Grindelwald's News

Sean leaned back in his chair, mimicking Grindelwald, and asked.

"That at least proves that Professor Dumbledore didn't betray you. I failed to summon the Phoenix that night, wasn't it because of that?"

Grindelwald reached out and conjured a bottle of red wine out of thin air, without producing a wine glass, and with a flick of his wrist, the cork popped off.

After casually taking a couple of sips of wine, he said, "That's possible—tch, actually I had some premonitions before, but I didn't choose to investigate further. I didn't expect that Albus would still cooperate with those guys."

"Cooperation?" Sean asked, puzzled.

Grindelwald turned his head to look at him. "Sean, do you think this whole thing was a setup by Albus and me?"

"Isn't that right?" This left Sean somewhat confused.

"Wrong," Grindelwald wagged his finger. "It was Albus Dumbledore's scheme, nothing to do with me. After what happened that night, I didn't sense any murderous intent from him, so I just played along."

Grindelwald was completely unaware?

Upon hearing this, Sean frowned immediately.

"And after that, didn't you contact Professor Dumbledore?"

Grindelwald laughed arrogantly, "Since he didn't tell me beforehand, why should I go to him afterwards?"

Sean's eye twitched slightly.

What's this? Is she throwing a tantrum?

This is a matter of global importance... Well, Grindelwald probably doesn't really care...

"That's why I said I failed to summon the Phoenix, and you know about the Phoenix and Ariana's situation..." Sean said.

But halfway through his sentence, Grindelwald impatiently waved him off, took another swig of his drink, and continued, "I don't need you to guess what the possibilities are. Whether the great Albus Dumbledore was coerced or intimidated, or whether his spirit of self-sacrifice prevailed over reason, I don't care. I just need, and only need, to hear his own explanation to me."

Sean sighed, quite exasperated. That was just Grindelwald's personality...

Knowing he couldn't get any answers from the questions or offer any further advice, Sean changed the subject. "Who are those 'neither human nor ghost' guys you mentioned before? Are they related to the theft of the key to the Realm of Illusion?"

Grindelwald sat up a little straighter, and his tone became less casual.

"[The Returners], that's what I call them. Actually, there were some signs before the key was stolen. A very strange group of guys, they're like ghosts, yet they can truly influence reality."

"The Returners ..." Sean pondered the meaning of the word, then asked, "Are they all people who have already died? I've heard you mention the names of several Ancient Greek Seer."

Grindelwald nodded. "So far, they are all wizards who have long since died, and they have returned to the real world in an unknown way. Strangely, the first few ' Returners ' I came into contact with were all insane, even the historically famous benevolent wizards have gone mad. But their power is not strong, and they can only have a slight impact on reality."

"However, I see a vague future, and if they continue to exist in this state in the real world, it will cause an irreparable disaster. Unfortunately, I don't have any good way to appease the ghosts, so I've left these matters to Albus."

For the first time, Grindelwald showed a hint of regret. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it, the theft of the key to the Realm of Illusion may have caused unpredictable changes. I don't know what Albus was thinking... If things had continued like this, I would have been the one being hunted down."

"I mercifully extinguished the flames back then, but human nature," Grindelwald sneered, "Those foolish wizards, though of the same noble blood as me, I had long anticipated their ugly faces."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "So, you planted those 'bombs' all along?"

"A little backup plan, quite reasonable, isn't it?" Grindelwald smiled and spread his hands. "I didn't know before that the ancient Pure-blood families were connected with those ' Returners.' I originally thought they wanted to regain their power from thousands of years ago by suppressing me. But I knew as soon as our annoying little good boy Newt appeared. That silly boy only listens to Albus, and Albus has always been in charge of dealing with the ' Returners' —tsk, what a boring and old-fashioned conspiracy."

"Why did that group of people appear, and what is their purpose?" Sean asked.

"Who knows? Perhaps this is because our great Albus Dumbledore set up an unknown trap. Of course, it probably has something to do with you too, after all, you are the noble Son of Prophecy." Grindelwald winked at him and put his hands behind his head.

