For the Greater Good

News of Cassandra?

Not only Harry and Veratia, but Dumbledore was also very interested in hearing about her.

Nothing more than curiosity.

"Where is she?" Harry asked anxiously.

To everyone's surprise, Gellert wasn't in a hurry at all, and instead gave Harry a mysterious smile.

"Potter... your womanizing doesn't surprise me. Has anyone ever told you never to show concern for another woman in front of one?"

He wouldn't miss any opportunity to annoy Harry, especially in front of his sister.

But— Gellert swears he would use every ounce of his knowledge to bring Potter and Miss Malfoy together in front of Cassandra.

"Did your best friend teach you this, Sissy?" Harry used a very damaging nickname.

Hearing Harry's sharp sarcasm, Gellert looked utterly taken aback.

This word is really too offensive. Generally, the word "sissy" (derived from sister) is used to describe effeminate men, that is, men who are effeminate.

In those days, effeminate men were generally a stereotype associated with gay men.

But someone like Gellert clearly can't stand being called "sissy".

"Scarhead! If you want to know where your old flame is, take back what you just said!" Gellert roared.

"Okay, Poussy boy," Harry continued sarcastically with a chuckle.

Gellert had barely opened his mouth when a transparent hand in the air grabbed the Skin of Destiny on the back of his neck.

When he turned his head, he saw his sister sitting quietly to the side, staring at him.

"I saw Miss Malfoy," Gellert said somewhat aggrievedly. "We were having Christmas dinner here a year from now, along with... tsk, another Hufflepuff, a Hufflepuff girl, and Al and Vera, making a total of seven of us."

Veratia glanced at Harry almost imperceptibly. "So, Cassandra will be back by next Christmas at the latest?"

"Yes, sister," Gellert chuckled softly, "Please trust in my Prophecy abilities."

"Did you also Prophecy that you'd get a beating today?" Harry suddenly asked.

Gellert glared at him but didn't say anything.

"Can you see Cassandra's exact location?" Veratia asked again, "Like, where she sleeps?"

"No," Gellert answered truthfully. "Perhaps this place is too far from where she rests, which is why I cannot predict... But don't worry, if I could get closer, I could make a prediction."

"I understand," Veratia nodded, then looked at Dumbledore. "So, Professor Dumbledore... I think our agreement can be concluded?"

"I have no objection," Dumbledore replied.

Just kidding, of course he has no objection.

If he had won the duel, he could have refused—though not to the point of refusing his senior's request to return to school, he would absolutely not agree to let Gellert go.

But there was nothing he could do; circumstances were beyond his control. Although he was slightly better than his senior in terms of Charms, he was still wearing that robe that had been cursed with Ancient Charm.

If I didn't agree, my senior sister probably wouldn't be so easy to talk to now.

Thinking of this, he took out the magic wand from his pocket again.

"This is the Elder Wand, Senior Grindelwald." Dumbledore handed the wand to Veratia. "You've probably heard that the Elder Wand is the most emotionless, the most cold and cruel wand. It only considers ability—other wands have a certain degree of loyalty to a person, so even if I'm disarmed, I'll still hold that wand, and it will still serve me. They won't abandon their master so easily."

"As Ollivanders said, if a wand chooses a person of power, it will prefer the wand's chosen master... But the Elder Wand is only loyal to power, so it is completely devoid of emotion; it follows the power."

Veratia didn't speak, but just looked at Dumbledore, as if trying to see through his deeper meaning.

"In 1899, Gellert stole this wand from Gregorovitch," Dumbledore said softly. "It had been his ever since; but in 1945, I won a duel against him, and the Elder Wand became mine—until just now."

"You mean, I won the duel, so the Elder Wand belongs to me?"

Veratia reached out and took the wand, examining the special Elder Wood shaft. Her little fingernail subtly grazed the end of the wand.

"Fifteen inches, the Tail Feather of Thestral." Veratia curled her lip in disdain. "Ha, one of the Deathly Hallows?"

With that, she tossed the wand back to Dumbledore.

"I prefer the wand that has always been with me to one that only obeys the stronger," she said.

"Few can resist such temptation, Grindelwald," Dumbledore, a gentle light appearing in his eyes. "I should remind you that this wand amplifies Charms."

Veratia smiled and looked at Harry.

"I still prefer the one that has always been with me, Professor. I am a sentimental person. No matter how dazzling the new wand is, I will never abandon my old friend."

