Chapter 157: President Vaughn And The Secret War
As Hermione read, she felt something was wrong.
This author might be an opponent of Fudge; after praising Vaughn, they began to sarcastically criticize the Ministry using Vaughn’s speeches and actions.
As expected, once there’s big news, all sorts of ghouls and ghosts come out!
Hermione flipped through, the author was named John Smith, whose name in England is often used to refer to an anonymous person, likely fearing retaliation from Fudge.
Continuing further, there were still related reports.
Today’s Daily Prophet seemed to be a special feature on Vaughn and WAC.
Every word Vaughn spoke and every action taken in WAC internal meetings was extensively analyzed by the author, fully showcasing the media’s chase for trends.
For instance, in the fourth edition, several co-authors, who were anonymous social activists, provided lengthy reconstructions and analyses of the internal meeting content released by WAC.
Undoubtedly, President Weasley does not trust the International Confederation of Wizards. The news that President Weasley had a conflict with Ajinbad a few days ago might not be unfounded… According to the content released by WAC, the first item on the agenda for the Executive Board meeting chaired by President Weasley was to dispatch Vice President Pierre Chevalier to cooperate with Barty Crouch in contacting European countries to discuss matters regarding “Wolfsbane Potion international trade”…
At the same time, Mr. Vaughn Weasley has decided to visit North America at the invitation of Ilvermorny in the near future… Several months ago, Ilvermorny’s representatives arrived in England, but Mr. Vaughn Weasley had not responded, seemingly waiting to obtain his legal status. Combined with his vision of “international trade,” can we reasonably suspect that he intends to rally multiple countries to oppose the Confederation?
Of course, the Confederation’s influence is far greater than his. Europe, seemingly a solid bloc, may not have enough courage to respond to Mr. Vaughn Weasley’s vision. However, North America, which is on the verge of splitting due to the Rappaport Law, seems like a suitable stepping stone?
Looking at the various analyses in the newspaper.
Hermione realized for the first time that WAC, which seemed to be solely for managing and protecting werewolves, was actually involved in so many issues.
The girl leaned by the window, flipping through the newspaper absentmindedly, a little troubled.
She knew Vaughn planned to visit North America, but she thought it was just a trip abroad, like how her parents would take her to France or Italy during summer vacation.
She never imagined that a trip abroad would hide so many reasons, and… potential risks!
Vaughn rarely talked to her about these matters.
Hermione suddenly wanted to see Vaughn; even if… even if she couldn’t help him solve problems, at least she could be by his side when he was thinking…
……
WAC Headquarters.
Buildings in the wizarding world never have to worry about insufficient space. A building enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, even if not too tall, is enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.
Given the ample space, the President’s office was built very spacious.
The newly established WAC was very busy, with departments lacking staff and experience, leading to many issues that Vaughn had to resolve personally.
The rustling sound of paper turning filled the air as Vaughn reviewed a document requesting the apprehension of Fenrir Greyback.
He read with great pain.
The handwriting on the document was intermittent, clearly indicating it was written by someone who couldn’t use magic, using a quill, as it was not suitable for prolonged writing.
The frown on his brow deepened as he pressed his temples and called out, “Phil!”
The office door quietly opened and closed.
Phil Travers appeared before him, bowing respectfully, “Mr. President?”
“Notify Remus that WAC will uniformly purchase Muggle fountain pens or ballpoint pens from now on. I don’t want to see quills anymore!”
Actually, Vaughn wished he could purchase a batch of computers or typewriters!
The inefficiency of quills had not yet been resolved.
Vaughn soon noticed that the paper reported as used by the clerks was parchment…
The ink used was also mixed with dragon blood!
This was not unusual in the wizarding world and was standard for wizards, but for werewolf clerks, it was a complete waste.
Mixing dragon blood into ink was to facilitate casting spells to make text move, or to automatically replenish ink, or to exhibit other magical effects. The organic nature of parchment could increase magic circulation, allowing for the brief retention of magical effects—but what did this have to do with non-magical werewolves?
