Chapter 125 The Unbridled Vaughn
According to Vaughn at the time, this Muggle currency could be used to buy gold from Muggles, and then the gold could be sold to the goblins of Gringotts.
However, after living in Muggle society for a while, Lupin, who insisted on reading newspapers and studying, felt that this method was not very reliable.
"You're still trying to buy gold from Muggles? Vaughn, it's no use. The loan you and Dumbledore provided is only £500,000. How much gold can that buy? What will you do when that money runs out?"
WAC already owes more than 30,000 Galleons, and Lupin doesn't want to owe any more. He's afraid he won't be able to pay it back in the future and will have to betray the Werewolf's interests.
Lupin stayed in the WAC to keep himself in check, preventing the organization from becoming a tool for someone's private feud.
Vaughn remained noncommittal to the subtle wariness that was showing in him, and smiled: "Remus, it seems you haven't learned much usefulness in Muggle society."
"What's the meaning?"
Vaughn didn't answer, but patted Lupin on the shoulder, gesturing for him to get up: "Come on, Moonface, come with me somewhere."
"Don't call me Moonface…" Lupin complained, "I haven't used that nickname in a long time."
"Okay, Moon Face."
Lupin: "...Are you even listening to me?"
Complaining, he still stood up, watching Vaughn wave his wand to light the fireplace, and asked casually, "Speaking of which, how do you know my old nickname? Very few people know it, only..."
"Only a worm's tail, large feet, and a pointed fork?"
Lupin was speechless.
His expression was somewhat dazed for a moment.
These three nicknames were things from a long time ago in his memory, so long ago that the memories had begun to fade, like a Muggle television screen full of noise.
The laughter and joy of the past seem to drift from another world, echoing hollowly in my mind.
Lupin composed himself and probed, "It seems you know quite a bit. Did you find the prank props we made back then at Hogwarts?"
In Lupin's memory, when they were nearing graduation, they hid a prank prop in Hogwarts, hoping someone would carry on their prank business, so they also hid nicknames in the prop.
That item is very powerful, and he needs to confirm whether Vaughn has obtained it.
Of course, there are new problems here – they only left behind nicknames, without any specific identity information corresponding to those nicknames.
He was curious to know where Vaughn had learned all this.
Could it be Snape?
Lupin thought that this seemed to be the only explanation. As the quartet's "arch-enemy," Snape was the one who knew them best and was also the one closest to Vaughn.
He wanted to know if Snape also had that gadget.
Vaughn smiled without saying a word: "If you want to know the answer, why don't you go back to Hogwarts and take a look?"
Lupin stopped talking.
He dared not return to Hogwarts, where there was someone who filled him with guilt and whom he dared not approach; he was not yet mentally prepared to see "him".
Seeing that Vaughn had prepared the Floo Powder, he abruptly changed the subject: "Where are you taking me?"
Vaughn grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fireplace, where green smoke and light rose slowly.
Diagon Alley!
...
The last time I came to Diagon Alley was half a year ago when I organized a werewolf parade.
Compared to the ever-changing Muggle society, time seems to stand still in the magical world, remaining unchanged for months or even years.
The streets rise and fall, and the shops are crooked and twisted.
Just like many years ago when Lupin first came here, cowering behind Professor McGonagall, he saw the same thing.
Emerging from the communal fireplace, Lupin surveyed the shops on either side and the scattered wizards passing by.
Diagon Alley is only busiest before the start of the school year; it's much quieter at other times. After all, the wizarding world only has tens of thousands of people, scattered throughout the British Isles. Most of the time, adult wizards are not willing to travel "long distances" to go shopping.
Feeling the deserted atmosphere on the street, Lupin sighed, "The wizarding world feels so desolate compared to Muggles..."
He had never felt this way before; back then, although he also stayed away from the magical world, he always lived in seclusion.
Only during the past six months, living in the Muggle community, did he truly appreciate the stark contrast between the two.
"Because of a lack of change."
Walking beside him, Vaughn seemed uninterested in everything around him. "The wizarding world in England is like a stagnant pool, stagnant and without any flow. Everyone is like bacteria parasitizing in stagnant water. How can you expect them to be active?"
Lupin glanced at Vaughn, and he could tell that Vaughn was very dissatisfied with the current state of the wizarding world.
This made Lupin somewhat worried, but he didn't know what to say.
Silently, I followed Vaughn to the Leaky Cauldron. The low, dark bar had only a few customers. The bar owner, Tom, stood behind the counter, a tattered rag flying around him as he cleaned the seemingly perpetually dirty glasses.
Upon seeing Vaughn enter, Tom exclaimed with delight, "Ah, Mr. Weasley, welcome!"
"Good evening, Tom. Have my guests arrived yet?"
"We've arrived. We're in the private room I reserved for you, enjoying delicious food from the Leaky Cauldron... Mr. Weasley, what would you like?"
Tom eagerly led the way, asking questions as he went.
Vaughn's gaze swept over the filthy floor and the patina-covered bar counter, his expression unchanged: "I don't need it. You can ask Mr. Lupin."
Lupin didn't care. When he was down on his luck, he even rummaged through trash cans: "A glass of fire whiskey, please."
"No problem… Your name is Remus Lupin, right? Kid, I remember you!"
Lupin hadn't heard anyone call his child in a long time, so he could only manage a forced smile.
They went up to the second floor and led the two to a private room. Tom bowed and scraped as he retreated, saying, "Honorable guests, please wait a moment. The drinks will be served shortly."
Watching Tom leave, Lupin smirked, "In my memory, he wasn't usually this obsequious."
"That's the charm of Galleon, dear Remus. If you booked a private room all year round, he would be just as enthusiastic towards you."
"...You booked a private room?"
"Yes, it's to house your future team!"
Before Lupin could figure it out, Vaughn had already pushed open the door.
Inside the door, a dozen or so people were standing or sitting in a private room that looked quite spacious and luxurious, a stark contrast to the bar's dirty exterior, thanks to a spell that had been cast to prevent the bar from spreading.
