On the ocean liner, John stood in the sea breeze, with several diamond necklaces and Galleons he had taken from the Niffler's nest still in his pocket.
After selling the diamond necklaces for cash, John pulled out a dollar bill and handed it to the attendant beside him.
The attendant's smile brightened instantly.
Glancing at Credence's sowhat worn clothes, John suddenly asked, "What do you think of deep purple?"
"What?"
"Your clothes."
John stroked his chin. "You don't want your family to pity you when you et them, do you?"
"You should carry yourself with pride, not beg for their sympathy."
Credence was montarily stunned. John continued on his own, "Paris is the capital of fashion. I'm sure you'll find sothing suitable there."
"A piece of advice. Don't take clothing suggestions from other wizards too seriously." He glanced at a strangely dressed fat man and recognized him as a wizard.
Wizards of this era were still relatively integrated into society, but in John's ti, they had beco completely disconnected from Muggles.
Seeing that the fat wizard had several people following him, John seed to think of sothing. "I need to find you a place to stay."
He said to Credence, "You need a temporary place, and you'll have to hide your identity."
Credence felt that made sense. Then John abruptly changed the subject. "What do you think of a circus?"
"Huh?" Credence didn't understand the sudden shift before he saw John walking toward the fat wizard.
He watched as John approached and began speaking with him.
He watched as John had the attendant bring over two glasses of wine.
John and the fat wizard chatted pleasantly, and in the end, they clinked glasses as if they had just struck a deal.
When John returned, Credence asked nervously, "What did you say to him?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just introduced you to the circus as a handyman. Of course, it's paid work."
With a smile on his face, John raised his glass toward the fat wizard.
The fat wizard also lifted his glass with a cheerful grin.
Only Credence was left processing John's words.
Had he just been sold?
…
"Ah, fresh air."
The air in the Pyrenees was crisp, morning mist drifting across the highlands.
John had co to look up so information.
Hogwarts wasn't very convenient for that.
From what he knew, Hogwarts currently had a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor nad Dumbledore.
He couldn't beat the older Dumbledore, and he couldn't beat this younger one either.
"This really doesn't feel great," John clicked his tongue.
If he had leveled up normally, dealing with Dumbledore wouldn't have been a problem for him.
But he had skipped more than twenty years, jumping straight into Dumbledore's middle age.
At this point, Dumbledore was in his pri. Whether he was stronger than his older self wielding the Elder Wand was still an unknown.
"To avoid him rembering that I broke his nose, I'd better go sowhere else."
When it ca to the three oldest magical schools in Europe, there was no doubt they were Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.
Hogwarts was out of the question, so he would go to Beauxbatons, where he had once studied.
As for Durmstrang, John wasn't very familiar with it.
His only connection there had been using its fireplace after getting lost.
As for Credence, he would be working at the circus for the ti being.
After getting off the ship, Credence had been "happily" taken away by the fat wizard.
John had his own plans for him.
This was a transaction. Neither side needed to take responsibility for the other.
There might have been a trace of sympathy between fellow Obscurials, but John was making far more use of him.
…
Beauxbatons followed the sa holiday schedule as Hogwarts.
When John arrived, it was during the Christmas break.
He conjured the uniform Mada Maxi had once given him.
Inside the European-style classical library, John flipped through a book titled The Power of the Patronus.
The protagonist of this book was said to be able to summon a Patronus the size of a giant.
Even during the holidays, quite a few students remained at the school.
For example, right now.
"Hi." A girl in Beauxbatons' blue satin uniform walked over and sat down in front of John with an open, confident manner. "I'm Cedrina Stuart."
"Hello, Stuart." John gave a faint smile.
"And you? I don't think I've seen you before." The girl boldly struck up a conversation, blinking her long-lashed eyes.
Without changing expression, John replied, "Yorl Delacour. I usually spend my ti reading alone in the Jardin Enchanté."
"No wonder." Stuart nodded in realization.
It had to be said that in this regard, Beauxbatons girls were far more forward than those at Hogwarts.
This was already the sixth ti John had been approached.
As dinner ti approached, John had a bowl of the fish stew Fleur liked most.
Their dining hall was different from Hogwarts.
It felt more like a place steeped in French romantic charm.
Golden candlesticks flickered on the tables, and even if oil accidentally stained the pristine white tablecloths, they would clean themselves almost instantly.
…
For several days in a row, John stayed at Beauxbatons.
No one even noticed this outsider.
During the day, he stayed in the library. At night, he went to the hidden chamber beneath Beauxbatons' Nicolas Flal fountain statue.
The Book of the Dark was set aside as John discreetly flipped through its contents.
Ti, soul, curse.
Three paths to immortality, the three directions Herpo the Foul had set for himself.
John focused mainly on ti and the soul.
His fingers traced along the pages as he pondered how to establish an anchor point.
If he truly wanted to return to his own point in ti, he needed an anchor to rely on.
Relying on temporal flashes alone was far too unstable.
"The Gate of Objects in this era is even more uncertain."
John felt a bit helpless. In the past, whenever he was unsure, he could summon the Gate of Objects. Now, that was no longer an option.
His teacher was still alive, which ant the Gate of Objects had no keeper.
Such a Gate was more terrifying than ten Voldemorts combined.
John had once nearly been torn apart by the Gate of Objects. He had no desire to experience that again.
At Beauxbatons, John stayed for nearly a month.
During this ti, he had almost finished reading every book related to ti and the soul in the school.
And gradually, he began to attract attention.
For example, right now, a boy who had been watching John for quite so ti approached him.
"Hello, Yorl Delacour."
John looked up. The boy was about the sa age as him, with bright blue eyes and smooth hair.
He was very handso, the kind girls would whisper about behind his back.
John said calmly, "Hi. What is it?"
"Of course." The boy sat down, staring at John. "My na is Dominique Delacour."
"I just want to ask—since when did I have an older brother?"
Dominique looked confused. After returning from Christmas break, he had inexplicably gained an extra brother.
Wasn't he the only Delacour in this year? Where had a second one co from?
His gaze swept over John's hair, then his eyes.
Was he really from the Delacour family?
John felt a bit awkward. He had borrowed soone else's surna, and now the real one had co knocking.
He let out a faint sigh, a complicated expression appearing on his face.
"It's normal that you wouldn't know… after all, I…"
…made it up on the spot.
Perhaps John's hesitation looked too genuine, because Dominique's voice trembled as he said, "You… you can't be my father's…"
He didn't say the words "illegitimate child," but Dominique was already in disbelief.
His loving parents—could they really have had such a crisis in their relationship?
He needed ti to process this. Staggering to his feet, he went off to write a letter to his father.
Seeing him spiral off on his own assumptions, John imdiately packed up his things and slipped away.
"I can't stay here any longer."
Grabbing The Book of the Dark, John ran into Stuart, the girl who had approached him before.
"Yorl, let's go—"
"Sorry, I have sothing urgent."
John hurried past, cutting her off before she could finish inviting him to the Jardin Enchanté.
She smiled and said, "Then we'll go next ti."
After Dominique received a letter from his father filled with "fatherly love," he went to confront John, only to find that he was already gone.
Not only that, Yorl Delacour had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Dominique was left with an unsolved mystery, and Stuart with an invitation she would never get to voice again.
…
Grindelwald's capture in New York shook all of Europe.
Picquery did as she said she would, mobilizing the highest level of security to imprison him.
On the day he was taken into the prison, the entire place echoed with Grindelwald's na.
The imprisoned wizards shouted in fanatic fervor, as if they had seen hope for the future.
It left the Aurors deeply on edge.
____
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