Are You Dumbledore's Favorite Student?

Li Weide's heart sank.

It seemed there would be no peaceful resolution today.

The fact that the other man had managed to get behind him without him noticing at all was enough to prove that he was far stronger than Li Weide.

That meant that no matter what the other man intended to do, Li Weide had no room to resist.

Sure enough, while Grindelwald spoke to Li Weide, Vita had already begun brazenly untying the ropes that had just been tied around the Followers of Grindelwald.

"Who are you..." Li Weide asked out of habit, even though he had already guessed the man's identity.

Who else could silently appear behind him and possess such distinctive features, other than the current Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald?

"You know Dumbledore, don't you? I'm Dumbledore's friend, Gellert Grindelwald," Grindelwald said with a smile.

Li Weide glanced at Vita, who was tending to the Followers of Grindelwald. "Obviously, these people are yours... As far as I know, Dumbledore's friends don't send people to attack us."

"Mm... It would be more accurate to say we were once friends. We ultimately parted ways because of a few minor differences." Grindelwald showed no embarrassment whatsoever at having his words exposed.

"Why did you attack us?" Li Weide asked bluntly. "And how is Professor Hicks?"

"If you paid attention, you would have noticed that none of our people used lethal spells tonight... If the Professor Hicks you mentioned didn't escape, then she must be perfectly safe right now." Grindelwald removed his hand from Li Weide's shoulder and slowly paced around to stand before him.

"As for why we attacked you..." Grindelwald looked at Li Weide with a peculiar gaze. "The truth is, I was simply curious why Dumbledore valued you so highly, so I wanted to have a proper talk with you."

"Has it occurred to you... that if you merely wanted to talk, you could have knocked on the door and come in properly instead of blasting a huge hole in our house?" Li Weide said helplessly.

Grindelwald looked up at the sky, then shrugged. "You have a point, but... I'm used to it. In recent years, this has been the way we interact with Dumbledore's people..."

By then, most of the Followers of Grindelwald had been revived.

Their injuries might have been serious for Muggles, but for wizards, a healing spell could cure them directly.

Someone had already woken Tom and Toby inside the house and brought them out.

Toby's eyes were filled with despair. Not only had he failed to save his master, but he had allowed his master to be surrounded by enemies!

Tom, meanwhile, coldly surveyed the people around him. No one knew what he was thinking.

Vita walked over. "The other child is still here as well. But Hicks escaped... We need to hurry."

Grindelwald's gaze passed directly over Toby and settled on Tom.

Tom raised his head without fear and met his eyes.

A delighted smile gradually appeared on Grindelwald's face.

Under normal circumstances, if it had been any other eleven-year-old Young Wizard, not bursting into tears on the spot would already have counted as brave.

Yet these two children—one had single-handedly taken down all his subordinates, while the other had remained calm rather than panicking under his stare.

Grindelwald did not know what Tom was capable of, but he had just witnessed Li Weide's talent firsthand.

People of the same kind attracted one another. Since the two had always been together, it proved that even if Tom was not as capable as Li Weide, he could not be much weaker.

All he could say was that these two children truly possessed extraordinary temperament and talent. No wonder Dumbledore cared so much about them.

Li Weide and Tom exchanged a glance before Li Weide said, "All right... Now that you've gotten your wish and met us, how exactly do you intend to talk? And what do you plan to do with us afterward?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Dumbledore's favorite student, right?" Grindelwald asked Li Weide softly.

Li Weide frowned. If he remembered correctly, Newt had seemed to be asked that very question last time, and the next second, Grindelwald had sentenced him to death...

"Actually, we haven't officially enrolled yet... We haven't even figured out what subject Professor Dumbledore teaches. So Professor Dumbledore's favorite student must be someone else." Li Weide calmly denied Grindelwald's claim.

Dumbledore's favorite student?

No, I'm not...

Especially in front of you, I absolutely can't be!

Grindelwald watched Li Weide quietly, then suddenly laughed again. "If that's the case, how about you come with me? As long as you do, I can show you sights you would never have the chance to see at Hogwarts... and let you easily obtain the power you have always dreamed of."

"If you desire power, I suggest you don't miss this opportunity..."

"Since you know Dumbledore, you should know that there is much magical knowledge he would never allow you to touch."

There was no doubt that Grindelwald had seen through the desires hidden deep within Li Weide and Tom—their yearning for power.

Why was Grindelwald able to attract so many people to work for him?

Because, at least on the surface, he was someone who was very willing to help others fulfill their wishes, and he truly possessed the strength to make those wishes come true!

That created an illusion, making people feel that he was a savior sent by heaven, tailored specifically for them.

When people encountered such a savior—someone willing to help them escape their difficulties and fulfill their wishes... they would naturally find themselves drawn to him!

How could he possibly lack followers, then?

And now, Tom was already deeply tempted.

For him, staying with Dumbledore meant he could only keep his head down.

But under Grindelwald, he could completely let himself go without suppressing his nature, while also learning magic he had never been able to learn before!

The current Tom no longer had that former pride that refused to live beneath anyone else.

There was nothing he could do about it. He would be beneath someone else at Hogwarts anyway... beneath Li Weide...

However, just as he was about to agree, Li Weide firmly shook his head, making Tom swallow the words that were about to leave his mouth.

Having spent so much time with Li Weide, he knew very well that Li Weide was someone who absolutely refused to suffer losses.

If there were benefits to following Grindelwald, he would never refuse!

So, although he did not know why Li Weide was rejecting Grindelwald, Tom rationally chose to trust Li Weide's judgment.

Of course Li Weide could not join the Followers of Grindelwald.

After all, according to the course of history, Grindelwald would be defeated in 1945, and it was already 1938.

Knowing they were doomed to fail and still joining the Followers of Grindelwald—how was that any different from joining the Nationalist army in 1949?

Since he knew who the final victor would be, why would he not side with the victor?

Besides, even without the system's support, he could grow stronger through his own efforts!

There was no need to risk his life following Grindelwald!

Grindelwald and his followers were, bluntly speaking, nothing more than a group of terrorists...

Unless he could truly realize his ideals and successfully rehabilitate his reputation, but in Li Weide's eyes, those ideals could never be realized.

"Thank you very much for your favor, but please allow me to refuse," Li Weide declined Grindelwald's invitation.

"What a pity..." Grindelwald narrowed his eyes. "Still, you must come with me. I believe that after seeing the cause we are pursuing, you will certainly change your minds."

"No, they're not going anywhere." Dumbledore slowly stepped out of the shadows.