Hogwarts: This Dark Lord is Good?

Eh..?

Wade blinked, seemingly unsure what Dumbledore was referring to.

Just then, Anne returned to her hospital bed.

When she saw that Dumbledore was still there, she forced a somewhat guilty smile onto her face.

Dumbledore, however, didn't notice anything unusual about her.

In truth, he had initially suspected Anne—suspected that she might have been acting under Grindelwald's orders to lure Wade and the others into the chamber.

But Dumbledore had quickly dismissed the idea, because it was Wade who had sent him the warning, allowing him to return so quickly.

If Anne had really been following Grindelwald's orders, then Grindelwald would've been the one sabotaging his own plan.

Without Wade's warning, Grindelwald would've succeeded outright. He wouldn't have been forced into a panicked retreat because of Dumbledore's timely return, and his most elite subordinates wouldn't have been captured…

Lacking a god's-eye view of the situation, Dumbledore naturally dismissed that possibility.

"Well then, the first thing I came here to tell you was the school's decision to reward you. I already mentioned it to Miss Rosier earlier while you two were still unconscious. Now that you're all awake, I can move on to the second matter," Dumbledore said.

"Oh? What is it?" Wade asked.

"After Grindelwald's crushing defeat last night, it's foreseeable that once this news spreads, the situation will become even more unstable…" Dumbledore said with a furrowed brow.

"Grindelwald may still have enough rationality left to go into hiding and lick his wounds, but many of his supporters might lose control and resort to extreme acts of retaliation… And if they learn that his failure ultimately came down to you three, then you'll become their primary targets."

"You're suggesting we keep our involvement a secret from the public?" Wade caught on.

"Yes… While this means the world won't know of your contributions for the time being, it also means your safety will be protected. Of course, I'll be honest with you: if the public knew what you did, you'd instantly gain enormous fame and glory… I trust you understand the pros and cons, so—what choice will you make?" Dumbledore asked.

"Then we keep it hidden. Safety first," Wade answered immediately.

"My choice is the same as Wade's!" Tom added quickly—he couldn't wait to distance himself from the entire affair!

If it were possible, he'd gladly give up the Special Services Award too...

He was just here to go to school…

Safety! It was all about bloody safety!

And as for Anne, she had no objections at all.

In truth, she was still feeling rather upset about Grindelwald's defeat.

"Very good… You're truly admirable," Dumbledore said with satisfaction. "Very few people can stay clear-headed when faced with such glory! Alright then, since you've made your choice, we'll proceed accordingly… But we won't completely hide what you've done. After all, if we're awarding a Special Services plaque, we'll need at least some justification!"

…

Nurmengard.

Grindelwald sat dejectedly in a chair, staring out at the snowy landscape.

Behind him, Vinda was reporting on the results of their recent force relocation efforts, the losses sustained due to those who couldn't be transferred in time, and of course, some of Dumbledore's latest movements.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Vinda asked with some concern.

These past days, Grindelwald had been in this state.

Though not to the point of refusing food or drink, he had been gloomy and withdrawn all day.

"I'm fine, Vinda… I'm fine…"

Grindelwald's deep voice came from the chair, but it no longer carried the pride and vigor it once had.

Clearly, this defeat had hit him harder than any before.

"…So, according to what you're saying, Dumbledore has chosen to protect his students by hiding their accomplishments?"

"Yes… sir. Should we deliberately leak the information they're trying to conceal?"

"No…"

"But… do they really deserve that kind of effort from you? It's because of them that you…"

"It's not because of them, Vinda… It's Dumbledore…" A glimmer of light returned to Grindelwald's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again.

"All these years, I've been chasing the Deathly Hallows to grow stronger… but he, he did nothing at all… So why? Why did he suddenly become that powerful? Just what gives him that right?!"

"...That.."

Vinda didn't know how to answer Grindelwald's question.

In truth, she was just as confused.

