Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 283 Only the dead can keep a secret

The meeting continued in the afternoon.

The names that Vaughn had cast in the morning and floated into the air were still suspended in the solemn Great Courtroom, the magical lettering radiating a brilliant light that contrasted sharply with the content it conveyed.

Beneath those absurd magical texts, the scene remained as noisy as it had been that morning, resembling a bustling Muggle marketplace.

Of the nearly 50 Wizengamo members who attended the meeting, about a dozen were affected by the list, mostly pure-bloods, a few powerful wizarding families, and "socialites".

The conspiracy to tear C apart, and the accusation of inciting conflict between the werewolf and wizard races, is too great.

Although public opinion has not yet revealed any signs of this, anyone with a sound mind knows that the public will absolutely not tolerate the existence of such evil.

This stems from a righteous impulse rooted in a simple moral compass, and also from the fact that, in the past month or so, conservative forces have gained prominence, and many people have been swept up by the same simple populism, openly or covertly resisting the werewolf.

As a result, C has now exposed that he has been deceived all along, manipulated like a puppet by a group of scoundrels—no one dares to take such a crime, let alone face the obvious pressure of public opinion!

The Wizengamo members present, whose names were on the list, vehemently denied being on the list, attempting to prove their innocence.

Vaughn wasn't fighting alone; some allies, those who were already biased towards him, and even those who just wanted to stir up trouble, were also helping him engage in heated online battles with those people.

"I'm not accusing Mr. Weasley of fabricating a list to frame his colleagues; perhaps he was also deceived by that werewolf named John Mill."

A wizard from a family of wizards cried out in grievance, "My colleagues, would you rather believe the one-sided story of a traitor than believe me? The Nelson family really didn't do it!"

Then, he was met with a furious rebuke from a Selwyn: "What do you mean by that? The Nelson family didn't do it, so you're saying we did?"

Another wizard retorted, "I didn't hear Nelson say anything, so why are you taking it personally? Oh—aren't some people feeling guilty now!"

"Damn Travers, you dog who wags its tail for Vaughn Weasley, shut your mouth!"

When arguments are fueled by emotions, it is inevitable that emotions will spiral out of control and become extreme. Once emotions are out of control, chaos will follow.

The next moment, from the noisy crowd, some Gandalf-like berserker was the first to swing his fist, and the brawl began in a delightful way!

In a corner of the Great Court, Scrimgeour, who was leading the Aurors to "maintain" order at the scene, watched the darkly humorous brawl with an expressionless face, showing no intention of intervening.

Due to Europe's fine political tradition, parliamentary brawls are commonplace for both Muggles and wizards, so there's nothing to be alarmed about.

For hundreds of years, Wizengamo has been in charge of parliament and legislation, and it has always been a place of quarrels. It is perfectly reasonable for wizards to fight each other when they get heated!

Anyway, most of the Wesengamo members are quite old and have osteoporosis, so they won't cause much damage. He can wait until they're tired and calm down before bringing people to stop them.

Of course, Scrimgeour was so negative because he didn't want to be stuck in the Great Court watching a monkey show.

If everything were normal, he should be in solitary confinement right now, overseeing those guys in the memory erasure department investigating John Mill's memories.

Around noon, Amelia, who had initially strongly opposed the involvement of the memory erasure department, suddenly informed him that the memory erasure staff could be allowed to "participate to a limited extent."

Scrimgeour couldn't understand why Amelia had suddenly compromised.

Perhaps it was that good-for-nothing Fudge who used underhanded tactics?

It didn't matter to him; he just wanted to bring in Fudge's team to put pressure on Amelia and give himself more freedom to handle cases.

He doesn't care about anything else.

After his thoughts drifted for a moment, Scrimgeour looked at Amelia Burns on the podium. This superior, whom he had always regarded as a thorn in his side, seemed to have lost her composure in the face of the out-of-control scene in the Grand Tribunal.

She pounded the mallet hard, but no one listened.

Vaughn Weasley stood by her side, watching coldly.

Ah!

Scrimgeour sneered inwardly, just as he was about to observe the cunning Weasley boy, when a loud banging of the door interrupted his thoughts.

Turning around, he saw one of his Auror captains pushing open the door.

The Auror captain walked in hurriedly with a somber expression.

Seeing the other person's expression, Scrimgeour immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the other man strode over, and the first words he whispered in his ear sent chills down his spine: "Director Scrinker, John Mill is dead!"

"—What?"

The brazier flickered in the Great Court, but the light was not very bright due to the deep dome. However, in that instant, the light appeared so bright and dazzling to Scrimgeour that it made him dizzy.

He dug his fingernail into his hand, but alas, he wasn't dreaming.