Afterward, Vaughn had to summon Remus and ask him to cooperate with William to comprehensively replace office supplies with Muggle items.
In the office, Lupin, who had been summoned, did not show any resistance upon hearing Vaughn’s request but asked, “I don’t object to purchasing Muggle supplies, but this would violate the law enacted by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Will this cause any trouble?”
“The President’s father is the head of that department!” William, also summoned, reminded him.
“I know, but that doesn’t stop the Ministry from using it as an excuse.”
“I’ll speak to Father… but to avoid trouble, we still need to issue a regulation stipulating that wizards working at WAC are not allowed to cast spells on office supplies!”
Vaughn thought for a moment and commanded, but he also understood that these were only superficial solutions!
In a broad sense, these were minor trifles that seemed to have little impact.
However, it exposed some differences between wizards and Muggles in work and life. Such seemingly small differences, if they continued to develop, might become the root of conflict—
Replacing office supplies with Muggle products and prohibiting spells on office supplies seemed to solve two problems, but it was actually at the cost of damaging the convenience of wizards!
Once or twice is nothing.
But what about accumulation over time?
After dismissing Lupin and William, Vaughn pinched his temples. He of course knew what the fundamental cause of all the problems was.
It was still the old, oft-repeated issue, the International Confederation of Wizards’ Secrecy Statute!
From its official enactment in 1692, the Secrecy Statute has been in existence for a full 300 years.
300 years, even for long-lived wizards, is a very long time.
So long that the understanding between the two sides regarding each other’s social, academic, and cultural developments is almost zero, so long that the two sides have completely diverged into two societies!
To change this situation, forced reconciliation is not a good method; a foundation for coexistence must be found.
In Vaughn’s view, this problem is both simple and complex!
It’s simple because wizards and Muggles are, after all, human. 300 years has not yet led to a complete societal and cultural separation between the two. All existing differences are merely because wizards and Muggles have embarked on different technological paths.
Magic and technology!
As long as these two are connected and magic and technology are combined, the problem can be naturally solved.
But this simple conclusion is precisely the most troublesome!
“I wonder how the twins’ research is going during this time?”
Vaughn suddenly thought.
When he was on summer vacation, he had assigned the twins a task: to solve the problem of magical field interference with electric fields.
Electricity is the fundamental energy source for Muggles. After the Second Industrial Revolution, all Muggle technology is built upon electrical energy. As long as this can be resolved, technological unification will have taken a big step!
However, the twins had hardly contacted him proactively this month…
If everything had gone smoothly, they would have probably rushed over to claim credit by now!
Dealing with official duties all morning with a headache, at noon, the green flames in the office fireplace expanded, and Old Barty Crouch emerged.
He brought news:
“Joshua Potter has agreed to contact Ilvermorny to discuss inviting you to North America with higher specifications…”
……
Leaky Cauldron.
After arriving in England, Joshua Potter had spent most of his time in the guest rooms on the second floor of the pub.
Compared to the pub downstairs, the guest rooms on the second floor were surprisingly spacious, clean, and comfortable. The hunched-over old Tom kept them in impeccable order.
Joshua Potter sat by the fireplace, the flames burning fiercely, and the glowing red embers, under magical influence, outlined several human faces.
In the orange-red light that seemed to generate no heat, Joshua Potter was conversing with them:
“…Our judgment was mistaken. Vaughn Weasley is not anyone’s puppet or marionette. He is indeed the inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion and the founder of WAC. You can look at this newspaper; it’s full of news about him and WAC.”
As he spoke, he made several copies of today’s Daily Prophet and threw them into the fire.
Soon, the human faces made of charcoal in the fireplace received the newspapers and began to read.
After an unknown amount of time, one face opened its lips, and a few sparks spewed out: “It’s hard to believe. Have you actually interacted with him?”
“I’ve only met him once.”
“Your assessment?”