Lupin glanced at it quickly.
Of the dozen or so people in the private room, he only recognized three. They were all werewolves: one was Barnal, the head of the London region; another was James Brown, the werewolf wizard from WAC; and the third was William White, the head of the Liverpool region.
These three can be considered veterans of WAC, and are the people with the closest relationship to Vaughn in the entire werewolf pack.
Especially Barnald Jr.
Hearing the door open, little Barnal looked up in surprise, rushed over, threw himself to the ground, and kissed Vaughn's robe.
"Greetings, sir!"
Lupin disliked Barnal, not because the boy was overly obsequious to Vaughn—in fact, many werewolves enjoyed kissing Vaughn's robes.
Vaughn saved the werewolves, and that was their way of expressing affection and respect; Lupin had no right to question their actions.
He disliked Barnal because the young werewolf was very aggressive and reckless.
He had a fanatical adoration for Vaughn, treating every word of Vaughn as gospel. As far as Lupin knew, Barnard Jr. even organized people in the Greater London area to read and study Vaughn's letters every day...
That's outrageous!
Correspondingly, Barnal Jr. also disliked Lupin, always feeling that Lupin didn't respect Vaughn enough.
After being kissed on the robe, having his hair affectionately ruffled by Vaughn, and then being helped up, little Barnal gave Lupin a veiled glare.
Lupin didn't want to argue with this naive teenager; he was observing 11 other strangers.
Until the night of the full moon, werewolves cannot perceive each other's identities before they transform, but Lupin is a wizard and can use magic to see auras.
In Lupin's view, there was no trace of magic or magical energy emanating from those 11 people.
They are Muggles!
This realization made Lupin's heart clench, and he couldn't help but look at William White.
If Lupin had to choose a reliable one from all the WAC regional heads, he would definitely choose William White.
This Muggle-born werewolf once had a fairly prominent career in Muggle society. If he hadn't been attacked by werewolves and infected with "werewolfism," he would most likely have entered the so-called upper class of Muggles and become one of the rule-makers.
Unfortunately, that's just a "what if".
The reality was that William White had to give up his status and wander around in humility, not even daring to see his family.
However, although he lost his status and position, William White's wisdom, insight, and experience remained, and he was also the most experienced manager in WAC.
Therefore, Vaughn entrusted him with the most important Liverpool region.
As England's leading export port and a former shipbuilding center, Liverpool has experienced a sharp decline in shipbuilding due to deindustrialization and other factors. However, it remains an important producer of industrial goods and has a thriving tourism industry.
With its excellent transportation links, access to all of Europe, and large influx of foreigners, Liverpool is a good place to work, a good place to hide, and has the geographical and political foundation to build an intelligence network.
In Lupin's mind, William White, who was in charge of the Liverpool region, was the most important person to be noticed and the person he wanted to win over.
In fact, the two exchanged views on the development of WAC cautiously through several letters.
That's why Lupin subconsciously looked at William White, trying to find out who these Muggles were... or rather, what Vaughn wanted to do with these Muggles.
To his surprise, William White did not respond to his gaze.
The middle-aged werewolf greeted Vaughn with a gentle smile: "Good evening, sir. I have brought these guests as you instructed. They all have extensive experience and resources in the precious metals industry in Muggle society."
With that, he led Vaughn to the group of people.
The eleven meticulously dressed Muggles looked somewhat bewildered. Vaughn's age and the fact that young Barnal had kissed Vaughn's robe left them exchanging bewildered glances.
Upon seeing William White usher Vaughn forward, a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, carrying a cane, frowned slightly: "Mr. White, what's going on? You said your boss wanted to discuss precious metals trading with us. Is your boss this...this kid?"
William White remained respectful and said gently, "Yes, Mr. Nye, this is my boss, Mr. Vaughn Weasley."
"absurd!"
"That's ridiculous. I didn't take the time out of my schedule to play house with kids."
"Mr. White, you have disappointed us greatly!"
The eleven Muggles were indignant. The middle-aged gentleman, referred to as "Mr. Nye," even picked up his cane and coat, ready to leave: "What a ridiculous prank, Mr. White. I only agreed to this meeting because of your past experience, but your behavior has humiliated me!"
But he didn't leave in the end.
He looked at the boy who had come up to him with a blank expression, and pulled a small wooden stick from his sleeve. Behind the boy, he heard a middle-aged man with scars on his face and a melancholy expression, named Remus Lupin, exclaim, "Vaughn, no—"
Then, he saw light and darkness...
Lupin had always known that Vaughn was an unconventional person, but he never imagined that the other party would use memory magic on 11 Muggles in front of him!
When he saw Vaughn draw his wand, he instinctively cried out and tried to stop him, but it was too late.
A silvery-gray light emanated from the tip of Vaughn's wand, like mist extending from the sky and engulfing the eleven Muggles in an instant.
In the mist, the expressions of the Muggles quickly changed from shock, astonishment, and fear to peace, and in just a moment, Lupin saw them smile.
That smile was content, warm, and joyful, yet it left his heart feeling icy cold.
"Mr. Weasley, we have seen the information you provided. It's an incredibly primitive financial system. The planning and use of currency seem to be stuck hundreds of years ago!"
"Yes, arbitrage trading is entirely possible. We have ample gold, silver, and copper. Of course, we will also need to authenticate the currency you use for trading to verify its precious metal content."
Under the influence of magic, these Muggles, who were just a moment ago clamoring about deception, disappointment, and indignation, suddenly seemed to receive a revelation and pushed the "discussion" and "negotiation" to the end.
Lupin stared blankly at everything as Vaughn took out several Galleons, Silver Sickles, and Bronze Nutters and handed them to the Muggles.
Watching those Muggles excitedly pull out their tiny tools and start testing the precious metal content of the currency felt so abrupt and surreal...
Lupin didn't know what to do.
He was a kind and law-abiding person. During his school years, he strictly followed Dumbledore's teachings and would hide in the Shrieking Shack every full moon night, enduring the pain and torment of transformation alone, until later his three friends learned Animagus in order to keep him company.
