Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 65 Werewolf Wanderer

It was another morning in the basement.

Gray skylight streamed in through the skylight, and shadows of snow danced outside.

Vaughn lay on a laboratory table. Several desk lamps focused their light in front of his eyes, which was then gathered by magic and spread evenly, like a ball of viscous liquid.

Densely packed but orderly glass slides are floating around.

The scarlet blood in the glass slide shimmered like a gem, and occasionally a magical halo flowed through.

"Specimen No. 763!"

As Vaughan muttered to himself, a glass slide floated to the side of the microscope, and No. 762 automatically withdrew, allowing it to take over under the objective lens.

Time passed in this boring way as he verified each specimen. When Vaughn stood up to stretch his joints due to back pain, it was already dawn.

After rubbing his rumbling stomach, Vaughn didn't insist any longer. He pulled out his wand and waved it. A box on the lab table opened, and the floating glass slides around it were automatically collected into it. The microscope stretched out its hands and feet to cover itself with a dust cloth.

With a snap of Vaughan's fingers, wool sweaters, jackets and velvet suits flew out from the hangers in the corner.

His lab coat automatically fell off and he stuffed himself into the laundry bin next to him.

Regular clothes rushed in and were put on him, and the intimate irons jumped up and rotated around him up and down, as if looking for wrinkles.

This is the magic of this house.

Vaughn covered his mouth and yawned, muttering, "The professor really knows how to enjoy himself..."

He was currently at Snape's home, located at 19 Spinner's End, in a remote suburb of the remote town of Cokeworth.

As the name of the town suggests, it belongs to Muggles (Coke means coke, representing industry). Looking out from the narrow skylight above the basement, you can see a huge chimney standing in the distance, overlooking the entire town.

After packing up his things, Vaughn walked out of the basement.

There was no spacious and warm living room, or hospitable host. When Vaughn pushed open the basement door and walked up, he could only see a small room.

There was a circle of candles lit in the lamps hanging from the ceiling, but their dim light did not bring much brightness. In the dim candlelight, the four walls of the small room were filled with books, which made it even more crowded.

The small space left could barely fit an old sofa, an old recliner, and a rickety table.

All the furnishings give people a feeling of being shabby, dark and depressing, without anything that can make people happy.

Just like Snape, who was sitting on the fluffy sofa at this moment, with empty eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

Vaughn, unfazed, waved, "Hey, Professor, have you had breakfast?"

Snape's hollow eyes lit up, as if he had escaped from his thoughts. He glanced at Vaughn and responded to his energy with a cold, "No!"

"So you didn't cook? Great, give me some pounds, Professor, and I'll eat out!"

Snape: "..."

The dull atmosphere in the room suddenly became more lively. Snape fumbled in his pocket with a stiff face for a long time before finally finding a crumpled five-pound note.

"The last one—"

"You can't do that, Professor. Living in a Muggle community, how can you not always have some Muggle currency? Christmas is still two days away. Are we going to eat dirt tonight?"

Seeing Vaughn taking away his money while nagging and complaining, Snape almost couldn't help but pull out his wand.

Of course there was food stored in the house. Normally, he couldn't spend all the dozens of pounds he exchanged every time he came back.

But ever since he cooked a meal for Vaughan the day before yesterday, this hateful guy began to dislike him.

The pounds he had exchanged in the summer also began to shrink rapidly.

"Shut up!"

"Okay...By the way, Professor, I'm going to the warehouse to check on the werewolves, so you don't have to make my lunch. Of course, if you'd like to eat out, remember to let me know."

"roll!"

Vaughn said goodbye to Snape, who was about to lose control, with a smile, walked out of the room, and wandered around this remote and dilapidated town with his hands in his pockets.

The industry that was once the lifeblood of Muggles had withered in the 90s due to England's economic transformation. Naturally, this small town named after coke became a tear of the times.

If it were spring or summer, perhaps there would still be some vitality, but now in the middle of winter, several feet of snow made the not-so-spacious streets seem empty.

Rows of dilapidated brick buildings, their dark windows as lifeless as Snape's eyes.

