Chapter 130: Those Qualified To Know The Truth
More than an hour later, as the last light in the dormitory extinguished, several people fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the tower, the dark green of the Forbidden Forest stretched into the distance under the night sky. The bright moon rose, and the moonlight that seeped through the window shifted, gradually illuminating the cage and covering the fat rat within.
At a certain moment, the rat opened its eyes.
Its small, bean-like eyes were bright and dark. It quietly straightened up, standing like a person. Its nose twitched as it carefully sniffed and observed the sleeping Harry and Ron.
Until it confirmed that both were truly asleep, it extended its paw, nimbly unlocked the cage, squeezed out, and leaped lightly to the ground.
Rustle…
Amidst the subtle sounds, the rat left the dormitory, left Gryffindor Tower, and passed through the quiet, deserted corridors and staircases.
It was very familiar with the castle, knowing exactly where the doors were in each corridor, where the walls looked like doors, and even more importantly, which stairs were mischievous and would suddenly disappear when stepped on.
The rustling sound led all the way to the Dining Hall.
Even late at night, there were still people in the Dining Hall, and the huge screen was still on, quietly playing a movie.
Exam week had reached its end, and the holiday was imminent. The castle’s curfew was a mere formality. After a busy school year, the professors only went through the motions in the final days, and even Filch wasn’t patrolling at night.
Of course, this was an informal convention that only seasoned veterans knew about.
The rat quietly nudged open the Dining Hall door and approached a senior student standing closest to the entrance. Sensing a slight disturbance, the student turned around.
His companion noticed his movement and asked, “What are you doing?”
“I thought I heard someone come in…”
“The wind probably blew it open. Don’t be jumpy. By the way, can you cast the Exploding Charm silently?”
“How could I? I haven’t even learned to cast the Blasting Curse silently, let alone the Exploding Charm.”
“Damn it, how did Vaughn Weasley learn it? It’s demoralizing!”
“Ah, that’s just how geniuses are, no explanation needed… Oh, by the way, Phil Travers from Slytherin Academy said that WAC will be sending people to the school for a job fair the day after tomorrow. Are you considering it?”
“…WAC is full of werewolves, this…”
“Phil Travers told me that Vaughn Weasley will be running for the first president of WAC. Don’t you think this is a good opportunity?” The proposer gazed dreamily at the screen. Of course, it wasn’t Vaughn’s face that captivated him, but Vaughn’s strength.
“We all have to find jobs to support ourselves. Rather than go back to Muggle society or work in Diagon Alley, I’d rather throw my lot in with him. In my opinion, he’s likely to become the next You-Know-Who, or the next Dumbledore!”
“Uh, you think that highly of him?”
“Of course…”
The rat, eavesdropping on their conversation, also watched the huge screen at the end of the long table.
He had lived in the Muggle world and knew what movies were, so he had no understanding issues.
Consequently, as the movie’s plot progressed, his inner fear grew.
When he saw that familiar, terrifying head finally being pulled off by Vaughn, the rat’s body trembled violently, and the entire creature collapsed onto the floor.
No!
I can’t stay with the Weasleys anymore!
I must find a way to leave. Even if I have to run to the Forbidden Forest and become a stray rat, it’s better than living in constant fear!
Thinking this in terror, he stumbled out of the Dining Hall.
He didn’t even want to go back to the dormitory, but before he could run far, a giant paw blocked his path.
The rat struggled to lift its head.
It saw a giant cat, with a phoenix standing on its back. All four eyes stared at it intently…
The same night.
In the Ministry of Magic, located beneath a certain street in Whitehall, London, on the floor belonging to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a conference room had been specially cleared. Several wizards in black robes sat in tiered seating.
In front of them, a silver screen floated and unfurled, with light projected from a floating projector.
Throughout the entire process, no one spoke.
Only after the screening ended did they begin to whisper amongst themselves.
Hearing the hushed voices behind him, Dumbledore looked at Amelia Burns beside him. The witch sat transfixed in her seat, and after a long while, she murmured,
“So, he’s really not dead?”
Behind them, several wizards stopped their conversation and looked at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded, “Yes, Amelia, he has never died, and he constantly desires to resurrect and return to England!”
