Chapter 2: I Promised to Pull Out Your Beard and I Will Do It!
---
Nurmengard Castle, Austria
On the first floor of the castle,
on a small stool in the lower
left corner of the kitchen,
Agas was eating with a greasy face,
his calves swinging as he held up
a massive chunk of meat.
"Kaka, do you think Wenda will bring me the wand?"
Agas tore off a piece of meat fiercely.
Although Grindelwald—the old Englishman, oh, the old man—
could not always express himself well,
Agas had clearly heard the word "wand."
"Kaka… Kaka doesn't know either,"
Kaka said, standing up.
He was as tall as Agas,
stroking the tattered pillowcase he wore,
blinking his large eyes.
"Little Master Agas,
you can't… can't eat anymore.
The old master will scald you if he sees you can't finish your food!
It's all Kaka's fault, it's all Kaka's fault!"
Kaka screamed and banged his head against the stove.
"Kaka shouldn't have roasted dragon legs for the little master at this time.
It's all Kaka's fault, all Kaka's fault!"
Agas wiped his oily face with his sleeve,
licked his lips, and looked at the roasted dragon leg in his hand reluctantly.
It was really delicious.
The dragon leg had been marinated in Dazhong nectar sauce for a whole day,
then roasted for another day—absolutely heavenly.
Damn Grindelwald.
Damn the dictator.
Damn the culture of eating meals at set times.
Damn German junk food. This is so disgusting.
"Okay, but can this be my afternoon tea?"
Agas lifted the half-eaten dragon leg and licked his lips.
"Of course! Kaka will definitely satisfy you
and prepare your favorite Muggle food!"
Kaka stopped banging his head,
turned around, and snapped his fingers—
the dragon leg in Agas's hand disappeared.
Agas stared at his empty hands,
pursed his lips, and sighed deeply.
Suddenly, as if he remembered something,
he jumped down from the stool and dashed upstairs.
He ran excitedly to the study on the third floor.
"Dad! Dad! Dad! When will Wenda come back?"
Agas rushed forward and hugged Grindelwald,
who was sitting on the sofa reading the Daily Prophet.
"Agas, do you know that you are eight years old?"
Grindelwald asked, putting down the paper
and looking indifferently at the boy clinging to him.
"Yes, yes—eight years old!
In three years, I'll get my Hogwarts letter!"
Agas rubbed his face against Grindelwald's robes,
hugging him tightly.
"I'll finally be able to see my mother—"
"I'm sorry," Grindelwald interrupted,
"But you must know—Dumbledore doesn't know you exist."
He raised his eyebrows slightly and flicked his hand.
The large child frozen against his chest stiffened.
"Besides, washing your hands after eating
is something every Chinese should do, right?"
Before Agas could reply, he was lifted into the air.
A large bucket of clear water fell from above
and splashed down on him.
"Washing makes it cleaner. Rubbing won't make it clean."
"…"
Agas widened his eyes and cursed silently.
He couldn't move.
He could only try to defeat the old man with the power of sheer will.
Grindelwald observed the child in front of him—
quiet only when his mouth was shut—
and finally sighed, placing him back on the floor.
"Since I promised to give you a wand,
Wenda will bring it to you.
However, Agas, I hope you learn
to go beyond the wand—
and experience the power of wandless casting."
"Is the magic you're talking about
like the electric current flowing through my blood
and shooting out of my fingertips?"
Agas asked, rubbing his wet face.
He raised his right hand, pointed it at Grindelwald's face, and shouted,
"Cut it off!"
He could feel the energy surge through him,
gathering in his fingers.
A red light shot out from his fingertip,
hitting Grindelwald square in the beard.
Beautiful.
If I say I'll pull out your beard,
I will pull out your beard!
Agas was thrilled.
He teleported forward, grabbed the freshly cut beard,
and stuffed it quickly into a ring with a Traceless Extension Charm—
a birthday gift from Wenda.
Grindelwald had been expecting Agas to fail,
ready to use it as a teaching moment.
But now, watching his beard fall in slow motion,
he roared,
"The spell hasn't even been tested!
How dare you use it so recklessly!"
He took a deep breath.
"There's no shortage of smart geniuses in the world—
but far more of them die from their own inventions."
"Agas, promise me—
if you ever use an unknown spell again,
you must have someone with you.
I don't want to see my bloodline die
because of a foolish accident."
Grindelwald crouched, looking straight into Agas's eyes.
"In your past life, the world you knew
may have been a small microcosm.
Don't let that limit your view of the real wizarding world.
It'll only lead to disaster."
Agas nodded slowly.
Someone… someone had told him that before,
but the memory had blurred—
and somehow, the person now looked just like the man in front of him.
"Then, Dad," Agas changed the topic shyly,
"Can you give me your beard?"
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes.
"What's the price?"
"You cut off my beard, I cut off your hair."
"I don't—"
SWISH
Before Agas could finish his sentence,
his beautiful, flowing red hair slid off his head in an instant.
He touched his now-bald scalp.
It was smooth.
Slick.
Shiny.
He looked at Grindelwald—who was smiling.
Then, Agas burst into tears.
Agas—eighteen years old in his past life,
eight in this one—finally snapped.
He raised his hand, still crying,
and prepared to blast the old man in the face again.
"I must say, Agas,"
Grindelwald said,
"Your magic is very effective."
He waved a hand.
Agas was frozen in place.
"Since you've already learned magic in secret,
from tomorrow onward, you'll wake up at 8 AM sharp.
Training begins."
"And now," Grindelwald said calmly,
"I will teach you your first official spell—Stupefy."
"You xx…"
Before he fainted,
Agas could only think of a classic Chinese curse.
Who the hell decided the first spell should be a stunning spell!?
---
"Kaka…"
"Master, master!"
Kaka appeared in the study's corner, head bowed.
"When did Agas learn to cast spells without a wand?"
Grindelwald asked, gently placing the unconscious child on the recliner.
"When the little master was six…
he got frightened by Abu and used the armor spell to protect himself,"
Kaka replied, glancing nervously at Agas.
"The young master wanted to surprise you
and made Kaka promise not to tell you.
It's all Kaka's fault.
Please, don't blame the young master."
He stepped beside the recliner,
stretching out a thin arm to shield Agas from Grindelwald's gaze.
Grindelwald was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke:
"Wenda is here.
Wake the boy and take him back to his room."
"Yes, Master."
Kaka bowed,
then gently took Agas's hand.
And with a soft pop—
they vanished.
---