“Most of the reports are not exaggerated. He doesn’t seem like a 12-year-old wizard at all… Intelligent, mature, rational, and quite proud; this is the deepest impression he left on me during that meeting. And based on the newspaper reports, my impression is clearly not wrong.”
The faces were silent for a moment.
After a pause, another person asked, “What about Dumbledore? And that child named Harry Potter.”
“I’ve only met Dumbledore once too. He barely spoke the whole time. As for Harry Potter…” Joshua Potter paused. “Dumbledore refused my request to visit him. I inquired about him through some channels, and his performance at Hogwarts doesn’t match the prophecy.”
Joshua knew why they were asking about Harry Potter. After a brief introduction, he stated his conclusion: “He is completely suppressed by Vaughn Weasley… No, it should be said, there is no comparison between the two!”
“Why is that?”
A face near the edge of the fireplace asked confusedly, “According to the prophecy, for at least the next 10 years, the protagonists will be him and the Dark Lord. In the future, he should also be a significant figure capable of influencing the wizarding world of England. Why hasn’t he shown the expected talent, and now it’s a child who didn’t appear in the prophecy who is achieving fame?”
No one answered him.
This was also something everyone found perplexing.
After a long silence, the first person to speak said:
“Destiny is like this, always unpredictable, playing everyone in the palm of its hand… We misjudged before, we cannot make the same mistake again, we must make some amends.”
Sparks continuously spewed from his mouth as he continued, “Currently, Vaughn Weasley has not cut off the possibility of cooperation due to our previous underestimation. Since they are requesting a higher level of reception, I think we can agree.”
Someone raised an objection: “You should understand what he’s planning!”
“Yes, Ajinbad clearly covets WAC and the terrifying power of werewolves. Vaughn Weasley kept Joshua waiting for three months before agreeing to the invitation, clearly intending to use us to confront the Confederation—his so-called ‘international trade’ hides ill intentions. Once we agree, regardless of the internal details, to outsiders… accurately speaking, to the Confederation, we will have acknowledged the ‘international trade’ system of Wolfsbane Potion.”
The people present had all been through decades of experience. Even with limited understanding of the situation, they could infer some of Vaughn’s intentions with the newspaper as a reference.
And the situation was different from England.
Although England also enforced the Secrecy Statute, and the Ministry of Magic even had contact with the Muggle government, with cooperation between the two sides, the Muggle government helped deal with magical accidents and conceal the existence of wizards, while the Ministry provided protection for the Prime Minister and various ministers.
But in essence, the two coexisted peacefully and did not interfere with each other.
In contrast, the situation in North America was much more complicated. The Rappaport Law had completely severed the North American wizarding world from Muggle society.
This separation was not restrained or indifferent, but like a raging fire!
Since the downfall of “Second Salem,” the two sides had been in conflict in various hidden corners for decades. The originally simple conflicts gradually evolved into hatred and animosity.
Under the pressure of continuously escalating conflict, the wizarding world and Muggle society had deeply infiltrated each other!
At least the people present were very familiar with Muggles and Muggle society.
They could immediately see that Vaughn Weasley’s proposed “Wolfsbane Potion international trade” system was less a trade and more a variant of the post-WWII Muggle “Marshall Plan”!
Under the guise of trade, coercing other countries into forming a de facto alliance!
The first person to speak, after the few opposing voices finished, slowly said, “Of course, I know Vaughn Weasley’s ‘international trade’ system is very malicious, but do we have any other choice? Wolfsbane Potion is in his hands, he is the ‘Marshall,’ he holds the initiative. If you are willing to give up the governance of the werewolf issue and abandon the werewolf’s combat power, then I have nothing more to say!”
“We can crack the formula!”
“And then what?” he retorted. “WAC is a target of covetousness for the Confederation, and are we not? The ‘London Convention’ stipulates the recognition of potion patents in various countries. When Vaughn Weasley sues us at the Confederation, guess if those hyenas will use this as an excuse to deploy permanent task forces under the guise of investigation to interfere in North American affairs?”