"John Mill is dead. During the memory erasure process by Fleming, he suddenly woke up for some reason and attacked Fleming. Fleming retaliated and accidentally killed him!"

...Dead?

Scrimgeour's bewildered gaze swept over the names glowing in mid-air, and beneath the dazzling magical runes, the members of the Wizengamot were arguing and fighting.

How hilarious!

So many people, including himself, were waiting for the truth in John Mill's mind. He had personally put John Mill in solitary confinement to save his life, placing him under the supervision of his most trusted Auror captain, and had even transferred Kingsley Shackles and others who were close to Vaughn Weasley away from headquarters.

Even to prevent any possible interference from Amelia and Vaughn Weasley, and to find out the truth, he reluctantly agreed to cooperate with that fat Fudge.

Why?

In a daze, his gaze swept over Vaughn.

Just then, Vaughn, seemingly noticing the commotion on his side, also looked over.

Their eyes met, and Scrimgeour clearly saw indifference, coldness, and ruthlessness in those golden-brown eyes—

—A whole host of inhuman emotions, except for curiosity.

He suddenly snapped out of it, his eyes wide with anger.

is it you?

Vaughn Weasley!

At the same time, Liverpool.

-

The once bustling harbor is now deserted, with only yachts of all sizes sitting idle in the harbor, a forest of sails standing in a lonely and desolate state.

Liverpool is still in the off-season for tourism at the end of October. There are hardly any people in the harbor, with only a few ships moving on the sea as the sun sets.

A ship docked, and a crew member jumped onto the pier, gazed at it for a moment, and waved to the end of the pier.

Before long, two ordinary-looking middle-aged men appeared and walked towards the ship.

Looking at the ships in the distance, Matthew, whose appearance had been transformed by the Polyjuice Potion, whispered to the middle-aged man beside him, "I put the Polyjuice Potion in your backpack. One dose lasts for two hours. That should be enough for you for a day. Be careful and discreet. Don't reveal anything unusual before you leave England completely."

The middle-aged man, without looking to either side, asked: "One day? Is that enough?"

"That's enough. I'll wait until tonight to announce that you're the murderer and report you to the Ministry of Magic for arrest. By then, the ship should have already taken you to Ireland. Wizards there are mostly not enthusiastic about English arrest warrants, as long as you don't make too much of a splash."

After giving his instructions, Matthew turned to look at the middle-aged man: "François, the chairman attaches great importance to your operation this time. That idiot Fenrir Greyback has been detached from C for too long, and the chairman doesn't want to see him jumping around."

François rubbed his nose, feigning curiosity, and asked, "Why didn't Mr. Weasley deal with him before?"

He had witnessed Vaughn's magic firsthand and had also met Dumbledore. He didn't believe that a werewolf dark wizard could stand against Vaughn and Dumbledore.

Matthew didn't hide anything: "Because someone provided him with protection, just like in the John Mill case. There are always some people who don't want the C to continue to expand, so they secretly supported Fenrir Graybuck, helping him hide from the C's search and delaying the C's progress in unifying the werewolves in England."

François was puzzled: "Aren't they worried about losing control? In the information you gave me, that Graybury is a complete madman, creating werewolves everywhere without any regard for the consequences."

"Oh!"

Matthew chuckled. "Perhaps they're drawn to Greyback's madness. After Mr. Weasley developed the wolfsbane potion, werewolfism is no longer the terrifying monster people fear. Maybe those gentlemen hiding behind high walls are actually hoping Greyback will create more werewolves so they can secretly raise them and build their own private werewolf army!"

'

""

François grinned; this was an angle he hadn't considered. It can only be said that he underestimated the naiveté and arrogance of the gentlemen.

Without elaborating on the topic, Matthew, seeing that the pier was about to end, once again reminded them: "After arriving in Ireland, remember to keep a low profile and don't rush to make contact with the werewolves there. Graybury may seem rude, but he is actually very cunning, otherwise he wouldn't have survived until now."

"We've already prepared your identity. You're a wanted criminal, but not just any wanted criminal. You're one of the leaders of the separatists in the North American werewolf pack who are at odds with Weasley. You fled England secretly because your rebellion failed and you were wanted."

"You are a thorn in Weasley's side, not because of your conspiracy, not because you killed Alexander and Taylor, but because you represent a collective, the will to resist of Weasley's opponents—this kind of identity will make Greyback very interested in you. You don't need to do anything, just wait for him to contact you."

François nodded silently.

This was a strategy he had devised when he took action against Alexander and Taylor.

Yes, Vaughn, along with his core werewolf management team including Barnald Jr., William, and Matthew, never considered the separatists within the North American werewolf community as a threat from the very beginning.

