Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 202 Who can withstand Dumbledore's wrath?

The two, whose argument had escalated from verbal sparring to personal attacks, barely managed to control their tempers and returned to their seats with long faces.

Josiah Parker stopped paying attention to them and instead scanned the various committee members and representatives: "This protracted entanglement has already wasted too much time. I understand your desire for the WAC..."

There was some commotion below, and everyone looked at the Speaker, probably not expecting him to speak so bluntly.

However, it was a small meeting after all, and those present were all politicians representing their respective families and groups. They might not be able to say anything else, but they were certainly shameless.

No one felt the slightest bit embarrassed that the speaker had exposed their true colors.

The gazes of the crowd were filled with inquiry and scrutiny, as if they wanted to know what this nominal leader was trying to express.

Josiah Parker, who was in the center of attention, remained unfazed and continued:
"...WAC is indeed a very high-quality project. According to Congressional records from 10 years ago, the number of werewolves in the United States has exceeded 1. If South America, which is within the sphere of influence of the United States, is also included, the establishment of North American WAC will probably attract more than 5 werewolves to submit."

"Moreover, the Americas are different from England. England is a small country, close to Europe, and werewolves are extremely mobile. So the mainstream composition of werewolves there is mostly Muggles. In the Americas, however, the living environment for werewolves is much harsher. Without magical abilities, it is difficult for them to survive."

“The same research from 10 years ago, the archives kept by the Department of Mysteries show that more than 80% of the werewolves in America have the identity of wizards… 80% of 5, that’s indeed an enticing number, so I say, I understand your greed and eagerness.”

The committee members and representatives present remained calm and composed, neither agitated by the figures announced by the Speaker nor angered by his final statement.

The former is because they had already obtained relevant research, otherwise they wouldn't have been so desperate to seize power from Vaughn Weasley.

As for the latter... whether it's Yankees or Dixie, they never hide their desire for profit; these people have robber logic flowing in their veins.

Josiah Parker was pleased with their silence, and seeing that the groundwork had been laid, he finally began to address the issues he truly wanted to discuss:

"...But everyone, while you're eyeing the WAC's future potential, have you overlooked the fact that this potential currently belongs to Vaughn Weasley?"

"Have you considered that while you are arguing and fighting here, Vaughn Weasley, who has already arrived in Boston, is spreading the news of his arrival throughout the Americas through various media channels?"

“My friends, have you considered that for Vaughn Weasley, 5 werewolves are not just potential, but an immediate force that can exert influence? Every day you delay for the sake of benefits that are not yet in your hands, you are actually growing that influence.”

With that, Josiah Parker drew his wand.

A silent incantation was cast, and a thick mist gushed from the tip of the staff, like ink spreading underwater, drifting and hovering above the conference table.

When everyone looked over, the mist had already formed a series of images.

All the images are a map of south-central America, extending as far as Canada, with wolf head symbols scattered across the map, making it look like a wizard's game at first glance.

The message was not complicated; everyone present glanced at it and guessed that it was information about the distribution of werewolves held by Congress.

Sure enough, Josiah Parker said, "The place marked with the wolf's head is where werewolf attacks were reported by agents from various security departments during the full moon last August. So, although the Magic Congress has not investigated the distribution of werewolves for 10 years, this report shows that as Muggle society has developed, werewolves have been moving to old, marginal, and impoverished areas."

On the map formed by the fog, the distribution of those flashing wolf head markers was indeed as he said: the closer to the coastal blue zones such as Boston and New York, the fewer related cases there were.

Conversely, the farther away from blue states, especially within Canada, the more frequently wolf head sightings occur.

After a few glances, the crowd turned their attention back to Josiah Parker, wondering what tricks the Speaker was up to.

Ignoring the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Josiah Parker twirled his wand after everyone had finished looking at it, and the map changed accordingly.

The center of the map shifted to Boston, and on the edge, the wolf heads that were flashing just a second ago went out one by one, and then they reappeared.

From remote, peripheral areas, step by step, they "leaped" to Maine, to Michigan, Ohio, to Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania!

Like a tightening encirclement, they gradually approached New York State and Massachusetts!

Perhaps it was the wolf's head on the map that was moving so aggressively that the committee members and representatives around them had a feeling that their hearts were racing and they were having trouble breathing.

