With Ian gone.
The cluttered bookstore returned to its undisturbed quiet.
The sun slowly sank.
The horizon was dyed a gentle orange, and the earth quietly donned its night finery. Aurora Grindelwald switched on the lights and continued working on the notebook titled Analysis and Research of Runes.
Light and shadow intertwined between the bookshelves.
Now and then, the soft sound of turning pages rang through the shop.
The German Girl had told Ian that the bookstore owner, Kraft, would be back soon. But he did not appear until late at night, when the stars had already come out.
"Creak~"
Night had fallen.
Aurora had already closed the bookstore's front door. The old man pushed it open and entered, gently removing the old hat from his head. The brim still bore traces of dust from outside and creases left by the breeze.
"Miss, you're still awake?"
The bookstore owner Kraft spoke with considerable deference, not at all like an elder addressing someone younger. His voice carried a fatigue he could barely conceal.
"It's still early."
Aurora did not look up. As she worked on the notebook resting across her knees, she spoke in a mildly curious tone.
"And I'd like to know what message my grandfather sent you that made you rush out in such a panic, only to return in the middle of the night looking utterly exhausted."
Facing the heir to the Grindelwald Family, Kraft merely pressed his lips together and shook his head. He did not give Aurora the answer she wanted.
"There are some things you're not ready to involve yourself in yet."
Aurora had expected that answer.
Her expression and attention remained unchanged as she continued studying the book on her knees.
"Of course I'm tired. The other Acolytes and I are all old now. We're no longer as full of energy as we were in our youth... I don't even know if we have enough time left to see our ideals fulfilled."
Kraft let out a heavy sigh, then slowly removed his thick robe and hung it on the coat rack by the door.
Even that simple action left him breathing harder, panting slightly.
"My talent doesn't shine as brightly as my grandfather's, and I don't share his grand ambitions. If you pin your hopes on me, you'll only die with regrets, disappointed and unfulfilled."
Aurora raised her head.
She gazed at Kraft with her mismatched eyes.
Kraft felt dazed.
For one brief moment,
he thought he had finally returned to the days of old, to those years when dreams and passion went hand in hand... But Aurora's words dragged him back to reality.
It was all over.
The great leader had lost his freedom.
The once-glorious Acolytes had become candles guttering in the wind.
"No. It won't be like that."
Kraft was not offended. His voice was firm instead.
"Your grandfather believes you can finish what he started. You'll surpass him. He's already paved the way for you, and with our protection, you'll succeed."
Kraft's voice brimmed with fervor.
Aurora fell silent.
She wanted to argue.
But
she knew
that to the Acolytes,
her grandfather was practically their faith itself.
They would not merely refuse to listen to an argument.
Even the slightest disagreement would meet with resistance from the Acolytes.
"Don't you think it's a little cruel to place such a heavy burden on a child?" Aurora sighed softly, a trace of sorrow passing through her eyes.
"The fact that you can say that proves you're no longer a child," Kraft replied in a low voice. His manner had been humble from beginning to end.
But
that humility did not come from loyalty to Aurora. It came from loyalty to her grandfather.
"Bearing the Grindelwald name means that, from the moment you were born, you were destined to shoulder an extraordinary mission." It was a heavy thing to say, but it was also an undeniable truth.
Aurora understood that too.
"I don't believe I can lead you all to a resurgence."
Aurora spoke earnestly.
Kraft chuckled, unconcerned.
"Lord Grindelwald saw that future. For us Acolytes, that's enough." Kraft's cloudy eyes gleamed with unusual brightness.
That light
was likely called hope.
"Perhaps the self-imposed imprisonment he endures now, and all the pain he suffered in the past, were meant to pave your way. Perhaps he's deceiving Dumbledore for the Greater Good!"
That was what a fanatic was like.
They could always soothe themselves with a seemingly reasonable explanation for things they could not accept. Aurora knew she could never change Kraft's mind.
Just as
she had been unable to change the minds of the other Acolytes who had "kept her company" while she grew up over the past decade.
Sometimes Aurora truly admired her grandfather. She could not imagine what kind of personal charm it took to make a group of people remain so fiercely loyal to him, even after he had been gone for so many years.
They still believed he wielded godlike power.
"Let's talk about something else."
Aurora did not want to say much about why her grandfather had been imprisoned.
She had only seen him three or four times in her life.
Powerful, elegant, gentle.
Those were Aurora's deepest impressions of Gellert Grindelwald.
As for affection...
"Has Dumbledore still not approved my application to enroll?"
Aurora changed the subject.
"Dumbledore is a loathsome fellow, but we are in his territory now, so you should still show your future headmaster some outward respect."
Kraft gave her a serious reminder, then replied with absolute certainty. "Don't worry. You needn't fear that you won't be able to attend Hogwarts."
"Though none of us thinks that school is worthy of educating you, your grandfather wants you to study there. Dumbledore won't stand in the way of your enrollment."
"That damnable man will agree in the end."
Whenever Kraft mentioned Dumbledore, his teeth clenched.
On this point,
nearly every Acolyte had the same sore spot.
Aurora was used to it by now.
"That's good, then."
She lowered her head and returned to her notebook.
The bookstore fell quiet again.
Kraft raised his wand and cleaned his coat. Then, as he started toward the back room, he caught sight of the three Runes textbooks still piled on the counter.
"Did that little boy come by?"
Kraft picked up the three books with interest and inspected them. They showed few signs of having been read, so it seemed they had only been bought recently.
"He came to sell books."
Aurora answered briefly.
"That's a sly little brat, much sharper than other children his age. I hope he didn't fool you." Kraft tossed the three books toward the bookshelves.
"Thud!"
Without magic to guide them,
Kraft's "basketball" aim was truly terrible.
All three books hit the floor.
Kraft did not even consider casting a Charm to save them.
Aurora looked up, seeming thoughtful.
"I gave him a Galleon."
Her voice sounded much as it usually did—clear and youthful, her emotions steady.
"I can't believe it—you actually got the better of that sly little brat!"
Kraft looked at Aurora in surprise, then broke into a broad grin. He raised his withered arm and gave her a thumbs-up.
"I think he's nice. He said he wanted to be my friend."
Aurora's cool face showed no expression. But though she usually rested her books on her knees as she read, she was now holding the entire notebook in her hands.
"Hmm?"
Kraft did not notice anything unusual. His attention was on something else.
"Does that boy know who you are, Miss?"
The smile vanished from Kraft's face, replaced by a wary, narrowed gaze.
"Yes."
Aurora raised the notebook a little higher.
"We exchanged names. He's Ian Prince."
The girl's voice was as calm as ever.
"Huh. Then he must be a Muggle-born wizard."
Kraft frowned slightly.
He did not doubt Aurora's ability to make friends. Rather, Aurora's grandfather had long ago made the name "Grindelwald" an object of reverence among wizards.
The name Grindelwald might not inspire as much fear as Voldemort's, but any young wizard from a wizarding family would surely know what it meant.
"Both his parents are wizards."
The girl corrected him without warning.
Kraft paused, taken aback.
"Is that something you saw?"
Kraft looked into Aurora's eyes.
Fervor flared in his gaze once more.
"He knows what Grindelwald means, and..."
Aurora recalled her conversation with Ian before he left that afternoon. She lowered her head and returned to her notes, then spoke in a calm voice, dropping a bombshell without a hint of drama.
"He said he wants to become the Dark Lord."