Chapter 160: Vaughn’s Counterattack And Transfiguration
He looked curiously at the massive steel cruise ship on the distant sea, “So, this ship was built by wizards?”
“Yes, at least 60% of it is the work of wizards,” the white-haired executive committee member said, chuckling. “But after it was built, Muggles regretted it.”
“Why?”
The white-haired executive committee member blinked. “Because there are many magical traces on it, like bathrooms with automatic doors, brooms that sweep floors by themselves, and ghost dancers who come to entertain people by invitation… Muggles can’t understand the wizards’ good intentions. They thought the ship was haunted, hahaha!” （ The real-life RMS Queen Mary had long been retired; only the name is borrowed here ）
Lupin chuckled too.
At the same time, he understood that this white-haired executive committee member was likely also someone who wanted to pledge allegiance to Vaughn.
How does the saying go?
How do two strangers, wizards, quickly build rapport?
By complaining about Muggles together, of course!
Vaughn also caught on. He withdrew his gaze, glanced at the executive committee member, who was following him closely with a friendly and gentle smile, and after a moment’s thought, asked, “Oliver Yaxley?”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
The executive committee member named Oliver Yaxley’s smile became even more amiable. As if casually, he mentioned, “My great-aunt was Lydian Yaxley.”
Lupin was bewildered by this name.
But Vaughn understood immediately; this was a “relative”!
Lydian Yaxley married Arcturus Black II, and they had three daughters. One of them, Cedrella, married Septimus Weasley, and they had a son named Arthur Weasley…
Pure-blood families always found ways to connect like this, however convoluted.
Vaughn was long accustomed to this. He nodded in understanding and naturally accepted the other person, “By seniority, I should call you Uncle…”
“No, Mr. President, you can just call me by my name.”
“Alright, Oliver, you can try partnering with Remus first to help me handle some matters, what do you say?”
“It is my honor, Mr. President!”
Oliver Yaxley agreed, nodded at Lupin, and then smoothly transitioned his role by stepping slightly behind Vaughn.
However, his presence served as a reminder to Vaughn.
“Oliver, the Yaxley family had a Death Eater who escaped trial, do you know who it was?”
“Uh…”
Oliver clearly hadn’t expected Vaughn to ask this question. He was stunned and didn’t know how to answer for a moment.
Vaughn saw his hesitation and smiled kindly, “Don’t worry, I just heard his magical strength was quite good, and after the Dark Lord’s demise, he quickly distanced himself. If you know, you can help me pass a message, asking him if he’d be willing to serve WAC!”
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief and agreed.
That Yaxley was one of the Death Eaters Vaughn remembered with particular clarity; he was a fierce fighter, once holding his own against multiple Order of the Phoenix members.
When Harry and Ron infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, it was also he who first discovered the two, and during the trio’s Apparition escape, he directly invaded, causing Ron’s “splitting” accident.
Vaughn was currently short-handed and didn’t mind the other’s former Death Eater identity.
Of course, if the other was unwilling, he wouldn’t force him.
But if that were the case, Vaughn could only regret the other’s future fate…
As they drew closer, the majestic silhouette of the RMS Queen Mary gradually filled everyone’s vision. Many wizards in the delegation were seeing such a massive steel creation for the first time. They looked around curiously, whispering among themselves.
The reception staff on the ship had been waiting at the dock for a long time.
After checking the identification documents Lupin submitted, he led the group onto the gangway, showing no reaction to the gasps of amazement from the crowd.
“He’s a Squib.”
Oliver, familiar with the ship, said quietly to Vaughn, “Many of the ship’s staff are Squibs specially recruited by the Ministry. They can serve both Muggles and wizards, and incidentally solve their employment issues… This policy was promoted by the former Minister Millicent Bagnold, aimed at alleviating the conflict between Squibs and their families!”
Hearing this, Vaughn glanced at the Squib leading the way ahead.
In truth, he didn’t entirely agree with such policies. In his opinion, Squibs should stay away from the wizarding world. Otherwise, these people with faint magic, who could never cast spells, watching others cast spells and become wizards who could command the wind and rain every day, how much resentment must they harbor?
