Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 78 Dumbledore's Powerful Connections

Time always slips away quickly without us noticing.

In Vaughn's memory, the blizzard seemed like it was just yesterday. But as he became engrossed in memory magic and various meetings, in the blink of an eye, the ice on the Black Lake had thawed, the trees were sprouting new buds, and the mountains surrounding Hogwarts were gradually returning to their verdant green.

Today was a rare day of fine weather, and the spring sunshine suddenly became bright.

Hermione found a tablecloth from somewhere, and the girl hummed a cheerful tune as she placed the food she had brought from the restaurant on it.

After not seeing its owner for two days, Guoguocha, after rubbing against Vaughn repeatedly, gradually became attracted by its surroundings and chased after several transparent-winged butterflies, hopping around on the grass.

Vaughn lay on the grass, snapped his fingers, and a blue magical flame ignited between his fingers.

Then it floats into the air, swaying in the still slightly chilly spring breeze, offering a little warmth.

In the nearby black lake, the giant squid also poked its head out from underwater, its thick tentacles creating waves in the water.

It was a rare moment of relaxation.

Vaughn stared at all this, somewhat lost in thought.

After some time, Hermione lay close to him and quietly took his hand.

Vaughn turned to look at her, and she instinctively looked away, staring at the magical flames above.

"I can do this magic too," she said.

Then she wanted to hit herself on the head. Why did she always act so competitive?

Vaughn laughed out loud, and Hermione's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"Let's not talk about magic today," Vaughn smiled. "Otherwise, lunch will turn into a homework discussion."

Hermione bit her lip and quickly racked her brains, trying to think of what to say.

But after thinking it over, she realized that her usually clever mind seemed to have rusted.

She sadly discovered that, apart from studying, she and Vaughn seemed to have absolutely nothing to talk about.

Fortunately, Vaughn seemed to sense her embarrassment and suggested, "How about we talk about your family?"

"Uh, my mom and dad are both Muggle dentists. Do you know what a dentist is?"

Seeing Hermione's expression, ready to give a lecture, Vaughn could only say helplessly, "Let's talk about magic instead. Did you perform magic for them when you went back for Christmas?"

"Yes," Hermione smiled sheepishly. "I demonstrated Transfiguration, Levitation, and Fire Charm to them, and I even received a letter from the Ministry of Magic warning me not to let other Muggles see it, or they'll expel me from Hogwarts."

Vaughn shrugged: "That's just to scare you. Even if a Muggle sees you casting a spell, the Ministry of Magic doesn't have the authority to expel an excellent student."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. By the way, what exactly is a trail, and where is it?"

Since receiving the warning letter from the Ministry of Magic at Christmas, she immediately went to the library upon returning to Hogwarts to find out why the Ministry of Magic knew about her spellcasting.

Unfortunately, she only searched for the word "tracking," and didn't record anything more specific.

"Tracing is a kind of monitoring magic, or rather, a kind of magical contract with little binding force. It is not in our wands or bodies, but on the day we receive our Hogwarts admission notice, once we confirm our enrollment, we are automatically signed a contract. This contract allows the Ministry of Magic to locate our approximate location and the magical fluctuations that occur around us."

Hermione was quick-witted and immediately noticed the flaw: "So, if there are many wizards near where I live, the Ministry of Magic won't know I'm casting a spell?"

Vaughn nodded: "That's right, so you see, I never worry about the trail."

"That's so nice..." Hermione said enviously.

After a moment of silence, Vaughn suddenly heard her ask softly, "Then... Vaughn, can I come to your house to play during the summer vacation?"

Vaughn turned his head, and the spring sunlight cast a hazy outline on the girl's profile.

It also made her brown eyes, full of anticipation, trepidation, and shyness, sparkle like jewels.

He smiled and said, "Your eyes are the same as mine and Ginny's."

"Huh?" Hermione was puzzled. She knew who Ginny was, but she didn't know why Vaughn would suddenly say that.

Then she saw Vaughn close his eyes and whisper in the warm light and breeze, "Ginny would really like you."

A surge of immense joy instantly filled the young girl's heart.

Her heart was pounding wildly, and Hermione tried her best to control herself.

After the initial surprise, anxiety crept in, and she couldn't help but ask herself, "Since everyone in your family is a wizard, what should I dress for? And how do I get to your house? By train or car? Wait... wizards probably don't have these things where they live..."

