"Avada Kedavra is a spell that directly drags the soul out of the body." Grindelwald stared at Voldemort in the crowd. The bald man looked somewhat flustered. At the same time, he spoke to the lich beside him. "I guessed you weren't exactly living beings, but taking a Killing Curse head-on like that is still too risky."
"Not at all. Our souls were never inside these shells to begin with. What your world calls Horcruxes developed into phylacteries in ours. Each of our souls is stored somewhere hidden and safe. In fact, so much time has passed that even we might not be able to find them ourselves."
The Great Lich's voice sounded like a huge chunk of iron being dragged across concrete, a heavy yet steady scraping sound.
"Fine, then cover me while I fish that kid out of the crowd." Grindelwald showed a slightly envious expression, though it was mostly maliciously feigned cuteness. He did not seek eternal life; otherwise, he would have captured Leme decades ago.
The lich raised the staff in his hand. It was a long black staff studded with rubies, obviously priceless at a glance. "No need for so much trouble. Mordenkainen's Septfoil Society is responsible for analyzing this world's common magic and improving it. They've already achieved quite a few results. Combine the Summoning Charm with Bigby's Grasping Hand, and you get this."
As he spoke, the flames in the lich's eye sockets flared up. A string of incomprehensible Netherese slipped through his teeth, and Harry Potter was snatched over with a whoosh, landing in Grindelwald's arms from afar.
"Though Mage Hand has a similar effect, the improved Summoning Charm can handle dozens of tons. Very useful."
As if afraid Grindelwald had not understood, the lich added an explanation.
As the former king