Chapter 359: The Organization
Chapter 359: The Organization
Voldemort heaved a sigh of relief. "So, Professor Snape has found a solution? What exactly forced Lupin to transform like that?"
"That's where the bad news comes in," Dumbledore said, pondering where to begin.
Dumbledore took another bite of the tart, as if organizing his thoughts or deciding what to reveal.
"Professor," Voldemort prompted before he could speak, "if you don't wish to tell me the truth, I can find out on my own."
"Well, you'll know soon enough..." Dumbledore said vaguely, then continued, "You see, Voldemort, while wizards and Muggles share the same land, we live in two completely separate worlds."
"We wizards do our utmost to hide ourselves. Any violation of the Secrecy Act is severely punished, which serves as protection for both our world and the Muggles."
"Many believe that apart from a tiny minority, most Muggles know nothing about our world. Perhaps that's true in Britain, but across the ocean, in another country, the situation is different."
Voldemort frowned. "You mean... America?"
"Yes, America, where Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located."
Dumbledore had forgotten about the dessert as he furrowed his brow and spoke solemnly. "In the 18th century, America experienced a severe breach of secrecy."
As Dumbledore narrated, a history unknown to Voldemort unfolded before him.
When this new continent, America, was 'discovered,' numerous Muggles and wizards from various countries flocked to its shores.
In the absence of laws and law enforcement, malicious incidents became rampant, giving rise to bounty hunters.
A group of wizard mercenaries emerged, hunting and selling anything that could fetch a price, including wizards. They would even capture innocent Muggles, pass them off as wizards to Puritans, and later face punishment from the Magical Congress.
These individuals were the earliest Purifiers.
They were well aware of the magical world's existence but harbored deep hatred towards wizards. It was even rumored that if their own children exhibited magical talents, they would be abandoned or mistreated.
In the 18th century, a Purifier descendant named Bartholomew Barriboen met a witch, and tragedy ensued.
The witch, Darcas Dozetree, became obsessed with Bartholomew Barriboen and revealed a wealth of information about the magical world, including the locations of Ilvermorny and the American Magical Congress.
Subsequently, Bartholomew Barriboen stole Darcas Dozetree's wand and publicly displayed it to journalists, printing pamphlets to promote the existence of the 'evil' magical world and its secret locations, and gathering a group of armed individuals to initiate a witch-hunt.
This incident marked the most severe breach of secrecy in magical history.
Bartholomew Barriboen was later arrested for attacking innocent Muggles suspected of being wizards.
The American Magical Congress did its best to rectify the situation, declaring the entire incident as a figment of Bartholomew Barriboen's deranged imagination and casting Forgetfulness Charms on those who had learned the secret information.
However, by the time the magical community became aware, the news had spread too far. The American Magical Congress could never be certain if they had erased the memories of all who had learned of the breach.
As it turned out, they hadn't.
For over two centuries, a mysterious force in America had been secretly studying magic.
They knew the magical world did not permit such actions, so they operated with utmost secrecy, even lacking an official name, simply referring to themselves as 'The Organization.'
Initially, the research was absurd and baseless, built upon myths and human imagination, and it was apparent to any discerning eye that it was a sham.
Some left in disappointment, while others joined with hope. Some squandered their fortunes, and some strived to become billionaires to gain eligibility.
They persisted for over two hundred years.
Vold understood this obsession the most—those with magic often fail to appreciate its value as much as ordinary people do.
Living in a world with magical powers but never gaining access to it, constantly tormented by aging, illness, and imperfections—this disparity could drive one insane.
The most crucial point was that this world genuinely had magic.
So, their efforts were not in vain after all.
Of course, in the magical world, this was not considered an effort but rather an obsessive and insane fixation akin to a snake spirit.
Magic is either present or absent, and human technology has never been able to unravel its mysteries, preventing ordinary people from acquiring magical abilities.
However, some things can be obtained without any particular talent.
Namely, werewolves and vampires.
In the magical world, these are considered incurable conditions, both transmitted through blood and saliva, with significant side effects.
Werewolves lose their sanity and attack indiscriminately, while vampires, despite appearing perfect, are akin to the living dead and have numerous natural enemies. Their dietary restrictions are just the tip of the iceberg.
Moreover, both transformations have an incredibly high mortality rate when applied to Muggles.
Consequently, "The Organization" has been conducting extensive experiments to find a stable and effective transformation method.
Vold dared not imagine how many lives were lost in this process.
The surviving experimental subjects, after being brainwashed, became members of the organization and operated worldwide—
They acquired funds, captured wizards and magical creatures, abducted underage wizards, lured ordinary people to become experimental consumables, infiltrated magic schools to steal magical knowledge, and cultivated backup forces.
Due to certain reasons (Vold suspected it was Dumbledore's deterrence), the organization's influence had barely infiltrated the British magical world in the past few decades, only collecting some information and occasionally stealing a few people.
However, in the last one or two years, the organization's claws finally reached Britain (this time, Vold was certain it was due to his butterfly effect). Werewolves, vampires, and some wizards they had nurtured since childhood had infiltrated Britain.
Creating conflicts, inciting wars, and causing chaos were their usual tactics.
During his three-day absence, Dumbledore not only captured the vampires who attacked Lupin but also, with their "help," "visited" two of the organization's secret bases, obtaining a wealth of crucial intelligence.
Unfortunately, the few individuals sent to Britain had limited information, and even their memories had been altered. They could only resist Dumbledore's magic for so long.
After hearing all this, Vold was speechless for a long time, feeling surprisingly unsurprised.
Even in genuine fairy tales, there are bloody and dark elements, let alone in this seemingly fairy-tale-like real world.
"There's something else I need to tell you," Dumbledore said finally. "I brought someone back."
Vold was stunned for a moment, then realized, "Cyril?"
(End of Chapter)
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