Chapter 178: Dumbledore’s Successor
“It is said that Wilkinson foretold that Muggles would completely decline from their peak in the coming decades. We did not obtain the specific content of the prophecy, but according to reliable sources, the Wizengamot adopted Wilkinson’s prophecy and formulated a series of plans centered around it.”
“Are there specific plan details?” Vaughn asked.
Ajinbad shook his head: “No, the 12 pure-blood families are strictly keeping the plans secret, they even used the Oath of Secrecy. Those involved in formulating the plans are bound by the oath and cannot reveal even a single word to anyone outside the circle of knowledge.”
“And that was over 20 years ago. The Federation tried for a while and found no progress in intelligence gathering, so they sealed the relevant records. If I hadn’t heard your analysis earlier that Third Salem might be a bait from the Wizengamot, I wouldn’t have remembered this matter.”
Ajinbad’s expression was solemn.
The reason he connected the two was that, from the current perspective, all members of Third Salem were Muggles.
And the “Wilkinson Prophecy,” based on the limited intelligence obtained by the Federation, was most likely a plan targeting Muggles.
This made him, and others within the Federation, wonder – how many organizations like Third Salem has the Wizengamot created in the past 20-plus years since the “Wilkinson Prophecy” in 1968?
How many Muggles have they controlled?
What do they want to do?
Compared to Ajinbad’s worries, Vaughn’s thoughts were not so complicated.
He was only paying attention because the information Ajinbad revealed suddenly reminded him of the “fun” that would happen on the Internet in the future.
LGBT gradually developed into various abbreviations, almost using half of the 26 letters.
Consequently, there were over 90 gender identities.
There were also environmental and animal protection organizations that used terrorist attacks to promote environmental protection concepts.
Various magical and bizarre incidents that occurred in reality were called “magic attacks” on the internet in the “future,” used to describe their magical and unbelievable nature.
But now, looking at the Wilkinson plan revealed by Ajinbad… could the state of Muggle society in the “future” have truly involved “magic”?
This…
Vaughn didn’t know what expression to make for a moment.
In the suitcase space, Vaughn and Ajinbad continued to exchange information, meticulously speculating on all possible subsequent situations and preparing accordingly.
Meanwhile, by the Charles River, Vaughn’s Patronus appeared, not just to hear their conversation and meet them specially.
The cat-shaped Patronus gazed at the night sky with eyes like a starry expanse.
Kingsley and Lupin, who lacked alchemical talent, could not see the “nets” like silk cloths hanging from the sky in the darkness.
They were densely gathered above the forest clearing, circling and swirling.
More and more.
The Patronus nimbly tilted its neck, dodging a drifting “silk ribbon.”
“Their surveillance has become even tighter!”
Crouching on the grass, he remained silent for a long time before asking, “Today, did you encounter any individuals suspected of being wizards among those Muggles?”
The two exchanged glances. “No.”
Kingsley hesitated, then asked, “Mr. Weasley, is something not right about this so-called Third Salem movement organization?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Its appearance is quite coincidental, happening just as both the WAC and the Federation are staying in Boston. Moreover, the composition of its members is very complex. Most of them originally belonged to other organizations and were temporarily dispatched here. I’m worried…”
“Worried it’s bait to lure us?”
The Patronus turned its head.
Kingsley saw a hint of a smile in those silver-white eyes, as if inlaid with starlight, and he suddenly realized, “You knew all along?”
The Patronus flicked its tail, not answering, only saying, “Remus, Kingsley, go back to the crowd. Don’t worry, there’s no immediate danger… the people behind this should not be ready to clash with us yet.”
Or, they likely haven’t reached a consensus internally.
Vaughn was not surprised by this; the essence of politics was the struggle and bargaining of interests between different organizations. It was the same between countries, and the same within a single country.
Even a unicameral Wizengamot couldn’t cater to everyone’s interests and unite everyone under one will.
If someone wanted the WAC and to seize the Wolfsbane Potion from him, there would inevitably be an opposition faction – regardless of morality, character, or integrity, it might simply be that the opposition didn’t want another faction to grow stronger!
