Dumbledore paused, then straightened in his seat.
"Oh? Old Fawley? He certainly is no ordinary man. It was only after our trip to Albania that I began taking that low-profile old pure-blood family seriously.
But since he used to be one of yours, and now serves young Shawn, I didn't keep looking into him.
What has he done now? Surely you saw his ultimate allegiance in your prophetic visions?"
Grindelwald blinked.
He didn't believe a word of Albus's claim that he hadn't looked into someone who belonged first to him and then to Shawn.
More likely, his old friend hadn't been able to uncover Fawley's origins either.
Still, he considerately refrained from exposing his friend and patiently explained.
"You know Abernathy too. Who would have thought... So, strictly speaking, I'm nearly a commander without an army now.
As for the visions, you know how unpredictable prophecy can be.
What puzzles me even more is that I've always seen this Fawley standing on Shawn's side. He truly is an enigma. His stance is far too ambiguous."
There was a great deal to unpack in Grindelwald's words.
Dumbledore took a while to digest it all before sorting out the connections.
Leaving everything else aside, he had always worried that his dear friend would cling to his power over wizarding purism.
Shawn truly was the darling of his era. Without anyone noticing, the transfer of power was already almost complete.
It really did bear out that old Chinese saying: when fortune comes, heaven and earth lend their strength; a fair breeze carries me into the clouds.
Dumbledore glanced at Gellert. He really did seem utterly relaxed, and Dumbledore's worries about him finally vanished.
Yet, inexplicably, he also felt a pang of guilt.
The Old Beekeeper stopped the serious discussion and rose with a