Chapter 155: What A Terrible Guy!
Since meeting Vaughn, Nymphadora, under Kingsley’s urging, had read many reports concerning him and was somewhat aware of the controversy surrounding WAC.
Even with that understanding, she personally disliked those matters. Looking at Vaughn, who was interacting with people like an adult, she sighed, “WAC was originally such a good thing, why did it have to be tainted by politics?”
“Politics is a tool for managing society. As long as there are people, you can’t escape it!”
“Hmph, I don’t like it anyway.”
Kingsley smiled helplessly. The young girl was indeed the daughter of an old friend, exactly like Andromeda Black in his memory—lively, unrestrained, and even rebellious.
He didn’t press further and asked, “Do you want to go say hello? I remember you quite liked Vaughn and Miss Granger.”
Nymphadora hesitated, then shook her head, “Never mind, they’re busy right now!”
Vaughn was indeed very busy.
Although he had already handed over some “trivial matters” to Old Bardi, and had Slytherin graduates recruited a month ago like Phil Travers, as well as werewolves like Remus Lupin, working under him.
Many things still required his personal attention.
Such as greeting guests!
He was the founder of WAC, the initiator of solving lycanthropy and thoroughly dealing with werewolf issues, and he had even established the entire framework of WAC.
Even Dumbledore was not as qualified as him to stand at the main entrance; he could only act as a supporting figure.
More importantly, over the past few months, the increasingly heated public opinion surrounding WAC in the newspapers had evolved from initial chaos to a clear division into two distinct camps.
The significance of WAC’s emergence, its subsequent impact on the entire wizarding world, and even further, touching upon the International Confederation of Wizards’ common principles of secrecy… As truth became clearer through debate, the core ideologies of the Progressives and Conservatives gradually sharpened, attracting many who were initially just onlookers to take sides.
Wizards, like Muggles, were always fixated on their own viewpoints and rejected others’.
Therefore, the arguments had never reached a conclusion.
Today, as WAC, the center of the public opinion storm, was about to hold a convention to elect its first management team, this highly anticipated organization would announce its agenda, responsibilities, guiding principles, and what was implicitly the most watched aspect—its “organizational ideology.”
Whether Progressives or Conservatives, everyone wanted to know: Vaughn Weasley, what exactly do you aim to achieve by establishing this organization?
You’ve gathered a group of werewolves, but is it truly just to manage them, or do you harbor deeper ambitions?
Thus, when WAC publicly announced in the Daily Prophet its willingness to receive media and social figures, wizards flocked to the event.
Starting in the afternoon, Vaughn, accompanied by Dumbledore, had been receiving various visitors, who even arrived earlier than the representatives from the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards!
Nymphadora, Kingsley, and other Aurors patrolled the vicinity a couple more times before the arrivals gradually ceased.
Several small teams converged, and after waiting a while longer without any further sign of Apparition, Kingsley, as the leader, nodded and instructed, “Seal it off!”
Nymphadora’s eyes widened as she observed with magical sight.
She saw Kingsley take out a piece of light gauze from his pocket, throw it onto a barrier not far away, and then he and several senior Aurors raised their wands.
Amidst low incantations, a semi-transparent net gradually spread along the barrier.
Soon, it merged with the thin film invisible to Muggles.
The moment it took shape, Nymphadora sensed that the surrounding space had suddenly become much heavier, and a peculiar force restrained the area.
Apparition was prohibited!
From this moment on, no one could directly enter the barrier via Apparition, nor could anyone inside leave.
An Anti-Apparition Charm!
It was a mandatory spell for Aurors. Of course, Nymphadora hadn’t mastered it yet, and as far as she knew, even if an ordinary Auror could cast it successfully, it could only affect a very small area.
Therefore, when the department needed to deploy this spell over a large area, it typically relied on alchemical creations.
Like the scarf-like object Kingsley had thrown out not long ago.
After completing this, Kingsley signaled to other teams with a few gestures. They nodded and continued to walk towards the WAC convention venue in pairs.
As per the Wizengamot’s orders, the Aurors were responsible for the security of the convention tonight. This was primarily to avoid misunderstandings, as many wizards were still quite wary of werewolves. If WAC were to handle security independently, it could easily lead to unnecessary conflicts.