After graduation, he followed the call of friendship and conscience, joined the Order of the Phoenix, and fought to the death against the Death Eaters—it goes without saying that the period when Voldemort was rampant was a rare "good time" for the werewolves.
Although Voldemort himself looked down on werewolves, considering them livestock, the Death Eaters did not mind using werewolves to spread fear.
More than a decade ago, when Voldemort's power was at its peak, many werewolves joined the Dark Lord's ranks, burning, killing, and looting to unleash the anger and hatred that had accumulated over the years of abandonment and rejection.
But Lupin never intended to become a Death Eater. He was naturally inclined towards justice, longed for order and goodness, and had pure and simple values.
Therefore, after Voldemort's downfall, he refused Dumbledore's arrangement and became an unknown wanderer, far from people, enduring poverty and loneliness.
It wasn't that he willingly chose to do so, but rather that in his simple and pure values, upholding justice should not be mixed with self-interest, nor should it involve ignoring potential dangers and enjoying special privileges.
In every sense, Lupin is a law-abiding and good person.
However, in front of this good man, Vaughn brazenly disregarded the Secret Code and used memory magic to control 11 Muggles!
Watching these Muggles, whose cognition had been altered by memory magic, become enthusiastic and overjoyed.
Looking at this magical scene, Lupin felt as if he'd been electrocuted, his head spinning and tingling. Instinctively, he reached for his wand—
"Remus!"
A withered hand pressed down on Lupin's wand. Lupin turned his head and saw James Brown!
Both of his parents were werewolves and had never attended a magic school. After his magic awakened, he was fortunate enough to avoid becoming a werewolf wizard who died as an Obscurial thanks to his parents' guidance. He shook his head slightly at Lupin.
Following James's subtle glances, Lupin noticed that Barnald Jr. and William White were watching him closely.
They...are waiting for him to make a mistake!
Lupin felt a sudden chill in his heart.
He was certainly not afraid of Barnard Jr. and William White, those two guys didn't have magic; the coldness in his heart came from the human heart.
Lupin had always known that many werewolves didn't like him.
The reason is his "disrespect" for Vaughn. Over the past six months, Barnard Jr. has spoken ill of him in public more than once, saying that he is a traitor and doesn't know what's good for him.
Lupin never took the slander against Barnal seriously, nor did he care about the subtle dissatisfaction of the other werewolves.
Because he knew why he "disrespected" Vaughn, he hadn't forgotten that when he first joined the WAC, he was there to protect himself from Vaughn turning the WAC into a tool for private feuds.
He knew his intentions were good, and the werewolves would one day understand his good intentions.
This is his greatest psychological advantage in remaining calm in the face of slander.
But today, at this moment, Lupin suddenly wondered if Barnald Jr., William White, and those werewolves would one day truly understand his good intentions.
Just as he always believed, the werewolves recruited by WAC were all good people—this is beyond doubt; those who weren't good people wouldn't have exiled themselves and become wanderers.
But this very good man stood by and watched as Vaughn violated the Law of Secrecy and abused magic on Muggles without uttering a single word of objection!
Instead, they were watching his every move, seemingly waiting for him to attack Vaughn, waiting for him to cut off his own path to survival, and then... to take him down!
After being stopped by James Brown in his momentary impulse, Lupin regained his senses and felt a chill run down his spine.
He couldn't explain why they did it.
Jealous of Vaughn's high regard for him?
Is it simply that I don't like him?
Or... are they coveting the power he holds?
In the blink of an eye, many thoughts raced through Lu Ping's mind, many of which made him feel cold and desolate.
He didn't know when the two of them started to change; he only knew that in his heart, Little Banal was no longer the reckless young werewolf he had been six months ago.
William White was no longer the mature and wise gentleman whose elegance could not be concealed even in tattered clothes.
Of course, once reason returned to his mind, he knew even more that he was no match for Vaughn. Even if he took out his wand, he would most likely be crushed by Vaughn with ease!
Hesitating, wavering.
Lupin eventually put the wand back in his pocket.
Ahead, Vaughn, seemingly oblivious to everything, turned around "at the opportune moment" and waved to him: "Dear Remus, come here and see your future team, as well as Barnal and James, you guys come too."
Looking at Vaughn, who had a smile on his lips and no unusual expression, Lupin suddenly wondered, "Did he really not find anything?"
not necessarily!
The scene of meeting Vaughn today flashed through Lupin's mind.
The other party appeared at his home out of nowhere, without even giving prior notice, which was very abrupt.
Combining Vaughn's use of a spell to destroy his armor charm and "imprison" him—a move that could almost be described as a declaration of force—Lupin suddenly had a sudden realization.
Vaughn did it on purpose!
Vaughn was demonstrating his strength precisely so that this moment would allow him to clearly understand the gap in strength between the two sides, giving him a reason to "calm down" and avoid doing anything irrational!
Having realized this, Lupin was somewhat frustrated.
James patted his arm and pulled him over to Vaughn's side, and Barnald Jr. also came over.
Vaughn looked at the three of them and asked, "Do you know about Muggle arbitrage trading?"
Lupin didn't want to talk, but Barnal, as always, was quite excited in Vaughn's presence. He apologized loudly, "I'm sorry, sir, my self-taught Muggle knowledge doesn't include this part. I'm sorry to disappoint you!"
"Dear Barnal, no need to apologize. No one can understand all systems of knowledge. If you don't know something, you can learn it or consult professionals. That's why I asked William to find these 11 Muggle experts… Mr. Nye, could you explain this?"
The Muggle named Nighy took off his hat and bowed cheerfully: "It's my pleasure, Mr. Weasley."
His warm smile showed no trace of the arrogance and anger he had displayed moments before; instead, he appeared very gentle and patient. He said, "Arbitrage trading, as the name suggests, is a trading method that takes advantage of the interest rate differences between different regions to transfer funds from regions with lower interest rates to regions with higher interest rates in order to obtain the difference in profit."
