"Ah, I apologize." Dumbledore wiped the corner of his eye, feigning composure. "Recalling the past always makes one emotional… Those were difficult times for us."
Wade nodded silently, no longer looking at the other's expression.
The somewhat ethereal figure vanished. When it reformed, Ariana was already lying on the ground, pale and lifeless, her eyes devoid of spirit.
Aberforth immediately rushed to his sister, while the young Dumbledore was utterly stunned, his expression blank.
Grindelwald stepped back two paces, looking flustered. He looked at Dumbledore, seemingly wanting to say something. But before Dumbledore could look at him, he turned and fled in a panic.
A diamond-shaped pendant flashed across the scene, its jewel-like center glinting with a bright, crimson light.
The scene changed rapidly, a funeral flashing by in an instant. Wade saw Aberforth angrily break Dumbledore's nose. Dumbledore stood up, holding his bloody nose, offering no resistance.
Then, the once spirited young man became silent and tormented. All his dreams came to an abrupt halt, his ambitions turning to dust.
Dumbledore returned to school to teach, students flowing in and out around him like a long, surreal dream.
Then, it was Grindelwald again.
He had grown tall and strong, and the wand in his hand had changed to the Elder Wand, known as unconquerable.
He traveled through different countries, giving speeches on high platforms.
The fear and panic from before had completely vanished from his face. His expression was sometimes stern and calm, at other times fervent yet sincere, his eyes radiating a powerful force that drew people to follow him.
His followers grew in number, their expressions sharp, fanatical, and loyal.
They were utterly different from the Death Eaters who knelt and kissed Voldemort's shoes.
Grindelwald and his Alliance relentlessly launched terror attacks—on the elderly, pregnant women, infants… Anyone who stood in his way was eliminated without hesitation.
When they blew up streets and burned buildings, they never considered whether innocent people would be harmed.
Some in the Alliance still had a conscience and felt pain and reluctance about this, but Grindelwald would put his hand on those young people's shoulders and tell them earnestly—
"A small sacrifice now is for the future of the entire Wizarding World; it is an unavoidable tragedy on the path forward. Believe me, child, I too feel great sorrow for this."
"But if victory could be achieved by persuading others with words, then we wouldn't need war!"
"The populace is blindly foolish, and the Ministry of Magic is bloated and incompetent. They refuse to admit that this world is a place where the strong prey on the weak! For wizards to live with dignity, they must speak with blood and fire!"
"Child, even though those people lost their lives, we must carry the will of the dead forward, continue to fight. This is harder than simply dying."
"For those… parents and children watching us from behind, for those whose lives we had to take, we must bear the infamy and misunderstanding, burning everything we have to forge a new future for the Wizarding World."
"I firmly believe that we can make wizards rise, we can break the Statute of Secrecy, and make Muggles admit that we are the superior race. I will dedicate my life to this cause until all our companions can live without fear!"
"Hold your heads high, child, you have not committed a crime. You are merely exchanging the 'few' for the 'many,' and the 'present' for the 'future'!"
"Even if our pain goes ununderstood, and our sacrifices unknown, we will bring the hope of living freely to many more! History will prove that we are right!"
"If you don't understand, then there's no need to think. I will think for you, and I will bear the sin for you. You only need to do one thing—"
"Follow me!"
A black tide set fire to one country after another.
Wizards wearing unique crests on their clothes looked resolute and unyielding. They carried a noble sense of mission, leaving behind fields of corpses.
They were blind to the fear and wailing of the people, but Dumbledore could not ignore it.
Finally, he decided to step forward. But because he and Grindelwald had made a Blood Oath "never to harm each other," Dumbledore could only entrust the important task to Newt Scamander.
Wade had read the rest of the story in history books and seen it in movies.
He walked with Dumbledore, seeing Grindelwald repeatedly attempt to seize greater power, to wield unmatched strength, only to be thwarted time and again by Dumbledore and Scamander.
Eventually, as the Muggle World War was nearing its end, Grindelwald's Alliance also met its demise. He and Dumbledore agreed to a great battle, which he ultimately lost decisively.
Dumbledore obtained the Elder Wand, and Grindelwald was imprisoned in the highest cell of Nurmengard.
Time flowed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the illusory Dumbledore transformed into the familiar figure Wade knew.