The security plan had been formulated a week in advance, and the Aurors present today had practiced their roles beforehand, knowing exactly where they should be.
Nymphadora and Kingsley were no exception; they and three other groups were responsible for the hall.
As the two walked back towards the WAC building together, Nymphadora saw Vaughn Weasley chatting with a burly black wizard.
“Oh—it’s Ajinbad!”
She had seen his photo in the newspapers before.
Thinking about some of the revelations in the papers, Ajinbad’s statements upon arriving in England, and his attendance at a pure-blood banquet.
Then, looking at Vaughn and Ajinbad chatting happily at the entrance of the building, Nymphadora found it incredible and exclaimed, “It’s a shame these two aren’t acting in movies!”
Kingsley knew what movies were.
Unlike other wizards, ever since passing the Auror assessment, he had been involved in communication work between the wizarding world and Muggle society, and he himself often guarded the Muggle Prime Minister.
It could be said that despite being a pure-blood, his stance had shifted towards Muggles, which was directly related to his work.
He shrugged, “People wear masks when they live. The more transparent your thoughts are, the more dangerous you are in this world.”
Nymphadora pouted.
She had no interest in such philosophies of life, and even felt pity for situations where two people, despite deep animosity, had to smile at each other.
Weren’t they living suffocating lives?
Kingsley, who understood her very well, seemed to guess her thoughts, “Tonks dislikes being called by her name because ‘Nympha’ has some rather unflattering connotations in English. Everyone has different pursuits. In this world, whatever you want to gain, you have to give something up. There’s no such thing as having your cake and eating it too.”
Nymphadora said nothing further.
Several months of Auror apprenticeship had exposed her to many aspects of society she had never understood before stepping out into the world.
As they spoke, they had reached the main entrance. Vaughn had just finished his “pleasantries” with Ajinbad and invited him inside.
Seeing them, Vaughn took a moment to greet them, “Hey, Tonks, Kingsley, thanks for the security work tonight.”
Hearing Vaughn remember her surname, Nymphadora was delighted and teased, “Esteemed President Weasley, what are your thoughts on your election victory?”
The girl’s lively nature made Kingsley sigh.
Such words could easily be misinterpreted as a challenge.
Fortunately, Vaughn didn’t mind and diffused the situation with a jest, “It’s a shame Miss Tonks can’t vote tonight, otherwise I’d have achieved an overwhelming victory… Alright you two, the convention is about to begin, and I have to chair the meeting. We’ll chat again after the banquet.”
The two politely bid farewell to Vaughn and watched him hurry into the hall.
They also walked in.
The hall, serving as the convention center, no longer bore the quiet and empty appearance of the morning. A large circular table was arranged in the center of the hall, with rows of chairs radiating outward behind it.
Those chairs were for the WAC committee members, while the giant circular table belonged to the Executive Committee members who were about to be elected.
The Executive Committee was WAC’s governing body, consisting of one President, three Vice Presidents, and ten Executive Committee Members, all elected by the WAC General Committee.
Beyond these seats, extending to the corners of the entire hall, were the seats for the media and social figures observing the convention tonight.
That area was also a key patrol zone for Kingsley and the other Aurors.
When Nymphadora and Kingsley entered the hall, both the committee seats and the surrounding observer seats were already filled.
The uniform purple robes of the Wizengamot were the most conspicuous, occupying a quarter of the seats under the leadership of Amelia Bones.
Beside them were the delegates from the International Confederation of Wizards, led by Babajide Ajinbad. Dumbledore was also there.
Besides these two groups, the remaining half of the seats were occupied by werewolves!
Nymphadora quietly took a few glances.
Then, she felt somewhat disappointed.
The werewolves didn’t look particularly special. They wore Muggle clothes, and except for a few, they lacked any wizarding aura. They looked like a group of Muggles who had stumbled in, appearing timid and fearful under the curious gazes of the wizards…
As her gaze shifted, Nymphadora suddenly sensed someone watching her.
Following the direction, she saw a middle-aged werewolf wizard with a face full of scars and a melancholic demeanor.
Nymphadora made a funny face at him. The man clearly paused for a moment and quickly looked away.
“Tch!”
Nymphadora dismissively curled her lips.
