Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 198: Shifting the blame to Vaughn?
Then he took out his wand, silently chanted a spell, added a few ice cubes to the two glasses of wine, and stirred them a few times out of thin air.

The clinking sound of ice cubes hitting the glass, mixed with the slowly releasing coolness, soothed Jacob's mood somewhat.

Jacob sat down opposite Donald with his wine glass in hand, and as he handed him the drink, he said, "At first, Liam only noticed that Joaquin had a good impression of Vaughn Weasley when he was chatting with him. The specific conversation is in the documents. At the time, he didn't suspect anything until Joaquin said that there were quite a few people who thought the same way as him, which aroused Liam's vigilance."

"After further investigation, he discovered that at least 16 of the 40 Aurors currently in the hotel had expressed a desire to join Vaughn Weasley when discussing him."

“Liam thought this phenomenon was very abnormal, and coupled with the fact that ‘DeSantis’ was parasitizing Jack Graves’ mental world, he was very afraid that similar disasters would continue to happen to the Aurors… After all, Vaughn Weasley was also a master of memory magic.”

Hearing his brother say this, Donald, who had already finished reviewing the documents, looked up:

“These are just Liam’s suspicions; he has no evidence.”

"So he submitted a report, hoping we could mobilize resources to investigate."

Jacob looked slightly excited.

If Vaughn Weasley were to actually target the Aurors and try to brainwash them like DeSantis did, it would be an absolute scandal.

Noticing his expression, Donald remained calm: "You want to launch an investigation?"

“Of course, if this is true, it will at least be to our advantage,” Jacob said without hesitation. “Michael’s disappearance and Jack’s betrayal have greatly weakened the family’s power. Everyone in Congress is watching us and you. If this happens, I dare not say much, but at least it can divert Congress’s attention.”

Donald remained noncommittal: "What if Vaughn Weasley hadn't brainwashed him?"

Jacob paused, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

But as the person who knew him best, Donald already understood his intentions: "Are you planning to falsify the investigation results, even if it means framing Vaughn Weasley, to get me out of trouble and buy time for the family?"

Jacob remained silent.

Donald sighed.

He had always known that his younger brother was actually a very smart person. Before the last trip to Boston, Jacob had vaguely sensed that there was a problem with Michael's arrangements, but due to the information gap, he did not take the correct action.

Subsequent events proved that if he hadn't followed Jacob's advice and acted cautiously, avoiding immediate conflict with Lupin, Kingsley, and others, the losses caused by Jack's betrayal would likely have been even greater.

However, his intelligent younger brother was limited in his starting point and his horizons because of his background.

His life and wisdom always revolved around his family.

With another sigh, Donald put away the documents and said, "I will consider this matter."

Seemingly finally realizing that his brother wasn't interested in his suggestion, Jacob looked somewhat surprised and hesitant: "Donald..."

"You should go back first. I want to be quiet for a while. I've been very tired lately."

Seeing his brother's exhausted expression, Jacob moved his lips a few times, but didn't try to persuade him any further. He knew the pressure Donald was facing recently.

Although the current parliament is currently embroiled in a power struggle due to the disappearance of Michael and others, no one is in the mood to "settle accounts" with Donald Graves.

But that doesn't mean those high-ranking legislators will let him off the hook.

The interrogation has been going on for several days, with the Pureblood League trying to force Donald to confess that he led the team to Boston at Michael's behest in an attempt to destroy evidence of the Graves family's collusion with Muggles.

Meanwhile, Fisher and the other 12 pure-blood families were also overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. They subtly tried to bribe or threaten Donald into "temporarily" taking the blame, in order to appease and lull the opposition in Parliament and buy time for them to regain control of the House Committee.

All the pressure fell on Donald alone.

This is one of the reasons why Jacob wanted to frame Vaughn after receiving Liam's report.

However, it seems that Donald is not interested. Jacob did not understand why until he left, and of course he would not know. After he left, Donald sat alone in his office in silence for a long time before lighting the fireplace.

Blue magical flames rose, instantly traversing hundreds of miles to connect with Boston.

The flames leaped and quickly formed the outline of a boy.

Upon seeing the boy's silhouette, Donald bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Weasley..."

……

Vaughn was never one to enjoy waiting passively.

Some time ago, because he had no foothold in North America, he had to be on the defensive against the aggressive 12 purebloods, which was already annoying enough for him.