Upon hearing his answer, a wizard from the back couldn’t help but question, “How do we know that everything you’ve shown us is true? Dumbledore, I don’t mean to nitpick, but as far as I know, Muggle plays are fictional…”
The wizards always held deep prejudices against Muggles.
Even wizards who sided with Muggles were no exception.
But this time, Amelia interrupted the wizard, “It’s true, McLean. The person appearing on the screen, the one possessing Quirinus Quirrell, is Voldemort…”
Her expression was complex, filled with sorrow and hatred. “I will never forget his face, deformed, disgusting, and that nauseating voice… My brother Edgar was personally ordered to be killed by him, and so were other family members…”
Edgar Burns, a first-generation member of the Order of the Phoenix, had his entire family murdered by Death Eaters for resisting Voldemort.
The wizards exchanged glances. The Burns family was not a minor power. Before Voldemort’s rise, it had once been one of the most powerful families in the wizarding world.
But due to their refusal to submit to Voldemort, the family rapidly declined. The brutal massacre began with Edgar Burns, an event that was very famous at the time.
In a sense, Amelia Burns, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, was willing to cooperate with Dumbledore after the war precisely because of this.
Just as she said, she could never forget Voldemort’s face. Even before, she wasn’t sure if Voldemort was still alive.
But now, she was certain.
She took a deep breath and turned to Dumbledore, “Albus, what do you plan to do? You filmed his situation like a Muggle movie, are you planning to show it to everyone?”
Dumbledore shook his head, “No, Amelia, I don’t plan to tell everyone the truth. So, before leaving this conference room, I hope everyone will take an Unbreakable Vow to keep this secret. To the outside world, we will say, as McLean suggested, that the movie is fictional.”
The people present were all individuals who had navigated the quagmire of politics. They quickly understood why Dumbledore did not reveal the truth.
“You’re worried that the news of his survival will cause panic?”
“Dumbledore’s concerns are very valid. 11 years is not enough time to erase the public’s fear of You-Know-Who.”
“Then, Dumbledore, what is your intention in summoning us and telling us the truth?”
Amelia also looked at Dumbledore, wanting to know the white wizard leader’s reasoning.
Under everyone’s gaze, Dumbledore slowly said, “No particular intention. I invited you all here to inform you of the truth, simply because I need help!”
Without waiting for others to ask, he stood up and walked to the floating silver screen, looking at the frozen image. “You all experienced the war 11 years ago, and you know how powerful Voldemort is. Although you have expressed doubts before, it is undeniable that after the war, you were willing to accept me and gather around me because you all knew in your hearts that Voldemort was likely not dead, and that I was the only hope to fight him in your minds!”
The wizards remained silent.
Including Amelia.
In the adult world, there is no good that comes without reason, nor is there any arbitrary alignment; it usually stems from interests or demands.
Dumbledore was indeed a person with charisma, but to make allies and collaborators align with him in all aspects required more than just charisma.
However, in the past, those underlying intentions were unspoken understandings among adults, and at this moment, Dumbledore was bringing them to light.
He turned back, meeting their gazes, and sighed, “But my friends, I am old. Next month is my 111th birthday. My body and my magic are declining every day. How much longer can I bear the burden of fighting Voldemort?”
Amelia frowned slightly, already catching Dumbledore’s subtext. She glanced at the blood-covered Vaughn Weasley on the screen. “Albus, are you trying to train him to be your successor?”
Several pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Dumbledore nodded, “Yes, Amelia. And I hope you can all provide tangible support to help me train him!”
As soon as he finished speaking, McLean stood up. “Are you kidding me, Dumbledore? You expect a 12-year-old child to contend with Vold… You-Know-Who?”
“This is absurd!”
“Albus, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Others also began to stir, but only Amelia, lost in thought, observed Dumbledore’s calm demeanor.
Of the people present, only she had interacted with Vaughn Weasley. How to put it…
In her observation, he was a very distinctive… wizard!
Yes, Amelia felt he didn’t seem like a child at all, but a wizard with mature thoughts and concepts, and even more so, a wizard with a profound character.