"Let's use a real example, such as the currency system of your magical world."
Mr. Nye took out two magical currencies that Vaughn had just given them: one gold Galleon and one silver Sickle.
"To be honest, Mr. Weasley, given the monetary structure of your magical world, it's a waste of your talents to have us do arbitrage trading, because it's too rudimentary and the market capacity is too small."
In memory magic, if the caster does not specifically modify their personality, the person under the spell will basically act according to their own personality.
Mr. Nye's personality didn't seem very good. He casually made a "belittling" remark, but under Vaughn's smile and little Barnal's annoyed look, he continued, "We just tested them, and these coins are all made of real gold and silver. The face value has almost no credit content. They are classified entirely according to the corresponding metal values in your magical world."
"In other words, the face value of this Galleon and this Silver Sickle is almost equivalent to the price of gold and silver in the magical world."
"1 Galleon = 17 Sickles, this is both the currency exchange rate and the gold-silver exchange ratio..."
At this point, Mr. Nye looked at Lupin, then at James, then at Barnald Jr.: "Gold is 17 times the price of silver, I can say that, right?"
The three werewolves looked at each other, wondering if the problem was obvious.
Mr. Nye seemed to have also learned about the "ignorance" of the magical world from the memories transmitted by memory magic, and he showed great patience: "Mr. Lupin, as far as I know, you have done some research on the financial situation of the magical world."
This "as far as I know" is clearly also a memory that Vaughn weaves and transmits.
Because Lupin had recently told Vaughn that he had specifically looked into the financial structure of the wizarding world, he glanced at Vaughn, said nothing, and simply nodded.
"Let's take an example. Now, if I use the pounds we have to buy a batch of silver from the Muggle world and then transport it to Gringotts, can we exchange it for an equivalent amount of silver sieko from the goblins?"
When faced with such a practical issue, Lupin could no longer remain silent. He thought for a moment and said, "It can be exchanged. Elves have a crazy love for precious metals, especially gold and silver. However, they are very greedy and will demand that you pay a seigniorage."
"So, what is this tax rate?"
"15%!" Lupin said, shrugging. "I told you, fairies are greedy."
But Mr. Nye didn't seem to care. He continued, "If I were to ask to exchange the silver for an equivalent amount of Galleons at a ratio of 17:1, would that be possible?"
"Of course, as long as you pay the seigniorage."
Snap!
Mr. Nye clapped his hands, laughing with a mixture of enthusiasm and contempt. "Very good, Mr. Lupin. Greed is normal. From an arbitrage trading perspective, we like the goblins' greed. As long as we can successfully exchange silver for Galleons at a ratio of 17:1, a 15% seigniorage is perfectly acceptable… Gentlemen, do you know what the gold-silver ratio is in our Muggle society?"
Before the two could answer, he excitedly exclaimed, "80 times! Gentlemen, a full 80 times (historical international gold-silver ratio, specific data for England in 1992 could not be found)!"
At Mr. Nye's excited shouts, Barnald Jr., Lupin, and even James Brown held their breath.
Having said that, they understood what Ney meant.
It is obvious that the value of gold and silver in the wizarding world is different from that in Muggle society.
Arbitrage, in this context, refers to profiting from the price difference between the magical world and Muggle society, where their economies are independent and the value of equivalent goods differs significantly.
"How easy it is, gentlemen! We can exchange 1 Galleon of gold for 80 silver shicos in Muggle society, then exchange that silver for Galleons again in Muggle society for even more silver... Gentlemen, it won't take long, just a week, for us to empty Gringotts!"
The three werewolves were caught in a clash of ideas, their expressions dazed.
Vaughn then led William White out of the private room.
William, who had a glorious past and was once an elite student at a prestigious university, knew about this arbitrage method that had long been used to death in the Muggle world, even though he was not a finance major.
However, he was also surprised when he first learned about Project Vaughn.
According to his understanding, wizards are actually indifferent to everything in Muggle society. Vaughn is the first "outlier" he has ever met who uses financial means.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, have you ever considered that the fairies might eventually understand the drawbacks of this arbitrage and then restrict the exchange of gold and silver?"
Vaughn chuckled and countered, "Do you think fairies can resist their love for gold and silver?"
"Well..."
Having lived in the wizarding world for many years, even though he spent most of his time in seclusion, William had gained a sufficient understanding of it, even through newspapers and magazines alone.
Fairies, of course, cannot suppress their love for precious metals.
Throughout history, those guys would rather be deprived of the right to use their wands than not have gold, silver and money in their hands; they were the epitome of money-grubbing.
"In their eyes, precious metals are not like pounds; they have value, and a high value at that. So even if they discover them, they will only ask for a share, and will not consider restricting the exchange of gold and silver."
William asked instinctively, "So, would you share the profits with them?"
Vaughn shrugged: "Maybe, who knows? It depends on the goblins' attitude. If they're reasonable, we might be able to give them a little something, but if they're not so sensible... then unfortunately, according to the Secrets Act, magical creatures like goblins are not allowed to have contact with Muggles, and the right to trade precious metals can only be held by wizards!"
Since he was going to engage in arbitrage, Vaughn certainly wouldn't be unprepared.
Arbitrage trading is a simple business model; its success depends entirely on the channels and resources available.
As a wizard, Vaughn naturally had few connections in Muggle society.
However, memory magic can rapidly expand his network of connections!
As for the magical world, there's no need to worry. Vaughn considers himself somewhat famous and a member of the Wizengamot, so dealing with mere fairies shouldn't be a problem.
Even if his prestige can't suppress the goblins... isn't there still Dumbledore?
In faraway Devonshire, Dumbledore, who was visiting an old friend, suddenly sneezed.
The loud noise startled a withered, emaciated old man beside him, making him jump.
With a snap, the old man's brittle bones dislocated.
"Hiss—Merlin—"
"Sorry, Nico, I think I've caught a bit of a cold. Are you alright? Let me see."