Vaughn chuckled.

"Summer vacation is still a long way off, I'll pick you up then!"

"Oh..." Hermione quietly moved her cheek closer to the grass to dispel the heat.

"By the way, Mr. and Mrs. Granger can also come and join us. They probably don't know what a wizard's family is like, do they?"

"May I?"

"You could write to them and ask if I'll take some time out of my meeting to deliver this to your parents, and if they'll think I'm a scammer or something."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Then, Vaughn heard her whisper, "I've told them about you, they'll know when they see your hair..."

"oh--"

"...What do you mean 'oh'?"

"It's nothing, it's just that I feel like someone has been eyeing me for a long time."

Hermione blushed and quickly got up. "The food's gotten cold, eat up!"

Vaughn lay down for a while before getting up. The wind blowing from the lake ruffled his fiery red hair. He watched as the girl, her face flushed, finished tidying up the food and waved to him.

........................

"Mr. Vaughn Weasley, I saw in your document for the 'Werewolf Affairs Committee' that the committee will not accept donations from any individuals or organizations, nor will it accept funding from the Ministry of Magic. You are trying to keep the committee's organizational structure pure, but I wonder, how will those poor... pitiful and kind people survive? By maintaining their monthly supply of wolfsbane?"

Nighttime, Wissengamo administration.

This huge conference room, located on the second basement level, serves as both Wissengamo's office for handling daily affairs and a meeting room for making decisions on important matters.

The tiered classroom-like structure was filled with wizards dressed in crimson robes.

In the very center of the room, a high platform stood, and Vaughn, also dressed in a crimson robe, stood behind the lectern on the platform, receiving questioning from the entire Wizengamo.

He glanced at the old wizard who had asked the question, and the name immediately came to mind: Alred Travers, a pure-blooded man and one of the 28 Holy Clans.

Truly a pureblood.

However, the Travers family is rather opportunistic. They have many branches, some of which maintain their pure-blood pride while others flirt with Muggles. This is not due to serious internal divisions, but rather a survival strategy.

By branching out and siding with both purebloods and Muggles, Travers can diversify its resources and ensure its continued existence regardless of future changes in the wizarding world.

"As long as they're not here to make things difficult, that's fine."

Thinking it over, Vaughn replied loudly, "Your question is very good, Mr. Travers, but I need to point out that werewolves are poor not because they are lazy, but because their circumstances and the public opinion forced them to stay away from people. Now, with the wolf poison, they are able to return to society and support themselves through labor and work."

"But your concerns are not entirely unfounded."

Vaughn spoke eloquently, "According to our investigation, there are currently about 2000 werewolves in England. Excluding Greyback and his henchmen, if we only count the vagrants who can be absorbed, there are at least 1600. About three-fifths of these are Muggles, Squibs, and native werewolves (wolf cubs born to werewolf couples). They are undoubtedly unsuitable for living in the wizarding world, and the current size of the wizarding world cannot immediately accommodate 1,000 people."

"Our temporary plan is to divert these werewolves into Muggle society. The huge Muggle population is enough to help them find jobs quickly and solve their survival problems temporarily."

At this point, Vaughn paused, and seeing the wizards starting to whisper among themselves about what he had just said, he said somewhat helplessly, "Yes, it seems you all have also noticed the problem—Muggle currency is worthless in the wizarding world."

"Of course we've taken that into account, so once the committee is established, I will push for the committee to set up an internal foundation. Initial funding will be provided by me and Dumbledore as loans to the foundation to operate Muggle gold, and then the gold will be used to cooperate with Gringotts to solve the initial costs of the Wolfsbane Potion."

Of course, this is a stopgap measure.

Although Vaughn recalled that gold prices in the 90s had great potential, the magical world's economy was very fragile due to its large population.

Even if the goblins of Gringotts love gold, they cannot exchange it without restraint. Otherwise, a large influx of gold could very likely cause the Galleon system to collapse.

This was a problem that Vaughn had already considered before he even started preparing the "Werewolf Affairs Committee".

Moreover, he was happy to see this problem arise.

The wizarding world is too closed off; he wants to slowly pry open a crack so that the wizarding world can have more contact with Muggle society.