Josiah Parker, who had created this atmosphere, grew increasingly serious: "I think everyone here has already understood. Yes, this is the geographical trend of werewolf wizard attacks since August of this year... This is what I wanted to show you."

“Dear committee members and delegates, Vaughn Weasley is not a puppet to be commanded by you. He will not be manipulated by you. From the moment he arrived in America, he has been trying to take the initiative.”

"On the one hand, he allies himself with the Federation, using it to protect and promote himself. Please note this trend..."

The fog map changes.

"...This was the day after the news of Vaughn Weasley's arrival in North America was released. In Maine, where there hadn't been any werewolf attacks for a long time, a werewolf wizard attacked an Auror. This was also the first time we noticed the trend of werewolves converging on Boston. The missing Commissioner Michael Graves reported this to me immediately!"

As he spoke, everyone's gaze instinctively turned to the Graves family's seats, which were naturally empty, so they looked at Donald.

Donald lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Josiah Parker was right. Michael may have all sorts of flaws, but he still had the sensitivity of an Auror.

The Department of Magical Safety first became aware of werewolves gathering in Boston because of this case.

Donald was still in charge of handling the case.

But why did Speaker Parker bring this up?

Donald's eyes were filled with gloom. He understood what Josiah Parker wanted to do, but why did the other party want to do it?
What does the fate of WAC have to do with him, a mere speaker?
Thinking about it, he raised his head and looked at the speaker, who was still speaking eloquently:
"...Michael foresaw Vaughn Weasley's ambition, so more than half a month ago, he ordered the Auror forces to intercept the arriving werewolves. However, please note the markings on the map based on the information gathered afterward. The Auror squad's interception operation suffered a huge blow."

"An unknown force has been aware of the Department of Magical Security's actions and launched a planned counterattack. Judging from the scene, it was werewolf wizards who carried out the attack... And here, a few days ago, before Michael disappeared, he ordered Donald to lead the Aurors to Boston. As we all know, Jack Graves betrayed them, and only a few dozen of the eight squads of Aurors survived. Michael and other commissioners disappeared... At the same time, did you notice? The werewolves, who were originally advancing towards Boston, suddenly disappeared from that day onwards."

As he descended, the people surrounding the conference table were somewhat taken aback.

They understood Josiah Parker's subtext.

Marianne Rappaport was the first to speak, expressing her doubt: "You mean, Vaughn Weasley already knew about what happened in Boston?"

Josiah Parker's gaze was deep: "I didn't say that."

"But--"

He raised his hand, interrupting Marian: "I mean, is it possible that Vaughn Weasley has been in cahoots with this so-called DeSantis all along?"

After he finished speaking, the entire small conference room fell silent.

Ignoring the silence of the crowd, Josiah Parker analyzed, "I believe Vaughn Weasley knows better than any of you how much potential WAC has. He is absolutely not going to relinquish control, so since coming to America, he has been trying to increase his stake."

"The purpose of allying with the International Federation is the same as the purpose of integrating the English wizarding families such as Baird and McLean. Even a few days ago, he mobilized all his forces to form an alliance with the Federation, which was for the same purpose."

"But we, including Vaughn Weasley himself, know that even after doing so much, his strength is still at a disadvantage compared to the Magical Congress... Then, the strangest thing happened: why did the Department of Magical Security, which should have been in control in the incident a few days ago, suffer such heavy losses?"

"Why is it that Vaughn Weasley, who is at a complete disadvantage, has not suffered any losses?"

He looked at the astonished, shocked, and confused committee members and representatives, his expression calm and solemn: "Why does Vaughn Weasley, who is at a disadvantage, always make more correct decisions than the Magical Congress? Why is it that when Jack Graves betrayed us, the Auror Squad suffered heavy losses, and was almost wiped out, he was able to lead the Allied Forces to intervene in time?"

As he spoke, he gazed intently at the crowd:

“My friends, do you believe these are coincidences? Or is it that Vaughn Weasley, a 12-year-old wizard, is more intelligent, tactically and strategically astute than any of you here, or that he has a great prophet by his side who can accurately foresee events and help him avoid all misfortunes?”

"Or perhaps—he might have been in cahoots with some guy named DeSantis all along, and all of the above was just a play they put on?"