Kingsley, who noticed her action beside her, introduced, “That’s Remus Lupin. If Vaughn Weasley is the natural number one figure of WAC, then he is Vaughn’s handpicked number two.”
“I can’t tell. He seems quite ordinary.”
“Don’t underestimate him. During the last war, he was one of Dumbledore’s strongest forces. If not for his lycanthropy, with his contributions during the last wizarding war, he would have likely become a prominent figure among the Aurors.”
Kingsley knew that Nymphadora Tonks loved hearing tales of bravery during the wizarding wars and admired heroes who resisted the Dark Lord, so he deliberately said this.
As expected, Nymphadora perked up her ears, and her attitude became more respectful.
While they were talking, Vaughn had already entered the venue and stood in the center of the circular table, where there was an independent podium.
That was the position for the convention chairman.
A strong beam of light shone down from above, the surrounding lights dimmed, and within the illuminated area, Vaughn surveyed the hall.
The surrounding clamor and whispers gradually weakened under his gaze.
Including Nymphadora and Kingsley.
Like everyone else around them, they unconsciously quieted down, focusing their attention on this child, who was only 12 years old but had already achieved remarkable accomplishments.
At the center of numerous gazes.
Vaughn drew his wand, pointed its tip at his throat, and his booming voice echoed through the hall, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to chair the first convention of the Werewolf Affairs Committee…”
The dimmed lights around him made it difficult for Vaughn to see others’ expressions clearly.
However, the quiet atmosphere at this moment was enough to indicate the situation; they were listening to his words.
This gave Vaughn a strange feeling, and his heartbeat seemed to quicken slightly, but no one detected any abnormality in his opening speech.
All they could hear was him calmly saying:
“… The concept of WAC, its emergence, everyone should have learned about it from the newspapers. Those present here today likely know better than I why I founded WAC!”
“Because of Fudge!”
Someone in the audience heckled.
This sentence immediately awakened everyone’s memory. Many people burst into laughter. Nearly everyone present, wizards and werewolves alike, was intimately familiar with this “story.”
It was the first time they had heard the name Vaughn Weasley, both because he invented the Wolfsbane Potion and because he had thoroughly pranked the esteemed Mr. Fudge at an awards ceremony.
Vaughn also laughed, “That’s right, for Fudge, but that was only an extended issue. The most fundamental motivation behind the WAC concept arose when I first began researching lycanthropy.”
“Lycanthropy, of course, those who have followed my thesis should know, I prefer to call it the werewolf virus. It originates from Muggle pathological concepts, a very small, artificially created magical life form that parasitizes a host, replicates itself, and carries the power of a curse!”
“Wow!”
Nymphadora let out a soft whistle.
In the dim surroundings, quite a few people reacted similarly to her.
Clearly, not many people had read Vaughn’s thesis, and this was the first time they had heard such a statement; it sounded profound and mysterious!
Amidst the astonished murmur, Vaughn remained unfazed and continued, “I have heard some wizards say that werewolves are cursed beings by nature. My research clearly refutes this claim. The cause of werewolves and the rampant spread of lycanthropy is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one!”
“Potions is the most prevalent subject in the wizarding world. Almost all wizards have at least mastered some basic potion-making theories. And in potions, there is a core principle that everyone naturally knows but has never deeply considered: things in nature must have counteracting forces!”
“This is also the fundamental principle of potion-making, because wizards, Muggles, magical plants, magical creatures… we all grow in the same nature. They have competed with each other over long ages, and also converged with each other.”
“But this law has failed with the werewolf virus!”
Vaughn scanned the surroundings and waved his hand, summoning a cloud of mist. It was a Mist Charm, and under Vaughn’s control, it recreated the difficulties he had faced researching werewolves last year, constantly experimenting with medicinal herbs, constantly extracting their properties.
But failing again and again.
Looking at the blurred outlines of the crowd in the shadows, he emphasized again, “Lycanthropy is not a natural disaster, it is a man-made disaster. I emphasize this not to blame those who attribute lycanthropy to nature, but to tell everyone that if lycanthropy is not intervened with artificially, it cannot reconcile with this world or nature. Perhaps in 10 years, perhaps in 50 years, one day, the expansion of lycanthropy will completely tear down the fragile facade of the wizarding world, bringing great disaster to the world!”