Vaughn paused, giving the generally elderly Wizengamo members more time to understand his meaning, before continuing to propose another solution: "...On the other hand, I hope Wizengamo will allow the Werewolf Affairs Committee and the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Department to reach an export cooperation agreement on wolfsbane potions."

When this idea was proposed, the Wisengamites looked at each other in bewilderment, and many of them involuntarily looked toward the corner.

There sat a thin wizard, about 50 years old.

Barty Crouch, once a prominent and ruthless figure who rose to fame during the Wizarding Wars more than a decade ago, is now the Director of the International Department of Magical Exchange and Cooperation.

He is also a member of Wizengamo.

Barty Crouch was clearly surprised that the Werewolf Affairs Committee would involve him. He glanced at Vaughn in astonishment, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately remained silent.

People around were whispering.

Everyone recalled that the newspapers had been reporting recently that Vaughn Weasley harbored wolfish ambitions and attempted to tear the Ministry of Magic apart.

Is this a declaration of war against Fudge?

Otherwise, why would he request to cooperate solely with the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Division?

More importantly, the department's leader is a sensitive figure like Barty Crouch.

This inevitably leads many people to speculate!

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Amelia Burns, who was chairing the meeting, had to shout a command to bring it to a standstill: "Silence!"

The massive sound drowned out the buzzing discussions.

Once everyone was seated upright, Amelia looked at Aldridge Travers, who had asked the first question, and asked, "Mr. Travers, do you have any further objections or questions regarding Mr. Weasley's answer?"

Travers shook his head: "No, Ms. Burns, I'm satisfied."

"The questioning session continues. Next member, please!"

As she spoke, she glanced at the woman opposite her, who, understanding her meaning, stood up: "Mr. Weasley, I would like to ask you about your plans for the future development of the wolfsbane potion? Will the Werewolf Affairs Committee be established as a regular institution?"

"Yes, for the time being, the wolfification syndrome—I prefer to call it the werewolf virus—cannot be completely cured yet. For the next version of the wolf poison, I plan to first solve the problem of werewolf transformation under the full moon... So, judging from the current trend, the Werewolf Affairs Committee cannot just exist temporarily; it may continue for many years."

"Next... Mrs. Marchban, you may sit down and ask your question."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Weasley..."

Under Amelia's guidance, the meeting proceeded smoothly, and several hours passed quickly.

As night fell, Amelia announced a temporary recess, to be held the next day.

A group of people in purple robes walked out of the conference hall, talking amongst themselves. Vaughn also breathed a sigh of relief. As he descended from the platform, Amelia walked to his side, a slight smile appearing on her serious face.

"Thank you for your hard work, kid. Would you like to come to my office for something to eat?"

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Burns."

"Call me Amelia. I've noticed you weren't this polite when you were with Albus."

Amelia's office is also on the second basement level.

On the way to his office with Amelia, Vaughn encountered many Ministry of Magic officials, and everyone who saw him couldn't help but stop and stare.

If this floor didn't belong to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and if Amelia weren't the department head with a lot of authority, officials from other floors would probably have come here too.

Once you get to know her better, you'll find that Amelia isn't serious in private and sometimes even likes to joke around.

Even now, back in her office, she brought out two drinks and a few plates of dried fruit, and smiled at Vaughn, saying, "You've been quite the character in the ministry lately. They all call you a 12-year-old ambitious man who's trying to destroy the Ministry of Magic."

Vaughn shook his head: "That wasn't my intention, but the Ministry of Magic's system is too outdated, and Fudge is a typical politician. If I don't want my wolfsbane potion to become a political tool, and if I don't want the werewolves to become weapons, I have no choice but to find a way to separate werewolf affairs!"

Although after spending more than a month together, Amelia already knew that the child in front of her was deep and not simple.

But hearing him say that, she instinctively comforted him, "Don't worry, Dumbledore supports you, and we all support you."

Looking at Amelia's matter-of-fact expression when she said those words, it was as if Dumbledore was her superior (although, judging from the organizational structure of Wizengamor, that was indeed the case).

Vaughn outwardly thanked him, but inwardly sighed.

This is the appeal of the greatest white wizard of our time, even though Dumbledore, out of fear of power, locked himself in Hogwarts and did not want to participate in the struggle.

But as long as he stands up, countless people will respond to him.

Some people agree with his ideas, some simply admire him as a person, and some, like Fudge a year ago, try to curry favor with the "White Devil" to enhance their own political capital.

