Chapter 424: Vold: My Past is Irrelevant

Chapter 424: Vold: My Past is Irrelevant

Vold was unaware of the number of people rushing to his rescue, nor did he place his hopes in others.

In Vold's opinion, the most dangerous moment had been when he first woke up—not because of the cat, but due to Grindelwald's attitude.

If the infamous dark wizard, rumored to have committed countless bloody crimes, decided to control him in the simplest way and plunder the technology he now possessed—using methods like the Soul-Sucking Curse, Love Potion, or memory alteration—Vold would have no choice but to resist with all his might.

However, he also knew that his greatest value didn't lie in his exceptional magical abilities compared to his peers but in his unique alchemical skills.

The magic or potions used to control people would cause damage to one's intelligence, so as long as the other party had ulterior motives, he was essentially safe.

Vold had already thought through these issues during his previous encounter with the organization's abduction.

Alchemy, unlike most magical systems, required a wizard to maintain a clear mind and a sharp memory, much like a scientist conducting experiments. It was impossible to be in a dazed and confused state, let alone being love-struck and preoccupied with a 'lover.'

Moreover, unlike technological products that could produce stable outputs with specific steps, even the most skilled alchemists could frequently fail in their alchemical endeavors.

Magic was closely tied to the power of a wizard's mind, and the same was true for alchemy.

Therefore, if an alchemist didn't willingly cooperate, they might become a gold-devouring beast, consuming vast resources while producing inefficient and useless results.

Since Grindelwald hadn't employed any control or threatening methods during their initial meeting, the more value Vold demonstrated, the less likely it was for Grindelwald to suddenly turn against him.

Unlike Voldemort, who valued blood purity, Grindelwald embraced elitism and talent. This renowned dark wizard could also be friendly and enthusiastic towards those with abilities.

Thus, when creating the tool to invade the Daily Prophet, Vold didn't feign failure to buy time. He spent two hours designing it and immediately began production once the materials were ready.

This time, he didn't rely on his unique vision but solely on his current alchemical skills.

Grindelwald had also assigned a white-haired alchemist to assist Vold. As they worked and discussed, the alchemist couldn't help but praise Vold's proficient Transfiguration skills, solid magical foundation, and unique approach. Vold, in turn, learned some German wizarding alchemy techniques from his assistant.

After three failed attempts, they finally saw the light of success on the fourth try.

The alchemist, named Voilette, brought a Daily Prophet to test, and indeed, the image had been successfully replaced, with the transmission of sound and image being exceptionally clear and smooth.

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be this smooth—at least not this fast!" Voilette exclaimed, looking at Vold in awe. "I bet you've been thinking about this for a while, right?"

Vold smiled but neither confirmed nor denied it.

Voilette already had a default answer in mind and didn't mind Vold's silence. Circling the radio-like object twice, he said, "This is your creation... Let's give this little guy a name."

"Hmm..." Vold thought for a moment and asked, "How about Zero-Day Squirrel?"

'Zero-day' in the computer field typically referred to an undisclosed vulnerability that could be exploited for an attack.

As for the squirrel, it was nature's little thief.

"Zero-Day?" Voilette didn't understand the meaning, but it sounded good. He nodded and said, "Great! I hope this little squirrel will bring us more magical nuts."

The main structure of the Zero-Day Squirrel was complete, leaving only some minor adjustments and modifications.

"Is Mr. Voilette a graduate of Durmstrang?" Vold asked casually while making a small part.

"Yes, I studied there," Voilette replied with a smile. "Although Durmstrang has a bad reputation for allowing students to engage in Dark Arts, the school is actually quite different from what most people imagine. Students are serious and disciplined during school days but also enjoy dancing and singing on their days off."

"Does Durmstrang teach the Unforgivable Curses?" Vold asked curiously. "Do students experiment with the Soul-Sucking Curse or the Cruciatus Curse on each other?"

"Of course not!" Voilette asserted. "Durmstrang's attitude towards certain curses is the same as other schools! Including..."

His voice trailed off as he glanced at the door, wary of Grindelwald suddenly appearing.

Then, in a hushed tone, he whispered to Vold, "Including Gellert. You know, he was expelled from the school despite his exceptional talent because his Dark Arts experiments were too dangerous!"