“However, no matter what, prolonging this situation suits my agenda better. The longer it drags on, the more beneficial it will be for me… I need to find a way to keep this situation going!”
As Vaughn thought this, the faint glow emanating from the Patronus suddenly brightened.
The next second, it disintegrated, scattering into a large mist of light, disappearing without a trace before it even touched the ground, just as it had appeared.
Watching the Patronus self-dissipate, Kingsley and Lupin knew that Vaughn had deactivated the Patronus Charm.
The two exchanged glances. Lupin blinked his eyes: “Kingsley, what were you just talking about with Mr. President? What bait?”
“…”
Kingsley suddenly envied Lupin. Although he wasn’t a blank slate at over 30, he hadn’t been corrupted by those dirty and sordid matters.
Mr. Weasley also favored him, seemingly liking his somewhat naive and straightforward personality.
Unlike himself…
However, having such an “innocent” person as a colleague… was quite good, at least he was a good person.
Everyone liked their friends to be good people!
So he explained kindly, “Third Salem, they are likely sent by the Wizengamot to deliberately lure us into investigating.”
“And then?”
“Then there are many possibilities. It might just be to attract our attention, or it might be to lure us here and deliberately create a violent conflict, to achieve purposes such as distracting us or smearing us – for example, if those Muggles opened fire on you, would you retaliate?”
“I would stop them!”
“Who can prove that you were only stopping them and didn’t use more advanced force?”
Lupin was a little confused: “Isn’t it enough if I don’t hurt them?”
Kingsley smiled: “Yes, you can do that, but believe it or not, if you stop someone without harming them, you’ll be shot eight times and die. Once you’re dead, how can you defend yourself?”
“…”
“This is just one possibility. What if there were wizards hidden among those Muggles and they attacked you? Would you still be able to stop them without harming them? Perhaps you say you can refrain from fighting back, which would be even better. They could kill you and me directly. In that case, even if Mr. Weasley knew the whole incident was suspicious, he would have to fall into the trap that was already set, because we are his subordinates, and he must be responsible for our sacrifice.”
The words sent a chill down Lupin’s spine.
Not only because of the conspiracies and schemes described in the words, but also because he suddenly understood Vaughn’s intention in arranging for them to contact Third Salem.
Vaughn knew Third Salem had problems, but he still cooperated by sending them, clearly using them to lull the people behind the scenes and keep the possibility of conflict within a certain range.
This made Lupin feel a bit uncomfortable.
As if sensing his thoughts, Kingsley patted his shoulder: “Don’t overthink it. Those in higher positions have more to consider than us. At least Mr. Weasley hasn’t abandoned us; he even sent a Patronus to accompany us nearby. If anything goes wrong, he can rescue us… Guess what Fudge would do in the same situation?”
There was no need to guess; Umbridge was a clear example.
Vaughn turned her into a toad, and Fudge didn’t say a word. In the correspondence between the Ministry of Magic and the WAC delegation these days, Umbridge was not mentioned at all.
On the contrary, they had the courage, and a great deal of it, to oppress the Shackle family and plunder their assets under this pretext!
The conversation between Kingsley and Lupin was accurately transmitted to Vaughn’s mind on the other side of the city.
Vaughn, who had just seen Ajinbad off, smiled slightly.
Kingsley was indeed a very ideal subordinate, with high emotional intelligence, a good understanding of the overall situation, and knew when to advance and retreat.
On one hand, he wasn’t a true pushover who would hesitate to speak up for fear of being accused of instigating trouble, thinking that silence was best for everyone, not realizing that fools were a minority in this world.
Even if he didn’t say anything, Lupin would understand later, and his silence today would create a rift in their colleague relationship.
On the other hand, he wasn’t like some who considered themselves smart, thinking that by pointing out Vaughn’s cold side, he could sow discord in Lupin’s heart and ruin his future.
He not only pointed out the significance of the Patronus’s appearance, resolving Lupin’s inner conflict, but also used Fudge as a comparison – honestly, comparing anyone with a modicum of morality to a bizarre character like Fudge would make them seem like a saint.