Long white hair and beard, sitting in an armchair, his eyes reflecting the wisdom and composure accumulated over years.
A man in a dark blue uniform stood before him, his face gaunt, his short hair meticulously combed.
"…He regrets his past actions," the man said. "He wishes to see you, hoping to apologize to you in person."
After a long pause, Dumbledore said, "There's no need."
"If he truly feels shame and remorse for the terror he inflicted upon the world… then he should confess to those he harmed."
Everything in the vision dissipated like mist. Wade's vision blurred, and when he came to, he saw himself and Dumbledore still in the headmaster's office.
It was as if they had never left.
Fawkes the Phoenix and the Sorting Hat were still teasing a few small magical pets, and the portraits of the former headmasters on the walls were all dozing.
Or perhaps they were pretending to doze.
Dumbledore sat down in his high-backed chair, looking incredibly ancient and weary, as if he might collapse at any moment.
But his back remained unbent.
Wade sat beside him, subtly averting his gaze, not looking at Dumbledore in that moment.
It was a long moment before Dumbledore spoke. "If you have anything to ask me, now is the time."
What does Dumbledore think I'll ask? Wade wondered.
Is it about his relationship with Grindelwald? His brief misstep?
Or perhaps the Elder Wand, its knobby grip in his hand, or his past pursuit of the Deathly Hallows?
Wade gently shook his head. "I have nothing to ask."
After a few seconds of silence, he added, "What do you wish to ask me?"
Dumbledore lowered his gaze to Wade, his eyes slightly moist, making them resemble Ariana's in the vision.
He knew, of course, that when Wade asked that, his unspoken meaning was the same as Dumbledore's had been:
Ask, and I shall answer. With honesty and sincerity.
Wade wasn't one to trust easily, but...
When an old man lays bare his most shameful, most painful wounds, just to tell you what is right and wrong, what reason is there to hide anything?
And for Dumbledore, that one statement was enough.
He saw Wade's honesty and trust, just as he had once, in truth, seen Grindelwald's inner cruelty and coldness.
A hundred years ago, he had ignored the warnings from his subconscious.
This time, he decided to listen to his inner voice.
"I have nothing to ask either," he said. "I'll wait until you're willing to tell me... whenever, whatever."
The conversation ended there, and Wade knew it was time to leave. He stood to bid farewell, but as he reached the door, he hesitated.
"Professor," he turned and asked, "do you... have any plans for next weekend?"
"Nothing more important than a drink at the Three Broomsticks," Dumbledore replied.
"I have a place... I'd like to invite you to," Wade said, choosing his words carefully.
Dumbledore smiled. "I'd be delighted."
...
December 8th, another full moon night.
The night was beautiful, a massive full moon hanging in the sky, its deep and shallow shadows sketching patterns that sparked the imagination.
Wade took out the leaf, and Sirius carefully inspected it. Beside them, Lupin, already transformed into a Werewolf, lay on the ground, craning his head to look at the Mandrake leaf.
He had taken the Wolfsbane Potion, and though transformed, his mind was clear. Sirius leaned against the Werewolf without a care.
"Excellent, perfectly intact," Sirius said with a satisfied smile. He then added, "Just to be safe, I'll confirm again... you haven't let it leave your mouth once this month, have you?"
"No," Wade said, shaking his head. He carefully placed the leaf into a clear crystal bottle, allowing it to be illuminated by the moonlight.
Lupin let out a sigh of relief.
"Several times I saw you talking as usual, seemingly undisturbed, and I thought it had failed."
Wade hadn't mentioned it, and out of consideration for the young man's self-esteem, Lupin hadn't pressed him, simply thinking of little tricks to help him when they started again next month.
He didn't doubt Wade would give up, just worried he'd be in a bad mood if he faced setbacks.
Sirius couldn't help but say, "How did you do it? When I was practicing, I always accidentally swallowed that damned leaf, failed several times, and finally had to glue my teeth together to get through the month."
Wade chuckled and said, "I used a Sticking Charm too. Mostly, it was about practicing to get used to its presence."
Sirius shook his head, still looking incredulous.
"Let's move on to the next step," Lupin said.
Wade nodded, pulled out a strand of his own hair, placed it in the bottle, followed by a silver teaspoon of dew, and a pupa of a Death's-head Hawkmoth.