Although he didn't know why the Potter, Stewart, and other families hadn't contacted him, Vaughn didn't place all his hopes on them.

Instead of resting after getting rid of Akinbad, who was reluctant to leave and kept pestering him until late at night, Vaughn picked up a book and sat down in front of the fireplace to read slowly.

The magical flames, devoid of temperature, were a deep blue, swaying in the breeze, casting his shadow.

At one point, it suddenly swelled up, and when Vaughn looked up, a human-shaped silhouette was already standing in the fireplace, bowing to him:

“Mr. Weasley”.

Vaughn nodded. "Good evening, dear Donald... Is this a safe way to talk?"

"Rest assured, the Woolworth Building was built with the participation of 12 purebloods, and many hidden passages were reserved back then. The Department of Magic Security is also Graves' traditional sphere of influence, making it difficult for the Pureblood Alliance and other families among the 12 purebloods to monitor this place."

"That's good."

After offering a casual word of concern, Vaughn fell silent and simply looked at Donald.

Donald seemed hesitant, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "An Auror suspected that other Aurors had been brainwashed by you and submitted a report to me."

Vaughn smiled and said, “He probably doesn’t know why he and the other Aurors are here. It’s because their leader, Mr. Donald Graves, was worried that they would get caught up in the storm, so he sent them to me to get away from the turmoil.”

"..."

Vaughn was unfazed by his silence: "You're a good man, a kind leader, but Donald, kindness alone can't save anyone. I believe that report should have mentioned the disagreement between me and Akinbad."

"Yes."

Donald's blue silhouette nodded slightly: "He believes someone else is trying to win you over..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "Which family? Potter? Weiss?"

Vaughn shook his head: "It's the Pureblood League!"

Donald was taken aback for a moment, but his expression didn't change much, and he didn't seem too surprised: "Anyone with eyes can see WAC's potential, so this result isn't too unexpected. I just didn't expect that those little characters who had almost no presence in the council in the past would actually have such courage."

“They’re bolder than you think,” Vaughn laughed. “They’re not just eyeing WAC, but also my skills in spatial magic. They hope to use my abilities to investigate that Portkey.”

Upon hearing "door key," the flames flickered a few times, and the humanoid outline became somewhat distorted.

Although things quickly calmed down, it's not hard to imagine the shock and anger Donald Graves felt on the other end of the call.

Donald wasn't stupid; even if Vaughn hadn't said it explicitly, he could sense it... the Pureblood Alliance wanted Vaughn's abilities in spatial magic and wanted to investigate the Portkey.

While Vaughn's abilities certainly played a role, the more important factor was... Vaughn's relationship with Akinbad and the Federation!

He quickly understood: "...they want to expose the artificial wizard laboratory to the Federation!"

Vaughn's expression showed some appreciation for Donald's keen awareness: "That's right, you know, the Federation's main goal in coming to North America this time is this, and that's also why Akinbad and I had our argument. Akinbad wants me to agree to their terms."

Donald did not ask Vaughn if he had agreed.

If he agreed, there would be no argument, and Vaughn would not accept a private call with him at this point.

His mind was still reeling from the shock: "Those idiots... what are they thinking? The Federation has been coveting the Federation for over a hundred years, and even when the 12 purebloods were most united, they never let their guard down against this vicious tiger. Who do they think they are?"

Vaughn shrugged. "I was shocked when I first realized it, but then I thought about it, and that's how it is when people are blinded by greed. Don't even mention them, dear Michael, didn't he also think he could control those Muggles and their technology? And then, he disappeared."

"..."

Donald had nothing to say.

In fact, even he was the same. Before Jack Graves' betrayal and Michael's disappearance, he never thought that those Muggles, and the "Purgers" they created, would have problems.

Although the mastermind behind it all is actually the legendary wizard "De Santis," it is undeniable that their subconscious underestimation of the Muggles led to their failure to detect "De Santis's" existence in time.

Vaughn's truth was somewhat unpleasant, but it helped Donald recover from his shock and anger. He calmed himself and asked:
"what's your plan?"

Vaughn gently stroked the smooth pages of the book in his hand and smiled: "It depends on what you're willing to choose. Of course, I don't like the Pureblood Alliance's attitude, and if possible, I don't want to pay any attention to their so-called friendship."

"But the premise is that there is another guarantee that can compensate for the losses I suffer after I reject them, and you know what I want."