“As expected, these are the kind of people who are comfortable to work with.”
With a sigh, Vaughn stopped paying attention to the other side.
The situation of Kingsley, Lupin, and Tonks had already given him the answers he wanted – for whatever reason, the Wizengamot did not intend to immediately become antagonistic towards the WAC.
This was good news.
The light of magic shone, and the experiment continued.
In the suitcase space, time almost felt like it wasn’t passing. When this round of experiments ended, in the task column of the system panel visible in his field of vision, the progress of sub-quest ③ had quietly advanced another step:
【Sub-quest ③: Research the magic of all fire dragons and understand their basic principles（In Progress）】
【Progress: 5/10】
【Reward: 100 Magic Power Scale, Spell Development Module】
His gaze lingered on the quest progress for a moment, and Vaughn flipped up.
【Host: Vaughn Weasley】
【Magic Power Scale: 594 (Normal Adult Wizard is 500)】
【Talent: …】
【Spells: …】
【Curses: …】
【Ancient Magic: Soul Steal LV0（1/4）, Vaughn’s Live Disintegration Ritual】
【Alchemy LV0（5/20）】
【Potions: …】
【Reputation Points: 42 points】
Compared to a few days ago, the spell section had hardly changed, except for the Ancient Magic section, which now included “Vaughn’s Live Disintegration Ritual.”
This was the method Vaughn developed for experiments. Its core was Transfiguration, supplemented by Potions, various monitoring and observation spells like enhanced senses, revealing charms, and so on, plus some basic and complex rituals borrowed by Vaughn from ancient books.
This ultimately formed this Frankenstein’s monster.
But that didn’t stop it from being useful. It had a clear structure, utilized Muggle scientific concepts, and integrated cultivation, observation, and analysis, making it extraordinarily effective for live experiments.
Perhaps precisely because of this pioneering nature, the system classified it as “magic” rather than simply experimental steps.
However, it was clearly not mature yet, or rather, it had borrowed too many “mature” elements, so it didn’t qualify as a spell. The system could only barely classify it as Ancient Magic, without even assigning a level.
Vaughn felt his own accumulation was not shallow. To date, he had learned over 500 spells, although few were truly usable in combat, with most being utility spells or tricks.
But these spells themselves were also accumulations, helping to understand the intention behind various spell incantations and the impact of wand movements.
Yet, even so, his research on live experiments this time was not entirely successful. At least, he couldn’t condense “Vaughn’s Live Disintegration Ritual” into the “Disintegration Spell” he had originally envisioned.
“Time, time… I really need that Spell Development Module!”
With a sigh, he stopped thinking and looked at another place that had changed – Reputation Points!
“42 points… Today is August 12th. Reputation Points are settled around the middle of the month. The date is correct. The monthly growth trend before was 20 points; now it’s 22 points more than last time, meaning the monthly growth has increased by 2 points.”
This was undoubtedly another expansion of his reputation’s reach.
It should be due to the establishment of the WAC, the implementation of the “Wolfsbane Potion International Trade System,” and the impact of his delegation’s visit to North America.
Looking at the points, Vaughn didn’t touch them.
“At the current pace, completing sub-quest ③ in the near future is not a problem. Even if fire dragons have physiological differences among themselves, their core evolutionary logic and fundamental blood energy system are roughly the same. Further research will only get faster, as long as the other five fire dragons are delivered promptly.”
The quest was nearing completion, and the Spell Development Module would soon be in hand.
Vaughn wasn’t sure what conditions the Spell Development Module required. By extrapolation, its use likely wouldn’t be without cost.
If the module were a machine and the consumption were energy, the only things on him that fit this condition, besides Magic Power, were Reputation Points.
So, even though he still had many spells that required Reputation Points, Vaughn saved them to avoid the awkward situation of completing the quest, getting the module, but being unable to use it.
“Now I’m just waiting for Oliver and the others to bring my fire dragons.”
This wait wasn’t long.
Afterward, Vaughn shifted his focus to researching werewolves while simultaneously using his Patronus to keep an eye on Kingsley, Lupin, Tonks, and Third Salem.
