Chapter 123 Snape's Malice and Summer Plans
He was captured by the resurrected Voldemort and subjected to all sorts of humiliation and torture, making his life a living hell!
Ron trembled with fear.
Harry was helpless about his friend's fear, but there was nothing he could do. Who would have thought that Quirrell, whom everyone bullied, would be the Dark Lord?
He continued recounting the secrets he had overheard from Vaughn: "...Furthermore, we have indeed misunderstood Snape all along...Professor Snape..."
"You called that old bat professor?" Ron, who was terrified just a moment ago, was so surprised by the address that he immediately forgot his fear. "Did Vaughn cast an Imperius Curse on you?"
Harry rolled his eyes, looked up at the blue sky above the castle, and, recalling what Vaughn had said about Snape and Lily Evans, sighed, "Snape was a pitiful man, Ron..."
"Come on, you pity the viper, but the viper won't pity you. Maybe Snape has his reasons, maybe his story is tragic, but that doesn't stop him from hating you. Harry, I've seen through it all. He wishes you were dead!"
Harry neither agreed nor disagreed with Ron's words.
In Vaughn's story, he saw a devoted man who loved but could not be with her, yet could not let go; his words were filled with regret and pain.
Therefore, even though Vaughn said that Snape's hatred for Harry stemmed primarily from James Potter, this hatred could not be resolved.
But because Snape was deeply in love with Lily Evans.
Harry, who also loves his mother and longs for her childhood experiences, simply cannot hate Snape.
This could be considered a different kind of "love me, love my dog" mentality?
However, Ron's "prediction" proved to be very accurate in judging Snape's character.
In the afternoon, during the potions class.
Harry, still immersed in yesterday's conversation and inevitably a little distracted, was spotted by Snape as the class began.
"Ah—Harry Potter, our famous savior—"
Snape walked through the cold basement, the wind from his robes biting cold. He raised his head slightly and floated like a ghost to Harry's seat, looking down at him with his nostrils.
"I see you're daydreaming. May I ask what shocking or sensational questions you're thinking about?"
In the past, Harry would have been furious and confronted Snape, making sarcastic remarks, and then Snape would have deducted points from his score.
But now, Harry feels that he and Snape might not be unable to get along.
So he politely stood up, ready to admit his mistake: "I'm sorry, Professor, I was distracted..."
Then, he was interrupted.
"Oh, the great Potter is daydreaming in my class—" Snape's cold, numb black eyes were fixed on Harry, but he asked Malfoy, who was sitting behind Harry, "Mr. Malfoy, please tell me, is it because my lessons are not lively and interesting enough, or has the great savior become a Potions Master and no longer needs my teaching and explanation?"
Malfoy understood immediately and replied with a wicked grin, "Perhaps Potter has already learned it, Professor. He can get a perfect score without even attending your lectures!"
"No, Professor..."
Harry's rebuttal was drowned out by Snape's drawn-out tone: "Very well! Now, let me test you, Pott!"
He glanced at Ron, who was sitting next to Harry, trying to hunch his shoulders and practically wanting to hide under the desk so as not to attract attention.
A cold gaze swept over Ron's conspicuous head: "Tsk tsk—Ron Weasley, I heard you were humiliated by a fire dragon, buried alive in its dung, resulting in poisoning and swelling all over your body... Potter, what potion can achieve the same effect?"
Ron, his face flushed red under the strange looks from everyone around him, while Harry looked completely bewildered: "I...I don't know, Professor..."
On the other side, Hermione raised her hand high.
Snape ignored her and said very quickly, "It's a swelling potion. So, Potter, what are the specific ingredients of the swelling potion?"
"Well..."
"Its ingredients are bat spleen, dried nettles, and pufferfish eyes!" As he spoke, Snape was already standing completely in front of Harry's desk, his tall body looking down at Harry with an oppressive aura. His expressionless face gradually turned into a hint of mockery: "Tsk tsk, look, Mr. Potter doesn't seem to have learned anything, but this arrogant mentality is very much like that of a savior."
"After all, the Savior killed the Dark Lord at a very young age, although—no one ever saw it!"
Looking down at Harry, Snape's once lifeless eyes were now brimming with malice. He whispered, "Heroes deserve to be treated well and favored, even if their abilities don't match, right, Potter?"
Harry didn't know how he left the Potions classroom.
When he came to his senses, he was already on his way to the restaurant, with Ron rambling on beside him:
"…I told you the old Batman wasn't a good person. You shouldn't have any illusions about him. Harry, Vaughn trusted Snape because he was a Slytherin. The old Batman naturally had a good impression of him, so we can only believe half of what he says about Snape…"
Harry gave a bitter smile. He had to admit that Ron had a point, but he still argued, "Maybe it's because the hatred runs too deep. I heard from Vaughn that my dad used to bully him..."
"Vaughn also said that Snape also called your mother a Mudblood, Harry! You shouldn't project your admiration for your parents onto Snape, who was your parents' generation. You've seen it yourself, he hates you. I think it's best if our relationship with him stays the way it was before—an annoying professor and a naughty student, and after graduation we'll never see each other again, perfect!"
At this moment, Ron appeared to be highly intelligent and wise.
Then, a passing first-year student, a snake, broke his defenses: "Hey, Weasley, what does the professor mean when he says you were humiliated by a dragon and buried in its dung?"
Ron blushed and stammered, "That, that was a fire dragon..."
"Oh—so what the professor said is true?"
"Slander! Slander!"
Amid Ron's furious shouts, the little snake scurried away, laughing and joking. When he turned back, Harry, his face full of curiosity, delivered another blow: "Yeah, Ron, I forgot to ask you, what exactly happened between you and that dragon that made you all swollen up like that?"
Ron stammered, "No...nothing happened, it was a fire dragon after all..."
Then came words like "I have to think about how to survive" and "You don't want me to die fighting the dragon, do you?" which improved Harry's mood considerably, as he was feeling somewhat depressed.
