Ridiculous...
To think that one of the most wanted fugitives in the Magic Realm is sitting beside him, asking whether he should report to the authorities... Dumbledore suddenly felt an absurd sense that the world was indeed a massive charade...
"Or perhaps, the greatest White Lord of the twentieth century is ready to take action himself?"
The surprise only lasted for a moment. The next instant, Grindelwald had an air of nonchalance, casually placing his legs on the chair in front — of course, this was due to the low attendance, leaving not many around, not to be imitated.
"... Where did you hear all this nonsense?"
Of course, Dumbledore had no intention of standing up. He stopped looking at the flashy stage and reached out to grab a handful from the cylinder in Grindelwald's hand — yes, he'd been suppressing this urge for a long time.
"The newspaper, Albus. Although Arc often brings Prophet Daily with mismatched dates, I've read the newspapers from ten years ago."
Grindelwald raised an eyebrow and simply handed the remaining half bucket of popcorn to him; Arc, whom he mentioned, was the House-Elf responsible for taking care of him in Nimangard to prevent him from starving, "Voldemort, Savior, greatest White Lord — oh, you Brits really know how to give nicknames."
"Harry is a very nice child — so, remember to keep your distance from him."
Dumbledore, as if reminded, abruptly said.
"Wow, Albus, where's your trust in me?"
Upon hearing this, Grindelwald suddenly clutched his chest, making a heartbroken expression.
"Ha."
...
As the two elderly men engaged in their constant bickering, the stage's light show neared its end, thick dark clouds above the cave gradually dissipating, and a burnt odor invaded everyone's nostrils; combining with the previous events, Tarik, standing in front of the private room's glass, felt his scalp tingling —
It's hard to tell whether it's from the electrification or a psychological effect.
Could such a large-scale Atmospheric Charm really be performed by a single wizard?
Wait a minute... this implies that the person indeed had accomplices!
Tarik almost instantly thought of this; such a terrifying Atmospheric Charm was obviously not cast by just one person. He instinctively turned to look at his subordinates, who nodded knowingly and then pressed the walkie-talkie in their palm —
Yes, wizards sometimes need to keep up with the times.
"Everyone, to the performance hall, prepare for battle —"
...
"... Performance hall, prepare for battle @$%^&_amp;_"
"..."
Looking at the walkie-talkie in his hand, which was emitting static noise, Lupin instinctively grabbed it from the man's hand.
"... Dead?"
Ten minutes ago, Lupin had just passed through the corner of the road with a box, only to bump into several poachers rushing upward upon hearing the commotion. Thanks to the disguise from Polyjuice Potion, these people didn't suspect him as an uninvited guest; instead, a few "acquaintances" even greeted Lupin —
Prepared mentally, Lupin vaguely managed to blend in.
Then he continued down through three or four more caves, the dim light and similar scenery almost making him lose his way — finally, after rounding the last corner, he saw the Magical Creatures imprisoned by these poachers —
The seemingly flimsy wooden cages were neatly stacked together, the dim kerosene lamp made it impossible to see what was inside.
But... regardless of what's inside, let's take them first.
"Crucio!"
But just as Lupin was about to take action, two figures suddenly leapt out from the shadows on one side of the room, and two pale-colored charmed beams shot directly toward Lupin's chest. Being highly alert, Lupin immediately reacted, sidestepped, and stumbled behind the nearby cage.
"Expelliarmus!"
While tumbling towards the back of the cage, Lupin didn't forget to cast several charms. However, due to urgency, the accuracy of these charms was off, and the dust from the impact on the earthen wall instantly filled the room.
"It's me, Quirrell —"
Hiding behind the cage, Lupin didn't forget to shout, while also grabbing the little flask at his waist and taking a gulp; the briny Polyjuice Potion made him grimace— Quirrell was the name of the face he was currently using.
"..."
No reply, nor any sound, the world seemed to quiet down at that moment. Lupin could even hear his own heartbeat...
"Hey? Hello?"
Unwilling to give up, Lupin shouted again but still received no response.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, a deep thunder seemed to arrive from afar, and Lupin made his move. He rolled sideways from behind the cage, a charm prepared at the tip of his Magic Wand shot out. The crimson Stunning Spell hit the wall, scattering debris —
"... Where's everyone?"
Looking at the empty room before him, a doubtful expression appeared on Lupin's face. Hesitating for a moment, he lowered his wand and slowly approached the direction where he remembered the two were — still empty, as if those two Crucio curses were his imagination... Wait.
Lupin felt like he kicked something and instinctively looked down —
A man lay there.
The man's hooded face was ashen colored and clearly showed his current state — he was dead.
How could this be...
Lupin's face was filled with confusion, and then he heard a noisy sound from nearby. Approaching, he found that the second attacker had also died, and the source of the noisy electric sound was the walkie-talkie hanging at his waist.
"Prepare for battle..."
Though still puzzled over the sudden demise of the two, Lupin instinctively turned his attention to the walkie-talkie in his hand. He roughly guessed the reason for the opposite side's call to prepare for battle — evidently, the commotion William planned seemed to work well.
Without dwelling on the cause of their death, Lupin opened the box in his hand and aimed it at the nearby cages — the constantly falling stones from above kept reminding him it was best to hurry, the place could collapse at any moment.
"Crack, crack —"
While the cages filled with animals continuously decreased, a peculiar noise made Lupin's actions involuntarily stop.
"Crack, crunch —"
It was the sound of wood breaking, and Lupin bewilderedly turned around — only to see a red-brown bizarre creature standing behind him unknowingly.