The Source of Hatred

The Dumbledore's old house had long been dilapidated, with many parts of the roof and exterior walls reduced to ruins due to the erosion of Years.

Sean had been to Godric's Hollow twice, but he had never been to this long-abandoned house.

Instead of using magic to clear away the bushes, vines, and weeds that filled the yard, he chose to fly directly into the yard through a broken hole on the second floor.

The wooden corridor in my memory was covered in dust, with splinters of wood sticking out haphazardly, as if no one had walked through it all these years.

Sean's footsteps landed, and the wooden floorboards creaked and groaned.

He made no attempt to conceal it, and instead walked openly toward the door he remembered.

As Sean approached the door, he glanced down and, sure enough, there was no key on the door.

He hesitated for a moment, then took out the key and aimed it at the keyhole.

Logically, the holes, which should have been rusty or even clogged, should have been perfectly smooth, but Sean's key encountered no obstruction whatsoever.

With a click, the door opened.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself before coming here, Sean's breathing became uncontrollably heavy the moment the door was pushed open even a crack.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open completely.

The room was dimly lit, and the furniture, weathered by Years, showed no signs of renovation.

Before the fireplace, where the firewood had long since dried up, sat a silent figure on the heavy sofa.

That was someone Sean both knew and didn't know: Gellert Grindelwald.

Grindelwald seemed completely oblivious to Sean's arrival, leaning back on the sofa and humming an unknown tune.

His voice was hoarser and more lifeless than that of Old Grindelwald.

It's like an old man who has lived alone for a hundred years and seen through everything in the world.

Sean didn't say anything; he slowly walked into the room.

As soon as Sean stepped into the room, he felt a strange sense of confinement, just like he had felt in Old Bathilda's yard.

It must be a concealment spell... Sean thought to himself.

He gently closed the door, and the room grew even darker.

Sean walked over calmly and directly, and stood quietly in front of Grindelwald.

No one spoke, only Grindelwald's soft humming of a tune.

After a long while, Grindelwald finally raised his head.

Sean finally managed to make out the other person's face with the help of that dim light.

His withered, silver-gray hair and deep, knife-cut wrinkles, though lacking the freckles common in the elderly, exuded the weariness and decay of old age.

Of course, all of this will be forgotten once you look into the other person's eyes.

Sean's breathing suddenly caught in his throat, and his heartbeat, after slowing slightly, began to pound violently.

His eyes were exactly the same as Old Grindelwald's, but the ruthlessness in them was almost like that of a god looking down on all living beings.

Yes, a pair of eyes completely devoid of emotion, eyes that only make one tremble.

Young Grindelwald glanced at him indifferently, then a cold, emotionless smile appeared on his lips.

"I thought you were really fearless. Your sleeve just twitched. What were you clutching? Is that some new escape weapon you've developed in the last two years? Kid, you're afraid of dying."

It had a voice almost identical to Old Grindelwald's, but it didn't give Sean the familiar sense of security he was looking for.

Sean remained silent for a moment, but did not take back the George Weasley Trick Card in his hand.

He doesn't like gambling with his life.

"The Mahler's Seventh Symphony, Fifth Movement..." Sean said softly, referring to the tune the other person had just hummed.

Grindelwald finally glanced at him, but he wasn't swayed by Sean's lead. His hands hung casually at his sides, dangling from the armrests.

"Didn't you come with sincerity? What are you afraid of, child?"

As he spoke, he burst into uncontrollable laughter, which grew louder and louder.

The piercing laughter echoed in the tiny, chilling room.

Grindelwald laughed heartily for a while, then said leisurely, "I actually called you 'kid,' hahaha—how many years older than you were I before I fell asleep? Ha, I forgot—"

Sean then answered his earlier question, "Sir, please allow me to answer your question first. First of all, I am indeed very afraid of death, extremely afraid of death, and I am indeed worried that you might attack me in your rage. However, I have come with sincerity, and I want to offer some small help, if it can make you feel a little better."

Grindelwald licked his lips. "Who taught you to talk like that, him?"

"No, that's just my personality, but he did help me a lot," Sean said in a deep voice.

Grindelwald gave a strange smile, "Sean —may I call you that, Sean?"

"Of course, sir."

"Sean, what do you think you can do to help me?" Grindelwald countered.

Sean pondered for a moment, then replied in a deep voice, "I will do everything in my power to investigate the general situation and the truth you want. You can also bring up anything else that interests you."

Grindelwald's smile was still unsettling, "What use do I have for these, Sean, my friend?"

"But you're still sitting here, sir," Sean said in a low voice.

The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment, then Grindelwald narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you also favored by Dumbledore?"

"To be honest, most people like me, but my enemies hate me," Sean said honestly.

"Do you know how I treat people I hate?" Grindelwald snapped his fingers.

The entire room burst into flames, and the intense fire made Sean, who was in the very center, feel his face burning.

"Being disliked by you must not be a pleasant experience," Sean said.

Grindelwald laughed strangely, "Looks like he taught you very well."

"If you were to teach me, I believe it would be very good."

These words made the flames burn even more fiercely, Grindelwald slowly stood up.

He was wearing tattered black running shoes and was barefoot.

"Sean, do you know what makes me angrier the most? At first, when I was imprisoned, my consciousness was just drifting away in a hazy state."

"It took me some time to figure all this out. I'm not happy about it, but I understand. After all, I know myself best. Even if he has a thousand reasons, how could the eternally proud Gellert Grindelwald be willing to imprison himself? Even if the person who will replace me is my future self."

"But this is something I am capable of doing, and I am even a little proud of it—ha, look, the future me is so powerful, so powerful that no one can defeat me, so powerful that I can traverse such a long period of time."

