Grindelwald's PUA Tactics

Veratia didn't expect Dumbledore to ask such a question.

"I don't understand what you mean, Professor Dumbledore," she said.

"You should understand, Grindelwald," Professor Dumbledore said. "I know your feelings for Harry, otherwise you wouldn't have traveled a hundred years into the future... But I heard from Newt that you seem to want to wait until Miss Malfoy returns before competing with her fairly?"

"That's exactly what I'm planning to do," Veratia said with a smile.

Dumbledore didn't quite understand Veratia's thinking. He asked, puzzled, "Why? As far as I know, Miss Malfoy has been Harry's best friend since their first year. Are you really confident you can beat her?"

"I will make Cassandra admit defeat, Professor." Although Veratia's demeanor was humble, the arrogance in her eyes could not be concealed.

"I still think you shouldn't let your guard down." A hint of worry flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. "If I were you, I would confirm my relationship with Harry first, and then rescue Cassandra..."

That said, Dumbledore was a staunch Harry-Vivie Faction.

Aside from Mr. LeMay, the entertainer, and those few portrait professors who couldn't come out from underground, Dumbledore was the only Harry-Vivie Faction member left.

The reason is not hard to guess. After several conversations and some indirect inquiries, Dumbledore has already formed a preliminary picture of Veratia.

This is someone with even greater ambitions Gellert, or rather... Gellert is just a younger version of her.

Dumbledore is old, and the new generation has been wiped out by Voldemort. Once Veratia completes her plan, it's likely that no one will be able to stop her.

But he always believed in love, and that love could change everything.

That's why Dumbledore firmly supported Veratia and Harry being together, so that someone could keep her ambitions in check.

Moreover, the fact that Veratia was able to travel a hundred years to find Harry shows that she has love in her heart.

A person with love in their heart will not become like Voldemort or Gellert.

"Don't worry, Professor," Veratia said confidently. "If I can beat Cassandra once, I can beat her a second time. The ultimate victor will be me."

Seeing Veratia's state, Dumbledore decided not to try to persuade her any further.

"I hope so." He sighed, and also decided to talk to Gellert about this...

However, he suddenly remembered that Gellert and Harry had never gotten along.

Based on his understanding of Gellert, this guy was definitely determined to break up Harvey's party.

His main characteristic is his agility; whoever breaks up Harry and Veratia will become his best friend.

No, it seems Gale isn't trustworthy either. We should find a suitable person to discuss this matter with.

Or... Newt?

Newt won't work either, and his aunt Pabbie... who knows what's going on?

Dumbledore knew Newt's character well; he valued relationships and sentiments, and he would definitely support Pabbie's rise to power without hesitation.

Once Cassandra returns, all the Pure-blood families that are close to the Malfoy family will likely automatically side with the Harry-Cassandra Shippers.

Thinking about this, Dumbledore felt a headache coming on.

It's unbelievable that such a small place as Hogwarts could accommodate three major political factions at the same time!

The next morning, Harry received a letter from the Malfoy family.

The letter stated that the Board of Governors would convene tomorrow, Saturday morning, to formally announce the resolution to add a new school board member.

After receiving the letter, Harry strolled over to Newt's tent.

"Professor Scamander," Harry greeted.

Newt turned around and saw that it was Harry. He smiled and said, "It's you, Harry. Didn't we tell you to just call me Newt?"

"This is school, you should be called Professor." Harry pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it to Newt. "It's from the Malfoy family. The Board of Governors is tomorrow. Where's Pabbie? Is she still at the LeMay family's?"

"My aunt is taking a walk in the Forbidden Forest, and Mr. LeMay is over there."

Newt said, pointing Harry in a direction.

Harry looked in the direction Newt was pointing, thinking, "Isn't this the way I came from? I don't see any houses either."

However, as soon as he turned his head, he saw a two-story villa standing by the roadside.

"This is Mr. LeMay's new home, protected by the Fidelius Charm," Newt said with a laugh. "I never imagined he would find out how Muggle generate electricity; now their building is self-sufficient in electricity."

"After all, he's a legendary Alchemy; it's normal for him to know more than one thing." Harry quickly accepted the fact that Mr. LeMay was so multifaceted. "Why did they decide to move next to the school?"

"Mr. LeMay said he's getting old and should spend more time with the children to feel some vitality," Newt said, speaking in a way he himself couldn't understand. "In addition, he also plans to keep a close eye on Auntie's health and try to find a way to help her regain... well, that is."

"Mr. LeMay is such a nice man," Harry exclaimed.

"Who can argue with that?" Newt sighed. "These days, good people like Mr. LeMay are becoming increasingly rare."

Harry chatted with Newt for a couple more minutes, then said goodbye and planned to go into the Forbidden Forest to see what Pabbie was up to.

As Harry walked further and further away, Gellert suddenly appeared behind Newt.

"We need to talk, Scamander," Gellert said sternly.

Newt turned around and said rapidly, "We have nothing to talk about, Grindelwald."

He was always on edge, and ever since he learned that Gellert was going to be his teaching assistant, he set a rule for himself.

Don't believe a word Grindelwald says.

To everyone's surprise, Grindelwald was not discouraged; instead, he took another step forward.

"Why don't you listen to what I have to say before you make a decision, Scamander?"

Newt was determined not to listen to his nonsense. He neither answered nor stopped, but silently walked into the tent, intending to check on the condition of the Zouwu inside.

This is a good companion I acquired in Paris more than sixty years ago.

As Newt walked into the tent, Gellert followed him inside.

"Let me put it this way, Scamander," Gellert said, "I'm willing to work with you to get my sister away from Scarhead..."

"Heh." Newt returned an awkward but polite smile.

you?

