As Hogwarts Castle in the distance fell into darkness, the Forbidden Forest suddenly became lively.
Not only did the Wucui Party, which was originally stationed inside, come out in full force, but a lot of reinforcements also appeared…
Two Hours Later—Nurmengard
Grindelwald sat in his chair, quietly observing three small spheres on his desk.
Each of these orbs was crafted from fairy metal.
According to the information sent back by Anne, their expedition that night had revealed how to extract magical power from the ruins. It turned out that this magic was encased in goblin metal, which was why previous searches had been fruitless.
Anne noted in her journal that although they had discovered the correct method, they had only found a limited amount of this magical energy, which the three of them absorbed.
Because Robert and Tom had been present, Anne had no choice but to absorb it alongside them. She later felt a noticeable increase in her strength…
However, despite learning the right method, they couldn't find any more metal spheres in other locations. They only discovered some manuscripts.
Since they couldn't locate additional magical energy, they decided to return and search again later.
As for the manuscripts, Anne secretly used a copying spell to create a duplicate while Wade and the others weren't paying attention.
During the Christmas holidays, Anne planned to bring the manuscripts back to Nurmengard.
Upon receiving this news, Grindelwald immediately mobilized the Witch Party and launched a large-scale search in the Forbidden Forest.
Using Anne's notes as a guide, they combed through the ruins once more.
Though they uncovered additional manuscripts, they found only three portions of magical power—just as Anne had reported.
This outcome left Grindelwald unsatisfied.
According to the recovered manuscripts, most of the magical energy had been collected by Professor Morgana and stored elsewhere.
All that remained were these pitiful three portions—or rather, four, one of which had already been split between Wade and the other two.
"So, if I can find the location recorded in Morgana's manuscript… I can recover the rest of the magical power!"
With this realization, Grindelwald finally felt a sense of progress.
After searching for so long, there was finally a breakthrough.
And this breakthrough was brought about by that little boy, Robert.
He was the one who figured out how to extract the magical power!
Could it be that this child would become a key figure in Grindelwald's grand vision?
The thought ignited a fire in his heart.
"No matter what, I must bring those two boys into our camp!"
Having made up his mind, Grindelwald tapped the Elder Wand lightly against one of the metal spheres on his desk.
Pop!
A bubble-like sound echoed as a dense, black-and-red magical essence emerged from within.
Grindelwald's eyes flickered with surprise.
He could sense the incredible power contained within it…
With a slight wave of his wand, the residue of energy was swiftly absorbed into his body.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled with a look of satisfaction.
"This is truly remarkable… but there's far too little of it," he muttered regretfully.
But with those manuscripts in hand, he now had leads to follow.
If he could recover the rest of the magical energy—or even find a way to create more—then there would be no force in this world capable of stopping him.
The Day Before Christmas Break—Hogwarts
Time at school passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the Christmas holidays were just a day away.
At lunchtime, Robert and Tom were eating together.
So far, everything had gone according to plan, and Robert seemed relaxed.
Tom, however, was visibly tense—he was about to meet his family for the first time.
Suddenly, Abraxas approached.
"Captain, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you and Tom. He said to meet him in his office after dinner."
Robert turned toward the staff table.
As expected, Dumbledore was not there.
He rarely ate in the Great Hall—he was always busy.
This must have been an important meeting he had set aside time for.
"Thanks, Abu," Robert replied.
After dinner, Robert and Tom made their way to Dumbledore's office.
"What do you think he wants to talk to us about?" Tom asked.
"We didn't choose to stay at school, so he probably wants to know where we're spending Christmas," Robert speculated.
"Do you think he's found a place for us to stay?"
"It's possible. But I think he mainly wants to understand why we're not staying at Hogwarts. Normally, students who remain at school over the holidays are safer and less lonely."
Tom frowned slightly and fell silent.
Soon, they arrived at Dumbledore's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
Robert rapped on the door.
"Come in," came Dumbledore's voice.
As they stepped inside, they were surprised to see another wizard sitting with Dumbledore.
It was none other than Headmaster Dippet.
"Good day, Headmaster Dippet, Professor Dumbledore," Robert greeted politely.
Tom followed suit.
"Haha, so these are our young talents of Hogwarts!" Dippet said with a laugh.
"I wouldn't go that far, Headmaster," Robert responded humbly.
"Oh, but why not? Your mutual aid society has transformed Hogwarts in just a few months! Something I have been unable to achieve for years."
"We only did what we could, sir. It was your support that allowed us to push forward. Without your help in resisting pressure from certain pure-blood families, none of this would have been possible."
"Haha, actually, it wasn't me who did that—it was Dumbledore here. He's the one who bore the brunt of their complaints."
Dumbledore smiled modestly. "Armando, you were the one who burned their letters and gave me the resolve to stand firm."
"Alright, alright, no need to flatter me," Dippet said, rising to leave. "I know you have things to discuss. I'll be on my way. Well done, boys."
After Dippet left, Dumbledore gestured for Robert and Tom to take a seat.
"Professor, why did you call us here?" Tom asked bluntly.
"Well… since you're not staying at Hogwarts, I wanted to inform you that I've arranged a place for you to stay," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Did you buy a house? How much is it? Robert can pay for it," Tom said without hesitation.
Robert shot him a glare.
Why was this kid always trying to spend his money?
Dumbledore hadn't even mentioned a price!
It was a house left to Dumbledore by an old friend, so there was no cost involved.
Robert thanked Dumbledore sincerely for making arrangements despite his busy schedule.
Dumbledore then grew serious.
"I initially thought you would remain at Hogwarts for Christmas. I was going to offer this house for the summer instead… but can you tell me why you've chosen to leave?"
Robert was about to offer an excuse about visiting Mrs. Cole when Tom unexpectedly spoke first.
"It's my fault. I want to use the holiday to visit my family, and Robert is coming with me."
Robert blinked in surprise.
He hadn't even begun to spin his story—why did Tom confess so quickly?
From what he knew of Tom, he should have kept it secret and gone quietly.
Why was he being so open about it?
Dumbledore, too, looked surprised.
"You've found clues about your family?"
"Yes… I searched for my father's surname, Riddle, but found nothing… Then Robert suggested I check my mother's name instead.
"I discovered her last name—Gaunt."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.
"Gaunt… Your mother was a member of the Gaunt family."
(End of Chapter)
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