The young wizard, slightly taller than a cigarette box, stood on the vast bedsheet and contemplated why his magic had turned into something resembling a toy trick. Suddenly, he heard the faint purring of a feline.
The cat prowled around, waiting for the right moment.
Then, with a sudden lunge, it pounced forward with the force of thunder, as fast as the wind, with its fluffy fur flying everywhere. It extended its front paws, and its wide mouth seemingly emitted a silent roar.
The young wizard spun around quickly and pointed his wand, which looked like a toothpick.
"Aguamenti!" (Water-Making Spell)
"Whoosh!"
A jet of water, strong enough to be taken seriously, hit the cat squarely on the nose. The cat, startled, "Awooo" loudly and leaped twice into the air before landing on the bed. It rolled and frantically pawed at its nose.
Luckily, the small wand only released a small amount of water, which quickly cleaned up in a few strokes. The cat, now shocked and fearful, stared at the tiny human with its pupils dilated in terror.
—Damn it!
Although this human has been shrunk, he has figured out the cat's greatest weakness!
The cat glared at the human, but the young wizard showed no signs of relaxing or being afraid. Instead, he raised his "toothpick" wand again.
"Meow—"
The cat screamed, crouched, and lunged forward. Then, with a swift maneuver, it turned around in a blur and squeezed itself into the narrow gap behind a cupboard, pushing its round, plump body with its hind legs to wedge itself in.
The entire scene was reflected on the surface of a silvery liquid. Watching the cat twist and curl into its hiding spot, Grindelwald couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's go. It seems Ursula has done all she can."
The young man behind him lowered his head, as if he had embarrassed his leader..
...
After stunning a cat afraid of water, Wade didn't feel particularly proud.
He was about to try an unlocking spell to see if it could open the door when the lock suddenly turned by itself, and two strangers walked in from outside.
One was old, and the other was young.
The older man looked weak and frail, while the younger one was strong and muscular. Even in his wizard robes, his clearly defined muscles were obvious.
Wade scanned the room, then focused his gaze on the thin, almost skeletal old man.
The man's hair was nearly all white, and his blue eyes were sharp and piercing. Though he was gaunt, the frail frame still held an extraordinary handsomeness.
He gave off the impression that, even at two hundred years old, he could still strut down a runway at any time.
Wade fell silent.
—No way… He just got out of prison, and now he's able to pinpoint and kidnap someone in London?
Then Wade remembered—the prison where this man was held, Nurmengard, seemed to be one that he had built himself.
He had stayed in that prison, not because he couldn't leave, but because he didn't want to.
It wouldn't be strange at all if the people running Nurmengard were Grindelwald's followers. It even seems… quite reasonable that they might have helped to cover up the news of his escape, either willingly or unwillingly.
Wade didn't speak, but the other party didn't remain silent.
Grindelwald walked into the room and casually sat in the only chair. The other blonde man stood behind him, hands clasped.
"Please, take a seat, my little guest." Grindelwald gestured with a smile. "I hope Ursula didn't scare you."
"Sorry, I think I scared her." Wade said. "Also, where I come from, we don't have the custom of standing on beds while talking."
"Hahahaha…"
Grindelwald laughed heartily. His throat seemed to have been damaged at some point, making his laughter sound a bit hoarse.
"Sorry, that was indeed our mistake."
As he laughed, he waved his hand at the blonde wizard standing nearby.
The blonde wizard stepped forward, took out a small bottle, and with a flick of his wand, directed a few drops of potion onto Wade.
His body quickly grew back to its original size, and the blonde wizard simultaneously lifted the shrinking charm from his clothes. A few seconds later, Wade had returned to his normal form.
He couldn't help but stretch his arms, feeling the familiar strength and magical power returning, which put him at ease.
Then he pulled out his wand, only to freeze in surprise.
The wand was still the size of a toothpick, pitifully small in his hand.
