"What's going on?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.
Wade explained, "It's a sleeping gas we got from Professor Slughorn. We originally planned to use it in the Forbidden Forest to subdue a troll. I used mine on those people over there, and Tom's portion hadn't been used yet, so when he got caught, he deployed it immediately…"
"Sleeping gas?" Grindelwald looked at Wade suspiciously. The moment he had inhaled that stuff, he had clearly felt his bodily functions rapidly shutting down!
Otherwise, there's no way he would've pushed Tom away so instinctively.
And now you're telling me that stuff was just sleeping gas?
But seeing Wade now looking so obedient and meek—completely different from the arrogant attitude he had shown earlier—Grindelwald quietly shut his mouth.
It seemed this brat didn't want Dumbledore to know he had used something more dangerous than sleeping gas on his classmate, which was why he kept insisting it was just a sedative.
Everything he was showing now… was clearly an act.
And Tom still looked pale and weak, with obvious fear in his eyes…
It was clear that the toxins hadn't completely worn off yet. And Wade had undoubtedly issued him a warning when neither he nor Dumbledore was paying attention.
Still, even though Grindelwald had figured out that Wade was putting on an act, there was nothing he could do about it.
At this moment, would Dumbledore even listen to him? Especially if what he said sounded like slander against his favorite student?
So, he chose to keep his mouth shut.
But because of that, he actually found himself admiring Wade even more.
Cunning, ruthless…
How could someone like that possibly stay under Dumbledore's wing forever?
I'll just wait—sooner or later, he and Dumbledore would fall out.
That thought made Grindelwald feel surprisingly calm, even a little hopeful… Let the spells fly for now.
Compared to Grindelwald's tangled emotions, Dumbledore was clearly in a much lighter mood.
"Planning to subdue a troll in the Forbidden Forest? You two…" Dumbledore looked both amused and exasperated.
These two little troublemakers… even the Gryffindor students wouldn't come up with something as ridiculous as drugging a troll in the forest.
The most unbelievable part was that Horace—that guy—had actually agreed to it… He even gave the sleeping gas recipe to these two first-year troublemakers…
But then again… it was precisely because of that decision that Tom might have been spared tonight.
"You two really are something else… Never mind, go wait over there. I'll deal with you both later," Dumbledore said, then turned his gaze back to Grindelwald. "But first.."
His previously gentle expression instantly turned cold once more.
Grindelwald said, "What, are you planning to kill me now, Dumbledore?"
"I won't kill you. You should stand trial before the world and face the punishment you deserve…" Dumbledore replied icily.
"Ha! A trial? Punishment? Dumbledore, you still haven't learned," Grindelwald sneered in return. "Unless you kill me now, do you really think any prison in this world can hold me?"
"Give it up. It's clear now that everything we once envisioned is impossible to realize… Or do you really want to see the world torn apart?" Dumbledore said.
"There's nothing more to debate on that, Dumbledore… Come on, show me how much you've improved all these years!"
As Grindelwald finished speaking, he raised his wand and fired a flash of green light.
Dumbledore was just as quick. A beam of red light shot from his wand to meet it.
Then the two spells collided violently—just like seven or eight years ago, on the day the blood pact was shattered…
Wade watched as the two powerful wizards in front of him engaged in a full-blown "wand-welding match," then quickly grabbed the limp Tom and dragged him over to the base of the large pillar where Anne was hiding.
Anne was already completely stunned. Whether it was Tom's sudden resurrection or the fierce duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the shock to her psyche was enormous.
"Help me prop him up," Wade's voice came from beside her, snapping Anne out of her daze.
She hurried to support Tom, helping him sit against the pillar.
"That… really wasn't poison?" she couldn't help but ask.
Tom, pale-faced, gritted his teeth and shook his head. "No, it really was just ..sleeping gas. We really were planning to go drug a troll."
Heh~ Wade, hearing that Tom didn't blow their cover, nodded in satisfaction. Then he pulled a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Tom.
"The sleeping gas hasn't fully worn off yet. Drink this, and you'll be fine."
Tom blankly accepted the bottle—then his eyes suddenly widened.
The poison hadn't fully worn off yet?
So that meant… if he hadn't drunk this potion, he really would've died?
And just now, Wade had only given him the antidote after being satisfied with his answer…
So… Wade's earlier threat—that if he said the wrong thing, he'd be "heroically sacrificed"—wasn't a joke at all!
Ruthless! And petty! This bastard is terrifying!
With that thought, Tom didn't dare hesitate. He quickly uncorked the bottle and downed it without even looking.
"Urgh! This potion… why does it taste like sweaty insoles?!"