Amelia’s eyes narrowed slightly. Amidst the noise, she heard Dumbledore’s loud retort, “Yes, Vaughn is only a 12-year-old child, but this precisely demonstrates his potential. Ladies and gentlemen, can any of you do this at the age of 12?”
Dumbledore raised his hand, pointing to Vaughn’s figure on the screen.
The wizards were momentarily speechless. Soon, one of them retorted, “That was Quirinus Quirrell’s body, not the true Dark Lord. Vaughn Weasley killing him proves nothing!”
“Quirinus was an excellent Ravenclaw. Mr. Baird, you are also a graduate of Ravenclaw. Are you suggesting that Ravenclaw graduates being defeated by a 12-year-old young wizard is commonplace?”
Mr. Baird’s face turned red. “I did not! You are splitting hairs!”
“Enough!”
Amelia glared at Mr. Baird and stood up, about to say something. In the corner, an old wizard who had been silent all along gently raised his hand. “I think it’s acceptable to contribute to nurturing Vaughn Weasley. So, Dumbledore, what kind of help do you need?”
The others stared at the old wizard in astonishment. “Alred, have you gone mad too?”
Alred Travers smiled. “Perhaps. If Voldemort can resurrect, what’s so strange about an old man like me going mad?”
Under their astonished gazes,
Alred Travers, an old wizard from a collateral branch of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Travers family, spoke with a calm expression:
“I understand everyone’s resistance. We are a loose alliance, banding together out of opposition to Voldemort and the oppression of pure-blood families. There is no clear hierarchy here. We obey Dumbledore because of the sense of security his legendary wizardry provides, and also because of the inclusivity of his philosophy.”
“Now, Dumbledore wants to break this unspoken agreement and have us old folks spend real money on a 12-year-old child, and even acknowledge that child inheriting his position. Of course, you’ll be displeased. If it were anyone else, I would also be displeased…”
He paused, looked around at his old companions, and said softly, “But if it’s Vaughn Weasley, I will agree!”
McLean, who was closest to him, frowned tightly. “Why?”
Alred Travers did not answer, only saying, “I believe Dumbledore will give us the answer.”
Because of his words, the wizards reluctantly suppressed their displeasure and turned their attention back to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, in turn, looked at Alred.
This was an unexpected development. Of course, Dumbledore had anticipated the opposition; as Alred said, although they were an alliance, they were very loose.
There were no organizational tenets, nor a rigorous organizational structure.
It was merely a small group, akin to a salon, privately formed by several families who disagreed with pure-blood supremacy ruling the wizarding world, after the chaos of 11 years ago, to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Normally, they could exchange information and act as external voting machines at certain meetings, but expecting them to transfer benefits was very difficult.
However, since Dumbledore dared to invite them for a meeting, he naturally had confidence in persuading them. It was just that this confidence did not include Alred Travers!
Looking at the old wizard in the corner, his face full of wrinkles and so decrepit he was unbearable to look at, Dumbledore suddenly felt that he had overlooked the Travers family, the infamous fence-sitters of the wizarding world.
Deep in thought, Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, scanned the others, and mused, “I do have important information that can prove my choice…”
He waved his sleeve, and a miniature disc-like object flew out. With a flick of his wand, it rapidly enlarged, turning into a shallow water basin.
A Pensieve!
Dumbledore placed the tip of his wand to his forehead and extracted a strand of silver, placing it in the Pensieve. He then looked at everyone and extended his hand. “…There is a lot of information, all in the memories I’ve placed in this Pensieve. It is very important, and if you wish to see it, you must first sign an Unbreakable Vow with me.”
Although he said “you all,” Dumbledore’s eyes were fixed on Alred.
Alred did not disappoint his “expectations.” He stood up, walked to Dumbledore, took his hand, and smiled, “I’ll go first, to set an example for everyone.”
Dumbledore remained silent.
The other wizards, including Amelia, exchanged bewildered glances.
…
It was past midnight, and the meeting had concluded.
The heated exchange of opinions had ended. The others gradually departed. Amelia, who had seen them off, returned to the conference room and found Dumbledore still gazing at the frozen image on the silver screen overhead, lost in thought.