Finally, Ron complained, "I was sent to the dragon, it must have been Vaughn's doing. Do you even know who that dragon is?"
"I know, Norbert."
Harry said that when he went back in time and saw Vaughn holding the dragon in its hatchling form, he immediately realized that it was Norbert.
Ron snorted and said, "I bet Vaughn and Dumbledore have been planning this trial for a long time. Remember when we bullied Nobeta and he pretended to stop us? I wondered back then when he started meddling in other people's business. Now that I think about it, he must have already planned to make Nobeta get his revenge!"
"Maybe…" Harry wasn't very interested, since he hadn't been retaliated against by Norbert. "I'm more interested in how Vaughn plans to deal with Norbert."
Ron's face darkened: "Now that the trial is over, shouldn't he send it to Romania?"
...
"Gah!"
In the Slytherin common room, in Vaughn's bedroom, Norbert made an unpleasant noise that caught Fruit Tea's attention.
The enormous cat leaped gracefully onto the table, its bright eyes fixed on Nobeta, and its thick paws furtively patted the little dragon's head.
"hiss--"
Norbert opened his mouth and emitted a serpentine sound, seemingly menacing.
It opened its mouth wide, its neck swelled up, and a fiery red light shimmered beneath its scales—
The next second, its head was pressed onto the table by Guoguocha, and it naturally had to hold back its breath.
Meow~
Fruit Tea squinted its eyes, very happy. Nobeta struggled angrily, but having returned to its dragon hatchling form, it no longer possessed the power it had in the painting.
It has returned to the state it was in just a few days after hatching, pitiful, weak, and helpless, bullied by other cats!
"Alright, Fruit Tea, stop bullying Nobeta!" Hermione struggled to pick up the big cat and affectionately rubbed her furry cheeks against it.
Guoguocha looked helpless and could only watch as her "toy" quickly got up, wobbled to the ground, and then ran to Vaughn's feet, using its legs and claws to crawl up his trouser leg into Vaughn's arms.
Those wretched lizards!
Guoguocha watched as Hermione grabbed her paws and made a clapping gesture to cheer on Norbert's actions, then snorted impatiently.
And there's a clingy, childish witch!
Hermione, of course, had no idea about Fruit Tea's feelings towards her. After playing with the big cat for a while, she had to put it back on the ground. Then, looking at the baby dragon snuggling in Vaughn's arms and making unpleasant noises, she asked, "Vaughn, what are you going to do with it?"
Vaughn, who was deep in thought, snapped out of it: "Noberta?"
He shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. I'm planning to go to Romania during the summer vacation."
As he spoke, he glanced at the fledgling dragon that was staring intently at him, seemingly afraid that he would abandon it.
Fire dragons are highly intelligent. Their size indicates that their brains are not simple. They are not mindless beasts. On the contrary, as the most powerful magical creatures, fire dragons are social animals with a simple but multi-layered social structure.
These creatures, once at the top of the food chain, form groups of varying sizes based on different factors such as kinship, gender, and race.
The smallest unit is usually a family group consisting of a mother dragon leading several cubs. These family groups will then form community groups with other family groups, and these community groups will merge with other community groups to form the largest population!
The territorial clustering of populations is also a major characteristic of fire dragons.
Vaughn hesitated, not because Nobeta was truly difficult to arrange, but because of a task he had undertaken—
[Side Quest 3: Research all the magic of the dragons and figure out their basic principles (Activated)]
[Progress: 0/10]
[Rewards: 100 Magic Scales, Spell Development Module]
With the test plan for Harry and the series of experiments conducted under the guise of it all over, Vaughn was finally able to take some time to consider his plans for the summer vacation after the term ended in a month.
He was just thinking about this issue.
He needed to create a relatively clear order of what he needed to do—as his magical power and influence increased, Vaughn found that he had to handle more and more matters personally!
First, the development of the Werewolf Affairs Committee.
Over the past few months, the Werewolf Affairs Committee has been under construction, even though he ceded half of the committee seats to Wizengamo and the International Federation of Wizards in order to counter Fudge and ease tensions with Dumbledore.
However, the committee's main purpose is to manage werewolf affairs, and the majority of the committee members are werewolves, most of whom are inclined to support Vaughn.
According to the procedure, the Werewolf Affairs Committee will hold its first plenary meeting around the end of July, at which the committee's management team will be determined.
Vaughn is preparing to run for president!
This is the inherent meaning of the question.
Vaughn created the Werewolf Affairs Committee (WAC) not to benefit anyone else.
He preferred to bring in Dumbledore rather than let Fudge get involved, precisely because he didn't want to relinquish control of the werewolves.
He himself has little interest in power, but the problem is that what he wants to do requires the cooperation of power.
The world is currently at peace. In both Muggle society and the magical world, the power base is quite stable under the peaceful environment. Therefore, he can only set his sights on werewolves, a marginal group that is usually ignored.
Of course, werewolves actually have great potential. The easy spread of werewolfism and its harm to social order determine that werewolves are widely distributed, unable to gain social status, and easy to win over.
That's why Vaughn decided to develop the wolfsbane drug as his "breakthrough" work.
Now it's time for him to reap the fruits of power!
Thinking it over, Vaughn once again sank into his mental world and marked the campaign details in his memory archive.
Next up is the system task, the first system task that Vaughn is eager to complete. His goal is not the 100-scale increase in magic power, but the "spell development module"!
As Vaughn delved deeper into the realm of magic, he now clearly realized that his perspective on the world differed greatly from that of normal wizards.
The wizarding world has never lacked young wizards from Muggle families, but family background does not cause wizards to have significant differences in their views. After all, they enter school at the age of 11, and during the crucial years of their mindset formation, they are constantly exposed to things in the wizarding world.
The rapid advancement of technology in Muggle society, while the magical world still uses kerosene lamps, is a very real example.
Normally, every year there are wizards from Muggle families who graduate and enter society, and they will more or less bring the convenience of technology into the magical world.
But in reality, this is rare; clearly, their ideas have actually been assimilated by the magical world!
