Wade acted as if he hadn't heard Gellert Grindelwald cursing him at all, leisurely saying, "Oh my, isn't this the great revolutionary, Director of Magical Education, Professor Albus Dumbledore's close friend, and senior external official of the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Grindelwald… Although I did step in to help you, there's really no need to thank me. Just a small favor."
"Thank you?"
Grindelwald glanced at the Wizards lying all over the ground, then at the Elder Wand in Wade's hand, and felt his vision go dark.
He had paid such a heavy price, even risked his life, only to end up making a wedding dress for this brat?
Just moments ago, the Grindelwald from the parallel world had been on the defensive the entire time, making it impossible for him to break through.
At the final moment, that parallel-world Grindelwald believed the passage between worlds was about to disappear, and his guard slipped ever so slightly.
Wade seized that fleeting opening, suddenly appearing and launching a sneak attack.
With Wade's current strength, catching an already weakened Grindelwald off guard like that, there was almost no chance of failure. He succeeded in a single strike.
At that moment, Grindelwald wanted nothing more than to snatch the Elder Wand back by force.
But he was no longer at his peak, and there was no guarantee he could defeat Wade quickly enough to reclaim it.
Moreover, the Elder Wand was now in Wade's hand, meaning a fully capable Wade was further empowered by it.
If he couldn't end the fight swiftly and it dragged on, or worse, if Wade escaped, then his act of attacking a student would be impossible to explain.
So Grindelwald could only grit his teeth and temporarily abandon the idea of making a move.
After a long pause, he finally asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
Wade shrugged. "A fine Hogwarts tradition… sneaking out at night."
"I recall that sneaking out is against school rules," Grindelwald said coldly.
"Oh dear… I've been caught. I suppose I'll just go back to the castle with you, lose another twenty or so points for my House, and serve some detention. How unlucky…"
As he spoke with a face full of mock regret, Wade gently stroked the Elder Wand in his hand.
Grindelwald felt a sharp pain in his chest from sheer anger.
Indeed, at most, a student who sneaked out and wandered into the Forbidden Forest would only lose some points and serve detention for a period of time.
But compared to obtaining the Elder Wand, that cost was nothing.
Wade's voice drifted over again, unhurried. "Though perhaps Professor Dumbledore might go easy on me… especially when he discovers that I also have an Elder Wand."
Hearing this, Grindelwald's vision darkened once more, and even his head began to throb.
This was bad… he had been completely played by this kid.
How sharp was Albus Dumbledore? The moment he saw the Elder Wand in Wade's hand, how could he not understand what had happened?
By then, Wade might not even have to pay the small price of losing points or serving detention. He might even be rewarded by Dumbledore.
After all, he had stopped the villain from reclaiming the Elder Wand.
And on top of that, he had disregarded the safety of the world and meddled with a parallel world again.
If that old man Dumbledore found out, his ears would never know peace.
In other words, after paying a huge price, not only had someone else reaped the benefits, he had gained nothing in return and would still have to bear the consequences afterward.
Damn it.
"How long have you been hiding here?" Grindelwald felt sick to his stomach.
"Honestly, it was just a coincidence. I sometimes come into the Forbidden Forest to gather materials. Tonight was the same, and then I ran into you all…"
Wade glanced at the Wizards sprawled across the ground and gave a light wave of the Elder Wand in his hand.
The Wizards began to stir and slowly regained consciousness.
Although the Grindelwald from the parallel world had somehow also ended up here and was attacked by his counterpart, he had still held back against his own followers from another world. As a result, these Wizards had only been knocked unconscious rather than killed.
Even so, they were badly injured and had temporarily lost their ability to fight.
Watching Wade casually dispel the spells affecting so many people with the aid of the Elder Wand, Grindelwald roared inwardly.
That's my wand. My wand!
"We paid a heavy price for that wand… and you just came in at the end to take the prize. Don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?"
With no other choice, Grindelwald tried to reason with him.
"That's not quite right. Think about it carefully. If I hadn't stepped in, would you have gotten the Elder Wand?" Wade said with a smile.
