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Chapter 521: A Walk with Grindelwald
Chapter 521: A Walk with Grindelwald
"Ireland scores the sixth goal... Ireland scores the seventh goal... Yes, cheer for Ireland, they've scored the eighth goal... Ireland is leading with a score of 130 to 10, does Bulgaria still have a chance?"
Ludo Bagman's hoarse shouts echoed continuously, and Barty Crouch Jr. waited in the darkness for another ten minutes, finally confirming with great reluctance—
The plan had indeed gone wrong. The attempt to create chaos by using the cursed enchanted trees to crash into the stadium and kidnap Harry Potter had failed.
Barty thought about the reasons for the failure, feeling both angry and confused—
The Ministry of Magic had no reason to uncover his perfect plan. Barty was well aware of the lazy and lackadaisical attitudes of those people.
Moreover, he had checked the forest in the afternoon, and all the enchanted trees were intact and ready to be awakened at any moment.
Could it be that the incantation he used to wake them was flawed? Or perhaps the stadium had some protective charms that prevented the trees from receiving the signal?
The worst-case scenario would be if Dumbledore had discovered the problem... but in such a short time, it shouldn't have been enough for him to remove all the spells!
Furthermore, Dumbledore couldn't have many helpers, as Barty had noticed in the box that Dumbledore's followers were keeping an eye on the Death Eaters who had exposed themselves.
Including the box where Barty had been, the Weasleys had been watching the Malfoys with a mix of suspicion and caution, their gazes far from friendly or merely contemptuous.
That kind of vigilance and subtle wariness... it was as if Aurors were watching black wizards about to make a deal.
Barty's heart stirred.
—Could it be that the traitors were trying to take advantage of the situation, but Dumbledore's people had discovered them in advance?
If so... it might be an opportunity...
Barty, lost in thought, glanced coldly at the door of the box behind him and turned to walk down the stairs.
He needed to check what had gone wrong with the enchanted trees he had worked so hard to awaken.
Ten minutes later, Barty stood at the edge of the forest, staring at the massive wound on the ground. His face was pale, his body trembling with a mix of rage and fear.
He tightened the Invisibility Cloak around him, carefully avoiding the still smoldering tree root remnants, and navigated the dark, magical swamp, following the scorched, fan-shaped trail ahead.
The ash under his feet was thick and soft, and his shoes sank into it almost without resistance, disappearing into the dust.
There were no trees, no weeds, and no insects crawling around, just a vast expanse of white ash that continued to fall slowly.
Barty Crouch Jr. squatted down, using his hand to clear away a patch of ash and discovered a glassy, glazed mark on the ground beneath, which chilled him even more.
Who could have done this?
What kind of magic?
Could it be Dumbledore...
Barty shook his head.
This wasn't Dumbledore's style, and he refused to believe it was possible.
Then, Barty thought of another dark wizard who was as famous as Dumbledore—Grindelwald.
Although that old man had never been active in Britain, what if...
A scene formed in Barty's mind: Grindelwald Apparated to this camp, whether to watch the match or for some other reason, and suddenly a large group of enchanted trees thundered out of the forest toward him.
Grindelwald would naturally have taken this as an attack and provocation, and immediately used an incredibly powerful spell to turn the forest into a wasteland of ash before leaving.
If this was Grindelwald's doing... then Grindelwald's power far exceeds the Master's estimation.
But an old and dying dark wizard is easier to deal with than an unknown enemy. And if Grindelwald used such magic, his body might not have been able to handle it, and he might have returned to his lair to recuperate.
Barty Crouch Jr. pondered: If his suspicions were correct, then there was still a chance for the plan to kidnap Harry Potter to succeed...
The wizard left the forest, erasing all traces of his presence.
An invisible breeze stirred the ashes on the ground, and when they settled again, they completely covered the footprints.
...
After the Purity Party members Apparated away from the campsite, Grindelwald remained.
"Wede, would you join me for a walk?" he asked.
Drein and Antoine understood his meaning and slowed their pace, creating some distance. Wede even heard Antoine shouting that he wanted to watch the match.
Then, the old man and the young man walked side by side through the camp.
Though the night was dark, lanterns of various sizes hung along the path, casting their shadows longer and shorter.
"Tell me, Wede", Grindelwald said in a relatively calm tone, "how did you feel after successfully casting that spell?"
Wede was silent for a moment before saying, "I think I understand why pride is considered the foremost of the seven deadly sins."
Possessing the power to overturn order makes it hard not to become arrogant and blind, seeing others as tools or even as worthless, and rationalizing one's own plunder, bullying, and oppression as the law of "survival of the fittest."
Grindelwald scoffed when he heard this.
"Boy, I won't deny that Dumbledore has taught you many useful things, but you have also inevitably picked up some of his laughable flaws."
"You are too passive, Wede Gray!"
"Whether there is war or not, the world is a cruel battlefield, a place of life and death! Fear may not equal power, but—"
"Restraining your own power, fearing your own ambition, and not daring to seize power?"
"Do you know what this is called? It's foolish self-deception! Hypocrisy, naivety, indecision!"
"You even believe that a bunch of fools can maintain world peace, that the corrupt and incompetent Ministry of Magic can bring fairness and justice, and you are unwilling to make the right decisions!"
"When a wave of your wand can make your enemies vanish from the earth, why tolerate a group of clowns stepping on you?"
Wede had been listening with his head bowed, feeling a slight resonance in his heart. But the more he listened, the more he felt something was off. He felt like Grindelwald wasn't just talking about him... or at least not just him.
His heart skipped a beat, and his throat tightened—could Dumbledore be nearby?
Wede instinctively looked around but only saw the tents of various heights.
"You must remember—"
Grindelwald suddenly stopped, turned to look at Wede, and said in a grave voice, "Silence can be a strategy, but it must never be a habit! Otherwise, even if you possess the greatest power in the world, you will be nothing more than a clay doll, shackled and controlled by others!"
He stared into Wede's eyes, his gaze flickering as if looking elsewhere.
"I know what I expect of you, Wede, but remember my words—do not let your morals become your comrades' shrouds!"
(End of Chapter)
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