This led Vaughn to discover an awkward situation—when he wanted to conduct research in a modern, efficient, and methodological way, he found himself lacking the "tools."
For example, tools that can observe magic, and even spells that can aid in research.
Because predecessors did not have his scientific thinking, they naturally did not focus on developing "tools". For example, when Muggles study and analyze a certain material, they can use many methods, such as pyrolysis, X-ray, magnetic resonance, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, etc.
But in the magical world, they still observe with the naked eye... When Vaughn was researching the properties of potion ingredients, he had to use crude and inefficient magic to dissolve them, and those days left a deep impression on him.
If it weren't for the allure of profit, the Scarpin Revealing Charm (a spell to identify the ingredients of a potion) might never have appeared.
In order for the research to proceed smoothly, the development of "tools" has become a top priority.
However, the development of spells usually takes a long time, and the emergence of the "spell development module" is undoubtedly an important shortcut for Vaughn to solve the problem.
That's why he hesitated about Norbert's fate.
In the memory archive, Vaughn hesitated for a long time before setting aside his plan to "complete the system task".
He needs to think about it some more.
The mission requires 10 different types of fire dragons. However, given the current world situation, fire dragons are mostly kept in protected areas by the magic ministries of various countries. It is extremely difficult for an individual to obtain even one fire dragon, let alone 10!
Especially for extremely ferocious dragon species like the Hungarian Horned Beetle and the Norwegian Ridgeback, it's practically impossible for them to be researched privately. Norbert might be his only research subject...
Nobeta, who was still hoarsely calling out and acting cute, suddenly shivered...
"Then we need to save Isabella, which requires a trip to North America."
Vaughn placed his "North American trip" after the "WAC president election," as this matter could not be rushed. The situation in North America was very complex, and the decision on Ilfamoni's invitation could wait until after the first WAC meeting.
Only when he becomes the president of WAC will his visit to North America be legitimate. He doesn't want to agree to any ambiguous academic visits, which generally represent unofficial channels.
However, a visit in one's capacity as the president of WAC carries a significantly different significance, roughly equivalent to a diplomatic visit.
"Next is the research and development plan for Wolfsbane Potion 2.0. This can be placed after the system task. If I successfully develop the 'tool' using the'Spell Development Module', my research and development progress will be greatly accelerated, which is much more efficient than the current exhaustive method."
"Finally, and most complicatedly, is the development of WAC..."
Vaughn fell into deep thought.
The WAC's current organizational structure is very fragile. The wolfsbane potion has only been developed for less than six months, and the living conditions of werewolves in the magical world have not been fundamentally improved. The English magical world, with only tens of thousands of people, does not have enough capacity to take in more than 1,600 werewolves at once!
Currently, most werewolves are still working in Muggle society under the guidance of werewolf wizards such as Remus Lupin, barely managing to survive.
But this doesn't solve the most important problem: the werewolves need wolfsbane potions every month, and those potions can only be purchased with Galleons.
In response to this problem, Vaughn initially came up with two solutions. One was to borrow money from himself and Dumbledore to help WAC establish an internal foundation, and then use the gold obtained from the gold transactions in Muggle society to exchange for Galleons in Gringotts.
On the other hand, the trading rights of wolfsbane medicine were transferred to WAC, enabling WAC to open up new sources of revenue through the international trade of wolfsbane medicine.
However, Vaughn himself was not very satisfied with either of the two proposals.
The former has other purposes, while the latter can only be considered a transitional choice.
He needs werewolves, not to find a bunch of freeloaders to serve him, but to help him build his career and ideals.
Werewolves are undoubtedly a valuable workforce; while the werewolf virus curses them, it also significantly enhances their physical condition.
The most typical point is that even a Muggle turned werewolf can observe and come into contact with magic just like a Squib!
There was a very faint magical reaction on them!
While pondering, Vaughn circled "WAC development issues" heavily and placed it before "WAC president election".
This is certainly not because it needs to be dealt with immediately, but because the problem is too complex and huge. The preliminary preparations alone need to be done well in advance, and some things also need to be coordinated with the "WAC President Election".
Not to mention, it also contains some of Vaughn's other ideas.
For example, by using gold from Muggle society, they could disrupt the Galleon system in the wizarding world!
"The wizarding world has been closed off for too long. The result of refusing to communicate and compete is that it has been left far behind by its rivals (Muggles). This situation is not entirely due to the secrecy laws, but also because the wizarding world's abundant material resources give wizards enough confidence to 'close themselves off'!"
Undoubtedly, magic is a wondrous means.
A review of the "History of Magic" reveals that even in the most difficult times, wizards never experienced the famine that Muggle societies have been unable to escape throughout history!
Both ancient magic and modern spell systems have a mature set of "tools" for solving the food problem.
The most typical examples are the growth spell and the magnification spell.
The former allows non-magical plants (crops, etc.) to grow and mature in a short time, while the latter can inflate a normal pumpkin to the size of a house!
Yes, magic cannot change the nature of matter, but it can change the mass of an object!
In the case of crops and cash crops that are essential for food and clothing, the nature of the crop is obviously not important; quality (yield) is the most important.
Food and clothing are the most fundamental issues of survival. Wizards have conquered these issues, which naturally reduces their demand for Muggles. They do not need Muggles to produce food, nor do they need Muggles to produce light industrial raw materials such as cotton, wool, and silk. Furthermore, the metal industry is provided by goblins.
So why would they still be interested in communicating with Muggles?
The current magical world is like being trapped in a stubborn tortoise shell, and this tortoise shell is woven from excess material resources.
No reforms will work unless it is broken down—you can't expect a group of well-fed and well-off people to voluntarily step out of their comfort zones!
"I feel so evil..."
Looking at the several phased goals he had listed under "WAC Development Issues" in the memory archive, Vaughn sighed insincerely.
Then they detached themselves from the spiritual world.
When she came to her senses, Hermione was playing with Nobeta, while Fruit Tea was squatting nearby, looking impatient.