Hearing her footsteps, Dumbledore turned and suddenly asked, “Amelia, has the Travers family ever produced a Seer?”
Amelia was taken aback. “Not that I recall…”
Before she could finish, she paused. A realization dawned on her. “Travers wasn’t someone you arranged, was he? A plant?”
“…No!”
Dumbledore rubbed his temples. “I wasn’t close to them before. The main branch of the Travers family is staunchly pure-blood supremacist. Their heirs are even followers of Voldemort. Although the collateral branch has long since broken ties with the main branch, I still can’t fully trust them.”
Hearing this, and connecting it to Dumbledore’s recent question, Amelia suddenly understood. “You suspect that Alred’s collateral branch has a Seer? What did they see in their prophecy?”
“Precisely. Otherwise, I truly cannot understand why Alred suddenly jumped out to support me. And besides…”
He frowned and extracted another strand of silver from his mind, placing it into the Pensieve and leaning in to examine it closely.
A moment later, a memory depicting a piece of parchment appeared on the water’s surface.
Amelia peered over. It was a list, with not many names, only about a dozen. One name stood out prominently:
Phil Travers!
“Is this… Alred’s grandson? He sent his own grandson into WAC?” Amelia asked in surprise.
She noticed the heading on the parchment, which indicated WAC.
Amelia murmured, “I really can’t believe Alred has such courage…”
To be honest, although Amelia had played a significant role in the establishment of WAC and had consistently stood by Vaughn,
if her niece, Susan Burns, wanted to join WAC now, she would absolutely not agree.
Political stance was one thing, but actual contact was another.
As long as Lycanthropy wasn’t completely resolved, werewolves were a potential danger.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment and chuckled, “Indeed, courage. That old fence-sitter dares to place such a heavy bet, binding the next heir of the family to Vaughn’s side… Such an abnormal move must have a deeper reason.”
If this were the Muggle world, there could be various reasons prompting a fence-sitter family to place such a bet.
But in the wizarding world, the first thing wizards suspect is the possibility of a prophecy!
Amelia mused, “I’ve never heard of the Travers family having a lineage of Divination. The only Divination families remaining in England are the Trelawneys.”
“Did they not intermarry?”
“As far as I know, the Trelawney family has not intermarried with any family. They have always sought to restore their ancestors’ glory, so why would they allow their family bloodline to be passed on outside the family…”
Amelia’s expression was somewhat unnatural.
Dumbledore felt similarly. For the sake of blood purity, pure-blood families often engaged in practices that normal people would find unacceptable.
He changed the subject. “We’ll investigate the Travers matter later… Do you think they will ultimately agree to my request?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What about you, Amelia?”
Amelia didn’t answer immediately. Her expression became confused for a moment, a hint of struggle. After a pause, she retorted, “Are Harry and Voldemort’s destinies truly so intertwined that no one else can make even a slight difference?”
“Yes, child.”
“But Vaughn can disrupt them?”
“Precisely. This is the conclusion I’ve reached from nearly a year of observation.”
Dumbledore replied calmly.
Amelia continued to ask, “You’re training Vaughn, but you’re asking for ten types of Fire Dragons? What does Vaughn plan to do with them?”
Dumbledore paused, then answered cheerfully, “I don’t know, my dear. In fact, I forgot to ask him.”
“…”
In the early morning, it began to rain.
The clear weather of many days finally returned to the traditional damp climate of the Scottish Highlands. A moist wind and dark clouds swept in from the distant horizon towards Hogwarts.
Lightning danced like silver snakes, and a fierce storm poured down.
The Black Lake outside the window also churned, its surface now a pitch black with strong currents beneath. A patrol of Merpeople passed by Vaughn’s dormitory window. During stormy weather, the underwater weeds and Grindylows would proliferate, and the Merpeople had to constantly clear them to prevent them from encroaching on the Merpeople’s grazing grounds.
In the dim light, Vaughn looked up from the experiment bench, pushing away the magnifying glass hovering before his eyes.
On the table below, Nobeta, who had grown to the size of a small pony, lay sprawled and secured. Its two prominent red eyes looked pleadingly at Vaughn.
“What, are you afraid I’ll dissect you?”
