The past two days had been utterly miserable for Dumbledore. He had not known that Vaughn had already arranged the follow-up before making his move. Only when Barty Crouch began controlling public opinion and allowing panic to spread did Dumbledore learn everything from Amelia.
But as mentioned earlier, he had no objection to Vaughn's approach. On the contrary, he supported it.
No wizard in England would willingly believe that Voldemort, who was supposed to be dead, could return. No one wanted to go back to living under the shadow of fear.
So to convince people, they first had to let panic spread, then drop the bombshell.
From the broader perspective, everything was proceeding according to Vaughn's plan. Although Dumbledore could tell that Vaughn also had plans targeting C, he did not mind.
But putting the bigger picture aside, it was the endless little troubles that truly gave the hundred-year-old wizard a headache.
The Hogwarts Board of Governors' obstruction and the pressure from students' parents had already left Dumbledore exhausted.
He had anticipated all of this. Students being attacked at Hogwarts, Death Eaters openly appearing, and Snape's defection were impossible to conceal. After all, those people could not use Apparition and had been forced to fight their way out.
And there were already informants for the Board among the staff.
Yet Vaughn had been no help either. After leaving a mess behind, he had slept for two whole days. Vaughn looked innocently at Dumbledore. "Albus, you can't blame me for that!"
"If you'd shown up a little earlier that day, I wouldn't have been unconscious for two whole days."
Dumbledore's eyes widened further, but he had no answer. A sudden pang of regret rose within him.
He had not thought that far ahead at the time, nor had he expected so