A column of black smoke billowed upwards, spreading thick and dense across the sky. A strong smell of burning permeated the air, making people hesitant to approach.
The shrill wail of sirens grew louder, and fire trucks sped past, their red bodies strikingly conspicuous, like streaks of rushing crimson lightning.
Pedestrians on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks, and several cars also pulled over to let them pass. Passengers leaned out curiously, stretching their necks, asking each other, "What's that up ahead? Why is it on fire?"
Two stout men in police uniforms put up a roadblock, shouting, "Don't come any closer! Turn back or find another route… There might be an explosion up ahead…"
Upon hearing this, pedestrians who had been complaining about the fire delaying them immediately turned and left. However, a few remained, seemingly feeling they were far enough away that even an explosion wouldn't reach them, and decided to watch the spectacle.
A black MPV also stopped by the roadside, the faces of its occupants pale, showing no intention of getting out to observe.
John Adler clutched his briefcase, which he regarded as his life, and asked with a trembling voice, "Hey… that direction… that's my estate, isn't it?"
The driver, wearing white gloves, replied as calmly as possible, "Yes, Mr. Adler."
John Adler was speechless for a long time.
He vaguely knew he was bait, but before coming, someone had sworn to him that this operation would definitely succeed. His estate might suffer some losses, but he would be compensated in other ways.
For instance, others in business would grant him more benefits, or increase his share of longevity potions, and so on.
As for himself, there would definitely be no danger in this operation.
—And this is called no danger?
If he hadn't run fast, he might have been roasted by now!
Abigail, also in the car, had already secretly gripped her Wand with her right hand.
She tried to contact the people left at the estate but received no reply. It was almost certain they had all been killed or captured.
Abigail didn't understand why the plan had failed—in previous simulations, their probability of winning exceeded sixty percent; even if they failed, the main force's success rate of escaping was over ninety percent.
But the outcome was completely unexpected.
—Did Dumbledore and Grindelwald team up? Or… are some wizards like legends, bursting with greater power when facing a crisis?
Regardless, since no one came out alive, no one could find her and Adler.
On the bright side, perhaps the people at the estate hadn't reported Adler's desertion yet! After all, despite his annoying personality, he was very generous with money.
A dangerous glint appeared in Abigail's eyes, and a small section of her Wand silently extended from her sleeve.
From childhood, she had experienced countless battles, and Nonverbal Spells were already second nature to her.
John Adler didn't notice the subtle movements of his "wizard bodyguard." He took out his phone, scrolling through his contacts, and complained:
"Everything burned down! The compensation they promised must be tripled… no, quintupled! Don't wait for the others, they must all be dead! Drive now, let's go to Herysen…"
Just as John Adler found the name he was looking for, his entire body suddenly stiffened as if petrified, unable to move a single finger.
His phone slipped from his palm. Before it could hit the floor, a hand caught it and closed the cover.
John Adler was drenched in sweat. He frantically rolled his eyes, seeing that his bodyguard and driver had also turned into statues, motionless and silent, their breathing so faint it was barely audible.
The only person in the car who could still move was the accommodating wizard bodyguard.
John Adler understood something. He looked at her with shock and fear, unable to comprehend why she had suddenly turned on them.
Abigail looked at the strong bodyguards. Some were former special forces, some sharpshooters, and one was a boxing champion. Each of them had far better close-combat skills than Abigail.
But it wasn't until they were magically immobilized that they realized what was happening.
The secretary, sitting in the back row, hadn't been magically controlled due to her angle. But she keenly sensed the sudden petrified state of those around her and instinctively tried to lunge and open the car door, only to realize her position made it impossible.
A thin Wand was now pointed at her nose.
The secretary raised her hands, forcing an awkward smile, and asked tremblingly, "Why? Miss Abigail… If you, you're not satisfied with the compensation, we can discuss it again. I believe Mr. Adler will surely offer a price that moves you."
