Very soon, all the professors were revived by Headmaster Dippet.
When Professor Slughorn saw that Wade and the other two were actually here, he was immediately shocked.
After all, Grindelwald had just been here!
If anything had happened to them… the consequences would have been unimaginable!
After that, Headmaster Dippet instructed Professor Gallic to notify the Aurors, then gathered with the other professors to hear from Wade exactly what had happened tonight.
So, Wade presented the explanation he had already prepared.
He began with how they had accidentally discovered a source of magical energy that could enhance one's power. Then, the three of them followed the clues and eventually uncovered the location where that power had been hidden…
Later, while investigating that power, they just happened to run into Grindelwald and his group of followers!
As it happened, Wade had brought along some sleeping gas dung bombs—crafted using a recipe Professor Slughorn had given them.
So, while the professors were battling Grindelwald, Wade used a prearranged method to summon his house-elf from afar and had it carry a note back to the phoenix, who then delivered the message to Dumbledore and brought him back to Hogwarts.
In the meantime, Wade used the sleeping gas dung bombs to nearly wipe out the Alliance members in one go!
And then, in front of Grindelwald, he held out just long enough for Dumbledore to return to Hogwarts…
Until Dumbledore personally defeated Grindelwald in a head-on duel!
After Wade finished delivering the speech he had carefully prepared, the professors all fell silent.
It wasn't until a long moment later that Headmaster Dippet finally spoke. "Wade, have you three… considered the fact that, throughout this entire process, you've probably broken at least a hundred school rules?"
"Apologies… Headmaster Dippet, it really is our fault… we're ready to accept any punishment," Wade said, bowing his head in guilt.
Tom added, "I'm sorry… we were just too eager for power… we… we couldn't resist the temptation…"
"We'll go pack our things now…" Anne said, turning away with a crestfallen expression.
At that moment, the three of them moved in perfect sync. Wade and Tom immediately followed behind her with matching expressions of helplessness and sorrow.
Anytime.. now.. Wade thought while walking.
"What are you packing for?" Professor Slughorn asked loudly.
Heh~
"We understand. We broke at least a hundred school rules, so… expulsion is the only outcome…" Anne replied, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.
Professor Slughorn grew anxious. "You caught so many Alliance members! And you even held out in front of a powerful dark wizard like Grindelwald until Professor Dumbledore returned! That alone is enough to earn you a Special Service Award! Compared to that, breaking a few school rules hardly matters at all!"
He quickly looked toward Headmaster Dippet. "Armando… I…"
"No need, Horace," Headmaster Dippet said. "Although they did break quite a few school rules, their motivations were… well, very Slytherin. Understandable. And they did accomplish a great feat. I'm not so senile that I'd expel the most talented students Hogwarts has."
All three—Wade, Tom, and Anne—exchanged knowing looks and broke into smiles.
But Headmaster Dippet immediately straightened his face. "Don't get cocky! You should be thankful your contributions outweigh your misconduct, or else… hmph! Still, while expulsion is off the table, punishment is unavoidable. Horace, I'll leave that to you."
"Understood, Headmaster Dippet!" Professor Slughorn replied with a cheerful grin, his round belly jiggling with laughter.
Among the professors present, only Professor McGonagall looked a little dissatisfied.
Of course, even she wasn't calling for expulsion—she just thought that, at the very least, Slytherin should be docked three hundred points or so.
"Well then, let's go take a look," Headmaster Dippet said. "Let's see if this so-called magical power is really as temptingly irresistible as they claim." With that, he led the group of professors into the chamber.
Anne watched them go with deep regret written all over her face.
With Grindelwald defeated, there was no way she'd ever get her hands on that much magical power again.
But thankfully, she had secretly absorbed quite a bit earlier…
As Professor Slughorn passed the three of them, he smiled and gave Wade a hearty pat on the shoulder, then gave them a thumbs-up.
Though the three had broken dozens upon dozens of school rules, they'd managed to capture so many of Grindelwald's followers—and even more importantly, their timely warning had allowed Dumbledore to return to Hogwarts in time, leading to Grindelwald's defeat.
All of this made the Slytherin Head of House feel immensely proud.
Once the professors entered the chamber, they were immediately stunned by the devastation inside.
For a battle to leave behind this level of destruction…
It was hard to imagine just how terrifyingly powerful those two wizards must have been.
The professors quickly gathered around the goblin-forged metal sphere.
As they began examining the magical energy inside, Wade turned to Professor Slughorn and said,
"Professor, we're really exhausted… Could we go rest first? Maybe the punishment can wait until tomorrow?"
He knew better than anyone what was inside the metal sphere—there really wasn't anything new to see.
Besides, he'd overexerted himself with too many Nightmare spells tonight. He was truly at his limit.
Though he was curious to know whether Dumbledore would manage to catch Grindelwald… right now, he just didn't have the energy to wait for the news.
