"Heh… fine. Co on then. I'd really like to see if you can actually take down."
Still, despite his words, Grindelwald refrained from using deadly spells like the Killing Curse in his counterattacks. He only aid to subdue the boy—so they could talk properly afterward.
Because he still believed in his prophecy: Wade and Tom were destined to be of great help to his cause.
For a while, spells flew wildly through the chamber.
Only—the roles seed to have flipped.
The first-year wizard was casting curses glowing with eerie green light, looking like a proper Dark wizard.
anwhile, Grindelwald—the Dark wizard himself—was firing back with "clean and wholeso" spells…
It was the first ti Grindelwald had ever fought like a White wizard… and it was making him extrely uncomfortable.
And then… Grindelwald quickly noticed sothing—sothing very strange.
Wade was surprisingly difficult to deal with! Even Headmaster Dippet hadn't managed to stall him for this long!
But the reason wasn't because Wade was particularly powerful.
It was because…
Why are my own spells always missing their mark?
Thinking back to how Wade had silently slipped behind him earlier, Grindelwald couldn't help but beco fully alert.
Yet, after another minute of battle, he finally realized sothing was off.
No matter how off his aim might be, his spells shouldn't be missing by this much.
And even if he brushed that aside—let's say the kid just had so unique tricks up his sleeve—there was still the fact that Wade's spells couldn't actually harm him either.
So what was the boy playing at, dragging the fight out like this?
What was the point of wasting ti?
Wait… stalling for ti?
Could it be—he's waiting for soone?
A sudden flash of insight struck Grindelwald's mind.
Ah..
What if… this wasn't all the boy's plan—but Dumbledore's?
Co to think of it, Wade might not have known Anne's true identity, but would Dumbledore really not have been suspicious?
Anne was a Rosier, after all!
Yet he had never taken any action, never investigated her, acting as if she didn't even exist.
Could it be that Dumbledore had remained silent all along just to use Anne to lure him here?
Was this place actually a trap?
At that thought, a chill ran down Grindelwald's spine.
No… no, that can't be right…
If this really was Dumbledore's plan, how could he possibly let a first-year—his favorite student, no less—be the one to stall for ti against him?
And besides… if this were truly Dumbledore's sche, then he should be stationed at Hogwarts. Why would he have gone to Arica?
Even if he had, it must've been a decoy. Grindelwald had been causing chaos at Hogwarts for quite so ti now. If Dumbledore were here, how could he still not have shown up?
Grindelwald quickly cald himself.
Of course… it must've been that this kid knocked out his followers and then sent word to Dumbledore afterward, hoping to buy ti until he returned—not so carefully laid trap from the start.
"I'll admit, you've got nerve, thinking you can stall … but do you really think you can hold off?"
"What stalling? I don't know what you're talking about," Wade said, feigning confusion. "Right now, I just want to take you out."
As he spoke, another flash of green light shot forth.
Grindelwald sneered, "Well then… so young, and already casting the Killing Curse silently. You really are Dumbledore's star pupil."
"But you're no longer Professor Dumbledore's best friend."
Grindelwald: "!?"
"Stop whining about how Professor Dumbledore doesn't want to be friends with you anymore. Maybe take a hard look at yourself instead. Over all these years, have you ever truly thought about his feelings? Have you ever made an effort for the sake of both your lives? He's been through a lot these past years, you know!"
"Hah… he actually told you all that?" Grindelwald laughed in disbelief, clearly enraged. "Looks like Dumbledore doesn't know how to teach students. I'll have to help him discipline you properly."
"Oh, how generous of you! All these years, you've completely ignored him, and now suddenly you're stepping up to manage his students? You've got so nerve."
"Heh…" Even Grindelwald, usually composed, couldn't hold back now. A surge of fury welled up inside him. "Letting you get a few hits in and now you think you're sothing, huh?"
"Then hit ! Co on! Right here!" Wade stood a short distance away, pointing to his own forehead with a cocky grin. "Go ahead and show rcy—he's still not going to love you again."
"You… you really have a death wish!"
