"You want me to just hand you a plan? I don't think that's a good idea." Grindelwald shook his head.
"You mean you want something more like improvisation?" Kasen frowned.
"Something like that. I'll draw the map first. Durmstrang's alchemy office is on the east corridor of the 1st floor. You just need to go from here…"
Before long, Kasen had the map firmly memorized in his head. He looked up at Grindelwald. "And then?"
"Then you just need to take this." Grindelwald pulled another monocle from his pocket…
Kasen reluctantly put it over his other eye.
"Ugh, I look ridiculous." He casually summoned a mirror and grumbled at the reflection.
"I think it suits you. By the way, this isn't just a communication monocle—it's also a Portkey. Just channel magic into it and that'll be enough." A faint voice threaded from the monocle into Kasen's ear.
"Man, I really wish every magic school had an airport." Kasen sighed.
"It's a Durmstrang tradition, I suppose. Every wizard returning to school uses one of these. Just make sure no one sees you." Grindelwald reminded him.
"Mhm, mhm, got it." Kasen nodded, and the next second he suddenly vanished.
"…Heading out in broad daylight? That's young people for you…"
...
Meanwhile…
"This damn Durmstrang Portkey is way too sensitive." Kasen sighed helplessly as he appeared in the middle of a small forest.
"Wow, wow, wow, I thought that was just youthful pride," came Grindelwald's voice from the monocle.
"Pride my ass. What kind of broken Portkey is this? It activates just from the ambient magic leaking off my body."
"Maybe it's just old. That was issued back when I was still at Durmstrang before I got expelled. Anyway, since you're there, just follow the little path and you'll see the castle." Grindelwald replied.
"OK." Kasen rolled his eyes, sighed, and started down the worn trail.
And then he saw it: a towering, pitch-black castle… and swarms upon swarms of little wizards.
"Bloody useless Portkey…" he muttered, casting an invisibility spell on himself before strolling boldly toward the castle interior.
"Once you pass through the main gate, the nearest staircase is on your left. But with the current crowd, it'll be packed. Be careful not to bump into anyone—Durmstrang students have a sort of unspoken agreement: if you do, they'll hit you hard without hesitation," Grindelwald continued reminding him.
"Don't worry, I have my own tricks." Kasen said, then immediately took off, flying over the little wizards' heads and landing on the 1st floor.
"Next, head east… east…" Grindelwald's voice trailed off. Kasen reached into a corner and pulled out a compass… only to find it wasn't pointing east at all. Instead, it seemed to be pointing toward the orphanage where he'd first arrived in this world…
"Your five o'clock direction… hasn't anyone ever taught you how to tell north, south, east, and west?" Grindelwald's voice came, exasperated.
"Sorry, schools don't teach that stuff nowadays," Kasen explained as he turned toward the east.
"Heh, laughable Muggle schools."
"Uh… Hogwarts doesn't really teach north, south, east, and west either," Kasen countered.
"But they do teach the Point Me spell—a guiding spell." Grindelwald explained.
"Oh, thanks for the reminder." Kasen muttered as he struggled through the German signs, until finally spotting one labeled "Alchemy Office."
"How do you plan to get in?" Grindelwald asked.
"Just knock, then push the door open and walk in—that'll count as a prank." Kasen said as he knocked twice, then immediately pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Buzz!
A pale blue spell shot straight at him.
Luckily, his reflexes weren't bad—he bent back in a deep arch and barely dodged it.
"Forgot to tell you, Durmstrang's style is like this. If a cheeky little wizard dares prank a professor, or enters without the professor's permission—even if you knock—you'll still be rewarded with a spell." Grindelwald whispered.
"Uh… looks like not every magic school is like Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts' little wizards… aren't particularly… wizard-like. They're more like ordinary children."
"Wizards and ordinary people differ only by profession. I know you're too old to change your mindset now, but could you at least not say that in front of me?" Kasen sighed.
"Alright… perhaps that's what confuses Albus."
"I think that's exactly Dumbledore's greatness." Kasen muttered as he carefully stepped deeper into the office.
"This office is so small. Really enough for alchemy experiments?" Kasen mercilessly complained.
"Or maybe your office is just too big."
Kasen didn't respond to Grindelwald.
Instead, he started looking around the alchemy office, where Durmstrang's alchemy professor, Madam Rosemerta's niece, Miss Rostammer, was cursing under her breath while tinkering with a small alchemical device.
"Where's the storage room for this office?" Kasen asked.
"No rush. You'll have to wait until the professor leaves before heading to the storage room," Grindelwald replied.
"You're worried she'll hear the door and get suspicious?"
"What else?"
Kasen rubbed his chin. The next moment, he pulled out an anvil and casually hurled it at the back of Madam Rosmerta's head.
Clang!!!
With a crisp sound, Madam Rosmerta suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness. She slumped forward on her desk and decided to take a little nap.
Grindelwald: "....."
"The storage room?" Kasen asked, picking his ear.
"..... Which one of us is the dark wizard here—you or me?"
_________
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