"Snap!"
"Oh—it's broken, it's broken..."
Chapter 126 Ambitious Man
Vaughn Weasley was an ambitious man.
William had known this fact for a long time.
Having once been a part of the world of fame and fortune, he saw through the boy's ambition the first time he heard that Vaughn wanted to form WAC.
But William didn't care.
Or rather, given his and the werewolf wanderers' circumstances at the time, what other choices did they have?
Whatever Vaughn Weasley's ultimate goal may be, at least he was willing to develop wolf poison for the werewolves and give them a stable life with dignity, just like humans!
This is more important than anything else.
Besides, Vaughn is a genius.
A genius potions master, and even more so, a genius wizard!
It is not unacceptable to serve a wizard whose power has been attributed to him.
After asking his questions about arbitrage trading, William fell silent. He knew that Vaughn had brought him out most likely to give him instructions.
Sure enough, Vaughn led him to another private room, casually waving his hand. Without a spell or a wand, a barrier-like magic appeared in William's perception, which was enhanced by the werewolf curse. It enveloped the room, preventing sound from being transmitted.
William subconsciously compared Vaughn's magic to that of other werewolf wizards he had seen.
Then, his attitude became even more respectful.
After waiting a moment, he heard Vaughn say, "Next, Remus, Barnal, and James will be in charge of leading those Muggles in the precious metals business, and you, I'll give you a sum of Galleons. Use that money to buy some werewolves and vampires for me on the black market."
Such a despicable term as human trafficking is now being uttered openly by the boy in front of us.
If it were Lupin, he would be terrified and try his best to stop it.
But William remained unfazed and calmly asked, "Sir, are there any specific requirements?"
Vaughn remained calm: "Werewolves need to be physically strong. Next, I will begin research on the second version of the wolfsbane potion. I will need enough test subjects. The related experiments may be quite intense, and I'm afraid the test subjects won't be able to withstand it. Therefore, it's best to have a large number of them."
"We can offer bounties to black wizards to capture Greyback's men, or we can smuggle them from abroad. There are no restrictions on the channels. Of course, it's best to capture those with bad reputations."
In other words, if there really aren't enough test subjects, ordinary werewolves from abroad are not out of the question.
William silently noted down the request and nodded: "I understand. What about vampires?"
Vaughn paced back and forth, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he asked William, "Where do you think werewolves currently stand in the world?"
William paused for a moment, hesitated, and then said truthfully, "Loneliness, exclusion, whether in Muggle society or the wizarding world, they belong to the marginalized group that no one cares about."
This is common sense; he doesn't understand why Vaughn is asking this.
Then he saw Vaughn shake his head: "No, in my opinion, werewolves have great potential!"
"…Uh, sir…"
Seeing William hesitate, Vaughn raised his hand: "I'm not referring to your combat abilities, nor am I hoping that I can develop a better wolfsbane potion in the future so that they can control their transformations. I'm referring to another characteristic of yours—your ability to sense magic!"
Snap!
Vaughn snapped his fingers, and ripples of magical energy slowly spread through the air.
William's gaze followed the ripples as Vaughn continued, "As a pack, werewolves must find their place if they want to survive better; that is, you must demonstrate your value!"
Vaughn wouldn't have said that to other werewolves, but William was different. He was once an elite among Muggles and had enough knowledge and wisdom to stay rational and weigh the pros and cons.
"The world today is a binary opposition between the wizarding world and Muggles. In my opinion, such a world is divided. The two groups that rule the world have split into two parallel lines since the end of the 17th century... William, don't you think there's a problem with this approach?"
As Vaughn shook his finger, watching it create ripples in the air, he was lost in thought and said, "Wizards have amazing magic. They can make wheat fields sprout, grow, ripen, and bear fruit overnight. They can make vegetables as big as houses. In the wizarding world, there is never any hunger."
"Muggle society, on the other hand, has a large population. As someone who has done business before, you should understand that population is roughly equivalent to market size. Only a sufficient population can support a sufficient market size, and a sufficient market size can also accommodate more 'labor force'!"
"The reason why werewolves are currently a surplus of labor and unable to create value is because the magic world is too small to accommodate you—not only because of the fear of werewolfism, but also because the magic world's productivity has been in a state of overflow due to the effects of magic, while its consumption capacity has not changed much. It simply cannot absorb the output. For the magic world, your existence is superfluous!"
"I've been thinking, why can't the wizards' surplus productivity be dumped on Muggles? Of course, this idea has many problems, the most typical being that many magical items are simply unusable by Muggles, such as most potions!"
William watched Vaughn pace back and forth, expressing his thoughts, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Based on what he had heard about the werewolf's characteristics, he had a vague idea of what Vaughn was planning. He wiped his sweat as he listened to Vaughn say, "...This problem is troubling me—how can I make magic benefit more people?"
As he spoke, his smile brightened: "I started seeking answers when I was 8 years old. Until last year when I developed the wolf poison, I truly understood the essence of wolfification and the werewolf virus... It's amazing how a blood curse, which was born countless years ago and exists in the form of a virus, brings pain but also endows werewolves with a faint magic."
"Even with just a tiny bit of magic, werewolves are different from Muggles. While it can't make werewolves cast spells, it can at least allow them to use potions and alchemical tools!"
"And to achieve this magical change, all you need to do is be bitten by a werewolf... William, if all Muggles turned into werewolves, then..."
William's face turned pale. He looked at Vaughn with barely suppressed fear in his eyes. This was the first time he had ever felt that the boy in front of him was so crazy.
It's not the kind of fanaticism or madness, but the kind of madness that is so extreme that it is immersing oneself in one's own imagination, ignoring rules and order, taking only gains and losses as the basis, and being extremely rational and indifferent!
He dared not listen silently any longer and quickly spoke up to remind him, "Sir, the secrecy law, the secrecy law!"
"..."
Vaughn stopped and turned to look at William, seemingly annoyed by the interruption, or perhaps deep in thought. After a moment, he smiled.
