Chapter 124: The Hidden Danger Of Werewolves
Hiss—
The black mist coiled into the shape of a snake, hissing, but in the next second, the hiss suddenly turned into a scream—Vaughn held his wand in one hand and gently flicked it. A faint glint of light flashed, the serpentine black mist convulsed a few times, and then disintegrated!
Hermione, who had been watching intently the entire time, asked nervously in a low voice, “Vaughn, is it resolved?”
“It’s resolved,” Vaughn said, casually picking up a bottle of Spermaceti from the table and applying it to the wounds on his chest and shoulders. He then thanked Snape, “Thank you for your hard work recently, Professor. Thank you for your help.”
Snape said expressionlessly, “I dare not take credit. I will only thank you if you and Granger can leave my office immediately and never come back again!”
At the wound site, under the combined effect of the Spermaceti and the residual Phoenix Tears, the surging granulation tissue gradually connected and healed.
Before long, only a faint red mark remained where the once ghastly wound had been.
Moving his arm, the wound still ached faintly, but it no longer affected his daily activities. Vaughn thanked him again, “Thank you, Professor. It seems Albus was right; you understand Voldemort’s methods very well.”
Snape’s expression changed slightly. He glanced at Hermione and, seeing that the girl seemed not to have heard, said nothing. “Even without me, the curse wouldn’t have troubled you for long. Judging by the curse’s strength, he was in a great hurry and in very poor condition at the time, so poor it’s hard to imagine…”
His dark eyes became distant for a moment, and then he began to usher them out, “Since you’re all better, leave my office!”
Vaughn, putting on a thick skin, said with a chuckle, “Oh, Professor, we haven’t had a good chat in a while. I’d like to talk with you a bit more.”
“L-e-a-v-e—this place!” Snape said firmly, dragging out his words.
“Are you angry, Professor? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned Voldemort in front of you. Speaking of which, did Albus show you his ‘corpse’? It was too gruesome…”
Snape’s face turned ashen. He didn’t even want to speak and simply pointed at the door.
His cold eyes were wide open, as if he could devour someone.
Worried that this fan of the Dark Lord might get too angry, Vaughn could only shrug and leave with Hermione.
Before leaving, he said again, “Oh, Professor, I told Harry about your relationship with Lily. You don’t mind, do you? After all, Harry is Lily’s son, and he has the right to know…”
“Vaughn! Granger!”
Vaughn quickly closed the door, shutting out Snape’s hysterical roar, and then happily walked away with Hermione.
Until they were far from the Potions Office, Hermione, who had been silent the whole time, couldn’t help but ask, “Snape… what’s Professor Snape’s relationship with Voldemort?”
“The Professor was a Death Eater before.”
Vaughn said.
There was nothing to hide about such a matter. Snape’s bad reputation wasn’t just due to favoritism or petty grudges; the entire Wizarding World knew that Severus Snape had once been a loyal follower of the Dark Lord.
If it hadn’t been for Dumbledore’s guarantee, Snape would have been locked up in Azkaban long ago when the Dark Lord fell!
Hermione covered her mouth in surprise, “So, when he threatened Quirrell earlier and called Voldemort ‘Master,’ he wasn’t faking… Good heavens, why wasn’t he arrested?”
“There are too many Death Eaters in the entire Wizarding World of England who weren’t imprisoned in Azkaban. The adult world isn’t just black and white, justice or evil; it’s full of compromise and exchange of interests… Take the Professor, for example. He was indeed a Death Eater, but he also had a deal with the righteous side. That’s why he escaped judgment during the post-war reckoning eleven years ago.”
Hermione couldn’t comprehend this logic.
Limited by her age and experience, her young mind still thought about things with innocence. It was precisely because of this that Vaughn told her these things.
Earlier, in the Painted World, he had paid special attention to Ron and Hermione’s destinies. Their destinies had already become part of the vortex of Harry and Voldemort’s fates.
Until Vaughn was capable of deciphering destiny, they would not be able to break free from the entanglement of the two children of destiny.
As the vortex of destiny sped along its planned route, Hermione would encounter more and more matters beyond her age. She had to learn to grow up quickly to suffer less harm and impact.
The girl frowned in distress and stopped talking.
