Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 302 Dumbledore's Worries

Actually, he turned back because he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Vaughn for advice about Peeves, but when he saw this scene, he shuddered and quickly followed Ron.

Forget it, the atmosphere among top students is too intimidating. I'll ask the question later!

Anyway, Vaughn is getting better and will probably be back at the castle soon.

That evening, news of the potion exchange event once again spread throughout Hogwarts Castle. Initially, the discussion was limited to Gryffindor and a small group of people who usually played with Harry.

After all, it had been reported in the news once before, and everyone's desire to discuss it had been almost exhausted at that time. Without substantial progress, it would be difficult to attract attention again.

However, the news spread throughout the entire castle the next day after the owls delivered the newspaper for breakfast.

That's right, The Daily Prophet provided the assist.

However, this news has nothing to do with Dumbledore; the protagonist is our dear Minister Cornelius Fudge!

This minister, who had been tricked by Vaughn several times and lost face, despite his political weakness,

Driven by self-interest, he failed to uphold his principles last time and couldn't resist compromising with Vaughn's offer of "assistance in the potion exchange plan."

However, in practice, he was clearly unwilling to work with Vaughn and Dumbledore. Therefore, he never participated in the negotiations with the Chinese side and instead went to Durmstrang.

This was partly to avoid the two men, and partly because he didn't think Vaughn and Dumbledore could persuade the Chinese.

That stubborn Eastern country is not easy to deal with at all.

But Fudge never expected that after spending so much time and making so many promises at Durmstrang, he could barely negotiate a price with the "weak" yet cunning Karkaroff.

On the other hand, China, which he considered stubborn and unyielding and should not "yield" to at all, actually relented.

Merlin then learned that Minister Fudge, who had received information that China might be willing to participate in the potion exchange program, had traveled from Durmstrang at the fastest speed he had ever seen, crossing half the globe with a group of entourage to Lao Jun Mountain in China.

Fudge wants to pick the peaches!

However, what he was really eyeing were the four legendary wizards who lived in seclusion here!

After falling out with Dumbledore and several conflicts, Cornelius Fudge deeply regretted the lack of legendary high-level combatants around him.

"After 54 years, our friends in the Far East have finally taken the right and courageous step once again —"

The Daily Prophet published a speech given by Secretary Cornelius Fudge to the media at Mount Hua in China.

What is "un"? A city?

At the Gryffindor table, Ron awkwardly spelled out a question to Hermione, who was sitting on the other side of Harry.

Normally, Hermione could always get the answer to this kind of question from Miss Know-It-All, but today, even she was speechless.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't know."

"Merlin, is there something in this world that you don't know?" Ron exclaimed dramatically.

Harry scratched his head speechlessly. He had always suspected that Ron had some kind of quirk deep down. If he didn't get scolded for two days, he would start to let loose and say whatever he wanted. He would only know to behave after being scolded.

Sure enough, Hermione on the other side widened her eyes.

Before she could even utter her curse, a gentle voice suddenly interrupted Hermione's outburst, causing Harry to freeze abruptly: "Huashan is the name of a mountain. It is said to be the origin of Chinese civilization. For thousands of years, the Chinese Ministry of Magic has been located on Huashan, and it has remained unchanged despite many changes over the millennia."

The moment the voice entered his ears, Harry's mind went blank. He didn't notice what the other person was saying at all, but was simply captivated by the gentle and tender voice.

"Hi, Qiu Zhang!"

Ron greeted him warmly.

Hermione, however, remained expressionless. She had been glaring at Ron, and now that she heard him, as a friend, actually greet her "enemy," her gaze turned as cold as a knife.

However, the usually carefree Ron naturally didn't notice anything amiss. He asked with great interest, "I completely forgot you have Chinese ancestry, so is what Dean said true? He said it's a very barbaric place, and many people still wear queues—"

Foolish Ronald!

Hermione sneered.

Although listening to Ron, he was misled, and the derogatory words were not his intention, it is unlikely that a normal person could remain calm and not take offense after hearing such derogatory remarks about their hometown.

Sure enough, Cho Chang, who had been smiling and reading her newspaper, turned cold upon hearing Ron's words. She stared intently at him: "What kind of answer do you want to hear, Mr. Ronald Weasley? The Dean you're talking about, Dean Thomas, isn't he? A twelve-year-old wizard who's never been to China, I doubt he even knows where it is, and then you believe everything he says? You didn't even bother to verify with me before assuming that Chinese people are barbaric and wear queues!"

"I thought that even if Vaughn's brother wasn't a genius or particularly intelligent, he should at least be a normal person. But unfortunately, I was wrong!"

Even when angry, this beautiful Eastern girl maintained basic politeness and did not utter a single swear word.

But its aggressiveness remains at its peak.

Ron was stunned and bewildered by her outburst. Even after Cho Chang stormed off in anger, it took him a while to recover. He asked Hermione in astonishment, "What's wrong? Has she gone mad?"

"You're the one who's crazy," Hermione scoffed.