The winding river that runs through the town is so dirty that even ice and snow cannot wash away its dirtiness. Dead weeds hang desolately on both sides of the river, piles of garbage are piled on the river bank, and the air is filled with a pungent smell.

"Is this where Snape and the Evans sisters grew up?"

Vaughan shook his head. He remembered Cokeworth. A long time ago, young Snape met Lily Evans by the pond near this town.

That must have been the happiest moment in Snape's life...

After all, he had a Muggle father with a bad temper and a tendency to domestic violence. Snape's pure-blood ideals might have been formed when he was a child - his mother, Eileen Prince, was from the Prince family and was a genuine pure-blood, and his father hated this.

No one knows why a pure-blood witch would marry a bad-tempered Muggle, but there is no doubt that their relationship eventually broke down and they took out their resentment on each other and their children.

During the few days Vaughn stayed in the cabin, he didn't see any family photos.

Obviously, the trauma of his childhood has not yet disappeared from Snape's heart. Since his return, he has become more and more depressed, often sitting on the sofa in a daze.

That's not a healthy mentality, and Vaughn feels he should make him more "lively."

Vaughan happily shook the 5 pounds in his hand and walked a long way to a restaurant, which was also the only place in the town that served breakfast.

After buying a cup of coffee, a sausage sandwich and an omelet and eating them slowly, Vaughn came to an almost abandoned warehouse on the other side of the town.

The town's nearly bankrupt industry has long been unable to afford to rent here.

Vaughan rented one of the buildings to temporarily house his experimental subjects. The only thing he had to worry about was being disturbed by Muggles.

Because there is not even a gatekeeper here.

He walked through the open gate of the warehouse area and came to the warehouse he rented.

Vaughan saw a few Muggle ruffian teenagers wandering around outside the warehouse in a daze.

Under the combined effects of the Safeguard, Exorcism and Confusion spells, these Muggles could neither approach nor leave the warehouse.

This is to prevent them from spreading any strange ghost stories.

Vaughn gave each of them false memories before letting them leave.

Entering the warehouse, Vaughn turned on the light and looked at the seven remaining werewolves in the empty warehouse. He smiled and asked, "Did everyone rest well last night?"

The strong light stimulated his eyes, which had already adapted to the light. A middle-aged man dressed as a homeless man, who was closest to the door, stood up and said with a wry smile:

“Not bad, at least he’s still alive…” Like the others around him, he was destitute.

The windbreaker, which had been worn for who knows how long and had faded and frayed edges, had more than ten patches on it, but it was still considered neat.

Ever since Vaughn had used up all of Greyback's other eight lackeys the day before yesterday, and brought the remaining seven stray werewolves here, and gave them limited freedom.

The middle-aged man began to take care of himself carefully, trying to make himself look like a human being, not an animal!
His eyes were no longer as numb as they were at the beginning.

Because, through these days of getting along, he has already understood what Vaughn is doing——

Vaughan never hid anything from them when he chatted with Snape.

He bowed his head slightly. "Greetings, Mr. Weasley."

Following William White, the other wanderers greeted Vaughan one by one, and their eyes lit up like William White's.

Vaughn observed the change in attitude of these homeless people with a smile, "Gentlemen, have you completed the forms I asked you to fill out yesterday?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, it's all here."

William brought over a stack of forms and handed them to Vaughn with both hands.

The form wasn't complicated; it just required them to fill out their biography and personal information. Vaughn flipped through it casually and said, "Um... Mr. White, are you a Muggle?"

"Yes, five years ago, on a full-moon night, I was attacked and infected by a werewolf on my way home from get off work..." William White said, with pain appearing on his thin face.

"Well, you said on the form that you have a wife and daughter. How long has it been since you visited them?"

"Five years... ever since I transformed for the first time and nearly hurt them..."

The tired middle-aged man's thin shoulders trembled and tears shed.

Vaughn nodded and stopped exposing his scars. He began to look through other people's information, occasionally asking a question.

Soon, all seven people's forms had been reviewed.

