Come to think of it, robbery is something Grindelwald did quite a lot of.
"Could there be some special seasoning inside?" Ian was certainly tempted, but he didn't dare take action. He looked suspiciously at Grindelwald and then at Aurora.
The little girl lowered her head.
This made Ian even more hesitant to take a bite.
"The problem is with the tea. The fried egg is cooked to perfection," Grindelwald tore off some of the fried egg and put it in his mouth, gesturing towards the empty teacup on the table.
"You've added too much Truth Serum..."
Ian sniffed the teacup.
In front of Aurora, he started offering advice.
Grindelwald was not annoyed; instead, he laughed heartily and said to Aurora, "Ha, brew another cup of the same tea for your accomplice here and let him learn something."
Just as Ian felt puzzled, wondering what lesson there was to be learned, Aurora hesitated for a moment and finally pulled out a large barrel of Truth Serum. It was the same high-purity serum from before that even Ian doubted the black market merchant could wake up from.
"Glug glug glug~"
Under Ian's watchful eye, Aurora picked up the teacup on the table, poured a large amount of Truth Serum into it, and then tossed in a few tea leaves from who knows where.
"It's brewed."
Aurora's tone was rather regretful.
"??????"
Ian was dumbfounded.
What kind of divine tea-brewing method is this?
It's already absurd enough for people to add water to Truth Serum, and now she's brewing tea directly with it! How can you have a regretful expression that Grindelwald didn't fall for it with such a trick!?
"Are you running a fever?"
Ian touched Aurora's forehead.
"?????"
Aurora turned her head speechlessly, ignoring Ian.
"You should teach her, help her gain some common sense... What she lacks most from her childhood are these things, and now she's behaving even worse than our Professor of Muggle Studies," Grindelwald, the unwitting victim, actually enthusiastically offered his advice.
"..."
Ian felt that these folks might not be entirely normal.
"Why don't we talk about the chores to do?"
He chose to change the subject.
"Those three boxes over there, take them to the underground classroom for me," Grindelwald gestured with his mouth towards the corner but didn't continue persuading Ian and Aurora to plot against him.
"Alrighty!"
Ian used the Wingardium Leviosa Spell to control the three boxes. He was worried Grindelwald might want him to carry them by hand, but thankfully this Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't as perverse as Snape. Leading the boxes to the underground classroom that Grindelwald had refurbished, Ian found that Grindelwald and Aurora were following him out.
"What's inside?"
After putting down the boxes, Ian couldn't help but ask.
"I've mentioned they are items prepared for class, representing three possible dangers you might encounter. Trying them now wouldn't be out of the question," Grindelwald said with a smile and gestured invitingly.
"Do you want to try?"
Ian looked at Aurora.
The German girl shook her head vigorously.
"Then I won't try either."
Ian sensed there must be some sort of trick involved.
He was well aware of Grindelwald's mischievous nature.
"Alright, after the school starts, you and the other students can face them together in class." Grindelwald didn't insist, but spoke in a slightly regretful tone.
"However, you'd better be prepared mentally; this time, you might not perform well. In front of the Little Wizards, you might end up just as embarrassed as they are."
This was clearly a provocation.
Yet, it was a masterful tactic.
Ian indeed fell for it.
His curiosity was piqued.
"Pick one of three, unless a Bulbasaur leaps out of it, I won't be surprised." Ian straightaway chose the middle box.
"You do know how to make a choice,"
Grindelwald raised his eyebrow, "Now I can tell you there are truly terrifying things inside, even Headmaster Albus Dumbledore wouldn't want to face them in class."
His words had a serious air.
With a rather sober tone.
"I don't believe you've locked up my other good friend in here." Without wasting more words, Ian directly pried open the lock on the box and lifted its tightly shut lid.
At that moment.
Aurora had already distanced herself from the little wizard at some point.
And Grindelwald had also taken a few steps back.
His eyes were fixed on the dark box with an immensely serious expression, making Ian somewhat nervous. He pulled out his magic wand, ready to ignite at any moment.
"A Boggart..."
Ian's eyes narrowed.
He noticed something changing in the darkness—a Boggart can see into a person's heart and transform into what the person standing before it fears the most. The spell to deal with a Boggart is the Boggart Banishing Spell "Riddikulus," which makes the Boggart turn into whatever the caster finds most amusing.
Of course.
If there are many people gathered in front of a Boggart, its threat diminishes instantly because it doesn't know what form to take to scare everyone. The true fear for a Boggart is laughter. When laughter fills the air, the Boggart bursts into a thousand wisps of blue smoke, disappearing without a trace.
"Yes, it's indeed a Boggart."
Grindelwald's eyes never left the box Ian had opened.
From a distance, Aurora was also filled with curiosity.
Both of them seemed eager to know the fear within Ian's heart... Ian swallowed his saliva, staring directly at the figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
It was a person, with blue eyes, a tall and thin old man. He wore crescent-shaped glasses and had a face with a crooked nose and a long white beard.
"You're afraid of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore?" Aurora's voice carried some disappointment, as she probably expected Ian's fear to be something more mystical and unusual.
"It's not surprising; who wouldn't fear our headmaster? After all, those who truly understand him all fear him, just like our..." Grindelwald cast an amused glance at Ian.
However.
Before he could finish speaking.
When Albus Dumbledore fully emerged from the box, the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts abruptly stopped talking, his expression of a smirk directly freezing.
Aurora's eyes also widened.
As you could see.
On the back of Albus Dumbledore's head, there was a face, very clear and lifelike, exactly Grindelwald's old face without any disguise.
Moreover.
The mouth on that face was wide open, constantly spitting Fiery Fire outward.
"My professor! My friend! Isn't this terrifying enough?" Ian assumed a look of being frightened, quickly stumbling back a few steps towards the door.
"Damn kid!"
Grindelwald's face turned pale with anger.
Ian, already close to the door, immediately turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving Grindelwald and Aurora alone in the empty classroom.
"Get back!"
Grindelwald flicked his magic wand, and the Boggart immediately reverted to its original form, being slammed back into the box. The next moment, the box's lid dropped, and the lock snapped shut instantly.
"Looks like I still underestimated that kid!"
Grindelwald walked up to the three boxes.
"Isn't he just afraid of you and Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Aurora seemed to still trust her friend, or perhaps she was just aiding Ian's cover, but Grindelwald gave no response.
The Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts opened the other two boxes, and under Aurora's somewhat stunned gaze, raised his magic wand, completely destroying the other two Boggarts.
"Did you do this on purpose?"
After regaining her composure, Aurora frowned.
"Just incidentally."
Grindelwald turned his gaze to the door Ian had left through.
"It's a pity we didn't get to see the real answer."
With a gentle sigh.
In Grindelwald's whitened eyes.
A scene only he could see was reflected—Ian Prince standing atop a giant Bone Dragon, surrounded by Fiery Fire terrifyingly engulfing the whole sky.
Just this one scene.
No other information.
Grindelwald didn't know what he had witnessed.
But he understood.
That within this scene, seen alongside last night's "awakening" dream, must be hidden something extremely terrifying.
Because in the scene.
The little wizard, now grown a bit, seemed to be reigning supreme over the human world, yet the magic wand in his hand was slowly slipping to the ground, his face also showing signs of genuine terror.