Chapter 425: Vold: Repentance in Hell
Chapter 425: Vold: Repentance in Hell
After returning Vold to his room, Delaine headed back to the study and saw Grindelwald sitting in a chair, flipping through a stack of documents.
He knew these were the files his subordinates had gathered on Vold Grey, including his grades at Hogwarts, his collaboration with Aslan Magic Workshop, evaluations from professors and students, and even his assignments from Muggle primary school, such as social research and writing.
"Sir," Delaine bowed slightly.
"Did you send him back?" Grindelwald asked.
"Yes," Delaine replied, "Mr. Voldemort has been waiting at the door, and he's very concerned about the boy."
Grindelwald glanced at him, "Delaine, what are you worried about?"
Delaine hesitated and said, "Vold Grey is, after all, Dumbledore's person... Won't Voldemort's long-term influence sway his will? After all, he's obsessed with alchemy and has rather... pure ideas."
Grindelwald laughed.
"Voldemort is over a hundred years old; he's not easily swayed. His betrayal of me is equivalent to betraying his entire life."
"On the other hand, Vold Grey, despite his young age, doesn't blindly follow anyone. He has his own thoughts and can independently judge right from wrong, thus determining his stance."
He pulled out a social research assignment from the pile of documents and pushed it forward, saying, "Look, this is what he wrote when he was nine years old."
Delaine stepped forward, picked up the paper with both hands, and quickly scanned it, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
This was a social research assignment on a current news topic, and Vold Grey had chosen the highly inappropriate topic for a primary school student: 'Abolition of the Death Penalty.'
Many countries in Europe, such as Austria and Germany, had already abolished the death penalty, and Britain had been debating the topic for years, although no legislation had been passed. Still, the general sentiment leaned towards agreeing to abolish capital punishment.
The wizarding world had opposed killing and death even earlier, which was related to the wizards' protection of souls. Thanks to this, Grindelwald had been captured several times but never executed, and he could still make a comeback after escaping from prison.
However, the nine-year-old Vold Grey subtly expressed his opposition in his assignment, writing at the end: 'The prerequisite for protecting individual rights to life is to respect and not unlawfully deprive the innocent of their right to life. If this prerequisite is violated, I believe only the deceased has the power to decide whether to forgive and grant the criminal a chance to reform.'
Delaine exclaimed in surprise, "Does he mean that... criminals should go to hell to seek forgiveness from their victims?"
Grindelwald burst into laughter.
"Isn't it fascinating? In such an incompetent family and a weak and vulgar Muggle society, a child with such unique thoughts is raised!"
He smiled and asked Delaine, "Do you still think he's entirely Dumbledore's person?"
Delaine thought for a moment, shook his head, and gently put down the paper without speaking.
"Dumbledore couldn't stop Tom Riddle from becoming Voldemort, nor did he eliminate that little brat early on. Now he's raised an even more terrifying one... and he still hasn't realized it."
Grindelwald said sarcastically, frowning suddenly. After a while, he said, "Do you think... it's because this child is particularly good at acting and concealing himself, or has Dumbledore's vision become clouded with age?"
Delaine considered for a moment and cautiously replied, "Perhaps Dumbledore is just waiting... waiting for this child to be gradually bound by morality and to understand... the true meaning of love."
He silently endured the goosebumps on his arms and said.
Grindelwald scoffed.
"Don't let his lofty words brainwash you! Dumbledore doesn't understand what love is! He's colder than anyone you've ever met!"
Grindelwald was a bit angry. He looked at a photo of Vold's youthful face on a document and suddenly understood something. He muttered, "Perhaps he's aware of it all... He wants to change, but he can't do it himself... His hands are tied, so he places his hope in others... It was me before, and now it's this child..."
"Dumbledore is so smart that he can always see the darkness in others' hearts, but he can ignore it for his purposes... He was my first supporter, and if it weren't for what happened back then..."
Grindelwald, accustomed to talking to himself in prison, became lost in his memories, his voice gradually fading until it was inaudible.
Delaine proactively muted the sound and quietly left the room.
Then he stopped a passing subordinate and said, "Alter that cloak and give one to Vold Grey tomorrow morning."
The subordinate was a bit surprised. "But you said earlier that you wanted to record some footage to use as leverage against him in the future?"
The video footage and the Daily Prophet article are both ready."
Drayne shook his head. "Anyone could use a Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him, so this footage isn't very useful. Unless the Ministry of Magic is determined to take him down or Dumbledore, this video could be a liability. And..."
And their leader must have other plans for that child, beyond simple control or manipulation.
Using such underhanded methods at a time like this, who knows what Vold Grey will think, but Grindelwald might become very angry.
Drayne paused, not continuing his train of thought. Instead, he followed his intuition, saying, "Don't ask questions, just prepare as I instructed."
...
After bidding farewell to the overly worried Violetta, Vold returned to his bedroom. He gazed at the crescent moon through the small window, then sat down at the desk and poured himself a cup of tea.
The house-elf responsible for servicing this place had never shown itself to Vold. They weren't considerate enough to prepare hot water for him daily, so tea was his only option for a warm drink in the evenings.
But... tea was better anyway.
Vold slowly finished his tea, leaving a small amount of liquid to swirl around. He then inverted the cup, observing the remaining tea as it trickled down, gently tapping the bottom of the cup with his fingers to ensure the tea leaves followed suit.
After a moment, Vold lifted the cup, rotating the saucer to examine the pattern on it.
Door: A turning point is approaching.
Box: A gift is on its way.
Envelope: You will receive a long-awaited letter or item.
Rake: A crossroads of fate.
