Professor Vanishes Faster Than a Niffler in Gringotts Vault! FBI Involved!

The Vanishing Act: Professor Wang Disappears!

Blimey! You won't believe what's been brewing at Indiana University. It seems a Professor XiaoFeng Wang who according to sources was a whiz with cryptography (a bit like Hermione with her spells really) has vanished faster than Peeves the Poltergeist after a particularly wicked prank. The rumour is he was fired on the very same day that the FBI those serious blokes who make even Aurors look laid back decided to have a snoop around his houses. Two of them mind you! Seems a bit excessive even by Death Eater hunting standards.

Union Up in Arms: 'Foul Play!'

Now the academic types aren't taking this lying down. The American Association of University Professors – sounds like a bunch of blokes who’d rather debate obscure footnotes than chase dark wizards if you ask me – are absolutely livid. They reckon the university binned Professor Wang without the 'highest level of scrutiny and process'. Apparently they value due process more than a chocolate frog card which is saying something! They're shouting hypocrisy louder than a Mandrake when it's repotted.

Cloak of Secrecy: University and FBI Stay Mum

Of course the university and the FBI are about as forthcoming as Voldemort at a hugging convention. Indiana University's spokesman a chap named Mark Bode muttered something about a federal investigation and then clammed up tighter than a goblin’s vault. 'At the direction of the FBI,' he said as if that explains everything. Honestly it's like dealing with the Ministry of Magic sometimes – more obfuscation than a Confundus Charm gone wrong! They’ve even scrubbed Wang and his wife Nianli Ma from the university website. Talk about making someone disappear…

A Routine Investigation? Or Something More Sinister?

Apparently it all started with what looked like a 'routine' university investigation into a grant application and how Wang reported his ahem accomplishments. Sounds a bit tedious doesn't it? More like Snape marking essays than battling dementors. But then BAM! Termination letter FBI raids and suddenly it's less 'Hogwarts: A History' and more 'Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality'. According to Law Professor Alex Tanford Wang was properly gobsmacked when he got the boot. 'I've been terminated,' he emailed which doesn’t sound like a happy Friday at all.

Two Houses Two Searches: What Were They Looking For?

So the FBI raided not one but TWO houses owned by Wang and Ma. One in Bloomington where the university is and another in Carmel about 70 miles away. What were they expecting to find? A stash of illegal quills? A secret laboratory filled with experimental potion ingredients? The mind boggles! Apparently agents were spotted snatching a phone from someone believed to be Ma. Sounds a bit heavy handed even for a Dark Arts arrest.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: A Lesson Lost?

The union blokes are banging on about 'due process' and 'presumed innocent until proven guilty'. You know all that boring legal stuff that's actually quite important. They're accusing the university of not following its own rules. 'Silence fuels suspicion and distrust,' they wail. Well they have a point. But whether Wang is more innocent than a house elf or has been brewing up trouble we’ll have to wait and see. Keep your wands at the ready folks. This could get messy.