Grindelwald fell silent.
It was obvious. In that situation, if Wade hadn't intervened, he would never have been able to break through his parallel self's defenses.
He could only have watched helplessly as the other Grindelwald calmly left this world with the Elder Wand.
But Wade had acted at that moment and seized it. That was undeniably his own capability.
Damn it, he couldn't even win an argument?
"Let's make a deal. What would it take for you to give me the Elder Wand?" Grindelwald asked in a low voice.
Wade put the Elder Wand away and said firmly, "Forget about the Elder Wand. I'm not handing it over to you. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself to Dumbledore."
Grindelwald's lips twitched slightly. So that meant tonight's events would definitely be reported to Dumbledore?
Then again, it made sense. Wade had made a great contribution. How could he not claim credit?
Besides, that Elder Wand… without explaining things to Dumbledore, Wade wouldn't be able to use it openly.
After a long silence, Grindelwald finally spoke again. "Fine. I can give up on the Elder Wand. But… I can't have worked for nothing tonight, can I?"
Wade nodded. "That's fair. Go on, what do you want?"
Everything had its limits. Teasing Gellert Grindelwald was entertaining, but Wade couldn't keep pushing him forever.
If he really let him walk away empty-handed tonight, there was no telling what kind of madness this old man might resort to next.
"What happened tonight amounts to us paying a heavy price to secure an incredibly powerful wand for you," Grindelwald said slowly. "So what I want from you won't be anything simple."
"As long as it's nothing that harms others," Wade replied with a smile.
Grindelwald's calm demeanor returned. "Today, your senior, Newt Scamander, came to inspect the challenges I set up. Unfortunately… in the eyes of that professional magizoologist, none of them passed. So, how about you help me design the challenges instead?"
Wade's eyes widened. "You're trying to set me up?"
"How could I be setting you up? This doesn't count as anything immoral," Grindelwald said with a shrug.
"Everyone knows Headmaster Armando Dippet and Professor Albus Dumbledore are stalling your reforms. And you want me to help you design them? Which side would that put me on? How am I supposed to face Professor Dumbledore?" Wade waved his hands repeatedly.
"Heh. Which side you're on… only you truly know," Grindelwald said with a faint smile.
"Forget it. No way." Wade shook his head.
"I know you have a strong interest in dark creatures, so… I'll allow you to study them freely. You know, after the students complete the challenges, those creatures are left idle."
Wade hesitated. "That doesn't sound very appropriate…"
"I've heard you even asked your teacher to look for places in other countries where dark creatures can be raised. As it happens, I can offer you considerable help in that regard," Grindelwald said with a smile.
Wade looked at him suspiciously. "You even know about that?"
"Don't underestimate my information network, Wade. Besides, your teacher didn't exactly hide their intentions," Grindelwald replied with a smile.
"This isn't something we should discuss here," Wade said calmly.
Grindelwald chuckled. "You know how it is. In this matter, it's already good enough if Dumbledore doesn't stop you, let alone offer any help. You'd be better off cooperating with me."
Wade waved a hand. "That's something we can discuss separately. As for tonight, I can agree to help you design the challenges. But the content will be entirely up to me. You don't get a say."
Grindelwald frowned. "I don't get a say? How is that acceptable?"
Wade smiled. "I guarantee the difficulty won't be any lower than what you designed before, and I guarantee it will pass Dumbledore's inspection. Once it's done, if you're not satisfied, you can have me redo it anytime."
"And what if you deliberately fail to satisfy me to stall for time?" Grindelwald asked.
"What do you propose?"
"Then you return the Elder Wand to me," Grindelwald said with a smile.
Wade let out a scoff. "Ha! Now that the Elder Wand is in my hands, you can forget about getting it back. Besides, what if you just claim to be dissatisfied on purpose?"
____
So.. a Wade with photographic memory, Nightmare magic, Ancient magic, and a system wasn't enough.. Now he also has an Elder Wand. I can only pray for his enemies kekeke~~
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