Before Making a Move

Grindelwald's voice wasn't loud, but in this mausoleum filled with visitors, it had a rather haunting quality.

As Grindelwald's voice, seemingly possessing magic, gradually quieted down, and the crowd's gazes all turned to the gray-haired figure, looking at him with quiet reverence.

Xiwen took a deep breath, slowly calming his agitated mind.

He hadn't felt this much when facing Grindelwald normally, but inside Lestrange's tomb, surrounded by thousands of people, and under the full pressure of Grindelwald's aura, Xiwen clearly felt the difference.

Facing this Dark Lord who stands at the pinnacle of the world, the pressure is indescribable.

Fortunately, Xiwen had encountered Grindelwald many times and even fought him personally, so he had some resistance to his aura and was not overwhelmed by his presence.

"Mr. Grindelwald, let me make this clear beforehand: I did not detain your friend without cause," Xiwen said, feigning nonchalance.

"On the contrary, they started the trouble without provocation, initiating the conflict and attacking my friends who were traveling in France. I believe this negotiation should settle the compensation you need to give my friends, and after that, I will return your disrespectful friends to their rightful owners."

"You're lying! Your friends are clearly here to help the Aurors of the French Ministry of Magic against us."

No sooner had Xiwen finished speaking than Helmut, who was standing in the first row, limped forward a few steps and loudly retorted.

Seemingly because of Grindelwald's backing, Helmut, who had been submissive and dared not resist in the morning, now appeared full of confidence.

"That's not necessarily true. Miranda and I have been friends for many years since Hogwarts. It's perfectly reasonable for her to accept my invitation and bring her internship team to France as guests," Xiwen said with a smile.

"On the contrary, it was your people who attacked the team members who were touring the French Ministry of Magic without any investigation. It's only reasonable for your Pure-blood Party to give us some compensation, isn't it?"

Helmut was about to say something more, but Grindelwald waved him off.

"Time flies. I can still remember the first time I met Mr. Rozier." He smiled faintly, looking at Xiwen, who was suspended in mid-air, with his heterochromatic eyes. "I never imagined that in less than three years, you would have built such a large army and stand against me."

"I'm curious, why would a talented little wizard like you willingly become a complete Dumbledore?"

"I've never been a complete Dumbledore's man; it's just that his demands have always been the same as mine," Xiwen retorted, shaking his head coldly. "Stop changing the subject, Grindelwald. This seems irrelevant to our negotiations."

"Alright, so what kind of compensation does Mr. Rozier want?" Grindelwald said with a slight smirk, seemingly unconcerned.

Xiwen nodded, then began to make an outrageous demand. "In that case, I want actual control of France territory as compensation. Once you and your Pure-blood Party have completely withdrawn from France territory, all your friends will be returned to you."

Upon hearing Xiwen's excessive request, the surrounding Pure-blood Party Saints immediately objected and began to angrily protest against the stone platform.

Grindelwald, however, did not get angry. Instead, he raised his hand to stop the Saints from denouncing him.

"I think you don't quite understand the concept of compensation, Mr. Rozier," he said with a chuckle. "I'm compensating Ms. Goshawk behind you and her squad, not you personally."

"It's not necessarily that I didn't understand the concept." Xiwen shrugged and winked at Miranda.

Miranda nodded slightly, slowly walked down the surrounding stone steps, and stood beside Xiwen.

"There's no need to worry about that." Miranda took a deep breath, suppressing the pressure as she looked directly at Grindelwald, and said, "To thank Xiwen for saving our lives, my team unanimously agreed to transfer the compensation that was rightfully ours to him."

"Even so, offering the entire territory of France as compensation is far too greedy," Grindelwald said, shaking his head. "If you ask me, it would be better if your entire squad, along with Mr. Rozier, joined the Pure-blood Party. I can give you a privileged position and even plan your future development."

"Once the war ends, all of you will have a bright future ahead of you!"

Listening to Grindelwald's insincere attempts to persuade him to defect, Xiwen impatiently flapped his wings, raised his body slightly, and looked down at the Dark Lord's face.

"Mr. Grindelwald doesn't seem to be sincere about this compensation," he said coldly.

"No, it's you who's insincere, Mr. Rozier," Grindelwald retorted.

"It seems we'll have to settle this with our own skills in the end." Xiwen sighed and raised his hand to summon a Dimensional Gate to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore's tall figure emerged from behind the golden halo, his gaze fixed intently on Grindelwald's eyes, not shifting an inch.

Grindelwald's expression remained unchanged as he stared intently at the figure crossing the golden halo, and asked, "Albus, do you intend to begin our final battle today?"

"Stop, Grindelwald," Dumbledore said softly, not answering his question. "Your actions have brought too much disaster to the world; this only allows Death to absorb more negative emotions and accumulate more power."

"Ha, isn't a greater disaster caused by those ignorant Muggle?" Grindelwald chuckled sarcastically, retorting.

"I thought you should know that the fault doesn't lie with me, but with those despicable creatures who instigated large-scale global wars. If it weren't for these useless and troublesome animals, why would we be hiding in the shadows of the world like rats?"

"Things have come to this point and there's no going back. Further discussion is pointless!" Dumbledore shook his head, but ultimately pointed his wand at him and said, "Make your move. I propose that we resolve this matter between the two of us, using the most fundamental and ancient method in the Wizarding World."

The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, as if an epic duel was about to erupt at any moment!

However, in this atmosphere, Grindelwald's imposing aura gradually weakened, and he lightly avoided Dumbledore's gaze.

"I have hundreds of thousands of followers, unlike you who are all alone. If I were to resolve this through a duel, wouldn't the price be too high?" he said softly.

"Stop thinking about running away, Grindelwald. I'm not letting you get away today, no matter what," Dumbledore voice.

"Then I'm afraid it won't be as you wish," Grindelwald said.