Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 190 The Shadow Named "Dumbledore"
The information is valuable, but it contains no wisdom whatsoever!
Unlike memories, the boundary of dreams is the gap between the conscious and subconscious mind. But whether it is the "conscious" or the "subconscious," it is a part of consciousness. Every "character" that appears here can also be considered a part of Jack Graves' consciousness.

Each of them represents Jack Graves!
Therefore, even in an illogical "story," they can detect the intruder.

Because they instinctively know that Vaughn is different from them!
However, it was ultimately just instinct; the Jack Graves before him was not a conscious being with the ability to clearly discern.

The white mist on Vaughn's body rippled a few times, and the outline of the personified armor flashed through his pupils.

If we can shift our perspective to the first level of the mind, we will see that Jack Graves's turbulent mental storms and complex intellectual landscape have been largely infiltrated by his personality.
With Vaughn's manipulation, a very faint but undeniable concept was implanted.

This action quickly yielded results—a wisp of white mist appeared on Jack Graves and the bodies of the corpses behind him.

Their ferocious expressions froze for a moment.

The world suddenly brightened, the dark clouds dispersed, and the thunder ceased. Vaughn quietly watched as Jack Graves, standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, strangely appeared positive and cheerful in the sunlight streaming down, and after a brief moment of bewilderment, gave him a genuine smile:
“Yes, Vaughn Weasley, we are best friends!”

He walked over happily.

Afterwards, the corpses closed their eyes again and lay back in the pool of blood.

Their faces regained their tranquility, as if they were fulfilling some preordained, sacred duty.

It looks truly absurd and bizarre...

Even though Vaughn had studied the theory of the Golden Soul and knew what dreams and the boundaries of dreams would manifest, he was still somewhat taken aback.

Memories that represent rationality, no matter how chaotic, are still organized. The brain prepares "keywords" and "timestamps" for them to facilitate retrieval.

These things that signify order do not exist in dreams!

"What a terrible place... This is only the boundary of a dream, a buffer zone where an individual's subconscious radiates towards rationality, a corridor responsible for transmitting emotions, and it's already so terrifying. Then... what is the individual's subconscious, located in the ether and representing pure emotion, like beneath the real sea?"

Vaughn suddenly remembered his first journey through the Aether, when Dumbledore led him to a Muggle's dream.

At that time, he was unaware of any danger as he and Dumbledore watched the dreams and wishes of Muggles.

But now that I think about it, was it a result that Dumbledore deliberately chose? The Muggle dream they entered that day was undoubtedly a beautiful dream.

Similarly, just as people have beautiful dreams, they also have nightmares...

In reality, dreams are like bubbles that burst easily; they cannot affect reality. But in the ether, dreams are indeed a real world that can only exist briefly!

The master of a dream is the master of that world!
For example, at this moment, Vaughn clearly sensed that he, being at the edge of Jack's dream, was no match for Jack Graves.

If he hadn't dispelled Jack's and the corpses' doubts and resistance, then even if he were to possess the strongest magic and the most exquisite spells in reality, this intruding consciousness would have been torn apart and devoured by the boundaries of Jack's dream!

Of course, memory magic existed from the very beginning to prevent such a situation from occurring.

Thinking this, Vaughn smiled gently as Jack warmly greeted him.

……

"Ugh……"

reality.

Donald sighed inwardly when he saw the bright blue light in Vaughn's eyes.

Capture the mind and seize thoughts!

One of the most difficult spells to master in the entire magical world. Although the Graves family is not good at this spell, the Ro family, who are also 12 pure-bloods and in charge of the Magic Risk Monitoring Department, have a large number of memory mages.

"Silent mind control... How many members of the Luo family, who specialize in memory magic, can achieve such a level of mind control?"

Donald thought back to the Luo family members he had interacted with, those peers who had now risen to middle management and could be considered successful.

not a single one!

