Julian had made respectable progress with carving runes into metal, but he could tell he was still very much a beginner. Not only was he still making mistakes on a regular basis, he could only etch the runes at a fairly large size instead of the tiny, precise scale normally used in enchanting. Technically, runes of any size could be used for enchantments, but in this world the sign of a competent enchanter was the ability to inscribe them cleanly onto any object at least as small as a ring. 'It's alright, I've got more than enough time to improve,' he thought as he left the wand shop around dinnertime in search of something to eat.
He decided to return to Crumonte's restaurant, since the food there had at least been exotic and interesting. The old man greeted him with a smile and handed him a menu as though he had been expecting Julian to come back. 'He probably was, considering how good the food was the last time I came here,' Julian thought with a quiet chuckle before choosing his meal and drink for the evening, salt-baked chicken and pear cider.
Just like during his previous visit, the food was excellent, and he had no problem paying the rather steep cost of seven sickles and three knuts this time. The old man asked whether Julian had any interesting stories to share, saying that he loved hearing tales from his customers. So for the next hour, while waiting for his food and then eating it, Julian spoke about everything that had happened over the past year, with all its highs and lows. There was just something about old people that made a person want to unload their troubles onto them, and Julian was no exception.
The old man listened with a smile and open interest, laughing at some parts, scowling at others, and even offering bits of advice during certain moments in Julian's recounting. Of course, Julian did not start talking about anything deeply personal, illegal, or secret. He mostly stuck to events that were already public knowledge, while adding in a few personal details here and there. He complained about Dumbledore's actions and about the hidden dark lord who had been the defense professor. He talked about the plans he and his friends had made when they believed Snape was after the treasure in the castle, and he also mentioned the baby dragon and thieving Steve.
After paying for his meal, Julian left in a good mood, thanking the old man for listening after getting all of that off his chest. He had absolutely no idea that he had basically just handed Grindelwald an insider's perspective on nearly everything that had happened the previous year. 'What an interesting story. It seems old age is finally beginning to catch up to you, hm, old friend,' Grindelwald thought with amusement before shutting down the restaurant for the night, since it looked like no more customers would be arriving. Meanwhile, the real owner of the establishment was taking it easy while his house-elf cleaned up the mess left from cooking.
Julian went to bed that night content and looking forward to the lesson Ollivander had planned for the next day. Rising bright and early, he ate a little lembas bread before heading out into the front of the shop to look for Ollivander. The old wandmaker was speaking with Helena about the wandmaking practices of her era, since much of that knowledge had been lost over the last thousand years. She was actually answering him as well, which was unusual for her since she was normally quiet and distant around most people.
Helena noticed Julian was awake and pointed him out, and the old wandmaker greeted him with a smile. "I assume you've at least gone through the tome I gave you to some degree?" he asked casually. Julian nodded and pulled the books out of Greed. "I already memorized everything in them, and I copied the contents into some blank books I had. I hope that isn't a problem?" he asked, worried that Ollivander might disapprove of him duplicating the material. The old man simply shook his head at Julian's concern. "If I had not intended to share that knowledge, I would never have handed the books to you in the first place," he said plainly.
Meanwhile, Arthur Weasley was having a very bad day after paying Dumbledore a visit at the man's request. During that meeting, he had learned that the beloved family pet Scabbers had actually been Peter Pettigrew in Animagus form all this time, and that he now needed to keep watch over the man without letting his family discover the truth. It would have been a lie to say that his blood was not boiling with rage at all the implications that revelation carried, but he was a lawmaker in the Ministry and knew, for the most part, how to keep his anger under control.