I'm back baby~~!
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"I don't find it funny at all," Dumbledore said calmly. "Just by looking at you now, I know exactly what I would become if I ever touched power… So, staying away from anything related to power is a very wise choice."
"Oh? Is that so? That doesn't sound like something the great saint Dumbledore would say."
"The great saint?" Dumbledore gave a bitter laugh. "No matter how others flatter me, I know very well—I've never been a good man. How could a good man ever have been friends with you? Back then, I knew exactly what kind of person you were, but… I still chose to ignore the parts I shouldn't have ignored… and became your closest friend. From the beginning, there hasn't been much difference between you and me."
The smile on Grindelwald's face slowly faded as well. "You really should have stood with me…"
"I will never stand with you again, Gellert."
"Why not? Just because everyone says I'm a bad person?" Grindelwald sneered. "Even if I am, as long as what I do brings benefit to the wizarding world, does it really matter whether I'm bad or not?"
"Is that so? Then take a look at what you've done… Even if you manage to clear your name and fool everyone else, can you fool yourself? You know better than anyone what all of this is really for."
Grindelwald fell silent, his expression darkening with anger.
It was the first time since being imprisoned in this dungeon…
"I don't need your help to protect President Picquery," Dumbledore said after a pause. "To be honest, if not for the fact that her plan is destined to fail… maybe I would've joined her."
That sentence made Grindelwald burst out laughing in anger.
"Heh… So you really want me dead, Dumbledore?"
"I've never wanted you dead. I only hope you'll abandon this unrealistic dream and properly atone for the sins you've committed…"
Dumbledore cast Grindelwald one last glance, then disappeared through the door.
"I will never give up… I'll make you see that the future we once envisioned was absolutely right! Sins? What an excuse! You're just a coward who gave up halfway!"
…
"Where is Dumbledore now?"
President Picquery sat in her chair, her expression grim.
Someone beside her immediately replied, "After leaving here, he's been staying at his lodgings. He hasn't gone anywhere."
"Is that so…" Picquery's face relaxed slightly. "We can't let him ruin our plan."
"Madam President, do you really think Dumbledore would help Grindelwald escape punishment out of old sentiment?"
"I have to be prepared for every possibility," Picquery said coldly.
"But… if Dumbledore truly decides to help Grindelwald, who among us could stop him?"
President Picquery shot a cold glance at the subordinate who dared to speak so plainly. "I have my own plans."
The subordinate fell silent.
He understood now why President Picquery was angry—Because he had touched on the crux of the issue.
How could Dumbledore possibly help Grindelwald? And if he really did want to help, no one could stop him! What good would surveillance even do?
Take right now, for example. On the surface, Dumbledore was obediently staying in his quarters.
But in reality, whether he was actually still there or not—those half-trained agents wouldn't be able to keep track of someone like him.
So all of President Picquery's measures targeting Dumbledore were just for show.
She had only one goal: to leave herself a fallback.
In case the plan had a flaw and ultimately failed, she could push Dumbledore forward as the scapegoat.
If her plan failed, Grindelwald would walk free—and that, without a doubt, would stir up a storm.
If, at that moment, even the slightest rumor emerged suggesting that Grindelwald's acquittal had something to do with Dumbledore… Then even if her fabricated evidence was exposed, she could always claim that the real evidence had been swapped.
And as for who would be capable of pulling off such a feat right under the nose of the American Magical Congress?
She wouldn't even need to say it aloud.
The prime suspect would naturally fall on Dumbledore. And just like that, Seraphina Picquery could extract herself from the whirlwind of consequences.
She might even gain praise for her foresight—for having placed Dumbledore under surveillance in advance.
That's what it meant to be a politician: always leaving a way out, even if it meant stabbing allies in the back.
President Picquery picked up a file from the desk and handed it over. "Take this and bring all the prepared witnesses from the safe house."
"Understood." The subordinate took the file and left the office.
But once he turned a corner into an empty hallway, his face twisted violently.
Moments later, he had transformed into someone else entirely.
Had President Picquery still been here, she would have recognized him immediately.
It was none other than Abernathy, the former Auror who had pledged loyalty to Grindelwald long ago…
One of Grindelwald's most trusted aides.