Even without mentioning the existence of the wolfsbane potion, which left most North American werewolf wizards with no will to resist, the supporters of separatism were only a minority, and even among the separatists, their demands were not the same.

Without a unified theoretical framework, internal differences in demands lead to inconsistent goals, and there is no definite program that can satisfy the expectations of most people. How could C possibly worry about any threat from such a loose "makeshift team"?

In fact, when Alexander, Taylor, Bruges, and John Mill were on the ship to England, forming a group among themselves, many "shrewd" North American werewolves automatically became traitors.

François was one of them.

He also had ambitions, but compared to John Mill and others, he was more aware of how strong Vaughn Weasley was and what C's future held.

So François decisively switched sides and became Vaughn's mole from the very first day he was pulled into Bruges's small group.

They have powerful backers but don't cling to them, they have influence but don't borrow from them, they have readily available platforms but don't integrate and utilize them, instead they go and engage in some kind of conspiracy, rebellion, or running their own gang—a bunch of fools!

This is roughly how François described his friends.

Compared to these fools, C—or rather, Vaughn—clearly believed there was a more pressing target to address—Fenrir Graybuck!

This former "King of Werewolves" has ravaged the British Isles for decades, a demon who has devastated countless families. He is currently the only werewolf force in the entire Commonwealth of Nations besides C.

From the moment C was founded, it tried to wipe out this guy.

"Mr. Weasley has always been very lenient with werewolves, including sinners like myself. He has forgiven me, but Greyback is the only one Mr. Weasley has explicitly stated is a beast that doesn't deserve to live!"

This was the first time François and Matthew met, and during their discussion of the poison bait plan, Matthew outlined the basic tone of the plan.

Find Graybuck and kill Graybuck!

Thinking of this, François subconsciously rubbed his face and complained to Matthew, "Are you sure Greyback will really take the bait? Don't let things turn out like this, with me stuck in Ireland doing nothing. Mr. Weasley promised that if I find Greyback, he'll propose to the Executive Committee at the Second C General Assembly that I be nominated as a member of the North American Werewolf Committee—I still want to live a life of luxury because of this achievement!"

"I'm sure."

Matthew said calmly, "I've been by Graybury's side for 20 years, observing him. You could say I know him better than he knows himself."

"----All right."

François shrugged.

As they spoke, the two had reached the end of the boardwalk, where a fishing boat operated by Muggles was waiting to meet them.

Of course, in the 90s, Liverpool's deep-sea fishing industry had completely collapsed, so there were no boats left to actually fish.

They were all involved in smuggling.

Smuggling people across borders is also considered smuggling—after all, the money earned is hard-earned through illegal and disorderly means.

The Muggles who run this ship are in a slightly better situation than their counterparts. The team leader, the captain, comes from a wizarding family, but unfortunately he is a Squib and was sent to live in Muggle society at a very young age.

However, unlike other Squibs, he did not resent being abandoned by his family. Instead, after reaching adulthood, he returned to his family, persuaded them to support him in buying a ship, hiring a group of Squibs, and starting a smuggling business.

This is a brilliant idea.

Squibs cannot cast spells and are not wizards, but unlike real Muggles, they are not affected by spells such as the Muggle Expulsion Charm. As long as a wizard sets up an Expulsion Charm on the ship, no Muggle coast guard, customs or other agencies will inspect their ship.

At the same time, since the ship was full of duds and seemed to have almost no connection with the wizarding world, they would not be noticed by the Aurors. Even if a perceptive Auror happened to notice them, he would turn a blind eye to their smuggling activities out of sympathy for their origins.

During the preparation of C, in order to solve the funding problem, Vaughn smuggled a large amount of his magic potions abroad for a period of time, which led to his contact with them.

There's not much to say about what happened next.

François said goodbye to Mathieu and boarded the ship. No one on board asked him who he was or spoke to him.

François also heeded Mathieu's advice and retreated into the cabin as soon as he boarded the ship.

He wasn't the only illegal immigrant today; when he went down to the cabin converted from the fish tank, there were already several people huddled inside.

After a quick glance, François paid no further attention. Those who could board this ship were basically people who had committed crimes in England, but were not considered particularly heinous.

Irish wizards are happy to take in some dark wizards who are at odds with England, but they don't want to mess with the really tough guys.

"I wonder how John is doing these days?"

He pulled up his hood, curled up in the corner of the cabin, listened to the sound of the waves on the dock outside the ship, and looked at the faint afterglow of the setting sun spreading into the cabin.

Although they didn't really have much of a foundation of affection for each other—they had only lived together in the Alabacia Mountains for a period of time when Pandora Novgood gathered them together—killing Alexander and Taylor, and framing John Mill and Bruges, was not as easy as it seemed on the surface.

