The portly official in front of Barty frantically patted himself down, repeatedly asking, "My binoculars... where are my binoculars?"
A group of Veela had glided into the arena, their skin glowing with a pearly luminescence, exquisitely flawless; their silver hair floated without wind, like soft, smoky gauze.
Tapping their toes lightly and extending their arms gracefully, their beautiful dance was like a flowing mirage, or perhaps ethereal spirits not of this world, dazzling all who watched.
Everyone in the box stared, mesmerized. Some froze in place, others giggled foolishly, some unbuttoned their robes, and still others spread their arms in an embracing gesture.
Even the official who had lost his binoculars stopped searching. He rushed to the railing, glittering drool dribbling from the corners of his mouth.
Aside from a frightened Winky, only Barty paid no attention to the Veela. He held up his binoculars, scanning, when suddenly his movements paused slightly.
In a distant box, Harry Potter was grinning foolishly, his expression vacant, watching the Veela's performance. One leg was propped on the railing as if he wanted to rush out, but an adult wizard beside him pulled him back.
Barty adjusted the lens, making out the box number and location, then sneered dismissively, gently placing the binoculars beside Winky.
The House-elf was small, occupying only a tiny corner of the chair, completely oblivious to the new object beside it.
The music stopped, and shouts erupted everywhere; people didn't want the Veela to leave.
But soon, the mascot of the Ireland national team also appeared. A gigantic Shamrock hovered overhead, continuously showering countless gold coins. People scrambled chaotically to snatch the coins, quickly forgetting the allure of the Veela.
The officials in the box naturally wouldn't stoop to grabbing coins. They wiped their drool, straightened their robes, and exchanged awkward but polite smiles.
But when the portly official turned around and saw his binoculars by the House-elf's feet, he angrily hoisted it from the seat.
"Thief! So it was you who stole my binoculars!"
—How many wonderful moments had it made him miss!
Winky was pulled up unexpectedly, screaming in panic, "Winky didn't! Winky is a good House-elf! Winky never steals!"
Before it finished speaking, its face suddenly turned deathly pale—Winky felt Barty slip from its control, and not only that, he had stolen its Wand back too.
"Still denying it? Look at the binoculars next to you before you speak!" The portly official threw Winky back onto the chair, snatched back his binoculars, and said, "Get out of this box! I'm going to ask Crouch why he keeps a thieving elf!"
The box door behind them opened first. Winky knew Barty was taking the opportunity to leave and shrieked, "No—no—Master will kill me—"
It tried to reach out, wanting to restrain Barty again, but then it was kicked out!
"You deserved that, you thief!" the portly official huffed, then slammed the door shut.
"Don't be so volatile, Curry, that's Crouch's elf."
Only then did another official in the box try to reason, "Perhaps you just put the binoculars down carelessly and misplaced them."
Winky, lying on the ground outside the door, its eyeballs darting around in terror, couldn't move. Because as it was kicked out, a Petrificus Totalus hit it.
The House-elf's ear pressed to the ground, listening to familiar footsteps fade into the distance, and tears the size of broad beans rolled from its bulbous eyes.
...
Grindelwald touched the rough bark with his slender fingers, reciting ancient and strange words. After a while, he lowered his hand.
Like Dumbledore, he used no special instruments, nor was there any dazzling light. Everything was ordinary, as if he hadn't used any spell at all, yet had already investigated all the issues thoroughly.
In front of Grindelwald, Wade didn't use his special vision, so he, like Drayne and the others beside him, saw nothing.
"A very interesting spell," Grindelwald said, a smile hovering between admiration and mockery. "You were right not to act on your own. Our big friends have been awakened. The only reason they haven't moved is because they are currently in a 'light slumber'."
"So... even if they don't receive a command, if they are attacked, they'll wake up immediately?" Wade asked.
"Exactly."
Grindelwald looked up at the tall oak tree, his gaze deep, silver hair fluttering. No one knew what he was thinking.
Everyone waited quietly. A moment later, the old man turned back and said, "Everyone, retreat from the forest. Set up protective charms as a barrier around the perimeter, then we'll deal with these trees."
Drayne nodded, pressed his Communication Pea, and relayed the order. The Alliance members, originally dispersed throughout the forest to confirm the locations of the giant trees, now Apparated, reaching the forest edge in the blink of an eye.
Wade also Apparated to the perimeter. Not far away were continuous tents, but they were indistinguishable in the darkness; only the lights from the stadium were particularly prominent.
"When did you learn Apparition, kid?" Antoine came up beside him, casually slinging an arm around Wade's shoulder and shaking him twice. "Last time, I was worried about you! Afraid you'd be caught in the crossfire of those two."
Wade asked, "If we set up a protective barrier, do you have enough people?"
"Encircling the entire forest is impossible, of course, but just blocking the direction of the camp should be enough, right?" Antoine said casually. "That Dark Wizard couldn't possibly target the wilderness and swamps."
Wizards continued to Apparate, spaced several meters apart. They all drew their Wands, looking silent and serious.
—Like a fragile yet resilient city wall, defending against external threats.
Wade subconsciously made this comparison, then felt a faint sense of oddity.
Perhaps it's because the "Alliance" as a group is hard to associate with the role of "Guardian," isn't it?
Even though their way of doing things has changed a lot now.
"I'm worried that a protective barrier won't hold up for long against trees of that size," Wade frowned. "Unless, within a few seconds, we can..."
He hadn't finished speaking when he heard a voice from ahead: "Braun, come here."
It was Grindelwald.
Wade, his sentence unfinished, paused, then remembered that "Braun" was his alias within the Alliance.
Feeling the gazes from all directions, Wade slowly walked towards Grindelwald.
Antoine waved to another young wizard and said, "Come on, come on! Remember the technique I taught you? Make sure to get a cool shot of us saving the Wizarding World!"
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