People are never discontented with poverty, but with inequality!
However, such matters were not within his immediate considerations.
As the group boarded the ship, Oliver tugged on Vaughn’s sleeve and pointed to a guest room balcony in the distance. Behind the silver, intricately carved balcony railing, several wizards in robes were chatting and admiring the scenery, led by a dark-skinned old wizard.
Ajinbad!
Whatever the person beside him said, Ajinbad burst into laughter. As he laughed, his gaze shifted and met Vaughn’s directly.
What followed was a demonstration of a face change!
Ajinbad first frowned, then blinked, as if doubting his eyes, and then his eyebrows shot up as if an invisible hand was pulling his face to both sides.
The lingering smile quickly faded, replaced by surprise and astonishment. Then his face, as if stretched to the extreme and snapping back, creased into a frown again.
It was a bitter mixture of realization, dissatisfaction, and annoyance, coupled with a silent accusation of “How could you be so shameless!”
Soon, Vaughn’s group met the international delegation who had specifically waited for them in the guest room area.
Ajinbad stared intently at Vaughn, “How can you be here?”
Vaughn smiled, “Respected Mr. Ajinbad, why can’t we be here?”
“You…”
Ajinbad had many things he wanted to say. He wanted to accuse Vaughn, “Don’t you realize how dangerous it is around you right now?”
“Why are you forcing yourself onto a ship full of Muggles, dragging the international delegation with you, what are your intentions?”
But alas, these words could not be spoken openly.
At least, not as a representative of the Federation, one couldn’t explicitly state that North America wished for Vaughn’s demise, nor could the so-called attack even be mentioned.
Various emotionally charged words stuck in his throat. Ajinbad’s face turned from dark to red, then red to dark, a flicker of expression, and finally, he could only let out a cold snort and stalk away!
“Mr. President…”
Lupin and Oliver looked at Vaughn.
Vaughn waved his hand with a smile, “Don’t mind him. According to the list, arrange for everyone to rest!”
When Lupin took the Muggle werewolf committee members to confirm their room information, another problem arose.
The Ministry of Magic had arranged fourth-class cabins for the delegation, meaning interior cabins in the middle of the cruise ship, with no windows, no view, and very cramped spaces.
After Lupin reported the situation, not only were the werewolf committee members in the delegation enraged, but even the committee members of the Wizengamot and the International Confederation were annoyed with Fudge.
Honestly, such petty actions served no purpose other than to be disgusting.
But Mr. Fudge, who never had any foresight, was precisely the type to do such things!
Vaughn wasn’t angry; he just felt like laughing.
Foolish Fudge, he couldn’t even play the basic game of sowing division and winning over allies!
The normal procedure would have been to assign the werewolves to fourth-class cabins and the Wizengamot and International Confederation members to first-class cabins, using the huge disparity in treatment to divide the delegation, wouldn’t it?
Heh!
Not wanting to deal with the fool, Vaughn waved his hand, signaling the committee members gathered in the corridor, who were indignantly voicing their displeasure, to quiet down. He then found a credit card from his satchel and handed it to Lupin, asking him to help them upgrade their cabins.
As for whether the credit card limit was enough…
To be honest, Vaughn didn’t even know how many Pounds Sterling he had. To support the werewolves, he had collected a lot of Muggle currency from the black market and Gringotts. Later, he had entrusted it to controlled financial experts to manage. He had no idea how much he had earned. Anyway, for several months, Muggle bank managers had sent him letters asking for an audience.
“Mr. President, you shouldn’t have to pay for that petty man Fudge’s stupidity.”
A Wizengamot committee member said angrily.
Another committee member beside him nodded in agreement, “Cornelius is too disappointing. Even if there are any conflicts, it shouldn’t be done this way. The delegation represents not only WAC but also the entire international image of England. What does he think politics is? Child’s play?”
“I’m writing back. This kind of behavior is truly disgusting!”
“My dear colleagues, please include me. I will also include today’s events in my observation report to be submitted to the Federation. This is simply absurd!”
Vaughn smiled and let them argue.