Vaughn didn’t speak either, letting her think and calm down on her own. He believed that Hermione would eventually figure it out and understand. He liked a girl who wasn’t just a pretty face or an inflexible bookworm.
It was evident from the original story that her psychological adjustment ability was very strong. Her “aptitude for learning” wasn’t limited to textbook knowledge but also extended to interpersonal skills, and she possessed a rare persistence in her own beliefs!
Such a person was a natural politician!
Vaughn thought as they returned to the Second Floor of the Castle. As they were about to part, （Classes are different）, he asked, “Hermione, have you ever thought about working at WAC? Perhaps as a frontline staff member during the summer break? Just for extracurricular practice.”
Hermione, still pondering, was startled by the question and her attention immediately shifted, “Frontline staff member? What kind of work is that?”
Vaughn briefly introduced the composition of WAC. The committee was complex, consisting of werewolves, old wizards from the Wizengamot, and foreign wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards.
The composition of the committee meant that they couldn’t expect them to execute decisions or handle specific tasks like paperwork, logistics, or finances every day.
Frontline staff members would definitely need to be recruited in large numbers.
They would be responsible for implementing specific decisions, such as the resettlement of werewolves under the committee’s management, departmental formation, liaison with the Ministry of Magic and other international magical institutions, and so on.
“The work of a staff member is very character-building. You’ll get to interact with all sorts of people and problems, learn how to solve a situation, whether it will have follow-up effects, and what those effects will lead to… You have to consider every aspect.”
Vaughn said sincerely, “In other words, frontline staff members might be more important than committee members. After all, decisions only remain on paper. Whether they are good or bad ultimately needs to be tested by practice, and the frontline staff are the ones who implement the decisions. This job determines whether the decisions can have a positive impact!”
Hermione’s eyes gradually lit up. Her heart was touched by Vaughn’s description, but she also hesitated, “Such important work, can I really do it?”
Vaughn reassured her, “Why not? WAC is a brand-new organization. There has never been a similar organization in the Wizarding World before. No one has experience in handling the related needs and problems of werewolves. Everyone is at the same starting line.”
“I believe in your abilities, Hermione. You always find the key elements amidst chaotic problems…”
After a dose of motivational words, the young girl’s heart was stirred, and she finally nodded in agreement, eagerness radiating from her, “Does WAC have any decision-making materials or a manifesto right now? I need to study it carefully… Hmm, no, I need to research organizations with similar functions. The Wizarding World might lack in this area, but the Muggle society has plenty, like human rights organizations, animal protection organizations…”
As she spoke, she was already planning where to find relevant materials when she went home for the summer break!
Watching the girl’s excited expression, Vaughn smiled.
He suddenly realized he had quite a talent for being a capitalist, even tricking his own girlfriend with grand promises!
However, Vaughn did genuinely want to find something for Hermione to do. On one hand, it was to train her; on the other hand, it was to prevent her from overthinking or, like in the original story, forming something like a House-elf Rights Association in the future.
The issue of house-elves was very complex.
They had been domesticated by wizards for too long and too successfully, their very thoughts thoroughly transformed. When Vaughn had been looking for potential recruits, he had considered house-elves, but ultimately abandoned the idea.
It was precisely because of the successful indoctrination by wizards that the house-elf community had no rebellious spirit!
After a moment of excitement, Hermione suddenly thought of something and asked, “I’m not even 13 yet, is it okay to work at WAC?”
Vaughn said nonchalantly, “That’s why I called it extracurricular practice. As long as you’re not paid, there’s no problem!”
“Oh.” Hermione felt something was a bit off, but couldn’t articulate it. She didn’t think about it further and said excitedly, “When do we start?”
“Don’t rush. I’ll inform Remus first… Remus is a werewolf wizard, and he’s in charge of recruitment.”
Vaughn decided to go today. Due to his injuries, he hadn’t been very active for a week and had barely attended any classes. It was a good opportunity to get out and clear his head.
…
In the evening, Manchester City was hit by the ebb and flow of commuters leaving work.
This city in the northwest of the British Isles was one of England’s few remaining industrial cities, ever since it had implemented a deindustrialization policy and focused entirely on developing its tertiary sector.
