The flames in the fireplace were burning brightly, warming the room with a cozy heat.
Wade tossed a few pine logs into the fire, stirred them with the poker, then settled into the sofa and began reading.
After helping Moreau edit a video and teaching him how to use it, Wade's treatment had quietly improved. Delaine not only moved him to a suite with a fireplace but also had several magical books delivered to him.
The downside was that most of the books were in German, and some even used ancient writing styles.
Wade had never learned German, so he asked for a dictionary. He tried to understand as he read, but it was a bit difficult for him.
Fortunately, English and German have similar roots from long ago, and their written forms have similarities. Some words are even exactly the same, making it less difficult than learning an entirely new language.
When Moreau had free time, he would come to find him. Sometimes he helped translate the German books into English, other times he taught Wade some of the writing and reading styles of German.
When Wade mispronounced a word, he would often see Moreau laughing so hard that he hit the floor, not knowing what strange thoughts had crossed his mind.
At this moment, the book in Wade's hand recorded some famous magical events from ancient Germany, even including incidents that were mistakenly believed to be witchcraft but were actually just Muggle persecution of one another.
In Britain, or more specifically at Hogwarts, books like these were rare, most likely hidden away and banned from students' access and reading. Wade had seen some of them in the Black family manor, but not many.
However, here, Grindelwald didn't mind young wizards learning about the dark history of the past.
For example, in the 16th century, the archbishop at the time ordered the cleansing of witches, Protestants, and Jews. Hundreds of people from 22 villages in Trier, Germany, were burned alive, many of them local sheriffs, judges, and lawmakers, and even priests were not spared.
The author was a firsthand witness of the witch-hunt movement, and at the end of his record, he wrote:
[Poor Weber's family was the only true witch to perish in this event. When the neighbors knocked on his door, he might have thought they were inviting him for a drink of ale, as they usually did. But instead, he was met by a sharp axe.]
[After Weber's death, his wife and two children, both under ten years old, were not spared either.
Worse still, the neighbor who first attacked them gained no benefit from the betrayal. Instead, he was suspected of being possessed by the devil and was sentenced to immediate execution.]
[From the capital to the mountain villages, from Trier to Saxony, from the magistrates to the shepherds, no matter the identity or location, anyone suspected of being a witch was sentenced to the harshest punishment.]
[Hanging, burning, being drawn and quartered, dismemberment, explosion… People used every cruel punishment they could think of to deal with their fellow humans.
Even if there was only one witch in a thousand, or even none at all, they were determined to carry out this massacre.]
[They weren't worried about killing innocent people, or perhaps that was one of their goals.]
[The executions were brutal and terrifying, but the onlookers applauded and cheered. They laughed and seemed to forget that they themselves could be the next victims.
This collective madness fills me with deep fear, as if everyone had turned into demons, and the world was a terrifying hell.]
[The Muggle-Repelling Charm doesn't always work; Squibs and those with hidden talents among Muggles could see through the disguise of magic.]
[I dare not use magic anymore. I burned all my magical books and hid my wand in the deepest part of the basement. I barely escaped this round of cleansing, but when will the next one come?]
[The Schmidt family has been out of contact for more than two months. I don't know if they are still alive.
This evening, I accidentally used wandless magic to fix a broken wheel. I'm not sure if the neighbor, Miller, saw it. I keep feeling like his gaze towards me is a bit strange.]
[Maybe hiding among Muggles isn't a rational choice. The only real way to protect ourselves is to stay completely away from them, even retreating underground like ancient wizards. Only then can we avoid suffering the same tragedy.]
[Living away from people will definitely make life very inconvenient, but compared to the fear of the executioner's blade falling, being able to sleep soundly is better than anything else...]
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was knocked on a few times. Wade put down the book and called out, "Come in!" as he added more firewood to the fireplace.
The house was very warm, but the content he had just read left him with a chilling feeling that wouldn't go away.
"Hi, Wade!"
It was Moreau who entered, smiling as he said, "You're reading again! They're all back, and they're holding a party in the hall. Come join me, let's have some fun!"
"A party?" Wade shook his head. "I'm not going."
"I know you don't want to reveal your identity. Don't worry, I've got everything prepared!"
Moreau took out a bottle of Polyjuice Potion and placed it on the small table next to Wade.