Break up your sister?

Newt felt there wasn't a single true word in that sentence.

"You should trust me, Scamander. I don't think it's a good choice for my sister to be with that Scarhead," Gellert coaxed. "That Scarhead ... lazy, arrogant, I really don't know what my sister saw in him... How about we work together? I think Miss Sweeting would be a good match for that Scarhead kid—although her current situation isn't very good."

Newt didn't say a word and started rummaging through the cabinet for a cat toy.

The Zouwu is a Magical Creatures native to China. It looks like a giant cat and is as large as an elephant.

The Zouwu has five colors on its body, and its long, feathery tail is even longer than that of a giant python.

This creature runs extremely fast and can travel a thousand miles a day.

As for the cat teaser, it's actually a bird toy Newt made... It's Zouwu's favorite toy, and seeing it makes him just as happy as any ordinary cat would be to see a cat teaser.

"I know you don't believe me, but you've seen the situation now, Scamander."

Undeterred by being ignored, Gellert continued to persuade Newt: "A woman of my sister's caliber is not Miss Sweeting can handle—the only one who can rival her right now is Miss Malfoy, whose fate is unknown... But I've heard my sister describe Miss Malfoy's personality before; if she were even slightly normal, my sister would have absolutely no chance."

"We don't know where she is right now, so I think we can't let my sister get there first. We should put forward someone to compete with her. So I think Miss Sweeting would be a good choice. After all, she also has deep feelings for that Scarhead Veela, doesn't she?"

Newt paused slightly.

Seeing an opening, Gellert pressed on, "Alright, Scamander, don't you want to fight for your aunt's happiness? Think about it, my sister isn't scary, but are you really willing to see your aunt regret her life because of your momentary hesitation?"

Newt stopped looking for the cat toy.

He admitted that Gellert made a good point.

Although he didn't want to believe Gellert's words, he couldn't ignore his aunt's happiness.

You see, the reason my aunt became like this is because she loves Harry.

As her nephew, he should definitely think what his aunt thinks and be anxious about what she is anxious about.

Thinking about this, Newt asked, "Why should I cooperate with you?"

Seeing that Newt had taken the bait, Gellert was secretly delighted.

Okay, I was just afraid you wouldn't say anything!

With that in mind, Gellert decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Because we think the same thing, Scamander," Gellert scoffed. "What I want is for my sister to get away from that wretched Scarhead —while what you want is for Miss Sweeting to be with the Scarhead, which also means that you can only achieve your goal if my sister gets away from the Scarhead."

"I don't deny it," Newt said.

"So we share common interests, Scamander," Gellert said earnestly. "Look, the core we're seeking is actually the same... So what are you waiting for?"

It must be said that Gellert truly lives up to his reputation as a man who has been a great figure; he speaks eloquently and persuasively.

At least Newt was completely fooled by him and was seriously weighing what Gellert had just said, considering whether or not to recruit him into the HarryPabbie Party.

He was brainstorming in his head, pondering... Miss Grindelwald currently held a tremendous advantage, and she had already seized the initiative in 'mana replenishment,' making it an impossible situation for her to lose.

Under these circumstances, there was absolutely no need for her to send her brother as an undercover agent.

Furthermore, she is a proud person by nature, and it is even less likely that she would do something so undignified.

So... perhaps it can be understood as two possibilities.

The first option is for Gellert to go alone.

The second possibility is that Gellert genuinely wanted to break up his sister and Harry.

"I've decided to observe you first, Grindelwald." Newt didn't completely trust Gellert, so he said ambiguously, "If you pass our test, I will officially recruit you into our core... but for now, you're only in the observation period."

"I understand." Gellert gave a meaningful smile. "Of course I can understand your suspicions, Scamander. After all, she's my own sister. No one would imagine that I would want to separate the two of them."

Newt struggled for a long time before finally giving an evaluation.

"Then you're really... inhuman," he said with a complicated expression.

Gellert laughed.

"If I were truly a good younger brother who respects my sister's choices, would you still be able to achieve your wish and bring happiness to your aunt?"

Upon hearing this, Newt immediately fell silent.

He admitted that Gellert was right.

However, Newt didn't have any moral burden, since Harry and Miss Grindelwald weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet, so theoretically it wasn't considered "breaking them up".

Everyone is just competing fairly. Although we didn't start from the same starting line, we are all competing in the same way.

Newt felt he had to fight for his aunt's happiness no matter what.

In that case, cooperating with this evil Grindelwald for the time being isn't such a big deal.

"I remember Miss Grindelwald saying that it seemed they would wait until Miss Malfoy returned before holding a fair competition," Newt suddenly said. "Where's your Eyes of Prophecy? Quickly, tell me when Miss Malfoy will return!"

"I think I told you I'd wait until next Christmas, why are you in such a hurry?" Gellert said calmly.

"You didn't tell me," Newt said firmly.

Gellert said "Oh," and then said, "Well, so that's what Nurmengard and Al were talking about—get nervous, Mr. Scamander, and try to make that idiot Scarhead know your aunt's feelings within this year..."

"A stupid wooden man?" Newt asked, puzzled. "Why do you say that about him?"

Gellert scoffed, "My God, if you knew the story between Cassandra Malfoy and that idiot Scarhead, you'd think he was a worthless piece of trash, just like me!"

After complaining, Gellert embellished the story Newt had heard from his sister.

Of course, he also mixed in some personal grudges, so in short, it's a juvenile tale of "Young Lady Malfoy wants me to confess" with added spice.

After listening to Gellert recount the grudges and feuds from a century ago in detail, Newt's expression became complicated.

This kind of wood... really can...

(Delivered at midnight)

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