"Genius... Ha!"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and struggled to pull himself out of the ground—Vaughn hadn't particularly restricted his mobility.

He stopped overestimating himself and knew he couldn't stop it.

Realizing the gap between them, Donald sat dejectedly on the spot, cleaning the dirt off his lower body as he watched Jack Graves slowly hand over the alchemical artifact he cherished, enveloped in the azure light emanating from Vaughn Weasley's eyes, beneath the mushroom cloud frozen in the distance.

Furthermore, even amidst the cacophony of the battlefield above, he could still hear Vaughn Weasley's calm, gentle, and magically captivating voice:

"Jack, we are friends."

“Yes, we are friends,” Jack repeated, his tone both monotonous and cheerful.

"I am the person you trust the most."

“Of course, Vaughn Weasley is the person I trust the most.”

"I need to know some of your secrets, some secrets of the Graves family. Are you willing to tell me?"

"I……"

Donald looked up at Jack's struggling expression, but didn't react.

He didn't know why Vaughn Weasley didn't directly read Jack's memories, but he also knew that Jack's struggles were pointless.

Sure enough, he soon heard Jack's dull yet cheerful reply: "Of course, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know about the Purgers, those artificial wizards..."

The family is doomed...

Even the 12 purebloods are doomed...

Donald, who knew very well what his family and the 12 purebloods had done, thought with frustration, but just as the thought surfaced in his mind, he suddenly realized that when he heard the controlled Jack, like a fool, cheerfully saying that he would take Vaughn to see the secrets of the Graves family.

I wasn't actually feeling desperate; on the contrary, I felt a sense of relief.

“I tried, but Vaughn Weasley is stronger than me, I can’t stop him…”

Besides, it wasn't him who leaked the information, it was Jack!
The only thing that puzzled Donald was why Vaughn Weasley, who was so skilled in memory magic, didn't directly read Jack's memories, but instead controlled and manipulated him.

……

"...Of course, we are friends. You are the person I trust most. I have no secrets from you, and the Graves family should have even fewer secrets."

At the edge of the dream, dark clouds came and went, and Jack Graves's instinctive hostility and vigilance finally dissipated after several futile struggles.

Completely under Vaughn's control, Jack happily agreed to Vaughn's demands.

He hummed a cheerful tune as he led the way.

As he changed, the boundaries of the dream world also changed, and the surrounding scenery also changed constantly.

Vaughn breathed a slight sigh of relief. His first attempt at the Golden Soul Theory, entering the space between the conscious and subconscious mind to bewitch, brainwash, and control the target, had at least not gone wrong.

Compared to directly modifying memories and controlling at the thought level, this method of infiltrating the boundaries of dreams, utilizing the unique characteristics of those boundaries, and indirectly interfering with an individual's subconscious to gain their acceptance and trust is far more complicated.

But it's very safe!
"DeSantis..."

Recalling the memory magic master he had encountered in the memories of that wizard named Essex, Vaughn was not in a good mood.

That was the first time Vaughn understood why Dumbledore always used the Pensieve when reading and memorizing.

I guess he suffered some losses when he was young!
Upon reflection, Vaughn admitted that he had been somewhat careless.

Or rather, the peaceful environment that permeated the English wizarding world not only affected ordinary wizards, but even he, who once mocked people's ostrich mentality, was actually "spoiled" by that environment.

After Voldemort's defeat, the entire English wizarding world was practically shrouded in Dumbledore's shadow.

The sacred 28 clans, who once infiltrated pure-blooded European families, stirred up world events, and promoted the "Secrecy Law," now trembled with fear before him.

The Ministry of Magic, representing the ruling power, even has to consider his opinion when choosing who to appoint as minister, even if he has no intention of interfering.

It can only be said that Dumbledore's reputation was too strong; he defeated Gellert Grindelwald in the 40s and suppressed the Dark Lord in the 80s.

He saved the world twice (at least according to the English wizarding community), and is the most famous legendary wizard in the world.

