, sharing funny stories from the newspapers. But how long has it been since those North American werewolves came? How long has it been since there was laughter in this auditorium?"

Seeing Ron's self-righteous demeanor, and with several classmates nodding in agreement, Hermione was stunned. Of course, she knew that such remarks were wrong, but she couldn't make sense of the underlying logic and didn't know what to say.

"Alright, let's see what it says on it!"

Harry quickly interrupted, unfolding the newspaper and reading the detailed report on the next page: "This morning, Vaughn Weasley held a press conference in front of C headquarters, stating that C has uncovered the details of the brutal murders of two North American werewolves, Alexander and Taylor, more than a month ago, and claims to have identified the killer and is working with the Auror Department to hunt him down."

"—Vaughn Weasley revealed details of the operation at the press conference, stating that he had sensed something was amiss as early as when the two werewolves were murdered, and had arranged for undercover agents to investigate. Last night, Vaughn Weasley received a tip from the undercover agent and led Operation C to raid Knockturn Alley, capturing the traitors plotting in the Borgin-Bock basement. One of the conspirators was named John Mill, a North American werewolf who came to England with Vaughn Weasley at the end of August—"

"Weasley personally apprehended John Mill, but the others who conspired with him escaped in the chaos. Further details were not disclosed by Mr. Weasley as the case was handed over to Wizengamo, but he claimed that John Mill provided him with a list that appeared to be the identities of the escapees."

"An unnamed source at Wissengamo told me (special correspondent Rita Skeeter): Weasley's statement is true; Wissengamo has taken over the case, and the details are astonishing."

"According to sources, based on Mr. Weasley's testimony and the preliminary results of Wizengamo's interrogation of John Mill, the killing of the two werewolves and the subsequent parade over the past two months were not simply security incidents, but a conspiracy aimed at escalating the conflict between North American werewolves and native English wizards."

"Someone is trying to incite racial conflict, manipulate public opinion, tear C apart, and ultimately seize control of the werewolves," an insider said. "We've all been deceived by the ambitious people behind the scenes. Those in the newspapers who support or criticize the werewolves are being played like puppets!"

"Without a doubt, this is a shocking reversal. As of press time, neither the Ministry of Magic nor Wisengagamo has issued any official statement on the matter, nor has it acknowledged what Vaughn Weasley said. But in my opinion (Rita Skeeter's opinion), silence is the best response."

"London, just before November, felt so cold at this moment. Although John Mill, one of the masterminds, had been arrested, the information revealed by Mr. Weasley and other well-informed sources only fueled the fear—was John Mill the mastermind, or merely a henchman?"

"What names are on that list? We don't have the answers to these deep questions for now, but we can get a glimpse of the truth from the logic—the list is definitely not for werewolves. C has jurisdiction over werewolves. If they were werewolves, Mr. Weasley wouldn't just say he has the list; he would arrest and interrogate them immediately."

"A pair of—no, many dark hands have shrouded the British Isles today. In that terrifying shadow, I feel no warmth whatsoever. I appeal to my readers, those who feel disgust and fear towards all of this—"

What follows is a lengthy, inflammatory article in which Ms. Rita Skeeter calls on readers to join her in writing to the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamor, urging a fair and open trial for the case, especially regarding the list, without any concealment or cover-up.

Harry, and his friends sitting around him, were sweating bullets.

It was only then that everyone realized that the matter was not over, but had escalated even further.

Especially Rita Skeeter's final "guess": if the person on the list isn't a werewolf, then who is it?

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Just then, a burst of laughter came from Slytherin's direction.

Harry and the others looked in the direction of the sound and saw Malfoy and his friends. They were also looking at the newspaper, but they were pointing and gesturing as if they were making a joke out of the words on the paper.

Ron swallowed hard, muttering, "Pureblood, of course—"

"Pureblood, of course!"

While the outside world was in shock because of the Daily Prophet's report, the situation was similar in the Grand Inquisition of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic headquarters located below Whitehall.

For once today, almost all members of the Wizengamot have gathered here. Nearly 50 wizards dressed in purple robes sit in the deep, domed circular courtroom, floating in the braziers around them. The azure flames illuminate their faces, which are solemn, flustered, or angry.

At the center of the crowd's attention stood Vaughn, also dressed in purple robes, shaking the list in his hand. He looked around at his colleagues and announced loudly, "John Mill confessed to this list. Under my Legilimency, he had no power to resist. Behold, my esteemed Wizengamo wizards, my dear colleagues, Holy 28..."

Sixteen members of my clan are on the list, and now some people are still questioning me about who the mastermind behind it all is.

Upon hearing this, an old wizard, his face flushed crimson, stood up in fury: "That list is fake! John Mill, the mastermind—it's all just excuses you made up to frame and slander us!"

As he spoke, he looked at the podium: "Second Chairman Burns, I suspect Vaughn Weasley has falsified his memories. This is an absurd meeting that should never have happened. I request that the assembly be immediately dissolved to end this unnecessary farce!"

On the stage, Amelia Burns, who had been sitting silently, hadn't even opened her mouth when Vaughn's mocking laughter echoed through the spacious and magnificent courtroom.

"Ah—it's old Yaxley, let me see."