“And it will also make wizards known to Muggles in a dishonorable way—they won’t care who created the werewolf virus, they will only know that it was wizards who unleashed this devil!”
“I’ve seen many people in the newspapers say how great it is that I invented the Wolfsbane Potion…”
Vaughn paused and shook his head, “But I don’t agree with this view, because as you can see, the Wolfsbane Potion is merely a product of my compromise with the werewolf virus when I couldn’t solve it. I couldn’t eliminate it, so I could only find a way to keep its hosts lucid.”
“But this method is still passive. The potion has been invented, but can its target audience afford it?”
The mist floating in the air writhed, replaying the brutal lifestyle of werewolves in the past.
Vaughn’s voice continued, “I’m showing this scene not to ask for your sympathy, nor to use our werewolf compatriots to gain pity, but to illustrate a reality—if this problem is not solved, the existence of potions is meaningless, and the resolution of the werewolf issue is nowhere in sight!”
“Therefore, I founded the Werewolf Affairs Committee.”
“It’s not that no one has recognized the harm of lycanthropy in the past. In the 17th century, England enacted laws requiring the management of werewolves. But that method of intervention was wrong. They treated werewolves as pests to be dealt with, and even demanded their active acceptance. How could such an idealistic thing happen in the world?”
“If the Wolfsbane Potion was my compromise with the werewolf virus, then WAC is my bugle call of attack against this artificial devil from another level.”
“An attack from the perspective of humanity, respect, morality, and order.”
Facing the gradually illuminating and rapidly flashing camera flashes, Vaughn’s expression was firm, “I know many people want to hear the answer. My answer is, this is the original intention of my founding WAC, both for werewolves and for the whole world!”
“No politics, no scheming, and certainly no conspiracy, just the naive and fantastical attempt of a potion-maker walking alone… Thank you all!”
…
The surrounding noise suddenly became chaotic.
The sound of camera shutters.
The sound of applause.
The heat generated by whistles and cheers was enough to bake a person alive!
To Nymphadora, Vaughn’s opening speech was so stimulating that her blood boiled. She wished she could immediately take off her Auror robe, run up to Vaughn, and shout:
“Take me in! You’re not alone, I want to strive with you!”
Kingsley, sweating profusely, had to hold back Nymphadora while also working with other Aurors to create magical interdiction zones to stop people from the audience section trying to rush into the venue.
It was too wild!
He couldn’t help but glance at Vaughn Weasley, who had returned to the committee seats with a calm, unruffled expression.
This speech had no trace of naivete or fantasy… what a terrifying fellow!
Was Vaughn’s purpose in founding WAC really that pure?
A potion-maker’s naive and fantastical attempt?
It was unlikely that most of the wizards present believed it.
But that didn’t stop them from applauding Vaughn’s speech, whistling, letting their emotions surge with everyone else, and releasing their fervor.
Ever since social structures emerged among humans, the pursuit of order has been ingrained in the human bone marrow. Order can be law or rules, but at its root, it is fundamentally “morality”!
There is no such thing as perfection in the world, nor in human nature.
Yet human nature yearns for beauty, and thus morality arises.
Rather than believing Vaughn’s words, they were selectively believing the aspirational aspects of Vaughn’s speech.
The cheers and applause at this moment were truly devoid of politics and conspiracy!
Surrounded by the tidal wave of fervent voices, Vaughn’s emotions seemed to detach from his physical body, as he “coldly” observed everything around him, including himself.
He clearly saw the satisfied and increasingly favorable smiles of the Wizengamot members.
He saw Amelia, while applauding, walk onto the stage and nod slightly in acknowledgment.
He also saw the Dumbledore’s meaningful gaze from the International Confederation of Wizards seats, and Ajinbad’s originally stern face break into a benevolent smile.
And the Confederation wizards behind him, hiding their hostility, clapping vigorously, to the point of awkwardness from their overacting.
The fervent atmosphere encased these complex and varied human natures!
Vaughn returned to his seat. The election process was about to begin, and as a candidate for President, he was no longer suitable to chair the convention due to conflict of interest.
Amelia was in charge of conducting the voting and counting the ballots.
