Hebrides.
Top floor of Dantes's Castle.
The Count's study.
Elisa, Ewoyn, and Jack Murray stood respectfully before the Count's desk, ready to report.
Ewoyn's face gleamed with satisfaction as he spoke,
"BOSS, those fools have already gathered eighteen point one billion. At this pace, they might have the full amount in another week."
The Count smiled slightly, then turned to Elisa.
"How are the cash flows of those prominent families?"
Elisa responded calmly,
"Large deposits of Galleons are flowing in daily from Europe. Smaller families are also contributing consistently to the main accounts."
The Count shook his head slowly.
"They're truly bold. If something goes wrong with bonds that no institution is backing, they'll lose everything."
Elisa covered her mouth, letting out a soft, knowing chuckle.
"Isn't that the result you were aiming for, Count?"
The Count nodded thoughtfully, then shifted his gaze to Jack Murray.
"Have all the teleportation points in the city been set up?"
"They're ready, Count," Jack confirmed. "We can enter Merlin City at any time."
"Excellent," said the Count, then added,
"But we still need to bribe the guards."
Jack tilted his head, puzzled.
"But Count, we already have a backdoor to enter Merlin City. Why bribe the current guards?"
The Count looked over to Elisa and Ewoyn.
Ewoyn shared Jack's confusion, but Elisa's eyes showed understanding.
"Elisa, explain it to them," the Count said.
"Yes, sir," she responded, then turned to her brother.
"To avoid suspicion," Elisa explained. "If Merlin City is suddenly attacked by the Fire Serpent Party without any warning, people will suspect that the Count leaked the city's magic array out of resentment."
She paused for a moment, then continued,
"But if it's discovered that many guards were bribed, the blame naturally falls on the big families and the Ministry of Magic for poor oversight."
Ewoyn clapped his hands in realization.
"I get it now! This way, BOSS remains clean."
The Count nodded.
"Exactly. By fabricating the fact that the guards were bribed, we can shift the entire responsibility for Merlin City's fall onto the Ministry and the big families."
He turned back to Jack.
"For this operation, bring in our comrades from the former Soviet Union. They've been waiting long enough."
"Yes, Count," Jack replied with a sharp nod.
Suddenly, the Count's expression darkened. He summoned the Spandim Gate and, with a flick of his sleeve, pushed the three out of the study and into the castle's first-floor hall. As the gate faded, a burst of flame erupted in the study.
An old man in purple robes appeared, a Phoenix perched majestically on his shoulder.
"Ah—" the Count raised his arms theatrically,
"Principal Dumbledore! It's been a while. Though I was hoping to see you again, breaking into my private space like this seems rather impolite."
Dumbledore's expression was stern.
"Dana! What exactly are you up to?"
The Count froze momentarily.
Dumbledore knew?
"I'm afraid I don't understand, Principal," he replied coolly. "You must be mistaken. I'm Dak de Dentis, not your little friend Dana Emrys."
Dumbledore frowned deeply.
"Enough. Stop the act, Dana. I know it's you. Why are you orchestrating this mass collection of funds from the families?"
Dana's expression shifted briefly. His features changed subtly as he shrugged.
"Professor, what else could I do? I originally intended to offer them a favorable deal for the Floating City. They'd only pay the construction cost of the magic array."
He let out a cold laugh.
"But then they stripped me of power in Merlin City. So now, naturally, I can't offer them those benefits anymore. It's just business. I set a price. They chose to accept it. I truly don't see the problem."
Dumbledore's sharp gaze bored into Dana, as though searching his soul.
"I know Vida Rosier better than anyone. She's been in seclusion for years—she would not re-emerge unless the situation were grave."
He looked around the study suspiciously,
"And there's only one person I can think of who could provoke such a response…"
Dana smirked as he remembered some amusing incident in Babu Ling's office.
"You're right, Professor," he said. "But you're also wrong."
He clapped his hands.
"Vida Rosier is with us—but her return was orchestrated by me, not by that certain gentleman."
He turned his gaze toward the inner study door.
"Am I right, that person?"
As if on cue, the door creaked open.
Gellert Grindelwald stepped out, his presence commanding. Though his forehead was now bald, his physique was strong, and he stood just as Dumbledore remembered him. Clearly, the old man had been keeping fit.
"Gellert…" Dumbledore muttered.
"Al…" Grindelwald replied, walking up beside Dana.
"I didn't expect you to walk straight into my lair," he said, amused.
Dumbledore stroked his beard.
"What are you planning now? I thought you abandoned the idea of Wizards ruling the world."
Grindelwald shook his head slowly.
"Wolves can't lead a pack of pet dogs. Dana taught me that. It was that sentence that convinced Vida… and later, even me."
He looked out the window for a moment.
"We're not trying to conquer. We're trying to take back the right to survive—from those pampered dogs who believe only they deserve to live well."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
"That's it? Just survival?"
"For now," Grindelwald replied. "As for what comes next—it depends on how Muggles react after we abolish the International Statute of Secrecy."
Dumbledore's voice was firm.
"You'll fail. If you try to control Muggles with magic, there will be bloodshed. And I will stop you."
Grindelwald smiled softly.
"Not this time. This time, we will succeed."
He pointed at Dana.
"Because I saw this kid's future."
Dana blinked, stunned.
He saw my future?
Grindelwald continued,
"It's because of him that Wizards will one day stand openly in the Muggle world. Like the United States and the Soviet Union—when both sides have weapons powerful enough to destroy each other, it breeds balance. That balance brings peace."
Dumbledore's gaze darted to Dana, alarmed.
Weapons of destruction? Did Dana invent something catastrophic in the future?
If Grindelwald had seen the future… and he wasn't one to lie—not to Dumbledore, at least—then perhaps it was true.
Could Wizards and Muggles actually coexist?
His face softened.
Grindelwald immediately caught the change in his expression and beamed.
"You're still the same, Al."
"Hahaha," Dumbledore chuckled, though somewhat bitterly.
"And you're still the same old trickster. I imagine you're still doing your weird stretches every morning?"
"Better that than stuffing myself with sweets all day," Grindelwald shot back with a grin. "I bet you've grown quite round under those robes."
Dana cleared his throat, interrupting them.
"Right, well… you two clearly have decades to catch up on. I'll leave the castle to you for the night. I won't be back."
He pointed to Grindelwald.
"Old man, tell the kitchen what you want to eat."
Grindelwald waved him off playfully.
"Brat, get lost!"
Dana laughed and vanished, leaving the two old wizards alone in the dim, flickering study.
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