A Strange Combination

The origin of those Golden Egg is something that would probably make anyone who knows it twitch in the temples.

Those things were props left over from the Triwizard Cup. Grindelwald found them in the castle's storeroom— Sean even choked on the dust a few times while cleaning them up...

Of course, the other students were already excited, their eyes burning with desire as they looked at the Golden Egg.

Based on past experience, Professor Grindelwald has always been generous in rewarding the best. Even at food parties, he would reward the students with the best cooking skills.

Today's venue is clearly set for a duel, and in this contest of raw strength, Professor Grindelwald's prize is even more astonishing!

It is said that Sterling, who had just graduated last year, won the competition in Newmontgard Day in a certain year - he directly received a whole set of Magical Gold Dust that could be used to construct Ancient Runes.

The Magical Gold Dust is said to have been ground by Grindelwald himself and mixed with special materials, making it faster to construct Runes symbols and allowing for a smoother connection between your magic and the symbols.

Tell me, who wouldn't be tempted by such magical materials that are simply unavailable on the market?

Of course, Sean, sitting in his seat, wasn't excited at all. Grindelwald had no intention of giving away the prize this time; he had already decided to find an excuse to give extra training to the students of Newmontgard.

However, this requires selling one's 'body'...

On the high platform, Grindelwald began to announce the details of the match.

"The theme for this Newmontgard Day is: 'Battle'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the students cheered excitedly. For the Newmontgard, who worshipped power, battle was something they craved!

"All students are welcome to participate. This competition is divided into two parts. First, there will be student duels, and then there will be challenge matches to win prizes," Grindelwald's voice grew louder and more exciting. "In the first part, the team duels, first- and second-year students can form teams of ten, third-year students can form teams of seven, fourth-year students can form teams of five, fifth-year students can form teams of three, sixth-year students can form teams of two, and the graduating seventh-year students will face the challenge alone!"

"The teams to duel will be determined by drawing lots. In the end, ten teams will be selected to enter the challenge stage, where you will face the most severe test!"

"Now," Grindelwald said in a low voice, his expression serious but his eyes full of expectation, "My children, let me see whether you, as noble wizards, have made any effort this year, and whether you are worthy of the glory that comes with being a wizard!"

Grindelwald's prestige in Newmontgard was unparalleled; his voice seemed to possess magic, and the response was thunderous and overwhelming, causing the Hogwarts students to become excited.

Only Sean in the stands looked worried; the more excited these students got, the more beatings he might get later...

Hermione turned to Sean excitedly, "Sean, how about we team up and try it out? Let me think... the three of us, hmm, we could even invite Harry and the others. Stephen Wellen is a great wizard too, but Slytherin..."

She hesitated for a moment, resting her chin on her hand, struggling with the choice of teammates.

Sean looked up at the platform and saw Grindelwald in the distance. Grindelwald also turned his gaze towards him. Although he couldn't see his expression, the strange old man seemed to be smiling...

"Sean, think about it! You've always been popular, haven't you? Don't you have any suitable teammates?"

"Hmm, let me think..." Sean pretended to close his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

But Grindelwald had said before that he had a way...

Sure enough, just as Hermione was getting impatient, a commotion suddenly broke out at one of the entrances to the stands.

The group turned to look, and there Grindelwald was, unnoticed, among the crowd, warmly encouraging the students.

"Joshua? His counter-curse from last year was quite impressive."

"Patricia, was it you who turned the withered leaves into crows last time? Ha, Mr. Bata doesn't like you very much."

"Sheldon, there shouldn't be any accidental explosion of the spell this time, right? I've said before, wizards must stay focused when casting spells and have faith in their spells and wands. Don't let me down again, boy."

Grindelwald seemed to remember all the students' names. He walked through the crowd, and every student whose name he called looked proud. They stood ramrod straight in front of the headmaster, like soldiers being inspected by their commander.

"A completely different path from Professor Dumbledore's..." Sean muttered to himself as he watched this scene.

Grindelwald was clearly more accustomed to and adept at using his personal charm to win over others. In all his days at Newmontgard, Sean had never seen a single student express any dissatisfaction with the headmaster.

On the contrary, whenever Grindelwald's name is mentioned, the students' faces always show pride and respect.

