The young wizard, barely taller than a pack of cigarettes, stood on the vast bedsheet, pondering why his magic seemed to have turned into child's play, when he suddenly heard a faint purr.
The cat circled, biding its time, then pounced forward with the speed of lightning and the swiftness of wind, its fluffy fur flying. It spread its front paws, and its gaping mouth seemed to let out a silent roar.
The young wizard in front spun around abruptly, pointing his toothpick-like wand—
"*Aguamenti!*"
"Pshhh!"
A stream of water, carrying considerable force, directly hit the cat's nose. The cat shrieked in surprise, letting out a pitiful "Ow!" It bounced high twice, then rolled on the bed, pawing at its nose.
Fortunately, the small wand didn't release much water, and it was cleaned up in a flash. The cat stared at the tiny human with shock and fear, its pupils dilated with terror.
Damn it!
Even though this human has shrunk, he's found my biggest weakness!
The cat stared straight at the human, who showed no sign of relaxation or fear. Instead, he raised that "toothpick" again.
"Meow!"
The cat shrieked, leaped forward in a striking pose, then sharply veered off, darting like the wind into the narrow gap behind the cabinet to hide. It pushed hard against the floor with its hind legs, managing to squeeze its fat, round body into the space.
This entire scene played out on a silvery liquid surface. Grindelwald couldn't help but laugh as he watched the cat twist and curl up.
"Let's go. It seems Ursula can only do so much."
The young man behind him lowered his head, as if he had embarrassed his leader.
...
Having intimidated a cat that was afraid of water, Wade naturally had nothing to be proud of.
He was about to try if an Unlocking Charm could open the door lock when he saw the latch turn on its own, followed by two strangers walking in from outside.
One old, one young.
One looked weak and haggard, while the other was robust and burly, his muscular physique evident even beneath his wizard robes.
Wade's gaze swept over them, then settled on the frighteningly thin old man.
His hair was almost completely white, and his blue eyes appeared very sharp. Though he was skin and bones, even just a skeleton would have revealed an extraordinary handsomeness.
He gave off the impression that even at two hundred years old, he could still walk a runway at any moment.
Wade fell silent.
No way... Just released from prison, and he's already in London, England, doing precise kidnapping?
Then Wade remembered that the prison where this man was held—Nurmengard—was apparently built by him.
He had stayed in that prison not because he couldn't leave, but because he didn't want to leave.
It wouldn't surprise Wade at all if Nurmengard's administrators were all Grindelwald's people, and it seemed... quite reasonable for them to have either willingly or unwillingly helped conceal the news of his escape for a few days.
Wade said nothing, but the other party didn't remain silent.
Grindelwald walked into the room and calmly sat down in the only chair. The other blond man stood behind him, hands clasped behind his back.
"Please, have a seat, my young guest." Grindelwald gestured with his hand, smiling. "I hope Ursula didn't frighten you."
"Sorry, I think I might have scared it instead," Wade said. "And where I come from, it's not customary for guests to speak while standing on the bed."
"Hahahaha..."
Grindelwald burst into laughter, his throat sounding somewhat hoarse, as if it had been injured.
"My apologies, that was indeed our oversight."
As he laughed, he waved his hand, signaling to the wizard beside him.
The blond wizard stepped forward, took out a small bottle, and used his wand to draw a few drops of Potions onto Wade.
His body rapidly grew taller. The blond wizard simultaneously cast the counter-curse for a Shrinking Charm on his clothes. A few seconds later, Wade had returned to his original size.
He couldn't help but stretch his arms, feeling his own strength and magic return, which greatly reassured him.
Then he pulled out his wand and was immediately dumbfounded.
His wand was still the size of a toothpick, looking pitifully small held between his fingers.
"Oh, right." Grindelwald chuckled again, pulling a wand from his pocket. "This is your wand. That other one was just a toy borrowed from a child."
Wade: "..."
While a vein throbbed faintly on his forehead, he also realized that Grindelwald's casual and friendly attitude was beneficial to him.
Or rather, when he woke up on the bed and found he wasn't imprisoned or restrained, he knew his life wasn't in immediate danger.
He just didn't know what the other party wanted from him, or how long this friendly attitude would last.
Wade silently put down the toothpick wand and picked up his own, casually casting a Scouring Charm.
Magic flowed smoothly and naturally. The cabinet in front instantly became spotless, so clean it seemed to reflect light.
This was the spell performance he was familiar with.
No sooner had the toothpick wand been placed on the table than a Fairy flew down from the chandelier. It grabbed the toothpick wand with both hands and buzzed angrily at the group. Though unintelligible, it was clearly spewing curses.
After cursing for a few more moments, the Fairy indignantly grabbed its wand and flew back above the chandelier, scattering beautiful golden specks of light as it went.
Wade: "..."
So that really was the Fairy's wand...
Grindelwald, as a notorious Dark Wizard, is he a bit too... dog-like?
He lowered his gaze, thinking this, then pointed his wand at a nearby blue banana plant, conjuring a soft, comfortable chair for himself.
After sitting down, Wade asked, "I appreciate you 'inviting' me as a guest. But I've been quite busy recently, and it might not be suitable for me to be away for a long time. Please just tell me what you want."
Grindelwald coughed twice, then chuckled, "You know who I am?"
"I guessed," Wade said candidly, not feigning innocent ignorance.
"It's rare for someone your age to still know of me," Grindelwald leaned back in his chair. "Wade Gray, you're a clever child. So, what do you suppose is the purpose of me personally inviting you here?"
Wade was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is it for the Magic Golem manufacturing technique?"
"Hm? Is someone coveting your technique?"
Grindelwald made a guess, discerning the answer from Wade's expression. He shook his head. "I don't trust things that can think independently."
