Many places around the world had already learned that Josiah Parker, President of the Magical Congress of the United States, had been killed by Vaughn Weasley in America's Appalachian Mountains.
America's magical leader had been killed on his own soil by a foreigner—
Rumor had it that several hundred North American wizards had been wiped out alongside him.
It sounded like a joke. If the date had not been wrong, people might have thought the Muggles were celebrating April Fool's Day.
Meanwhile, the Magical Congress of the United States, still mired in internal disputes, had indeed issued a series of wanted notices. Vaughn Weasley, Donald Graves, and the North American werewolves were all on the list.
The notices did not state the reasons for the warrants, nor had the Magical Congress dispatched Aurors to arrest anyone—after all, Vaughn and the others had been touring and visiting places throughout the Pacific region.
As a result, some outsiders believed the intelligence, while others did not.
The Philippine magical community belonged to the former group.
But they pretended not to believe it. When the cruise ship docked yesterday, the Philippine Ministry of Magic, having received the news, still followed standard diplomatic protocol and sent a director responsible for foreign affairs to Cebu to receive them. That was perfectly normal. In the Philippines' eyes, even North America, their daddy, did not dare send Aurors to provoke this group of murderers.
Even if they believed it, why would they force themselves into the spotlight?
Better to pretend they knew nothing—don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors. That was life. Nothing shameful about it.
On the morning the cruise ship was preparing to depart again, the day after the Philippine welcome banquet ended, Vaughn woke up and stood on deck looking north when he ran into Dumbledore.