Seeing that Vaughn had come to his senses, Hermione left Norbert and asked, "Vaughn, are you done thinking?"
She knew that Vaughn had built a memory archive in his mind's world. When they studied together before, she often saw Vaughn "daydreaming" by himself, and she was used to it.
"Yes." Vaughn nodded. "I've made some plans for what to do next."
Hearing this, Hermione's eyes lit up: "Summer plans?"
"Yes."
The girl suddenly became shy and asked him hesitantly, "So... you said you wanted me to take my parents to the Humble Abode for a while during the summer vacation, when do you plan to start?"
ah...
Vaughn suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about it.
It turns out that no matter how sophisticated the memory magic is, or how clear and foolproof the memories are, humans will still overlook some "less important" things due to their focus.
He quickly immersed himself in his inner world, and in the area of his memory archive where important tasks were recorded, he wrote down "Invite the Granger family to the Burrow".
Then he quickly returned, the whole process taking less than a second, his smile never faltering: "Of course, I'll come pick you up from your house as soon as summer vacation starts!"
"Won't this interfere with your business?" the girl asked coyly and feigning concern. "I saw in the newspaper that Iphamoni invited you to North America for an academic visit..."
"Summer vacation is long, there's no rush!"
Vaughn returned to his inner world and placed "inviting the Granger family" on his "North American trip".
"And there's also the Werewolf Affairs Committee, which is supposedly going to hold its first meeting soon?"
Forget it, I'll just put the invitation at the very top, making it the most important one!
Vaughn remained unfazed: "It's alright. The werewolves trust me now, so I don't need to expend too much energy paying attention to them. I'll definitely have time to play with you in the magical world!"
Hermione smiled sweetly, relieved to receive such a satisfactory answer. She could finally relax and begin her Hermione-style dating routine.
"Let's start reviewing!" She took out her textbooks from her small handbag and said seriously, "There's less than a month left until the exam, and there are still so many books I haven't read!"
Vaughn: "...Okay..."
...
Yes, there is less than a month left until the end of the first academic year.
Time flies by so quickly, rushing by so fast that it slips away like water through your fingers before you even realize it.
Compared to Hermione, who was more proactive, Harry and Ron were a bit slower to realize things.
Until early June, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions classes all coincidentally conducted a pop quiz, which completely simulated the format and content of the upgrade exams from the past few years.
The two slow-witted students only realized then that there were only 3 weeks left until the exam!
"Merlin—what have we been doing lately? Where has the time gone?"
In the Gryffindor common room, Ron clutched his head and gasped as he looked at the three parchments marked with large A (Acceptable), P (Poor), and D (Dreadful).
Beside him, Harry, Neville, and Seamus's grades weren't much better. Poor Seamus, for some inexplicable reason, who could turn any spell into an explosion charm, received huge Ts (Trolls are terrible) in both his Charms and Transfiguration tests!
This score is already the floor of the current examination system; it can't be any lower, otherwise...
"I was paying attention in class…" Neville was pale and trembling.
"Hehe, I'm tired..." After causing another explosion in the spell class at noon, Seamus's face was still dark and he was beginning to show signs of mental instability.
Harry looked utterly dejected: "What have we been doing lately? That's a good question. Let me think... You've been pestering me all day about what's in there, or spitting at every guy who makes fun of you... For a whole week, Ron, we haven't put a single day into studying..."
Harry could almost see his fate three weeks from now—
The famous Harry Potter failed to advance to the next grade in his first year, becoming one of the few students in recent years to repeat a grade!
What an honor! That's an achievement that even Marcus Flint couldn't unlock!
He was suddenly incredibly grateful that Dumbledore had forbidden them from revealing their experiences in the world of the painting; otherwise, Harry couldn't imagine how undisciplined he would have become under everyone's scrutiny.
This can't go on any longer!
Harry told himself that the Philosopher's Stone incident and the trials were over, and he couldn't keep dwelling on the past.
He sat up straight and looked at Ron seriously: "We have to find Hermione, Ron. Only she can save us now!"
Ron also looked serious, then slumped his shoulders in frustration: "It's tough. She's been hanging out with Vaughn all the time, supposedly to help him treat his injuries."
"Vaughn's injuries haven't healed yet?"
"It should be soon..."
...
"This is the last dose of medicine!"
In the potions office, Snape's icy voice made the basement, now officially summer, feel utterly cool. His equally cold expression made one suspicious that the potions he handed over might contain some dubious ingredients.
Hermione accepted the potion and politely thanked Snape, saying, "Thank you, Professor. You've worked hard."
Snape impatiently shook his hair, glancing at the little girl as she helped Vaughn untie the bandages, sprinkling half of the potion on the wound and drinking the other half.
Will it hurt if I spray the medicine like this?
"Oh my god, just looking at it makes me feel pain—"
The girl's tender greetings and heartbroken exclamations made Snape's face grow increasingly grim. He looked around his familiar basement, where the intoxicating fragrance of herbs no longer mingled with the sour stench of love.
How annoying!
Hermione clearly didn't care about the office owner's opinion. She precisely divided the medicine in two, carefully feeding Vaughn one half and applying the other half to the wound.
A week has passed, and the wound still shows no signs of healing.
The power of the curse stubbornly lingered around the wound.
The good news is that after a week of effort by Vaughn and Snape to prepare targeted potions, the black spiderweb-like patterns around the wound have faded considerably.
At this moment, as he took the last dose of the potion, Vaughn let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had suddenly broken free of some kind of shackles, and a feeling of ease welled up from the bottom of his heart.
In that feeling, he looked down.
The black network of markings that had been surrounding his wound was receding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A faint black mist flowed from the hole in Vaughn's hand where the snake's bite had made.
Chapter 124 The Hidden Dangers of Werewolves
hiss--
The black mist coiled into the shape of a snake, emitting a hissing sound, but the next second, the hissing suddenly turned into a scream—Vaughn held his wand in one hand, and with a light tap, a faint light flashed, and the snake-shaped black mist twitched a few times and disintegrated!