The anger of these people was not because the fourth-class cabins were uninhabitable, but a matter of respect. Dear Cornelius Fudge would likely pay a price for his capriciousness!
Lupin, who left with the credit card, returned quickly. According to Vaughn’s instructions, the entire delegation was assigned suites.
This minor storm had temporarily subsided.
Vaughn himself had a suite, spacious, with a large viewing window and a garden terrace, allowing him to enjoy the distant ocean scenery as well as the unique beauty of the swimming pool below.
He had Lupin bring his suitcase to his room and began to unpack. From Southampton Port to New York, there would be stops at several Northern European ports. He would be on the ship for most of the next few days, so some luggage needed to be settled.
By the time everything was sorted, it was nearly noon.
Whoo—
The ship’s whistle sounded outside the window; the cruise ship was about to set sail.
As Vaughn walked out of his room, he happened to see Lupin hurrying over. Upon seeing Vaughn, he said, “Mr. President, the Ministry people have arrived.”
“Oh?”
Vaughn, who had only intended to go to the deck to look, raised his eyebrows with interest, “Besides Dolores Umbridge, who else is there?”
“There are 5 Aurors, led by Captain Kingsley Shacklebolt, senior Auror Johnlit… and an intern Auror Nymphadora Tonks…”
As he said the last name, Lupin paused.
Then he noticed Vaughn looking at him strangely, making him feel guilty. “Uh… Mr. President, is there a problem?”
“No, dear Remus, I was just thinking that we will be interacting with the Aurors for a long time, and we need someone to build a good relationship with them so that communication can remain smooth when necessary, don’t you think?”
“Yes… yes, Mr. President.”
“Then, how about I assign this task to you? Of course, if you’re unwilling—”
“I’m willing!”
Lupin blurted out instinctively, then tensed his face. “Uh, I mean… I would be very happy to share your burdens…”
Vaughn smiled knowingly.
Lupin felt as if those narrowed, smiling eyes could see through his inner thoughts.
He was so nervous he was about to break into a sweat.
Fortunately, Vaughn didn’t dwell on the topic. After assigning the task, he asked, “Where are they now?”
“I came to ask you to go over. They’ve been cornered by the committee members on the deck…” Lupin’s already melancholic face looked even more distressed. “The committee members were questioning Dolores Umbridge about why the Ministry had assigned everyone to fourth-class cabins. It was supposed to be a normal negotiation, but then they discovered that the Auror squad and Umbridge were registered for first-class cabins. Now they’re arguing on the deck, with Muggles watching…”
No wonder he looked miserable; one could imagine how chaotic the scene must have been.
Vaughn nodded. “Take me there.”
By the time Lupin and Vaughn arrived, the deck was packed.
The RMS Queen Mary could carry 2,000 passengers. Although this voyage was not full, there were still over a thousand.
It was estimated that at least several hundred people had gathered on the deck to watch the spectacle.
From the center of the crowd, a high-pitched, sharp female voice could be heard calling out, “…The Ministry also has many difficulties. To scrape together the budget for this visit, Minister Fudge has lost hair and can’t sleep or eat. Why can’t my fellow WAC colleagues understand?”
“Nonsense!” someone shouted angrily. “The budget for the delegation was provided by WAC. I signed it personally, a full 2,000 Galleons…”
“It’s normal for there to be some depreciation when converting Galleons to Muggle currency.”
The sharp female voice said unhurriedly.
“A pile of gold converted to waste paper, and you’re telling me there’s depreciation?”
“Regardless, that’s the fact. I have detailed procedures and proof here. If you don’t believe me, I can show it to you.”
“Who knows if you tampered with it!”
From the periphery of the crowd, Vaughn shook his head. These committee members lacked combat experience and were easily led by the nose by that woman, forgetting their original objective.
Seeing that more and more Muggles were gathering due to the commotion, and he and Lupin were finding it hard to get through.
He frowned impatiently, his fingers moved a few times, and a silent spell was cast.
Muggle-Repelling Charm!
The power of magic instantly spread. Amidst the crowd, a few Federation representatives who were watching felt the fluctuation and were startled.