Sirius picked up the bottle, gently swirling it, observing the mixture.
"Almost ready," he said, setting the bottle down.
He and Wade carried the crystal bottle into the cellar in the yard. The cellar itself was quite deep, and Lupin had already dug a narrow, deep hole there, just big enough to fit the crystal bottle.
Then Wade stuffed it with straw, covered it with a flagstone and felt, and the two left the cellar. Sirius then locked the Trapdoor as well.
"This won't be opened until the next thunderstorm," Lupin said. "Sirius and I have also set up magic around it, to prevent rats from getting in and causing damage."
The crystal bottle for practicing to become an Animagus needs to be kept in a quiet, dark place, ensuring it's not observed or disturbed.
This means it can't be placed where people or animals frequently move, nor can it be checked on often.
So, some people bury it deep in remote forests.
For Wizards, the most frustrating thing might be, after a year or so of preparation, finally having everything ready, only to go look for their crystal bottle during a thunderstorm and find it's already been dug up by a curious animal.
Sirius and the others had made many mistakes in the past, and later gathered a lot of information, so they had already prepared everything for Wade.
"Remember the Spell," Sirius instructed. "Every day at sunrise and sunset, you must point your wand at your heart and chant the Spell: 'Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus.' Not once less. If you forget even one day, you have to start over."
"Yes," Wade nodded. "I've set an alarm. It will remind me every morning and evening."
"One isn't enough," Sirius said, with a look that suggested painful memories. "Prepare a few more... What if you oversleep one day?"
Wade and Lupin couldn't help but laugh.
After laughing, Lupin couldn't help but feel a little emotional, a little melancholic.
"The next storm could come at any time, but you're only truly ready when you feel a second heartbeat."
Sirius added, "Even if you feel that heartbeat, the habit of chanting the spell morning and night can't change. You can't miss a single time, until the moment is right."
Remembering his previous worries, Wade asked, "Do you know... if there's any way to influence the appearance after transforming?"
"What do you want to turn into?" Sirius asked.
"Hmm..." Wade hesitated, saying, "I can't exactly turn into a slug or an ant, can I? What would be the point of transforming then?"
Sirius burst out laughing.
"There's no way to control that, Wade!" he said. "You know, James and I both originally wanted to turn into lions, but in the end, he was a stag, and I was a black dog."
Lupin also said, "If you want to know what animal you'll transform into beforehand, you can learn the Patronus Charm first. Generally, even if the Patronus's form and the transformed animal are different, they won't be too far apart."
"But I don't think you need to worry about turning into a slug or an ant," Sirius added. "The transformed appearance has a lot to do with the wizard themselves; it's a reflection of your innermost self."
They discussed for a while, and Sirius told Wade some amusing anecdotes from their Animagus training. It was late into the night before Wade decided to head back to school.
After all, it was still Tuesday, and they had classes tomorrow.
As he said goodbye, Wade said, "Remus, let's go out this weekend."
Lupin was momentarily stunned, then a serious expression appeared on his lupine face. "Is this also...?"
Wade nodded.
"Okay," Lupin agreed, then asked, "Just the two of us again?"
Wade was silent for a moment.
He looked at Sirius—the man was curiously watching them, but he was discreet enough not to press for details.
"Does Mr. Black have time?" Wade asked.
"Of course, I'd love to join!" Sirius immediately said excitedly. "Remus has been so secretive about it; I asked him, but he wouldn't say anything."
Wade smiled, then said, "Michael and the others won't be joining this time, but Dumbledore will."
Lupin's eyes widened slightly in surprise, then a smile spread to his brows and the corners of his eyes.
"If Dumbledore is there, I'm sure everything will go much smoother," he said happily.
Lupin had always subtly worried that Wade didn't trust Dumbledore.
Both men had changed his life and given him great kindness, and he didn't want to see any conflict arise between them.
Now it seemed that, in places he couldn't see, a sufficient level of trust had also been established between Wade and Dumbledore.
Lupin felt relieved and happy about this.
After Wade left, Sirius immediately grabbed Lupin by the neck.
"You have to tell me this time, right? What secrets do you two have?"
Lupin thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, there's a lot I still haven't figured out myself. I can only tell you what happened before, and you can judge for yourself..."
Private setting: If a Werewolf is conscious after transforming, they can speak.
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