A spell struck empty ground, blasting up a clump of dirt.
"Where did they go?!"
"Was this your doing?!"
Outside the Lestrange family cemetery, the tension had reached breaking point.
Just moments ago, Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and the mysterious Witch had vanished into thin air.
Vinda: Do I not count as a person? Do I even count as a person at all?
The Pure-Blood Party and the Aurors faced off, wands at the ready, each side convinced that the other had used some underhanded trick to spirit away their leader.
"What happened? What did you do?" a member of the Pure-Blood Party demanded through gritted teeth, glaring at the Aurors opposite him.
The Aurors were every bit as panicked.
"Dumbledore disappeared too! Didn't you see?" Theseus roared.
Just as both sides were about to lose control and attack, something in Newt's pocket suddenly grew hot.
It was the item he usually used to communicate with Dumbledore.
He took it out, checked it, and his expression shifted. Then he abruptly raised his hand.
"Nobody move!" Newt shouted. "Dumbledore sent a message! Grindelwald is negotiating with the Witch, and he's there as a witness."
At those words, the standoff eased a little.
But both sides were still deeply uneasy.
Even with their immense faith in Grindelwald, the Pure-Blood Party was worried. This was Dumbledore and the Witch, after all. If negotiations broke down, the two of them might attack Grindelwald together.
The Ministry of Magic's side was just as anxious.
What if Grindelwald really managed to win that Witch over?
That would be an absolute disaster for the entire Wizarding World.
But whatever happened, neither side could do a thing.
All they could do was wait for the final outcome.
While everyone fretted, the space ahead shattered into fragments like a mirror.
Three