“……”
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
They knew very well that the Confederation would never give up the opportunity to control a major power. In fact, they, who were young at the time, had experienced such a situation decades ago during the Second Salem riots.
It wasn’t until the then-Chairman of the Magical Congress, Seraphina Picquery, resigned in disgrace, that the Confederation’s “understanding” was barely obtained…
Seeing that the others were no longer speaking, that person continued to elaborate on the dangers: “Moreover, the situation we are facing now is far more complex than decades ago. In recent years, wizards of Muggle and Half-blood descent have been disappearing, with the primary culprit being the Muggle government. However, the twelve families controlling the Magical Congress are the true instigators, wishing for the death of the ‘muds and bastards’ in their eyes.”
“Why did the conflict suddenly escalate last year? Wasn’t it all due to their deliberate indulgence and fanning the flames!”
“Now, everything is out of control. Extreme separatism is spreading across this land. The wizards who can still walk openly under the sun are either the extreme pure-bloods led by the twelve families, or the so-called civilian wizarding militias composed of wizards of Muggle descent who have occupied certain states under the banner of ‘revenge’.”
“And our strength is diminishing, and the cards in our hands are decreasing…” A puff of sparks rose with dust.
What reached everyone’s ears was his sigh: “I don’t know if Ilvermorny can continue to exist if we don’t receive support from vital forces and international aid as this continues!”
“It’s still the same saying: we have no choice. We need werewolves, and we need a new, effective reason to disrupt separatist tendencies. WAC is an opportunity granted to us by unpredictable fate. Whatever you think, I just want to seize this opportunity!”
……
While Joshua and others were discussing Vaughn, Vaughn and Old Barty were also talking about Ilvermorny.
And the current situation in North America.
“Very complicated, very chaotic.”
Old Barty accepted the tea Vaughn handed him and sighed, “I just received news from there today. The vast North American wizarding world has effectively split.”
“All sorts of civilian wizarding militias, whose origins are unknown, have occupied one or two states each as their territory. They not only oppose the Magical Congress but also fight amongst themselves, while the Magical Congress does not intervene, essentially watching the civilian wizarding militias slaughter each other as if watching a play.”
“Even more chaotic is that under these two major factions, there are many small organizations causing trouble. They usually have few members and small territories, but their goals are purer and their methods more extreme.”
“Some seek revenge on the Muggle government, some seek revenge on the twelve families. Those with principles will directly attack their targets, but more are people without principles. They don’t care about the so-called ‘objects of revenge’; as long as they kill a Muggle or a wizard, it’s fine.”
“And I heard that descendants of the Purifiers seem to have reappeared. They have cooperated with the Muggle government to form a ‘Third Salem’ and are attacking and arresting wizards everywhere… Alas, generally speaking, just hearing the news makes one’s scalp tingle, it’s like the apocalypse!”
It was difficult to obtain news from the isolated North America.
The intelligence Vaughn had was from a few casual remarks in Isabella Rosier’s last letter received several months ago.
He hadn’t expected the situation in North America to be so dire at this point.
But in a sense, this situation was very beneficial to him and WAC!
Just as he had originally considered, a complete national government might be wary of the Confederation, but when it splits into several or a dozen parts and opposes each other, they can no longer have a global perspective to consider the Confederation.
All they see is their own survival and how to kill their enemies!
This gives him and WAC opportunities to negotiate with various parties.
Thinking this, Vaughn asked, “Have you found out about Ilvermorny’s situation?”
“I have,” Old Barty nodded, then shook his head. “They are in a very bad state now. Due to having a large student body with complex origins—pure-bloods, half-bloods, and Muggles—Ilvermorny has been attacked by multiple organizations over the past year. The Magical Congress has also demanded they hand over all Half-blood and Muggle-born students.”
“Ilvermorny refuses to hand over any students, which has led to it being isolated by all North American organizations, hence its eagerness to seek new assistance and a way out!”
………
In the early morning, Isabella was startled awake from a hazy dream.