He held up the list in his hand, looking like he was carefully reviewing it. He drew his wand and tapped it, and under the influence of magic, the names written on the paper flew up one by one, magnified under the dark dome of the courtroom, shimmering with golden light, becoming extremely conspicuous.

Looking up at the now prominently displayed list, Vaughn feigned realization: "Your last name is on it too, and quite near the top. No wonder you're so excited."

"You brat, you're spouting nonsense! The Yaxley family has always upheld its principles—"

"Is that so?" Vaughn interrupted him, smiling and squinting at the man beside him. "But the Yaxley I know isn't exactly rule-abiding. For example, Mr. Coban Yaxley next to you, I heard he was a Death Eater?"

Before he finished speaking, the entire courtroom erupted in commotion.

Old Axley cursed at Vaughn, and several other old wizards, whose refined attire suggested they were of high birth, also stood up and roared at Vaughn.

Others offered words of comfort, exchanged bewildered glances, or whispered amongst themselves, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

The solemn courtroom seemed to transform into a bustling Muggle marketplace in an instant.

Until Amelia slammed her gavel: "Silence! Silence!"

As the noise subsided, she looked at Vaughn with a serious expression: "Mr. Weasley, the charges against the Death Eaters have long been settled. Mr. Coban Yaxley was acquitted more than a decade ago after obtaining the forgiveness of Wizengamor. You can no longer attack his past."

Vaughn, showing respect to his ally, knew when to stop: "I apologize, Second Secretary Burns, because old Yaxley accused me of falsifying my memories, I lost my composure."

On the other side, old Yaxley, who had finally been held back, immediately roared and struggled again.

A middle-aged wizard with brown skin, wearing a velvet robe embroidered with silver thread, quickly held him down and frowned at Vaughn.

He appeared much calmer, unlike old Alex who was provoked by Vaughn, and he didn't speak to Vaughn. Instead, he said to Amelia, "Old Alex's accusations are not slander. Strictly speaking, Mr. Weasley's so-called testimony is procedurally flawed—he used Legilimency on the suspect, John Mill, during the arrest. I'm not maliciously speculating about my colleague, but I don't understand why Mr. Weasley did that?"

Looking at the middle-aged wizard, Vaughn's brows relaxed.

The other person's name is Russell Lestrange, the current patriarch of the Lestrange family in England, but he was adopted from the main branch in France.

The reason is that the Lesterrange family in England is not large. The only two male members of this generation, the brothers Rabastan and Rodolphs, were imprisoned in Azkaban 12 years ago for joining the Death Eaters and participating in the torture of the Longbottoms.

Rabastan was unmarried, while Rodolfos was married but had no children.

His wife, Bellatrix Black, was Sirius Black's cousin before their marriage; she was also imprisoned in Azkaban.

The Lestrange family nearly perished 12 years ago because of this, and had to seek help from the main branch in France.

It wasn't exactly a help; the main French Lesterranger lineage nearly died out in 1927 with the death of Rita Lesterranger, and at that time, an English branch adopted a successor.

Let's help each other. Are we really going to just watch our vast fortune be given away to other families?

Russell was quite capable; after returning to England, he not only pulled the Lestrange family back from the brink of destruction but also helped them regain their place in Wizengamot.

Most importantly, this person's ancestors had been away from England for too long, so he didn't actually have much connection with the English magical world or the insane pure-blood supremacy of the English pure-blood families.

They're someone we can try to win over.

In a flash, Vaughn slightly toned down his aggression, glanced at the still-furious old Alex, and the other pure-blood family members glaring at him, and sneered: "My dear Russell, guess why I didn't follow procedure? Because I'm afraid that if I don't extract a confession from John Mill's head, he might 'accidentally' die during the first interrogation after being handed over to Wizengamot!"

The scene erupted in uproar.

Everyone present naturally understood what Vaughn was implying—if he didn't get the list, those behind-the-scenes manipulators would definitely silence John Mill.

So, how credible is this reason?

On the high platform, Russell Lestrange hesitated for a moment, glancing at the increasingly furious old Alex beside him and the increasingly gloomy Coban Alex on the other side.

There were other purebloods who looked indignant, and their colleagues who were whispering among themselves. The outstretched hands gradually withdrew—what Vaughn Weasley feared seemed to be a real possibility. These English purebloods seemed to have done similar things quite often before!

Noticing his hand gradually retracting, old Alex's eyes widened in fury, and he screamed.

Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control again, Amelia promptly struck the gavel: "Silence! The meeting has been going on all morning, and everyone looks exhausted. Let's adjourn for now!"

The meeting in Wisconsin was temporarily adjourned, partly to allow the situation to calm down, and partly because it had indeed been going on for too long and everyone needed to rest and have a meal.

Back in her office, Amelia, who had spent countless hours maintaining order in the courtroom that morning, collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted.

But the people already waiting in the office didn't give her a chance to relax.

"Amelia, the results of John Mill's interrogation are in." From the waiting area, a male wizard with lion-like hair walked over and placed a crystal ball next to Amelia.

The visitor was Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror's Chief of Staff.

Amelia wasn't surprised to see him in her office; the guy had never been very disciplined or respectful of her.

After spending so many years together, she had long since gotten used to it.