Then she added, "Speaking of which, you should use the Disarming Charm on me again to regain control of the wand."

With that, she took the wand from Dumbledore's hand.

Dumbledore didn't try to persuade him further. A Disarming Charm flashed, and the Elder Wand returned to his hand.

"Compared to this wand that is of no use to me, I would much rather have Professor Dumbledore's support," Veratia said with a slight smile. "After graduation, I want to study at Muggle university, and I hope the International Confederation of Wizards and the Wizengamot Council will not make things difficult for an innocent and kind little girl like me."

Such a requirement?

Dumbledore didn't object and assured Veratia, "Don't worry, senior."

"Even if the Austrian Ministry of Magic, it doesn't matter, does it?" Veratia asked.

"Of course, Senior Grindelwald," Dumbledore said seriously.

Upon hearing Dumbledore's assurance, Veratia smiled with satisfaction, a fleeting look of triumph that went unnoticed by everyone else.

This was the trap she set for Dumbledore, and also the most important part of her plan to trample the Wizarding Secrecy Law underfoot.

in addition...

In that short time, Veratia also inscribed a simple Ancient Magic mark on the Elder Wand —just as she had scratched the handle with her fingernail.

Anyone who attacks her will be attacked by this spell.

How could Veratia possibly do a losing business?

"What a pity," Gellert clicked his tongue. "I personally really like this wand."

Dumbledore smiled and said to Veratia, "Legend has it that whoever possesses three Deathly Hallows will become the master of god of death. Gellert and I were obsessed with the Deathly Hallows because of this legend. We made many plans to seize Deathly Hallows — the Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak, and the third one I've never heard of. I've only ever seen the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak, but I've never heard of the other one."

"Oh, right, Harry." Dumbledore looked at Harry, "The Invisibility Cloak is the one I gave you back last Christmas, a keepsake from your father."

Harry paused for a moment.

He never imagined that his Invisibility Cloak had such a significant background.

"Does possessing the Deathly Hallows make one the master of god of death?"

Upon hearing this, Veratia laughed dismissively.

"My God, only you young people back then would believe this unbelievable legend. To become the master of god of death simply by possessing three Deathly Hallows? That's just too far-fetched."

"I think so too." Dumbledore smiled meaningfully. "As I've grown older and gained more experience, I've realized how ridiculous we were back then..."

He then asked, "Speaking of which, why didn't I see Ms. Rosier during this trip to Nurmengard?"

"I sent Rosier to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts." Gellert didn't bother to hide anything and spoke the truth. "At the beginning of the year, I saw my sister's return, so I thought of sending someone to Hogwarts to gather information—then I heard that you were recruiting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and that fame-seeking bestselling author Lockhart wasn't a very good candidate."

"That Lockhart, after extracting some adventure stories from others, claimed them as his own and even used Memory Charm on the victims," Gellert said disdainfully. "He became a bestselling author, a great adventurer, and reaped both fame and fortune, while the victims were left to spend the rest of their lives in a daze—"

Harry's eyes widened; he never imagined that the real Lockhart had such a story.

So, his and Ron's guesses weren't wrong; Lockhart was indeed no good—but "Professor Lockhart" was indeed an excellent and competent professor.

"You should know that Defense Against the Dark Arts is cursed, Gellert," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "No one can serve a full year as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. That's the curse Tom placed on the position."

"I have to admit, your student is quite capable," Gellert said, nodding. "However, I would prefer that you let Vera teach for the full year, since you won't find a more competent Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"I agree with you, Gellert." Dumbledore smiled. He knew better than anyone the level of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts over the years.

He then said to Gellert, "But I would prefer that she teach everyone as she is—"

"So, what's the reason? How can we get the students to accept it?" Gellert frowned. "Everyone knows Vera is Saints..."

"A respectable Lady has uncovered a complex conspiracy," Veratia suddenly said. "In order to find evidence, she used Polyjuice Potion to transform herself into Lockhart's likeness, all to expose Lockhart's true nature—"

Upon hearing Veratia's words, everyone expressed their agreement.

"That's a good reason, Grindelwald," Dumbledore nodded with a smile, then said to Gellert, "I think you should tell me where the real Lockhart is now. We should give him the trial he deserves."

"You still haven't told me why we let this fame-seeking person become a professor at Hogwarts," Gellert asked leisurely.

Dumbledore gave him a mysterious smile, "It's simply because there's no one else to choose from."

