Wade had no idea how many people were on their way to rescue him, nor did he pin his hopes on anyone else.
From Wade's perspective, his most dangerous moment was right after he'd woken up—not because of the cat, of course, but because of Grindelwald's attitude.
If the Dark Wizard, who was rumored to have committed countless bloody acts, decided to control him and plunder his current skills in the simplest way—through the Imperius Curse, Love Potions, or memory alteration—Wade would have no choice but to fight back with all his might.
But he also knew that his greatest value wasn't his magic ability, which was outstanding compared to others his age, but his unique Alchemy skills.
Spells or Potions that controlled people damaged intelligence, so as long as the other party had something to gain from him, he was essentially safe.
Wade had already figured these things out the last time he was kidnapped by the organization.
Alchemy was different from most magical systems; it required a wizard to maintain a clear mind and sharp memory, much like a scientist conducting an experiment. One couldn't be in a muddled state, much less have a "love-struck brain" obsessed with a "lover."
Moreover, unlike technological products that could be consistently produced once specific steps were established, even the most skilled Alchemist faced the possibility of frequent failure during Alchemy.
Magic was closely tied to the power of a wizard's mind, and Alchemy was no different.
Therefore, if cooperation wasn't willing, Alchemist could easily become a money pit, consuming vast resources while producing inefficient and useless results.
Since Grindelwald hadn't resorted to control or threats when they first met, the more value Wade demonstrated later, the less likely Grindelwald was to suddenly turn against him.
Unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald valued talent over bloodline. He was an elitist, and to those with ability, the famous Dark Wizard could be friendly and enthusiastic.
So, when creating the tool to invade the Streaming Mirror, Wade didn't feign failure or stall for time. He spent two hours designing it, and once the materials arrived, he immediately began crafting.
This time, he didn't rely on the aid of unique vision, but completed it solely with his current Alchemy skills.
Grindelwald even sent a white-haired Alchemist to assist him. The two discussed and worked, and Alchemist praised Wade's skilled Transfiguration, solid magical foundation, and unique ideas. Wade, in turn, learned some German wizard Alchemy techniques from him.
After three failures, on the fourth attempt, they finally saw the light of success.
Alchemist named Wawerlett brought a Streaming Mirror for testing and found that the image had indeed been successfully replaced, and the transmission of sound and visuals was extremely clear and smooth.
"My goodness, I didn't think it would go this smoothly—at least not this quickly!" Wawerlett exclaimed, looking at Wade. "I bet you've already considered something like this, haven't you?"
Wade smiled, neither admitting nor denying it.
Wawerlett already had his default answer in mind and didn't mind Wade's silence. He walked around the radio-like device twice and said,
"This is your creation... give this little guy a name."
"Uh..." Wade thought for a moment and asked, "How about Zero-Day Squirrel?"
"Zero-day" in the computer field usually referred to an undisclosed vulnerability that could be used to launch an attack.
As for "squirrel," it was a natural animal thief.
"—Zero-day?" Wawerlett didn't understand the meaning, but it sounded good. He nodded and said, "Excellent. I hope this little squirrel can bring us more magical nuts."
The main structure of the Zero-Day Squirrel was complete; all that remained was some minor filling and modification work.
"Mr. Wawerlett, did you graduate from Durmstrang?"
Wade asked casually while making a small part.
"Yes, I studied there," Wawerlett said with a smile. "Although Durmstrang has a bad reputation for allowing students to engage in Dark Magic, the school is actually not quite what most people imagine. Students are serious and diligent during the week, but they still sing and dance on their days off."
"Does Durmstrang teach the three Unforgivable Curses?" Wade asked curiously. "Do students experiment with the Imperius Curse or the Cruciatus Curse on each other?"
"Of course not!" Wawerlett flatly stated. "Durmstrang's attitude towards certain spells is the same as other schools! Including Gellert…"
His voice trailed off, and he covertly glanced at the door, wary of Grindelwald suddenly showing up.
Then he lowered his voice and whispered to Wade, "—Including Gellert, you know? He was expelled from school because his Dark Magic experiments were too dangerous, despite his brilliant talent!"
Really?
Wade didn't quite believe it.