Hermione, who had been watching intently the entire time, asked nervously in a low voice, "Vaughn, is it resolved?"
"It's done," Vaughn said, grabbing a bottle of white essence from the table and applying it to the wounds on his chest and shoulder. He then thanked Snape, saying, "Thank you for your help lately, Professor."
Snape said expressionlessly, "I don't deserve any credit. I'd be grateful if you and Granger could leave my office right away and never come back here again!"
At the wound site, under the combined effects of the white cinnamon essence and the remaining Phoenix Tears medicine, the budding granulation tissue gradually connected and healed.
Before long, the once gruesome wound was reduced to a faint red mark.
He moved his arm; the wound was still slightly painful, but it no longer affected his daily activities. Vaughn thanked him again, saying, "Thank you, Professor. It seems Albus was right; you know Voldemort's methods very well."
Snape's expression changed slightly. He glanced at Hermione, and seeing that the girl seemed not to have heard him, he said nothing more, saying, "Even without me, the curse wouldn't have bothered you for long. Judging from the strength of the curse, he was in a lot of trouble and his condition was terrible, worse than anyone could imagine..."
His dark eyes glazed over for a moment before he shooed him away: "Now that you're better, leave my office!"
Vaughn, shameless as ever, chuckled and said, "Oh, Professor, we haven't had a proper chat lately. I'd like to have another talk with you."
"Get—away—from—this place!" Snape said firmly, drawing out the last words.
"Are you angry, Professor? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked about Voldemort in front of you. Speaking of which, did Albus take you to see his 'corpse'? It was horrible..."
Snape's face turned ashen, and he didn't even want to say a word, pointing at the door.
Those cold eyes were wide open, as if they wanted to devour someone.
Worried that the Dark Lord fan might get too angry, Vaughn could only shrug and leave with Hermione.
Before leaving, he added, "By the way, Professor, I told Harry about your relationship with Lily. You probably don't mind, right? After all, Harry is Lily's son, and he has the right to know..."
"Vaughn! Weasley!"
Vaughn quickly closed the door, shutting out Snape's hysterical roar, and then walked away happily with Hermione.
It wasn't until they were far away from the Potions office that Hermione, who had remained silent the whole time, finally couldn't help but ask, "Snape... what is the relationship between Professor Snape and Voldemort?"
"The professor used to be a Death Eater."
"Vaughn said."
There's nothing wrong with talking about this. Snape's bad reputation isn't just because he's biased and petty, but also because the entire wizarding world knows that Severus Snape was once a staunch supporter of the Dark Lord.
When the Dark Lord fell, Snape would have been imprisoned in Azkaban long ago if it weren't for Dumbledore's guarantee!
Hermione covered her mouth in surprise: "So, when he threatened Quirrell and called Voldemort 'Master,' it wasn't a pretense... Good heavens, why wasn't he arrested?"
"There are far too many Death Eaters in the entire English wizarding world who haven't been imprisoned in Azkaban. Adult society isn't just black and white, good or evil; it's full of compromises and exchanges of interests... Like the professor, he was indeed a Death Eater, but he also made deals with the side of justice, which is why he was able to escape trial 11 years ago during the post-war reckoning."
Hermione couldn't understand this logic.
Limited by her age and experience, her little mind still retains a naive way of thinking, which is why Vaughn said those words to her.
Previously, in the world of the painting, he had paid special attention to the fates of Ron and Hermione, whose fates had become part of the vortex of Harry and Voldemort's destiny.
Until Vaughn has the ability to decipher fate, they have no way to break free from the entanglement of the two chosen ones.
As fate spirals out of control along its predetermined path, Hermione will encounter more and more things beyond her years, and she must learn to grow up quickly in order to minimize the harm and shocks she suffers.
The girl frowned in distress and stopped talking.
Vaughn didn't say anything more, letting her think and calm down on her own. He believed that Hermione would eventually figure it out and understand that the girl he liked was not just a pretty face, nor was she an inflexible bookworm.
As can be seen from the original work, she has a strong ability to adjust her mindset. Her "good learning ability" is not limited to knowledge from books, but also extends to interpersonal relationships and, more importantly, her adherence to her own beliefs!
Such a person is born to be a politician!
Vaughn pondered this as the two returned to the second floor of the castle. Just as they were about to part ways (their courses were different), he asked, "Hermione, have you ever thought about working for the WAC? How about spending some time as a frontline clerk during the summer? Just as extracurricular practice."
Hermione, who was still hesitating, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately shifted her attention: "A frontline clerk? What kind of job is that?"
Vaughn gave a brief introduction to the composition of WAC. The committee is composed of a complex group of werewolves, old wizards from Wizengamo, and foreign wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards.
The composition of the committee dictates that we cannot expect them to implement decisions or handle specific tasks such as paperwork, logistics, and finance every day.
We definitely need to recruit a large number of front-line clerks.
They will be responsible for the implementation of specific decisions, such as the placement of werewolves under the committee's management, the establishment of departments, and liaison with the Ministry of Magic and even other national magical institutions.
"The job of a clerk is very good for personal development. You can come into contact with all kinds of people and problems. When you encounter a problem, you have to consider how to solve it, whether it will have any follow-up effects, and what kind of results those effects will cause. You have to consider all aspects."
Vaughn said sincerely, "To put it another way, clerks may be more important than committee members. After all, decisions only remain on paper. Whether they are good or bad, they must ultimately be tested in practice. Clerks are the people who implement decisions, and this job determines whether decisions can have a positive effect!"
Hermione's eyes gradually brightened; she was moved by Vaughn's description, but also hesitated: "Is such an important job really something I can do?"
Vaughn comforted him, saying, "Why not? WAC is a completely new organization. There has never been a similar organization in the wizarding world before. No one has any experience in dealing with the needs and problems of werewolves. Everyone is on the same starting line."
"I believe in your abilities, Hermione. You always manage to find the key elements in a chaotic situation..."