Even if such a person has no ideas, his very existence can influence the behavior patterns of those around him and the country he lives in, according to his moral values.

At least in England, as long as Dumbledore lives, there will be no "DeSantis"—a character lurking in other people's memories, waiting to ambush them at any moment...

Thinking of this, Vaughn suddenly paused.

He then realized that his past behavior seemed rather arrogant, wantonly manipulating other people's memories. Although he had not publicly stated it, he had been violating the "Secrecy Law".

However, it's impossible to expect him to feel apologetic, or grateful to Dumbledore for not punishing him... such nonsense is even more impossible!
Who told Old Dumbledore to be so cunning, always trying to drag him into the vortex of Harry and Tom's fate!
While lost in thought, Jack Graves, who was completely bewitched by Vaughn, led Vaughn across the edge of the dream world to a strange place.

It seemed to be the outskirts of some Muggle city, where the surrounding environment changed from blurry to clear, and countless blocks of color flipped and turned into lawns and forests, stretching into the distance.

Vaughn heard a car horn coming from a distant direction.

Upon closer inspection, a dilapidated factory building came into view. The building, covered with vines and moss, had been abandoned for who knows how long, and there were ruins and broken walls everywhere.

Only one road appeared to have undergone some routine maintenance, without cracks or the desolate feeling of weeds stubbornly sprouting out.

Vaughn stood on that road, which led directly into the factory.

Beside him was Jack Graves, who, after bringing him there, stared blankly at the dilapidated factory, seemingly lost in thought.

Simple manipulation is indeed unstable.

Vaughn sighed softly, his gentle voice ringing in Jack's ear again as he whispered, "Is this the place where the Graves family researches artificial wizards with Muggles?"

A barely audible echo, like ripples, reverberated over the island.

Jack Graves's bewildered expression faded, and he became enthusiastic again: "Yes, my dear friend, although it may seem insignificant, it's just a disguise put on by those clever Muggles... well, sometimes it does work..."

"The real testing site is underground. Starting in the 60s, the Muggles used a lot of manpower and resources to create a huge permanent facility beneath this land..."

The 60s?

Vaughn keenly grasped the information in Jack's words.

Based on his understanding of the history of the North American magical world, the current situation of the Federation can be traced back to the Rappaport Act 200 years ago.

However, what truly led to the current de facto division within the federation was the avant-garde movement in the North American wizarding community in 1965, which prompted the repeal of the Rappaport Act.

Interestingly, this period also coincides with a rise in human rights awareness and avant-garde movements among North American Muggles.

Because of the information gap between the wizarding world and Muggle society, even decades later, it is still unclear whether magic influenced Muggles to promote the avant-garde movement, or whether the Muggle movement awakened the consciousness of some wizards in the wizarding world, leading them to join the movement.

Only when looking back at history and seeing the ultimate fates of the Muggles and those pioneering wizards will people sigh and say that their failures were strikingly similar!
In Muggle society, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and the Black Panther Party died, fled, and scattered.

In the wizarding world, several prominent pioneers mysteriously disappeared within two years of 1965, and the Rappaport Act was revived in 1968. The Muggle people's struggle for human rights did not actually eliminate segregation. Superficially, the pioneers' efforts did seem to have some effect, but the effect was that discrimination was moved underground and became more difficult to detect.

The outcome fought for by the pioneering wizards in the magical world was even more stark—the Magical Congress, which dragged the Rappaport Act back from its grave, became even more ruthless in its discrimination and oppression of Muggles and half-blood wizards.

The twelve purebloods didn't even want to pretend. To be precise, they wanted to use the inhumane Rappaport Act to drive wizards from the "dirty Muggle society" mad and push them to the opposite side of everyone.

However, what Vaughn was more concerned about was—

"Muggles have been collaborating with 12 purebreds since the 60s?"