It was also the world’s first industrial city, where the prelude to the Industrial Revolution began 200 years ago. The reason it retained its industrial DNA under the current national policy was probably due to this history.
Industry is a labor-intensive sector, and Manchester was naturally the best place for migrant workers.
As Remus Lupin walked out of the factory, the setting sun in the sky pierced through the city center’s densely packed skyscrapers, casting his and the crowd’s long shadows into the vast factory area, with its numerous factory chimneys behind them.
“Hey, Remus, want to grab a drink?”
A worker greeted Lupin.
Remus waved his hand, “Sorry, Charles, I’m too tired today. I just want to go home and rest well.”
“Mate, you can’t go on like this. Every time we ask you for a drink, you say you’re tired. That’s no way to become a Mancunian.”
Other familiar workers chimed in, “Drinking beer and watching football is the lifeblood of a Mancunian. You don’t like either, Remus, I’m starting to doubt if you’re even human!”
“I’ve noticed that the guys who come with Remus don’t like beer or football, and that’s not good.”
“Alright, alright, if they don’t like it, don’t force it… What about today? Those Portsmouth guys have been quite arrogant lately…”
A group of people, who transformed into football hooligans as soon as they left work, walked away arm in arm.
Watching their retreating figures, Remus sighed softly.
Of course, he knew that his and other werewolves’ refusal to participate in Muggle social activities made them seem peculiar, but that was the awkward predicament of werewolves.
For their own safety and that of others, they had to distance themselves from others to prevent Muggles from discovering their abnormality.
At least, things were much better now. Since the advent of the Wolfsbane Potion, they no longer had to hide like mice or live like savages in the wilderness. Now they could walk openly in the sunlight, be people of a civilized world, and even support themselves with their own hands, eating delicious Fried Cod and burgers every day.
But Lupin, who was already designated as a WAC committee member, knew that their current life was very fragile.
Working in Muggle society only provided subsistence; there was no Gold Galleon income. For 1600 werewolves, the monthly expenditure on Wolfsbane Potion was a huge burden.
As of now, WAC, which hadn’t even held its first full meeting, already owed Vaughn and Dumbledore over 30,000 Gold Galleons!
Lupin’s head ached just thinking about this enormous debt.
Rubbing his temples, Lupin wearily returned to the werewolf settlement—this was originally an old Muggle residential area built 50 years ago, consisting of 3 buildings, and it was one of the aids provided by the Wizengamot after WAC was formally established.
The property of the residential area belonged to the Wizengamot, and it was temporarily lent to the werewolves working in Manchester for their residence, to help them through the initial difficult period.
The residential area was lively. Despite years of wandering, even with the removal of concerns due to the Wolfsbane Potion, the werewolves were still hesitant to speak much when outside.
Only when they returned here, surrounded by familiar faces, could they release their suppressed emotions.
Groups of children ran and played in the corridors, and adults chatted and drank in twos and threes. Everyone who saw Lupin greeted him:
“Remus, want to have a drink?”
“Thank you, I don’t feel like drinking today. You should drink less too.”
“Remus, have you eaten? Come and try the Pie my Mary made?”
“Thank you, if I don’t feel like cooking, I will. Charles… Hey, Marcus, don’t just use magic. Charles, you should manage your son!”
“I didn’t mean to use magic, Mr. Lupin. My magic just went out of control. It’s not obeying me…”
After greeting everyone on his way back to his room, Lupin’s head ached even more. The werewolf problem was never just about simple food and warmth, nor just about the Wolfsbane Potion. There were also more significant hidden dangers.
For example, Marcus, a werewolf teenager who had awakened magic!
Closing the door, blocking out the noise from outside, Lupin leaned against the door, sighing heavily.
Then, a voice echoed from the dark room, “Remus, what are you worrying about?”
“Who?”
Lupin instinctively drew his wand and whispered a spell. A transparent light shield of the Full Body-Bind Curse silently appeared before him.
The tip of his wand also lit up with a red glow!
It was a pitiable life. He was a wizard who grew up during wartime, embroiled in conflict from the moment he left Hogwarts. Coupled with his werewolf identity, his most beautiful years were always accompanied by tragedy.