Vaughn snapped his fingers, and a silent, wandless fire spell quickly engulfed and burned them.

He paced back and forth in front of them, and the seven people looked at him quietly, with inexplicable light flashing in their eyes.

At one point, Vaughn paused. "Gentlemen, I believe you understand what I am doing. Yes, I am trying to cure werewolves..."

Although they already knew this, these werewolf wanderers still cheered excitedly when they heard Vaughn confirm this fact.

The youngest in the crowd, a 17-year-old werewolf named Little Banar, couldn't help crying out loud.

He had no last name, because he was infected by Greyback when he was very young. The child did not understand his own abnormality and made no preparations. During his first transformation, he bit his parents to death...

The experiences of the other people were similar to that of little Banar. In comparison, William White was actually the luckiest.

After waiting for a moment, until they had vented their emotions, Vaughn continued, "...Of course, this potion, which I have named Wolfsbane Potion, is far from mature. The formula that has been determined so far can only keep you sane when you transform on a full moon night—"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley."

William White couldn't help but interrupt, his cloudy eyes welling with tears. "We're different from those lunatics in Greyback. Afraid of losing control, afraid of hurting others, we don't dare live among people, we don't dare go near any populated areas."

"For us, as long as we can maintain our sanity, it's enough. At least we don't have to worry about seeing the blood and flesh of innocent people around us when we regain consciousness."

"You are a noble man, and you may have your own aspirations, but for people like us, being able to survive the transformation with sanity is enough."

"..."

Vaughan was speechless for a moment.

Is he noble? At least he himself does not feel that he is noble. A noble person would not develop potions for the sake of fame and fortune, nor would he perform vivisection without scruples in order to develop potions.

However, it is not to be said that he is completely selfish and has no good intentions. At least Vaughan knows that he sympathizes with these homeless people.

Although the attitude may be a bit condescending.

But it was indeed impossible for him to fully empathize with their pain.

However, this conversation gave Vaughn a deeper understanding of the despair of the werewolf wanderers. He had previously dismembered eight of Greyback's lackeys in front of them.

No matter what, it is impossible for a normal person to be called a "noble person".

But in the eyes of these wanderers, Vaughan gave them hope, so his behavior seemed to be subconsciously beautified or forgotten by them.

How desperate must one be to be so urgent!

Feeling he couldn't understand, Vaughn shook off the emotion in his head and nodded to the seven people: "In that case, would you be willing to do me a favor?"

"Please tell me."

"I'll let you go. Go find werewolf wanderers you think are worth saving. The more people, the better. It would be best if there are werewolves transformed by wizards. You can contact me that way then."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of parchment and handed it to William White.

"Have a wizard write on it with his wand, and I will see it."

William White took it with trembling hands. He asked with trepidation and anticipation, "Sir, how can I make those werewolves trust me?"

Vaughan smiled. "You'll see it in the papers after Christmas."

William White left with other werewolves, carrying a mission and hope. Vaughn went to the administrator to return the warehouse. When he walked out of the warehouse area, he saw Snape standing under a tree by the road like a ghost.

In order to restrain the experimental subjects, he had cast a spell in the warehouse before, so of course he could sense the unusual movements.

He looked in the distance at the direction the werewolves had left, frowning slightly: "What do you want to do?"

"Let them contact other werewolves, that's all."

Obviously, Snape didn't think this was "just that". He stared at Vaughan and said, "Do you know who your behavior reminds me of?"

Vaughn spread his hands: "Voldemort?"

"..." Snape took a deep breath and suppressed his inner uneasiness. "Yes, and Fu... Exactly the same as when he asked the Death Eaters to gather the pure-blood families."

"But for different reasons, Professor. I'm just in case."

"What do you mean?"

Vaughn didn't answer him directly, but instead asked, "How do you think I can ensure that werewolves will use the wolfsbane potion if I release it?"

"They can buy..." Snape suddenly choked and realized the problem.

Vaughan sighed. "Yes, Professor. They can't afford it. You've seen how these people live. They live in isolation, like savages. How can they afford to buy potions?"

(End of this chapter)