"Don't mention punishment again," Professor Slughorn said in a hushed voice, glancing discreetly in Professor McGonagall's direction.
After confirming she hadn't overheard, he continued, "I'll find a way to smooth that over… Let's just say you've all been severely shaken tonight. Head to the Hospital Wing for a check-up. You'll stay there overnight."
"Uh…"
"No objections. Grindelwald knows a lot of strange Dark Magic—what if you've been hexed and we don't catch it? Be good! Get to the Hospital Wing and get checked!"
And so, that night, the three of them had no choice but to have their bodies examined in the Hospital Wing and remain there overnight.
Naturally, nothing was wrong with them physically, so after drinking a mild calming potion, they each drifted into a deep sleep in their hospital beds.
…
The moon hung high overhead.
Dumbledore stood in the moonlit Forbidden Forest, letting out a quiet sigh.
Grindelwald hadn't been wrong—no matter how much stronger he was now, if he wasn't willing to kill him, he wouldn't be able to stop him.
As expected… Grindelwald had escaped, and even managed to take one of his followers with him.
After letting out another sigh, Dumbledore, concerned for the school's safety, headed straight back to Hogwarts.
Not long after he left, a strange ripple shimmered across the surface of a large tree not far from where he had just stood.
Then, a layer of bark peeled away.
A pale-faced Grindelwald and Vinda stepped out from a hidden hollow within the tree.
"Haah.. I didn't expect… to lose this badly tonight…"
Grindelwald had originally thought that, with his strength, even if Dumbledore returned, he would still be able to retreat safely.
But he hadn't expected… Dumbledore, somehow, had become much stronger.
Caught off guard, Grindelwald had even lost the Elder Wand…
Even though he had spoken defiantly, saying he'd take the wand back someday—he knew exactly how difficult that would be.
Dumbledore was already powerful enough, and now, with the Elder Wand amplifying his magic… Fuu..
"Vinda, we'll have to lay low for a while…" Grindelwald said quietly, looking defeated.
"Sir… we haven't truly lost. At the very least, the operation over at the MACUSA was a great success," said Vinda. "We can begin transferring our remaining forces to the United States in secret, in batches, and go underground. Then, we'll find a way to seize control of the Magical Congress once and for all."
"Alright… let's head back. As for Oliv and the others, we'll also need to find a way to rescue them. But for now…"
"Preserve our remaining strength first… and we must hurry back to relocate the rest of our people! Even if they've all undergone training, they won't be able to completely keep their mouths shut under a high dose of Veritaserum!" Vinda said anxiously.
Her gaze was full of gratitude. She knew very well—if Grindelwald hadn't reached back to pull her away when they escaped, she'd likely be lying on the ground right now with the rest, waiting to be hauled off to Azkaban by the British Ministry.
Azkaban… the most terrifying wizard prison in the entire world… She shuddered.
…
By the time Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, the Aurors had already arrived.
He ran into the lead officer at the gate.
And that officer was none other than Newt's brother—Theseus Scamander.
"Dumbledore, did you catch Grindelwald?" Theseus asked bluntly.
Dumbledore shook his head with regret. "I defeated him… but if he's determined to flee, even I have difficulty holding him back."
"What a shame… If the Aurors had been present tonight, we could've taken him down for sure!" Theseus said with frustration, a flicker of hatred in his eyes.
"Don't say that. The situation came on suddenly—you already responded incredibly quickly," Dumbledore said at once.
"Alright, enough talk. I need to take all of them back first. I'm sure we'll be able to get something useful out of them," said Theseus, motioning for the Aurors to load the unconscious Alliance members onto the Thestral-drawn carriages.
After sending off the Aurors, Dumbledore immediately returned to the secret chamber.
He arrived just in time to see Headmaster Dippet directing the other professors as they sealed off the chamber.
"Armando, how are Wade and the others?" Dumbledore asked anxiously.
"They've all gone to the hospital wing for check-ups. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be fast asleep by now… After running around all night like that, it's a wonder those kids held up at all," Dippet said casually.
"I see…" Dumbledore sighed.
From Dumbledore's expression, Dippet could already guess the outcome of his pursuit.
"No need to sigh. If that man were so easy to catch, he wouldn't have stirred up such chaos across the magical world of Europe. But… thanks to Wade and the others stumbling into things, Grindelwald did take a serious hit tonight. I'd say it won't be so easy for him and his Alliance to swagger around like before. After all, he left his most elite subordinates behind tonight…"
Hearing that, Dumbledore felt a bit of the weight in his chest lift.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he opened his mouth to speak—
"I know what you're about to say. Yes, Wade and the others may have broken at least a hundred school rules—more daring than most Gryffindors—but no, I won't expel them. I'm actually considering whether to award them a Special Services to the School Award."
__________
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