Hogwarts.
Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet stared in silence at the newspaper and the official notice from the Ministry of Magic in their hands.
Neither of them had expected that Grindelwald would send them an appointment letter as the Director of the Department of Education, assigning himself to Hogwarts.
At that moment, both Dippet and Dumbledore felt a deep sense of unease.
Whether it was Grindelwald's earlier talk about "educational reform" or this sudden arrival, it was all clearly aimed at the students of Hogwarts.
Changing the minds of adults like them might be difficult, but altering the thinking of those hot-blooded young wizards? That would be all too easy for him.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Dippet said wearily.
The door swung open, and the beautiful Professor McGonagall hurried inside.
"Headmaster Dippet, Professor Dumbledore… Is the news in the Daily Prophet true? That… that terrorist is really coming to Hogwarts as the Ministry's Senior Inquisitor?"
"…It's true, Minerva," Headmaster Dippet said helplessly, rubbing his temples.
"What?!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. "That's ridiculous! Last term he attacked us, and now this term he's coming to Hogwarts as if nothing ever happened? How was he found not guilty back then?"
"Someone testified that his presence at Hogwarts was to stop his subordinates who had gone out of control, not to attack the school," Dumbledore said helplessly.
"What?! That's complete nonsense! He personally attacked us!" McGonagall's voice rose in disbelief.
"Yes… but there were witnesses who claimed he stunned you by accident. That you were standing too close to the group of Grindelwald's followers he was supposedly trying to stop…"
"What kind of flimsy excuse and testimony is that? How could anyone believe it?"
"Minerva, everyone could see something was wrong… but that doesn't matter. That entire public trial was never meant to be fair or just." Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps the only one truly in the dark was President Picquery herself. The rest of us—well, we were all kept in the dark too."
Even the dungeon guards had been replaced by Grindelwald's followers. How could that trial have possibly been fair?
In truth, the entire so-called public hearing had been nothing more than a carefully staged performance by Grindelwald himself.
Even the judges and most of the audience were his own people in disguise. How could he ever have been convicted?
When the verdict of "not guilty" was announced, two-thirds of the courtroom stood up to pay him their respects. That alone said everything.
It seemed that during his period of silence, Grindelwald had indeed shifted the core of his power to America.
Most of those he couldn't take with him were simply abandoned. At the time, people assumed he had given up.
But no one expected that, in such a short time, he could infiltrate the American Magical Congress to that extent.
"This is… too dark! Too absurd!" the younger Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Headmaster Dippet, you must stop him from entering Hogwarts! Letting a man like him face the students… I can't even imagine how terrible that would be!"
"What can I do?" Headmaster Dippet spread his hands helplessly, then pushed the notice across the desk to McGonagall. "This is the Ministry's order. Even as headmaster of Hogwarts I can't openly defy the Ministry. I'm not Albus — I don't have his power."
"Cough… Armando, I can't openly oppose the Ministry either," Dumbledore said quickly.
Although he did have that kind of power… he had no intention of starting a rebellion.
"Is there really nothing we can do to stop him?" McGonagall asked, clearly dismayed.
Dippet spoke up loudly: "It's not that there's nothing we can do. There is one way. And it's very simple."
"What way?" McGonagall asked, looking to Dippet with hope.
Even Dumbledore looked puzzled at Dippet, unsure what scheme he had in mind.
Dippet said seriously, "…Albus, you go and kick the Minister for Magicout of his position, and then you take the post yourself. Once you become Minister for Magic, you can dismiss Grindelwald directly, and then he won't be able to be stationed at Hogwarts."
"Ah?! Me… become the Minister?" Dumbledore was completely caught off guard. He hadn't expected Headmaster Dippet's solution to be so… wild.
"That's actually a great idea!" Professor McGonagall said excitedly. "With your current reputation, you really could replace Fawley! In fact, a lot of us would love to see you as Minister for Magic!"
"I…" Dumbledore's mouth opened, but no words came out.
It was plain to everyone how conflicted he was.
He didn't want to touch power, afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and would end up becoming someone like Grindelwald.
But if he refused to get involved, then Grindelwald would freely enter Hogwarts and influence the students' minds as he pleased…
"Enough! Stop agonizing over it. Don't I know you by now?" Dippet interrupted, not letting Dumbledore spiral any further.
