บท 121: Chapter 124: Don't You Know? I Hate Newt the Most.
The speaker was an unexpected guest who had come from afar.
It was Grindelwald, the headmaster of Durmstrang Institute.
Since Dumbledore hadn't closed Hogwarts this year, Grindelwald and Dumbledore had been in frequent correspondence. Just before Christmas, Grindelwald brought a group of students to Hogwarts.
In reality, the true reason for Grindelwald's visit was because Wilson had not contacted him for months. Nearly half a year had passed without any communication.
What on earth had Wilson been doing all this time?
If Grindelwald asked this question, Wilson's answer would be that he had been busy playing with various magical creatures from summer until now.
Yes, Wilson had hardly stopped.
During the summer holidays, Wilson helped Cedric's family take care of their magical creatures. After returning to school, he continued to assist Newt with the creatures in his suitcase.
Grindelwald certainly didn't know this.
To prevent Wilson from causing any trouble during the upcoming Christmas holidays, Grindelwald decided to visit Hogwarts himself, hoping to have a chat with Wilson.
Of course, Grindelwald also planned to spend Christmas here.
These reasons couldn't be made public, so Grindelwald brought along Durmstrang's Quidditch team, claiming it was for an inter-school Quidditch match.
On the Quidditch pitch, Wilson led a group of Hufflepuff students off the field like a tide.
This scene made Grindelwald want to scoff. Had Wilson really grown to like school life? A boy secretly aiming to create a Dark Lord was having a good time at school?
Grindelwald turned to Dumbledore, feeling that his old friend might be a bit delusional. He chuckled lightly and said, "Speaking of which, Dumbledore, that kid is decisive and likable. Why not let him transfer to Durmstrang?"
"No," Dumbledore immediately shook his head, rejecting Grindelwald's suggestion.
As a headmaster, Dumbledore naturally didn't want to lose a student who would undoubtedly become an excellent Auror, nor did he want any student to be enticed by Grindelwald.
"Only Hogwarts is suitable for Wilson," Dumbledore frowned, turned to look at Grindelwald, and gently shook his head. "Gellert, don't scare these kids. They're not that brave yet..."
"Is that so..." Grindelwald's fingers unconsciously played with his watch chain.
If he said the other students were timid, Grindelwald might believe it; but saying Wilson was timid? Grindelwald couldn't help but wonder what Dumbledore's expression would be when he learned the truth.
"Alright, let's get down to business!" Grindelwald slowly stroked his pocket watch and spoke softly, "I want Durmstrang and Hogwarts to have a Quidditch match. Although I find the sport useless..."
At this point, Grindelwald's tone changed, "But the kids at Durmstrang love this sport. One of them is quite a good player. The Bulgarian Minister of Magic wants him to train with the national Quidditch team next year."
Yes, Durmstrang had produced a Quidditch prodigy, a second-year student who had attracted a lot of attention.
To win over some European Ministries of Magic, Grindelwald invited them to Durmstrang for a banquet and even let them watch Durmstrang's internal Quidditch matches.
After the social event, the Bulgarian Minister of Magic approached Grindelwald, hoping that the talented player could join the national Quidditch team in the future, believing the player was a Quidditch star in the making.
"A player young enough for the national team?" Dumbledore was surprised. "That kid must be a Seeker, right?"
Apart from Seekers, who needed exceptional flying skills and vision, other Quidditch positions were better suited for adult wizards.
Dumbledore quickly realized the issue. His eyes sharpened, "Since when did you start dealing with the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic..."
"They've allied with me," Grindelwald spread his hands, face showing a bit of mock helplessness. "You know, I'm too soft-hearted to refuse those who come to me willingly."
"..." Dumbledore's eye twitched.
There was no need to lie about that in front of him!
Dumbledore couldn't tell if his negotiations with Grindelwald half a year ago were beneficial or detrimental. It seemed like he had unleashed a dragon.
"Let's continue with the main topic!" Grindelwald noticed Dumbledore's helpless expression and laughed more joyously. "You know I don't like them indulging in this sport... So I set a condition for the kid: if they can beat Hogwarts' Quidditch team, he can join the national team."
"..." Dumbledore wasn't sure if he should refuse.
What Grindelwald proposed didn't seem harmful. An inter-school Quidditch match could be seen as a friendly exchange, and letting the students broaden their horizons wasn't a bad thing.
The main issue was...
Would Grindelwald play any tricks?
Dumbledore hadn't anticipated that just six months after their negotiations, Grindelwald had already regained his footing. He couldn't judge if Grindelwald would break his promise.
What if Grindelwald, under the guise of the Quidditch match, colluded with Peter and caused trouble at Hogwarts?
"I need to think about it," Dumbledore naturally didn't want to agree immediately.
In fact, Dumbledore was already looking for excuses to send Grindelwald away, avoiding such a big risk seemed wiser.
If any trouble or danger occurred during the Quidditch match, Dumbledore couldn't guarantee he could protect all the students in time.
"What's there to think about?" Grindelwald casually shrugged, continuing, "If you're worried, we can hold the match at an external Quidditch pitch... And take the opportunity to show everyone that Durmstrang is better than Hogwarts. It might even attract more new students next year."
"..." This statement was a bit too much.
As the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's expression became a bit sour.
Grindelwald seemed to notice and quickly added, "Alright, alright, consider it a signal of our reconciliation, or a sign of peace. Though I don't particularly like Quidditch, at least it will show others that we've truly made peace."
This reasoning was quite sufficient.
Compared to other reasons, Dumbledore thought this might indeed be one of Grindelwald's motives. Saying it could also satisfy many people.
Recently, many had been criticizing their compromise.
If Hogwarts and Durmstrang jointly hosted a popular sport like Quidditch, it might show that their compromise had brought about some positive outcomes.
"I agree," Dumbledore nodded meaningfully at Grindelwald, "Gellert, I hope we share the same goals."
"..." Grindelwald was silent for a moment before chuckling, "At least in the past, we had some common goals. As for the future, who can say?"
"And the timing?" Dumbledore focused on the timing of the friendly match.
"How about Christmas?" Grindelwald suggested a seemingly good time.
However, Dumbledore remembered last Christmas, his heart slightly heavy, because at that time Peter had brought a huge trouble to the entire wizarding world.
"Alright," Dumbledore slowly nodded at Grindelwald.
Other times seemed awkward, so why not choose this special date to see if Grindelwald had any schemes?
If all went well, fine...
If Grindelwald and Peter were colluding again, maybe this could be the chance to deal with them!
With the main purpose achieved, Grindelwald seemed pleased.
But when Grindelwald insisted on Dumbledore showing him around Hogwarts Castle and they arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, he saw someone he disliked...
Newt Scamander!
Newt, who had always disrupted his plans sixty years ago, made Grindelwald extremely dislike the Magizoologist and his creatures!
And it wasn't just that...
Grindelwald saw the familiar gray-haired boy he had seen on the Quidditch pitch earlier, chatting happily with Newt, both looking quite pleased.
"..." Honestly, Grindelwald's good mood soured significantly!
How could this kid get along so well with Newt? Didn't he know Newt was the person Grindelwald hated the most?
If the occasion weren't inappropriate...
If Dumbledore weren't right beside them...
Grindelwald would have asked the gray-haired boy if he planned to betray their blood pact for Newt Scamander.
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