Perhaps because he hadn't spoken in a long time, Grindelwald spoke very slowly.
Fortunately, his pronunciation was clear, so Morris didn't have much trouble understanding him.
"You call it the Gap World? A very fitting name." Grindelwald's gaze fell on the void. "Decades ago, I accidentally entered that place. Later research revealed that it was a the Realm Between Life and Death. Do you understand now?"
Morris nodded, somewhat surprised.
This statement almost perfectly matched what he knew.
The description of the Gate of Two Realms in the Book of the Mage is precisely "a place that allows one to enter the Gap between life and death."
Grindelwald sat back in his chair, placed the bag of pear candies beside him, and continued, "After reaching the Gap, one more step forward leads to the world of the dead. What do people call it? Oh, right, the underworld. It's the domain of Death."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Morris. "Since you were able to reach that place, you must also possess a portion of Death's power. Do you have Deathly Hallows?"
Morris had already heard of the legend of the Deathly Hallows.
The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak.
Legend has it that whoever collects all the Deathly Hallows will become the master of Death.
He shook his head.
"No, I don't have the Deathly Hallows," he said. "I used another method, a kind of teleportation magic. Entering that world was purely accidental."
This statement was half true and half false.
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought. "Well, you're quite lucky then."
"And you?" Morris countered. "Did you enter that world through the power of the Deathly Hallows?"
Grindelwald nodded slightly.
"That's right," he glanced at his hand and said casually, "I once owned the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows."
"That wand possesses special power; it is not only the most powerful wand in the world, but also the object most closely connected to the world of the dead."
"Through it, I can sense the existence of that world and find the entrance to it."
"But unfortunately, at some point, that ability suddenly disappeared."
Morris was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
As expected of Dark Lord Number One.
"And what else do you know?" he continued, "And why build a house there?"
This is what he truly cares about.
After all, he had only seen two buildings in the Gap World: Hogwarts Castle and that little cabin.
Leaving the castle aside, the cabin is clearly connected to the other party.
Grindelwald remained silent for a moment.
"That's a secret," he finally spoke, his voice even softer than before, "But I can tell you."
Morris focused his attention.
"Every wizard's soul passes through there after death," Grindelwald said slowly. "That place is the boundary between life and death, the necessary path for souls to travel to the underworld."
I guessed so.
"Don't interrupt," Grindelwald said, his expression displeased. "What I was thinking was that if I had a place to live there, my soul could stay there longer after I die."
Morris asked, "What good will this do? Will it bring you back to life?"
"That's impossible," Grindelwald said firmly. "Even if a soul could stay there, it would only be for a short time. A few days, a few months, a few years at most. Eventually, it must move on."
"Moreover, I'm not sure if this idea can actually be realized. After all, I'm not dead; I'm still alive."
Now, Morris finally understood the origin of that house.
But he had other questions.
"If there's no way to revive them, what's the point of keeping their souls there? Just to stay a little longer?"
Grindelwald said something that Morris never expected, "I forgot."
Morris looked strange.
Forgot?
What does this mean?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Grindelwald explained, "That was something I researched when I was young, a long time ago. I don't remember the specific ideas and purposes very clearly anymore."
"... Okay." Morris's expression held a hint of regret. "Thank you for telling me all this."
"You're welcome," Grindelwald said calmly. "Now it's your turn. Tell me your name and the real reason you're here."
Morris then realized that he hadn't introduced himself.
Thinking about it carefully, his sudden barging into someone else's cell and asking all sorts of questions was indeed somewhat abrupt.
Even more strangely, the other person actually answered his question.
Morris cleared his throat. "I apologize, Mr. Grindelwald. I am Morris Black. As for the purpose of my visit, as I stated from the beginning, I simply wish to ask a few questions. Now I have."
"It has nothing to do with anyone else?" Grindelwald's tone held a hint of inquiry. "Are you sure? Who is Dumbledore to you?"
Grindelwald seems particularly interested in Dumbledore, Morris thought.
But that's normal, since it was Dumbledore who locked him up here.
The two are clearly enemies.
Morris answered truthfully, "I am just an ordinary student at Hogwarts, while Dumbledore is the headmaster."
Grindelwald's face remained expressionless. "He agreed to let you come see me?"
"Oh, no," Morris shrugged. "Why do I need permission to come here?"
Grindelwald smiled slightly, a smile that held an indescribable meaning.
"You're right," he said, "It's really not necessary."
Morris's first impression of Grindelwald was surprisingly good.
The other person didn't seem like a vicious criminal at all; instead, they patiently answered his questions.
Not wanting to owe anyone a favor, Morris carefully considered his words before speaking, "In return, Mr. Grindelwald, is there anything you need me to do? Uh... besides helping you escape from prison."
"Escape?" Grindelwald calmly shook his head. "You can't do it unless your magic surpasses Dumbledore's."
"Okay," Morris said, "I wasn't planning on doing that either. Let's talk about something else, something I can only do, like a Christmas dinner?"
Speaking of this, he suddenly became curious, "By the way, sir, how do you usually deal with your food needs?"
He can't see anyone here at all.
"The food is delivered directly," Grindelwald said, his face showing undisguised disdain, "And most of the time it's just a perfunctory service."
Morris smiled mysteriously. "Wait a moment."
Before he finished speaking, he had already disappeared from the room.
Grindelwald stared at the empty room, momentarily stunned.
He glanced down at the bag of pear candies beside him, then at the tightly closed cell door, and gently shook his head.
What a strange young man.