Gellert chuckled, knowing Dumbledore wasn't telling the truth. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore. "Given your usual character, you're probably trying to use Lockhart's case to warn someone... or groom them, right? You always do this, just like you did with Scamander..."

"Perhaps." Dumbledore neither confirmed nor denied it. "It's getting late, and I think I should return to Hogwarts. As for the rest, that's none of my business. I'll be waiting for you at Hogwarts, Gellert."

After saying that, Dumbledore pinched Fawkes's butt, and the two of them disappeared together in Nurmengard Castle.

Only after Dumbledore left did Harry leisurely open his purse and release Fiona.

Good heavens, Fawkes is such a sycophant, we really can't let him get close to Fiona.

"It's been so long since I've seen Fiona, sister," Gellert said casually, crossing his legs. "Just as long as it's been so long since I've seen you, you know? I haven't dreamt of you telling me fairy tales since I was seventeen."

Harry realized that the old man was just playing the victim, trying to gain Veratia's sympathy.

"Because you stole from your sister's vault back then, Gellert," Harry began sarcastically. "After you turned seventeen, you probably dreamed about how your sister would deal with you when she came back."

"Has anyone ever told you that your mouth is really wicked, Potter?" Grindelwald glared at Harry.

Harry chuckled. "But none of this concerns me."

Seeing that Gellert wanted to say something more, Veratia interrupted, "Alright, it's getting late, I think we should rest too—you should still have a spare room in your Nurmengard, right? Let's get ready, and tomorrow I'll take you to Mr. LeMay's place for the night."

"Yes, sister," Gellert said sincerely. He called over a few of his trusted men downstairs and asked them to prepare rooms for the two of them.

Harry felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

With all this noise, Gellert constantly getting beaten up, why haven't his confidants shown up?

Only when he called did these trusted men appear in the house...

Something's not right, something's very wrong.

Harry suppressed his curiosity and walked with Veratia to the two adjacent guest rooms.

See you tomorrow, Harry.

Veratia looked down at Harry, who was now level with her chest, smiled, and leaned down to give him a light kiss on the forehead.

Harry's face was flushed from the sudden attack, and the warm, soft sensation still lingered on his forehead.

"What, what is this?" Harry asked.

"A goodnight kiss, of course." Veratia reached out and ruffled Harry's messy hair. "Alright, we should get some rest. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, Veratia," Harry replied. "Goodnight."

Nothing was said that night.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he stretched.

This was the best night's sleep he'd had in recent years.

The scenery of Nurmengard Castle in the early morning is very beautiful. Because it is nestled in the mountains, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the distant mountains from your window.

He thought it would be nice to have a house like that in the future.

"What are you looking at?"

A gentle voice came from behind him, and then Harry felt himself sink into a soft embrace.

It's Veratia; she's here to draw Harry's energy again.

"I'm looking at the scenery," Harry, still not quite used to being held, but he liked it. "I was thinking, how wonderful it would be to have a house like this someday? When I have nothing to do, I can sit by the window and look at the scenery... Is that the Alps over there?"

"Yes, it's the Al," Veratia said softly. "If you like, Nurmengard Castle is yours."

"Forget it, I'm afraid Gellert will kill me," Harry said with a chuckle.

Veratia pulled him to sit down in a chair. "Don't worry, Gellert won't... Besides, he's already so old, and he doesn't have any descendants. What would he do with such a big house? He might as well give it to a younger person."

Harry sensed that Veratia's words had a hidden meaning; it seemed she was deeply troubled by the extinction of the Grindelwald family.

"Speaking of which, why did you so easily believe Dumbledore?" Harry asked curiously. "You weren't like this before—"

"Ah... I have to thank you for this, Harry," Veratia said with a slight smile. "Whenever I'm with you—when there's physical contact—I seem to be able to see a person's soul. Perhaps this is an extra function of the Philosopher's Stone."

"Soul?" Harry pondered the question, unsure of its meaning.

"I can see what a person's soul is like, like yours," Veratia whispered in Harry's ear. "Your soul is transparent and pure, the most delicious soul I've ever seen... I really want to take a bite."

"Uh?" Harry stammered.

"Just kidding, Dumbledore's soul is also pure white—with only a tiny stain, almost negligible," Veratia said softly.

However, she only told Harry half the truth.

I can't exactly say I put an Ancient Magic mark on the handle of the Elder Wand, can I? That would make me seem too "clever."