"Sorry, just kidding. Of course I won't allow the werewolves to spread unchecked, at least not until I figure out the werewolf virus."
"..."
Fear... that was William's feeling.
Vaughn knew he had lost his composure.
Exploring the mysteries of magic is a massive undertaking, and to accomplish it, he needs to transform the world into his ideal form.
He came up with many ideas for this, ideas that he couldn't usually share with others.
He understood that ordinary people might not be able to accept some of his ideas, so he never confided in them to avoid causing trouble for each other.
I had just relaxed a little, but because I had arranged for William to do the dirty work of buying and selling people, I couldn't help but say a little more.
Seeing William's pale face, Vaughn chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I was just kidding. Right now, I'm mainly focused on research. I asked you to buy vampires for research purposes. According to legends, vampires and werewolves are infected in almost the same way, mostly a combination of viruses and curses... By the way, have you ever seen a vampire?"
William secretly wiped away his sweat and shook his head: "No, they are rarely seen in England. I've inquired about it before out of curiosity. It's said that vampires are mainly concentrated in the Balkans, Central Europe, and other Slavic regions."
This is similar to what Vaughn knew; vampires are indeed rare in England.
"Keep this task in mind. Observe more and find some reputable dark wizard groups…" Vaughn paused. Are there any reputable dark wizard groups?
He sighed, "Anyway, try to catch some for me."
He began to wonder if he should take some time to visit the Balkans.
After all, that place is a gathering place for black magic and black wizards. The magical creatures that are transformed from humans, such as werewolves and vampires, seem to have their origins in that place.
Perhaps in ancient times, the entire Balkan region was a large testing ground for black wizards?
While Vaughn pondered, William had already quickly jotted down his request. After thinking for a moment, Vaughn waved his hand and said, "That's settled then!"
Upon hearing this, William breathed a slight sigh of relief. The poor middle-aged werewolf had just been terrified by his boss and hadn't recovered yet.
"Yes, sir, I will arrange it as soon as possible."
He turned to leave, but Vaughn called out to him, "Wait a minute!"
William felt himself sweating again, and he forced a groan from his throat: "Sir?"
Fortunately, this time Vaughn didn't say anything shocking. He simply instructed, "When you get back, have a private talk with the other regional heads and have them internally agree on a list of committee members to submit to me."
William breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the maddening idea of turning all humans into werewolves, this dark and cryptic instruction seemed so pure and innocent.
"Okay, sir, I will submit it to you in a week."
A week is William's precise estimate of the timeframe. The WAC is a newly established organization, and the list of committee members is based more on the individual abilities and intentions of each selected werewolf. There aren't many exchanges of benefits yet; otherwise, it would probably take several months of arguing before the final decision is made.
Vaughn understood and had no objections, only giving the final instruction: "At the first general meeting in July, I will be running for WAC president. Remember to inform everyone."
"Yes!" William replied calmly.
This is only natural; even if Vaughn hadn't mentioned it, the werewolves wouldn't have allowed a stranger to take the position of WAC president.
...
Lupin didn't know what expression to make.
For several tens of minutes, he, Barnald Jr., and James listened to Mr. Nye's explanation, and the various financial operations of Muggles broadened their horizons.
For the first time in my life, I've discovered... how "easy" it is to make money!
Hearing this made his heart pound, and he felt a sense of emptiness.
He didn't know if those things would actually work, but at least they sounded reasonable and complicated.
Lupin has lived for over thirty years. He may not know much in other areas, but his bumpy life has given him enough experience of being bullied—the more complex something is, the easier it is to deceive people!
He certainly wasn't worried about being deceived, after all, these 11 Muggles were already under Vaughn's memory magic control, and with Vaughn's strength, they had virtually no chance of breaking free.
This left Lupin feeling quite uneasy.
It is certainly wrong to abuse magic on Muggles, but...
Lupin looked down at the profit figures shown on the precious metals trading plan made by the 11 Muggle experts, recorded on the Muggle paper in his hand, and his heart was filled with hesitation.
He didn't notice when Vaughn and William left, and he didn't pay attention when they returned.
My whole brain was in chaos, with two little figures, one black and one white, engaged in a fierce battle.
Black Man: "With this revenue, WAC will have a source of income and will no longer be held hostage by Vaughn Weasley's loans. Every werewolf will no longer have to worry about funding for wolfsbane potion. Everyone can finally live freely and with dignity. What are you waiting for? Let's get started!"
White Little Man: Okay, okay!
"..."
Lupin covered his head, ashamed of his temptation and depravity, but... there was just too much money, and he couldn't refuse it to satisfy his sense of justice!
A shadow appeared in front of him.
Lupin looked up and saw Vaughn, who had returned sometime earlier, standing in front of him, looking down at him: "Remus, have you made up your mind?"
"…I've thought it through." Lupin found his voice frighteningly hoarse, but his answer was unwavering: "I will lead this team with Barnald Jr., and ensure the success of the deal!"
He knew that he had completely changed when he said those words.
But he doesn't regret it.
This is all for the werewolves...
...
Everyone has weaknesses.
The art of employing people isn't actually that complicated. As long as you can discover their weaknesses, exploit them, and turn their softest spot into a rein, then anyone can be used by you.
Vaughn had always known that Lupin was a very righteous person and disapproved of him.
But he never suppressed or alienated Lupin because of this.
He has the magnanimity to accommodate dissidents because he knows he has the ability to tame them, not through violence or force, but by guiding them onto the right path.
For Lupin, the right path was to give werewolves survival and dignity.
This is also Vaughn's goal, although for Vaughn, werewolves are just a scenery along his infinitely long road that he will never stop for!
Seeing Lupin looking somewhat dejected after agreeing to the task he had assigned, Vaughn smiled.
He knew that this righteous werewolf wizard had begun to succumb.
This also means that he can take on more important tasks.
Vaughn handed Lupin a list: "The recruitment of clerks isn't going too well, is it? These are some graduates who volunteered to work at WAC. At the end of the month, make arrangements for them to host a campus recruitment fair at Hogwarts. I'll arrange for reporters to cover it."