"Yes, my dear brother, I have never seen a dumber person than you."

The twins, who had somehow gotten close, put their arms around Ron's necks, one on each side, and laughed mockingly: "You're talking to a witch, describing her hometown as a garbage dump, and then asking what happened?"

"But—but she's a wizard, and I'm asking a Muggle—"

"Look at you, silly little Ronnie, still doesn't understand where he went wrong. I can't believe he and Vaughn are twins."

"Yes, George, I suspected when I was very young that either Mom took a nap when she gave birth to Vaughn and accidentally brought home a little shapeshifter along with Vaughn, or that when Mom was pregnant with them, she gave Vaughn 80% of the twins' intelligence and only left 20% for little Ronnie, just like the two of us. I'm smarter than you."

"That's right—wait, damn Fred!"

Once George realized what was happening, he and Fred, who was exchanging winks, immediately started fighting. Ron, still sulking, didn't understand what he had done wrong.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and nudged Harry, who was still lost in thought: "Still looking? They're all gone."

"what?"

"What the hell? Wipe your mouth, you're drooling like you want to eat someone—are you even going to read the newspaper?"

Harry, wiping his mouth hastily, blushed deeply with embarrassment and, forgetting all about the newspaper, quickly pushed it to Hermione.

Hermione skipped Fudge's utterly pointless speech in the newspaper and went straight to the reporter's article.

"Oh!"

Hermione chuckled enigmatically as she read the article's nauseatingly sentimental language.

The reporter who published this report in The Daily Prophet was probably Fudge's personal shill, or at least politically close to Fudge—which is quite normal in the news media.

Hermione didn't know anything about this before, until the start of the school year this year, when she often helped Vaughn with chores, including opening and replying to letters.

It was during this process that Hermione discovered Rita Skeeter's letter, and she learned that this famous bestselling author and journalist had actually been recruited by Vaughn.

No wonder they frequently publish articles in the Daily Prophet, offering various ways to support C and Vaughn!

From that moment on, Hermione realized for the first time that the news she saw was never neutral or objective, and that every seemingly independent writer had their own stance, bias, or financial backer.

Therefore, to her now, every word of this text seems like a joke.

Hermione barely suppressed the urge to complain and continued watching.

Although the article was full of flattery and praise, it was not entirely without value. Skipping over Fudge's part, the writer still demonstrated some professional journalistic qualities.

In his subsequent articles, he meticulously recorded his observations and interviews in the Far East, gently unveiling some of the mysteries of that Far Eastern country.

"—The secularization of the Chinese magical community is astonishing. Mount Hua is the headquarters of the Chinese Ministry of Magic, but at the same time, it is also a well-known scenic spot for Muggles. Merlin only realized this when, as Minister Fudge and I followed the Chinese wizards and manifested through the Portkey, we saw a group of Muggles staring at me curiously. I instinctively drew my wand, almost causing a conflict—haha!"

In Hagrid's Hut, Hermione read the article aloud with great emotion. The author's words, filled with astonishment and lingering fear, made her laugh.

A roaring fire blazed in the fireplace of the cabin. Hagrid, his imposing frame seated on the large sofa in front of the fireplace, knitted a sweater while curiously watching the newspaper in Hermione's hand.

In addition to the reports, the publication also featured a large number of photographs taken by reporters.

There are scenes of Cornelius Fudge giving a speech in front of a strangely styled oriental building atop Mount Hua, as well as scenes of Fudge touring the scenery accompanied by a group of oriental wizards and chatting and shaking hands with many people who look like Muggles.

He also saw Dumbledore—the old Dumbledore happened to pass by in one of the photos, probably noticing someone taking pictures, and came back to peek out and make a face.

Of course, Hagrid was more interested in that Eastern country than in Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, whom he saw more often.

"Incredible! A country actually blatantly violated the Secrecy Law!" Hagrid exclaimed, skillfully knitting his needles. "The International Wizarding Federation hasn't done anything to them?"

On the other side of the cabin, Vaughn sat at a small table by the window. The table was specially made for him by Hagrid, and given Hagrid's size, it could only serve as a stool at best.

The table was piled high with letters, and several owls perched on the windowsill, gobbling down snacks.

Looking at the letter in his hand, Vaughn casually replied, "The Federation caused them trouble 50 years ago, but it all fizzled out in the end."

"Why? Is it because this report says there are many legendary wizards in China?"

Hermione blinked her large, inquisitive eyes.

Hagrid was also curious and quickly asked, "How many?"

"No one knows the exact number, but this reporter said that in just one place in China called Laojun Mountain, there are 4..."

A legendary wizard has gone into seclusion.

Hermione flipped through the newspaper and found a photo of Lao Jun Mountain. Above the photo was a large headline:

This mountain is home to four legendary figures.

"Wow—" Hagrid's eyes widened, seemingly unable to imagine what it would look like to see four Dumbledores huddled on that unremarkable mountain in the photo.

On the other side, Vaughn's expression was somewhat strange. He paused for a while before answering Hermione, "Perhaps. All the conflicts in the wizarding world will eventually return to magic."