"Oh, right." Grindelwald laughed again, pulling a wand out of his pocket. "This is your wand. That other one was just a toy I borrowed from a little friend."
Wade: "..."
As the vein on his forehead pulsed, he also realized that Grindelwald's casual and friendly attitude actually worked in his favor.
Or rather, when he woke up on the bed and realized he wasn't imprisoned or restrained, he knew his life was temporarily safe.
He just didn't know what the other wanted from him and how long this friendly attitude would last.
Wade silently put down the toothpick wand and took up his own wand. He casually cast a cleaning spell.
The magic flowed smoothly and naturally. The cabinet in front of him became spotless, so clean that it almost reflected light.
Now this was the kind of spell performance he was familiar with.
The toothpick wand had just been placed on the table when a fairy flew down from the chandelier. It grabbed the wand with both hands and began buzzing angrily at the group.
Although no one could understand the words, it was obvious the fairy was cursing very harshly.
After a few choice words, the fairy reluctantly grabbed its own wand and flew back up to the chandelier, scattering beautiful golden light as it went.
Wade: "..."
So that really was a fairy's wand…
Grindelwald, the terrifying dark wizard, is a bit of a dog, isn't he?
As he lowered his gaze and thought about this, Wade pointed his wand at the nearby blue flower banana and conjured a soft and comfortable chair for himself.
Once seated, Wade asked, "You 'invited' me to be your guest, and I appreciate the gesture. But I've been quite busy recently, and long trips aren't ideal for me. If you have something to say, just say it."
Grindelwald lowered his head and coughed twice, then smiled, "Do you know who I am?"
"I guessed." Wade didn't pretend to be naive or clueless but responded calmly.
"It's rare for someone your age to know me." Grindelwald leaned back in his chair and said, "Wade Grey, you're a smart kid. So, why don't you take a guess as to why I personally invited you here?"
Wade was silent for a moment before asking, "Is it for my magic doll-making technology?"
"Hmm? Is someone coveting your technology?" Grindelwald mused, reading Wade's expression and shaking his head. "I don't believe in things that can think for themselves."
"Then is it for..." Wade mentally went over his inventions and asked, "—Streaming Mirrors?"
"Exactly." Grindelwald smiled.
"I've heard that every wizarding family now has at least one Streaming Mirror, and they're on all day long, used more frequently than Muggle televisions. All the programs broadcast come from that Aslan Magic Workshop?"
"Not entirely."
Wade said cautiously, "The Aslan Magic Workshop is in talks with the Ministries of Magic in various countries. Eventually, each country will have its own time slot for broadcasting news from their country."
"And some stubborn wizards believe that the Streaming Mirrors are monitoring their lives, threatening their safety, and they refuse to accept this invention."
"That's just the opinion of a few foolish people." Grindelwald said, "When I was young, many believed that cameras would steal their souls, but no one thinks that way anymore."
"You're right," Wade casually replied.
He had already figured out Grindelwald's purpose and was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
But Grindelwald didn't give him much time to think.
"As the inventor, can you bypass the Magic Workshop and make all the Streaming Mirrors show our designated images?"
Wade looked up at him.
It is said that an organization with deep ties to Muggles covets the technology of my magical dolls. Yet, Grindelwald, a wizard who had spent nearly fifty years in prison, immediately recognized the importance of controlling public opinion in the wizarding world.
The silence lasted for a while, and Wade asked, "What if I say I can't?"
"Do you think I can't tell when a child is lying?" Grindelwald pointed to his eyes and said, "I know you can, child. I see that you can."
Wade recalled that this man had eyes that could see the future—he is a born prophet.
Did he see the future, with me involved?
Wade wasn't sure, but the dark wizard in front of him was certainly not as kind as Dumbledore. Despite his current friendly demeanor, Grindelwald could turn merciless without a second thought.
Wade slowly exhaled, saying, "I need materials."
...