She hummed the tune of the Emperor Quartet lightly—a folk song from her hometown.

Harry then realized why Veratia had so easily believed Dumbledore's assurance.

Professor Hoot once said that a gentleman can be deceived by reason, and perhaps Professor Dumbledore can also be described as a gentleman.

"And Gellert?" he asked, curious about the color of Gellert's soul.

"Him?" Veratia scoffed. "Black, a multicolored black, hopelessly so."

Harry grunted; he really hadn't expected Gellert to have such a low opinion of his sister.

Gellert, who was still sleeping in next door, had no idea that the ownership of his castle had been casually given to Scarhead by his sister during their morning conversation, and that Scarface had even been described as having a "colorful black."

Gellert was originally a very self-disciplined person, but since being imprisoned in Nurmengard Castle, he has lost his spirit and developed the bad habit of sleeping in late.

Generally speaking, he would never get up until the sun was high in the sky at noon.

Veratia didn't intend to wake him up; she just wanted to avoid seeing Gellert.

Every time Veratia sees this guy, she can't help but think of the Grindelwald family line dying out—and how he stole all the wealth from her vault, just like the Niffler!

Let's punish him by making him go to Newt's place to take care of the Niffler —if I remember correctly, Newt is a master of Magical Creatures and keeps many Magical Creatures, including the Niffler.

The idea of letting the old Niffler take care of the little Niffler was just a thought. Veratia found it very amusing to imagine Gellert with a Niffler sitting on his head, two Niffler in his pocket, and another Niffler in his hand.

It wasn't until noon that Gellert yawned and got out of bed.

"Good morning, sister." Gellert yawned, still wearing her starry-moon nightcap.

Veratia's eyes crinkled as she realized that the nightcap must be the same one Dumbledore.

"And the scar... Potter." Gellert quickly took back the word "Scarhead."

Gellert had been prepared all along; he had arranged for someone to impersonate him and be imprisoned in Nurmengard the night before.

"Oh, right, sister," Gellert suddenly remembered the three people in the dungeon, "The three who escaped, including Wilhelmine, are still in the dungeon. Would you like to go see them?"

"Wilhelmine?" Veratia frowned, thinking for a long time. "Who is Wilhelmine?"

"He's one of the guys who bullied my brother and me back then," Gellert said with a shrug.

"Oh, I remember now." Veratia gave a disdainful smile. "She's a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. She's always encouraging others to bully me from behind, but she never dares to face me alone—even when I was a Squib."

"You let someone like that live for over a hundred years?" Veratia asked.

"Of course I won't let her have it easy," Gellert said with a wicked grin. "Don't worry, sister, I think the three of them are almost developing resistance to the Cruciatus Curse."

Veratia paused for a moment.

Then she said helplessly, "This is my fault, Gale. I didn't instill enough reverence in you for the Unforgivable Curse, which is why you are so indifferent to life now..."

Upon hearing this, Gellert rolled his eyes.

Disregard for life?

My sister, how could you accuse me of disregarding life?

However, he only thought these words in his heart and didn't dare to say them out loud.

"What should we do with the three of them?" Gellert asked.

Veratia's gaze darkened.

"If you can't even handle this little thing, what use are you as my brother?"

Gellert said nothing, turned around and gave a few instructions to the people around him, and then they left together.

He returned shortly afterward.

"It's all taken care of, sister," Gellert said deliberately. "I've done as you instructed and killed all three of them."

While speaking, he didn't forget to glance at Harry.

The meaning was very clear—look, Scarhead, my sister is a ruthless killer with blood on her hands—why don't you hurry up and leave her?

However, to his surprise, Harry nodded approvingly at him.

"At least in terms of protecting your sister, you're a decent younger brother," Harry said.

Gellert didn't know whether to be happy or sad, but Harry's next words made him realize that he should be angry.

"But that's all, Niffler-Gellert," Harry called out the new nickname he'd given Gellert —just like the one he'd given Draco.

The nickname was so powerful that it made Gellert's hair stand on end.

"Scarhead!" he cursed angrily, reaching out to poke Harry across Veratia.

But unfortunately, his sister took his side and separated the two of them.

"Alright," Veratia said, "Stop fooling around, we should go to LeMay family sooner rather than later."

"Am I about to see Scamander?" Gellert chuckled. He was really looking forward to seeing what kind of sharp, explosive reaction the freckled boy would make when he saw him.

