The next day, Crouch packed his luggage and moved directly into the Ministry of Magic.
His reasoning was sound—the World Cup final was less than a month away, followed by the year-long Holy Grail War. Staying at the Ministry allowed him to handle work anytime, anywhere.
This display of dedication earned the deep respect of the Department of International Magical Cooperation staff.
Percy, who had only recently joined, idolised him, and his daily conversations at home never strayed far from Crouch.
The twins congratulated him on finally finding his biological father after eighteen years.
Mrs Weasley promptly gave them both a thorough beating.
Meanwhile, Fudge was the most unsettled by Crouch's odd behaviour.
To counter Crouch's sudden surge in popularity, Fudge also threw himself into work, barely returning to his manor. He made a point of patrolling every floor daily to assert his presence.
This also served to keep Crouch in check, preventing him from mingling with other departments.
Yet, inevitably, due to work necessities, Fudge could only watch helplessly as Crouch grew closer to Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
This made Fudge even more relieved—even grateful—towards Wayne.
Thankfully, Wayne had ousted Scrimgeour, allowing Fudge to install his own man, Kingsley Shacklebolt, in his place.
After all, Scrimgeour had repeatedly expressed admiration for Crouch's uncompromising methods.
Now, Fudge controlled half the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, allied with the Department of Transportation, and dominated the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
No matter how active Crouch became, he still lagged far behind.
...
Meanwhile.
A few days later, Wayne also left London, heading for the forests of Orléans in central France.
Once summer began, Fleur and Gabrielle had travelled to this Veela enclave to stay with their grandmother, making this Wayne's formal meeting with the family.
Fleur's grandmother was nearly eighty, but as a Veela, she aged far more slowly than humans, appearing scarcely older than Fleur herself.
Her pale golden hair and moonlit complexion gave her an ethereal, fairy-like presence.
Though she was relatively short—only about four feet tall...
Wayne suspected Fleur's grandfather had some peculiar tastes—perhaps preferring a large horse pulling a small cart...
"So you're the little wizard Fleur keeps talking about?"
Her grandmother studied Wayne curiously, as did many other Veela in the tribe who had gathered around.
Human-Veela unions were rare, and half-Veela offspring were few in number.
However, upon seeing the young man, nearly all the Veelas' eyes lit up.
The Veela race were all hopeless admirers of beauty, and Wayne happened to align with their aesthetic preferences perfectly.
"Grandmother, hello."
Wayne greeted respectfully, causing Fleur's grandmother to finally withdraw her appraising gaze and nod with an air of affected maturity, hands on her hips.
"Still, our little Fleur has good taste."
"If my old man had been half as handsome as you back in the day, we wouldn't have faced so many obstacles being together."
The elderly man beside her gave a wry smile.
Suddenly playful, Wayne quietly activated his Magical Creature Affinity talent.
In an instant, whether it was Fleur, her grandmother, or the dozen or so Veelas surrounding them, their gazes towards him changed, revealing a sense of intimacy.
They suddenly found that Wayne simply standing there made him infinitely more appealing.
"Aunt Tulisa, Aunt Ortis, why are you standing so close?!" Fleur noticed something amiss and quickly positioned herself protectively in front of Wayne.
Without anyone realising, several Veelas who had been at a distance had all moved closer, looking as though they wanted to devour the young man whole.
The intensity in their eyes even made Fleur uneasy.
Wayne hastily deactivated his Magical Creature Affinity—any longer and things might spiral out of control.
The Veelas regained their composure, though one couldn't help asking, "Little Fleur, does your boyfriend like keeping pets? Would he mind having a Veela?"
"Would he mind having several? We don't eat much."
"I can pay for my own meals," another Veela even murmured from afar.
Seeing her elders crowding around with excessive enthusiasm, Fleur felt her scalp prickle...
She was beginning to regret bringing Wayne back to her family home...
...
To prevent any uncontrollable situations, during Wayne's stay in the Veela tribe, the Delacour sisters kept a close watch on him.
During the day, while Fleur went to learn Veela magic, Gabrielle would stick to Wayne like glue.
Come evening, Fleur would take over as his companion.
It was clear Fleur was determined to win the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.