His answer was vague, but Hermione and Hagrid didn't understand.

Neither of them knew that the letter Vaughn was reading was actually about the legendary wizard from China.

The letter was sent by Dumbledore, delivered to his bedroom by Fawkes, and then delivered to Hagrid's hut by Juliet.

In his letter, Deng Xiaoping wrote: "—Everyone has been misled. I don't know if this is a misunderstanding caused by translation or a deliberate act by the Central Refining Committee. In any case, Silva, Maxim, and even Fouché have all changed their attitudes toward China."

"They thought there were a dozen or twenty legendary wizards here. In fact, based on the data, with China's population of 12 billion, even if we calculate it according to the Muggle to wizard ratio in Europe, China has at least a million wizards."

"With a wizarding population of one million, producing a dozen or so legendary wizards seems like a very reasonable outcome, which is one of the reasons why they have no doubts. But my dear, you should know that the ratio of Muggles to wizards is not a fixed number. Similarly, the birth of a legendary wizard also has unique conditions, which is the legendary path I once told you about."

"That road is hard to describe in words, but it has some commonalities. It must have been sensational and far-reaching. This is what makes a legend a legend. A closed country obviously lacks such conditions. The fact is, China only has those four legends from Lao Jun Mountain."

"However, I haven't told anyone this fact, and I beg you to keep it a secret, my dear."

Looking at this flowing, cursive script, Vaughn could almost see Deng's mischievous grin.

Of course, this is just a thought.

Old Deng's true intention was not a prank, but rather involved the potion exchange plan and a deeper concern: "The misjudgment of China has caused Silva, Maxim, and even Fudge to completely change their attitudes."

"This is a good thing for our plan. Before this, I was very troubled about how to persuade Busbarton and Castrobusher to support my inclusion of the Central Alchemy Academy in the potion exchange program. Their awe and greed for the legends helped us clear the obstacles."

"But I'm also troubled by their attitude. I don't know why they released the wrong information, which may have touched a nerve with some people—yes, the International Confederation of Wizards."

"What worries me even more is, where does their confidence come from in allowing false intelligence to spread? Sigh, I always think back to what we talked about in America in August."

Upon seeing this, Vaughn frowned slightly.

He understood what Dumbledore meant; the two had analyzed "DeSantis" back in America.

The background of this enigmatic and legendary wizard.

At the time, they all believed that "DeSantis" was not a single person, but an identity shared by a group of people.

According to Dumbledore, when a wizard completes his legendary journey and achieves legendary status, other legendary wizards in the world will sense it.

Therefore, in the legendary group, there is no possibility that anyone could achieve success secretly or deceive everyone.

The whereabouts of the existing legendary wizards are not a secret; they are all busy with their own affairs.

In this way, the origins of those legendary wizards who share the identity of "De Santis" become highly suspicious.

Given this precedent, what if—the false information they released wasn't misleading or just boasting?

Clearly, Dumbledore was worried that this might be connected to figures like DeSantis and Wilkinson in America.

This is also why Vaughn frowned.

He hadn't forgotten the conversation between two Eastern wizards that he had collected while passing through the South China Sea on his way back to Europe from North America, when he was experimenting with the "Multi-Spectrum Vision Spell" using a sound wave membrane.

One of them, known as "The Secretary," was a wizard with a talent for divination. He explicitly mentioned "Wilkinson," and Wilkinson even asked the secretary to use divination to see his fate.

"Dumbledore's guess was not unfounded at all —"

Vaughn thought to himself.

However, it's hard to say exactly what the situation is.

Based on the conversation, the two people he was monitoring at the time did not seem to have a very close relationship with Wilkinson. The wizard called "Secretary" was clearly commissioned by Wilkinson to use the observation of the traces of "fate" on Vaughn, but in the end he said he did not want to reveal the results.

"Vaughn?"

The sudden sound snapped Vaughn out of his reverie. He looked up and saw Hermione standing beside him, looking at him with concern. "I've called you several times. What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I was just thinking about what Dumbledore said in his letter." Vaughn smiled and shook the letter in his hand.

Hermione glanced at it and, seeing that Vaughn hadn't let her look, she understood that the contents might be sensitive, so she obediently didn't pay much attention.

She has always been very sensible, mature beyond her years as a 13-year-old girl.

"Have you finished reading the newspaper?"

"No, Hagrid is very curious about the oriental scenery in the photos, as well as some unique and magical animals from the Far East. I let him see them first, and I'll help you out when I have some free time."

As the girl spoke, she glanced at the stack of letters on the table in front of Vaughn.

The young wizards in the castle envied Vaughn for not having to attend classes, but only Hermione knew that Vaughn was actually much busier in private than he was in class, after all, he was a Potions Master, Master C, and a member of the Wizengamot.

With so many identities, even with the student title as a cover, it's impossible to truly isolate oneself from the outside world.

First of all, the interests represented by the Potions Master are worth pursuing by many potion shops and potion donors.