Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also (Two-in-One, 4,000 Words)

The world is speculating when the United Kingdom Wizarding Wars will reignite in another earth-shattering conflict.

Almost half a year has passed since the Death Eaters attacked House Stark last Christmas but were instead surrounded and wiped out.

Although there have been constant frictions and frequent local wars between the two sides, there have been virtually no major battles, and they have actually exercised unexpected restraint.

What everyone is waiting for is a large-scale battle like the Dance of the Blood Dragons at the Buckingham Palace, the Werewolf annihilation campaign, or the defense of Azkaban...

Many people speculate that one side might make a big move this summer.

But to everyone's surprise, the two forces would start a war at the same time, and the scale of the conflict would be so large, the resources so abundant, and the casualties so devastating.

What was even more unexpected was that such a globally watched "summer offensive" would, if not last all summer, at least be a grueling period of time, right?

But in the end, it all came to a close in just one night.

It felt like half an hour of foreplay, half an hour of flirtatious talk, but the actual time for physical intimacy and heat to build was only five seconds...

Snap, and it's gone.

If it weren't for the bloody battlefield, which couldn't be faked, you might even suspect that the two sides were exchanging fire from a distance.

But no matter how intangible it may be, the significance and impact of this battle are profound.

In this battle, they annihilated Voldemort's Troll army, scattered the vampire army, occupied the Hebrides, and seized air superiority.

The results were truly astonishing!

Later History of Magic, when compiling their own History of the Wizarding Wars, all refer to this battle as the turning point of the Second Wizarding War.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

Those caught in the tide of history could not yet fully grasp the significance of this battle.

But that doesn't stop people from being greatly encouraged and inspired.

Many wizards have not experienced Grindelwald's turbulent years of conquering Europe.

But at least for more than a decade ago, the First Wizarding War remains a vivid memory.

That war, which spanned the 1970s, nearly wiped out an entire generation.

Voldemort is now stronger and more powerful, and Dumbledore, who once struggled to hold things together, is now much older.

Many wizards are pessimistic, believing that this will be another protracted war, or even that defeat is inevitable.

But who could have imagined that a "summer offensive" would yield so many results?

The battle did not deteriorate; instead, it ended swiftly and decisively, like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.

Is it really true, as Granger said in his speech last year, "A single spark can start a prairie fire," that all Death Eaters are paper tigers?

Soon, more details of the war were leaked.

Everyone originally thought that the overall commander of the battle was Dumbledore, or at the very least, Minister for Magic Bones.

But unexpectedly, it turned out to be Stark had just graduated a little over a month ago and was not yet twenty years old.

When the war broke out, Dumbledore wasn't even in the United Kingdom; he had gone out to seek reinforcements.

When they learned of this, everyone was stunned.

That's right, Stark is indeed very famous all over the world, even more so than Dumbledore.

The reason is... he has saved many countries, he is a genius, a war hero, and the Akali Shop owner who became famous overnight at the Quidditch World Cup.

In particular, the numerous medals he received brought him a significant boost to his reputation.

But commanding a war is a completely different field.

In fact, the younger you are, the more you suffer, since you have less experience.

And what about William?

Simultaneously commanding the Ministry of Magic, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Europe Allied Forces, he also launched a pivotal battle?

The key point is that they won beautifully.

This is completely unimaginable!

This highly publicized intelligence "leak" was certainly facilitated by the United Kingdom propaganda mechanism, which played a role and even fueled the fire.

In times of war, people need not only heroes, but also great leaders.

Heroes can inspire people, but they cannot lead a nation to victory.

But a great leader can.

In any case, William began to transform from a war hero into a leader.

This was also Dumbledore's goal.

Even if he is gone one day, I hope someone will take up his mantle and continue to lead us forward.

With his encouragement, William's prestige soared once again, and even in the United Kingdom, many believed that:

Times have changed.

Dumbledore's brilliance has begun to fade, and the Stark era is about to begin.

Leaving aside the public outcry for now.

Even the Ministry of Ministry of Magic's large online army, public intellectuals from various countries who were paid "dog food," and traitors who brought their own food to promote William... all these are stories for another time.

At this moment, William cannot afford to relax.

It certainly didn't come to the point where people thought, "After fighting so many years of war, can't I enjoy myself?"

There are so many things to do...

The troops must clear the battlefield, take control of the Hebrides, and prevent the Death Eaters from destroying the fire dragons on the islands.

