Grindelwald really ought to tone it down.
This had been on Wayne's mind ever since he became Headmaster of Durmstrang.
Wayne didn't want Grindelwald to be too provocative, mainly because he was afraid Dumbledore would step in to oppose Grindelwald. If that happened, riding on the prestige of stopping Grindelwald, the old man might just come back and snatch his Headmaster position from him.
He hadn't had enough fun yet.
Besides, he also wanted to test what the first Dark Lord at his peak was truly capable of.
Last time they met in Paris, both had been restrained and hadn't shown their true power.
It was time to give a warning, to let old Gellert know that while ginger might be spicy, the world belongs to the young.
But taking the initiative to act and being begged to act were entirely different concepts – there were plenty of people more anxious than him.
Like these Ministers for Magic, and the President of the International Confederation.
"Mr Lawrence, please tell us what you need. If it's within our power, we will certainly provide it."
Keynes said this with great confidence. Although the International Confederation didn't hold much real authority, the national Ministries of Magic behind him were the true financial backers.
Wayne showed displeasure. "What do you mean, I should state my terms? You're the ones who came to me. What price you're willing to pay depends on how much sincerity you're showing."
The men looked at each other. This was going to be an expensive extortion.
This kind of non-pricing was what they feared most, because you never knew how big the other party's appetite was. Offering too little risked offending him, while offering too much would be painful.
But this was Wayne's exclusive business – they had no right to bargain.
Several Ministers for Magic took turns making substantial concessions; even those who hadn't come were represented, and they gave up many benefits.
Truth be told, there weren't many things in the wizarding world that could tempt Wayne now.
What they offered, besides shops in wizard gathering places similar to Diagon Alley in their respective countries, were some treasured ancient books and collectables.
The collectables were to furnish his own castle, while the books could be copied with a set left for Hogwarts.
Once terms were agreed, Keynes eagerly asked: "Mr Lawrence, without delay, shall we set off tomorrow?"
He would have liked to drag him away immediately, but it was already late, and they needed to mobilise some Aurors, hence leaving one night's time.
But Wayne refused: "Payment on delivery. I'll go when the promised items arrive."
"Couldn't it be earlier?" Keynes asked anxiously.
"No," Wayne shook his head. "There are still many matters at school to handle. Professor Scamander only has time at weekends. I plan to take him along."
Hearing that Wayne wanted to bring Newt, they reluctantly compromised.
The next day, Wayne explained the situation to Newt. When the old man heard he was to be taken to see Grindelwald, he shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"No, I'm not going."
Newt felt that as long as he wasn't insane, he never wanted to see Grindelwald again in this lifetime.
"Senior, you're the scourge of evil, having repeatedly thwarted Grindelwald's schemes. You're definitely his destined nemesis. When he sees you, his combat power will surely drop by twenty percent."
"He'd definitely vaporise me first!" Even the gentle Newt was driven by Wayne to use coarse language.
Newt was also aggrieved—so what if he had foiled his plans dozens of times? But it was always Dumbledore who masterminded it, so why did he chase him the moment they met?
"I'll protect you, senior," Wayne declared confidently, thumping his chest, but Newt refused outright.
Jerry crawled out of his pocket and shot the old man a disdainful look—he had less nerve than he did.
Newt understood the look and irritably shooed them away.
Seeing his firm stance, Wayne wasn't anxious. He genuinely wanted these two old acquaintances to meet again, as they were both legendary figures in their day.
If Newt wouldn't agree, there was still Tina, wasn't there?
Ho-Oh carried the letter away from Hogwarts and brought Tina back that very evening. When Newt saw Tina appear in his office, he sensed trouble.
Sure enough, Tina spoke irritably, "Wayne is going to confront Grindelwald. If you won't offer help voluntarily, fine, but he's specifically invited you and you still refuse?"
"Tina..." Newt gave a wry smile. "You know perfectly well how capable Wayne is. What could I possibly do? I'd just be a hindrance. That lad's just feeling mischievous—he wants to see me and Grindelwald face each other again."
It must be said, Newt was truly one of the few people in the world who understood Wayne best, seeing right through his little scheme.
"Who says you can't be of help?" Tina still disagreed. "If Wayne is actually swayed by him, you could step in and stop it in time."
"You and I both know what Grindelwald's most dangerous trait is."
Hearing this, Newt fell silent, lost in thought. After a long while, he sighed. "Alright, I'll go."
"I'm coming with you."
...
Perhaps to boost morale, or perhaps to build momentum in advance.
Soon, news of Wayne agreeing to take action appeared on the front pages of newspapers across various countries, like a direct challenge to Grindelwald.
Accompanying this news were lengthy, effusive praises.
His deeds during the World Cup were brought up again, and the papers had already portrayed Wayne as a new saviour, the only one who could halt Grindelwald's expansion.
This was a desperate measure—if Wayne proved no match for Grindelwald, the consequence would be a complete loss of public confidence, making any effective resistance impossible.
Yet they had to publicise it. As time passed, the ranks of Grindelwald's followers steadily grew, and voices advocating surrender emerged in many nations.
To be fair, since Grindelwald's return, his approach had been much more low-key. He no longer spouted radical declarations about Muggles, which indeed appealed to many moderates.
After all, they weren't the true rulers of their countries—having a more powerful wizard lead them might not be so bad.
...
Hogwarts.
When the staff and students learned that Wayne was to duel Grindelwald, they were both shocked and worried for him.
Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, and others each sought Wayne out privately—even Snape came.