"And take Lockhart with you too," Gellert said, patting the suitcase at his feet. "I put him in here and gave him the Draught of Living Death."

Seeing that Gellert was ready, Veratia called Fiona over, took Harry's hand with her left hand, and squeezed Gellert's wrist with her right hand, before disappearing into Nurmengard.

The LeMay family was having lunch when there was a knock on the door. Newt suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and instinctively turned his head.

Turning his head, he immediately saw Gellert Grindelwald smiling at him with a meaningful expression.

Newt instinctively sprang up from his chair, reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. Without a word, he cast a Charms at Grindelwald.

"Alright, Scamander," Gellert said, dodging the Charms, "I've come to see you this time with love and peace..."

Love and peace?

Harry's expression suddenly turned strange.

Not only Harry, but everyone present looked at Gellert with a "Are you out of your mind?" expression.

Theseus reacted even more fiercely, unleashing three Charms in succession, all of which were blocked by Gellert.

"Alright, Professor Dumbledore has given his permission." Veratia's voice came from behind Gellert: "Come on, sit down—let me tell you what happened."

Upon seeing Veratia, Theseus and Newt barely managed to suppress the urge to unleash a few more Charms and send Grindelwald flying into the sky.

After all, she's a senior student at Hogwarts, so we should give her Fang Yi face—especially since Professor Dumbledore was involved in this.

They all knew that if Gellert left Nurmengard, Professor Dumbledore would know immediately and stop him from leaving.

A crowd gathered around, listening to Veratia recount what had happened.

After hearing that Gellert had emptied Veratia's coffers and used the money to organize the Witchcraft Party, everyone suddenly realized what had happened.

No wonder he was able to build such a large organization in just a few years; it turns out it was because he stole his sister's money...

That's over two million Galleon...

What surprised them even more was that Gellert stole the nightgown his sister had prepared for Harry and gave it to Dumbledore instead—and because of this, Dumbledore was hung from the ceiling during his duel with Veratia.

How should I put it? He truly lives up to his reputation as a terrifying transfer student at Hogwarts.

However, Veratia was quite modest about this, saying, "Actually, Professor Dumbledore's level of Charms is much higher than mine. I just benefited from Ancient Magic and there was a little bit of an accident."

It was indeed an accident, after all, no one expected that this pit had been dug for a hundred years.

"So, you mean..." Newt looked at Gellert with a troubled expression, "Professor Dumbledore allowed Grindelwald to be my teaching assistant in order to pay off your debt?"

"Yes," Veratia nodded. "He owes me so Galleon, of course he should work to pay it back."

"But I already have Hagrid as a teaching assistant."

Newt was reluctant to accept Gellert, not only because of their past conflict, but also because they were irreconcilable enemies.

The irreconcilable conflict here refers to the fact that one is the HarryPabbie Party and the other is the Harry-Vivie Faction, which are fundamentally incompatible.

"You can have multiple teaching assistants, Newt," Tina whispered, never one to miss an opportunity for drama. "I think this is a great chance. Think about it, Newt, let him feed the Niffler..."

Newt's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"He can make an Unbreakable Vow Charms you," Veratia added from behind.

However, to everyone's surprise, Gellert suddenly appeared beside Pabbie.

"This Unicorn Lady must be Miss Sweeting of Hufflepuff, right?" Gellert smiled kindly. "I remember, Unicorn only gravitate towards those with pure souls—if I hadn't used Qilin for the election of President of the International Confederation of Wizards, but instead used Miss Sweeting, I might have won."

"You're really persistent, Grindelwald," Newt said from the side.

"Perhaps, people always dwell on failure." Gellert smiled and continued, "Just as my sister said, I will work under you to atone for my sins—this is also Headmaster Dumbledore's arrangement... So, as Dumbledore's favorite student, shouldn't you obediently listen to your professor?"

When he said this, Gellert's facial expressions were incredibly varied, making him look extremely irritating.

Of course, when he left Nurmengard, he had regained the spirited look he had in 1926.

She has quite a few wrinkles on her face.

but...

Gellert looked at Pabbie again.

This Miss Pabbie... also likes Potter.

Ha, Scarhead Veela, you've really committed a terrible sin!

But what does that have to do with me?

Gellert didn't find working for Scamander to be a bad thing.

Perhaps... we could temporarily team up with Scamander to defeat my sister?

The code name is already decided. " For the For the Greater Good!"

(Requesting monthly votes)

(Ah, please vote for me and give me a reward)