There was also the aftermath of the war, with a large number of wounded wizards, Werewolf, Giant, and Centaur needing to be admitted to magic hospitals.

Most importantly, the issues of burial and memorial services for the fallen and compensation for their families must be addressed one by one.

In reality, there aren't many burial sites available for those who died in battle.

There are only a handful of famous wizarding villages in the United Kingdom.

Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, Ottery St Catchpole on the south coast of England, and Hogsmeade...

Following Dumbledore's advice, Godric's Hollow was ultimately chosen as the memorial and burial site.

The Godric's Hollow holds a significant historical position.

It is the birthplace of Gryffindor; the place where the wizarding goldsmith Bowman Wright crafted the first Golden Snitch;

Dumbledore also grew up in the valley; and so did Harry, who became the Boy Who Lived...

Behind the valley lies a wizard's cemetery.

This cemetery is inscribed with the surnames of ancient wizarding families, including the Peverell family from the Tale of the Three Brothers.

A small valley, half a History of Magic... that's not an exaggeration at all.

The memorial service was held in mid-July.

However, William did not appear at the cemetery immediately before the memorial service began; instead, he waited for someone to arrive.

Sitting in his chair, he read the newspaper, glancing at Cedric out of the corner of his eye.

Cedric looked anxious and had already paced around the table 69 times.

William took a sip of tea and said softly:

"What's the rush, Cedric? It's not time yet."

"How can we not be anxious? That's Gregorovitch, he won't get into trouble, will he?"

Before Cedric could finish speaking, the Vanishing Cabinet on the ground clicked open.

He hurriedly opened the cabinet, and an old man crawled out.

After Gregorovitch came out, he dusted himself off and greeted them:

"Long time no see, William."

"Hello, Mr. Gregorovitch," William replied with a nod.

It has indeed been a long time since we last met.

The last time we met was during Easter last year.

At that time, William and Hermione went to Durmstrang to stop Voldemort from killing Sirius.

Then, the two went to find Grindelwald, and incidentally brought Gregorovitch north of the North Sea.

The old man settled down in Santa Claus Village.

After a year and a half, Gregorovitch had gained weight and his complexion was incredibly rosy.

They seem to be living a very comfortable life.

Seeing Gregorovitch looking around the room, William took the initiative to introduce it:

"This is one of my safe houses in Godric's Hollow."

You can stay here temporarily; it's very safe.

He snapped his fingers and poured the old man a cup of tea.

Gregorovitch sat on the sofa, picked up his glass, and hummed:

"Safety? Northern Europe is the safest."

"That's not necessarily true. Voldemort has been looking for you, Mr. Ollivander has already been captured," William said softly.

Gregorovitch shuddered.

He had received this news long ago and even considered fleeing to the United States.

But for some reason, the United States quickly descended into chaos, with even the Muggle Capitol being bombed.

It is said that the Magical Congress, the Scourers, and the Muggle government are currently locked in a three-way conflict... the entire North America is in complete chaos.

And just then, United Kingdom won a great victory in the war, Gregorovitch reconsidered, thinking that it would be safer to be by William's side.

The old man couldn't help but despair. What had he done to deserve the attention of two generations of Dark Lord?

It's all because of the Elder Wand!

But damn it, that Grim wand is long gone from his possession. If he were killed now, it would be such a terrible injustice.

It's all his fault for having such a foul mouth. Back then, he boasted about having the Elder Wand. Wouldn't it have been better to keep quiet and make a fortune?

"Don't worry, as long as you stay here, I guarantee your safety," William said, swirling his glass in a reassuring tone.

He changed the subject abruptly, smiling, "But there's something I need to ask of you."

"What's up?"

I want you to make an Elder Wand.

"..."

Gregorovitch glanced at William with a narrowed eye. If William were truly capable, how could he have fallen to such a state?

"It doesn't have to be real, a knock-off will do." William smiled.

"But I need you to make it look exactly like the real thing, like an antique."

Its power is also greater than that of a regular wand.

Gregorovitch, a master wand maker, once studied the Elder Wand.

He is the wandmaker of his time who knows this wand best.

Furthermore, Gregorovitch can even replicate some of the Elder Wand's properties.

For example, the wands he makes are more powerful than those of other wands when casting the same offensive spell.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have such a large share of the Europe wand market, and wouldn't even have the reputation of being one of the three great wand makers.