They admired the headmaster and considered it an honor to be a student of Newmontgard.

Sean couldn't help but think of another aspect: if Grindelwald were to reignite the Wizarding World's reform war, the Newmontgard students who had infiltrated the world over the years would become an extremely formidable force...

While he was thinking, Grindelwald walked into the Hogwarts area while talking to the students.

"Oh, children who have come from afar," he said, opening his arms to the crowd. "Newmontgard treats every wizard equally. I hope you will have no other concerns during your Academic Exchange and enjoy everything in this castle to the fullest, such as this festival."

Grindelwald smiled, and his magnanimity and compassion made the Hogwarts students feel as if they were seeing Professor Dumbledore.

"We also welcome your participation in this competition. If you are good enough, I would be happy to hand over the prize to you personally."

This made many students even more interested. Although Hogwarts students were generally inferior to Newmontgard students in terms of overall level and average ability, the Wizarding World was never short of geniuses, and outstanding students like Cedric and Percy were already eager to try their luck.

Grindelwald was pleased with the fighting spirit of the Hogwarts students. He walked through the crowd and looked at Sean.

"Oh, oh, look, isn't this Mr. Wallop?" He acted as if he didn't know Sean very well but had heard of him.

Grindelwald reached out and patted Sean on the shoulder, looking very impressed with him. "Professor Goodman told me about the Duelling Club that day. Your performance was amazing. Ha, I'm even a little Envy of Headmaster Dumbledore —he has such a brilliant student."

"You flatter me, sir," Sean said modestly.

Grindelwald's deliberate praise drew a lot of attention to Sean, who could even feel the Envy glances from the Newmontgard students.

"Are you planning to participate in this competition?" Grindelwald asked.

"Preparing it now, sir."

"Hmm, not bad," he nodded, then looked thoughtful. "Well, I do have a small suggestion..."

He burst out laughing, "I bet you'll make a lasting impression by participating in this competition alone."

Grindelwald's suggestion surprised everyone, Hermione, in her haste, even interrupted him directly, "Sir, Sean is only a sophomore."

"Calm down, child," he stroked his short beard. "In Newmontgard, great wizards always face more challenges, which allows them to grow stronger and more robust, and..."

Grindelwald laughed heartily, "Mr. Wallop, you trampled my children underfoot in the last Duelling Club, and many of them are not happy about it. I'm going to give them this opportunity. Of course, you'll receive preferential treatment—in the first round of the selection competition, you don't need to participate in any of the previous matches. You only need to face one team, and after defeating them, you'll directly enter the second round, and you're guaranteed a prize. How about it?"

Sean's lips twitched. "Is this the method you were talking about? I feel like the way the Newmontgard students are looking at me is getting weirder and weirder..."

Old man, stop stirring up trouble for me!

Besides, what's the point of me getting into the second round? Even if I win, there's no prize!

"So it's decided then? Wallerup, your name is already in the draw box. If you want to participate, just come and prepare. If you don't want to, it's fine too. It's all up to you." Grindelwald waved his hand, left with those words, and then departed.

"How could he be so... so..." Hermione hesitated for a long time but couldn't say anything.

Daisy whispered from the side, "So petty— Sean beat so many Newmontgard students before..."

"But he's a headmaster..." Hermione muttered in dissatisfaction.

Sean shrugged. "It's okay, just treat it as real combat training."

He realized that he probably couldn't escape Grindelwald's decision. But Sean had always been very interested in this competition; Wizard Duels would be an invaluable experience.

The circular dueling arena was noisy. Apart from a few rational people who felt they were not strong enough and students whose old injuries had not yet healed, most of the remaining people chose to sign up. For a while, the whole square was noisy.

Today, all the professors and medical staff are out in force. The professors are in charge of refereeing and protection, while the medical staff are on standby. Duels in Newmontgard are known for their rough and tumble style, and it's estimated that quite a few students will be in the Hospital Wing today.

As a player who had a bye in the early stages, Sean arrived at the Common Room early to wait, while the students' duels had already begun in the square.

Lower-grade students are far inferior to upper-grade students in terms of both magical power and the number of spells they have mastered. Their advantage lies in their larger numbers. If they are not careful, even upper-grade students may be caught off guard.

