Chapter 149: The Vampire Family
"I hope the culture and customs of the wizarding world offer you a unique experience," Ryan said politely, though his mind was already elsewhere.
Can Squibs truly not cast spells? he wondered. Even if they can't do it themselves, could they cast magic with external assistance? And if Squibs can, could ordinary people do it too under certain conditions? The current definition of a wizard is too narrow. We must break the shackles that bind them!
He tapped the metal skeleton. If his experiments proved successful, he would need to have a chat with Mr. Ollivander about a potential collaboration.
Snapping back to the present, he looked up and saw Dumbledore and Gellert exchanging meaningful glances. Nicolas Flamel was examining a small metal fragment, tiny sparks constantly flowing towards it as if analyzing its composition.
Before long, all the vampires had been apprehended, and the reason for the incident had been extracted. Ralvin reported the findings.
"These vampires all belong to a large vampire family. Normally, they just sneak into Muggle hospitals to steal blood plasma or conduct some business in wizarding settlements. But for some reason, their family head suddenly disappeared a few days ago."
"After the disappearance, the vampires used every means possible to contact the French Ministry of Magic, believing that the French Aurors had arrested their leader to boost their quotas. However, the Aurors denied any involvement."
"So, these vampires, full of anger and resentment, began cursing the Ministry, believing they were callous and disregarded lives. But all they could do was curse; they had no way to rescue their leader."
(The Head of the French Auror Office, internally: Slander! All slander! We always enforce the law with rigor and compassion! We would never arrest someone indiscriminately just for quotas!)
Ralvin continued, "But then, today, they saw their family head again. He had become enormous. By the time they fled their old residence, a dozen vampires had already been swallowed by their giant leader."
As Ralvin described the scene, some listened as if hearing a ghost story—these were the Aurors, supposedly the elite of the wizarding world. Others frowned, realizing the person behind the transformation of the vampire leader possessed terrifying skill. Ralvin's description indicated that the giant bat evolved by consuming other vampires, suggesting an inherent evolutionary potential within its biological structure. If true, it meant the alchemist who modified this vampire family had not only crafted the magical metal skeleton but had also empowered and activated the vampire's flesh to some degree. The latter touched upon the realm of life transmutation, albeit not complete creation of life. A complete creation would have resulted in a fully biological creature, not a bat-fighter supported by a metal frame.
Ryan thought of the Dagger of Slaughter in Doro's hands—an example of top-tier conceptual alchemy. Now, here was life transmutation...
"The world is full of hidden talents!"
Nicolas Flamel was equally intrigued. In all his long life, he had never encountered an alchemist capable of such feats. Yet, in just two short months, he had encountered multiple top-tier alchemical creations. Perhaps the technology required for the giant bat wasn't as advanced as the Dagger's, but the alchemical methods involved still touched upon the highest conceptual levels.
The French Aurors announced their departure; they had to take the vampires back.
"How will you handle these vampires?" someone asked.
The Head Auror considered it. "It's hard to say. They violated the Statute of Secrecy, true, but it was out of concern for their own lives. Based on our precedents, they will likely be sentenced to house arrest."
"They're quite unlucky then."
"Luck is like that. No one knows what the next second will bring. Take this incident, for example. These vampires just wanted to survive; they didn't commit a major crime," the Head Auror sighed. He then directed his subordinates to take custody of all the vampires and bid farewell to everyone present.
As the French contingent disappeared, the British Aurors looked at each other. Their mission seemed incomplete...
"Take this crystal ball. Show it to Fudge when the time comes," Ralvin said, handing over a crystal ball. Inside, milky white mist swirled, but deep within, scenes flickered past like a movie—scenes of everything that had happened today, including Ryan's battle with the giant bat, the French Aurors exclaiming the names of the great figures present, and Dumbledore protecting the other wizards.
The lead British Auror glimpsed the contents and could practically guarantee Fudge's reaction: he would either slam his desk or glare furiously. There was no third option. This was a blatant demonstration of power, showcasing muscle far exceeding Fudge's capacity to handle.
"Consider it delivered," the Auror said, patting his chest in assurance. He then led his team away via Apparition.
Ralvin surveyed the plaza, which now looked like the ruins after a major battle. Glassware was the most heavily damaged; practically every window within the Muggle-Repelling Charm's radius had shattered. Steel reinforcing bars twisted out from damaged building structures like broken spines. The Eiffel Tower itself had suffered significant damage from one of the giant bat's impacts and was now leaning noticeably, a potential rival for the Tower of Pisa.
"Everyone's gone. Should we... restore this place?" The thought of the workload made Ralvin suspect the Aurors had fled precisely because there was too much work to do.
"Isn't it asking a bit much for just a few of us to repair this entire area?" Julia asked, feeling more confident now that she had secured a temporary 'residence permit'.
Asking too much? Not really. I could restore it myself in a short time. But why do the old comrades look so strange? Ryan thought, keeping silent. He had been watching the expressions of Dumbledore, Gellert, and Flamel and noticed their distinct lack of interest in repairing the damage. That shouldn't be right. At least two of them belonged to the 'orderly and just' camp; they should want to restore the property damage. Why did they seem to have other ideas? Could it be... they thought leaving the scene as it was, for the Muggles to find, would be more advantageous?
Ryan's mind raced, considering the current international and magical political situations. The Red Bear in the north wouldn't last past the end of the year; dissolution was its only path. After that would come the era of the Bald Eagle's sole dominance...
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