As Jack asked the question, he had already led Vaughn into the factory building. Several beams of light, reflecting the Tyndall effect, shone down from the broken ceiling.

But it brought no warmth whatsoever.

It's unclear whether this scene is a reconstruction of reality extracted from Jack's memories, or a reprocessing incorporating his own feelings, or simply the boundary of Jack's dream.

At least for Jack Graves, who had seen it with his own eyes, even with the sunlight filtering through, what he saw and felt was still dampness, coldness, and a bone-chilling cold.

An enclosed elevator stood in a dark corner.

Jack led Vaughn over: "Yes, my dear friend, you should know that the pioneering movement that swept across the entire Commonwealth in the 60s was the first time that Muggles and wizards came together under the same goal and ideology. So, without exception, the Muggle government learned of the existence of wizards."

"That was the most serious magical exposure incident since the Second Salem. According to the Secrecy Act and the Rappaport Act, the Magical Congress, led by the 12 pure-bloods, should immediately wipe the memories of all Muggles who knew about it and erase all traces of magic..."

“But they didn’t do that,” Vaughn said.

“Yes.” Jack shrugged. “And I need to correct you on one point. It wasn’t the Muggles who came to the Twelve Purebloods for cooperation; it was the Twelve Purebloods, led by Graves, who actively funded the Muggles!”

Looking back at the era, the 60s was a magical time, marked by decolonization, avant-garde thought, the human rights revolution, the Third Industrial Revolution, and breakthroughs in biotechnology.

Aside from magic, the historical development of this world is not much different from Vaughn's previous life.

The major events that happened in his previous life are also occurring in this world. He doesn't know what factors have led to such a striking similarity.

That doesn't matter either.

Importantly, their emergence affects not only Muggle society, but also the wizarding world.

At least that's the case in the United States!
"...Initially, it was just a few wizards who went missing, including several young wizards from Muggle families. The person in charge of investigating the situation was Michael's father, the head of the Graves family, my and Donald's cousin, who was a very capable man."

"He followed the clues leading to the wizards' disappearance all the way here..."

The elevator's descent was surreal and dreamlike.

Many shadowy, misty illusions rose and fell around Jack and Vaughn, while screams and wails faintly echoed, seemingly from another world.

That was indeed an illusion.

It is the imagination that Jack Graves' brain processed, and then chaotically manifested within the boundaries of his dreams.

"...He found the missing wizards, but they had been tortured by the Muggles to the point of being unrecognizable to him...However, he was a competent Graves; instead of dealing with the Muggles in the building according to the Secrecy Act and the Rappaport Act, he hid in the shadows and spent over two months recording all the experiments he witnessed, as well as the conversations between the Muggle scientists, before bringing them back to Woolworth..."

Jack's expression became dazed again.

He paused, then suddenly asked Vaughn, "Do you know why he did that?"

Vaughn remained calm: "I don't know, I'm waiting for your answer."

“Ha, of course I’ll explain it to you, you’re my best friend.” Jack beamed. “I’m just not sure if you’ll understand, cloning technology, gene editing—you know what I mean?”

Vaughn smiled: "...I know a little bit..."

In Vaughn's previous life, biotechnology had developed very rapidly, and for him, cloning, a term that was also defined in the 60s, was already a common concept.

From the first cloned sheep that ignited global public opinion in the late 90s to the fact that, 10 years later, news about cloned animals has received almost no attention.

When something new emerges, people always try their best to squeeze out its potential, and then quickly move on to other fields to chase the new hot topics.

Of course, this doesn't mean Vaughn wasn't interested in what Jack Graves had to say.

He had always been curious about how the 12 purebloods and the Muggle scientists from America managed to create artificial wizards.

How did they solve the problem of magic?
How can we address the issue of a wizard's talent residing in the soul rather than the body?
When Vaughn talked to Arkinbad about artificial wizards before, he guessed that their magic was more like "spell-like magic". He believed that those artificial wizards should be called humanoid magical creatures rather than wizards, pathetic products of genetic engineering!
Now, Jack's words have clearly confirmed his suspicions.