A well-informed pep talk stirred the girl's emotions, and she finally nodded in agreement, eager to try: "Does the WAC have any decision-making materials or guidelines? I need to study them carefully... Hmm, no, I need to look into organizations with similar functions. The wizarding world might lack this, but there are plenty in Muggle society, like human rights organizations, animal protection organizations, and so on..."
As she spoke, she began planning where to find relevant information after returning home for summer vacation!
Seeing the girl's enthusiastic expression, Vaughn smiled.
He suddenly discovered that he had a talent for being a capitalist, and he started making grand promises and even luring his girlfriend away!
However, Vaughn did want to find something for Hermione to do, partly to train her, and partly to prevent her from having wild thoughts, or perhaps starting some kind of house-elf protection association like in the original story.
The issue of raising house-poms is complex.
They had been tamed by wizards for too long and too successfully, their minds had been completely transformed. When Vaughn was looking for targets to recruit, he had considered house-elves, but ultimately gave up on them.
It is because of the wizards' successful indoctrination that the house-elves have no will to resist!
After a moment of excitement, Hermione suddenly remembered something and asked, "I'm not even 13 years old yet, is it okay for me to work for the WAC?"
Vaughn said nonchalantly, "That's why I said extracurricular practice is fine as long as it doesn't pay you!"
"Oh." Hermione felt something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She stopped thinking about it and asked excitedly, "When does it start?"
"Don't rush, let me greet Remus first... Remus is a werewolf wizard, and he's in charge of recruitment."
Vaughn decided to go today because he hadn't been very active for a week due to his injury, and hadn't even attended many classes. He thought it would be a good opportunity to get out and relax.
...
In the evening, Manchester City saw a surge of people leaving get off work.
This city, located in the northwest of the British Isles, is one of the few remaining industrial cities in England since the implementation of deindustrialization policies and the full development of the tertiary sector.
It was also the world's first industrial city, where the Industrial Revolution began 200 years ago. The reason it can still retain its industrial heritage under the current national policy is probably due to this history.
Industry is a labor-intensive sector, and Manchester is naturally the best place for workers to go.
As Remus Lupin walked out of the factory, the setting sun cast long shadows of him and the crowd into the vast factory area, passing through the towering buildings of the city center. Behind them stood the factory's numerous chimneys.
"Hey Remus, wanna grab a drink?"
A worker greeted Lupin.
Lupin waved his hand: "Sorry, Charles, I'm very tired today. I just want to go home and rest."
"Dude, you can't do this. Every time I ask you to drink, you say you're tired. You'll never become a Manchester resident if you do this."
Other familiar workers nearby chimed in, "Drinking beer and watching football is the lifeblood of Manchester. You don't like either of those things, Lupin? I seriously doubt you're even from Earth."
"I found that the guys who came with Lupin didn't like beer football, which is not good."
"Forget it, don't force them if they don't like it... What should we say today? Those guys in Portsmouth have been acting really arrogant lately..."
A group of guys who turned into football hooligans after get off work walked away arm in arm.
Watching their retreating figures, Lupin sighed softly.
He knew, of course, that he and the other werewolves would seem out of place by not participating in Muggle social activities, but that's precisely where the werewolves' awkwardness lies.
For their own sake and the sake of others, they must keep their distance from others so that Muggles won't notice their abnormality.
At least things are much better now than before. Since the advent of the wolfsbane medicine, they no longer have to hide like rats or swarm into the mountains to live like savages. Now everyone can walk openly in the sunlight, be a civilized person, and even support themselves with their own hands, enjoying delicious fried cod and hamburgers every day.
But Lupin, who was already a member of the WAC committee, also knew that life was actually very fragile.
Working in Muggle society only provides enough to make ends meet; without Galleons in income, the monthly cost of wolfsbane potions for 1600 werewolves is a huge burden.
The WAC, which has yet to hold its first plenary meeting, already owes Vaughn and Dumbledore more than 30,000 Galleons!
This enormous debt gave Lupin a headache just thinking about it.
Pinching his brow, Lupin wearily returned to the werewolf settlement—originally an old Muggle neighborhood built 50 years ago, consisting of three buildings, one of the aid projects provided by Wizengamor after the formal establishment of the WAC.
The property belongs to Wissengamo and is temporarily being provided to werewolves working in Manchester to help them through the initial difficult phase.
The neighborhood is lively. Despite having been homeless for many years and now having no worries thanks to the wolf poison, the werewolves still dare not speak much outside.
Only when they return here, surrounded by familiar people, can they release their pent-up emotions.
Groups of children played and ran through the hallways, while adults chatted and drank in small groups. Everyone greeted Lu Ping when they saw him.
"Remus, want to grab a drink?"
"Thank you, but I don't want to drink today. You should all drink less too."
"Remus, have you eaten yet? Come and try the pie my Mary made?"
"Thanks. I'll go if I don't feel like cooking, Charlie... Hey, Marcus, don't use magic so casually, Charlie. You should discipline your son!"
"I didn't intend to use magic, Mr. Lupin. My magic has gone out of control; it's not obeying my commands now…"
As they made their way back to the room, Lupin felt his head throb even more. The werewolf problem was never just about having enough to eat and wear, nor was it just about wolfsbane; there were some more important hidden dangers.
Like Marcus, a werewolf teenager who awakened his magical powers!
He closed the door, shutting out the noise outside, leaned against the door panel, and sighed heavily.
Then, a voice rang out in the dark room: "Remus, what are you troubled by?"
"who?"
Lupin instinctively drew his wand, and with a thought, a transparent membrane of light from the Ironclad Charm quietly appeared in front of him.
The tip of the staff also lit up with a red light!
It's pitiful, really. He was a wizard who grew up during the war years. From the day he stepped out of the ivory tower, he was caught up in the war. He also had the identity of a werewolf, and the best years of his life were always accompanied by misery.
In terms of stress response, he is similar to Barty Crouch, instinctively choosing to use force to protect himself when faced with a stranger suddenly appearing in his home.
