[Bonus for 200 Powerstones!♥]
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Wade's heart sank.
It seemed that there was no way to escape today.
The fact that the other person was able to sneak up behind him without him noticing was enough to prove that their strength was far beyond his own.
So, no matter what the other person intended to do, he had no room for resistance.
Indeed, as Grindelwald spoke to Wade, Vinda had already started untangling the ropes that had just been tied around the Pureblood Party members without any hesitation.
"Who are you..." Wade asked, even though he already had a guess.
Anyone who could quietly come up behind him, and looked so distinctive, could only be the current Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, right?
"You must know Dumbledore, right? I'm Dumbledore's friend, Gellert Grindelwald," Grindelwald said with a smile.
Wade glanced at Vinda, who was treating the Pureblood Party members. "Clearly, these people are yours... As far as I know, Dumbledore's friends wouldn't send people to attack us."
"Well... we should say we were once friends. It's just that due to some minor differences, we eventually parted ways," Grindelwald said without the slightest embarrassment for being exposed.
"Why did you attack us?" Wade asked straightforwardly. "And what happened to Professor Hicks?"
"If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that none of our people have used lethal curses tonight... The Professor Hicks you mentioned, if she hasn't escaped, is certainly safe and sound," Grindelwald said, removing his hand from Wade's shoulder and slowly walking to stand in front of him.
"As for why we attacked you..." Grindelwald looked at Wade with a peculiar gaze. "Actually, I'm just curious as to why Dumbledore values you so much, so I wanted to have a good conversation with you."
"Isn't there a possibility... that if you only wanted to talk, you could have just knocked on the door instead of blasting a big hole in our house?" Wade said helplessly.
Grindelwald looked up at the sky and shrugged. "You make a valid point, but... I'm used to it. In recent years, our interactions with Dumbledore's people have always been like this..."
At this moment, most of the Pureblood Party members had already been revived.
Their injuries might have been serious for Muggles, but for wizards, a simple healing charm could fix them right up.
Now, some people inside the house had woken up Tom and Toby, and were bringing them out.
Toby's eyes were filled with despair, as he hadn't been able to save his master! He had let his master fall into this trap!
Tom, on the other hand, coldly observed the people around him, no one knowing what was going through his mind.
Vinda walked over. "The other child is still here. However, Hicks has escaped... We need to move quickly."
Grindelwald's gaze directly bypassed Toby and fixed on Tom.
Tom, undaunted, raised his head to meet his gaze.
A faint smile began to form on Grindelwald's face.
Normally, if it were any other eleven-year-old wizard in this situation, it would already be impressive enough if they didn't burst into tears right away from fear.
But now, these two children—one had taken down all of his subordinates, and the other, when faced with his intense stare, didn't panic at all. Instead, he remained calm.
Grindelwald wasn't sure of Tom's abilities, but he had just witnessed Wade's talents firsthand.
Like attracts like—since the two of them had been together, it was clear that Tom's abilities, even if not on Wade's level, wouldn't be much weaker.
It could only be said that these two children truly possessed extraordinary temperament and talent, no wonder Dumbledore paid so much attention to them.
Wade and Tom exchanged a glance, then Wade said, "Alright... since you've gotten what you wanted and seen us, what do you plan to discuss? And after the discussion, how do you plan to dispose of us?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Dumbledore's favorite student, right?" Grindelwald looked at Wade and asked in a slow, probing tone.
Wade frowned. If he remembered correctly, the last person who was asked such a question was Newt, and the next second, he was sentenced to death...
"In fact, we haven't officially enrolled yet... we haven't even figured out what subject Professor Dumbledore teaches. So, the student Dumbledore likes most must be someone else," Wade calmly denied Grindelwald's statement.
Dumbledore's favorite student?
No, that's not me...
Especially not in front of you!
Grindelwald silently watched Wade and suddenly broke into a smile. "In that case, how about you come with me? If you come with me, I can show you sights that you would never have the chance to see at Hogwarts... and you can easily gain the power you've always dreamed of."
"If you desire power, I suggest you don't miss this opportunity... Since you know Dumbledore, you should be aware that there is a great deal of magical knowledge he will never let you access."
Without a doubt, Grindelwald saw through Wade and Tom's inner desires... their longing for power.
Why was Grindelwald able to attract so many people to serve him?
Because, at least on the surface, he was the kind of person who was eager to help you fulfill your desires, and he indeed had the power to make those desires come true!
This created an illusion, making people believe that he was sent by the heavens, a savior tailor-made for them.
When people encounter such a savior, one who is willing to help them out of their predicament and fulfill their desires... It's only natural that they would be drawn to him!
In this way, how could his followers possibly be few?
And now, Tom was already very tempted.
For him, staying with Dumbledore meant he had to act humble and submissive.
But following Grindelwald would allow him to fully express himself, not having to suppress his true nature, and he could also learn magic that he couldn't before!
At this point, Tom no longer had the same prideful arrogance of not wanting to be below others.
It didn't matter, anyway, he would still be beneath someone... under Wade...
However, just as he was about to agree, Wade firmly shook his head, causing Tom to swallow the words he was about to say.
Having spent so much time with Wade, he knew that Wade was someone who would never let himself be at a disadvantage.
If following Grindelwald brought benefits, Wade would definitely not refuse!
So, even though Tom didn't understand why Wade rejected Grindelwald, he decided to trust Wade's judgment logically.
Wade, of course, would never join the Pureblood Party.
After all, according to the course of history, Grindelwald was defeated in 1945, and now it was already 1938.
Knowing that defeat was inevitable, joining the Pureblood Party now was no different than joining Hitler's army.
Since he already knew who the eventual victor would be, why not follow the winner?
Moreover, even without the system's assistance, he could still grow stronger!
There was no need to put his life on the line and risk everything by aligning himself with Grindelwald!
Grindelwald and his followers right now, frankly speaking, were nothing more than a group of terrorists... Unless he could truly realize his ideology and successfully clear his name, but in Wade's view, his ideology was never going to come to fruition.
"Thank you very much for your favor, but please allow me to decline," Wade said, rejecting Grindelwald's invitation.
"That's truly a shame..." Grindelwald's eyes narrowed slightly. "However, you still have to come with me. I believe after seeing the work we intend to do, you will change your mind."
"No, they're going nowhere," Dumbledore said slowly, stepping out of the shadows.
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