"If he's coming back, then he must have done something wrong. I never deny failure, and now there's even a chance to reverse it—"

"So, when my hazy consciousness understood all of this, and when I was unable to resist my stronger self, I fell asleep peacefully."

Grindelwald spread his arms wide, and flames burned wildly, just like his wildly dancing hair.

A chilling, terrifying rage mingled with the intense heat, and Sean almost instinctively tried to use the card to escape.

All I can say is that Grindelwald is Grindelwald. Even after being imprisoned for nearly a century, he still possesses such powerful and intimidating magic.

Grindelwald became unusually angry; he was practically roaring.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why is this world still so ugly, disgusting, and repulsive when I see it again?!"

"Muggle take up more of the world; they're like disgusting insects all over the earth!"

"They are even more comfortable and at ease than before, and they have even gained greater power!"

"The wizards still live in seclusion, and the rats in the sewers still never see the sunlight!"

"Right next to me, that kid named Capen, with noble blood flowing in his veins and magic pulsating within him! And he's being humiliated by disgusting Muggle, and he doesn't even dare to fight back!"

"This law has not been abolished, and this idea has not been abandoned!"

"This world still hasn't received its the Chosen One."

Grindelwald stood in the flames, his eyes filled with disgust and piercing disappointment.

"He spent so much time, used so much power, even went so far as to deceive the will of the world, and then gave me this answer?"

"He's telling me, Gellert Grindelwald— " he said, emphasizing each word, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"—Just a piece of trash?"

Sean had to use a spell to protect himself from the intense heat. He said through the heat, "Sir, I understand your thinking, but I must refute you. You haven't tried it, so you don't know that even if you did it yourself, you might not succeed?"

Grindelwald raised the flames.

Sean gripped the card tightly and spoke quickly and loudly.

"And he may have already experienced failure once, so he came back—but what if the real change has only just begun?"

Why don't you give it a try?

Grindelwald walked over on flames and said coldly, "You're teaching me, Sean?"

He wavered... Sean knew Grindelwald all too well; if the other party felt there was no need to continue the conversation, he wouldn't hesitate to start a fire.

Sean was overjoyed and continued, "What merit do I have to teach you? But the idea I proposed is indeed the most likely one, isn't it?"

"After all, both he and you are named Gellert Grindelwald, aren't you?"

That's quite a flattery, isn't it...? Sean looked at the other person nervously.

Grindelwald stood amidst the flames, looking indifferently at Sean, then suddenly laughed.

The flames receded as if they were creatures that obeyed his will, and the burned furniture and walls were restored to their original state in an instant.

Grindelwald sat back down on the sofa, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"That's very interesting, Sean ... Ha, if it were me, I would definitely take you as my student too. And in the lesson of See Through Hearts, your first target is your teacher, right?"

"Very good, you've convinced me."

Sean finally caught his breath, withdrew the spell, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "Thank you for the compliment. I've only learned a little bit, but—"

He patted his clothes. "My relationship with him is really good."

Sean smiled under Grindelwald's scrutinizing gaze, "Sir, you know there are no parallel worlds, only interconnected timelines. So, to me, you are him. To you, I am me."

"What an interesting kid... Very good, you have now gained my approval, and in every respect, your value is very high," Grindelwald said condescendingly.

"Oh, that's really good news." Sean finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good news for now," Grindelwald said, reverting to his original demeanor, "Give me enough evidence, give me something more convincing."

"That's exactly what I want to do."

"Want it? That means you haven't gotten it yet. Okay, you can get lost now."

Sean didn't stubbornly stay. He shrugged, turned around, and left. As he reached the door, he asked, "Sir, I have a question. May I come and chat with you from time to time?"

"Okay. To be fair, I'll ask you a question too," Grindelwald said.

"Certainly."

"Capen, you should have been watching the whole thing, why didn't you help him?"

Sean shrugged. "Because the most important thing right now is to get in touch with you. A curse that just happens to be passing by might not solve the fundamental problem."

"Good answer. Okay, you can get lost now."

"Goodbye, sir—oh, I forgot to mention, there's a bag by the door; I put something in it."

After saying that, Sean flew straight out of the old house.

The room fell dark again, Grindelwald waved his hand, sending a bag flying over.

The bag was enchanted with Undetectable Extension Charm. When opened, it contained various fine wines from different wineries, as well as the most famous Butterbeer in the Wizarding World.

Next to it was a stack of booklets with eye-catching titles.

"Complete statistics on the wizarding population from 1880 to the present."

Finally, there was a crooked, twisted tree branch wand.

Grindelwald chuckled, casually picked up a bottle of wine, and gulped it down.

"This is getting interesting..."

Godric's Hollow, a Muggle village, in the corner of an alley.

"This time, I'll see who comes to your rescue." David, grinning wickedly, led his henchmen to close in on Capen, who had nowhere to retreat.

Capen forcefully suppressed the magical power within him, then grabbed a thin wooden stick.

"Just as useless as you," David scoffed at the stick, which was almost as thin as a finger, before reaching out to grab it.

"Ah—" Capen closed his eyes and started wildly waving the stick.

However, after swinging it for a long time, he didn't feel like he touched anything. Instead, the stick in his hand became lighter and lighter, even as light as a balloon.

He opened his eyes in fear, and then found that the wooden stick in his hand was floating, just like the bad kids who had been bullying him.

They floated like a fat balloon.

A handsome young man in a crisp uniform was waving a small wooden stick, directing the "balloons" to move up and down.

"This...this is..." Capen took a step back in alarm, then his eyes lit up again.

Could it be that the same magical power he once felt was the same as his?

At that moment, Capen realized that the tall, handsome boy had finally noticed him.

The other person smiled gently, "Hello, junior."