They exchanged glances and looked around. They saw that under the effect of magic, the surrounding Muggles, without any delay or hesitation, as if suddenly and naturally losing interest in the spectacle before them, began to leave.
“…Such exquisite magic!”
Someone whispered.
On the other side, the Aurors and committee members also noticed the anomaly. The crowd stopped arguing, and then they saw a clearing appear in the gradually departing Muggle crowd. The Muggles seemed to part like waves around a reef, and Vaughn was standing in the center of that clearing.
Vaughn was also looking at Dolores Umbridge.
This was the second time he had seen her, the last time being at his investiture ceremony. After a few months apart, this detestable witch’s taste was still as bad as ever, wearing a sickly sweet pink cardigan, a pink skirt, and a large pink bow!
Seeing Vaughn, Dolores Umbridge seemed to have forgotten the lesson from last time. She smiled sweetly, “Mr. Vaughn Weasley, you…”
The next second, her voice abruptly cut off.
She saw Vaughn draw his wand and point it at her.
Terror spread across Umbridge’s plump face. Her lips parted, and before a scream could escape, she heard a calm incantation: “Transfiguration Spell!”
Ribbit!
Umbridge disappeared, and a pink toad landed on the ground!
“Arrogant! Presumptuous!”
In the luxurious suite, the faint light from the crystal chandelier mixed with the daylight projected from the viewing window, illuminating the room brightly.
Johnlit’s restless footsteps echoed on the soft wool carpet, sending wisps of fine fibers flying up, dancing in the light.
The living room was crowded. Nymphadora leaned against the window, while others sat or stood scattered in the corners, silently listening to Johnlit’s roar.
“What does Vaughn Weasley think the Ministry is? Who gave him the nerve to attack a Ministry official? Such a thing cannot be tolerated!”
“Enough!”
On the bar in the corner of the room, Umbridge, transformed into a toad, was placed in a glass fishbowl. The horrific experience made her panic, and she thrashed around inside.
Kingsley had to use magic to stabilize her, poking and prodding her with his wand, occasional sparks flashing at the tip.
But such efforts, apart from eliciting a few faint squeaks from the pink toad, yielded no results.
He impatiently berated Johnlit, “What’s the use of saying that now? It cannot be tolerated… When you were on deck earlier, why didn’t you say a word? Why didn’t you stop Vaughn Weasley?”
Johnlit flushed crimson from his scolding, stuttering and unable to speak.
Leaning by the window, Nymphadora, who had been listening quietly to the commotion, turned her head and looked at Johnlit with disdain, then asked Kingsley, “How is it? Can the magic be dispelled?”
The others also looked over with concern.
It wasn’t that they cared much about Umbridge, but after all, she was their nominal leader for this trip. Before they had even departed, she had been turned into a toad. What would happen when the Ministry investigated responsibility?
Under their gazes, Kingsley’s reaction disappointed them; he shook his head.
“Vaughn Weasley’s magical strength is even greater than we estimated. His Transfiguration Spell is very powerful; the magic has permeated every minute detail of Umbridge’s body （ cells ）, completely locking down her every change. I am powerless.”
“Spell-Stopping Charm won’t work? How about All Spells End?”
Someone asked.
These two spells were quite versatile counter-curses, capable of countering almost any spell except for some very advanced killing curses and hexes, and were required learning for Aurors.
“No.”
Kingsley’s expression was serious. He waved his wand, and a white mist rose, forming an image according to his will.
It was the microscopic structure of the human body. Many “cell-like” things condensed from the mist—although the wizarding world didn’t understand Muggle biology, they had ways to observe the existence of cells, though their understanding was still basic and had not formed a new discipline.
All the Aurors present had received systematic education, so they had no problem understanding the “image” Kingsley was displaying, knowing that he was showing the situation inside Umbridge.
As they watched, Kingsley continued to wave his wand, and points of light appeared. They expanded like inflated balloons into geometrically beautiful polyhedral shapes, encasing each “cell.”
“Is Umbridge’s entire body ‘locked’ like this?”
“It should be… This is—”
The whispers in the crowd abruptly ceased. The Aurors saw that as the polyhedrons completely encased all the cells, Kingsley clenched his fist.