Because he still remembered that during the Triwizard Tournament, Krum, the Durmstrang champion, had tortured Cedric with Crucio while under the Imperius Curse.
The Imperius Curse could control the person under its influence, but it couldn't implant spells the person hadn't mastered into their mind.
Wade didn't refute Wawerlett's statement, but Wawerlett seemed to be invigorated by the topic.
"Ah... Gellert was so charismatic when he was young. I was a few years behind him, but even then, I wanted to follow him..."
Wawerlett said with a look of longing, "He might have been obsessed with dangerous Magic, he might have done some wrong things... but his original intention was just to establish a wizard utopia, and he was considering the interests of the wizarding community..."
"Your headmaster, Dumbledore, he doesn't want to sacrifice any innocent people. The Wizarding World elevates him to a saint, which I find truly hypocritical... Don't frown, child... If you read more history books—I mean Muggle history books—you'll find that no revolution is bloodless..."
"Dumbledore is too soft. Only Gellert—only his proposals can truly change the hiding situation of wizards. Even if he failed, I would still say this... I will always believe in him..."
"Thank you, John, thank you for your trust and praise." Grindelwald pushed the door open, saw their relaxed expressions, and chuckled, "It seems what I asked for will be finished soon?"
"Actually, this Zero-Day Squirrel is already complete!"
John Wawerlett patted the machine "squirrel" beside him and praised with a laugh, "It's a genius design! Now we're just adding an extra layer of protection to prevent it from being easily damaged during use later."
Grindelwald's eyes lit up, clearly delighted. He said, "Excellent! I think our plan can be a few days ahead of schedule... John, you can finish the rest of the work yourself, right?"
"Of course..." Wawerlett suddenly realized something and looked at Wade with concern, then changed his words, "But there are some parts I still don't quite understand. I really need Mr. Gray's wisdom..."
"Then I'll borrow Wade for now." Grindelwald interrupted him, placed his hand on Wade's shoulder, and affectionately called the boy's name, saying, "We have some things to discuss."
"Gellert, Mr. Gray truly is an exceptionally brilliant Alchemist. I've never seen a child his age possess such profound knowledge..."
Wawerlett's face was subtly pale, and he bravely said, "He's still young, even if you disagree, don't... don't..."
"Hahaha, what are you thinking, John?" Grindelwald laughed. "We really are just 'talking,' literally!"
Wawerlett sighed with relief, watched the others leave the room, then let out a sorrowful sigh.
Though he had chosen to follow this person himself… Grindelwald could be truly terrifying when he was ruthless!
And he knew very well that Grindelwald could sometimes be impulsive, capricious, and change his mood on a dime… If Wade, young and spirited, were to talk back a few times, then…
The more he thought about it, the more worried Wawerlett became. He simply put down his Wand and paced the room, waiting for the results of the "talk."
…
In Wawerlett's imagination, Grindelwald, seeing Wade's value, would probably threaten or entice him to join the Alliance.
However, Wade clearly held Dumbledore in high regard and felt a strong sense of belonging to Hogwarts. This trust wasn't something that could be broken with just a few words.
A rejected Grindelwald would then use a few Cruciatus Curses to "persuade" the other party. Most people would yield to direct violence, but some might be spurred to stronger resistance…
The reality, however, was different from Wawerlett's imagined scenario. What Grindelwald wanted to discuss had nothing to do with allegiance or similar topics.
He sat comfortably in an armchair, gestured for Drayne to pour Wade a cup of tea, then asked, "Child, do you know your lineage?"
Wade paused, then said, "Of course I know who my parents are."
"No, I'm not talking about your parents, but your grandparents, your maternal grandmother, and your great-grandparents," Grindelwald said.
Wade was silent for a moment.
Although Wade had heard his parents mention a few things, there was no family tree or similar records at home, not even photos of those people. Wade had never been curious enough to ask.
In his opinion, sending two children without Magic out during chaotic times and never inquiring about them again was effectively abandonment. Even though this was a tradition in the Wizarding World—even the Weasley Family did this—as parents, it was undoubtedly a dereliction of duty.
Wade had never thought about seeking out relatives and had always claimed to be from a non-magical family at school.