Donald certainly knew what Vaughn wanted!
He wanted to transplant the WAC model from England to America.

He wanted a more powerful WAC, one that was also under his control! Of course, the so-called model transfer was not a complete copy. Vaughn was able to establish the WAC in England partly because of Dumbledore's support, and partly because Vaughn himself was a member of the Wizengamots.

He took advantage of England's unique system and Wissengarmot's privileged position.

This model obviously cannot be directly applied to the North American magical community. If the WAC wants to establish itself here, it is inevitable that it will have to unite with American forces and organizations.

At the same time, Vaughn could not give up control of the North American WAC, so the local forces he wanted to unite with could not be too powerful.

Donald, who had sent his Aurors over a few days ago at the request of Congress, had already carefully considered these matters.

It's just that I haven't made up my mind completely yet!

Even now, he hasn't really made up his mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Donald spoke again: "It's difficult to realize your idea. You need local forces to help you establish a foothold, but you don't want them to be too powerful... It's too idealistic."

He knew very well what Vaughn saw in him.

It's simply that he has almost no way out at the moment!

Theoretically speaking, with Michael's disappearance and Jack Graves' betrayal, the Graves family should be the primary beneficiary of the loss, and the Graves family, and even the 12 purebloods, should bear the main responsibility.

But reality is not so much "theoretical". In reality, the Pureblood Alliance seized the opportunity to take power, putting great pressure on the 12 Purebloods. Before they could sort out their internal problems and take control of the entire academy committee, the Fisher family and others could only temporarily give in to the Pureblood Alliance.

There is an "art" to making concessions. If the concession is too small, the benefit is not enough; if the concession is too large, it may be difficult to get it back later.

So naturally, the Graves family, who suffered the most losses, became the scapegoat to appease the Pureblood Alliance—although it wasn't explicitly stated, Donald knew very well why the Fisher family and others had pressured him during the interrogation sessions of the past few days.

They want to hand over the Department of Magical Security to the Pureblood Alliance, that hungry jackal!
Graves, suffering from a significant loss of power, was unable to refuse, but that did not mean they resigned themselves to their fate. Donald knew that the family had agreed to cede some benefits, but they still wanted to retain the hereditary title of Minister of Magical Security.

So, the only thing left that can be "ceded" is his position as vice minister!

Everyone and every family had their own plans, but he was the only one who was sacrificed without anyone even asking for his opinion.

He's just a scapegoat!

This is also what Vaughn valued in him: a neglected pawn, a man with no way out, a gambler who, driven by circumstances, is most likely to do anything!

Only someone like him would be in Vaughn's best interest.

Donald felt a pang of pride, but reality left him speechless. He could only make self-deprecating remarks and say, "Expecting me to help you support the WAC is simply impossible. My power is very limited and I cannot contend with the Magic Congress... Even the entire Graves family cannot do this!"

The Graves family, however, clearly could not possibly side with Vaughn.

In fact, if he really joins Vaughn's team, the Graves family, who have been poached again, might go berserk and do everything in their power to kill WAC!

Donald believed he had made the pros and cons very clear.

Vaughn Weasley should be able to understand that his idea is unreliable.

But to his surprise, Vaughn didn't seem to care about the underlying issues. Although he didn't continue to persuade him, he didn't give up either, and instead asked, "What progress has the Magic Council made in its investigation into the existence of 'DeSantis'?"

Donald didn't understand why he asked this, but while he disagreed with Vaughn's plan, he also didn't want to antagonize him.

If he were truly faced with a desperate situation, he would not stand idly by and wait to die, nor would he take all the blame on himself.

If they have to flee, Vaughn, and even England, would be a good way out!
So he replied, "Congress takes the 'DeSantis' issue very seriously, but a master of memory magic is too well hidden. For now, we can only use the old, clumsy method: use the internal anti-theft waterfall to wash away the spell, and then reduce the operational authority of each department. Any action must be authorized by the entire council."

The Thief-Proof Waterfall, as its name suggests, is a bright blue waterfall. Any life that is washed over by it will have its spells and the concealment functions (including invisibility, ignoring, confusion, etc.) provided by alchemical items washed away.

In short, it can be considered to be "anti-magic" to some extent.

However, Vaughn is not optimistic about this response.

“A waterfall can’t guard against thieves, but it can’t guard against people’s hearts,” Vaughn said. “The information I gave you about ‘DeSantis’ should have mentioned that Jack Graves’ memories, emotions, and thoughts have been almost completely altered. In other words, he obeys ‘DeSantis’ from the bottom of his heart, and he agrees with DeSantis’s principles.”