"Go, or you'll just be cooped up in your room all day. I'm worried you'll lose your mind! Besides, Mr. Grindelwald didn't say anything about imprisoning you."
Wade looked at the bottle of potion, feeling a little tempted.
He wasn't interested in the party, but he did need to get out for a while.
Especially after reading that segment of history, which was more terrifying than any horror story, Wade felt an urgent need for some lively atmosphere to disperse the chill that had settled in him.
He put down the book, sniffed the potion, and then tilted his head back to drink it.
...
A few minutes later, Moreau and a young wizard with brown hair and pale skin walked down the corridor.
"How about it? The guy I picked out for you isn't bad-looking, right?" Moreau said. "From now on, I'll call you Brown!"
"Brown?"
"Yeah, you used to be 'Gray,' now you're 'Brown.' This way you won't forget your name by accident."
They passed through the foyer and entered the hall where the party was being held.
Unlike the bright and colorful halls at Hogwarts, this castle's hall seemed gray, with dim lighting and swirling smoke.
Around the hall were several long tables with seats for about ten people, filled with food and drinks. In front of the fireplace, a few people were playing instruments like guitars and accordions, chatting and singing as they did.
Most people were eating and drinking, some were holding wine glasses and walking around.
Others were smoking long pipes or cigarettes, exhaling smoke, and about a dozen people were dancing in the center of the open space, with some others standing nearby watching and cheering.
Wade had expected Grindelwald's party to be serious, maybe elegant and courteous, but it turned out to have a similar atmosphere to a regular tavern.
"Feel free to eat or go sing, and you can even invite a beautiful girl to dance!"
Moreau leaned in next to him and said, "Today, even if you want to drink a couple of strong drinks, it's no problem. If you get drunk, I'll take you back! Do whatever you want, my dear friend, victory is yours too!"
His voice was a bit loud, and a brown-haired girl holding a plate walked by, just in time to overhear. She glanced at Wade, gave a small smile, showing her cute little canine teeth.
Wade casually picked up a glass of red wine but didn't intend to drink it. He walked over to the fireplace, found an empty stool to sit on, and leaned against the wall to listen to the people singing.
"The winds of magic blow through the quiet town, the ancient bells shatter the dreams… Beneath the old oak, wizards and elves dance together. Centaurs guide the way, and brave youths embark on their journeys of search… Millennia-old stories are passed down, ancient promises protect the land…"
"What promise is this song referring to?" Wade casually asked the person next to him.
"More than a thousand years ago, who knows?" Moreau shrugged and replied.
"More than a thousand years ago?" Wade asked again.
"This song is probably about Merlin's era. I've heard that back then, all races could live in the sunlight, and wizards were highly respected." A nearby witch said, sounding melancholic.
"There's no need to long for the past, Mary." Another person clinked glasses with her and spoke in a carefree tone. "We are creating a new era!"
"So, I will follow Mr. Grindelwald!" A male wizard with a small mustache shouted. "I never want to hide anymore!"
"But recently, those guys have strengthened their defenses. They all know someone's hunting them! The number of injured people has increased too." Mary said, sounding worried.
"Muggle weapons are indeed terrifying, but the young men lack training." An older man said. "Mubby, doesn't your Shield Charm always fall short? Last time, didn't someone shoot your leg with a gun?"
"That was an ambush! An ambush!" Mubby angrily said. "Can you stop bullets shot from behind?"
"I didn't get injured. Isn't that the best proof?" The previous man shook his head and said, smugly.
Many people laughed and comforted Mubby. "Don't mind it, scars are a man's badge of honor! Or maybe you should apply more scar ointment?"
"Just getting your leg broken is good enough, though. That idiot Nubel got killed!" Someone else added.
"Casualties are inevitable in a fight with the enemy."
Delaine suddenly appeared from nowhere. After inserting a comment, he looked at Moreau and said, "I've been looking for you, Antoine. The person you were supposed to watch over—where are they? Why aren't they in their room?"
Moreau slapped Wade's shoulder and said, "See? Everything's fine usually, but just when I manage to get someone down here to have a drink, you have to interrupt."
He casually complained.
Delaine looked at Wade in surprise. When their eyes met, he finally recognized the brown-haired young wizard's true identity.
"Sorry, I have two bottles of Riesling from the Mosel, I'll send them to you later," Delaine said seriously. "But for now, please come with me."
