Grindelwald

The night was deep when a sudden explosion rang out from an unknown location, and two figures, one tall and one short, abruptly appeared out of thin air. Their appearance seemed merely to give the shorter person a moment to catch his breath; after a brief rest, they vanished again.

After several Apparition, they finally reached their destination.

Feeling dizzy and lightheaded Sean plopped down on the dark ground. He shook his head violently, trying to suppress his churning stomach.

Grindelwald showed no discomfort. He smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "As expected, you still need to get used to it. Sean, I just left the seed of my Apparition. Go back and study it carefully. Before long, you should be able to Apparition your own."

"Okay... um..." Sean nodded weakly, almost vomiting.

"That's what long-distance Apparition is like. You'll have to get used to it soon." Grindelwald walked over and patted Sean on the shoulder.

A warm current rose from his lower abdomen and then spread to every corner of his body, making Sean feel much more relaxed.

Only then did he have the strength to stand up and survey his surroundings.

There was nothing else to see but a dark ground and broken stone pillars. They were standing on the ground of a building complex, whose underground levels had clearly been completely destroyed.

In front of Sean was a broken stone slab that had been lifted up. He could see through the cracks to the dark, cracked ground below, which looked like a dark, deep pit.

Occasionally, one can see some stone decorations that still retain some shape, such as broken statues and broken iron railings.

Père Lachaise Cemetery ... Sean immediately remembered the name of this place.

This is where Grindelwald once gave a speech, and it's also the site of the Paris fire.

Sean turned to look at Grindelwald, wondering what the other man meant by bringing him here.

Grindelwald waved to Sean, then gently jumped into the opening leading underground.

Sean took out his wand, cast a Levitation Charm, and floated in with the other person.

Once inside, he saw its true form: a miniature arena with a circular stone plaza in the center, surrounded by stands. Climbing the steps from the stands revealed a dark entrance leading to the burial chamber.

Of course, that was the scene in the past. Now the place has been completely destroyed, and we can only see what it used to look like through some ruins.

The only odd thing is that only the circular stone plaza in the very center has retained its original appearance.

Grindelwald walked to the very center of the square, raised his branch wand like a conductor, and then waved it lightly.

"Bang—" The sound of sparks bursting rang out, and flames lit up again in the places where torches had been placed in the ruins, illuminating the dim underground and letting the light seep out through the cracks overhead.

"They haven't even restored this place. Tsk tsk, a building of historical significance, don't they know how to protect it?" Grindelwald exclaimed.

Sean's eye twitched. "Old man, if I remember correctly... you burned this place, didn't you?"

Grindelwald smiled and looked at Sean: "Do you know where this is?"

"The place you set the fire."

Sean has become increasingly disrespectful to Grindelwald, but Grindelwald seems to actually like this attitude of his.

"Yes, Père Lachaise Cemetery," Grindelwald said with a nostalgic smile, "But I must correct you, arson is a minor matter. This is where I first publicly announced my ideas to the entire Wizarding World, and where many comrades joined me—isn't it worth remembering?"

Sean glanced at the other person, then asked hesitantly, "Teacher..."

"Shh," Grindelwald stopped him from speaking, "I know what you want to ask me. My beliefs, my experiences, or whether I really killed a lot of people."

He strolled around the square with his hands behind his back, a look of enjoyment on his face. "Don't doubt it, Sean, what you're thinking, what your Care of Magical Creatures teacher said, is all true."

Sean paused for a moment, unsure how to continue.

Regardless of what the Wizarding United Guard was up to, even if one was certain that the other party had ill intentions, one thing could not be denied— Grindelwald had indeed committed various crimes decades ago.

In the decades that followed, he became a principal who taught and nurtured students, and even gave a lot of help to himself, a freshman who had just entered the Wizarding World. However, his personal charm was also impossible to ignore.

Emotionally, Sean is on Grindelwald's side, but rationally, he cannot ignore the numerous crimes his teacher has committed.

Grindelwald glanced at him and gave him a gentle smile, "Sean, do you know what your greatest weakness is?"

"What?"

"You are a living, breathing human being. You have a clear understanding of human weaknesses. You can even accept your own and others' shortcomings in various aspects. Whether you are selfish or hypocritical, you are clear about these things and do not think there is anything wrong with them."

Sean blinked, then nodded with a sigh. "Yes, sir, I don't see anything wrong with it."

"That's right, I don't think there's anything wrong with it either. This isn't your weakness. Your weakness is—" Grindelwald stepped closer, Sean could see the unrestrained smile on his face, "Your sense of morality is too strong."

"I..."

"To be precise, you have too strong a sense of morality on a large scale, and you don't use this morality to restrain others, but rather to restrain yourself—if others are good to you, you are good to them; if others are bad to you, you are bad to them. However, you are unwilling to take someone's life. You believe that wrong and punishment should be proportional. You don't care if someone who deserves to die dies, but you are unwilling to kill someone you believe doesn't deserve to die."

Grindelwald spoke eloquently, "Like the Carrow siblings, like that one you burned to ashes—uh, what was his name again? Never mind... You think they deserve to die, and regardless of whether their crimes were directed at you, you can take their lives without any burden. But others, like Fabian Aiken, even if you know they hate you to death, you can at most punish them until they really cross the line, not to mention those who don't pose a real threat to you but have different ideologies."

Sean shook his head. "You're not right. I just have a double standard. I treat others with my own sense of good and evil, and I also use my own sense of good and evil to constrain others. But in reality, when I do things, I mostly rely on my own inner opinions, rather than really looking at what those people have done."