Then he heard someone snap their fingers.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, a ripple swept through the air, and Lupin was horrified to see that the Ironclad Spell he had cast had quietly shattered. The light membrane disintegrated in the air, and countless fragments scattered in all directions like unburnt scraps of paper.
Immediately afterwards, a powerful sense of oppression swept over him, and Lu Ping groaned as he was pressed against the door by the seemingly frozen air.
Familiar encounters, familiar magic, and familiar voices—
"Lumos!"
With a brief incantation, the darkness in the room was dispelled, and a wisp of light appeared, hovering beside the sofa where Lu Ping usually rested. On that sofa sat a familiar young figure.
The boy held a book, seemingly reading it in the dark, and only looked up now: "Long time no see, Moon Face. Your way of treating guests seems a bit too harsh."
Looking at the boy, Lupin's expression was complicated: "Vaughn Weasley, when did you arrive?"
"About 20 minutes ago?" Vaughn thought for a moment. "I read for a while and had a cup of tea... By the way, how did you come to have this book?"
Under the faint fluorescent light, Lupin saw the name of the book.
Wandering with Werewolves
Author: Gilderoy Lockhart
"I bought it for reference." Still pressed against the door by magic, Lupin looked helpless. "I heard he's also an expert on werewolves. His book details his experiences with a group of werewolf wanderers. Judging from the details, it seems very credible… How long are you going to keep me trapped?"
"ha!"
Vaughn smiled, said nothing more, and waved his hand to dispel the flying spell.
As the magic that had been immobilizing him dissipated, Lupin breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression turned somewhat grim.
But he also noticed that after not seeing him for several months, Vaughn's strength had become increasingly unfathomable. He had never seen anyone use the Flight Spell to achieve the "imprisonment" effect.
Just a few months ago, the other party could only knock him flying... which doesn't seem like something to be proud of...
Lupin rubbed his shoulders in frustration, walked over and sat down on the opposite side of the sofa. Looking at Vaughn, who was still engrossed in his book and drinking tea, he couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Did you suddenly appear in my house for a reason? Or do you just want to mooch off my books and drink my tea?"
"Don't be like a hedgehog, Moonface. I thought that after forming WAC, we were like-minded partners. Your current attitude hurts me!"
"...You suddenly showed up at my house and pinned me against the door. Is this how you treat your partners?"
"Oh, sorry, I just saw you were having a very strong stress reaction and wanted to calm you down. Remus, are you calm now?"
"..."
Lupin took a deep breath, deciding not to lose his temper. "Thank you, I've remained calm."
He seemed a bit timid, mainly because his previous encounter with Vaughn had left a deep impression on him with Vaughn's methods—at the time, he had been skeptical, suspecting that Vaughn's organization of werewolves had ulterior motives.
But Vaughn accurately grasped his character weakness and assigned him to take charge of settling the werewolf nomads in London. He was struck by the werewolf nomads' tragic situation and willingly became an "accomplice"!
They've even been "helping" us until now, and in the process, they've even helped us get into management...
They were truly sold out and then helped count the money!
Across from him, Vaughn didn't answer Lupin's earlier question, continuing to look at the book in his hand while sipping his red tea: "Judging from your dejected look just now, are you having trouble working in Muggle society, or is it something to do with werewolves?"
"It's a werewolf."
When this was mentioned, Lupin looked tired again. "The more organizational work we do, the more we realize that many issues are not so simple, especially regarding how a group survives."
Vaughn casually flipped through a couple of pages without looking up, and continued, "Tell me more details?"
Lupin smiled wryly: "Why do you ask when you already know the answer? Me, Barnald Jr., William, and all of us regional leaders report to you every month, and the problems are still the same: the lack of Galleon revenue, the difficulty in ensuring the normal procurement of Wolfsbane, how WAC will develop... and there's something I've only recently come to realize."
He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed: "Some of the werewolf children are beginning to experience magical awakening or loss of magical control!"
Upon hearing this, Vaughn finally looked up from his book: "What's the proportion?"
"I'm not familiar with the areas that Barnald and William are responsible for. In the community I'm responsible for, there are three children who show signs of magical activity: one is 7 years old, one is 9 years old, and there's a boy named Marcus who is already 16 years old."
Vaughn knew immediately what Lupin was worried about.
The awakening of magical power is a phenomenon that only occurs in humans. Compared to other magical creatures, the wizarding talent of humans seems to be latent.
It is also the gold standard in the magical world for judging whether a person has wizarding talent.
In a normal Muggle or wizarding society, such a child would be recorded in the Book of Admission the moment of awakening—in fact, any child connected to the magical world is recorded at birth, but at this time they are under close monitoring until they show clear signs of magical awakening, at which point the Book of Admission will officially record them.
Normally, when the person being recorded turns 11, Hogwarts will issue a notification letter based on the list in the Book of Admissions.
In theory, the Pen of Acceptance and the Book of Access, two alchemical artifacts, are responsible for monitoring humanity throughout England.
However, judging from the enrollment situation over the past thousand years, the Book of Admission does not seem to consider werewolves to be human...
Clearly, the werewolf wizard does not meet the admission requirements for Hogwarts!
This brings some hidden dangers—a young wizard whose magic is in its active phase may cause big trouble!
For wizards, magical awakening or even magical riots are not uncommon events; every wizard has experienced them and has enough experience and strength to handle them.
But werewolves don't have that ability.
After thinking for a moment, Vaughn asked, "How did the werewolves deal with this before?"
Lupin shook his head: "I've inquired. If the werewolf tribe has wild wizards, they'll try to teach the children whose magic has awakened. If the tribe doesn't have wild wizards, or if the wild wizards aren't skilled enough..."
He paused, then continued, "...those children usually don't live past 10 years old..."
Upon hearing his words, a term immediately came to Vaughn's mind: the Silent One!
Before understanding the silent ones, we must first define a concept:
Once the magic is awakened, it will never stop!
It grows stronger as the young wizard ages, with the peak of the magic growth curve occurring during adolescence, much like the human body, which leaps from infancy to maturity in a little over a decade.
