"What have you done?"
The German representative stared blankly at the fallen body. He looked at the Polish Minister for Magic, then roared,
"What have you done?!"
"In front of everyone, you used an Unforgivable Curse to take a person's life!"
"That is an unforgivable crime!"
He loudly condemned the Polish Minister for Magic.
Handing his wand back to Grim, the Polish Minister for Magic faced the accusations from all sides and openly admitted,
"Yes, I am guilty."
The German representative, who had been shouting for his arrest, froze.
"My crime is that I cannot bear to watch my people suffer."
"My crime is that I love this land beneath my feet."
"My crime is that I did not kill this devil sooner, allowing my people to suffer under his attacks."
The Polish Minister for Magic walked towards the door.
"My crime is that I stood up while everyone else ran away."
At the doorway stood the entirety of the Polish Ministry of Magic.
The Aurors stared at the Minister who had cast an Unforgivable Curse.
"My crime is that I wanted to change all of this, to create a miracle for this unjust society."
He stopped before one of the Aurors and calmly extended his hands.
"Arrest me, Auror."
The Auror took a deep breath.
He couldn't do it.
"Auror, perform your duty!" the Polish Minister for Magic shouted.
"No, I can't, Minister."
The Auror threw his wand to the ground.
The Polish Minister for Magic walked to another Auror and once again held out his hands.
"I trust you, Minister."
That Auror also threw down his wand.
Then a third.
A fourth.
One after another.
The representatives of the various countries stepped out of the hall and saw the man surrounded by everyone.
Holding the murder weapon, Grim walked out and stopped before the Polish Minister for Magic.
"I know you hate me. I brought this disaster upon us."
The Polish Minister for Magic extended his hands and said solemnly,
"Do what you must."
As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Grim represented the justice of the Ministry.
Yet at this moment, he did something that left everyone stunned.
He snapped the wand used to commit the killing and threw it aside.
Then he grabbed the Polish Minister for Magic's hands and smiled.
"I cannot arrest a hero."
He stepped behind the Polish Minister for Magic.
On one side stood the representatives of every nation.
On the other stood the entirety of the Polish Ministry of Magic.
Then the camera shutters began to click.
On one side stood those high above, dividing up benefits from their lofty positions.
On the other stood those below, united together.
The image spread rapidly through newspapers across the world.
At the fastest possible speed, it circulated throughout the entire wizarding world.
At that moment, the name of the hero who had slain the Dark Lord, Ing Griffiths, became known everywhere.
Some condemned the cowardice of the Ministries of Magic, accusing them of ignoring Grindelwald's crimes out of fear of another powerful wizard's authority.
Some lamented Poland's inability to recover after decades of decline.
Countless others praised Ing Griffiths's courage.
He had become the man who spoke out against the old magical order.
...
Barty Crouch Sr. took a long look at the Polish Minister for Magic. His instincts told him that things were not so simple.
He lowered his voice and said to another Ministry official accompanying him, "Lippy, I need you to check Grindelwald's body."
Lippy Korbel, who had once infiltrated Voldemort's ranks and helped clear Barty Crouch Jr.'s name.
She was also Tommy's friend.
"Minister, this is..."
"Grindelwald would not die so easily."
Barty Crouch Sr. had once used Polyjuice Potion to swap out his own son, so he suspected that Grindelwald might have done the same.
Lippy nodded at his words. While everyone's attention was still outside, she hurried into the hall to examine the body.
The dead Grindelwald's face was pale.
Lippy examined him carefully.
"Specialis Revelio."
She drew his wand and cast the revealing charm.
The corpse did not change.
But from the corner of her eye, she noticed a scar appear on Grindelwald's finger.
She froze and was about to inspect it more closely.
"Step away from him, please."
A tall Auror appeared in the hall and looked directly at Lippy.
Several more Aurors emerged around them, each with a cold expression as they stared at her.
Lippy noticed that their hands had already moved to their wands.
After quickly calculating the odds, Lippy raised both hands with a grin.
"Easy there. I'm just curious."
"There's nothing to be curious about," the tall Auror said with a sneer. "This is Grindelwald, isn't it?"
"That's Grindelwald we're talking about," Lippy stressed.
The tall Auror gestured for him to move away from the body.
Lippy complied.
The tall Auror reported Lippy's actions to the Polish Minister for Magic.
"She used a revealing spell on the body," the Auror said in a low voice. "She also noticed the scar."
The Polish Minister for Magic remained silent for a moment.
"Did she suspect anything?"
"I don't think so," the tall Auror replied calmly. "She only saw the scar."
The Polish Minister for Magic nodded slowly.
"Good."
He turned and looked out of the window at the snow-covered wizarding district.
"The British Minister for Magic is indeed difficult to deceive."
The tall Auror asked, "Should we take action?"
"No."
The Polish Minister for Magic shook his head.
"If Barty Crouch Sr. truly suspected something, he would not have left so easily. He is testing us."
The tall Auror fell silent.
After a long pause, he asked, "Then what should we do next?"
The Polish Minister for Magic's expression gradually became solemn.
"We continue."
He looked at the newspaper on his desk.
On the front page was a photograph of himself raising his wand.
Beneath it was the headline: The Hero Who Killed Grindelwald.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Now," he said softly, "the real play begins."
"She's probably discovered something."
The tall Auror asked, "Should we deal with her?"
"Leave her for now."
Gradually reverting to Grindelwald's appearance, Grindelwald walked over to the painting of the windmill and admired it.
"I don't understand. Why here?" the tall Auror asked. "This place is poor, corrupt, and weak."
Grindelwald glanced at him and said meaningfully, "Yor taught me a lesson. Only the strong are worth following. The smaller and weaker people are, the more they yearn for greatness."
"They have been reduced to dust, and I can make them great."
He took out the Elder Wand and muttered, "Survival of the fittest. The strong survive."
"Power above all."
"I saw the reason for my failure, so I chose another path."
He looked at the windmill hanging on the wall.
Originally, a copy of the International Statute of Secrecy had hung there.
Grindelwald had never changed. His goal had always remained the same.
To allow wizards to live openly.
To make magic great again.
But this time, he had chosen a different road.
A road unlike the one he had taken before.
The survival of the fittest. The sacrifice of the few, so that the many might awaken.
"This time, I've seen far enough, Yorl."
...
At the Hog's Head Inn,
Three people stared at each other in silence.
A Starling hung from each of the goat's ears, swinging back and forth like they were on swings.
"Clean this place up."
John glanced at the table and gave the order without the slightest politeness.
Aberforth froze and was about to lose his temper.
Then he saw Ariana poke the table with her finger. There was something on it, either grease or someone's dried snot.
A tooth, which had apparently flown there during a fight and become embedded in a pillar, also caught Ariana's attention.
Aberforth walked behind the counter and took out a rag that looked like it hadn't been washed in years. After casting a Cleaning Charm on it, the cloth revealed its original yellow colour.
Though, to be fair, yellow might not have been its original colour either.
Aberforth returned and vigorously wiped the table clean. Just as he was about to leave, John pointed at the chairs.
With a dark expression, Aberforth went over and carefully cleaned each chair as well.
Only after touching one to make sure it was clean did John sit down.
"What would you like to drink?"
"You have Butterbeer here?" John glanced at Ariana and said calmly, "Of course, I hope it's hot."
Aberforth did not argue. Instead, he went into the room behind the counter and busied himself for a while.
When he returned, he carried two mugs of Butterbeer.
The mugs looked as though they had just been taken out of the box.
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