After leaving the room, Grindelwald handed a parchment filled with magical ingredients to the blond wizard, saying:
"While he's working, have one of our people keep an eye on him."
"Understood... Are we learning his crafting techniques?" the blond wizard, Delaine, asked, unsure if he had understood correctly.
"Be careful," Grindelwald said. "We don't want him creating something powerful that could destroy the base and help him escape."
Although Delaine thought a child wouldn't have such capabilities, he still nodded and said, "Understood!"
"Also..."
After walking a little further, Grindelwald paused in thought and said:
"Look into this Wade Grey... Even if he's Muggle-born, I want to know who his parents are, his performance at school, his views on wizarding supremacy, his opinions on non-human magical creatures, and so on... The more details, the better."
"Yes, sir," Delaine replied.
The influence of the Alliance was no longer what it used to be at its peak, but wizards had much longer lifespans than Muggles. Fifty years had passed, and many of the old comrades were still alive, with their children active in various fields.
Furthermore, as Muggle society advanced at an increasingly rapid pace, the living space for wizards was being squeezed.
Some young wizards, feeling that pressure, had voluntarily joined the Alliance. Their ideas and methods were even more radical than some of the older wizards who had lived through wars and massacres.
The current Alliance was like deep water beneath the floating ice—it still hid tremendous power, and gathering information was no challenge.
Ahead of him, Grindelwald's eyes flashed with interest.
—He is just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, but his skill in Occlumency is exceptional. Even I couldn't invade his memories unnoticed.
When would a student at Hogwarts need to use Occlumency? Hogwarts isn't Durmstrang…
Was it Dumbledore who gave him special training?
Of course, if he used his wand and forcibly employed high-level techniques of Legilimency, it might be possible to extract those hidden memories, but doing so would cause irreversible damage to that precious mind.
Therefore, Grindelwald would rather spend more time waiting for his subordinate's investigation results.
...
The owl that had flown out circled around before returning.
Harry untied the scroll that had been tied to the owl's claw and discovered that it was the same letter he had sent out. The overwhelming sense of disappointment and worry completely engulfed him.
Michael, leaning on the windowsill, said, "I told you before, owls are useless. If they worked, Dumbledore and the others would have found him by now."
The white owl, Hedwig, who had been called "useless," angrily pecked Michael's hand and then flew out of the window.
Michael's parents were currently abroad, and to ensure their safety, they had to live in the Burrow.
The Weasley family had a lot of people, and the rooms were very cramped. To make space for the two boys, Ron had to temporarily move into his brother Percy's room.
Percy was very displeased about this, thinking that Ron would disturb his revision for the NEWTs exams. Ron, on the other hand, had a look as if he were about to walk into a fire pit.
"Spending the entire Christmas holiday with Percy was already bad enough, and now sharing a room? This is a nightmare!"
Ron made a face and imitated Percy's tone, saying, "Ronald, take your socks off my bed! Ron, don't make any noise, I'm reading a very advanced Transfiguration paper!"
Harry knew he should smile along at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. In fact, it only made him feel worse.
After Ron finished packing and went upstairs, Harry tried writing a note for Hedwig to deliver.
After the owl returned empty-handed, the two of them sat by the window. It was late, but neither of them wanted to go to bed.
Suddenly, they heard the flapping of owl wings. They both looked up with hope, and saw one owl after another fly through the window, dropping off various-sized boxes before quickly flying away.
"Ah, Christmas presents," Michael said dully. "I completely forgot today was Christmas."
The two of them stood for a while, and Harry bent down to pick up one of the boxes. It was exactly the one from the Dursleys—just a plastic bag, likely something Aunt Petunia had grabbed randomly.
Harry found that he wasn't surprised or angry at all. He simply set the plastic bag aside and picked up another box.
Then, Harry froze.
"Michael..."
He said with a trembling voice.
"What is it?" Michael asked.
"Look." Harry flipped the box over, with the side bearing the name facing Michael. "This is from Wade!"
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------