Through various meetings these days, Vaughn has encountered many subtle overtures, including today.

In Vaughn's view, so-called questioning meetings are actually places where things can easily go wrong. As long as the questioner deliberately makes things difficult, they can drag out a lot of trivial matters for many days.

He had been harassed by a pure-blood family member in the morning, but by evening, Amelia had controlled the entire meeting, with Travers only raising one relatively meaningful question.

When Vaughn's answer was sensitive, Amelia immediately took control, not giving anyone else a chance to make trouble.

No wonder everyone likes to suck up to powerful people...

In a good mood, Vaughn chatted with Amelia while drinking a beverage.

"...There are still two days left in the interrogation session. Although there was a bit of an accident this morning, I can assure you that there won't be any similar situations in the future. Of course, you should also be careful to restrain yourself. You shouldn't have dragged Barty Crouch into this when you answered Travers earlier."

Amelia instructed, "No matter how down on his luck he is now, he was once the most promising candidate for Minister of Magic, and always Fudge's biggest worry. You see, Fudge couldn't wait to throw Crouch into the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation just one year after taking office... That place clearly doesn't want him to be in charge of England's affairs."

"Your proposal to cooperate may not have any other intentions, but outsiders won't think your thoughts are that simple. People always like to complicate simple things, like you intend to join forces with Crouch to overthrow the Minister of Magic or something."

Vaughn smiled and nodded, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking behind the smile.

Amelia didn't know either.

But as she said before, if Dumbledore wants to support Vaughn, then she will support him too!

She heard Vaughn ask curiously, "So, Crouch is really down on his luck now? He didn't say a word at the meeting and looked very old. He's only lost some support because of his son. It shouldn't be that much of a blow to him, right?"

"It's not just for political reasons," Amelia sighed. "For a politician, losing power is only temporary. He became who he is today more because of his family."

"Few people outside knew that Barty Crouch Jr. had died in Azkaban. Not long after, Crouch's wife also died from grief and longing for her son... The deaths of his wife and son completely devastated him. From then on, he became low-key and didn't want to care about many things anymore."

Vaughn listened silently, inwardly scoffing.

It seems that Barty Crouch has kept a low profile very well; no one has noticed that his low profile is not really due to being deeply affected by a setback.

He also abused his power for personal gain, and in order to fulfill his seriously ill wife's wish, he switched her and Little Barty with a compound decoction.

Therefore, it wasn't Barty Crouch Jr. who died in Azkaban, but a mother who died in place of her son.

The real Barty Jr. is currently being controlled by Crouch using the Imperius Curse and is being kept at home!

Seemingly sensing Vaughn's interest in Crouch, Amelia had to remind him, "You'd better not try to win Crouch over; it's useless. He's lost all his ambition now."

"Furthermore, Fudge has remained silent since the last incident because Wissengamo hasn't made a decision yet, and he can't participate in Wissengamo affairs. But nobody thinks he'll swallow this insult, so it's best not to give him any excuse. Trying to win over Crouch would do more harm than good!"

Theoretically speaking, her judgment wasn't wrong.

Crouch has become a useless person or even a joke in the eyes of many. In the eyes of politicians, such a self-destructive guy has lost his last remaining value.

Vaughn gave her the smile she expected: "Thank you for reminding me, I was just curious."

After chatting for a while longer, Vaughn politely declined Amelia's offer to stay and got up to take his leave.

We'll meet again tomorrow anyway.

After taking the elevator down to the second basement level, Vaughn didn't go to the fireplace area to use Floo Powder. Instead, he slowly walked out of the Ministry of Magic through the underground passage.

The Ministry of Magic is actually not far from Muggle society; just above it on the ground is Whitehall in London, a very famous street.

Most of the Muggle government departments are located on this street.

Vaughn cast a banishing spell on himself to prevent his ancient Wizengamo robes from attracting the attention of Muggles. Then, with his magical eyes, he observed the nearby buildings and found a public toilet that had also been cast a banishing spell.

That's the staff entrance; Ministry of Magic staff can be teleported to the fireplace area via the toilets in the restrooms.

This quirky approach was clearly resisted by most of the staff, such as Arthur, who disliked it, but there were also some honest guys who rigidly followed the department's rules.

Just like the short, chubby young man in front of us, who was holding a newspaper and looked easy to bully.

(End of this chapter)