The polyhedrons suddenly contracted. In an instant, large portions of the polyhedrons shrank back into points of light, and the cells encased by them were clearly compressed as well!
The image formed by the Mist Charm shifted and zoomed out, the perspective leaving the microscopic level. The contraction of the polyhedrons caused Umbridge to transform from a human into a pink toad!
Looking at the stunned expressions of the Aurors, Kingsley let out a long sigh. “As you can see, Weasley’s Transfiguration Spell on Umbridge was performed at an extremely subtle level. In a sense, he used a spell to achieve an incredible transformation—a disguised fundamental change!”
As is well known, Transfiguration theoretically cannot change the essence.
But magic is called magic precisely because it can create miracles. While true fundamental change cannot be achieved, it can be accomplished through other means, yielding a similar effect!
“How did he do it?” someone murmured.
“I’m not sure either; this demonstration is just a rough process,” Kingsley said. “All I know is that Umbridge’s current state is entirely maintained by Weasley’s polyhedron spell. I’ve investigated, and its structure is not strong. Theoretically, Spell-Stopping Charm and All Spells End should be able to destroy it.”
“But what happens after destroying it? Without the spell’s compression and control, the subtle changes to Umbridge will inevitably expand rapidly, boom—”
Kingsley made an exploding gesture.
The Aurors seemed to envision the glorious sight of dear Ms. Umbridge exploding everywhere, and were stunned!
The pink toad in the fishbowl was also stunned and trembled.
In the spacious suite, the air was dead silent for a long time before an Auror hesitantly spoke, “So, what do we do now?”
Another suggested, “Why don’t we retreat… uh, I mean, the situation is beyond our capabilities now. Our duty is to protect the delegation, but the delegation has attacked our leader, Ms. Umbridge. What kind of response should be made next is not for us to decide, is it? Why not leave it to those old men in the Ministry to consider?”
He then emphasized, “We can also send Ms. Umbridge to St. Mungo’s for emergency treatment, as no one knows how long Vaughn Weasley’s spell will last. Kingsley said this Transfiguration involves essence… What if the side effects are like those of an Animagus, and the longer the transformation lasts, the closer the mind becomes to the transformed animal, causing Ms. Umbridge to genuinely believe she is a toad?”
His reasoning was sound, and two people immediately agreed.
Then, Johnlit jumped out again, cursing the others, “Ms. Umbridge represents Minister Fudge. For him to turn her into a toad is not only an insult to Ms. Umbridge but also to the Minister, and to us!”
“Shame! Embarrassment! Your weakness makes me sick!”
The Aurors he cursed also became angry and retorted, “What was the cause of this? Wasn’t it you who took it upon yourselves to teach the delegation a lesson, secretly changing the Ministry’s booked cabins? You shamed them first!”
“Traitor!” Johnlit shouted, drawing his wand to teach the other a lesson.
The other side was not to be outdone.
Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, the headache-stricken Kingsley had to intervene to stop them, “Enough! All of you, stop!”
As the most senior Auror in the squad, he had some authority.
No one dared to anger Kingsley.
After waving his wand to separate the two groups, Kingsley scratched his head in distress, and after a long while, said, “Don’t talk about withdrawing anymore. The mission must continue, but you must also keep this matter to yourselves…”
“Kingsley!” Johnlit’s expression was anxious.
“Shut up!” Kingsley glared at him fiercely. “This is an order! Do you want to see news in tomorrow’s 《 Daily Prophet 》 about the Ministry mistreating the WAC foreign delegation, and the delegation retaliating in anger?”
“All of you, behave. I’m going to talk to Remus Lupin and try to resolve this peacefully… at least not let it become common knowledge. Isn’t it embarrassing enough already?”
With that, he no longer paid attention to the others and turned to leave.
Nymphadora, who had been leaning against the window and hadn’t said a word, also followed.
As Kingsley stepped out, preparing to find Lupin, he looked back at Nymphadora, who was following him, and said gloomily, “Why are you coming?”
Nymphadora coolly flicked her hair. “I can’t stand it in there. They’re all softies and idiots.”
Kingsley was speechless and didn’t stop her.