—Really?

Vold was skeptical.

He still remembered that during the Triwizard Tournament, Krum, the Durmstrang champion, had used the Cruciatus Curse to torture Cedric under the control of the Imperius Curse.

The Imperius Curse can control those under its influence, but it cannot implant knowledge of spells the victim doesn't already possess.

Voldemort didn't refute the other's statement, but Voldemort seemed eager to discuss the topic.

"Ah...Gellert was truly charismatic in his youth. I was a few years behind him, but during my time at school, I wanted to follow in his footsteps..."

Voldemort spoke with a dreamy expression, "He might have been obsessed with dangerous magic and made some mistakes...but his intentions were pure. He wanted to create an ideal nation for wizards, considering the interests of our kind..."

"Your headmaster, Dumbledore, doesn't want to sacrifice any innocent lives. The magical world praises him as a saint, but in my eyes, it's all hypocrisy...Don't frown, child...If you read more history books—I mean Muggle history books—you'll realize that no revolution is bloodless..."

"Dumbledore is too weak. Only Gellert—only his ideas can truly change the situation of wizards living in hiding. Even if he failed, I'd still say it...I'll always believe in him..."

"Thank you, John, for your trust and praise." Grindewald entered, interrupting the conversation, and seeing their relaxed expressions, he smiled, "It seems what I'm looking for will be ready sooner than expected?"

"In fact, this Zero-Day Squirrel is already complete!"

John Voldemort patted the 'Squirrel' machine beside him and praised with a smile, "It's a brilliant design! We're just adding an extra layer of protection to prevent it from being easily damaged during use."

Grindewald's eyes lit up with obvious delight. "Excellent! I think our plan can be advanced by a few days...John, can you finish the rest on your own?"

"Of course..." Voldemort suddenly realized something and, with concern, glanced at Voldemort. He changed his mind and said, "But there are some things I don't quite understand, and I really need Mr. Grey's wisdom..."

"Then I'll borrow Voldemort for a while," Grindewald interrupted, placing his hand on Voldemort's shoulder and calling the boy by his name with familiarity. "We have some things to discuss."

"Gellert, Mr. Grey is truly an exceptional alchemist. I've never seen a child his age with such extensive knowledge..."

Voldemort's face paled slightly, and he gathered his courage to speak, "He's still young. Even if your opinions differ, don't..."

"Hahaha, where did you get that idea, John?" Grindewald laughed. "We're just going to talk, in the literal sense!"

Voldemort breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the group left the room, then heaved a worried sigh.

Although Voldemort had chosen to follow him...Grindewald's ruthless nature was genuinely intimidating.

Moreover, Voldemort was well aware that Grindewald's temperament could be impulsive, unpredictable, and quick to change...If the youthful Voldemort were to speak out of turn, then...

The more he thought about it, the more concerned Voldemort became. He put down his wand and began pacing the room, awaiting the outcome of the 'talk.'

...

In Voldemort's imagination, Grindewald, upon seeing Voldemort's value, would coerce and entice him into joining the Wizarding Supremacist Party.

However, Voldemort clearly admired Dumbledore and felt a sense of belonging at Hogwarts; this trust was not something that could be easily broken with a few words.

If rejected, Grindewald would likely use a few Cruciatus Curses to 'convince' his target. Most people would succumb to such direct violence, but some might be incited to even stronger resistance...

In reality, Grindewald's intentions were far from what Voldemort had imagined. The topic of their conversation was completely unrelated to any sort of surrender.

Grindewald sat comfortably in an armchair and even signaled for a cup of tea for Voldemort. Then he asked, "Child, do you know your family history?"

Voldemort was taken aback, then replied, "Of course, I know who my parents are."

"No, I'm not talking about your parents, but your grandparents, great-grandparents, and ancestors," Grindewald clarified.

Voldemort fell silent for a moment.

Although Voldemort had heard his parents mention some of this, there were no family trees or photos of these people in his home. Voldemort had never been curious enough to ask about them.

In his opinion, sending away two non-magical children during a time of chaos and then completely abandoning them was an act of neglect. Even though this was a magical world tradition—even the Weasleys followed this practice—as parents, they were undoubtedly negligent.