"I actually don't like drinking," Wade replied as he put down the untouched glass of red wine. He stood up, and asked, "Has something happened?"
Seeing the curious gazes of people around them, Delaine said, "It's a matter related to... weapons."
He carefully avoided calling Wade by name or even mentioning the word "alchemy."
Even though they all knew that Wade preferred not to reveal his real name and appearance, wanting to return to his former life, none of them exposed him. They even helped cover for him.
This respect and consideration gave Wade the illusion that he had already become a companion to them.
The two of them walked through the crowded room, and Delaine casually brushed aside a few drunkards. Some young people gathered together and laughed loudly, they sang cheers of victory for their recent success.
In contrast, Delaine, with his always cold expression, seemed almost like an outsider. Wade appeared to blend into the current environment better than him.
Behind them, Moreau lagged a step behind. He finished his drink and then hurriedly followed.
They exited the hall, and Moreau took a deep breath of the cool outside air, shaking his head as if suddenly remembering something.
"Mr. Grindelwald didn't come to the banquet... Is he injured? Or is he unwell?" Moreau asked.
Delaine gave him a cold glance and said, "That's not something you should ask, Antoine."
Moreau, however, wasn't intimidated by his cold expression and pressed on, "What do you need Wade for?"
"It's none of your business," Delaine replied. "You can go back and continue drinking."
"No way, you made me responsible for watching over him, so I'm his temporary guardian!" Moreau insisted. "If you're causing trouble for my person, how can I just stand by?"
Delaine shot him a cold look, and seeing Wade also staring at him, he paused for a moment before finally deciding to reveal part of the story.
"Tonight's operation... we encountered unexpected resistance..."
…
Except for the first day, Wade had not participated in the attacks by the Alliance, but since he helped Moreau edit the videos every day, he had a rough idea of what they were doing, and in fact, knew more than most of the participants.
After the island that gave birth to the Obscurus was flattened, the person in charge committed suicide. The Ministry of Magic thought the matter was over, but the escaped Grindelwald disagreed.
He personally led a team to capture the subordinates, families, and friends of the person in charge, went through their memories one by one, and finally discovered the base where they had taken Wade to attack.
Using the same method, they found a second, third, and fourth base... After attacking five bases in total, they temporarily ceased their activities.
During the attacks, the Alliance even encountered werewolves and vampires. However, these two dark creatures, which ordinary wizards feared greatly, had almost no resistance against Grindelwald.
In the past few days, it seemed like the Alliance had quieted down, but in reality, their activities had become more covert. The targets of their attacks had shifted to individuals, but these were people of significant status and identity.
Stars, politicians, moguls, well-known judges, university professors... Many of the people Wade was familiar with were actually members of that Organization.
Wade stood by the window of his bedroom, and not for the first time, he saw familiar faces being dragged into the castle like dead dogs, their once immaculate appearances now either fearful or distorted.
These people not only provided a large amount of intelligence but also contributed considerable wealth, which was one of the reasons why the Alliance was in such high spirits recently.
They had also changed their methods of killing and no longer boldly proclaimed that it was the work of magic, but instead, after extracting all the intelligence, they used the Imperius Curse to control the person into committing suicide.
Both the Legilimency and Imperius Curse left no trace on the body, and even with magic, it was difficult to accurately detect the use of the Imperius Curse.
As a result, aside from the participants directly involved with the Organization, who knew that their people were disappearing in large numbers, to others, these were just individual incidents.
People would only sigh at the immense pressure in today's society, without raising any further doubts.
Originally, these operations, where only a few Muggles were captured, were not very dangerous. Most of the difficulty came from avoiding others' attention and modern surveillance technology, as well as accurately locating the target.
But in tonight's operation, the Alliance encountered an unexpected failure.
Wade followed Delaine through several corridors, down many flights of stairs, and finally arrived at a spacious underground room where he saw Grindelwald.
At the same time, he also saw seven or eight corpses lying on the cold black stone floor. Grindelwald was placing a white cloth over one of the bodies, covering a terrified face beneath it.
"Sir," Delaine said, "Wade Grey has arrived."
At that moment, Wade's attention was drawn to something in Wovilette's hand next to him..
It was a small crystal vial, glittering with faint golden light.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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