William continued:

"But I don't need Mrs. Wand's. It's best if it breaks suddenly after a while of fighting."

Gregorovitch narrowed his eyes; this request was strange.

I wonder which unlucky person William is trying to screw over.

His integrity as a wand master would certainly not allow him to do such a thing, but William's request...

"Can!"

"Thank you." William stood up, pushed Cedric in front of the old man, and smiled.

"This is Cedric, a fan of yours. He can help you out temporarily; just ask him for any materials you need."

"I know you. Garrick wrote to me before, bragging about having taken on a talented student."

Gregorovitch scrutinized Cedric and gave a soft hum.

William clearly wanted this pretty boy to be his assistant so he could learn his skills from him.

But it doesn't matter.

Gregorovitch is already so old and has experienced so much; he has long since become indifferent to these things.

But he still asked, "Hey kid, you're still single, right?"

Cedric paused, not understanding what the old man meant.

Gregorovitch grinned mischievously, "This is a legitimate craft; only a single person can fully learn it."

I know what you British gay people are like. If you have a boyfriend or something, I advise you to break up with him as soon as possible.

"..."

William left the room and walked alone toward the tomb, leaving Cedric behind to learn the craft from Gregorovitch.

The purpose of making such a wand is obviously to scam people.

It was Voldemort who got screwed over.

He had already captured Ollivander, knew about the Elder Wand, and even knew that Gregorovitch had once possessed it.

But Voldemort didn't know that the Elder Wand was later stolen by Grindelwald and eventually ended up in Dumbledore's hands.

Two years ago in Vienna, Gregorovitch was captured by Grindelwald, a fact known to everyone.

In Voldemort's eyes, all he would think is that the Elder Wand has now been stolen by Grindelwald.

Once the two sides unite, Voldemort will surely covet the all-powerful wand.

William's task now is to deliver the Elder Wand, crafted by Gregorovitch, into Voldemort's hands.

Otherwise, all that effort he put in, from managing Durmstrang to arranging a meeting between Grindelwald and Voldemort... wouldn't it have been for nothing?

William quickly arrived at the cemetery entrance. He pushed open a narrow door and walked along the path from the church entrance toward the back building.

Soon, rows of tombstones came into view.

They stood in the vast open space, looking desolate and eerie.

The memorial stone is located in the southwest corner of the cemetery, which is a bit of a walk away.

After walking a few steps, William suddenly saw a familiar figure standing not far away, alone in front of a tombstone.

William walked over quietly and saw the name Kendra Dumbledore engraved on the mottled granite.

Below the dates of birth and death are "and... daughter Ariana".

This is the grave of Dumbledore's parents and sister.

The old man bent down, his fingertips touching the tombstone, where his mother and sister's names were inscribed.

And that... the epitaph he carved himself:

Where the treasure is, there the heart is also.

"William, actually, I've rarely come here in recent years, far less often than Aberforth," Dumbledore hoarse voice.

"Because I'm a coward, I don't dare to come."

When my father died, my mother stood before his grave, engaging in Dialogue between life and death on my behalf.

That year, she suddenly left, and not long after, Ariana also left.

I can only stand alone in front of the grave, with nothing left to shield me.

That kind of grief... I simply couldn't bear it.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and tears streamed down his face.

William was speechless and could only pat the old man on the shoulder.

After a moment, he whispered, "Let's go, Professor, the memorial service is about to begin."

Dumbledore nodded, and William helped the old man walk away into the distance.

As they passed a tombstone, Dumbledore pointed to it.

William lowered his head, carefully examining the broken, moss-covered stone tablet.

The tombstone was extremely old and weathered; William could barely make out the name on it.

But he could still make out the triangular mark on the Deathly Hallows.

And Ignotus.

This is the tomb of Ignotus Peverell, the youngest of the Three Brothers.

It was because of this grave that Grindelwald came here that summer and met Dumbledore.

Everything seemed to have been preordained.

Finally, the two passed by another tombstone.

It is made of white marble, and the lettering is clear, indicating that it is not very old.

William didn't even need to get close to see the writing.

James Potter

Lily Potter

And the last enemy to be eliminated in the epitaph is death.

Neither William nor Dumbledore spoke; instead, they quickened their pace, seemingly wanting to get away from the tombstone.

Because they both knew that, given the current state of the battle, Harry was about to face his already predetermined fate:

He should go and face his death.