Wade, still crouched behind the pillar watching the duel, replied, "You should be grateful! That's my improved version of the antidote. The one I smeared under your nose earlier? That was the original formula. Would you prefer that smell instead?"
Tom fell silent. Just thinking of the ointment's stench from earlier… Fine, sweaty insoles it is.
Better than chugging essence of armpit.
"Ugh…"
…
BOOM!
At that moment, Dumbledore and Grindelwald's battle had reached its peak.
They were long past the early-stage "welding sparks" and "beam duels."
Now, spells—some Wade could recognize, others he couldn't—were flying in every direction.
In addition to spells, they were also dueling through Transfiguration…
A massive stone giant, conjured by Dumbledore from rubble and debris, was wrestling against a huge earth-formed dragon transfigured by Grindelwald.
The battle shook the ground and filled the air with dust and smoke…
Eventually, even Wade could barely see what was happening anymore. He silently led the now-recovered Tom and Anne farther back to a safer distance.
Bang!
Grindelwald forcefully knocked aside one of Dumbledore's spells, then let out a loud roar and swung the Elder Wand toward his earthen dragon.
The dragon immediately bit the head off the stone giant in one powerful snap!
However, since both creatures were Transfigured constructs and not actual living beings, even after losing its head, the stone giant's strength remained unaffected. It responded by slamming a massive fist into the dragon's head, snapping one of its horns clean off…
Whoosh!
Grindelwald's wand swept through the air again, and ghostly blue flames surged forth, taking the shape of a massive bat that charged toward the two summoned creatures—and toward Dumbledore behind them.
Dumbledore, still expressionless, raised his wand and released a torrent of orange-red fire.
The fire transformed into a phoenix, which collided fiercely with the ghostly blue fire-bat in midair!
The two Transfigured constructs were instantly engulfed by the flames… and within moments, not even ash remained!
The intense heat reached even Wade and the others, who were hiding far off to the side—it became nearly unbearable.
Tom's shoe soles had even started to melt!
Wade quickly cast a Freezing Charm to form a shield of cold around the three of them, and then led them another hundred meters farther away before the heat stopped threatening to knock them out.
But because they were moving deeper into the chamber, they now found themselves standing right in front of that massive metallic sphere.
A flicker of longing passed through Anne's eyes, but she knew that with Dumbledore and Wade both watching, she had no chance of making a move.
Not to mention, Grindelwald was still present.
So she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at the source of magical power again.
Wade didn't look impressed, and Tom, on the other hand, knowing full well the side effects of that power, showed no sign of temptation whatsoever.
This surprised Anne.
She was certain the two of them had already absorbed some of it… She had experienced that feeling herself—she could only describe it as utterly euphoric.
So why did these two show absolutely no interest now?
After Anne shifted her gaze away from the magical power within the metallic sphere, her eyes landed on Vinda, who was still unconscious nearby…
The situation now was extremely dire.
If Grindelwald won, then everything would be fine. But if he lost…
Then—even if Grindelwald managed to escape—her aunt, and the other Grindelwald followers, would still be captured!
Anne grew more anxious by the second. Was there any way to ensure her aunt's escape?
While Anne was growing desperate, Grindelwald himself was also beginning to feel agitated.
Only after directly clashing with Dumbledore did he realize that Dumbledore's strength had become even more terrifying than it had been eight or nine years ago!
What he didn't know was that Dumbledore had undergone a major internal breakthrough, thanks to Wade helping him resolve his emotional burdens—leading to a massive boost in his power!
Originally, by Grindelwald's calculations, his magical power should've been roughly on par with Dumbledore's, and the outcome of the battle would be decided by magical technique and his wand.
But now… things were going completely against his expectations.
Even wielding the Elder Wand, he still felt a creeping sense of helplessness when facing Dumbledore's attacks!
What had Dumbledore done? How had his strength suddenly become so overwhelming? Grindelwald couldn't make sense of it no matter how hard he tried.
"Gellert, you have no chance of winning. Lay down your wand and surrender," Dumbledore said 'calmly'.
What Grindelwald could feel, Dumbledore could clearly sense as well.
That was why he was now trying to persuade him—and even called him by name.
"No… impossible! I can't lose!" Grindelwald growled, barely managing to maintain control over his flaming bat, veins bulging on his neck and forehead.
"I don't want to hurt you. Drop your weapon and face the judgment of the world," Dumbledore said, still calm and steady.
"Silence! In this world, no one has the right to judge me!"
The Elder Wand in Grindelwald's hand trembled violently as the ghostly blue flames surged higher and fiercer!
__________
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