Lupin took the list, looked at the row of "Slytherin" names, and his expression didn't change.
It wasn't until he saw "Hermione Granger, Gryffindor, First Year" that he frowned in surprise: "This..."
"Oh, that's my girlfriend. She's coming here for an extracurricular activity. Be careful not to pay her a salary."
Lupin: "..."
Vaughn returned to Hogwarts late at night.
They walked to Professor McGonagall's fireplace again. The vice-principal, her face stern, glared at Vaughn as he emerged from a burst of green flames: "Mr. Weasley, how many more days off do you intend to take in the next three weeks?"
Vaughn respected the professor and sincerely promised, "I won't take any more leave, Professor. I promise to attend classes and study diligently, and strive to get first place in the promotion exam."
Professor McGonagall snorted. "The last time you and Albus tricked me out of school, you looked just as sincere as you are now!"
She was referring to how, a little over a week ago, Vaughn and Dumbledore tricked her into leaving Hogwarts to ensure the trial could proceed smoothly.
After the trial, Dumbledore revealed the entire plan to her.
In any case, she was the vice-principal of Hogwarts. She could use the excuse of avoiding leaks to keep the news from her beforehand, but she could no longer hide it afterward.
Especially since Professor Quirrell was parasitized by the Dark Lord and nearly killed students at the school, the subsequent handling of these matters, such as appeasing the Quirrell family, required her, the vice principal, to step in.
Professor McGonagall was initially very unhappy about this, both because the two of them kept it from her and put Harry in danger, and because she was left to clean up the mess they made.
Vaughn promptly shifted the blame: "That was all Albus's doing."
"But Albus said it was you!" Professor McGonagall's expression was stern, trying to find any trace of a lie on Vaughn's face.
But she was disappointed; the boy's expression was as impeccable as that of a white-bearded old man, filled with doubt and helplessness.
"Professor, that's Albus Dumbledore. Do you think he could be someone I'm directing?"
"..." Professor McGonagall choked for a moment, then realized how true that was. "But Albus said that you thought I would help Mr. Potter, so you asked me to be tricked into going with you!"
Vaughn did not deny this, but instead flattered him without batting an eye, saying, "That's because in my mind, you have always been an upright, strict, and responsible person."
Professor McGonagall blushed slightly, her previously aggressive tone becoming dry: "...Not really... I mean, I am sometimes a bit strict, but it's all for your own good..."
Vaughn nodded repeatedly: "Of course I know. You care about every student in the school and would never allow a student to be put in danger, even if Albus and I are watching over them."
The vice-principal's expression softened further, and her inner thoughts began to lean towards Vaughn's words: "Since you know this, you shouldn't be playing along with Albus's nonsense, dear. I've always admired your maturity and composure."
"Yes, I'm sorry, Professor, but you've worked with the headmaster for decades, so you should know how stubborn and domineering he is. As a mere student, I simply couldn't go against him. Albus shifted the blame onto me. You can understand how I could possibly command a legendary wizard like him."
Well-reasoned and supported by evidence!
Professor McGonagall's thin lips pressed tightly together, her inner balance completely tipped: "Alright, I really shouldn't have listened to Dumbledore's one-sided story... I'm sorry, child. Go back and study. If something like this happens again, you can come directly to me, and I'll help you communicate with Dumbledore!"
"Thank you, Professor."
Perfect pass!
The vice-principal was so angry that she started calling out "Dumbledore," hoping that old Dumbledore would be more sensible and stop "smearing" others so casually. Otherwise, Vaughn wouldn't mind playing the victim in front of Professor McGonagall again!
With light steps, Vaughn walked out of the vice-principal's office. He didn't return to Slytherin, nor did he go to Gryffindor to find his girlfriend. Instead, he went to Ravenclaw, which he hadn't visited in a long time.
These days he's been busy with studying, Quidditch, trials and experimental plans, and recovering from his injuries, so he hasn't visited Ravenclaw Tower in a long time.
He easily answered the question from the bronze eagle door knocker, walked into the tower, breathed in the faint fragrance in the air, and listened to the little witches' low gasps of surprise mixed with joy in the common room.
Vaughn was in a good mood.
Sure enough, the girls were as enthusiastic as ever. Just look at their fiery eyes! They must have missed him and fruit tea so much after not seeing him for so long!
Unfortunately, we forgot to bring fruit tea when we came. Without it, how will the little witches cope with their longing?
As Vaughn was overwhelmed by the sudden burst of lively chatter from the Eagle School, he thought with distress…
...
Late at night, the lights in the Gryffindor common room were still on.
Hogwarts' curfew rules only apply to the castle area outside each house. Inside the house towers, there are no rules about turning off the lights or what time to go to bed.
This is partly due to the school's lack of sufficient staff for management, and partly because Hogwarts has a relatively relaxed academic atmosphere.
Harry used to enjoy this relaxed management style, but recently he has started to feel miserable.
Because he discovered that Hogwarts was only lenient in its academic atmosphere, but its exams were anything but lenient. If Harry did terribly on the promotion exams in three weeks, he believed the school would definitely make him repeat the year!
Under the flickering light of the brazier embedded in the wall, the books piled up on the desk almost overwhelmed Harry, the savior painfully swimming in an ocean of knowledge.
These books were part of Hermione's study plan for him—this afternoon, Harry, carrying his quiz paper, finally managed to corner Hermione and beg his academically gifted friend to help him salvage his dismal grades.
Hermione scolded him and Ron for their laxity, then, in a fit of pique, assigned them a whole bunch of things.
According to the girl's original plan, she just wanted to punish them.
But to her surprise, for the entire afternoon, apart from physical needs such as eating and using the restroom, Harry's eyes were almost constantly on the book, and the scratching sound of his quill pen writing on the parchment was almost constant.
He's like a completely different person.
Even Ron, who is usually playful, showed great patience and perseverance. At this moment, Ron was sitting next to Harry, with books and parchment piled up in front of him as high as Harry's desk.
