"Bloody hell?!"
The young wizards from both schools heard it clearly, staring at Harry in astonishment.
What kind of massive scandal was this?!
Was the Saviour actually Grindelwald's student?
Thousands of eyes widened, then turned collectively towards Grindelwald, waiting to see if he would confirm it.
"Correct, you still recognise me." Grindelwald nodded with a smile, "As for you... You are indeed among the students I taught most diligently."
Harry was dumbfounded.
The fact that Mr G was Grindelwald - this absurd development was something he couldn't even have dreamed of.
He instinctively looked towards Wayne.
"Well, Mr G is indeed him." Wayne nodded, "You're practically a direct disciple of the Dark Lord now. Wherever you go from now on, everyone will have to show you some respect."
The looks the Acolytes now gave Harry had indeed become exceptionally friendly, not without a trace of reverence.
A student personally acknowledged by Grindelwald - wasn't that the future hope of the Acolytes?
Following the crowd back to the Great Hall in a daze, Harry began to understand many things. The theories taught by 'Mr G' did share considerable similarities with Grindelwald's.
Moreover, in this world, the only wizard who disliked Dumbledore and could constantly find fault with him was probably this very man.
"Ariana."
Grindelwald smiled, waving his hand behind him. The elder Rosier promptly presented a pot of fragrant, fresh flowers.
"These are Marguerite daisies, unique to Denmark. They've been blessed by flower fairies and forest spirits, allowing them to maintain their most beautiful form indefinitely. Placing them by your bedside can also improve your sleep quality."
Ariana loved flowers very much. She didn't refuse this carefully prepared gift from Grindelwald, softly saying thank you before hugging the flowers and running off.
The spectators watched this scene with shock and uncertainty—how was the transfer student connected to the Dark Lord?
Among those present, only Newt and Professor McGonagall knew Ariana's true identity and understood the grudges between them, and they certainly wouldn't reveal it to outsiders.
After the brief welcoming ceremony concluded, the confused young wizards returned to their respective common rooms, while Filch led the Durmstrang students to their temporary dormitories.
Wayne brought the professors and Grindelwald's party to the classroom beside the Great Hall - this had once been Firenze's Divination classroom but was now a tea room.
"Your arrival was quite sudden. I haven't finalised the specific exchange programme yet, Mr Grindelwald. Do you have any thoughts?" Wayne took a sip of black tea and asked casually.
Although drinking tea at night wasn't ideal, he hardly slept these days anyway, spending all his time researching the Dragon King's inheritance, so it made little difference.
Grindelwald swirled the whisky in his glass, then downed it in one gulp, "Let Dumbledore and McGonagall handle the specific details."
"My goal is simple - to make these youngsters understand... what truly makes a great wizard."
Grindelwald snorted coldly, "In my day, the spells mastered by upper-year students far exceeded what they know now. These children are like they're playing house, daily engaging in games of pretend wizards."
"Times have changed, and the requirements for students should adapt accordingly." Professor McGonagall frowned in rebuttal.
"Indeed different." Grindelwald smiled contemptuously. "This era is far more dangerous. Muggles could discover the wizarding world's existence at any moment. What can they do in their current state? Throw down their sticks and surrender immediately?"
Newt quickly interrupted, "Mr Grindelwald, we're discussing how to educate students better. Let's not bring your theories into this."
He genuinely feared Grindelwald had come to Hogwarts to proselytise. If nothing else, at least half of Slytherin house could be swayed into becoming fanatical followers.
Then, everyone's gaze turned almost simultaneously towards Wayne, who had remained silent until now.
"No need to overcomplicate things. The pursuit of greater strength has never been a bad thing. I agree with Mr Grindelwald's view that wizarding standards are indeed declining."
"This is typical happiness education destroying the entire educational ecosystem. Ordinary knowledge is one thing - no matter how poorly people learn, we're all still human beings, it only affects future achievements."
"But magic is supernatural power, a weapon for self-protection."
"No matter how Dumbledore glorifies happiness education, ultimately it still comes down to wands deciding the outcome. A pyrrhic victory ultimately signifies the failure of this educational model."
"He has never been a qualified educator."
"I think we should reopen the Duelling Club," Wayne suggested after some thought, resurrecting Lockhart's sole contribution to the school.
"Make the sessions more frequent, relax the rules appropriately. Don't fear injuries - as long as nobody dies, there won't be any problems."
"Oh, and have students sign liability waivers. Everything should be voluntary."
After speaking, Wayne scanned the professors Grindelwald had brought with him. "Are any of you teaching Dark Magic?"
Grindelwald didn't speak, merely looking towards one elderly gentleman.
The man stood up, bowing slightly. "Mr Lawrence, I am Hierac von Harl, Dark Magic professor at Durmstrang."
"Wayne, you're not..." Professor McGonagall felt a sense of foreboding rising within her.
"Blocking is worse than channelling. Certain Dark Magic spells are indeed superior in destructive power. Senior students could learn them appropriately," Wayne said.