John Adler blinked frantically, indicating that he thought the same.
"Do you know? My parents died because of two reckless wizards," Abigail suddenly said.
"That…" The secretary was bewildered, cautiously saying, "Is that so? That's terribly sad…"
Abigail said, "I joined The Organization to get revenge… I believe that reckless wizards shouldn't live in this world. The Organization's boss can lead us to establish a new order—an order where, regardless of race or whether one has Magic, everyone is bound by law and absolutely cannot act recklessly!"
The secretary offered an obsequious compliment, "A very noble ideal… That's why Mr. Adler provides substantial funds every year to support your Organization…"
Adler looked at her with tears in his eyes, hoping she would say more.
But Abigail also petrified the secretary, continuing expressionlessly, "I'm well aware that to achieve this goal, there will naturally be necessary sacrifices, and innocent people will certainly be harmed."
"I'm even willing to be The Organization's blade—using my wizard identity to steal secrets from the Wizarding World, modify others' memories, harm people I didn't want to harm, kill innocent parents and poor children, and send children who could have attended school normally to The Organization's base to be trained as qualified fighters for The Organization."
"They told me that those who are unwilling to sacrifice anything can change nothing. There will certainly be short-term pain and losses, but these will lead to greater change and progress, to allow future generations to live in a better, more just world."
"I was deceived."
Abigail said, seemingly calmly.
"Of course, it wasn't you who deceived me, but you are also part of The Organization's evil… and of course, there's my utterly foolish self."
The secretary tried to say something more but was struck in the chest by a green Killing Curse. She screamed, bounced once, and fell back into the chair, dead.
The witch turned her Wand, pointing it at the other terrified eyes.
"My apologies, everyone… I hope we can all be ordinary people in our next lives."
...
A few flashes of green light illuminated the car's interior, and the deep-tinted windows brightened momentarily. But thanks to the blackout film, the faint glow wasn't enough to catch the attention of passersby.
All the bodyguards lay slumped in their seats, pale and lifeless. There were no visible injuries on their bodies, but they were all dead.
John Adler was practically terrified out of his wits.
His eyes widened, his pupils almost bursting from their sockets, as he stared in horror at Abigail, trying to convey his pleas and offers of a deal through his gaze.
Abigail saw it, but had no intention of letting him off the hook. With her Wand pointed at Adler's head, she said softly, "Legilimency!"
...
Half an hour later, the witch, wearing a baseball cap, walked out of the car with her head down. She tucked the crystal vial containing silver memories into her backpack, glanced around, and then pulled the car door shut with her backhand.
By then, the black smoke in the distance had thinned considerably. People were gathered in a small pub a few hundred meters away, drinking and excitedly discussing the unfortunate Adler family.
There was no one else around.
The wand hidden in her sleeve swayed gently. The car parked by the roadside seemed to start, slowly gliding forward. It picked up speed down the slope, eventually crashing through the guardrail and soaring into the open sky.
*BOOM!*
A violent explosion echoed from the bottom of the steep slope.
Abigail watched the flash of fire, her mind replaying the scenes from the Streaming Mirror video.
The truths she had always ignored were now abruptly and vividly exposed, revealing in full how cruel, brutal, and cold-blooded The Organization she served and the colleagues she trusted truly were. They had no ideals or principles, only endless greed and plunder; they weren't even truly human.
These parasites enjoyed lavish lives, yet still craved immense power and eternal life, treating all wizards and Muggles, except themselves, as expendable resources, without an ounce of pity or a shred of guilt.
After sifting through Adler's mind, Abigail was even more certain of this.
She had joined such an organization to avenge her parents, but The Organization's actions were thousands of times more evil than those two reckless wizards from before.
Abigail slowly exhaled, then turned and walked into the dense woods nearby.
...
Wade held a teacup, sitting in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, feeling so comfortable he wanted to lie down and sleep.
This kind of comforting environment felt unremarkable when he had it, but he only realized how precious it was after losing it.