In terms of reactivity, he was similar to Barty Crouch Jr.; faced with a stranger suddenly appearing in his home, he instinctively chose to use force for self-preservation.
Then, he heard someone snap their fingers.
*Snap!*
With the sound of the snap, a ripple passed through the air. Lupin watched in horror as the Full Body-Bind Curse he had cast quietly shattered, the light shield disintegrating in the air, its fragments scattering like unburnt paper scraps.
Immediately after, a powerful oppressive force washed over him. Lupin grunted, pressed against the door by air that seemed to have solidified.
A familiar encounter, familiar magic, and a familiar voice—
“Lumos!”
With a short incantation, the darkness in the room was dispelled, and a wisp of fluorescence lit up, hovering next to the sofa where Lupin usually rested. On the sofa sat a familiar youthful figure.
The young man held a book, seemingly reading it in the darkness until now, when he raised his head, “Long time no see, Moony. Your way of treating guests seems a bit too intense.”
Looking at the young man, Lupin’s expression was complex, “Vaughn Weasley, when did you arrive?”
“About 20 minutes ago?” Vaughn thought for a moment, “I read for a while and had some tea… Speaking of which, why do you have this book?”
Under the faint fluorescence, Lupin saw the title of the book.
《 Wandering with Werewolves》
Author: Gilderoy Lockhart
“Bought it for reference.” Still pinned to the door by magic, Lupin’s expression was helpless. “I heard he’s also an expert on werewolf issues. The book details his experiences living with a group of werewolf wanderers. From the details, it seems highly credible… How long do you plan to keep me trapped?”
“Ha!”
Vaughn chuckled and said nothing more, waving his hand to dispel the Evanesco charm.
Feeling the magic that had pinned him immovably dissipate, Lupin breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression was somewhat displeased.
However, he also noticed that after not seeing Vaughn for several months, his power had become increasingly unfathomable. He had never seen anyone use the Evanesco charm to achieve a “confinement” effect.
Just a few months ago, the opponent could only send him flying away… which wasn’t a glorious moment either…
Lupin grumbled, rubbing his shoulder, and walked to the sofa opposite, sitting down. Looking at Vaughn, who was still holding a book and drinking tea, he couldn’t help but sarcastically ask, “Suddenly appearing in my home, is there something you need? Or do you just want to mooch off my book and tea?”
“Don’t be like a hedgehog, Moony. I thought after forming WAC, we were like-minded partners. Your current attitude is very hurtful!”
“…You suddenly appeared in my house and pinned me to the door. Is this how you treat your partners?”
“Oh, sorry. I just saw your reaction was too intense and wanted to help you calm down, Remus. Are you calm now?”
“…”
Lupin took a deep breath and decided not to lose his temper, “Thank you, I’ve always been calm.”
He seemed a bit timid mainly because of his last encounter with Vaughn. The latter’s methods had left a deep impression on him. At the time, he had been skeptical, suspecting Vaughn’s motives for organizing the werewolves were sinister.
But Vaughn had accurately grasped his personality weakness and assigned him the responsibility of settling the werewolf wanderers in London. He was deeply moved by the tragic plight of the werewolf wanderers and willingly became an “accomplice”!
In fact, he had continued to “help” until now, and had even become part of the management team through his continuous assistance…
Truly, he had been sold out and then helped the buyer count the money!
Across from him, Vaughn didn’t answer Lupin’s previous question, continuing to read his book while sipping Black Tea. “Seeing your dejected look just now, are you having difficulties working in Muggle society, or is it something related to werewolves?”
“It’s about werewolves.”
Speaking of this, Lupin’s expression turned weary again. “The more organizational work I do, the more I realize that many problems are not that simple, especially concerning how a group survives.”
Vaughn flipped a few pages casually, without looking up, and continued, “Tell me more?”
Lupin gave a wry smile, “Why do you ask when you already know? I, young Barnaby, William, and the like, we regional leaders report to you every month. The problems are still the same: lack of Gold Galleons, difficulty ensuring the normal procurement of Wolfsbane Potion, how WAC should develop… and something I’ve only recently noticed.”
He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed deeply, “Some of the children among the werewolves are starting to show signs of magic awakening or loss of control over their magic!”