They still showed no unusual activity. The next day, Third Salem continued to organize marches, and that night, as before, a group gathered in the wilderness to party and drink.
Vaughn’s Patronus hid in the shadows, watching Kingsley and Lupin feign smiles while having to deal with those strange people, and he didn’t find it boring.
Then, on the same night, Oliver arrived with the fire dragons.
Emerging from the underwater “ghost ship,” the ocean in sight was not as clear and blue as it appeared when viewed from land or on deck.
Boston had been established for over 200 years, and countless amounts of domestic waste had accumulated in the bay: various plastics, cardboard, glass, tires, building materials, broken bicycles… and lumps of strangely protruding cement pillars.
Leading a few subordinates, Oliver skirted around a cement pillar in front of him with disgust – even though his entire body was encased in bubbles created by a mutated form of the Bubble-Head Charm, making it seem like an inflatable suit, he had no direct contact with the seawater.
This was because he knew very well that the cement pillars “sealed” Muggle corpses within them.
This was the preferred method of American Muggle gangs: cheap, efficient, and highly discreet. After all, no one would go out of their way to dive into the sea to retrieve a heavy cement pillar.
The people of Boston should be grateful they lived by the sea, rather than near freshwater lakes or reservoirs. At least seawater was undrinkable; freshwater lakes and reservoirs were not necessarily so…
Swimming along the seabed to the port area, the group surfaced, took out their flying broomsticks, and slowly ascended into the air.
Following Oliver, a burly wizard grumbled, “Next time, can we take the land route? Or spend less time underwater. I feel like I’m breathing in decay right now.”
Beside him, a slightly shorter witch with gray hair nodded in agreement: “Yeah, it was like walking through a graveyard just now. Ugh—”
“The Bubble-Head Charm doesn’t allow any substances from the seawater to enter. The only thing that can enter the charm is dissolved oxygen in the water, which is very clean,”
At the end of the line, a young wizard with short blonde hair pushed up his glasses and explained earnestly.
The burly man and the witch both rolled their eyes at his explanation.
“Heavens, Clint, we’re just complaining.”
“Look at you, as boring as a Muggle scholar!”
As the leader, Oliver ignored his team members’ complaints and wisecracks. He looked around. Boston Harbor at night was much quieter than during the day. The berths in the distance were filled with ships of all sizes, and further out in the deep-water port, only one cruise ship was emitting brilliant lights.
“Alright, everyone quiet.”
Oliver turned back and instructed a few team members: “We’re going to Mr. Weasley’s location now. Everyone stay close to me. Clint, what’s the surveillance situation in this city?”
Upon hearing his words, Clint pushed up his glasses, and a faint glow appeared in his eyes.
Clint looked up at the sky and shook his head at Oliver: “There are ‘ribbons’ all over the sky. The entire city is surrounded…”
He paused, then pointed towards the city center and then towards the Charles River: “My talent is average, I can only vaguely see that those two areas are priority focus zones. The city center should be the hotel where Mr. Weasley is staying. I’m not sure about the situation with the Charles River.”
“So brazen?”
“Not entirely. After all, few people have alchemical talent,” Clint shrugged. “Besides, hasn’t the Wizengamot always been this overbearing? Those Yankees are always so self-righteous when they do things like this. If you don’t find them, pretend they don’t exist. If you do find them, they can shamelessly disregard it. Otherwise, how did Dreamcatchers get their reputation? Any wizard who has been to America knows the great name of this alchemical marvel!”
“Hmph—”
Oliver exhaled in frustration: “No weak points?”
“At least not in any area other than the sea we are currently in, I haven’t sensed any.”
Just as Oliver was about to ask more, the gray-haired witch couldn’t help but interject: “Captain, the family only asked us to cooperate with Mr. Weasley. This time, you not only brought the ghost ship but also gathered all the family members in North America… Isn’t this going too far?”
Hearing this, the burly wizard and Clint both looked at Oliver.
Clearly, the gray-haired witch’s question was also their doubt.
Oliver opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
It should be mentioned here about the composition of the small team he led.