Nobeta’s ugly mouth opened, emitting a harsh cry, and its tail wagged frantically.
Vaughn chuckled, dispelled the magic restraining it, and patted its skinny, bony head. “Go play!”
Nobeta shot off the experiment bench, stretched its stiff wings, and ran to another bed in the dormitory, which was Guoguochá’s territory. The large cat was lazily curled up in the blankets, feeling drowsy in the humid air.
The young dragon, which had been bullied by it just a few days ago, now had the advantage in size.
But Guoguochá wasn’t worried. Relying on its master’s favor, it calmly watched Nobeta laboriously climb onto the bed, only to be kicked off by a paw.
“Caw! Caw!” Nobeta shrieked in exasperation.
“Meow~”
Guoguochá disdainfully licked its paw. A foolish lizard, daring to play with Lord Guoguochá?
Ignoring the playful antics of the two pets, Vaughn opened his notebook, recording some experimental data he had just obtained from Nobeta.
Researching the magical principles of Fire Dragons was not a simple matter. The difficulty lay not only in the scarcity of Fire Dragons as research material but also in life itself.
Life is not composed of a few simple materials; it is a vast and complex system made up of multiple elements.
From a research perspective, to understand the principle behind a Fire Dragon breathing fire, one must first determine if it possesses a fire-breathing organ.
If its existence can be confirmed, one must then understand how that organ operates, what causes the organ to produce fire （ or flammable substances ）, involving what kind of transport, synthesis, decomposition, or conformational changes…
Comparing it to Muggle biology, the scope of research essentially ranged from physiological biology to biochemistry and then to cellular biology…
It was a headache.
Vaughn buried his head in his notebook, the rustling of his quill on parchment a constant sound.
“…Currently, it can be confirmed that Fire Dragons possess multiple miniature, peculiar structures within their bodies—not organs, but structures that are difficult to detect and whose form is not yet understood. We can only infer this from the flow of magic… These structures are mainly concentrated in the thoracic cavity, neck, and throat. Judging from the patterns of magical flow, they give a sense of alchemical symbols, yet are vastly different…”
After a moment, having finished writing down the experimental data and his thoughts, Vaughn drew diagrams on the parchment, completing the record.
The diagrams were not accurate, as Vaughn, an alchemist, could not sense any magic-related fluctuations from them.
It was a pity that after spending so much time with Nobeta, Vaughn was somewhat reluctant to “sacrifice” it.
Otherwise, he would have really wanted to cut it open and see…
On the other side, Nobeta, who was wrestling with Guoguochá, defensively raised its scales. It looked around blankly but didn’t sense any danger coming from anywhere.
The naive little dragon soon forgot about this brief interlude and continued to enthusiastically tease Guoguochá.
Vaughn also put away his notebook and silently chanted:
“System!”
Following his thought, the system panel popped up before his eyes.
【 Host: Vaughn Weasley 】
【 Magic Power Scale: 491 (Normal Adult Wizard is 500) 】
【 Talents: Charms 7, Dark Arts 6, Transfiguration 8, Potions 10, Herbology 6, Alchemy 6, Divination 2 (Max is 10) 】
【 Spells: Legilimency LV5 (MAX), Full Body-Bind Curse LV5 (MAX), Disarming Charm LV5 （ MAX ）… Occlumency LV3 (21/32), Disillusionment Charm LV3 （ 10/16 ）, Sectumsempra LV3 （ 3/24 ）, Apparition （ Transfer ） LV3 （ 3/24 ）… 】
【 Alchemy LV0 （ 3/20 ） 】
【 Potions: “Vaughn’s Beauty” series, “Vaughn’s Hair Care” series, Wolfsbane Potion, etc… 】
【 Reputation Points: 19 points 】
【 Main Quest ②: By the end of this school year, help Slytherin win the House Cup （ In Progress ） 】
【 Reward: 1 Talent Point, 50 Magic Power Scale 】
【 Side Quest ③: Research the magic of all Fire Dragons and understand their basic principles （ In Progress ） 】
【 Progress: 0/10 】
【 Reward: 100 Magic Power Scale, Spell Development Module 】
Today is July 1st, the beginning of a new month. Reputation Points have been settled.