Dreaming was something rare for her in the past.
After graduating from Hogwarts, she entered the Memory Cancellation Department of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes as an intern memory canceller, arranged by her family.
There, Isabella learned some memory magic, including the Obliviation spell.
The first step for all memory mages in their growth was to transform and manage themselves. Since learning the first memory spell, Isabella had basically stopped dreaming.
Until she came to North America!
She opened her eyes, the lingering terror from the dream still gripping her heart. Her body was clammy; it was cold sweat.
Isabella threw back the covers. The cool air made her shiver, but she seemed not to feel it.
Instead, she moved slowly, tiptoeing to the bedroom door.
She strained her ears, listening for sounds outside.
This was Minnesota. The winter cold forced the walls of the buildings to be built very thick. Only the area near the door had poor soundproofing.
“Supra sensum!”
Isabella softly uttered the incantation for the enhanced senses spell, and instantly, her five senses were heightened by magic.
Her hairs stood on end, and her tightened pores sensed even the slightest disturbance in the air. Her sense of smell was as if she had taken off a mask, becoming clear and sensitive. With each breath, the musty smell of the old apartment filled her nostrils.
It was no longer dark indoors; her enlarged pupils could receive light more keenly, making objects in her field of vision emit a faint glow. Although still not very clear, it was enough to distinguish things.
The biggest change was her hearing.
She heard rustling sounds moving within the walls; it was mice moving in the wall cavities. She heard water flowing in the iron pipes.
She heard the humming sound of electricity in the wires.
Then, nothing more!
No snoring from the next room, no sound of the Muggle recluse downstairs watching movies day and night, no…
Tap—
A faint, seemingly distant footstep caught by her ear suddenly made her realize something was wrong. Isabella, whose spirit had been gradually tightening, was jolted awake.
She quickly moved away from the door, rushed to the bedside, grabbed a coat, and put it on, drawing her wand.
The next moment, a powerful spell erupted from the tip of her wand, blasting the door open and creating a tremendous noise!
And her warning:
“Purifiers!”
The early morning quiet was shattered.
Perhaps a few seconds later, spells began to echo from outside the door. Someone created wind, and summoned smoke.
The entire floor was instantly shrouded in mist, which rapidly spread throughout the building.
But Isabella could no longer care about that. She picked up her backpack, not even having time to change her clothes, and cast a spell to blast open the window. She transformed into a puff of white smoke and flew out through the opening.
The night wind carried her transformed white smoke, drifting for a while before slowly landing on the roof of another building.
Isabella dispelled her transfiguration, her face pale, and looked back. The apartment building behind her had completely become a battlefield.
Thick mist enveloped the entire building like viscous liquid. Numerous flashes of light suddenly bloomed and extinguished within it, accompanied by tremendous roars and the sound of collapsing ruins.
The next instant, a green light dyed the mist, and the clamor grew even louder. Faintly, someone could be heard crying out in grief:
“Killing Curse! Jason is dead!”
“Don’t get bogged down, scatter and escape!”
Soon, all sorts of things flew out of the mist, scattering in all directions. But the attackers clearly didn’t intend to let them go. Figures riding broomsticks and magic carpets flew out one after another, pursuing them everywhere.
Isabella did not move.
She threw her backpack under a water tower to hide it and then transformed into a cat, curling up next to the air conditioner on the roof.
A wizard flew by. His gaze swept over her but he paid no attention.
He paused briefly in mid-air and then flew off in another direction.
Isabella breathed a sigh of relief but remained still, licking her fur like a real cat, looking aloof as if she cared about nothing.
At this moment, any wizard who came by would likely not suspect her identity, because in their eyes, she was just an ordinary cat.
This transfiguration spell was something she learned from a Wakandan wizard when she traveled to Egypt early last year.
As one of the oldest magic schools, Wakanda naturally had its unique aspects.
Their unique gesture magic and animal transfiguration magic were considered master skills even worldwide. Isabella had never seen gesture magic and was unsure of its specifics, but Wakandan animal transfiguration could definitely be compared to the popular Animagus transformation in England.