The members were not from the same family. Oliver was from the Greenwell family, the burly wizard and the gray-haired witch were from the Beld family, and Clint was from the McLean family.
The reason these families came together could be traced back to the Voldemort era.
As is well known, in the eyes of Death Eaters, any wizard not from the Sacred Twenty-Eight was not considered human.
Therefore, wizarding families like Greenwell and Beld, which were not recognized by the Sacred Twenty-Eight, had quietly formed an alliance more than ten years ago during Voldemort’s rampage in England, rallying under Dumbledore to counter the ostracism and attacks from pure-blood families.
Even after Voldemort’s downfall and the annihilation of the Death Eaters, the small alliance did not disband.
On one hand, everyone suspected that Voldemort was still alive, and the catastrophe in the wizarding world might return at any time – of course, it had been confirmed two months ago that Voldemort was indeed not dead.
On the other hand, the purge of Death Eaters was not thorough. Although the pure-blood families suffered heavy blows, their strength was not significantly diminished, and the smaller families still needed to band together for warmth.
Moreover, after the establishment of the small alliance, these families exchanged information and shared resources, and everyone had tasted the benefits of cooperation—
There was no need to elaborate on this point; each family had its own areas of expertise.
For example, the Greenwell family, to which Oliver belonged, had always been enthusiastic about expanding its branches, with branches distributed in the magical worlds of Europe and North America. With these branches, the Greenwell family could help other families within the small alliance develop their businesses in Europe and North America.
Beld was similar. Their ancestors had been Muggle nobility, with a deep foundation in both Muggle society and the wizarding world. This foundation, in simple terms, was wealth.
They were essentially the treasury of the small alliance.
The McLean family had produced many alchemists throughout history, considered a traditional alchemy-renowned family, and they served as producers within the small alliance.
This model of working together, with each family playing a different role, brought more benefits than drawbacks, so the continuation of the small alliance was only natural.
However, their relationship only extended to the stage of a beneficial alliance!
The small alliance was not the Death Eaters; they did not have a unified goal like the Death Eaters’ “eternal purity” or “let magic belong to pure-bloods.”
Lacking a unified goal and program, it was naturally difficult to reach a consensus on certain issues.
This “difficulty in reaching consensus” had not become apparent when their cooperation was limited to business matters.
Until some more troublesome issues arose:
For instance, their families had different attitudes towards helping Vaughn Weasley.
Clint and the other two received orders from their families a few days ago, instructing them to temporarily put aside their work and obey Oliver’s command to “assist” Mr. Vaughn Weasley, who was visiting North America.
They were unsure of the extent of the so-called assistance, as their families’ wording was ambiguous, with no clear requirements or direction.
Only Oliver was different.
A month earlier, when he followed his family’s orders to purchase fire dragons for Vaughn, Patriarch George Greenwell had already instructed him to “do his utmost”!
A week ago, when the encrypted letter from the family arrived, appointing him to lead a team to provide support for Vaughn Weasley, there was still only one message:
Do your utmost!
【…Dumbledore clearly expressed that he would pass the leadership of the alliance to Vaughn Weasley in the future. This was a confusing decision for families like Beld, McLean, and Rose. Perhaps it was arrogance, or perhaps it was hesitation due to the Weasley’s age. In any case, they did not show sufficient respect to this future leader.】
【But, my nephew, a wizard recognized by Dumbledore as his successor, a wizard jointly acknowledged by Alred Travers and Barty Crouch, is he not enough to earn our respect? Moreover, his performance has far exceeded his age…】
【Perhaps the prolonged peace has made families like Beld, McLean, and Rose forget what irresistible power is. As far as I know, they have a lot of reservations about helping Mr. Weasley. Including the matter of purchasing fire dragons, these arrogant fellows think that our future leader is infringing upon their interests… How foolish!】
【However, this may not be a bad thing for us. Alred Travers has already taken the initiative to stand out before Mr. Weasley. With these fools as a foil, it makes the preciousness of our loyalty even more apparent… Of course, I don’t want internal strife within the team. Your task is to concentrate all your abilities to assist Mr. Weasley. Internal strife is a very short-sighted behavior under this premise, and it’s not beneficial for you to highlight your own abilities. But at the same time, I believe you have enough wisdom to let our future leader recognize who his loyal follower is, don’t you?】
The words from his patriarch and uncle, along with the hidden meaning in the letter, flashed through his mind.