"I can teach too," Snape spoke up for the first time.
"Hmm..." The young man thought for a moment. "That could work, but let me make this clear - there won't be additional pay."
Snape's mouth twitched. "Not necessary. It happens I'm only teaching four year groups now, so my workload has lightened considerably."
If he couldn't teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, he could teach Dark Magic instead. Either was better than Potions.
"Fine, we'll start with fifth years then. Count it as an elective. Professor Snape can exchange insights with Professor Harl," Wayne concluded.
Professor McGonagall ultimately didn't oppose Wayne's decision.
During the recent dark creature invasion, she had witnessed the students' shortcomings firsthand. When facing Vampires and werewolves, they lacked powerful spells that could decide battles with a single strike.
Learning some Dark Magic to compensate for their weaknesses was actually a reasonable strategy.
Though the extent needed careful control. She planned to have a thorough discussion with Snape to establish clear boundaries for the curriculum.
Soon, the professors departed, leaving only Wayne and Grindelwald in the room.
With no outsiders present, Grindelwald dropped all pretence, snarling, "Where is Dumbledore? He won't even show his face when I'm here?"
"He's not part of the school, why should he bother with you?" Wayne said listlessly. "Besides, old Dumbledore's had some new insights recently and is holed up studying magic intensively. You probably won't see him for a while."
Grindelwald felt a sense of crisis. "He's making progress again?"
"Not exactly."
Grindelwald suddenly turned to study Wayne, sensing something discordant.
Previously, even the oppressive feeling Wayne casually emitted had put Grindelwald on high alert – it was like facing a drawn sword at his throat.
But now he seemed like an ordinary student, with nothing perceptible about him.
"You succeeded?"
Again?
Wayne sighed and repeated what he'd told Dumbledore before.
At this moment, the difference between Grindelwald and Dumbledore became apparent: Dumbledore preferred to research things himself, while Grindelwald was more direct and brutal.
"Use your Legend abilities to fight me, and I'll understand everything."
"It's too late today, we'll talk tomorrow."
Wayne checked the time. Cho was probably already waiting for him inside the suitcase. After hastily saying a few words to placate him, he finally managed to shake off Grindelwald.
But by the next day, there was no escaping.
Right after breakfast, Wayne was dragged away. Seeing Grindelwald's almost masochistic eagerness, Wayne didn't hold back, immediately using his domain to suppress Grindelwald so thoroughly that he couldn't even cast magic properly.
The Fiendfyre he normally wielded so masterfully was stripped from his control, and the two-headed giant bird chased him, burning at his heels.
Within the domain's coverage, Grindelwald truly experienced what real despair felt like – as if the entire world had turned against him.
And Wayne finally witnessed Grindelwald's trump card.
Two identical figures appeared before him, joining forces to cast Finite Incantatem and extinguish the very flames Grindelwald himself had summoned.
"Voldemort and Tom gave me the inspiration," Grindelwald said, no longer hiding it since it was exposed. "This is both my Horcrux and my duplicate. Its power is almost equal to mine, just with slightly less magical power – the flesh and blood used for resurrection was ultimately poor."
"Aren't you afraid he'll betray you like Tom betrayed Voldemort?" Wayne halted his attack, curious.
The Horcrux duplicate spoke up, "I was created before he left the high tower. Our thoughts and principles are completely aligned. Besides..." He glanced at Grindelwald. "Do you think he's that kind of fool? The moment I entertain thoughts of betrayal, he can destroy me and make more duplicates."
"Clever," Wayne gave a thumbs-up. "But even with two Grindelwalds, the outcome won't change one bit."
The earth abruptly rose. Wayne slowly brought his palms together, the upturned ground trapping both of them in the middle. Under the domain, they couldn't Apparate away.
Half an hour later, both Grindelwalds were beaten black and blue.
...
Over the following days, Grindelwald seemed to have a masochistic streak erupt – he felt physically uncomfortable if he didn't get a thorough beating daily. But his gains were substantial; through firsthand experience, he began to grasp the concept of the domain clearly.
Wayne, however, grew tired of fighting. While bullying the weak was satisfying, constantly beating up what felt like training dummies eventually lost its appeal.
That day, Grindelwald came looking for him again and was rejected.
Wayne looked at him helplessly, "I need to go to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. Can't you learn from Dumbledore and quietly do your own research?"
"Department of Mysteries?" Grindelwald frowned, "What are you going there for?"
"To research something." Wayne summoned Ho-Oh, but just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and looked back at Grindelwald.
"Do other countries' Ministries of Magic have this department?"
Grindelwald thought for a moment, "France, Germany, Italy, and Greece all have similar departments, though they're not called by that name. France calls it the Department of Ancient Magic Research, Germany calls it the Office of Mysteries Protection."
"But they're largely the same - all researching peculiar and unusual magic."
Wayne looked thoughtful.
"Take me to visit these countries some other day."