Voldemort had never considered seeking out his biological family. At school, he had always claimed to be from a non-magical background.

Ferdinand and Fiona Grey were his parents in this life, and they had raised him with care. They were the only family he knew.

As for the others, do they really think that they can become shackles around his neck solely based on blood ties?

That's impossible.

Grindelwald wasn't sure how to interpret Vold's silence, so he casually stated the findings of his subordinates:

"I thought your parents were both Muggles, but it turns out that during your time at Hogwarts, they were also seen in Diagon Alley."

Vold's gaze suddenly turned sharp, and he stared at Grindelwald.

"Rest assured, I have no intention of using them to threaten you," Grindelwald stroked the rim of his cup and smiled. "I just realized that your parents, who can see the Leaky Cauldron but have no magical ability, are Squibs, right?"

"Then my people looked into your grandparents. It was difficult to find information, but fortunately, there was an enthusiastic young man in the British Ministry of Magic who was willing to help..."

He looked into Vold's gray eyes and said, "Your maternal grandmother's name is Rosier Black, and her father is Marius Black. I heard you've been to the Black family's mansion, but you probably didn't see this name—Marius Black was disowned by the Black family because he was a Squib."

Vold's eyes flickered slightly, but he wasn't surprised.

Despite the Black family's current decline, they were once as prosperous as the Weasley family. Vold had seen the Black family tapestry, and many well-known magical families—Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Longbottom—were all related to the Blacks.

Moreover, Vold had noticed early on that he bore a slight resemblance to Sirius Black, but their blood relationship was actually quite distant—probably akin to being on the fringes of the extended family tree.

"And your great-grandfather," Grindelwald continued, "was named Joseph Bones. Your grandfather is Andrew, and your grandmother is Cara. The Bones family has produced many outstanding witches and wizards—do you know Amelia Bones? She's currently the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and she's your distant cousin."

Vold leaned back slightly, staring at Grindelwald, and asked, "So what? What's the point of telling me all this? Are you trying to introduce me to some relatives?"

Grindelwald rested his chin on his hand and smiled. "I'd love to help you establish more intimate connections in the magical world, but unfortunately..."

The Dark Wizard sighed softly. "Both your grandparents and your maternal grandmother's families have been killed by Voldemort or his Death Eaters."

"After you were accepted into Hogwarts, you should have returned to the Bones family. But since your grandparents have passed away, you've been living in the Muggle world all this time, and even Amelia Bones doesn't know that her Squib cousin is still alive."

Grindelwald spoke while observing the young wizard's expression with interest.

Usually, most people would show obvious emotional fluctuations upon hearing news about their unknown relatives—joy, regret, resentment, sadness, longing... Any of these emotions would be understandable.

But Vold Grey was different.

He listened as if it were someone else's story, and there was no noticeable change in his eyes.

Grindelwald could tell that he wasn't pretending to be calm; he genuinely didn't care and wasn't bothered. Whether his family was once powerful or in decline seemed to have nothing to do with him.

A faint smile appeared in the depths of Grindelwald's eyes.

"It's better not to know," Vold said, adjusting his sitting position. "I'm used to the surname Grey and don't plan to change it. Thank you for letting me know, even though I didn't really want to hear about this."

Grindelwald lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, deep in thought. "But I want to know—as someone who was supposed to grow up in the magical world but ended up living among Muggles due to a twist of fate, and who has a deep understanding of both worlds—what do you think about the relationship between wizards and Muggles today?"

Vold's expression changed, and he lifted his eyes to look at Grindelwald.

He realized that this was what the other party truly wanted to say.

If Vold had been a pure Muggle-born, this question wouldn't have arisen... But the fact that he had blood ties to two famous magical families made this question meaningful.

Even his parents couldn't be considered non-magical.

Squibs, though at the bottom of the magical world's hierarchy, were still a part of the magical world.

After a moment of silence, Vold said, "There's a fact I don't know if you've noticed—I'm thirteen years old this year."

His age was both his weakness and his shield.

Grindelwald laughed.

"You're right, I was too hasty," he stood up and said firmly, "Go and rest. I'm sure you'll have a lot on your mind tonight, but try to get some sleep early... Tomorrow we might need to go out, and you'll come with us."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end