“You understand... The genetics of Muggles deeply attracted my uncle. Like I said, he is a very capable and powerful person. He keenly sensed what the Muggles wanted to do, so after returning to Woolworth, he persuaded the pure-blood families to support the Muggles in this building.”

"Even now, his vision from back then still sounds incredibly exciting—to be able to mass-produce wizards and bring the Federation completely under the rule of the 12 purebloods, how wonderful that would be, it was the wish of the 12 purebloods for many years."

Jack opened his arms.

But Vaughn noticed that his expression was full of mockery.

It seems he does not agree with the vision of 12 purebloods.

Considering his status as a traitor, such an expression is not entirely incomprehensible.

Vaughn showed little interest in his feud with Graves and steered the conversation back on track: "You mentioned cloning and gene editing. Could you elaborate? Those artificial wizards, the reason they can cast spells is because you've genetically modified them, editing the genes of magical creatures into human DNA?"

Jack looked at Vaughn with delight: "You really are my good friend, Vaughn Weasley. I haven't even explained it to you yet... Yes, I must say, those Muggles are a bunch of crazy devils. According to the family records I've read, they didn't understand where the wizard's magic power and magical talent lay in the first few years."

"They dissected many wizards—look, those samples are still preserved in the laboratory."

As Jack spoke, the elevator, which seemed to be running endlessly, suddenly stopped with a whistle.

The elevator doors opened, and a white mist flowed in, instantly filling the entire space with a biting cold and a strange smell.

But neither Jack Graves nor Vaughn paid any attention; their gazes were fixed on the outside of the carriage, on a vast expanse of space.

Rows of storage boxes filled every inch of the field of vision, stretching into the depths of darkness.

That's a freezer for storing corpses!
A rough estimate revealed an astonishing number, and even Vaughn, who was mentally prepared, instinctively felt his pupils contract.

After a moment of silence, Vaughn finally spoke: "You're right, they really are a bunch of crazy devils..."

"There are also 12 purebloods who, starting in 1963, supported those Muggle scientists for six years, providing them with funding and supplies, until old Michael, who was in charge of capturing wizards—oh, that's my cousin—stopped this part of the experiment in 1968 when he was delivering supplies for the last time. The Muggles spent six years verifying the Golden Soul Theory: wizards' magic and power come from the soul."

"This was certainly a failed attempt. However, purebloods are like Muggle capitalists. Sometimes they can be exceptionally impatient because of their greed, and other times they can be exceptionally patient because of their even greater greed."

"The Muggles can't find the souls, can't trace the source of the magic, and they're not disappointed. After all, most wizards can't either. But as old Michael said, magic isn't the sole domain of wizards... Hehehehehe—"

Jack suddenly burst into laughter.

The elevator car closed amidst his maniacal laughter, sank, and then opened again.

A new, vast space appeared, but instead of rows of cold, inaccessible metal cabinets, there were upright jars filled with a formaldehyde-like liquid, in which strangely shaped human figures floated.

"How ironic! The purebloods who pursue purity and the return of magic to purebloods, yet because of greed and madness, they set their sights on magical creatures. For this, they're even willing to admit that magical creatures also possess magic, hehe—"

Vaughn knew why Jack Graves had let out that eerie laugh.

After all, "pure magic" is a concept that purebloods have always packaged and promoted as a prevailing idea within pureblood families.

So-called pure magic has nothing to do with magic itself, but rather, like the Muggle concept of blue-blooded nobility, it refers to one's birth or lineage.

A journey through lineage and identity!
It must be mentioned here that wizards did not exist in the world from the beginning. Muggle historical records are difficult to preserve for various reasons, but wizards are different.

According to current research on the history of magic, it is generally believed worldwide that the origin of magic can be traced back to its flourishing development in Europe, which in turn originated in West Asia, and West Asia's magic originated in Central Asia (original viewpoint)!