"Then you're after..." Wade sorted through his inventions in his mind, then asked, "—the Streaming Mirror?"
"Exactly," Grindelwald chuckled. "I hear that every wizarding family now has at least one Streaming Mirror, and it's on from morning till night, used more frequently than Muggle televisions. And all the programs broadcast come from Aslan's Magic Workshop?"
"Not entirely," Wade said cautiously. "Aslan's Magic Workshop is currently negotiating with various Ministries of Magic. Eventually, there will be designated time slots in the morning and evening for broadcasting news from each country's Wizarding World."
"Also, some stubborn wizards believe the Streaming Mirror monitors their lives and threatens their safety, so they're unwilling to accept this invention."
"Those are just the foolish opinions of a few," Grindelwald said. "When I was young, many people also believed that cameras would steal their souls, but no one thinks that anymore."
"You're right," Wade said casually.
He had already guessed the other party's objective and was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
But Grindelwald didn't give him much time to think.
"As the inventor, can you bypass that Magic Workshop and have all the Streaming Mirrors display images we specify?"
Wade looked up at him.
It was rumored that organizations with deep ties to Muggles coveted the Magic Golem technique, but Grindelwald, a wizard who had been imprisoned for nearly fifty years, immediately recognized the importance of controlling public opinion in the Wizarding World.
The silence lasted for a while. Wade asked, "What if I say I can't?"
"Do you think I can't tell a child's lie?" Grindelwald pointed to his own eyes. "I know you can, child, I've seen that you can."
Wade remembered that this man had eyes that could see the future—he was a natural Seer.
Had he seen a future related to himself?
Wade wasn't sure, but this Dark Wizard didn't have Dumbledore's good temper. Even though he seemed friendly now, Grindelwald was equally ruthless when he turned.
Wade slowly exhaled, saying, "I'll need materials."
...
After leaving the room, Grindelwald handed the parchment covered in magic materials to the blond wizard, saying:
"While he's making it, have one of our people watch him."
"Understood... Are we to learn his crafting techniques?" The blond wizard, Drayne, added, afraid he might have misunderstood.
"Guard against him," Grindelwald said. "Prevent him from creating some powerful device that could directly destroy the base and allow him to escape."
Though Drayne thought a child wouldn't have such capabilities, he still nodded and said, "Understood!"
"And..."
After walking a bit further, Grindelwald mused, "Also, investigate this Wade Gray... Even if he's Muggle-born, I want to know who his parents are, how he performed in school, his views on Bloodline Theory, on non-human magical creatures, and so on... The more detailed, the better."
"Yes, sir," Drayne replied.
The Alliance's influence couldn't compare to its heyday, of course, but wizards lived much longer than Muggles. Fifty years had passed, and many old comrades were still alive, their children active in various fields.
Moreover, as Muggle society developed ever more rapidly, wizards' living space was increasingly squeezed. Some young wizards felt this threat and spontaneously gravitated towards the Alliance, their ideas and methods even more radical than some elders who had experienced war and massacres.
The current Alliance was like deep water beneath an iceberg, still harboring immense power, and gathering information was no problem.
Ahead of him, a look of interest flashed in Grindelwald's eyes.
—He was just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, yet his Occlumency was extraordinary. Even Grindelwald couldn't imperceptibly invade his memories.
When did studying at school require Occlumency? Hogwarts isn't Durmstrang...
Did Dumbledore give him special training?
Of course, if he used his wand and forcefully employed high-level Legilimency, he might be able to unearth the hidden memories, but doing so would cause irreversible damage to that precious mind.
Therefore, Grindelwald preferred to spend more time waiting for his subordinates' investigation results.
...
The flying owl circled once before flying back.
Harry untied the scroll from the owl's leg, finding it was the same one he had sent, and was completely overwhelmed by immense disappointment and worry.
Michael leaned on the windowsill, propped up beside him, and said, "I told you already, the owls are useless. Otherwise, Dumbledore and the others would have found him by now."
Hedwig, the white owl who had just been called "useless," indignantly pecked Michael's hand and spread her wings, flying out the window.
Michael's parents were currently abroad, and for their safety, they had to stay at The Burrow.
The Weasley Family was large, and their rooms were quite cramped. To make space for the two boys, Ron had to temporarily move into his brother Percy's bedroom.
Percy was very displeased about this, believing Ron would disturb his NEWTs revision; Ron, meanwhile, looked like he was being thrown into a fire pit.
"Spending the whole Christmas holiday with Percy was bad enough, but sharing a bedroom? That's a nightmare!"
Ron made a bitter face, mimicking Percy's tone: "Ronald, get your socks off my bed! Ron, don't make a sound, I'm reading a very advanced Transfiguration essay!"
Harry knew he should laugh along, but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he felt even worse.
After Ron finished packing and went upstairs, Harry tried writing a note and sent Hedwig to deliver it.
After the owl returned unsuccessful, the two of them just sat by the window. It was very late, but neither wanted to go to sleep.
Suddenly, they heard the "flapping" of an owl's wings. Hopeful, they looked up and saw owl after owl flying through the window, dropping boxes of all sizes, then immediately turning and flying away.
"Oh, Christmas presents," Michael said blankly. "I completely forgot it was Christmas today."
They stood for a moment, then Harry bent down and picked up a box. It was from the Dursleys—the gift was a plastic bag, probably something Aunt Petunia had grabbed on a whim.
Harry found he wasn't surprised or angry at all. He simply set the plastic bag aside and picked up another box.
Then, Harry froze.
"Michael..."
He said, his voice trembling.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked.
"Look." Harry flipped the gift box over, the side with the name facing Michael. "This is from Wade!"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------