Unlike the bustle at MACUSA, Hogwarts remained as calm as ever.
"This is the calm before the storm! Are you really ready for what's coming?"
In History of Magic class, Tom gritted his teeth as he begrudgingly helped Wade copy notes, muttering the question under his breath.
"Relax. He won't make a move so soon."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Haven't you noticed Anne's movements lately?"
"She has been acting pretty secretive. Don't tell me… Grindelwald hasn't confirmed the exact location yet and plans to use her to scout it out?"
"Tom! You're getting smarter again! That's right! If Grindelwald had already confirmed the location, why would Anne still be snooping around?"
"But what if… Anne never finds the place? Then wouldn't your plan be stuck indefinitely?"
"Don't worry. Anne's a very capable girl. She'll find it soon enough."
"Well, I've got no clue about any of it," Tom said, frowning.
No leads at all—only that it was underground…
With so many secret passages in Hogwarts, Tom put himself in her shoes and honestly had no idea where to even start.
"If it were you… how would you search?"
Wade grinned. "I just praised you for getting smarter, and here you go proving it was premature."
"Can you not mock me for once? Just tell me! Or I'll purposely copy a few things down wrong in your notes!"
"…Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll be generous and enlighten you," Wade said, tapping the tip of his quill toward Professor Binns, who was slowly reading from the textbook up at the podium.
Professor Binns was a ghost—and the only professor at Hogwarts who didn't require a salary…
"You mean start with the ghosts?" Tom said, suddenly understanding.
If anyone knew Hogwarts best, it wasn't Headmaster Dippet or even Dumbledore—it was the ghosts who had been drifting around the castle for ages!
Ghosts didn't need to walk through Hogwarts; in fact, they didn't even have to follow any paths at all.
Because not only could they fly—they could also pass through walls!
And on top of that, the ghosts had been at Hogwarts for such a long time. Was there any secret in the castle they didn't know?
In other words, as long as Anne thought of this and went to ask a few ghosts for information, she would definitely be able to find the exact location.
"So, the day Anne finds the exact location… is the day the Alliance launches their attack," Tom said slowly.
"Well… not necessarily. What if Grindelwald and Dumbledore are over in America playing hide and seek and getting a bit too into it? You know, they were once each other's true love," Wade said with a mischievous grin.
"True love?" Tom's eyes widened. "You mean… they… they were… uh… that's disgusting!"
"It's fine, really. This is England, after all," Wade said with a smile.
Hearing that, Tom silently scooted half a step away.
"Tom, did you just seriously move half a step away from me? If anyone should be wary, I should be wary of you! You're the one who keeps following me wherever I go!!"
…
Meanwhile, the disappearances in America continued—many of the Aurors sent from other countries to assist had also gone missing.
But Wade didn't believe any of the missing were actually in danger of losing their lives.
Because even if Grindelwald was waging a wizarding war, he wouldn't go so far as to recklessly murder that many wizards.
He would only kill innocent Muggles.
So those missing wizards… either had been captured and hidden away, or—were members of the Alliance movement to begin with!
Time quickly passed, and soon it was mid-March.
The disappearances began to decrease, and Dumbledore finally located Grindelwald, who had been hiding in the shadows. It was said the two had nearly clashed in a fierce duel…
Unfortunately, their magic was so powerful that once they met, the wizarding journalists trying to follow them couldn't even keep up.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, Tom—who had been secretly observing Anne for a long time—finally noticed that she had begun speaking with the school ghosts.
That meant she was close to discovering the location Wade had so carefully prepared for them.
Tom immediately went to find Wade, who was brewing potions in the Room of Requirement, and told him the news.
"Not bad. She's finally getting there. And the timing's just right," Wade said, handing over a newspaper that reported Dumbledore and Grindelwald's near-duel.
"Why do you say that?" Tom asked.
"Dumbledore and Grindelwald apparently met and nearly fought several times. That means Dumbledore is now convinced Grindelwald is in America."
"Dumbledore thinks Grindelwald is in America? You mean… Grindelwald isn't actually there at all? This was all a setup to mislead Dumbledore into believing he was?" Tom asked.
"If Grindelwald were really there, it wouldn't have been almost a battle—it would've been a full-on duel. Once Dumbledore took the bait, of course he couldn't just let Grindelwald wreak havoc unchecked in America, so he's now tied down there. In other words, from today on, the real Grindelwald could make his move at any moment. Get ready, my friend."
Tom thought for a moment, then asked, "But what if Dumbledore gets word and rushes back immediately? You know how fast wizards can travel."
"When the time comes, they'll naturally stir up trouble to slow Dumbledore down… And even if he doesn't get held up, even if he drops everything in America and rushes back to Hogwarts—Grindelwald still wouldn't lose out. You don't really think all the chaos over there was just to distract Dumbledore, do you?"
"You're saying… if Dumbledore really does leave, then the operation in America becomes real?"
"There was never any fake operation, Tom… So many people have gone missing—do you have any idea how many positions in MACUSA are now vacant?"
Wade said slowly. "When people disappear, their jobs don't stay empty. Of course new people have to be brought in. And how can you be sure those new hires aren't the followers of Grindelwald? If Grindelwald then deliberately lets a few of the 'missing' ones return… how would you know they haven't been turned as well?"
"With enough of his followers in high places, there's a lot they can do. Whether Dumbledore returns or not, MACUSA will already be deeply infiltrated by Grindelwald's followers."
Tom asked in shock, "So you're saying… Grindelwald plans to seize power over MACUSA and, at the same time, use that to lure Dumbledore away? And no matter what Dumbledore does, he won't be able to change that outcome?"
"At least from Grindelwald's point of view, yes," Wade replied with a smile. "He wants MACUSA's power, and he wants the magical force here as well! Tom… take notes—true powerhouses never make choices. Because they choose to have it all!"
...
"Powerful people never choose… they take everything…" Tom murmured thoughtfully after hearing Wade's analysis.
Suddenly, the door to the Room of Requirement opened.
Anne walked in.
She glanced at the two people inside, about to say something—then her gaze landed on Tom the cat, who was brewing a potion for himself...
"Meow~ Meow~ MeowMeow~~"
Anne blinked, then rubbed her eyes.
She frowned, gave her head a shake, then backed out and closed the door again.
A moment later, the door opened once more…
"Meow~ Meow~ MeowMeow~~"
Anne looked again at Tom the cat stirring the cauldron.
Then she stepped back out again…
After this repeated three times, Tom finally asked, "Are you performing some sort of strange ritual?"
"No… I don't even know anymore… I think I'm hallucinating. I just saw a cat brewing potion…" Anne looked once more at Tom the cat, who was fully focused on stirring the cauldron. "Right, I must be ill. This hallucination is still here…"
"That's not a hallucination, Anne…" Wade said helplessly.
In fact, if Anne hadn't spent nearly all her free time over the past three months searching for the exact location of the magical force, she would've noticed Tom the cat's strange transformation long ago.
She wouldn't have had to wait until today to see Tom brewing potion.
Still, the fact that she came to the Room of Requirement today was proof enough—she had already found it.
Otherwise, her expression wouldn't be this relaxed.
After a moment, Anne finally accepted that what she was seeing wasn't an illusion, but reality.
And then she just stood there, watching Tom the cat work—completely forgetting why she'd even come in the first place.
After pouring the finished potion into a bottle, Tom the cat stood upright on two legs and trotted over to Wade with the bottle in his paws.
"Kymmeooow~!"
_______
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