The only difference was that once the Animagus transformation was mastered, it became permanent. As long as one was not afraid of losing their mind, they could transform for as long as they wished.
However, animal transfiguration could only be sustained for a limited time.
Approximately 10 minutes later, finding no one else approaching, Isabella crawled under the water tower and dispelled her transfiguration.
Transforming from a cat back into a human made the cramped space under the water tower completely filled.
But Isabella decided to spend the rest of the night there.
She lay quietly in the darkness, her still-active enhanced senses spell allowing her to hear the sounds of sporadic battles in the distance.
Some started and ended abruptly, making it unclear whether they were captured or had killed their pursuers.
Others dragged on, moving further and further away.
However, this Muggle small town seemed to have fallen into a deathly silence. All the Muggles remained motionless, allowing the wizards to chase and flee under the night sky, performing a noisy, hidden war.
“Purifiers…”
Isabella knew who the attackers tonight were. To be precise, for the past few months, she had not escaped their shadow.
The civilian wizarding militia she had once sheltered under was also annihilated by the Purifiers. If she didn’t know Wakandan transfiguration magic, Isabella felt she would have long ago followed the same fate as that organization.
Thinking this, she felt a pang of sadness.
That organization was actually quite good. Although their actions were a bit extreme, calling for the killing of all pure-bloods, in essence, they were just pitiable people who had been persecuted by pure-bloods and were forced to rise up and fight back in revenge.
That’s why she had acted with them.
A few months ago, the situation had actually improved somewhat. The organization, taking advantage of the Magical Congress’s deliberate neglect, settled in a Muggle town and prepared to establish it as their base.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the Purifiers and “Third Salem” appeared.
A group of people who looked like wizards, could use magic, and rode broomsticks and magic carpets, but whose methods and temperament were vastly different from wizards.
They were like… a Muggle army!
Previously, Isabella had never seen a Purifier with her own eyes.
Her impression of this term was only from the History of Magic she learned in school, and from “stories” told by a witch who escaped with her after the organization was destroyed.
The witch’s name was Natalie, and she was from New York.
Three months ago, after barely escaping a pursuit, they prepared to cross the border into Canada.
Canada was a Commonwealth country. In Muggle society, under the constitutional monarchy system, the “Commonwealth” signified a relationship of symbolic importance rather than actual power, with all member states being sovereign and equal nations.
However, the situation was different in the wizarding world. Although also sovereign, Commonwealth members, including Canada, were heavily reliant on England.
This was not only because the wizarding forces of various countries were not strong and needed protection from the English Ministry of Magic, but also because under the “Commonwealth” system, member states were natural allies in the International Confederation, possessing significant influence and voice in certain matters.
Therefore, in the wizarding world, the relationship between Canada and other member states and England had always been very close.
At that time, Isabella and the witch named Natalie hoped to gain refuge in Canada by using Isabella’s British identity.
Even though the two were very careful, with Natalie leading them, they bypassed states with strong pure-blood and Purifier influence, traveling halfway across the United States. They specifically chose Minnesota, a “transparent” American state bordering Canada, as their point of illegal entry.
Yet, they were still exposed.
Natalie did not live to see the dawn!
In the cramped space under the water tower, Isabella stared into the darkness with wide eyes, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. She seemed to see again in the darkness, as she had a month ago, Natalie being blown into pieces by a strange weapon wielded by a Purifier riding a broomstick.
At that time, she had also transformed into a cat like today, hiding at the entrance of a narrow, dirty sewer, watching helplessly.
Of course, that helplessness was not self-reproach or guilt for not saving Natalie.
In fact, although their whereabouts were exposed, they were not incapable of escaping, and the Purifiers could not possibly dispatch a large number of personnel to hunt down two witches.
Natalie had despaired; she sought her own death.
She said the country was becoming strange.
She said the Purifiers shouldn’t be like this!