The tea leaves, seemingly ordinary and clustered together, formed unique shapes in Vold's eyes with each rotation.
All good news, except for...
A crossroads of fate? Was he about to face a crucial decision? What would happen if he made the wrong choice? Vold furrowed his brows in thought, then re-covered the cup and prepared for bed.
Lying in bed, he pondered for a while before deciding to stop thinking about it.
Without knowing what the choice would be, worrying about it would only add to his troubles.
"That's why I don't like Divination..."
Vold mumbled to himself, pulling the blanket up to his chin and closing his eyes.
A turning point... a gift...
Overall, it seemed like mostly good news.
...
In the middle of the night, a house-elf silently appeared in the bedroom.
Using a minor spell, he completely muffled his voice and quietly tidied up the room. Upon noticing the inverted cup on the table, the house-elf paused, then took it away, leaving it untouched.
A minute later, the saucer and cup appeared before Drayne's eyes.
"Tea leaf reading?" Drayne's companion exclaimed, "Does he still believe in this? Is he a little charlatan?"
"Wait, I remember he was quite good at Divination."
Drayne flipped through Vold's records, looking at Professor Trelawney's evaluations.
Unlike his classmates, Vold hadn't made up a dramatic death for himself, yet Professor Trelawney still deemed him 'very talented.'
"It seems he's quite skilled in this area..." Drayne lifted the cup as he asked the house-elf, "Did you mess with the tea leaves inside?"
"No," the house-elf replied softly, keeping his head down. "Bibi was careful, not shaking or touching them."
"Hmm." Drayne lowered his head, studying the shape of the tea leaves. "A rectangle?"
"Wait, let me check!"
His companion flipped through a divination book, searching for a while before saying, "Hmm... a rectangle, symbolizing a break..."
"We can't call ourselves his companions, nor can we say we're breaking up with him." Drayne contemplated, "So it must be... a break with his former companions?"
He considered this a good omen.
His companion rotated the cup and continued flipping through the book.
Ryan Trock looked at his nephew attentively pouring tea for the young girl, while the friend he had brought with him was watering the flowers by the windowsill with tears in his eyes. Ryan found this peculiar.
"Why aren't you eating breakfast?" Ryan asked.
"I... I'm not hungry, Uncle Ryan," Gar forced a smile. "I'll eat later."
"Alright..." Ryan turned to the other person and said, "Mr. Lockhart, please take a break and sit down for a while."
"No, no!" Lockhart waved his hand with a contorted expression. "I prefer standing. I want to stand."
Ryan found both of them acting strangely today, but they usually gave off an air of having many secrets, so he refrained from asking, as was his habit.
As the children grew older, Ryan knew it was time to let go. What if they thought he didn't want them living in his house if he interfered too much?
Ryan then asked Mabel, "Have your parents contacted you yet?"
Mabel put down her fork and shook her head, her expression darkening.
"Don't worry," Trock quickly comforted her. "Maybe the owl hasn't arrived yet because it's too far. Before your parents come to pick you up, you can stay at my house."
"Thank you, Mr. Trock," Mabel whispered her gratitude.
As he watched her timid demeanor, Lockhart couldn't help but wince.
The night before, they had tried to launch a sneak attack while Mabel was asleep, at least to control this dangerous child, but they had almost been strangled to death!
When Mabel was asleep, the black monster on her body didn't sleep with her, which was something Lockhart and his companion had never expected.
Then Lockhart changed his mind and tried to escape from the house, but as he reached the front door, he was caught by the black fog that wrapped around his ankles and dragged him back!
The entire journey was filled with bumps and bruises that Lockhart never wanted to recall. Even after drinking the potion, his tailbone ached so much that he couldn't sit down at all today.
Lockhart burst into tears.
How could someone be so unlucky?
Could it be that the fans he had deceived were cursing him together?
After breakfast, Trock hurried back to his study to prepare for his classes. He had a massive task ahead, with seven grades' worth of lessons to organize. These past few days, Trock had practically lived in his study.
As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the living room changed drastically.
Mabel's face darkened, and wisps of black fog emanated from her body, causing Lockhart and Gar to almost kneel before her.
"You don't have to do that," Mabel said, irritated by their trembling. "As long as you keep your promise, I won't harm you."
Gar smiled apologetically, saying, "Yes, yes, yes," while rolling his eyes internally.
When the black fog ropes had thrown him from the rooftop the night before, Mabel hadn't spoken so gently!
Fortunately, vampires had robust vitality, and Gar could transform into a bat. Otherwise, he would have been in a worse state than Lockhart today.
Of course, Gar observed Mabel's expression and realized she genuinely didn't remember that experience, which put him at ease.
The Silent One and the Silencer were indeed not one entity... But that Silencer was too terrifying; the three of them combined wouldn't be a match for that creature...
"Why haven't I received a reply yet?" Mabel frowned. "Can owls really deliver packages? Are you lying to me?"
"No, no," Gar meekly made up an excuse for Vold Grey, who hadn't replied. "Maybe... maybe he received too many Christmas gifts... Or perhaps he's traveling abroad during the holidays, and the owl hasn't found him yet!"
Mabel accepted the latter explanation and sighed. "He must be abroad... I hope he returns soon."
Unconsciously, she looked out the window, hoping to see an owl that had traveled a long distance, but instead, she spotted a ball of fire streaking across the sky.
"What's that?" Mabel asked.
Lockhart glanced at it and guessed, "Fireworks, perhaps?"
A loud bang echoed.
The firebird landed on the windowsill, and light smoke rose from it. Its delicate claws left several charred marks.
It tilted its head, gazing at the people inside the room.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