"Sean, what did you see?" Grindelwald appeared beside him without him noticing.

"Hmm—" Sean thought for a moment, "A choice between teamwork and dueling?"

Grindelwald stood beside him, a head taller than Sean, his face relaxed and at ease. "No, you should see the children's emotions. Look, the students of Newmontgard are all excited and nervous, whether it's for the honor or the prize, while the students of Hogwarts are filled with anticipation and ambition, because of the rivalry between the two schools."

"Some people regret their carelessness and defeat, some gain a great sense of accomplishment from winning against stronger opponents, some are in a bad mood because their opponents are not strong enough, and some are in a bad mood because their opponents are strong. What a thought-provoking scene!"

"Look, Sean," Grindelwald's voice was filled with admiration and fascination, "So many people, so many different kinds of people, don't you think you can see a lot of interesting things?"

Manipulating people's hearts is also a kind of magic... Sean silently recited the words Grindelwald had once taught him.

"The myriad aspects of human nature are worth savoring and learning from," Grindelwald remarked, then changed the subject. "Of course, that's not the point. Understanding the human heart takes time, and you have a long way to go—let's talk about what's next?"

"Do I really have to Transfiguration Fire Dragon to face so many students?" Sean couldn't help but ask, still feeling a sense of unreality.

"Of course, don't be silly, my child. This will help you strengthen your Animagus," Grindelwald saw the resentful look in Sean's eyes. His laughter was unrestrained and full of pleasure. "Of course, this is mainly because I can't give out any prizes and I want to give these lazy kids some special training. Thank you for your help, Sean."

"Should I say you're welcome, sir..." Sean said helplessly.

"Don't worry," Grindelwald said affectionately, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Fire Dragon have even Magic Resistance than you can imagine. You just need to be careful to protect your eyes—you know that Fire Dragon are most vulnerable to Eye-Blinding Charm, right?"

"I know, but I'm an underage Fire Dragon..."

"Don't worry, I'll allow you to bring helpers." Grindelwald raised an eyebrow at him.

"A helper... you mean?"

"Of course, the Fire Dragon that Newmontgard found is naturally extraordinary. As a Fire Dragon, it's not unacceptable that it has some good Magical Creatures social relationships, right?"

Sean nodded in sudden realization, then almost looked at Grindelwald with disdain.

That old man is really wicked...

Grindelwald saw through his thoughts, then nonchalantly curled the corners of his mouth. "Remember what I told you? Borrowing the power you can control—that's flexibility, and that's strength."

He clenched his fist. "As long as you can control it, then power is power, and it is not fundamentally different from your magic."

Sean blinked. Why did he feel like there was something hidden in the other person's words?

However, Grindelwald didn't say anything more. He left with the words, "I've prepared a surprise for you," and then drifted away.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Sean sighed wearily. The famous riddle masters of the Wizarding World: Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. He wondered what it was like when these two were communicating.

"Albus, you know what I mean."

"Gellert, I must point out your shortcomings."

"But all of that is for a completely new world."

"But the stars still twinkle, the sun and the moon still rise, we are still us, and the world is still the world."

"The world is us—"

"But we are not the world—"

Is that how it is? All in cryptic language?

Sean felt his head start to throb just thinking about the scene.

Is this a tacit understanding and common ground between old men?

The duel in the square continued, and after half a day, the final nineteen teams were finally selected.

Sean will join as the twentieth team, and after head-to-head battles, the ten teams will advance to the final challenge.

Only a huge dueling platform remained in the arena, while the students who didn't need to be sent to the Hospital Wing chatted and waited for the match to begin.

It was Sean's turn in the first match.

"How am I supposed to fight this? I didn't make any preparations beforehand..." he muttered as he walked onto the dueling platform and saw the opposing team.

There were four people: Patricia, whom he had seen wandering around at night before; a sturdy blond fat boy; and two others wearing fourth-year uniforms.

There was another girl in a third-grade uniform, with a serene face, who seemed to be the strategist of the team.

Finally, there was a boy in a second-grade uniform, wearing a top hat, constantly cutting a deck of cards in his hand, his green eyes blinking rapidly.

"A strange combination... "Sean muttered as he walked onto the stage.