Nymphadora quickened her pace to keep up, humming a cheerful tune.
“You’re in such a good mood?”
“Of course! I’m so sick of that Umbridge. Seeing her makes me nauseous. If I didn’t want to be an Auror, I would have applauded when Vaughn turned her into a toad!”
Hearing this, Kingsley sighed.
To be honest, he was now very disappointed with Fudge. Not only was Fudge himself becoming increasingly unreliable, but his subordinates were also the same.
That Dolores Umbridge was the epitome of abstraction.
In fact, the initial accommodation arrangements for WAC were suites, as the relevant budget was provided by WAC, and the Ministry had no intention of causing trouble.
It was Umbridge who had temporarily changed the delegation’s accommodation standards and specifically rushed to arrive at the time the cruise ship was about to depart. According to her:
“The new organization needs some lessons and warnings!”
Now that she’s been turned into a toad, she deserves it!
But what made Kingsley weary was that the incident of Umbridge being turned into a toad could not be left unresolved; it had to be dealt with.
In the end, he had to step in himself.
Nymphadora was unaware of his weariness. The witch, who had returned to Muggle society, quickly regained her former Muggle life.
Passing by a vending machine, she bought some snacks and chewing gum. “Want to try some Muggle food?”
Kingsley was not interested.
Nymphadora didn’t care, blowing a bubble as she walked leisurely beside him. “Are you really going to find that Lupin? Why not go directly to Vaughn?”
“I’m going to him to create a buffer. We’re not sure of Vaughn Weasley’s attitude right now. If we approach him rashly, and he refuses to lift the Transfiguration on Umbridge, the situation will become very awkward. So, it’s better to contact Remus first. Even if negotiations with him fail, it won’t affect our subsequent contact with Vaughn.”
Kingsley explained patiently.
But Nymphadora was uninterested. “It’s so complicated. If it were me, I would have just talked to Vaughn directly. I feel like he’s quite reasonable…”
“…”
Was Vaughn reasonable?
Perhaps, in the eyes of many, he was not!
At least, that’s what Remus Lupin thought.
Carrying a tray with apple pie, fried cod, and black tea, Lupin walked through the not-so-spacious corridor between cabins and arrived outside a suite, knocking lightly.
The door opened silently. There was no one behind it, and Lupin entered without surprise.
The luxurious living room was brightly lit, just like the ocean and sky outside. By the window, a desk was set up, its semi-fixed design preventing it from shaking as the cruise ship moved forward.
A locked suitcase lay on it, with various instruments and diagrams scattered around it messily.
In front of the desk, Vaughn was still taking things out of his satchel. Hearing Lupin’s footsteps, he didn’t turn around and waved his hand casually, “You’ve worked hard, Remus. Just put it on the bar, and please don’t let anyone disturb me.”
Placing the food as Vaughn requested, Lupin leaned in to look at the suitcase and the scattered diagrams. He saw a dissection diagram of a werewolf.
“Are you starting your research today?”
“Yes,” Vaughn said. “Time is still a bit tight. I hope to make some progress during this period. Once we arrive in New York, it’s hard to say if I’ll have any free time afterward.”
Lupin knew that Vaughn wasn’t just referring to the hostility and attacks he might face from North American forces upon arrival in New York, but also because the dragons prepared by families like Travers’ would also be transported there.
He glanced at the suitcase again.
Lupin knew that the werewolf experimental subjects were inside. A flicker of compassion flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing.
Perhaps, as experimental subjects, contributing to the research of Wolfsbane Potion was a form of atonement for those fellows… He could only think that way; Vaughn would not heed anyone’s advice regarding his decisions.
Just as when he impatiently turned Dolores Umbridge into a toad, no one could persuade him to turn her back.
With that thought, Lupin gathered his thoughts and asked, “Mr. President, the Aurors have come asking about the Umbridge matter. How should I respond?”
Vaughn, rummaging through his satchel for a notebook and engrossed in its contents, replied without looking up, “The spell’s effect will last for 10 days. Tell them to keep a close eye on Umbridge. If she appears before me again, it won’t be as simple as a Transfiguration Spell.”