Ever since the Blood Pact was broken, during all the years Grindelwald and Dumbledore had opposed each other, it wasn't like they hadn't fought.

But almost every time, the battles ended in a draw.

Which showed that their strength wasn't all that different.

And yet, that night, Grindelwald had lost so abruptly.

If the Elder Wand hadn't been taken by Dumbledore, Vinda would've even suspected that Grindelwald had let his sentimentality get the better of him and lost on purpose.

"Vinda, I've walked a razor's edge my whole life… tell me, do you think… I'll ever make it to the other side?" Grindelwald asked dejectedly.

Vinda stared at him in shock. "Sir?"

Grindelwald let out a long, heavy sigh. "We've already… lost, haven't we…"

"That's not true! We can still win!"

"So many of our people have been captured, and the news that I was defeated by Dumbledore has already spread… Vinda, from now on, the balance of power has shifted…"

"Sir! This is only a temporary setback! You mustn't lose your will to fight!"

"Leave me… I need some time alone…" Grindelwald said despondently.

"Yes…" Vinda looked at him one more time, her eyes filled with worry.

The Grindelwald before her now seemed to have completely lost his confidence…

Even as his most trusted aide, she didn't know what to do anymore.

…

Ever since the news of Grindelwald's deranged attack on Hogwarts spread, the wizarding world had been in an uproar.

But what truly thrilled everyone—Was that on the very same night, Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore.

And his most elite squad of Dark followers had been captured by Aurors.

Grindelwald's forces were severely diminished after that night.

Though in the aftermath, quite a few of Grindelwald's supporters stepped forward to carry out retaliatory attacks...

But the Aurors had already prepared for this!

Those hasty and aggressive actions didn't achieve much.

Still, while Grindelwald's outer circle continued to stir up trouble, Grindelwald himself and his core group of Dark followers chose to completely disappear from the public eye.

And just like that, several more months passed.

Before anyone knew it, June had arrived.

The students at Hogwarts were growing anxious, busy preparing for their end-of-term exams.

No one had the time to talk about how Wade and the other two had cleverly captured several of Grindelwald's followers and been awarded the Special Services to the School Award.

Yes, regarding their achievement, Dumbledore had publicly stated that the three of them had only caught a few of Grindelwald's followers.

In the context of that night's major events, such a feat wasn't considered particularly extraordinary.

But it was still more than enough to merit a Special Services award.

This also made Wade and the other two the center of attention at school.

After all, they had taken down several of Grindelwald's followers—his most elite "soldiers"!

From the envious and jealous looks on the faces of the Gryffindors, it was clear just how much attention the three had gained.

The Gryffindors were all frustrated. They snuck out at night all the time—so why hadn't they ever stumbled into something this rewarding?

Of course, compared to Wade and Tom's cheerful moods, Anne had been noticeably downcast these past few days.

In her eyes, it was her own failure to perform her duties properly that had caused Grindelwald and the Alliance members to suffer such a heavy loss.

Even though she had quietly "pocketed" a bit of that magical power for herself earlier, she still held deep respect for Grindelwald.

Especially after secretly corresponding with her aunt and learning that Grindelwald had fallen into deep despair because of the incident—she felt even worse.

Anne thought to herself, if… if she had managed to win over Wade and Tom for Grindelwald before that night..

Then Wade definitely wouldn't have sent a warning to Dumbledore.

And Grindelwald wouldn't have been defeated…

But what Anne couldn't understand at all was that Grindelwald, even in his despair, had chosen not to reveal Wade and Tom's involvement. Instead, he cooperated in silence with Dumbledore to protect them.

Though Anne didn't fully understand his reasoning, it only made clearer just how much Grindelwald valued those two boys…

Anne thought, if she could just succeed in winning them over, then surely Mr. Grindelwald wouldn't remain so despondent…

But if they hadn't joined when Grindelwald's power was at its peak, it was even less likely now after his recent defeat.

Caught between anxiety and guilt, Anne felt as though every day dragged on endlessly.

__________

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