It's not about feelings.
It's all about cost-effectiveness.
Making Grindelwald angry is less harmful than making Morgan angry.
On one hand is a person who's already been severely beaten, on the other is someone who could beat Grindelwald along with him; even if Yaya raised by Hagrid were brought here, she should know whom to choose.
"If I didn't misunderstand, are you telling me that perhaps in the future you will return to the past, establishing friendship and bonds with a legend thousands of years ago, and yet you're not even a bit surprised by this? You're calm as if hearing something completely ordinary?"
Grindelwald sneered.
His face full of the expression, 'You think I believe you?'
"Yes, that's exactly it."
Ian nodded quickly.
"Of course I'm also shocked, extremely terrified, and you could say uneasy. I just didn't show it." He found an excuse for not updating the expression on his face in time.
"It actually has to do with me being shocked to the point of numbness now. Perhaps you don't know, just before, due to Professor Dumbledore's mistake, I accidentally returned nearly a hundred years."
"I even encountered young Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts during that time. My goodness, he even fought with me. I still haven't caught my breath till now."
The little wizard patted his chest with a face filled with lingering fear.
Finally, a trace of belated shock appeared in his eyes.
Confronting his performance.
Originally watching the little wizard perform with a half-smile, Grindelwald's long-narrowed eyes suddenly froze and then exploded into widening with a gleam of brilliance.
"Fantastic! All my life! I finally found out who's been slandering me! You're all learning stealth attacks from me, right? Stabbing someone's vital with Life and Death Potion is my teaching, right?"
His face showed an expression more furious than before, gritting his teeth.
Obviously.
Ian might have casually mentioned something during the past time travel, surely causing Grindelwald quite a bother. Who knows how much ink this guy added to the grudges and entanglements between him and Dumbledore.
"..."
At this moment, the little wizard realized certain issues.
"I just said you always wanted to take me as an apprentice, I wasn't deceiving Dumbldore..." Ian wanted to argue a bit more, but he saw Grindelwald starting to search the table for his magic wand.
That imposing angry appearance.
It's terrifying as though he wanted to "clean house".
"!!!"
Ian immediately turned and ran away——not just afraid of fighting with Grindelwald, this was only a secondary reason. He was mainly using this chance to escape the inquiries of the Dark Arts professor.
Indeed.
In an instant.
Ian dashed out of the classroom, turning into a white smoke rushing towards the Room of Requirement. Grindelwald lifted his head, having found his wand, while Ian had already entered the Room of Requirement setting thirteen traps.
Such speed.
Most wizards would be hard to compare.
"It's all Headmaster Dumbledore making me jumpy." Ian relaxed a bit after not seeing Grindelwald chasing him for quite some time, starting to wash up in the Room of Requirement.
What can be said.
Actually, Grindelwald never planned to chase him.
If he really wanted to strike.
Why would he need to search for his magic wand everywhere?
"Agamotto... Morgan... Mopsus... Enzo... Ravenclaw... Slytherin... perhaps there are more targets I haven't yet discovered..."
After Ian left, Grindelwald sat back down, his anger vanished without a trace instantly.
Replaced only by deep contemplation.
He already got the information he wanted from his conversation with the little wizard.
Though not as clear as anticipated.
It's enough to help him piece together an evident path.
"To fool fate requires great ones and Prophets working together... And something involving so many legends... What kind of scene would it be?"
Grindelwald murmured quietly.
Moments later.
He suddenly laughed softly.
Eyes filled with anticipation once more landed on the golden apple on the table.
"Anyway, Albus's audacious attempt indeed pushed open the gates of history. And I, too, perhaps glimpsed the corner of forbidden knowledge he might not even realize yet..."
His whisper full of intrigue.
Clearly.
Grindelwald carrying out more than one clandestine solo trip behind Dumbledore.
He certainly understood such actions could create a rift between him and Dumbledore again, yet he also knew he couldn't stop his footsteps of exploration.
This is an irresistible temptation for any Prophet.
...
Morning arrives.
The sky began to show a gentle blue-purple tone.
Stars hadn't fully retreated yet, and the first rays of sunlight were quietly weaving between the castle's spires and towers, cloaking the magical school faintly in golden light.
The air was filled with a subtle scent of magic potion and the fresh scent of ancient stones.
The little wizards traversed hallways.
Everything seemed so peaceful yet vibrant. Ian too stepped out of the Room of Requirement after completing his wash-up, though he didn't immediately head to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Sure enough, someone's noticed." Ian's gaze crossed the neatly arranged corridors and floating candles, finally settling in the quiet corner where he encountered Ririm last night.
A small group of little wizards had gathered there at this moment.
[I... have returned from death!]