Tom and Anne had already taken cover behind a large pillar when the duel broke out.
With Killing Curses flying everywhere, they were genuinely worried they might get caught in the crossfire…
"Don't you think… their conversation sounds kind of weird?" Anne asked timidly.
"Mnm.. Yeah…" Tom replied, his face dark as he watched Wade recklessly dig his own grave.
It wasn't because he was concerned for Wade's safety—far from it.
But if Wade got himself killed, did Tom honestly think he'd be spared?
This was Grindelwald they were talking about! If he got caught up in that man's rage and died too… what a ridiculous way to go!
Besides… Wade had said it himself: if he died, he'd drag Tom down with him.
Who knew what kind of failsafe he'd planted?
What if Wade died and Tom just exploded on the spot?
The more Tom thought about it, the more terrified he beca.
He just couldn't understand why Wade was provoking Grindelwald like this!
As Anne's question pulled him back to the present, Tom suddenly rembered sothing—Wade had once told him about the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
He couldn't help but spit to the side. "Ugh, disgusting!"
At that mont, Wade still wore a relaxed expression on the surface, but inside, he was silently crying out in frustration.
What had kept him going until now was his Nightmare Magic…
Though his Nightmare Magic had improved significantly, it worked fine on ordinary people—but against soone like Grindelwald, it was a real struggle.
At best, he could only slightly distort Grindelwald's perception of his spell targeting.
It was like… manually nudging Grindelwald's "aim" a bit off-center.
With his current ability, that was all he could manage.
The interference from the Nightmare Magic, combined with a little luck from the Felix Felicis…
That was the only reason Grindelwald hadn't landed a hit yet.
But Wade knew these tricks wouldn't fool Grindelwald for much longer.
His only option was to keep provoking him, to keep him too angry to think clearly… and stall for as long as possible.
Everything would be fine once Dumbledore returned.
It had to be said—tonight's plan was definitely a risky one. Otherwise, why would Wade have needed to drink Felix Felicis?
Sure enough, after failing to take Wade down for so long, Grindelwald began to grow irritated.
He knew he couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
Even if, in theory, Dumbledore couldn't receive any information from the outside world in the short term…
Still, better safe than sorry. This needed to end quickly.
Since that slippery brat was dodging like an eel…
Wade sharply noticed the tip of Grindelwald's wand flicker with blue flas.
He quickly called out, "Ha! Using area-effect magic—definitely a smart choice! Go ahead, cast your Fiendfyre! Not like the ones lying over there are my people."
Grindelwald chuckled. "Afraid, are you?"
"Who's afraid?"
"Well then, here I go… Thanks for your concern about my subordinates, but… this isn't a simple Fiendfyre; it is much more complex than that and very well-behaved. It only burns the ones it's supposed to."
"Oh yeah? I'd love to see if your flas are really that obedient!" Wade shouted as he darted straight into the pile of unconscious bodies. "Co on! Burn right here!"
Grindelwald snorted and withdrew the flas at the tip of his wand.
He certainly had the ability to incinerate that brat without so much as singeing his own subordinates.
But… now that he'd cald down, Grindelwald recalled his prophecy again. He didn't want to kill Wade.
Besides… he had just thought of a new approach—one that wouldn't harm Wade, yet could force him to yield.
Heh~
With a flick of his hand, the boy who had been hiding behind the pillar watching the fight—Tom—suddenly felt his body lift uncontrollably and fly straight toward Grindelwald!
"Ah—!"
Tom scread as he was flung across the chamber and landed at Grindelwald's feet.
Before he could even speak, he felt the tip of Grindelwald's wand press against his jaw.
"Wade, drop your wand. Or I'll kill him," Grindelwald said with a smile.
Wade had managed to fight him to this point, despite being at a total disadvantage, while Tom had done nothing but tremble in hiding.
Grindelwald was now certain: the one who could truly impact his plans wasn't Tom—it was Wade.
_______
You can support and read 12 chapters ahead at P^treon: Captain69
User Comments
0 comments from readers