He wasn't a born executioner or a power-hungry animal.

When I was a child, my grandfather always boasted that the François family were of German descent from Frankfurt, but his family was actually quite ordinary. His hometown was in Ohio, on the Great Lakes, and his father and mother were both factory workers. They were no different from the Irishmen that my grandfather looked down on—just a low-class white family.

America is a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor.

This is true in both the wizarding world and Muggle society.

He was the only member of the family to awaken magic. When he excitedly stepped into Iphamoni at the age of 11, he also had great ambitions, thinking that magic would change his fate and free his family, whose average education level was only high school, from the fate of being at the bottom.

He dreamed that he would become skilled enough to lead his family away from "the rusty bowl of America" ​​(the original name for the Great Lakes Rust Belt).

Then, reality dealt him a heavy blow.

After entering Ilfamoni, François realized that in America, if you are born into a family of beasts of burden, you will be a beast of burden for life.

The high-sounding "International Secrecy Act" and the "Rappaport Act" are shackles around the necks of every Muggle-born wizard.

Student loans, tax secrecy laws, confidentiality deposits for relatives, and silence penalties—a dazzling array of terms left François, whose family was relatively large, with thousands of dollars in debt before he even graduated.

To avoid being stripped of his wizarding status and imprisoned for his debts, François had no choice but to take on the most dangerous jobs after graduation, including working as a henchman for the 12 purebloods, in exchange for payment and, most importantly, a reduction in interest—otherwise, the compounding interest would leave him with an insurmountable debt.

The result is obvious.

François, who had always been surrounded by danger, fell from grace. More than a decade ago, during an operation to capture the Full Moon werewolf for the Wilkinson family, he was bitten by the werewolf and contracted wolfism.

His ambition to change his family's fate and rise above others was completely shattered with his full moon transformation, and things only got worse.

His family has also lived in hardship over the years. Their rusty bowls have become rusty belts. His unemployed father uses alcohol to numb himself every day. His mother became addicted to drugs in the pain of being abused by an alcoholic. His brothers and sisters also fled from the gradually dying city, only to be hit hard and return to their hometown to experience the same despair and numbness as their parents.

"John, Alexander, Taylor, and Bruges, I'm sorry for betraying you, but I had no other choice. Joining C was my only chance to escape my fate in the past ten years—"

Moreover, this opportunity could only be realized if Vaughn Weasley were in charge.

Other ambitious men were always thinking of "replacing Weasley," but François knew perfectly well that C would not exist without Weasley.

Leaving aside the vision of all werewolves walking in the sunlight, the mere presence of external forces seeking to exploit them is enough to tear this fragile group to shreds.

It's better to be a fox next to a tiger than a leader who is at the mercy of others.

Vaughn Weasley is the tiger that can intimidate the outside world!

呜—

Outside the cabin, the ship's horn sounded, and the fishing boat sailed away from the dock in silent slumber.

The ship's destination was Dublin, which was just across the sea. The distance wasn't far, about 150 miles, but the journey wasn't direct; it also involved passing through the Isle of Man.

This is the "well-known" smuggling route in the Irish Sea.

This is due to the unique status of the Isle of Man. It is the third island in the British Isles, after England and Ireland, and is located in the middle of the Irish Sea. Like Ireland, the Isle of Man is nominally owned by the King of England, and successive British monarchs have inherited the title of Lord of the Isle of Man, but in reality, it is only a nominal title.

It has an autonomous government and an independent tax system. In Muggle society, the Isle of Man is known for its low tax rates and exemption from registration laws, making it an offshore tax haven.

The magical world also continued this similar policy.

Apart from military and diplomatic matters, the English Ministry of Magic has no jurisdiction over the Isle of Man. It has its own Magical Council to handle magical affairs, and this council closely follows the policies of Muggles. Since 100 years ago, it has been using tax exemptions to establish itself as a free port for magical trade in Europe.

And they did succeed.

Today, the Isle of Man has become the largest free trade zone in Western Europe. There are no prohibitions here. Black magic items, magical animals such as dragons that are prohibited from trade in various countries, dangerous and highly poisonous magical plants, etc. can all be openly displayed on the Isle of Man for all customers to choose from.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Isle of Man that the English Ministry of Magic's efforts to combat smuggling have been unable to achieve results.

At night, the ship arrived at this island that prides itself on freedom, preparing to rest until late before setting sail again.

Before he finished the compound decoction, François disembarked and strolled around, buying some water and food. He casually picked up an extra copy of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet, as if to kill some time.

Then, he saw John Mill's news in the evening paper.