Ferdinand and Fiona were his parents in this life; they had meticulously raised him, and only they were his true family. As for anyone else, could they, merely by blood relation, become a yoke around his neck?
That was impossible.
Grindelwald seemed to interpret Wade's silence in his own way. He simply stated the findings of his subordinates with a casual air:
"I originally thought your parents were Muggles, but then I found out that while you were attending Hogwarts, they would also frequent Diagon Alley."
Wade's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he gazed at Grindelwald with a deep, unsettling look.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of using them to threaten you." Grindelwald rubbed the rim of his cup, smiling. "I just realized, being able to see The Leaky Cauldron but having no magical ability, your parents are actually Squibs, aren't they?"
"Then my people looked into your grandparents. The information was very difficult to find, but luckily, a kind young man at the British Ministry of Magic was willing to help…"
He looked into Wade's gray eyes and said, "Your maternal grandmother is Rosie Black, and her father is Marius Black. I heard you once visited the Black Family's manor, but you probably didn't see this name—Marius Black was disowned by the Black Family very early on because he was a Squib."
Wade's eyes flickered, but he wasn't surprised.
Though the Black Family was now dwindling, it had once been as flourishing as the Weasley Family. He had seen the Black Family tapestry; all the famous families in the Wizarding World—Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, Crabbe, Longbottom, and so on—had intermarried with the Blacks.
Moreover, Wade had noticed early on… he himself bore some resemblance to Sirius, but their blood relation was actually very distant—perhaps the kind that was on the very fringes of a family tree.
"And your great-grandfather," Grindelwald continued. "His name is Joseph Bones. Your grandfather is Andrew, and your grandmother is Carla. The Bones family has produced many excellent wizards—do you know Amelia Bones? She's currently the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in Britain, and she's a distant aunt of yours."
Wade leaned back slightly, gazing at the other man, and asked, "So what? What's your purpose in telling me all this? To help me recognize some relatives?"
Grindelwald rested his chin on his hand, a smile on his face, and said, "I would very much like to help you establish more intimate connections in the Wizarding World, but unfortunately…"
The Dark Wizard sighed softly. "Both your grandparents' families and your maternal grandmother's family have been killed by Voldemort or his Death Eaters."
"Originally, after you were admitted to Hogwarts, you should have returned to the Bones family. But because your grandparents had already passed away, you remained in the Muggle world. Amelia Bones also didn't know her Squib cousin was still alive."
As Grindelwald spoke, he observed the young wizard's expression with interest.
Generally, most people would show obvious emotional fluctuations—joy, regret, resentment, sadness, longing—upon hearing news of relatives they had never met. No matter the emotion, it was understandable.
But Wade was different.
He was like someone listening to a stranger's story, his eyes not even showing any significant ripple.
Grindelwald could tell he wasn't feigning composure; he genuinely didn't care, didn't mind. It was as if whether his former families were prosperous or in decline had nothing to do with him.
A faint smile appeared in the depths of Grindelwald's eyes.
"It's fine not to know. I'm used to the surname Gray and don't plan to change it," Wade said, shifting his posture. "Thank you for the information, though I didn't particularly want to know it."
Grindelwald gently tapped the armrest of his chair, musing, "But I want to know—a child like you, who should have grown up in the Wizarding World but by an unfortunate turn of events lived among Muggles, and thus has a deep understanding of both sides—how do you view the relationship between wizards and Muggles today?"
Wade's expression shifted, and he looked up at the other man.
He realized this was what the other party truly wanted to say.
If Wade had been purely Muggle-born, this question wouldn't have arisen… but he had blood ties to two famous families in the Wizarding World, which made the question significant.
Even his parents couldn't be considered non-magical people.
Although Squibs were at the bottom of the Wizarding World's social hierarchy, they were still part of the magical world.
After a moment of silence, Wade said, "There's a fact you might not have noticed—I'm thirteen years old this year."
His age was his disadvantage, and his age was also his shield.
Grindelwald smiled.
"You're right, I was too hasty." He stood up and said with an air of undeniable authority, "Go back and rest. I imagine you'll have many thoughts tonight, but you should still go to bed early… We might need to go out tomorrow, and you'll come along."
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