After patiently seeing Alice off without betraying anything, Shawn closed the door and read Old Fawley's letter again.
Yet he was still stunned.
That unassuming old fox, Old Fawley, had hidden his hand remarkably well.
Whether Fawley had played any part in Vita coming to Hogwarts to teach Shawn personally and take him as her godson was beside the point.
The mere fact that Abernathy had long been working for Old Fawley was almost impossible for Shawn to believe.
How many years had that thread been in place?
After Grindelwald's defeat and self-imposed imprisonment, Abernathy had spent fifty years keeping his lonely vigil at Nurmengard. Had Fawley actually foreseen Grindelwald's return?
If he had not, then Abernathy could only have been one of countless pieces Old Fawley had placed on the board for possible future use.
From that single detail, Shawn could imagine just how deep and far-reaching Old Fawley's schemes were.
Even if he never formally received the right of succession from Grindelwald.
If everything went according to Old Fawley's plan and he successfully secured Vita's allegiance, Grindelwald's Army would be as good as his, if not entirely so. At worst, it would fall apart.
And Old Fawley surely had other arrangements in place.
The old man's professions of loyalty did not go to Shawn's head in the slightest. They only filled him with wariness.
Vita's six months of instruction had paid off. Shawn had betrayed nothing as he patiently reassured Alice earlier.
Shawn did not doubt Alice's fervent devotion, but since ancient times, loyalty and filial duty had often been impossible to reconcile.
He would have to tread very carefully when it came to keeping Old Fawley in check.
Shawn burned the letter. No longer in the mood to choose Christmas gifts, he pondered for a while before