Hearing this, Vaughn finally lifted his gaze from the book, “What’s the proportion?”
“I’m not sure about the areas managed by young Barnaby and William, but in the community I’m responsible for, three children have shown signs of active magic: one is 7 years old, one is 9 years old, and there’s a child named Marcus, who is already 16.”
As soon as Vaughn heard this, he knew what Lupin was worried about.
Magic awakening was a phenomenon that only occurred in humans. Compared to other magical creatures, wizards’ talent in humans seemed to be latent.
It was also the golden standard for judging whether a person possessed wizarding talent in the Wizarding World.
In a normal Muggle or wizarding society, such children would be recorded by the Book of Admissions the moment they awakened—in fact, all children related to the Wizarding World were recorded at birth, but they were under close surveillance until they showed obvious signs of magic awakening, at which point the Book of Admissions would officially record them.
Theoretically, when the recorded person reached 11 years old, Hogwarts would send an acceptance letter based on the list in the Book of Admissions.
In theory, the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admissions, two Alchemical Marvels, were responsible for monitoring all humans within England.
However, judging from the enrollment situation over the past thousand years, the Book of Admissions seemed not to consider werewolves as humans…
It was clear that werewolf young wizards did not meet Hogwarts’ enrollment standards!
This brought about some hidden dangers—young wizards whose magic had entered an active phase were very likely to cause big trouble!
For wizards, magic awakening and even magic surges were not uncommon. Any wizard had experienced them and had enough experience and power to handle them.
But werewolves did not have that ability.
After thinking for a moment, Vaughn asked, “How did werewolves deal with this in the past?”
Lupin shook his head, “I’ve consulted. If a werewolf tribe had Wild Wizards, they would try to teach the children with awakened magic. If the tribe had no Wild Wizards, or if the Wild Wizards were not skilled enough…”
He paused, “…those children usually didn’t live past the age of 10…”
Upon hearing this, the term Obscurus immediately flashed in Vaughn’s mind!
To understand Obscurus, one must first establish a concept:
Once magic awakens, it will not stop!
It would grow stronger as the young wizard aged. The adolescent developmental period was the peak of the magic growth curve, just like the human body, rapidly progressing from infancy to maturity over more than a decade.
This process could not be suppressed, and any attempt to suppress it would lead to instability!
Obscurus was the most dangerous of all “unstable” manifestations.
According to the Ministry of Magic’s official definition, young wizards, in order to avoid the dangers around them, consciously suppress the growth and use of their magic but lack guidance and do not learn how to control their power, which gives rise to a parasite—an Obscurus!
An Obscurial is the host of an Obscurus.
The birth of an Obscurus was usually accompanied by immense emotional conflict; it was a distorted product of long-term oppressive living environments and psychological pressure, a natural Dark Arts!
It could not be controlled.
The moment the Obscurus was born within the host Obscurial, just like magic awakening, it could no longer be stopped.
This uncontrolled dark power would ignite the host’s anger, pain, or other intense emotions, destroying everything it saw.
Until the host itself was also destroyed…
Vaughn closed his book, “Are you worried that more Obscurials will emerge from those children?”
“It’s not a worry, it’s a certainty,” Lupin said grimly. “The survival strategy of werewolves dictates that they must have long-term contact with Muggles, which in itself increases the risk of them violating the 《Statute of Secrecy》 and brings them severe psychological pressure.”
“Not to mention, in addition to their werewolf identity, there’s also the risk of exposure from their wizard identity…”
Lupin sighed, “For the past two months, I’ve been working with the werewolves in this community in Muggle factories. I’ve personally experienced the psychological state of longing yet not daring to approach, having to remain aloof, and being watched with strange eyes by Muggles when interacting with them.”
“Honestly, that feeling is not good—oppressive, lonely, unable to integrate. Even with werewolf companions by your side, you still know deep down that you are an outsider, that this city has no place for you, and this cannot be your home.”
Vaughn remained silent.
He was not a werewolf and did not have the experience of a werewolf, so he could not empathize with them.
Just like now, he didn’t think the problems Lupin described were particularly serious. He couldn’t understand why werewolves wanted to settle in this city and integrate with Muggles.
