"...So, did you make it float?"
Grindelwald looked at William, who was identifying the direction, with a puzzled expression and asked subconsciously.
"If you realize you have no talent, just shut up."
William snapped back, his wand tip gently swirling, and the blue and gold light dots, like shooting stars, penetrated the foreheads of the other three.
"Hey—"
Grindelwald instinctively wanted to tilt his head but still got hit on the forehead by the light dot.
"Don't rush."
Before the other could speak, when the blue and gold light dot entered his skin, Lupin felt a wave-like ripple appear before his eyes. In the previously empty air, a blue-gold light band suddenly appeared, like a swarm of fireflies disturbed at night.
"Merlin's black stockings..." Lupin stepped back to make way, lest those light dots 'drill' into his belly, "What is this?"
"A trace of ancient magic."
William grasped the scarab in his hand, and a mottled blue-gold light band immediately wrapped around the back of his hand, "As for how ancient it is, don't ask yet."
Dumbledore leaned over, his half-moon shaped lenses reflecting the flow of light, "Is this what you call ancient magic?"
In the second half of the last semester, William and Dumbledore had many exchanges, including the reason William had to stay in Hogwarts Castle—the existence of the secret vault was indeed a secret, but William chose not to hide it from Dumbledore because he could fully trust Dumbledore as a good person—
It's just, a bit too 'good'...
Because the events a hundred years ago regarding William were too... exaggerated (terrifying), he could clearly feel that Dumbledore didn't quite trust him.
However, William didn't mind it much, though he was nominally the older senior to the other, so far he had only been in contact with the magical world for less than five years, and even adding his previous life, he was only a bit over thirty in age, in terms of knowledge and experience, he couldn't compare at all to someone like Dumbledore, who had truly lived for a hundred years.
"Yes, but it has nothing to do with the secret vault—"
William re-held the scarab stone sculpture, his palm slightly exerting force, the dark golden powder falling away with it, slipping through William's fingers, "Buzz—" as a blue light shone, William released his tightly clenched palm, revealing an irregularly shaped black crystal stone in his palm.
And the blue-gold light band did not disappear along with the scarab turning into dust, still quietly floating above the stone, drifting towards the southeast.
"Interesting..."
"—Seik Stone?"
"You recognize this thing?"
William instinctively looked up at Grindelwald, who had just spoken suddenly—the black crystal stone in his palm had a faint golden glow at its center, and the overwhelmingly ancient magical aura on it made it a little difficult for him to breathe.
"Of course, Seik Stone..."
Grindelwald's voice paused slightly, his gaze circling between William and Dumbledore.
"Speak up?"
William furrowed his brow in confusion.
"You should understand that acquiring magical knowledge requires some cost—"
Grindelwald's tone rose slightly, and William understood his meaning immediately—
"..."
"I want to know, the secret vault you just talked about..."
"Never mind if you won't say it."
William flipped his wrist and put away the black crystal stone named Seik.
"Cough, cough, young people shouldn't be too impulsive..."
"Ge... Percy?"
Dumbledore interrupted Grindelwald's attempt to continue digging into the word 'secret vault'. Under the old man's deep blue gaze, Grindelwald sighed helplessly, "Alright, Albus..." saying this, he gestured for William to take out the stone again.
William nodded, took the stone out again, Grindelwald took it into his hand, and as he looked at the black crystal stone with a faint golden glow in his hand, a hint of reminiscence appeared in the old man's eyes—
"The Seik Crystal, rumored to be crystallized from the tears of the Ancient Egyptian Sun God Ra, I can see that the energy contained within is almost comparable to the legendary Philosopher's Stone, except..."
"Except?"
Grindelwald shook his head without answering, exerting a slight force with his palm, and the next moment, a faint red-black smoke rose from the Seik Stone, "Uh, still not doable..." The expression on the old man's face froze slightly, reluctantly handing the stone back to William.
Taking back the Seik Stone, William frowned slightly but said nothing, just silently handed the stone to the Kabuda, whose head was popping out from his pocket.
"Chirp chirp—"
The Kabuda caught the gem with joy, eagerly stuffing the glowing gem into the pouch on its belly.
After all, if any shiny gem would be stolen eventually, William simply handed it over to Kabuda.
It was quite a good mobile storage box.
And just as Kabuda put the stone into its pocket, the four people in the room seemed to feel something simultaneously and almost synchronously turned their heads to look at the twisted iron door not far away, and in the next moment, under their watchful gaze, the distorted door was knocked open from the outside—
"...Dumbledore, sir."
The Auror who entered the room swept it with his wand, and upon finding no threat, put it away. Behind him, a line of black-robed Aurors filed in, and the leading Auror quickly walked up to Dumbledore.
"..."
Dumbledore did not respond immediately, he turned to look behind him, William and Lupin's figures had vanished at some point, leaving only Grindelwald, who had done some disguising to his face. After a glance shared between them, Dumbledore turned back—
"Those Muggles—"
The old man led the Head of the Austrian Ministry of Magic's Auror Office over to the glass, looking out. The people he brought were not few, and those Muggles, placed in the audience, were now being levitated by Aurors out of the cave.
"Rest assured, sir, once we cast the Forgetfulness Spell, they will forget everything about the Wizards—"
The Auror Office Head sighed, a bit helplessly, "But since there is such an organization existing that violates the Statute of Secrecy, there must be many Muggles around who know about the magical realm... who knows if these bastards put any protective measures in place."
Saying this, he turned to look around, but found no other survivors besides those Muggles.
What on earth happened here?
The crack at the center of the stage had been blasted into a depression by William with a Collapse Curse before leaving, Norbert, who was unconscious, had also been taken away, leaving only a heap of ashes ravaged by Fiendfyre in the cave, nothing more.
"Maybe there are—"
But caution is needed nonetheless... Dumbledore had not finished his sentence when he turned his head, and immediately, a somewhat weary-looking owl fluttered tiredly and flew in from the entrance of the cavern.
Upon seeing Dumbledore, the owl perked up, flapping its wings once more as it quickly approached.
Taking the letter from the owl, Dumbledore reached out, opened the envelope, and looked at the letter from the Minister of Magic of the United Kingdom, Fudge—his brows couldn't help but furrow.
"What is it?"
Seeing Dumbledore's heavy expression, Grindelwald approached curiously.
"Sirius Black has escaped from prison—"
"...Oh."
"..."
"Uh, who is Sirius Black?"