Grindelwald raised his chin slightly. "Hmph! Decades of using dark magic did less damage to me than a single Disarming Charm from Albus back then!"
Edward was speechless. Is that anything to be proud of?
"Hmm, how exactly does damage to the soul manifest?"
"In severe cases, it corrodes your soul, turning you into a lunatic or even killing you outright. In milder cases, it can cause memory loss and confusion, which gradually accumulate... until you turn into a lunatic anyway."
Edward could not help scratching his cheek. Holy shit? If I develop mental problems someday, will it be because of dark magic or the aftereffects of acting as a Mental Patient?
Just then, Grindelwald glanced at him a couple of times and said indifferently, "As for you, there's absolutely no need to worry about such a ridiculous problem."
"Why?" he asked in surprise.
"Heh, your Animagus form can turn into an Obscurus, a monster composed entirely of negative emotions and evil power. Do you really need to worry about that little bit of influence from dark magic?"
"Uh, Professor Dumbledore told you?"
"Yes."
He suddenly sighed. "Before, I would have done everything I could to study you thoroughly... but lately, I've often been remembering the past. You know, Aberforth's son Credence, Ariana, and now you-the Dumbledore family's three Obscurials... so, never mind."
Then he bent down, picked a suitcase out of the clutter, and tossed it to Edward. "Oh, right. These are the things my old friends found for you all around the world. They're all in here."
Before Edward could get excited, he immediately added in a hollow voice:
"A friendly reminder: don't hold out even the slightest hope."
Uh.
I was already mentally prepared for that, but saying it outright really does spoil the mood.
He opened