Unlike Vinda, he specialized in conducting infiltration missions himself.
He glanced down at the file in his hand, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face.
After he left with the document, several figures emerged silently in the corridor behind him.
They moved without a sound, quietly tailing Abernathy…
…
At Dumbledore's residence.
Wade and Tom were playing wizard's chess, bored out of their minds.
Tom's face turned grim as his king was struck down by Wade's knight.
This was the tenth game he'd lost.
"Can we stop? I'd like to study," Tom said with a bitter smile.
"Why? Chess is so fun. Why bother with studying? Studying is so boring…" Wade began resetting the board.
Tom's face turned green.
Of course Wade was enjoying himself—he was crushing him in every game!
If the roles were reversed and Wade were the one getting crushed, Tom would bet the minimum level of black magic that chessboard would face would be Fiendfyre…
"Ahem. Do you think Dumbledore can stop Grindelwald?" Tom quickly changed the subject.
"He can't. At best, he can only get President Picquery out of this mess," Wade said with a smile.
"But how?" Tom asked curiously. "No matter what, if the plan fails, President Picquery's going to be in serious trouble."
"It's simple. He just has to do nothing," Wade said with a sigh. "All he has to do is nothing, then turn his back on his ally—just in time to get stabbed."
"You mean… President Picquery's going to stab him in the back? That's impossible!" Tom was stunned.
"I already said, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests…" Wade pointed outside. "Those half-baked watchers out there can't even keep an eye on you—how could they possibly monitor Dumbledore? Do you think someone as shrewd as Picquery doesn't realize that? But she's still going through the motions anyway… which means it's all for show."
Tom looked back down at the chessboard. "These people and their schemes… it's all too complicated. I really don't like things that twisty."
Wade chuckled. "Can't be helped. Even someone as strong as Grindelwald can't brute-force his way through everything. Sometimes, you've got to play a few tricks."
"I'd rather use my brain on the chessboard," Tom said with a cold face. "So Dumbledore really plans to stay silent and let President Picquery stab him in the back?"
"That's the kind of person he is, isn't he, Tom? Just a little bit of reputation in exchange for saving one of Grindelwald's enemies…"
"I just think he's foolish. Who sees a pit right in front of them and still jumps in?" Tom scoffed.
"Well… that kind of pit-jumping is what they call sacrifice."
"I'll never understand…" Tom looked at Wade, then suddenly asked, "You really are Dumbledore's good student, huh? Don't you feel even a little like helping him?"
"Respecting his wishes and staying quietly in the room is exactly what Dumbledore wants most… Besides… are we really the only ones unwilling to let him fall into that pit?" A faint, meaningful smile appeared on Wade's face.
"Who else?" Tom asked.
"If I were the one about to fall into a pit, would you be able to stand by and watch? Sometimes, even your enemies might lend you a hand. Like I said—there are only eternal interests…" Wade replied.
Tom laughed. "If it were you falling in, I'd have no problem at all. But… too bad it's so damn hard to get someone like you to fall in. Otherwise, I'd give you a nice hard shove!"
…
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Just as Wade had said, after going out on the first day, Dumbledore stayed in the house from the second day onward.
He really didn't do anything else. He calmly waited for the blame that was about to be dumped on him.
That afternoon, after finishing lunch, Dumbledore finally left the room he'd stayed in for three days—bringing Wade and Tom with him.
Because that very afternoon, Grindelwald's public trial was set to begin in the Grand Court, in front of the entire wizarding world.
Just like the Wizengamot courtroom beneath the British Ministry of Magic, the Grand Court was located underground.
When Wade and the others arrived, they were stunned to discover that the underground space housing the courtroom was absurdly vast…
Apart from the center, which had the usual courtroom layout, the rest of the space was filled with tiered seating.
"They specially used an Undetectable Extension Charm to expand the space for this trial…" Dumbledore murmured as he looked out at the massive circular hall before them.
"This place could seat at least a thousand people, right?" Wade shaded his eyes with his hand, staring up at the highest "mountaintop" seats.
For a public trial, the setup looked more like a concert venue…
"Our seats are up front," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Well, thank Merlin! I don't want to be stuck in the nosebleeds!"
_____
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