With seven schools participating, victory would significantly boost Beauxbatons' prestige. Even Madame Maxime took it extremely seriously, making a special trip to the Orleans Forest to check on Fleur's progress.
When she noticed Wayne was also present, Madame Maxime was pleasantly surprised. Her first question was...
"Mr Lawrence, in your opinion, given Fleur's current abilities and qualities, does she have any competitors at Hogwarts?"
Wayne was taken aback—so eager to scout the competition?
Joking aside, as Hogwarts' successor, how could he possibly divulge his school's intelligence?
"Wayne, just tell me~" Fleur promptly clung to his arm.
Seventeen was the most radiant age for a girl, her youthful energy overwhelming.
Wayne was a man who could withstand tests, but given his relationship with Fleur, what couldn't he share?
"Madame Maxime, Fleur's current magical standard would be considered outstanding at Hogwarts. The recently graduated head boy was slightly stronger than her, and a friend of mine is roughly on par with her."
Wayne was referring to Percy.
Percy's innate talent wasn't actually much greater than his peers, but his greatest strength lay in his resolute mentality.
From a young age, he knew exactly what he wanted and worked tirelessly towards it.
To enter the Ministry of Magic and join a promising department, Percy had always treated academic achievements as stepping stones. That was why he never slacked off—this was the main reason he surpassed most students.
This phenomenon was actually quite common even among ordinary students. Many could endure solitude, studying intensely for over ten hours daily, while others would get splitting headaches after just half an hour of reading.
This was how gaps widened.
Maxime nodded without surprise.
She hadn't expected Fleur to overshadow Hogwarts students completely—that was practically unrealistic.
Even at Beauxbatons, Fleur had faced plenty of competition just a year ago.
But since the previous academic year, the girl had seemed to gain enlightenment suddenly, learning everything much faster, giving Maxime hope.
Next, she subtly probed Wayne for information about Hogwarts' outstanding students, but unfortunately, she didn't get much useful intel.
In Wayne's eyes, those students were all practically the same...
...
Hogwarts.
In Snape's office, Dumbledore looked grave.
"The situation is more troublesome than I imagined," Snape said, studying the outwardly unchanged Regulus as he explained to Dumbledore.
"Too much time has passed. Regulus' physical nature has completely transformed—he's now fully a dark creature."
"Many of the potions I prepared for him instantly became poison. Not only do they fail to restore him, they actively harm his body."
"Not even the ashes from a Phoenix's rebirth worked?" Dumbledore asked again.
"They were like adding fuel to fire. Look there." Snape pointed, and Dumbledore followed his gesture to see that the skin on the inner side of Regulus' left forearm was pitch black, starkly different from the deathly pallor elsewhere.
The Dark Mark that had once been there was now blurred beyond recognition.
Dumbledore collected himself, giving Snape a peculiar look. "Do you have any idea what it cost me to retrieve those rebirth ashes for you?"
Snape's expression also turned slightly awkward, but he couldn't help asking, "Lawrence actually dared to extort even you?"
The old man's mouth twitched.
"Thank you for the flattery, but in Wayne's eyes... I'm probably the most premium extortion target."
It took Snape tremendous willpower to keep his lips from curling upwards, to the point his face contorted slightly.
Dumbledore's eyes gleamed. "Since they were ineffective, could I have the remaining rebirth ashes returned?"
Snape instantly stiffened. "Apologies. They were all used up during experimentation."
As if anything that entered his pockets would ever come out again.
Dumbledore silently pulled out a vial of potion and took several gulps.
"So what do you propose to do now?"
"I'm sorry, but it's not that I don't want to help—I simply can't." Snape shook his head.
"He isn't an ordinary Inferius, but one transformed through vile Dark Magic. How could I possibly undo the Dark Lord's spells?"
Dumbledore nodded silently. "You've worked hard, Severus. Leave the rest to me."
He collected Regulus's remains and left the office.
Over the following days, Dumbledore wrestled with whether to seek out Grindelwald.
Yet after examining the matter himself, he realised only another Dark Lord could possibly resolve Regulus's predicament.
With no alternative, Dumbledore found himself making yet another journey to Nurmengard Tower.
...
The Austrian Alps.
