Winds Rising

Without shouting or making menacing inflammatory remarks, Grindelwald simply and sincerely expressed his views.

It is precisely because of this that the wizards surrounding him have become increasingly fanatical.

"I never call our actions war; it's merely an action to defend our rights." Grindelwald spread his arms. "Go, my friends, return to your positions..."

A slight smile curved his lips, "It's time to act..."

Without any hesitation, amidst the continuous explosions, the crowd vanished from the scene as if by Apparition.

In the end, only a few people stayed.

Grindelwald walked up to a man with his hands behind his back and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

"Anton, we're both getting old."

The white-haired old man took off his hood and patted Grindelwald on the chest in salute.

"Lord Grindelwald, when you call me again, my heart is younger than ever before, it leaps with joy." The old man with a full head of white hair had an imposing face, clearly someone who had held a high position for many years.

However, his face is now filled with loyalty and fanaticism.

If there were any older wizards here, they would recognize that the man before them was none other than Anton Vogel, the former president of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Within the International Confederation of Wizards, some higher-ranking individuals know more about this person.

Anton Vogel, decades ago, when he was president of the International Confederation of Wizards, repeatedly opposed Grindelwald's views, who was not yet "reformed" at the time, and strongly supported other Ministry of Magic in their pursuit of Grindelwald.

At the same time, this person also secretly carried out several suppression actions against Dumbledore.

Many people consider Anton Vogel to be a strong, iron-fisted leader.

Surprisingly, when Grindelwald and Dumbledore shook hands and made peace, Anton Vogel's hand immediately softened, and he gradually became mediocre.

Even during the subsequent presidential election, Anton Vogel showed little interest. He didn't even pave the way for his own people, and simply handed over his power in a very unremarkable manner.

However, this chairman had already left behind a great deal of influence within the Confederation team at the time, and decades later, his grandson Charles Vogel successfully became the current chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards.

"Anton, we need more allies, and we need to wake up more people," Grindelwald said slowly.

Anton Vogel nodded solemnly. "The arrangements have already begun at Charles's side, and our people on the committee have also started to take action. Everything you requested has been arranged."

"Very good, my old friend," Grindelwald smiled with satisfaction. "Oh, by the way, keep the pressure on the Guard Corps and continue to hinder their search for the Qilin. Whether I get it or not is not important, but I want you to make sure that the Qilin does not fall into the hands of those people."

"I understand— Lord Grindelwald, I have a question: if we can't obtain the Qilin, what about the chairman's position?"

"Don't worry about it," Grindelwald chuckled casually. "What's meant to be mine will eventually come back to me."

Although Anton had some doubts, he knew that Grindelwald had his own ideas, and that the current plan should have been implemented decades ago.

He believed that this great wizard would lead them all to a new world.

Anton Vogel and the remaining wizards left, leaving only Grindelwald in the once bustling square.

He gazed at the half-moon hanging in the sky, seemingly muttering to himself, or perhaps lamenting to the world. "Albus, what was the purpose of your journey back to the past...?"

"But a new curtain is about to be drawn. Are you ready to stand against me once again?"

He glanced casually at the dark shadows in the distance, then turned his head back without a care.

Grindelwald's smile deepened.

The Wizarding United Guard, a secret base.

"Why did Grindelwald give the Qilin to Dumbledore..." Diane Allison, then a Guard Corps, frowned.

Before him, a hooded figure floating in mid-air spoke up, "Moreover, he may have discovered my men; this could be a decoy deliberately set up by Grindelwald."

Allison flicked his cigarette ash, glanced at the floating figure, and said softly, "Can you be sure Dumbledore is on our side?"

The man's voice was resolute. "Regardless of Dumbledore's intentions, he is currently in a cooperative relationship with us, and it is absolutely impossible for him to conspire with Grindelwald."

Hearing this, Allison felt a little relieved.

He knew that these guys who called themselves "Returners" were extremely mysterious and held wizarding secrets known to very few people.

"In that case..." Allison thought for a moment and then said, "Whether this is Grindelwald's cover or not, our plan remains unchanged."

"Why?"

Allison chuckled softly, "Whatever Grindelwald's current goals are, his ultimate aim is to have wizards rule the world. And dealing with someone like Grindelwald, we absolutely cannot follow his lead. Should we respond to his every move with corresponding measures? No, no, no, why deal with a Seer like that? Continue our operations, just instruct everyone to proceed cautiously. I want the International Confederation of Wizards's presidential election to proceed as scheduled..."

"And..." he smiled mysteriously, "The more chaotic the world becomes, the more advantageous it is for us, isn't it?"

The floating Returners nodded in agreement, then asked, "Where are the Barty Jr.?"

"Should we take them to the lowest level of prison?"

"Yes, I'll have someone come and pick him up in a few days."

Allison raised an eyebrow. "That guy is quite fanatical. He's been here for so many days and hasn't gotten a single piece of information out of him—but it's not unusual for someone to cast Imperius Curse on his own father."

"Don't worry," the Returners laughed confidently, "A fanatical servant will tell his master everything."

Back at Hogwarts, Sean was busy going through the materials left behind by Ravenclaw, trying to glean some useful information from the manuscripts of the Four Founders.

Unfortunately, time travel is an extremely dangerous activity for wizards of any era, and even the knowledgeable Ravenclaw did not leave behind much information about it.

However, Sean did find some other useful information that pointed to the identity of the group Sean had been searching for— the Returners.

Ravenclaw mentioned the Realm of Illusion in one of his manuscripts, which is the area that lies between the real world and the underworld.