This process cannot be suppressed, and any attempt to suppress it will lead to instability!
The silent are the most dangerous of all "unstable" types.
According to the official definition given by the Ministry of Magic, when young wizards consciously suppress the growth and use of their magic in order to avoid dangers around them, but lack guidance and do not learn how to control their power, a parasite will emerge—the Obscurus!
The Silent One is the host of the Silent One.
The birth of an Obscurus is usually accompanied by huge emotional conflicts. It is a distorted product of long-term repressive living environment and psychological pressure. It is a kind of natural black magic!
It cannot be controlled.
The moment the Obscurus is born within the host, the Obscurus, it is like the awakening of magic, and it can never be stopped.
This out-of-control dark force can evoke anger, pain, or other intense emotions in its host, destroying everything it sees.
Until the host itself is also destroyed...
Vaughn closed the book: "Are you worried that more silent individuals will emerge from among those children?"
"It's not that I'm worried, it's that it's bound to happen." Lupin said with a serious expression. "The werewolves' survival strategy dictates that they need to have long-term contact with Muggles, which in itself increases the risk of them violating the Secret Service Act and will bring them serious psychological pressure."
"Not to mention, in addition to the werewolf identity, there's also the risk of being exposed as a wizard..."
As he spoke, Lupin sighed: "For the past two months, I've been working in the Muggle factory with the werewolves in this community. I've personally experienced the psychological state of werewolves and Muggles when they come into contact with each other, that desire yet fear of getting close, the need to stand out, and the strange looks they receive from the Muggles."
"To be honest, that feeling is awful. It's oppressive, lonely, and makes you feel like you can't fit in. Even if you have werewolf companions around you, you still know deep down that you're being rejected. There's no place for you in this city, and this place can't be your home."
Vaughn remained silent.
He is not a werewolf, has no experience with werewolves, and naturally cannot empathize with werewolves.
Just like now, he didn't think Lupin's problem was that serious. He couldn't understand why the werewolves wanted to settle down in this city and integrate into the Muggle community.
Of course, logically he could understand the fundamental reason why werewolves had such demands.
It's just that I can't empathize with them emotionally.
"No need to sigh, you did a great job, Remus," Vaughn said. "That's why when I was setting up WAC, I made sure that werewolves had to make up half the seats on the committee… Only werewolves know what werewolves need."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "So, have you considered any solutions to these problems?"
"I...I don't know..."
Lupin looked somewhat bewildered. He faced Vaughn, but his gaze was unfocused and scattered: "There are always solutions. If we lack Galleon income, then we'll earn Galleons. If we lack social status, then we'll improve our social status."
"For example, the young wizards among the werewolves who awaken their magic—if we're afraid they'll become Obscurials, then we should send them to Hogwarts..."
As he spoke, his gaze refocused as he looked at Vaughn, a wry smile on his face: "The methods all seem simple, but how do we do them?"
These seemingly simple things are sometimes actually quite difficult to do.
It goes without saying that earning Galleons and improving one's social status are also benefits.
The infamous reputation of werewolves over thousands of years has deeply ingrained their image in the minds of wizards, an impression that cannot be changed by a few political slogans.
Before the "werewolf syndrome" is completely resolved, don't expect the magical world to accept werewolves; that's unrealistic.
The same applies to the werewolf wizard.
Vaughn knew why Lupin had brought this up...
He hoped that Vaughn could discuss with Dumbledore the possibility of Hogwarts accepting werewolf students.
But Vaughn knew it was simply impossible!
Even Dumbledore couldn't do that.
Even Lupin himself only dared to hint at it, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
No parent would want their child to attend class with wolf cubs, and the school's professors would probably strongly object.
The wolf cubs were pitiful, but they dared not and could not abandon the safety of the other children.
After a moment's thought, Vaughn closed his book, walked over to Lupin, and patted the very frustrated-looking middle-aged man on the shoulder.
He noticed that Lu Ping's mindset was off; he seemed a bit depressed.
About six months ago, I was forced to deal with too many troubling things, the pressure was too great, and I couldn't handle the emotional strain anymore.
That won't do.
Vaughn was counting on Lupin to be his right-hand man!
"Remus, I understand your pain. You've identified the problems, but you don't know how to solve them because they are complex and cannot be changed in a short time. However, my friend, the significance of WAC lies precisely here—we are a pioneering organization, the first organization whose primary purpose is to solve the werewolf problem!"
"There's nothing scary about discovering complex problems. It means we're on the path to solving them, instead of ignoring them and stagnating for over 200 years like the Ministry of Magic used to."
The very responsible Lupin had clearly not thought about it from this perspective. He paused for a moment, then gave Vaughn a smirk: "What you're saying sounds to me a bit like... a contest of who's worse?"
This was a word he occasionally corresponded with Vaughn, which Vaughn "invented" when he joked about politics.
Vaughn chuckled: "Don't be so pessimistic. In terms of ideas, we've made more than just a little progress compared to the Ministry of Magic. However, every little bit of progress is difficult, and there are indeed many problems. But don't be impatient. Take it slow and solve them one by one. One day we will be able to mold WAC into the ideal form we envision."
"I've come to you this time to help you solve your problem."
Lu Ping is a man in his thirties whose life has been full of hardships, giving him a keen intuition for certain rhetoric.
He could certainly hear the hollowness in Vaughn's words; he was simply making empty promises and trying to entice him and the other werewolves to keep working hard by painting a rosy picture of the future.
But frustratingly, whether in the wizarding world or Muggle society, this world is indeed, as Vaughn once said, a world where everyone competes to be the worst.
WAC may not be able to fundamentally change the werewolf's situation, but at least it has made a change.
Thinking it over, he sighed, "Where do you plan to begin?"
"How about we resolve the funding issue for purchasing the wolfsbane medicine first?"
This issue has been discussed many times within WAC, and Lupin is aware that when Vaughn was planning for WAC, he provided WAC with a batch of Muggle currency through a loan.