"I'm sorry… I really don't know what to choose…" Dumbledore said, full of self-reproach.
Dippet sighed. "You still can't bring yourself to trust yourself, can you…"
"At least right now, I can still stand against Grindelwald. But if I became someone like him…" Dumbledore said bitterly.
McGonagall frowned, unable to understand. "Albus, how could you ever become like him? As long as you'd just stand up and—"
"Minerva… don't trust others so easily, even if that person is me. And don't idealize someone you don't truly understand. The truth is, none of you really know the real me. I'm not as good as you all think I am." Dumbledore's voice trembled slightly.
For the Greater Good… That arrogant and heartless phrase had come from his own mouth.
Back then, just a little more—and it would have been his sister Ariana, with her young life, who stopped him from walking down the wrong path.
Otherwise, this matter would never have become the wound buried deepest in Dumbledore's heart.
Headmaster Dippet sighed again. "I understand, Albus… your unwillingness to seek power is the cautious choice. At least this way, we won't have to deal with two Grindelwalds! Besides, as long as we keep a close watch, whatever he tries to do, we can still interfere. In fact… Grindelwald's presence at Hogwarts might not be entirely a bad thing."
"Armando, sounds like you've thought of something?" Dumbledore asked keenly.
Dippet smiled. "Sometimes, to fight fire, you have to use fire. Have you forgotten your prized student?"
"Wade? He's still young—it's difficult for him to influence someone like Grindelwald."
"As long as he can influence the other students, that's enough, isn't it? Grindelwald isn't the only one who knows how to shape minds."
Dumbledore looked at Headmaster Dippet in realization. "It seems it's time I had a proper talk with Wade about the development of the Student Mutual Aid Social Hub."
To fight fire with fire, to counter magic with magic!
As long as Wade Reynolds didn't fall under Grindelwald's influence, his Mutual Aid Society would become the best weapon against Grindelwald's misguided ideological reforms.
"You… you're letting Wade, a child, go head-to-head with Grindelwald?" Professor McGonagall looked at the two old men in disbelief.
"Minerva, don't underestimate Wade's abilities."
"No matter how capable he is, he's still a child… a twelve-year-old child. Don't you think this burden is far too heavy for him?"
After saying this, Professor McGonagall sighed deeply and left the Headmaster's office, powerless.
She knew she couldn't stop Grindelwald from entering Hogwarts, nor could she keep young Wade from bearing a weight far beyond his years.
For a while, Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet once again sat in silence.
"Perhaps… we really are wrong, Armando."
"Albus, think carefully about what matters more. And remember, he won't be alone—we'll be behind him every step of the way."
…
"Achoo!"
On the Hogwarts Express.
Wade couldn't help sneezing.
"Who's thinking about me this time? Some old geezer again?" he muttered to himself.
At this point, there was indeed more than one old geezer with him on their mind.
"Wade… when exactly did you find out about my… my identity?"
Beside him, Anne—who had been sitting quietly the whole time—finally spoke for the first time.
Right now, there were only Wade, Tom, and Anne in the compartment.
Of course, Nagini was coiled up on the table, while the Tomcat had been left safely behind in the hideout.
As for Charlie, Henry, and Alphard, Tom had already sent them away—because he knew Wade would definitely have things to ask Anne.
That much had been obvious from the way Wade looked at her even before they boarded the train.
Sure enough, Anne was the first to lose her composure.
"From the moment you first came into our compartment and started talking to us, I already knew," Wade said calmly.
Anne's face turned ashen.
So she had been exposed from the very beginning—and all those "reasonable" performances she'd been so proud of were, in Wade and Tom's eyes, utterly laughable.
"You… how did you know?"
"Grindelwald underestimated me and Tom's intelligence, and overestimated your wit," Wade said with a faint smile. "Actually, you did quite well. It's just a pity… no matter how clever you are, you're still just a child."
To be honest, Anne's act had been convincing enough. If he truly were an eleven-year-old boy, he might have fallen for it.
Unfortunately for her, Wade wasn't an eleven-year-old boy—just a man trapped in a child's body.
"Now it's my turn to ask," Wade said seriously. "Why did Grindelwald let you go?"
"Why wouldn't he? Mr. Grindelwald is a good man! He told me I did a great job, that none of this was my fault!" Anne said hastily, almost pleading.
Wade narrowed his eyes. "So… you're still useful to him."
_________
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