After a wizard dies, his soul will temporarily remain in Realm of Illusion. Some souls gladly accept their death, while others, unable to relinquish their obsessions, choose to return to the real world as ghosts.

No matter what choice he makes, the wizard will eventually die, and the magic from his bloodline will dissipate into this world.

However, another situation may occur.

Merlin, the world's most famous wizard, this legendary great wizard seems to have invented a special spell. This spell can preserve the magic of a deceased wizard; by using the same bloodline and ancient magic, the magic of the departed will be transferred.

However, this transfer has a limitation: it requires entering Realm of Illusion and communicating with the original owner of the magic.

Ravenclaw only mentioned this part, saying that the spell was lost with the passing of the legendary wizard Merlin, and that details about how to transfer magic, whether to a vessel, body, soul, or something else, were not explained.

However, this information is enough for Sean to make a preliminary judgment.

Grindelwald had mentioned to him that the Returners were all wizards who had long since died, returning to the real world in an unknown way. Moreover, the first few Returners Grindelwald encountered were all insane, even the historically renowned benevolent wizards had gone mad. But their power was not great; they could only slightly influence reality.

Sean now suspects that the Returners were brought back to reality because of Merlin's curse.

Use this spell to preserve the magic of the deceased, then enter Realm of Illusion to communicate with the souls that have not left, and then transfer the preserved magic to the ghosts.

This was Sean's judgment, and he also always remembered that Voldemort seemed to have some kind of connection with the Returners.

Although his research direction was quite unconventional, it must be admitted that Voldemort was very qualified to speak on the subject of studying the soul.

They are both experts in the field of spirituality, and they happen to have connections.

"I just don't know how many of those so-called Returners there are, and what kind of strength they actually possess..." Sean muttered to himself.

"If I could capture one of the Returners and interrogate him, I could resolve many of his current doubts, "Sean thought.

Of all the ghosts Sean has encountered so far, the most unusual one is the Ghostly Horned Serpent. But Professor Dumbledore solved that problem, and the Ghostly Horned Serpent has not reappeared.

Another person who might know the relevant information is the ghost of Gormlaith Gaunt, but that guy has been completely petrified by the Basilisk, Sean has no intention of rescuing this crazy and paranoid soul.

The only remaining option is the person Gormlaith Gaunt mentioned.

"The great Salazar Slytherin is awakening..."

Sean didn't know the specifics at the time, but now he can guess quite a bit.

Perhaps, like the Returners, the ghost of Slytherin, wielding magical power, has awakened...

If that were the real Salazar Slytherin, then Sean wouldn't worry about his life being threatened.

It can also be seen in the Slytherin's Notes that he obtained on his own that although one of the Founders of Hogwarts was an extreme Pure-blood believer, he would not harm the lives of his students.

In his view, this was a very shameful and disgraceful thing.

Sean was worried that Salazar Slytherin might not be in a very clear-headed state.

Of course, it's more likely that Salazar Slytherin never woke up at all after Dumbledore him.

"I'm a bit conflicted..." Sean looked out, towards the second-floor girls' restroom, which was also the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

It's a pity that the Room of Requirement can't open its door there, otherwise Sean could have secretly observed it.

"Sigh... so many worries..." Sean sighed.

The main problem is that I'm not strong enough...

If he were at the level of Dumbledore or Grindelwald right now, he wouldn't have so many concerns.

After a moment of reflection, Sean walked out of the Room of Requirement, only to run into Stephanie at the corner.

Although the girl's face remained expressionless, the deep concern in her eyes was clearly visible.

"Hi, Stephanie," Sean greeted her.

Stephanie looked up and saw Sean. She naturally smoothed her hair, neatly gathering the stray strands.

"Good day, Sean," she greeted softly.

"Where are we going? Professor Flitwick told me there's going to be a... uh, lunch? It's best to eat before going to sleep," Sean said.

Yes, the time is wrong again. Today is October 30th, and a full twenty hours have passed, but it is still daytime.

Professor Flitwick stated that today's events may last forty hours or more, or even longer.

Today happens to be Sunday, but with the Ministry of Magic's strict regulations, Dementor are roaming around outside every day, and the students can't participate in any of their beloved outdoor activities.

In addition, with only four hours on October 27th, most people's biological clocks were somewhat disrupted, often resulting in situations where some people were eating lunch while others had already started sleeping.

Stephanie seemed reluctant to meet Sean's gaze. She awkwardly shuffled her shoes on the ground and said softly, "I still have some things to do."

"Oh, okay then. I won't bother you any longer. I'm going to eat now. See you later." Sean greeted her and walked past the girl toward the Great Hall on the first floor.

He hadn't taken two steps when Stephanie called out to him, her voice sounding hesitant.

"Sean, how's your understanding of Ancient Runes going?" she suddenly asked.

"Runes ..." Sean shrugged. "It's a little better than before. Ravenclaw's manuscript does have its unique aspects, but I get dizzy from looking at Runes for too long. And Ravenclaw's manuscript is entirely written in Runes, and some of the knowledge in it is quite profound. Overall, it's a bit tiring to read, but at least there's been progress."

After hearing Sean's words, Stephanie raised her head slightly. "Then, would it be better to combine introductory Runes with Ravenclaw explanations?"

"That should be much better... But does Ravenclaw have such information?"

Sean was puzzled. He had examined the Ravenclaw did not preserve such less sophisticated Runes manuscripts.

"Yes." Stephanie nodded earnestly to him, said goodbye, and quickly left.

Only a somewhat strange Sean remained in place.