"Umm.. Could it be… he didn't know we were looking for it, but he did know you two craved power, and so… he decided to give it to you?" Anne offered, a little guiltily.
"Yeah, that's possible too," Wade nodded. "If that's the case, then it's a shame. Looks like that thing just wasn't meant for us."
"What? Wait…" Anne looked a bit stunned. "You're just… giving up?"
"What else can we do? Storm Nurmengard, kill Grindelwald, and steal it back?" Tom scoffed from the side. "I would love to do that… but do you really think we're capable of that? Do we deserve to?"
"Uh…"
"What Tom said isn't wrong. Since he's taken that kind of power, we've lost our chance," Wade said.
Anne quickly added, "Then… maybe we could actually—"
Wade cut her off. "What, go to Nurmengard and try to join him? What if he doesn't accept us and just kills us on the spot? Even if he does take us in, what if he never shares that power with us again? Wouldn't that trip be for nothing?"
Seeing Anne's shifting expressions, Tom laughed in his mind, while Wade still continued, "Forget it… Right now, we've got peaceful lives, and we can grow stronger little by little. Why take a risk going to Nurmengard? So we missed our chance—so what? Life's full of regrets."
Anne was completely speechless.
According to Grindelwald's orders, she was supposed to use that kind of magical power to lure these two boys, hungry for strength, into gradually joining Grindelwald's cause…
But she hadn't even gotten the chance to begin her pitch before Wade and Tom shut her down in perfect sync.
And after that, Anne didn't get another opportunity to persuade them… she couldn't exactly come out and admit everything.
What if they turned her over to Dumbledore the moment her identity was exposed?
Anne had no desire to be thrown into Azkaban…
…
Hogwarts Castle.
In Dumbledore's office, a guest had arrived.
"My name is Achilles Tolliver, an Auror from the Magical Congress of the United States."
The man spoke while staring warily at the strange-looking drink in front of him.
"Mr. Tolliver, welcome," Dumbledore said with a smile. "This drink is made from a recipe one of my students gave me. He calls it 'milk tea'… I must say, the taste is quite delightful. You should give it a try."
"Er… thank you…"
Mr. Tolliver politely took a sip—and immediately felt like his mouth had been punched by an overwhelming wave of sugar.
Even for a sweet-toothed American like him, it was almost too much…
"Cough, cough…" He quickly set the drink back down on the table and said, "I'm here on serious business."
Dumbledore also set his drink aside, his expression turning serious.
"Is it… has he made a move again?"
After all, for an Auror to travel all the way from America to Britain, it was unlikely to be for anything trivial.
And right now, if there was anything troubling enough to concern an entire country's Ministry of Magic, there was no one else it could be—except that man.
"We believe that's exactly what's happening…" Mr. Tolliver took a deep breath. "Starting just before Christmas, we've had a surge of disappearances…"
"Disappearances? Who's gone missing?" Dumbledore asked.
"The missing include high-ranking officials of MACUSA, ordinary Aurors, and even administrative staff… but without exception, all of them were people from within the Congress."
"President Picquery is certain—this is Grindelwald's doing! Right now… every member of MACUSA is holed up inside the building, afraid to go home… terrified they'll be the next to disappear!"
Mr. Tolliver paused, then continued, "At the moment, I'm the only one from the entire Magical Congress who's still outside. So, President Picquery has sent me to find you. She hopes you'll come to America… If it really is that man…"
He looked at Dumbledore with pleading eyes. "We hope you can help us. Everyone knows—you're the only one he still fears."
Mr. Tolliver bowed his head in earnest appeal, not noticing the slight tremble in Dumbledore's lips.
After a long silence, Dumbledore finally let out a deep sigh. "Very well, I'll go. But… I need to make proper arrangements for my responsibilities here first."
"Of course, Professor Dumbledore! But please—hurry. According to the latest reports, even someone hiding inside MACUSA has now gone missing!" Mr. Tolliver said anxiously.
Dumbledore frowned. "Which means… there are still his people hidden within MACUSA."
"That seems to be the case! You know, after what happened with Director Graves back then…"
Dumbledore gave a slight nod.
Back then, Grindelwald had killed Graves and assumed his identity, boldly infiltrating MACUSA right under their noses…
And this time, it was highly likely he was using the same tactic again.
But what was his goal in doing so?
Dumbledore furrowed his brows tightly, deep in thought.
"Professor, I need to return to the Congress now. Please come as soon as possible."
Dumbledore quickly said, "For your own safety, you'd better stay in Britain. The British Ministry of Magic will arrange temporary lodging for you."
"No, thank you. President Picquery is still waiting for my report… Right now, MACUSA is in lockdown, and even owl correspondence can no longer be trusted."
...
Evening.
The Hogwarts Great Hall was bright as day.
Headmaster Dippet stood at the front podium, beginning his speech before the evening feast.
"I've never been one to talk much before dinner, but… tonight, allow me a few extra words. Yes… some of you may have noticed that Professor Dumbledore is not present at the staff table. That's correct—he has been called away on official business to America for a short time. During his absence, your Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons will temporarily be taught by Professor Hicks."
Headmaster Dippet turned to look at Hicks. "Thank you for stepping in, Professor Hicks."
"No trouble at all, Armando. Albus explained everything to me before he left," Professor Hicks replied with a smile.
Below the platform, the students began buzzing with whispers about Dumbledore's absence.
These murmurs grew louder the moment Headmaster Dippet announced the start of the feast.
Tom and Wade exchanged a glance.
Using a Whispering Charm, Tom said, "Looks like your plan's working. Grindelwald's managed to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts—"
"And when you use the Whispering Charm, could you not look directly at me? It's way too suspicious!"
Wade had no choice but to turn his head and pretend to focus all his attention on the lamb ribs in front of him. "America, huh… Looks like Grindelwald still holds a grudge against MACUSA. After all, I heard President Picquery of the American Magical Congress once had him locked up for six whole months."
"Seriously?" Tom asked in surprise.
To him, someone as powerful as Grindelwald shouldn't have been captured so easily.
"Of course."
"Then why was he only locked up for six months? If they'd just kept him imprisoned, we wouldn't be dealing with all this trouble now," Tom asked, puzzled.
"Only six months? Of course not! While he was in prison, Grindelwald turned the Auror guarding him to his side. Then, during the transfer to Europe for trial, he escaped."
"He's got quite the patience," Tom commented. "If it were me with that kind of power… heh… I'd have already left a trail of corpses. No way I'd wait this long to take revenge."
"He's playing the long game. Unlike you, he's got bigger plans. Not long after escaping, he even ran for President of the International Confederation of Wizards. If he'd gone for revenge right away, what would've been the point of the election? Besides… there wouldn't have been a trail of bodies. He only kills when it's absolutely necessary."
"Why do you always say I lack vision?"
"Then why don't you ask yourself why your vision is always so narrow?"
"You bastard—"
…
Dumbledore's departure didn't seem to have much impact on Hogwarts' day-to-day teaching.
Even Professor Hicks, who was temporarily juggling two subjects, still managed to hold it together.
Before long, news of the events in MACUSA reached Britain.
The Daily Prophet finally received word and published a report on it.
A string of disappearances…
And even after Dumbledore's arrival, the situation hadn't calmed down.
Instead, the disappearances spread from MACUSA staff to ordinary witches and wizards…
Just from reading the articles in The Daily Prophet, Wade could already imagine how overwhelmed Dumbledore must be right now.
And it wasn't just Dumbledore. MACUSA had also sent requests for aid to Ministries of Magic in other countries.
For a time, Aurors from various countries, along with several powerful wizards driven by a sense of justice, began gathering in America…
_______
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