C Headquarters, Chairman's Office.
Vaughn sat behind his desk, listening as William White reported the latest news from across the country.
"Chairman, Scrimgeour has returned to the Ministry of Magic, but he refuses to answer anyone's questions. No one knows what happened at Azkaban."
William glanced at Vaughn. The Chairman's expression was so calm, his eyes utterly still, yet looking at him felt like staring into an abyss.
As Vaughn's temporary secretary, William knew better than anyone what Wizarding Britain was going through. At the same time, he could see another side to each unfolding incident.
The Chairman's hand was behind everything!
The riot at Azkaban had thrown the Ministry of Magic into utter chaos, yet the Chairman did not seem worried at all. And Madam Bones had still not appeared.
With Scrimgeour now back from Azkaban, William had reason to suspect that the situation in the North Sea was already under control.
The Chairman seemed to have known all along that that man would return, and had predicted his plans with precision.
Fear flickered in William's eyes at the thought of the man whose name could not even be spoken. He was a far more terrifying presence than Greyback. Only after being temporarily assigned as the Chairman's secretary had William learned of this through the various reports and intelligence he handled. Vaughn was not surprised by William's words. He had shown Amelia a clear path forward and spent a long time carefully laying his plans. If something still went wrong under these circumstances, he would probably have to reassess her abilities.
William placed a document on the desk and pushed it toward Vaughn. "These are the serious attacks that have occurred across England over the past hour. All of them involve the exposure of magic."
He paused briefly, then