Sean ignored Grindelwald's teasing and crossed his arms, muttering to himself, "If it's related to me, then maybe they want to use the power within me?"

"Don't worry about it," Grindelwald said nonchalantly. "You just need to remember one thing: no matter what, the Sin is within you."

"So, they might be coming to arrest me?" Sean asked.

Grindelwald reached out and tapped the air, Sean felt a sharp pain in his head.

"Fool—remember this, Sean," Grindelwald narrowed his eyes slightly, his heterochromatic pupils reappearing, seemingly concealing a myriad of lights, "What is a wizard? Our bloodline represents one word: miracle. Immense power? Wizards are best at digesting great power and creating miracles."

He smiled with extreme confidence, "My student, taking control of [Sin] will be inevitable."

Sean chuckled to himself.

"Should I thank you for your trust and high regard for me, sir?"

"You're welcome." Grindelwald took a sip of red wine and leaned back comfortably. "But remember one thing: what you do next is something you need to think about and decide for yourself. I've always believed that no one should interfere in your process of taking control of [Sin].

Sean nodded thoughtfully; he understood what Grindelwald meant.

The other person wasn't actually a riddle teller. Grindelwald was a lot like himself, a pragmatic follower of his heart. If he had any useful advice, he certainly wouldn't hold back.

The power of [Sin] and [Prophecy] actually points to the essence of wizards—idealistic miracles. As an extremely powerful wizard and another massive combination of miracles, Grindelwald's excessive intervention may have unknown effects.

The power of Seer is not omnipotent; many hidden dangers cannot be avoided.

However, I can't discuss this in detail with Grindelwald, but I can talk about other things.

Sean looked up and asked, "Merlin's Weekly Prophet, is that one of your schemes?"

"Of course," Grindelwald chuckled casually. "To be precise, I was the Founders of that newspaper almost a hundred years ago? The current editor-in-chief is the son of one of my old subordinates. Times are always changing, and wizards always need to put on an act. Having enough power is naturally useful, but often, having a powerful voice can save you a lot of trouble."

Indeed, Grindelwald's influence actually extends throughout the world; however, he had always been working diligently as a headmaster, so he had remained hidden underground.

"So what happened next? I saw that new report. How did they get that on-site photo? The camera must have made a lot of noise, right?" Sean asked with great interest.

Grindelwald made a grab out of thin air again, and a huge camera appeared in his hand.

He casually pressed the shutter button, and a flash and smoke burst out at the same time.

"Here, just like that—do you think the pursuit team will notice if you press it now?"

"Of course not—" Sean said, then suddenly realized something.

What is one of Grindelwald's most famous skills? It's his unique Transfiguration, of course.

Therefore, there's no need to be on-site, nor is there any need to worry about the noise from the cameras; all that's needed is to recreate the scene...

"Who is the mole?" Sean asked another question that interested him.

Grindelwald smiled smugly, "Perfect, let me show you the message that was sent back."

He didn't take out Sean's wand, and continued to Wandless and Silent Casting. Immediately afterwards, Sean saw a line of words formed by blood taking shape in mid-air.

"The internal team is considering countermeasures, and a [Returners] is providing assistance. He should currently be monitoring the situation from the treatment layer in a secret location at headquarters."

Surveillance? Sean cast a questioning look at him.

"Marshall was rescued. To be honest, I didn't expect that the Returners would be so well-connected, even managing to get the Goblin's Thief's Downfall."

"Isn't that thing only available at Gringotts?" Sean asked.

Grindelwald explained to him, "Actually, the Thief's Downfall is a magical potion specifically designed to work with spells, but only Goblin know how to make it—I tried to borrow some back then, but Goblin are too unwelcoming."

Borrow? You're trying to rob me... Sean thought to himself.

However, Grindelwald's methods were quite clever; he even managed to plant a mole within the Guard Corps...

"What are your plans after this? Do you need my help?"

Grindelwald gave Sean a strange look. "You're quite enthusiastic, but the situation is still uncertain, and we don't need you for the time being. Don't worry, if necessary, you'll have to come and help, even if you have to run."