Of course, from a logical standpoint, he could understand the fundamental reasons for the werewolves’ such aspirations.
It was just that emotionally, he couldn’t relate.
“Don’t sigh, you’re doing a great job, Remus,” Vaughn said. “This is why, when I was planning WAC, I insisted that werewolves must hold half the seats on the committee… Only werewolves know what werewolves need.”
He paused and asked, “So, have you thought of any solutions to these problems?”
“I… I’m not sure…”
Lupin’s expression was somewhat bewildered, and his gaze was unfocused as he looked at Vaughn, “There are solutions. We lack Gold Galleon income, so we’ll earn Gold Galleons. We lack social status, so we’ll improve our social status.”
“And for the werewolf children with awakened magic, since we’re afraid of them becoming Obscurials, we should send them to Hogwarts…”
As he spoke, his eyes refocused, and he looked at Vaughn with a wry smile, “The solutions seem simple, but how do we do it?”
These seemingly simple matters were sometimes the most difficult to achieve.
There was no need to mention earning Gold Galleons and improving social status.
The fearsome reputation of “Lycanthropy” for over a thousand years had deeply ingrained the impression of werewolves in the minds of wizards, and it was not something that could be changed by shouting a few political slogans.
Without completely resolving “Lycanthropy,” one should not expect the Wizarding World to accept werewolves; that was unrealistic.
The issue of werewolf young wizards was even more so.
Vaughn knew the intention behind Lupin bringing up this issue…
He hoped Vaughn would discuss with Dumbledore about allowing Hogwarts to admit werewolf students.
But Vaughn knew this was impossible!
Even Dumbledore couldn’t do it.
Lupin himself only dared to hint at it but couldn’t say it out loud.
No parents would want their children to attend classes with werewolf cubs, and even the professors at school would likely strongly oppose it.
While werewolf cubs were pitiable, they could not and should not disregard the safety of other children.
After thinking for a moment, Vaughn closed the book in his hand, walked to Lupin’s side, and patted the shoulder of the middle-aged man who looked very dejected.
He noticed that Lupin’s state of mind was not right; he seemed somewhat depressed.
Perhaps it was because he had been forced to deal with too many troublesome matters in the past six months, and the pressure was too great, making him unable to cope emotionally.
This wouldn’t do.
Vaughn was still counting on Lupin to be his right-hand man!
“Remus, I understand your pain. You’ve identified problems but don’t know how to solve them because they are too complex and cannot be changed in a short time. But, my friend, the very meaning of WAC’s existence is precisely this—we are a pioneering organization, the first organization whose primary purpose is to solve the problems of werewolves!”
“Discovering complex problems is nothing to fear; it means we are on the path to solving them, not like the Ministry of Magic in the past, which ignored problems and stood still for over 200 years.”
Remus, being very responsible, clearly hadn’t thought about it from this perspective. He was stunned and managed a weak smile at Vaughn, “Your explanation, to me, sounds a bit like… comparing rottenness?”
This was a word Vaughn had “invented” when he occasionally corresponded with Lupin and joked about politics.
Vaughn chuckled, “Don’t be so pessimistic. Our progress in terms of ideology is far more than a small step compared to the Ministry of Magic. Similarly, every small step of progress is difficult. There are indeed many problems, but don’t be impatient. Let’s solve them one by one, and one day we will be able to shape WAC into our ideal form.”
“I came to find you this time specifically to help you solve problems.”
Lupin was a man in his thirties. His life of hardship had made him sensitive to certain rhetoric.
He could indeed hear the hollowness in Vaughn’s words, the simple painting of a rosy future to entice him and other werewolves to continue working hard.
But what was frustrating was that, as Vaughn had said before, the world, whether the Wizarding World or the Muggle society, was indeed a world of “comparing rottenness.”
WAC might not be able to fundamentally change the situation of werewolves, but at least it was making a change.
Thinking this, he sighed, “Where do you plan to start?”
“For now, let’s first solve the problem of funding for the purchase of Wolfsbane Potion, how about that?”
This issue had been discussed many times within WAC, and Lupin knew that when Vaughn had planned for WAC, he had provided a batch of Muggle currency to WAC through loans.