Grindelwald tapped Sean on the head with his wand. "Hypocritical statements, boldly admitting your flaws, are just another form of hypocrisy—after all, you won't change."

Sean shrugged. "Well, I have to put on an act, right?"

Grindelwald laughed, "People should live hypocritically in this real world, and that's one of the things I like about you."

Sean sighed, put down a Scouring Charm, and sat down on the cleaner stone stool. "So I'm conflicted. I'm actually on your side, but you did do something bad."

"To be precise, it's what the public sees as bad," Grindelwald corrected. "Sean, you're a smart man. You should know that changing the world can't be done without bloodshed and fire. If I succeed, then history will be written by me, and evil deeds will naturally be glorified, though I don't care."

"I know..."

"You know it," Grindelwald shrugged indifferently. "I'm just stating my point of view."

"Alright, so what do we do now?" Sean looked up at the crack above his head. "They should be here soon."

A strange smile appeared on Grindelwald's face, "Sean, have you forgotten? I didn't invite you here to talk about life and values. There's a performance waiting for the audience."

Sean sighed, his head aching. He still couldn't understand why the Guard Corps would attack Grindelwald.

Are they genuinely unaware or are they pretending to be stupid?

Headmaster of Newmontgard —this was not Grindelwald's honor, but his shackles. Only a thin pane of glass separated the flame from the bud, a pane propelled by Prophecy and then installed by Dumbledore and Grindelwald themselves.

Once this fragile barrier disappears, Grindelwald will once again become the carefree Dark Lord.

Sean wouldn't be surprised by anything he might do. In the end, the Wizarding World might be plunged into real war before the Sin within him even erupt.

And by then, no one will be able to stop him— Sean? Dumbledore? They're all bullshit!

"Damn it... "Sean cursed inwardly.

Open your eyes and see! Is Grindelwald the kind of guy who listens to advice?!

At that moment, explosions began to ring out frequently, and wizards dressed in the uniforms of the Wizarding United Guard appeared one by one at Père Lachaise Cemetery, holding wands and warily surrounding them.

On the ruins of the stands, the tense wizards slowly approached the center, like enthusiastic fans in the stands who were being blocked, step by step, slowly advancing towards Grindelwald in the center of the stage.

Sean, who was sitting on the edge, was pulled back forcefully by a hand before he could react. He turned around and saw Sirius.

Are you alright?

"Fine."

Grindelwald did not stop Sirius from protecting Sean as they retreated to the rear. He watched the wizards who had gathered around with ease and comfort, and then casually raised his wand.

Everyone took a step back in unison.

"Look, look," Grindelwald chuckled, "No need to be so tense, my friends."

Marshall, the leader of the Guard Corps, took a half step forward, with Newt beside her, his expression unreadable.

"Grindelwald, you're under arrest."

"Madam, do you understand what you're saying?" Grindelwald quickly interjected.

Marshall was much braver than her teammates, and she didn't back down. "I understand perfectly well, and I also understand one thing, which is that you haven't figured it out yet."

"It seems you learned spell pronunciation very well in school," Grindelwald smiled. "However, I have a question. Let's confirm, ma'am, are you really sure you want to arrest me?"

"The crimes you committed deserve this!"

"Tsk, really?" Grindelwald moved his wand and pointed it at a middle-aged wizard at the back of the crowd.

The man had short, neat hair and a long beard. He involuntarily twitched when Grindelwald pointed at him, then pulled his face further into his hood.

"Rosha Onassis, how is your uncle?"

The man's pupils twitched violently.

"I don't think Onassis is a very good name," Grindelwald continued. "Your ancestors probably had a better one, didn't they, Mopsus?"

Sean's pupils contracted slightly. Mopsus, the famous Ancient Greek Seer.

Grindelwald then pointed to another person at the back of the crowd. "And you, can you people from your Calchas lineage still cooperate with Mopsus? Tsk, it's admirable that you can put aside such a huge grudge."

Calchas ... Sean's brows furrowed.

This was also Seer from Ancient Greek who was defeated by Mopsus in a duel and then committed suicide out of shame and indignation.

Grindelwald, like a homeroom teacher taking attendance, pointed to one wizard after another hidden behind the crowd.

"That little girl, Cassandra Vabralski must be your great-grandmother? Ha, I've known her for ages."

"You, Immeg, are actually from a branch of your family, right? Tsk, the branch members are shining brightly, but you're going to hide your identities?"

"You..."

"And you..."

He pointed out one name after another, and everyone he pointed to had a glint in their eyes.

Sean's pupils dilated as if they had been struck by an earthquake—he recognized most of the surnames Grindelwald mentioned; they were all from ancient, renowned wizards!

Most of them are Seer! Wizards who can see the future!

Even if he wasn't Seer, he was still a very famous great wizard over the past thousand years!

He even heard the name Ambrosius, that was... that was Merlin's surname!

According to Grindelwald, the descendants of these ancient giants have all concealed their identities, and now they have gathered here.

The scene of the encirclement and suppression of Grindelwald!

Sean's breathing quickened slightly; he seemed to see a large, woven net closing in on him.

His thoughts began to wander, and his past experiences suddenly came to mind.

The stolen key that connects the Realm of Illusion and reality, the Slytherin mentioned by Gormlaith Gaunt, the awakened Ghostly Horned Serpent...

What does this really mean...?

In the center of the stone-paved square, Grindelwald called out names one by one. Marshall remained expressionless and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to worry about our team members' past. Grindelwald, your speech ends here."

"Is that so?" Grindelwald smiled.

Demonic flames soared into the sky!