Chapter 30: You Must Be Dumbledore’s Favorite Student, Right?

Li Weide’s heart sank. It seemed that things were not going to end well today. The fact that the person behind him had managed to approach without him noticing at all was proof enough that the stranger’s power far exceeded his own. Regardless of what the man wanted, Li Weide realized he had absolutely no room to resist.

Sure enough, while Grindelwald was speaking to Li Weide, Vinda had already begun unceremoniously untying the ropes from the Acolytes.

"Who are you?" Li Weide asked, as was customary, even though he had already guessed the identity of the intruder. Who else but the reigning Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, could approach him so silently and possess such a distinctive appearance?

"You must know Dumbledore, right? I am Dumbledore’s friend, Gellert Grindelwald," Grindelwald said with a smile.

Li Weide glanced at Vinda, who was busy tending to the Acolytes. "Clearly, these fellows are your men... As far as I know, Dumbledore’s friends do not send people to attack us."

"Well... we should say we were friends. We simply parted ways due to some minor differences." Grindelwald did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed at being called out.

"Why did you attack us?" Li Weide asked directly. "And what happened to Professor Hicks?"

"If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that our people did not use any lethal spells tonight... If your Professor Hicks has not fled, then she is certainly safe and sound." Grindelwald moved his hand from Li Weide’s shoulder and strolled slowly to face him. "As for why we attacked you..." Grindelwald looked at Li Weide with a peculiar expression, "In truth, I was simply curious as to why Dumbledore values you so highly, so I wanted to have a proper conversation."

"Is there a possibility that... if you just wanted to talk, you could have knocked on the door instead of blowing a giant hole in our house?" Li Weide said helplessly.

Grindelwald looked up at the sky and shrugged. "You have a point, but... I am used to it. In recent years, this has been the way we interact with Dumbledore’s people..."

By now, most of the Acolytes had been revived. The injuries they sustained might have been severe for a Muggle, but for a wizard, a single healing spell was enough to cure them. Someone had already entered the house to wake Tom and Toby, bringing them out. Toby’s eyes were filled with despair; he had failed to protect his master and had allowed him to fall into enemy hands. Tom, however, scanned the people around him with a cold, detached gaze, his inner thoughts unreadable.

Vinda walked over. "The other boy is here as well. However, Hicks has escaped... We must hurry."

Grindelwald’s gaze passed over Toby and landed on Tom. Tom raised his head, meeting his stare without a hint of fear.

Grindelwald’s face gradually broke into a smile of delight. Ordinarily, most eleven-year-old wizards in this situation would be lucky not to be reduced to tears. Yet here were these two children: one had single-handedly incapacitated all his subordinates, and the other remained calm and composed even under his intense scrutiny.

Although Grindelwald was unsure of the extent of Tom’s abilities, he had just witnessed Li Weide’s talent firsthand. Like-minded individuals are drawn to one another; the fact that they remained together suggested that Tom’s abilities, even if not equal to Li Weide’s, were likely not far behind. Clearly, both children possessed extraordinary temperaments and talents—it was no wonder Dumbledore was so invested in them.

Li Weide and Tom exchanged a glance. Li Weide then said, "Alright... since you have seen us as you wished, how do you intend to talk? And what will you do with us once you are done?"

"If I am not mistaken, you must be Dumbledore’s favorite student, right?" Grindelwald asked, his voice low as he watched Li Weide.

Li Weide frowned. If he recalled correctly, the last person to be asked that was Newt, who was sentenced to death by Grindelwald seconds later.

"In fact, we have not even formally enrolled yet... we have not even figured out what subject Professor Dumbledore teaches. So, Dumbledore’s favorite student must be someone else," Li Weide calmly denied the claim. Dumbledore’s favorite student? No, that was not him—especially not in front of you!

Grindelwald watched Li Weide quietly, then began to laugh again. "In that case, how about you come with me? As long as you come with me, I can show you sights you would never have the chance to see at Hogwarts... and allow you to easily obtain the power you dream of."

"If you crave power, I suggest you do not let this opportunity slip away... Since you know Dumbledore, you should know that there is much magical knowledge he would never let you touch."

Undoubtedly, Grindelwald had seen through the hidden desires in the hearts of Li Weide and Tom—their yearning for power. Why was Grindelwald able to attract so many to serve him? Because, at least on the surface, he was the kind of person who was willing to help you achieve your desires, and he possessed the power to make them reality. This created the illusion that he was a savior tailor-made by the heavens. When people encountered such a savior, one willing to help them out of their predicament and realize their wishes, they were inevitably drawn to him. How could his followers be anything but numerous?

Tom was already deeply tempted. To him, staying with Dumbledore meant constantly living in the shadows. Following Grindelwald meant the freedom to be himself, to stop suppressing his nature, and to learn magic he could never access otherwise. Tom no longer possessed the arrogance that made him unwilling to serve others. He had no choice; he was destined to live under someone else’s shadow at Hogwarts anyway—specifically, under Li Weide’s.

However, just as he was about to agree, Li Weide shook his head firmly, causing Tom to stifle the words he was about to speak. Having spent so much time with Li Weide, he knew that Li Weide was someone who would never allow himself to be at a disadvantage. If there were benefits to be gained from following Grindelwald, he would never refuse! Although he did not know why Li Weide was refusing, Tom decided to trust his judgment.

Li Weide, naturally, had no intention of joining the Acolytes. After all, according to history, Grindelwald would be defeated in 1945, and it was already 1938. Knowing that failure was inevitable, why join the Acolytes? It would be like defecting to a sinking ship. Since he knew who the eventual winner would be, why wouldn't he side with the victor? Furthermore, he didn't need to risk his life for Grindelwald; he could become stronger on his own!

Grindelwald and his followers were, frankly, nothing more than a group of terrorists. Unless he could truly realize his ideology and be vindicated—which, in Li Weide’s view, was impossible—it was a dead end.

"I am very grateful for your interest, but please allow me to decline," Li Weide said, rejecting the invitation.

"That is truly a pity..." Grindelwald’s eyes narrowed slightly. "However, you must still come with me. I believe that once you witness the cause we are working toward, you will surely have a change of heart."

"No, they are not going anywhere," Dumbledore said, stepping slowly out from the shadows.