Grindelwald's Visit
Xiwen accepted the Rosier family's silver badge, his expression somewhat dazed.
After arriving in France, he forcibly disguised himself as a calm, assertive, and decisive strongman, all for the sake of this blue rose relief.
However, after actually obtaining it, Xiwen felt somewhat lost, unsure of what path to take in the future.
According to Dumbledore, in both the Wizarding World and Muggle World, people during times of war often crave a strong and decisive leader to compensate for the little sense of security they have left.
However, if we consider this psychology within the Wizarding World, wizards desire a powerful wizard as their leader to provide protection, thereby gaining peace of mind during times of war.
Therefore, Xiwen has always tried his best to show his strength, long-term planning and fearless spirit in front of outsiders, in order to intimidate those Pure-blood who are almost full of tricks.
Nevertheless, he had long been accustomed to the carefree days within the ivory tower of Hogwarts. Even when he encountered danger in the castle, the professors usually stood up for him. Therefore, Xiwen had never felt such heavy pressure as he did now.
What path should we take going forward? How can we maintain cohesion after uniting the Pure-blood families? And how should we deal with notorious Pure-blood families like the Carrow family?
Dumbledore didn't tell us anything; Xiwen had to figure it all out himself from scratch.
Xiwen shook his head, suddenly recalling the Ancient One's assessment of his personality back in Kamar-Taj, and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.
'Master Yao said long ago that I am not suitable to succeed the Sorcerer Supreme, and he was right!' he thought to himself.
Just as Xiwen was pondering what to do next, a strange fluctuation suddenly appeared in the air.
Then, Aunt Vida suddenly Apparition in the Rosier family's hall. A cold smile played on her lips as she coldly looked at the family crest in Xiwen's hand.
It wasn't just Vida who arrived suddenly.
The next moment, the air twisted strangely a few times, and a middle-aged man with slightly graying blond hair and a pair of bright blue eyes walked out.
A mocking smile played on his lips as he surveyed with interest the patriarchs seated around the Rosier family hall.
"We meet again, Mr. Rozier. Oh, Yusuf is here too." He said with a half-smile. "I heard from Vida that someone tried to steal my things. So that person was you, Mr. Rozier?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Kama, who had been sitting at the round table, suddenly stood up and instinctively drew her wand from her sleeve.
"Grindelwald?!" Adrian's great-grandfather's expression changed the moment he saw the newcomer, and he looked at Vida in disbelief, asking, "Vida, you actually brought Grindelwald directly into our house?"
"I just don't want the Rosier family to become like those useless, opportunistic families," Vida said coldly.
Upon seeing Grindelwald, Carrow, who was lying on the ground, made a frenzied "whooshing" sound, shouting even though it was suppressed by the Tongue-Locking Curse.
Grindelwald waved his hand lightly, without even using his wand, and the restraints on Carrow and the suppression of the Tongue-Locking Curse instantly disappeared.
"Lord Grindelwald, please help me kill that Xiwen Rozier!" Carrow shouted as soon as he was freed from his restraints. "He's the one who forced the Carrow family to join his so-called Pure-blood consolidation force! The Carrow family never betrayed you intentionally!"
"Oh? Then tell me, how exactly did Mr. Rozier, a teenager, pressure you?" Grindelwald asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips, but his expression remained rather indifferent.
Seeing Grindelwald's indifferent expression, even Mrs. Carrow could no longer remain seated.
She trembled as she rose from her seat, kneeling on one knee on the ground, and said with a mixture of regret and remorse, "Lord Grindelwald, Rozier was simply too powerful, and he also had the ability to instantly create countless clones, single-handedly subduing our entire family."
"We had no choice but to feign joining his forces in order to preserve our family's strength and serve you in the future!"
Xiwen showed no surprise at the Carrow family's betrayal. He simply stared at Grindelwald with a grave expression, gripping his wand tightly, not daring to relax for even a moment.
"It seems you've made quite a bit of progress these past two years, Mr. Rozier." Grindelwald, after hearing Mrs. Carrow's story, turned to Xiwen with surprise and asked curiously.
Before he could finish his sentence, he nodded to himself and then praised, "That's right. Just two years ago, during that Christmas holiday, you dared to make a move against me because of Flamel. With such courage and talent, your achievements will be remarkable."
"It's not so much a matter of talent or courage," Xiwen, not echoing Grindelwald's praise. "It's simply that Professor Dumbledore's long-term, meticulous guidance has greatly benefited me."
Upon hearing Dumbledore's name, Grindelwald's expression visibly stiffened.
"You certainly have a silver tongue." He paused, then stroked his wand, saying lightly, "It's a pity, I wonder if Albus Dumbledore would mourn for you if you were to perish in France."
"I bet you said that to Newt too, but he's still alive and well," Xiwen retorted, not to be outdone.
"Rozier!" Kama, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand Xiwen's provocation any longer and shouted anxiously.
At this moment, Kama was extremely anxious; he couldn't understand why Xiwen kept provoking Grindelwald.
If Grindelwald might have let him go before by yielding to the Rosier family, now, under such constant verbal provocation, Xiwen's chances of survival are extremely slim!
However, Xiwen seemed completely unaware of the problem and showed no intention of stopping.
He stared intently into Grindelwald's azure eyes and asked, "What I want to know more about now is, were you aware of what Carrow did to the patriarchs and heirs of the Pure-blood families?"
Ever since Xiwen learned of Carrow's crimes, he had been extremely eager to ask Grindelwald this question.
After Grindelwald promised Dumbledore that he could help deal with Death, Xiwen had a not-too-bad impression of him, thinking that Grindelwald was just radical in his actions and had different ideas from Dumbledore, but was essentially still for the future of the Wizarding World.
However, if Grindelwald were to allow Carrow to indiscriminately kill innocent wizards simply for his own sake of ruling the Pure-blood families, Xiwen's opinion of him would take a sharp turn for the worse.
Whether Grindelwald was a radical warlord with differing ideologies in a chaotic world, or an evil dark wizard who would stop at nothing, is all contained in Xiwen's question.