Oliver’s mood was complicated.
According to his uncle’s wishes, he should ignore all opposing voices, on one hand, handle Mr. Weasley’s affairs properly, and on the other hand, subtly undermine the other families in front of Mr. Weasley.
This would maximize Greenwell’s interests.
However, these people around him were his old friends…
They had been jointly responsible for the alliance’s business in North America for several years. In this unfamiliar land, they received limited support from their families and could only rely on each other.
This was especially true since last year, when North America had fallen into a state of de facto division.
Attacks, massacres, populism, revengeism… all sorts of chaotic things were rampant in this country. As foreign wizards, they had encountered countless dangers and overcome numerous difficulties together.
If possible, he didn’t want the three of them to miss opportunities due to the ambiguous attitudes of their respective families.
After thinking for a moment, he looked at his companions and, without answering the gray-haired witch, asked, “Last time, you met Mr. Weasley with me. In your opinion, what kind of person is he?”
The three exchanged glances.
Clint pushed up his glasses: “From my understanding, he is a very formidable Potions Master, a scholar with exceptionally strong theoretical knowledge, innovative ability, and practical experience!”
This was a typical personal perspective.
Oliver nodded and looked at the gray-haired witch: “Melody, what about you?”
The gray-haired witch Melody tilted her head and mused, “I haven’t had much contact. I can only rely on rumors. The deepest impression he left on me is that he has very clever means and is a wizard with great political wisdom.”
“Zack?”
“Me…” the burly wizard named Zack scratched his head: “I’m different from both of them. In my impression, he… should be a powerful wizard? I’m not sure. Do you remember I told you? Last time, when we were delivering the fire dragons, it was me and his subordinate, a wizard named Lupin, who transferred the fire dragons into the suitcase. Betty almost peed herself the moment she saw him… You know how smart Betty is, almost like a human.”
Saying this, he scratched his head again and smiled, “Speaking of which, he didn’t kill Betty, and I’m quite grateful to him.”
Betty was the name Zack had given to the Hungarian Tree Bee.
He liked fire dragons very much, of course, he didn’t dare to disobey his family’s orders either. Last time, even though he knew the batch of fire dragons purchased were unlikely to survive after being sent to Vaughn, he still carried out his family’s orders.
Listening to the three vastly different answers, Oliver showed no surprise, but his expression became even more serious: “That’s the problem. Potions Master, politics, magic… He left a deep impression on you in three different areas. Is that normal?”
“…”
The three exchanged glances and suddenly felt a sense of dread.
That’s right!
They hadn’t discussed Vaughn Weasley much with each other before. They hadn’t realized that Vaughn Weasley might be viewed differently by others than by themselves.
Was this normal?
Of course, it wasn’t normal!
A person only leaves a deep impression and generates rumors when they are powerful enough in a certain field.
Moreover, Vaughn Weasley was only 12 years old!
After the three had processed this for a moment, Oliver continued:
“I shouldn’t say this, but we are friends, comrades who have shared life and death. I can’t watch you be dragged down by your families.” He surveyed his team members and lowered his voice: “Dumbledore has already decided that he will pass the leadership of the alliance to Vaughn Weasley in the future.”
“What…”
“Damn it, since when?”
“I’ve never heard of that.”
The three showed astonished expressions.
Oliver sighed: “He explicitly stated it at an alliance meeting a few months ago. But clearly, your families are quite resistant to this decision, and they didn’t even tell you.”
Not everyone could participate deeply in family affairs.
Although Clint, Melody, and Zack were considered middle management within their families, they were clearly not privy to decision-making content.
If it were one minute ago, they might not have felt much about this news, but after Oliver had separately asked them about their impressions of Vaughn,
their thoughts had already begun to shift.