"Are you truly confident?"
"Would I do something I wasn't sure of?" Wayne retorted, waving a hand to serve Snape a cup of tea.
After all, he had come out of concern—basic courtesy was still warranted.
Snape accepted it with some surprise, "I mean, the certainty of victory and returning unscathed. Don't forget, he's still hiding in the shadows, and his recent movements have grown increasingly bold."
When something becomes too abundant, it loses value. At the very least, with too many Dark Lords around, Snape now held considerably less awe for Voldemort.
After all, compared to Grindelwald's past deeds, it all seemed rather... unimpressive.
Yet he had to admit that even if he looked down on Voldemort, the other's power remained undeniable. Aside from Wayne and Dumbledore, no one was his match.
Now, with old Dumbledore playing disappearing acts, the only one they could count on was Wayne.
So he genuinely didn't want Wayne taking risks.
"Perhaps... you could come along too?" Wayne said thoughtfully, holding his teacup.
"Me?" Snape's face changed colour, "The final exams are approaching. I need to provide remedial lessons for the Poor students, yes, Potter and Longbottom."
Using them as his shield, Snape fled in panic.
Wayne continued sipping his black tea undisturbed, casually waving his hand to lower the curtains and plunge the previously curious Headmaster portraits into slumber.
"Ariana, don't worry. Your brother will soon avenge you by giving Grindelwald a thorough beating."
An ethereal figure emerged from the ring on the young man's finger, gradually solidifying into a girl of thirteen or fourteen with brilliant golden hair tied in twin tails. She clenched her fists and waved them excitedly, "Brother Wayne, you must do your best to drive away the big bad guy who stole Albus!"
"No problem," Wayne replied with a smile. "Not just the big bad guy - if you ask, I'll even beat up Albus for you."
"Well, let's not go that far," the golden-haired girl shyly retracted her delicate fists, squirming slightly. "Albus is already very old; we should spare him."
"But he was also the main culprit in your death," Wayne teased mischievously. "Oh, right, and Aberforth too - he's also one of the perpetrators. I should give him a beating as well."
Ariana looked horrified, desperately waving her hands to make excuses for her two brothers, until she became completely confused and could pin all the blame solely on Grindelwald, making Wayne burst out laughing.
...
Durmstrang.
Grindelwald forcefully suppressed the urge to sneeze, maintaining his composed expression while listening to Vinda Rosier's report.
"Our sources indicate Lawrence will most likely arrive at Durmstrang tomorrow with Keynes and others. There are already numerous Aurors gathering near the school."
"Many national Ministries of Magic are watching from the sidelines. All those who previously contacted us have gone silent."
Playing with Slytherin's Locket, Grindelwald wasn't particularly concerned about Wayne coming to challenge him directly. Instead, he felt somewhat anticipatory.
"It's been too long since I've had a proper workout. His timing is perfect."
"Sir, didn't you say..." Vinda hesitated, "...that we were allies?"
"Why would he still help the International Confederation of Wizards against you?"
"Vinda, if you have time, you should read more Muggle books," Grindelwald glanced at his capable lieutenant. "They have a saying there: 'nourish the bandits to enhance your own importance'."
"Nourish the bandits to enhance your own importance?" Vinda repeated the awkward-sounding words.
"Indeed, only when the Dark Lord exists do powerful good people receive proper attention." Grindelwald chuckled lightly: "As you know, they paid a tremendous price just to secure Lawrence's assistance."
"So we're being used?" Wayne quickly grasped the implication, voicing his displeasure.
Grindelwald shook his head, "Having value that makes one worth using - isn't that precisely the meaning of one's existence?"
Circling around the broad desk, he approached the window, admiring the snow-covered world outside. "The world evolves countless things, yet all changes follow the same fundamental principle - I represent darkness, he represents light."
Clenching his fist, Grindelwald's voice grew increasingly elusive. "When everything becomes clearly distinguished between black and white, that will be the moment for all things to return to unity."
"When that time comes... only then will we truly know who is this world's true... king!"
...
Saturday.
A large group of wizards arrived early at Hogsmeade to wait.
Wayne slept in as usual on the weekend, then comfortably soaked in the bath with Cho before changing and joining Newt and Tina. The International Confederation of Wizards had already prepared the Portkey.
After a rather uncomfortable long-distance journey, everyone arrived near Durmstrang.
By now, hundreds of Aurors from various countries had gathered. Their mission wasn't to interfere in the confrontation between Wayne and Grindelwald, but to protect the students' safety.
"How many Saints are currently in the school?" Newt asked.
The Saints he referred to weren't the name Grindelwald's followers gave themselves.
These were true Saints bearing the Deathly Hallows mark - every one of them an absolute elite among wizards.
"Only five or six," an Auror replied. "Grindelwald dismissed several teachers and replaced them with his own people."
"They won't harm the students, will they?" Newt asked worriedly.
"We've observed..." the Auror who had just spoken looked strangely uncomfortable, "that nearly all the students have been bewitched. In a certain sense, they're the ones who are actually on their side."
This was one reason they hadn't dared infiltrate the school - any student might easily betray them.
Wayne paid no attention to their conversation, merely looking up at the gloomy sky.
"Ho-Oh, use Sunny Day."
"Scree~!"
Ho-Oh spread its wings and soared, its body enveloped in flames as it charged toward the cloud layer with melodious, graceful cries.
Before long, the dark clouds dispersed, and bright sunlight poured down, immediately lifting everyone's spirits.
"Let's go."