No one could answer those questions.

I hadn't noticed it before, but now that Josiah Parker has compiled and organized it, looking back... yeah, why?
Especially the representatives of the Fisher family, who knew the inside story: the reason Donald led eight Auror squads to Boston was to retrieve the evidence carried by that Muggle candidate and kill him to cover it up!
Unexpectedly, his attempt to silence her failed, and he himself suffered a severe blow.

Vaughn Weasley, who was originally their target, was not weakened by this battle; on the contrary, he gained the upper hand in public opinion afterward.

The family representatives looked at each other in bewilderment.

On the other hand, the Pureblood Alliance, though not knowing much about the inside story, had vaguely grasped the whole plot of the incident and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Only Donald quietly clenched his fist.

He was someone who had actually come into contact with Vaughn, and even the existence of DeSantis was only revealed after Vaughn invaded Jack Graves's mental world.

He was there at the time!

He knew that the so-called collusion and conspiracy simply did not exist!
Vaughn Weasley may have indeed sensed something, and he is indeed suspected of standing by and watching the Aurors be betrayed.

But he wasn't the mastermind. Even if Donald hated him, he hated Jack Graves, who was misled, and DeSantis, who was manipulating things behind the scenes.

Instead of Vaughn Weasley, who was willing to come to their rescue in a time of crisis!

But he also understands that he cannot express these views. He has no evidence, and he doesn't even have a stance. The only stance he and the Graves family have now is to follow the other "allies"!
The fingernail dug deep into the flesh.

Donald, who had bowed his head, heard Josiah Parker's deep voice ring out again: "Colleagues, as Speaker, perhaps I have been perfunctory and lacked a firm stance on some issues in the past, but today I must stand up and ask you to put aside your prejudices for the time being."

"This is the first time I've spoken from a definite standpoint since I entered politics, but I'm not leaning towards the Pureblood Alliance, nor the 12 Pureblood Families, nor Iphamoni... My stance is solely that of America and the Magic Congress!"

“My dear friends, I implore you to set aside your prejudices, which are not blinded by self-interest but by arrogance. I urge you to value Vaughn Weasley and stop focusing only on the present while letting him continue to develop.”

“I know that some of you here cannot give up your support for Vaughn Weasley for various reasons, while others support suppressing Vaughn Weasley but dare not actually take action.”

Josiah Parker, the old wizard from a small family, said earnestly:
"So here's a suggestion that might be acceptable to both sides—"

“We won’t touch Vaughn Weasley, but we’ll clip his wings… for example, by eliminating the werewolves that have gathered because of him, so that this respectable potions genius can return to the situation he rightfully deserves in North America!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the wolf heads that were flashing around Boston on the map created by the Mist Curse lit up with a red light.

Severe and bloody!
A variety of emotions filled the gazes that focused on Josiah Parker the moment the suggestion was made.

Josiah Paka looked at each of the people who were coming.

Donald was among them.

He felt a chill in his heart; he still couldn't understand why Speaker Josiah Parker had made such a proposal.

But he knew that the proposal was likely to be approved.

The reasons for the proposal have been clearly stated, and even "ample" excuses have been given, arguing that Vaughn's series of actions threatened national security.

These excuses are for the Pureblood Alliance, and also for the Ifamoni Gang.

The Pureblood Alliance may seem to support Vaughn, but that's just their rhetoric to justify their rivalry with the 12 Purebloods; they have no real commitment to him.

As for the Ivermoni gang... this is a meeting of the entire council, and the Stewart family, who are truly on Vaughn's side, are not qualified to attend.

“Josiah Parker… I never imagined the problem would ultimately stem from him. All those previous speculations were actually a convenient excuse…”

Sure enough, after a period of silence, Donald saw Marian nod slightly on behalf of the Pureblood Alliance: "We agree."

Donald sighed inwardly.

As expected!

Across from her, the nine families of the twelve pure-bloods who had always opposed Vaughn Weasley, led by the Rhodes and Greensteen, nodded slightly.

“We agree. In fact, we certainly don’t want to hurt Mr. Weasley. After all, few of you here can withstand Albus Dumbledore’s wrath.”

Abernathy, who was speaking, made a joke, but no one laughed.

Because everyone knows that if Weasley were actually hurt, Abernathy's joke could very well become a reality...