Vaughn looked at the newly added 19 Reputation Points. Six months ago, he developed Wolfsbane Potion and prepared to establish WAC, pushing the monthly Reputation Points settlement to 15 points.
It didn’t stop there; it continued to rise slowly each month. Although it only increased by 4 points in half a year, it was a steady trickle.
Vaughn didn’t use the points, saving them for unexpected needs.
Besides the change in points, the biggest change in the entire panel was in the Spells section.
Although he had been busy since starting school, compared to a year ago, or even two months ago, the levels of various spells had greatly increased.
Looking at the numerous Level 4 spells after reaching the maximum level for some spells, Vaughn felt satisfied yet somewhat disheartened.
As mentioned before, the level a spell can reach depends entirely on talent. With Vaughn’s Charms talent of 7, most conventional spells could not be improved beyond Level 4.
For some more difficult spells, even Level 3 was the ceiling.
After reaching the current talent limit, spells could still be improved, but it required consuming Reputation Points.
“But Reputation Points are always so scarce!” Vaughn rubbed his forehead in distress. Due to the large deficit in spells, he hadn’t dared to invest in Alchemy, and because of this, he hadn’t opened the system panel for almost a month, to avoid feeling discouraged!
He opened it today, partly because Reputation Points were settled at the beginning of the month.
Secondly, the Main Quest ②, which had been ongoing for a year, was finally about to be completed today.
July 1st marked the beginning of summer break and the day Hogwarts announced its results and declared the winner of the House Cup.
Of course, besides Vaughn and Slytherin, the other three houses didn’t care much about the House Cup. The scoring hourglass was in the Great Hall of the castle, visible to passing students, and Slytherin’s points were far ahead.
Ordinary students were more concerned about their exam results. On this day, even the movies shown by the twins had few viewers.
This was, in a way, a good thing. When the movies were at their peak popularity two days ago, Vaughn didn’t dare to leave his dormitory.
“Hey, Harry, Ron, are you going to the Great Hall?”
“Don’t worry, Harry, you’ll definitely be promoted to Second Year! You too, Ron.”
“Harry, Ron, Fred and George said the movie will be screened in Diagon Alley soon. Is that true?”
“You guys are going to be famous, mates. It’s a shame I didn’t bring my camera, or I’d definitely ask for a photo and an autograph. Maybe you’ll become stars!”
In the evening, after washing and drying their robes and pinning the house badges, which were only worn on major holidays, Harry and Ron walked out of their dormitory. People greeted them along the way.
Since the movie became popular at Hogwarts, this scene had become the norm.
Although the title of “The Boy Who Lived” at the start of the school year, and the embarrassing experience of being controlled by a virtual personality earlier in the year, had toughened Harry’s resolve.
However, he still disliked too much interaction with strangers.
Casually responding to a few enthusiastic classmates, Harry pulled Ron and deliberately lingered in the Common Room until everyone else had left. Only then did he and Ron follow behind.
“You should learn to adapt to this life, Harry.”
Unlike Harry, Ron absolutely loved this attention. He said gleefully, “Look how enthusiastic everyone is! Everyone cares about us, pays attention to us. And when the movie is screened in Diagon Alley, there will be even more people. Are you going to refuse everyone with a stern face every time?”
Harry didn’t speak.
He had already experienced being in the spotlight and knew that so-called popularity was often fleeting. Last year, as soon as he enrolled, he was adored by everyone.
Being sorted into Gryffindor caused a sensation throughout the entire house.
But even with such high fame, when he caused Gryffindor to lose the Quidditch match for the first time last year, he was still ostracized by everyone.
However, Harry didn’t argue.
Harry knew how much Ron was enjoying the current situation. For the first time, he wasn’t being called “Harry’s sidekick” or “Weasley.”
He was “Ron”!
This poor fellow, for the first time, wasn’t appearing in people’s mouths as a subordinate or an afterthought.
So, let him enjoy this happiness for a while longer!
Thinking this, Harry casually asked, “You’re so happy, have they found the culprit who harmed Scabbers yet?”
Upon hearing this, Ron’s happy expression immediately turned gloomy.