What next?

The tracing of time has reached such a level that even magic is useless. Is there an ultimate source? And where is that source? Some lean towards Bhutan, while others lean towards more distant East Asia.

Of course, some people place the origin in Central Asia!
After all, the first shamans in recorded history came from Central Asia.

They are known as the "first wizards," "the oldest wisdom," and "the spreaders of magic." Before the development of the Golden Soul theory, it was widely believed in the magical world that all wizards in the world originated from them.

Especially pure-blood wizards.

They consider themselves descendants of the "First Ones," their bloodline originating from the noble land of magical origin—even though no wizard has ever found that place.

This explains why, in the magical world, among families that have been wizards for generations, some are pure-blooded while others are just ordinary wizarding families.

Even though the theory of the Golden Soul emerged out of nowhere, completely destroying the foundation of "bloodline theory": magic and talent do not exist in a person's body and bloodline, but in the soul.

But the ancient ideas have already been formed!
For years, purebloods have reinforced this concept, claiming themselves to be descendants of the First Ones, the original and most sacred bloodline. They assert that all magic, except for their own, is a gift from their ancestors, especially that of those who—

"...Those filthy, blasphemous magical creatures, the purebloods never acknowledge that they use magic. They are hostile to phoenixes, despise dragons, scorn giants, and loathe fairies... They say, remember, only what flows in your veins is pure, only what is unique, and your whole life should be dedicated to its glory!"

Looking at the countless rows of transparent jars in the space ahead, Jack muttered to himself, a mixture of laughter and tears: "In the end, the very beliefs they preached that we should remember and follow have been destroyed by themselves."

"Purity, purity, glory, honor—these are all just pretenses on the part of those who prey on others. It's just pitiful that we lowly creatures are blinded by their grand pronouncements, shedding our blood for a slogan that can be easily overturned... We are hopelessly stupid, hahahahaha—"

Is this one of the reasons for his betrayal?
Looking at Jack Graves, who was gradually going mad beside him, Vaughn wondered curiously.

Of course, his main focus was on the transparent jars and the creatures inside them that floated slowly in the liquid, looking like humans but with organs that were not human.

Vaughn slowly stepped out of the elevator.

Because of the illogical nature of dreams, the moment he stepped out of the elevator, he found himself in front of a jar. Looking up, he saw a creature inside the enormous jar that had the size and appearance of a human, with a pair of membranous wings on its back!
"genetically modified……"

"Yes, genetically modified organisms, the amazing science of Muggle, this experimental subject was transplanted with dragon genes."

Jack's voice came from behind me.

This guy, who had been laughing maniacally just seconds before, seemed to have suddenly regained his senses. Vaughn turned around and saw him explaining naturally:
"In this Muggle facility, fire dragons are one of the most popular experimental subjects; the Muggles have a particular fondness for these powerful and fierce creatures."

"And unicorns—"

As they spoke, the jar in front of them slid away automatically, and another huge jar flew over and landed in front of them.

A woman with an exceptionally graceful figure was soaking inside; her skin was as white as jade, and her lines were delicate and alluring.

However, the thick hair covering her limbs and back, along with her elongated face, disrupted that serene beauty.

The most striking feature was her forehead, with a huge, lump-like protrusion extending from between her eyebrows.

All that remains in people's eyes is the bizarre!

"Clearly, my dear friend, she is also a failure!"

Jack's voice turned shrill: "The Muggles love these powerful expressive creatures, and the family loves them even more. If we could mass-produce a bunch of humanoid fire dragons and humanoid unicorns... hehe, just thinking about it makes those old guys so excited they can't sleep!"

"But they all failed!"

Jack's voice suddenly rose to a high pitch, sharp as if fingernails were scraping against glass.

As he shouted excitedly, one jar after another fell in front of Vaughn, only to disappear one by one.

(End of this chapter)