"So what's your next step?"

"Next step?" Grindelwald grinned wickedly. "Since the great Dumbledore hasn't given any hints, I'll just have to finish what I started."

Well, so we're going to start another war with Muggle, huh?

Seeing Sean's helpless expression, Grindelwald burst into laughter. "Sean, I forgot to tell you, my dream has temporarily changed."

"Um?"

"Um."

"What?"

"Um."

Room of Requirement, the two stared at each other, and Sean, who had been waiting for Grindelwald's answer, only felt a sense of loneliness.

"Then tell me!" Sean said impatiently.

Grindelwald, with his usual roguish air, burst into laughter. "Wouldn't it be boring to know the answer beforehand? Perfect, this will add some anticipation to your dull school life."

Sean: "..."

Bah! You old codger! I was just thinking to myself that you weren't a riddle person!

Seeing Sean roll his eyes, Grindelwald laughed heartily. He tilted his head back and drank the rest of the red wine, then tossed a bottle over.

Sean received it; it was a bottle about thirty centimeters tall, light blue, with a textured feel, but the material didn't seem to be ceramic or glass. There was a tightly fitting stopper on top.

"What's this?"

"Thief's Downfall," Grindelwald replied casually.

"Huh?" Sean's brow twitched.

Grindelwald licked his lips and let out a wild, joyful laugh, "An enemy's friend is an enemy. Before coming to Hogwarts, I went to see the Goblin. Good heavens, my mercy should make even Albus weep—I only took the Goblin ' stock and gave those cute little ones a delayed Explosion Charm."

"If you can get revenge, you won't let it linger overnight, right...?" Sean was speechless.

"The item is pretty good. It can wash away all magic, including disguise and Defensive Magic, as well as curses and control magic. It's both offensive and defensive. Moreover, this item has another use. Once you come into contact with the Thief's Downfall, the Thief's Downfall will no longer be effective against you for the next 24 hours."

Sean immediately realized the thing's greatest use—infiltrating Gringotts ...

Grindelwald continued, "Here you go. By the way, once you open the bottle, you should use it quickly and store it away from sunlight."

After saying that, he stood up and walked toward the Vanishing Cabinet.

"Teacher, are you leaving?" Sean also stood up.

Grindelwald waved his hand without turning his head. "Someone came to catch up with me—I've been very busy lately, I'm leaving."

"When is the next time we meet?" Sean asked.

"Next time is next time, goodnight, child, I had a very pleasant day."

Grindelwald stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet, turned around and smiled at Sean, then deftly closed the door.

When Sean walked over and opened the cabinet door again, it was already empty.

"What a capricious old man..." Sean muttered.

He glanced at the disposable Thief's Downfall in his hand, then quickly hid it in his ring. This thing should come in handy in a pinch...

By the time Sean tiptoed back to his dorm and climbed into bed, it was already 2 a. m.

"Tomorrow's a day off, I can sleep in a bit longer..." Sean yawned as he pulled the covers over himself.

Just then, a magical fluctuation suddenly came from the inside of his left arm.

The Dark Mark.

Why isn't she sleeping in the middle of the night? Is it Bella or Barty Jr.? Sean pressed the Dark Mark, sensing its contents.

Barty Jr. knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Master, I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night, but I feel there's some news that I must let you know."

"I hope your news is as important as you say, my friend." Sean said expressionlessly.

Barty Jr. buried his head even deeper. "Master, I have already controlled my father with the Imperius Curse."

So fast? Sean raised an eyebrow, pulled the blanket tighter around himself, and said coldly, "Well done."

"This is all thanks to the master's foresight." Barty Jr. first flattered him, "I learned something from him about the secret information I mentioned to you last time regarding the handover of ministerial duties."

"Oh?"

"Those ten levels represent the level of danger, and the danger level is ranked from top to bottom. In other words, it represents the level of danger the Blood Pact in the Ministry of Magic's classified information—"

"It's the highest level, ten."