"If Jack is not an isolated case, then those who are bewitched should be like him. This kind of spontaneous change and identification within themselves is completely useless against the anti-thief waterfall. The involvement of a memory mage is still necessary."

"……I know."

Donald was also helpless, "The problem is that the members of Congress no longer dare to trust any memory magician, and even the internal memory erasers are under suspicion... After all, no one knows how many people have been parasitized by 'DeSantis', let alone who he is. If it weren't for the situation, Congress might already be in a state of fear and suspicion."

Upon hearing this, Vaughn pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, what guesses does the Magic Congress, or you twelve purebloods, have about the disappearance of Michael Graves and the other six?"

Donald shook his head: "We don't know either why DeSantis kidnapped Michael and the others... To be honest, apart from knowing some secrets of their respective families and wielding some power, they weren't anything special. And since their disappearance was confirmed, various families, including Woolworth, have transferred and modified their secrets, keys, and so on."

Vaughn seemed to be deep in thought.

Noticing his expression, Donald couldn't help but ask, "Have you discovered something?"

He glanced at him and shook his head: "No, I just think it's unlikely that a legendary wizard would do anything meaningless. Maybe Michael and the others aren't as 'useless' as you think."

"..."

Although their time together was short, Donald instinctively felt that Vaughn Weasley was not someone who would speak without reason.

Since he asked, he must have discovered something.

Before he could ask any further questions, Vaughn abruptly switched back to the previous topic: "Anyway, the situation is complicated right now, dear Donald. You have to think about your own future, and the future of those Graves out there."

"Of course, I understand your concerns, and I really don't have a good way to resolve them for the time being. But what I want you to understand is that nothing is absolutely perfect or without any risks, and nothing can be made to not exist just by pretending it doesn't exist."

"In the Magical Congress, in the Graves family, you have no right to control your own destiny, and neither do the Graves outside. Jack Graves was a traitor, but he was also a catalyst. He made the Graves realize that their fate was not just confined within the confines, but that there was a wider world outside."

Donald remained silent after hearing Vaughn's words.

He knew Vaughn was right. To be precise, from the moment Jack betrayed him, he understood that certain seeds had already been sown in the hearts of the Graves and others who were present at the time.

This is also one of the reasons why he secretly colluded with Vaughn and sent all his men to Boston.

Yes, with Jack's betrayal and the Department of Magical Safety suffering heavy losses, the remaining Aurors are the only remaining force the family has openly.

Logically speaking, the family wouldn't target them...

but!

Familiar with the family’s style of doing things and understanding the ways of the 12 purebloods, Donald understands better than anyone else that reality has no logic at all!

After a moment of shifting emotions, Donald lowered his head slightly and said, "I...I'll think about it some more..."

The humanoid outline disintegrated, and the blue magical flames went out.

Donald disconnected the connection.

However, Vaughn was not frustrated or annoyed, because he knew that the other party's last sentence was different from his reply to Mr. Joker.

His reply to Joker that he would consider it was just an excuse, because he had other options.

But Donald didn't!

Perhaps it won't be long before the Minister of Magical Security fully realizes the situation and comes under his command.

"We really have to thank DeSantis..."

With a smile playing on his lips, Vaughn picked up the book he had barely turned a few pages of and went into the bedroom.

The bedroom light flickered softly, caused by interference from the magic field. The source was a small coffee table next to the bedroom's large bay window, on which sat an open suitcase.

A faint, muffled noise drifted out from the suitcase.

Vaughn walked slowly down the ladder into the space. It was also night inside the suitcase space, with a bright magical moon hanging high in the sky and the earth covered in white.

But unlike the empty space a while ago, the grassland that was once an experimental area is now densely packed with iron cages.

Each cage held a wizard.

Looking around, their faces, pale in the moonlight, were expressionless, but each of them was extremely agitated, frantically striking the iron cage.

That was the source of the cacophony; they struggled frantically and mechanically, like a group of crazed puppets.

The contrast between his expression and actions, set against the moonlight, made the suitcase appear sinister and eerie.

Seemingly noticing someone coming down, the sound of banging on the iron cages grew increasingly frantic. Amidst the commotion, a person emerged from between the rows of iron cages and jogged over.

It's Matthew.

(End of this chapter)