This witch, whose exposure had gradually increased over the past few months due to Vaughn’s series of actions, stood on the podium and waited for a while, and after the crowd had calmed down a bit, she gently tapped her gavel:
“Mr. Vaughn Weasley’s speech has shown us his inner ardor and sincerity. Several months ago, the Wizengamot agreed to prepare for WAC precisely because this point moved us…”
“… Yes, the Wizengamot has clearly recognized that we can no longer naively expect lycanthropy to die out on its own. Resolving the werewolf issue requires organized, systematic, and proactive intervention. Fortunately, at this not-too-late juncture, we have a proponent like Mr. Vaughn Weasley, enlightened Wizengamot wizards, and support from international partners—”
She raised her hand slightly, and Ajinbad, with a dark expression that betrayed none of his inner complexity, led the delegation in doffing their hats in salute.
They were all seasoned political beings.
The relationships between people and organizations were built on mutual support, and Amelia handled it with practiced ease.
She continued:
“… Over the past few months, there has been fierce debate surrounding WAC, but we have still struggled to reach this moment because we believe in Mr. Vaughn Weasley’s pure intentions and that we are doing the right thing.”
“Hereby, I, as a member of the WAC Committee, declare that the First Convention is officially in session!”
…
Nymphadora was dragged out of the venue by Kingsley.
After being exposed to the gradually cooling night wind, the lively and impulsive girl finally regained some reason, but she was still a bit disgruntled, pouting and complaining, “Uncle Shackle, I was just excited for a moment, why did you drag me out? I still wanted to see Vaughn Weasley elected President!”
“The process isn’t that fast.”
Kingsley said, smoking. Having spent so much time in Muggle society, he had picked up some Muggle habits, “The convention will first elect the Executive Committee, then the three Vice Presidents, and finally the election for President.”
Hearing him say this, Nymphadora finally quieted down and squatted on the steps outside the venue, her eyes filled with longing.
“So Vaughn’s ideals are so beautiful. It’s all the newspapers’ fault, always saying how Vaughn and Fudge were fighting for power and profit. I actually thought… Hmph, now I know, those adults link everything to power!”
“And the Wizengamot, I always thought it was full of old fogeys… and the International Confederation of Wizards…”
Kingsley: “…”
He didn’t know what to say, nor did he want to say anything.
Regarding WAC and Vaughn Weasley, no matter how many intricacies there were, they had nothing to do with Nymphadora Tonks. It was better to let the child preserve some beautiful things.
After finishing two cigarettes, seeing that Nymphadora was no longer impulsive, Kingsley took her back inside.
After greeting his colleagues who were helping with the patrol and resuming their security duties, they looked back towards the hall.
Beside the central circular table, ten wizards, some familiar and some strangers, were already seated. Some were from the werewolf community, some from the Wizengamot, and others from the international delegation.
It seemed the meeting process had progressed to the election of Vice Presidents.
This part of the process was rather tedious. Unlike the Executive Committee members, the Vice Presidents would be involved in practical leadership work, so candidates had to take the stage to give reports, detailing their campaign goals, personal journeys, and plans for future work.
Since it was a report, it was likely to be quite uninspiring.
Nymphadora was listening with growing sleepiness.
Until a familiar name reached her ears:
“… The next candidate, Remus Lupin!”
Nymphadora quickly shook her head, dispelling her drowsiness, and widened her eyes, watching the middle-aged werewolf wizard she had teased earlier walk onto the stage.
He looked so ordinary and unremarkable.
If not for Kingsley, Nymphadora would never have thought that this person had participated in the last wizarding war and was one of the founders of Dumbledore’s secret society.
Clearly, she was not the only one who judged by appearance.
“He doesn’t seem very energetic…”
“He seems to be the only werewolf running for Vice President, right? Are there so few wizards among werewolves that they put forward someone like him?”
189 human.
190 human.
191 human.
192 human.
193 human.
194 human.
195 human.
196 human.
197 human.
198 human.
199 human.
200 human.
201 human.
202 human.
203 human.
204 human.
205 human.
206 human.
207 human.
208 human.
209 human.
210 human.
211 human.
212 human.
213 human.
214 human.
215 human.
216 human.
217 human.
218 human.
219 human.
220 human.
221 human.
222 human.
223 human.
224 human.
225 human.
226 human.
227 human.
228 human.
229 human.
230 human.
231 human.