Even his dazed and confused expression, tormented by the ocean of knowledge, was exactly like Harry's.
After finishing a thick book, Hermione realized it was getting late and was preparing to go back to her dorm to rest when she looked at her two friends and asked, "Aren't you two going to rest yet?"
"Let's talk about it after we've finished reviewing this lesson!"
"Wait until I finish writing this paper."
The words that would never normally come out of Ron and Harry's mouths made Hermione feel like it was magical: "What's wrong with you two today? Why are you being so diligent?"
"Didn't you see it? Our quiz scores!"
Hermione didn't take it seriously: "Isn't that normal? I reminded you two when you were bragging together every day a few days ago."
Based on her experience, Harry and Ron would never mistake her for someone else.
But today is different.
"We already know we were wrong, that's why we're determined to make amends!"
"Thank you, Hermione, you've been a huge help!"
Hermione: "..."
She suddenly had a strong urge to cast a spell to check if these two guys were under some kind of dark magic, like a soul-stealing curse.
Harry and Ron weren't just putting on an act.
They knew Hermione's study plan was a bit excessive, but the two still forced themselves to try to complete it.
They gave different, but essentially similar, answers to Hermione's questions!
"We don't want to repeat a grade, no, not only that, we want to do better!"
"Why?"
Harry, who was writing furiously on parchment, paused upon hearing this and looked at Hermione earnestly: "Hermione, what do you think of my performance in the world of the painting? Don't talk about courage, just talk about my performance with magic!"
Ah, this...
Hermione tried to recall for a moment, then said tactfully, "You didn't use any magic at all, Harry."
"Yes!" Harry said blankly. "In fact, back in the picture world, I already regretted not paying attention in class and not learning more spells."
"I know I have flaws in my personality. I'm playful and carefree. These have always been there and haven't improved. The past week was proof of that. I was immersed in the sense of accomplishment that the 'trial' brought me and in the stories that Vaughn told my parents… Fortunately, today's quiz served as a wake-up call, reminding me of how helpless I felt when I faced Voldemort in the world of the painting… how helpless I felt when I faced the mysterious man!"
"Me too."
Ron, standing to the side, added, "You all probably already know, right? Although I've been trying to hide it and didn't want to reveal it, you should all know that after I left Chessboard Town, I was teleported to Nobeta's side. That wretched fire dragon humiliated me terribly. It flicked my head, forced me to clean its scales, rinse its mouth, roast meat, and scoop its poop..."
"etc."
Harry interrupted Ron, "You shovel Noberta's poop? I've wanted to ask you that for a while now, is dragon poop really that poisonous? Why are you all swollen?"
Hermione also looked over curiously. In the books she had read, it seemed that if one only came into contact with a small amount of dragon dung, it wouldn't have such a strong effect.
Thanks to Hagrid's big mouth, everyone now knows that Ron's previous swelling was due to contact with dragon dung.
Ron blushed and stammered, "It's nothing... I didn't want to, but there were no tools there... Nobeta has been there for who knows how long, and no one has cleaned it up, so I had no choice but to..."
He looked at his hands and smiled sheepishly.
Hermione and Harry realized what was happening, and their faces turned green!
"Ronald Weasley, you're disgusting!"
"I had no choice. You have no idea how terrifying it is to face a furious fire dragon up close. I didn't know it was just a trial at the time, otherwise I would have preferred to die rather than comply. Do you know how many times I washed my hands after I came out?"
"Enough, stop talking!"
Hermione scolded, glaring disdainfully at her two friends: "You two, one of you got crushed by your mortal enemy, and as soon as it was over, you became arrogant and lax for over a week, only thinking about cramming at the last minute. The other one is even more outrageous, because of dragon dung..."
"That's not a nice way to put it, Hermione. You should say it's because I was humiliated by the dragon."
"What's the difference? You seem quite willing, Ronald. Otherwise, why did you only start thinking about working hard after the test?"
The little girl launched into a tirade against the two of them.
In the past, Ron would have definitely argued with her, and Harry would most likely have given her the silent treatment for a few days, and then one day he would suddenly feel guilty, apologize, and make up.
But today, Harry and Ron behaved themselves, and all of this was observed by a white-bearded old man hiding behind the magic in a corner.
He watched with satisfaction as Harry and Ron curbed their mischievous nature and diligently studied their lessons.
After Hermione launched into a tirade, she went to great lengths to answer all sorts of questions for the two academically challenged students.
The trial is indeed over. After this experience, he doesn't plan to go through it again, because it's pointless.
However, the assessment of Harry's character will likely continue for some time.
This investigation is no longer limited to Harry, but also includes Hermione and Ron.
"Their fates are intertwined; they rise and fall together!" Dumbledore watched quietly, then lowered his head and said softly, "But at the same time, Hermione and Ron's fates are also closely tied to your master's. What choice will he make?"
At his feet, Guoguocha squatted on the ground, staring intently at him.
Cats, of course, cannot speak.
But Dumbledore knew that the cat could understand what he was saying and would even report his whereabouts to Vaughn.
His enchanted eyes saw a faint, white mist floating around the cat, Vaughn's signature personification suit.
However, things are different. Several months have passed since the last time we saw Vaughn cast this spell, and no one knows how much he has improved.
Dumbledore's gaze was somewhat profound.
Vaughn has grown up so fast that no one has realized it. Thinking of the conversation when he visited his old friend in Devon, Old Deng pinched the bridge of his nose.
Meow~
Fruit Tea wagged its tail and nudged him with its paw.
Dumbledore was taken aback: "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Meow!" Fruit Tea responded, licking a melon seed, its vertical pupils glancing at his beard with ill intent.
Dumbledore: "..."
snort!
It truly resembles its owner!
A legendary wizard like Dumbledore would not stoop to the level of a pet. Seeing the trio continuing their studies peacefully, Dumbledore left the Gryffindor tower and, like a ghost, silently arrived at Ravenclaw.