Dumbledore arrived at the tower's base with practised ease. The formidable protective barriers might as well have been non-existent to someone who'd come and gone multiple times...
But his expression darkened upon reaching the entrance.
The Squib guard responsible for watching the gate lay sprawled across his desk, snoring loudly. A sense of foreboding rose in Dumbledore's chest as he hurried upstairs.
Approaching the top floor, he could discern faint voices growing steadily clearer.
"I'm not boasting! Albus was never my match back in the day!"
"Because... because my wand was bigger than his! Longer too!"
"We didn't duel often, but I always held back - couldn't bring myself to finish him off. Yet he kept pushing his luck!"
"Especially with that senior of yours! How many fights did he cause between us? Not a single decent Hufflepuff exists - and that includes you, boy!"
BANG!
Dumbledore shoved the door open, his face thunderous.
The shabby room now housed an opulent table laden with sumptuous food and fine wine.
Grindelwald and Wayne appeared to have just clinked glasses, tilting their heads back to drink.
His movements froze mid-action at the sudden appearance.
Observing the two men's cheerful camaraderie, Dumbledore suddenly felt his arrival was somewhat superfluous.
"Oh? Headmaster, you're visiting too." Wayne set down his wine glass and greeted warmly, "Please sit. We've only just started eating. What would you like to drink?"
His familiarity made him seem almost like the host here.
Dumbledore was momentarily taken aback. Only after sitting himself beside Grindelwald did he suddenly snap to awareness.
"Wait, Wayne, why are you here?"
"Oh, Mr Grindelwald helped me with some minor matters earlier. His old friends asked me to deliver some gifts."
"Since I was recently in France, not far from here, I thought I'd drop by."
Dumbledore nodded silently.
He could roughly guess the nature of these matters, but had no intention of interfering. He felt relatively at ease about Wayne's contact with those acolytes, given their differing stances.
"And you?"
Grindelwald suddenly sneered: "What brings you here, busy man?"
"Don't just talk - eat while we chat." Wayne snapped his fingers, and a set of cutlery appeared before Dumbledore.
Meanwhile, a handful of sunflower seeds materialised before him.
"Then let's talk over dinner." Dumbledore nodded, slicing a portion of lion's head meatball. The journey from Hogwarts had left him somewhat peckish.
Grindelwald pursed his lips, subtly sliding the meatball dish closer to Dumbledore.
During the meal, Dumbledore revealed his purpose for visiting.
Upon hearing Regulus's story, Grindelwald's eyes gleamed with unusual interest.
"A pity. Had he lived in my era, he would have been my staunchest supporter."
"Quite unfortunate to serve such a master."
Dumbledore sighed but offered no rebuttal.
"These discussions are meaningless now, Gellert." Having eaten his fill, Dumbledore set down his fork.
"I hope you'll assist me in restoring Regulus to normalcy so that he may be buried in the Black Family cemetery with dignity."
"Is this how you ask for favours?"
Grindelwald crossed his arms with a derisive snort: "Look at young Lawrence here - even when just delivering items, he prepares a fine feast."
"And you? Arrive empty-handed, making demands?"
"Why should I agree?"
Wayne crunched sunflower seeds with increasing enthusiasm.
Dumbledore lowered his gaze, at a loss for words.
Between them... must accounts be settled so precisely?
Last time he'd requested assistance, there'd been no such conditions. Why the sudden posturing now?
But circumstances forced his hand, and Dumbledore could only yield.
"Gellert, I acted hastily. Name your terms - anything within reason, I'll agree."
A fleeting smile crossed Grindelwald's face before vanishing.
He then began frantically signalling Wayne with his eyes.
Wayne clapped his hands, brushing off seed shells as he stood.
"I'll leave you to it. Mr Grindelwald, I've left those gifts from your friends here. Should you need replies prepared, do so within the week. I'll have Ho-Oh visit in seven days."
"Unnecessary." Grindelwald shook his head.
"If I were to contact them directly, I'm afraid someone would lose sleep again."
As he spoke, he glanced pointedly at the silent Dumbledore.
Wayne shrugged indifferently, bid farewell to Dumbledore, and left the room.
The rest... was between those two.