However, it wasn't time to sleep yet.
Dumbledore had brought him back just now, then rushed off again, saying he had to pick up others. He probably wouldn't be gone for long.
Wade drank a cup of hot Coco, then casually walked around the room.
The sleeping portraits and rotating silver instruments were as they always were. A large space had suddenly appeared against the wall, revealing a miniature world rich in landscapes, as if the essence of nature had been condensed into a small area.
Three to four-foot-tall mountains stood against the wall, with a winding river flowing through them. Tiny pebbles even lined the riverbed, and rice-grain-sized wildflowers dotted the grassland along the riverbanks.
On the side against the mountain was a miniature forest, where several of Dumbledore's animal Magic Golems were scattered in their favorite spots, and there were even more of them, like fingernail-sized wild rabbits and pea-sized squirrels.
At the foot of the mountain was a house, where a small family of five Humanoid Golems lived. Some were fetching water, some were feeding chickens, some were sleeping on haystacks, and two were lying on the attic floor, seemingly playing Gobstones.
After a while, the "mother," having finished feeding the chickens, used her feeding scoop to rouse her sleeping son, and then called down the two children playing upstairs. The family, carrying baskets, walked out together, seemingly to pick mulberries.
That primitive life, though simple, carried a sense of carefree innocence. Watching it, one's heart couldn't help but calm down.
Wade watched for a long time. As they began their return journey, he was about to pour himself a glass of water when he turned and realized Dumbledore had already returned.
He looked no different than before, smiling kindly and motioning for Wade to sit opposite him.
"Professor," Wade said as he sat down, "your miniature world is getting richer."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Sometimes when I feel troubled, watching them calms me down... Although I've probably said it many times, I must praise it again—it's a truly remarkable invention, Wade."
Wade smiled. "Thank you, Professor."
"Tell me about your experiences lately," Dumbledore said. "I imagine you have much to confide in."
...
The candlelight in the Headmaster's Office gradually dimmed from bright until it completely extinguished.
Outside the window, it was already bright daylight. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, spilling onto the floor and outlining the blurred edges of the windowpanes.
Wade could even hear the noisy students on campus. In the distance, several figures soared and chased each other on the Quidditch Pitch—Quidditch players in training.
He suddenly remembered that in about a month, it would be the Ravenclaw versus Slytherin match. Perhaps one of those teams was training now.
"Grindelwald's attitude confuses me a bit, Professor," Wade said. "I mean... I can probably understand his intended purpose, but I don't understand..."
"Why you?" Dumbledore asked, intertwining his thumbs.
"Yes... There are many excellent young wizards in the Alliance, Durmstrang, or other countries."
Wade continued, "I won't underestimate myself, but I am your student, after all. I think... I later thought that Grindelwald's main reason for trying to win me over might be... to target you."
Dumbledore smiled.
"You underestimate your own worth, Wade. If I were Grindelwald, I would also place great hope in you—of course, I'm not saying you can trust him unreservedly."
A flicker of coldness and complexity passed through Dumbledore's eyes. His gaze, through his half-moon spectacles, fixed on the patch of light spilling onto the desk.
"As I told you before... Gellert Grindelwald is a very dangerous man. He can easily ignite people's hearts with words, turn his ideals into others' ideals, and even lead them to follow him to their deaths."
"His most dangerous quality is making people believe his goals are noble, his methods just, and his actions for the progress of all humanity... But in reality, he will stop at nothing to achieve his own ends, at the expense of others."
"I believe you won't be misled by him, Wade. Because not only do you have a clear mind, but you also have loving parents and friends. Even for their sake, you wouldn't walk a dark, destructive path like Grindelwald."
"But sometimes, what we do isn't decided by us; we are always pushed by external forces. So I still need to remind you..."
"Always be vigilant, Wade, vigilant against the allure of power and the poison of ideology. Frequently examine your own heart... Remember, choices reveal a person's essence more than abilities."
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