Chapter 717: Stay Away from Him
“I…” Wade gripped Braun’s sleeve with a sudden, instinctive grasp. His voice was a whisper. “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourselves… not them… not you. I just want all of you to stay alive.”
He didn’t know what the older version of himself had thought—but seeing the swarm of Magic Puppets charge fearlessly into the spell barrier, and the Ants charging headlong into the flames without hesitation, had already torn at his heart.
And when Braun appeared before him… when he realized Braun was also a Magic Puppet, that a Magic Puppet could be so vivid, so intelligent—Wade felt something deeper than sorrow. Even the grown-up version of himself had felt a surge of anger.
—Perhaps they were all his creations. But if they carried such rich inner lives, they deserved to be treated as independent lives, not disposable tools on a battlefield.
The night wind tousled the boy’s loose strands of hair, and in his eyes, the storm of his thoughts was laid bare.
Braun blinked, then turned to face him, crouching down with a soft smile. “I understand… Don’t worry, my young master. As long as there’s even a one-in-a-million chance, I’ll make sure to take care of myself.”
The world was slowly revealing its darker, crueler side. In Hogwarts, Wade had mostly known only the light, the purity, the peace of the school. But Braun—raised within the Wizard Purity Party—had seen horrors no ordinary person could ever imagine.
As the Magic Puppet’s cold fingertip brushed against the softness of the boy’s hair, a long, quiet sigh passed through Braun’s heart.
There is so much darkness in this world… but to be cherished by one’s creator? That alone is warmth enough.
From this day forward, Voldemort would receive a letter. It would be Braun who unleashed the Divine Fury of Fire—his rage could not be directed solely at Wade, the one who had wronged him.
The outside wizards would begin to question: the Magic Puppet’s existence still bore a fatal flaw, and it could never be a perfect “army of Magic Puppets.”
That would split their focus. They’d turn their gaze toward a new goal: finding a way to disrupt the Magic Puppets’ ability to distinguish friend from foe.
Ambitious minds would grow more patient toward this small boy, relax their vigilance, even begin to expect him to grow—until he could finally fix the flaw in the Magic Puppets.
Perhaps Braun’s actions would interfere with Wade’s demonstration of power today. But he didn’t care. Nothing mattered more than Wade’s safety.
So he reached out, straightened Wade’s rumpled collar, and whispered, “As a trade, remember this: When time’s magic fades, don’t forget—true strength never needs proof. The one who survives the chaos… is the winner.”
Wade nodded, dazed.
“Perfect,” Braun said, blinking his eyes. “Then let’s perform our final act. And remember—refuse me, please.”
He took the boy’s small hand and led him down the broken staircase. Their footsteps echoed sharply through the silence of the ruins.
The Magic Puppets made no move to stop him. Instead, they parted like a tide, flowing to either side. Once the two had passed, they fell in behind, following Braun as if he were their true leader.
To anyone watching without understanding the truth, this scene filled them with dread toward the so-called “successor of Gellert Grindelwald.”
Even ordinary people, ignorant of alchemy, knew: someone who could so easily alter the loyalty of so many Magic Puppets must have a profound understanding of them—perhaps even deeper than their creator.
They stopped before a patch of charred ground, radiating outward like a sunburst. All the nearby plants were blackened, dead—yet this was still far from where the flame stream had struck.
As for the point of impact… the ruined wall nearby bore witness. The vines that once covered it had turned to ash, drifting like smoke. The stone itself had become glass-like, cracked and strange, with thick, dark, iridescent sludge oozing down like melted candle wax, now hardening in the cold.
Wade’s lips parted slightly. Even with every effort to suppress it, his face betrayed shock.
Did I… really do this?
A single bead of sweat slid down his temple—not from fatigue, not from fear, but from a strange, electrifying tremor, a mix of awe and exhilaration.
Then Braun gently pressed his leg into a drifting flake of ash, and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Aha… looks like your leader ran off on his own!”
He turned his head toward the Death Eaters, their faces pale with relief.
“What a pity. He didn’t take any of you with him. But then… it’s not so surprising, really.”
He spoke slowly, mockingly. “If it were me, I couldn’t have brought along a bunch of useless trash like you.”
The Death Eaters dared not speak. One tried to force a smile, but his lips trembled, unable to form words.
Braun didn’t bother with them. He waved a hand, and several members of the Wizard Purity Party stepped forward, raising their wands.
Silver light curled like serpents around the wrists of the defenseless Death Eaters, binding them tightly into chains.
Two more Gray-Cloaked Wizards approached, collecting their wands. One even picked up the camera badge, turning it over in his hands, studying it.
The gray hoods of the Wizard Purity Party carried a concealment charm. Even if a mother mirror were held before them, the camera would only show a shadowed face—unknowable, hidden.
But when the lens flipped, facing the Death Eaters, Braun suddenly grinned—a mischievous, cruel smile.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A nearby member of the Wizard Purity Party gave a small flick of his wand.
Whoosh—
A sudden gust of wind tore through the crowd.
Screams erupted.
The Death Eaters’ black cloaks and masks were ripped away by the wind, revealing their pale, terrified faces.
“You… how could you—?” McNeil shouted, struggling wildly, trying to hide his face—but the magic held him firmly to the ground.
Desperate, he glanced at the camera, saw Robin’s lens fixed on him, and desperately turned his head, pressing his face into the dirt. “No… don’t film me…”
“Fair game, gentlemen,” Braun said, his voice dripping with malice. “If the day ever comes that I’m caught by you, feel free to broadcast my true face to the world!”
Scoundrel! McNeil wanted to shout—but fear of the camera kept his body bent lower.
Then Braun suddenly turned his gaze toward Wade.
“See that, my beloved Wade?” He leaned down, smiling. “These Death Eaters—once the ones who threatened you and your family’s safety—now they’re nothing but trapped beasts in a cage.”
“Join us. You’ll have unlimited resources. Unmatched power. Forbidden experiments. Sealed knowledge—all unlocked for you.”
“Imagine… no one will ever dare threaten you or those you care about. You’ll be free to learn any magic, take any alchemical resource you desire. The whole world will listen to your voice…”
Wade said nothing.
He knew this was part of the plan. But as Braun spoke, a strange pull stirred in his chest.
The boy swallowed hard, tilted his head up slightly, and whispered, “Then… what if I say no?”
Braun raised a hand. The Magic Puppets turned to look.
He still smiled warmly, voice soft. “If you refuse… then who their weapons point at? Well… that’s uncertain, isn’t it?”
The boy’s face tightened. His expression grew serious, his brow furrowed. “Then in that case… what’s the difference between you and those Death Eaters?”
Braun laughed. “The difference? They hide in the shadows, ruling the weak through fear. We stand beneath the sunlight—building a better world for wizards.”
“Join us, Wade Gray. You’ll see what we’re truly like. In the Wizard Purity Party, we never abandon our own. Mr. Grindelwald never punished his own without cause.”
“Come with me. We’ll be comrades. Brothers. Family. And you’ll gain…”
His words were cut short.
A voice rang out—sharp, clear, and sudden.
“Stay away from him!”
Harry Potter appeared from nowhere, shoving past a Magic Puppet with a force that sent it stumbling back. He stood breathless in front of Wade, holding a golden water kettle high above his head.
“If you don’t want to be turned back into an infant, stay away from us!”
(End of Chapter)
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