This is also why the 12 purebloods have never dared to truly target Vaughn.

Beside Abernathy, Donald lowered his head in frustration. He was merely a representative of the Graves family, only allowed to listen and not to speak.

He was the only one in the entire conference room who did not turn his attention to the three committee members, Porter, Weiss, and Fontana, like the others.

But he could imagine that the pressure was now on the Ifamoni gang.

However, Josiah Parker's reasoning did indeed hold the upper hand.

Donald doesn't think those three families can continue to oppose it!

The almost suffocating silence lasted for an unknown amount of time before Donald finally heard a sigh from Commissioner Porter not far away:
“You have no evidence that Mr. Vaughn Weasley colluded with DeSantis.”

His response was a resounding and forceful reply from Josiah Parker:

"This kind of thing doesn't need evidence. We have the reason and the right to nip any behavior that could harm America in the bud!"

"..."

There was another moment of silence.

What finally came was a whisper that disappointed Donald.

“Alright…we agree, but we need your assurance that this resolution will not involve Mr. Vaughn Weasley and his delegation.”

"Of course, dear Abraham IV, as Abernathy said, none of us can withstand the wrath of Albus Dumbledore!"

Josiah Parker, satisfied with the result, playfully repeated Abernathy's joke.

This time, everyone laughed!

But no one knows what their smiles truly mean...

……

Essex was awakened by the howling of wolves.

When he woke up, he thought a long time had passed, long enough that he had fully experienced Vaughn's meeting with DeSantis on the edge of Jack Graves' dream a few days earlier.

He was pulled into the memory, and with Vaughn's company, he saw the "Vaughn Weasley" and DeSantis strolling in the courtyard frozen in the twilight.

Hearing DeSantis talk about "his" ideals and ambitions, as well as his evaluation of Vaughn, he tries to win him over.

He didn't know how he felt or what kind of expression he should make.

As he awoke from his memories, leaving the basin-like vessel that Vaughn had used to hold them, he simply said, bewildered:
“I always thought that courtyard at dusk was my memory… my most precious place. I clearly remember growing up there. It holds my childhood, my most authentic self. So when he told me to put the secret there, I immediately agreed…”

However, in Vaughn's memory, he saw another "DeSantis" casually denying what he had always believed to be the truth.

The courtyard at dusk was just a lie told casually by "De Santis," who was parasitizing him.

The courtyard has always belonged to De Santis.

Of course, in some ways this is just a minor matter, when he agreed to let the real DeSantis set up a self-destruct defense in his own mental world and parasitize the mental life form.

He had already disregarded life and death.

What else could someone who isn't afraid of life and death have to worry about?

some!

Yes, he lied to you!

Essex turned his head and saw Vaughn sitting down across the table next to him, and a teapot that made a whistling sound flew over to refill their tea.

Vaughn took a sip of hot black tea: "Deception means he never trusted you, because he knew very well that he was never someone who shared your ideals. One day, you will realize his true colors and that he was just using your ideals."

Essex, her face expressionless, instinctively retaliated:

"Do you think you're one of my kind? Don't think I don't know what you're planning. You're destroying his image in my eyes just to use me and find out his true identity."

Vaughn smiled and readily admitted, "Yes, but I'm not like him. I didn't lie to you."

"Hmph!" Essex scoffed. "In my opinion, you're all pretty much the same. Those two who brought me here, Kingsley and Umbridge? Sending them on a mission like this probably wasn't safe, was it? I didn't hear you warn them?"

“That’s because they understand the current situation and don’t need me to say anything.” Vaughn remained calm. “Besides, that letter itself had magic on it. I sent them to deliver the letter to save people, not to send them to their deaths.”

"Save who?"

“Some werewolves, who saw in the newspapers that I had arrived in America, came all the way from other places. I can’t just watch them perish.”

"Who wants to destroy them?"

"It's uncertain. It could be DeSantis, or it could be the Magic Congress. In any case, those who are hostile to me may not dare to touch me, but they will definitely dare to target the werewolves. I used those werewolves and used them as my wings, so I must at least ensure that they are not slaughtered without knowing it."

The lack of information meant that Essex couldn't quite grasp the full meaning of Vaughn's words.

(End of this chapter)