The name Grindelwald still hung in the air, though Dumbledore never explained why he had mentioned it in front of Harry and Ron.
But Kai Adler knew.
Back in the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore had clearly seen the magical book laid out in front of Ron—a book bearing the crest of Salazar Slytherin.
Perhaps Dumbledore's words were meant as a warning, not only to the students but to him. A quiet caution against delving too deeply into the legacy of Dark Wizards. Or perhaps… it was to deter him, Kai Adler, from forming a following at Hogwarts—just as the last two Dark Lords had once done.
Back in the dormitory, Kai lay on his bed in the quiet dark, his pale eyes flickering with a cool light beneath the canopy.
Dumbledore… that was a poor move.
"Adler, are you asleep?"
The voice came softly from the opposite bed. Harry had sat up, exchanging a glance with Ron beside him. Both looked over toward Kai's bed with hesitation.
"No," Kai replied, his voice calm. "What is it?"
He didn't move, just continued staring at the ceiling, his thoughts still turning.
Ron rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncertain. He looked at Harry, silently urging him to speak.
Harry sighed, then asked cautiously, "Earlier… what did Professor Dumbledore want to talk to you about?"
Kai curled his lips slightly. "You mean… whether the Grindelwald he mentioned was the same one from the history books?"
He heard them shuffle in response. They didn't answer, which was answer enough.
"Yes," he said flatly. "Gellert Grindelwald. The first Dark Lord. The one who tried to break the Statute of Secrecy and make wizards rule over Muggles."
His tone was entirely unbothered, almost bored.
Even though they had half expected it, Harry and Ron still stiffened at the confirmation.
"Then why did Dumbledore bring him up?" Harry ventured. "Was it… was it something like what happened to Neville? Did Grindelwald hurt your family too?"
That made Kai pause.
He sat up slowly, eyeing the two boys with an amused expression.
"Is that what you think? What if I were his descendant—or his successor? What if he summoned me here to keep me under control?"
"Don't joke about that," Ron muttered. "You even asked Professor Binns about Grindelwald's early years during History of Magic. If you were his descendant, you wouldn't need to ask what your own grandfather got up to, would you?"
Funny, Kai thought. I really didn't know at the time.
He raised a brow but said nothing.
"And besides," Harry added, "Grindelwald hated Muggles. Treated them like insects. Hermione's Muggle-born. And anyone with a pulse can tell you're—well—"
He grinned, "You're completely smitten with her."
Kai smirked faintly, shaking his head. He had to admit—reality was far stranger than fiction.
No one knew Grindelwald had, in the end, repented. That even in his youth, he'd believed Wizards and Muggles should coexist—so long as Wizards ruled. And oddly, he'd supported intermarriage.
But none of that needed to be said now.
Looking at the two boys and their innocent assumptions, Kai only shrugged. "You've seen through me."
But neither of them looked triumphant. Instead, they looked worried.
They had clearly stepped on something sensitive.
"Are you… alright?" Harry asked, voice lower now.
"I'm fine," Kai said. "It's old history. It doesn't concern me."
They exchanged glances and nodded. Grindelwald's reign had ended decades ago—long before their generation was born. If there had been loss in Kai's family, it would've belonged to his grandparents' time.
Their imaginations wandered off into historical trauma. Kai lay back down, allowing the conversation to drift away. There was no need to create a tragic backstory about dueling with a Dark Lord.
The matter passed, just like that.
Time passed quietly at Hogwarts.
Life fell into a warm rhythm.
Lessons by day. Library visits with Hermione. Mischief with Harry and Ron. And Professor Snape's perpetual disdain.
Snape, however, was frustrated in his attempts to pin anything on Kai, whose spotless academic record left no opening for punishment. Ron and Harry, unfortunately, bore the brunt of his frustration—and complained about it often and loudly.
Their lives might have seemed like any other Hogwarts student's…
But not quite.
After classes, they often gathered in the abandoned girls' lavatory on the fifth floor. There, Harry would speak Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets, and their training would begin.
Ron's wand was still broken, but he no longer muttered complaints. He practiced earnestly, following instructions from the ancient text—his seriousness even impressed Hermione.
Kai always sat at a table of his own, a cup of black tea and a plate of pastries at his side, notebook open in front of him. He would draw strange patterns and diagrams none of them could decipher.
When asked, he only smiled and replied, "You'll see."
Harry and Ron also noticed something else: once a month, Kai disappeared for a full day.
And every time, Hermione would look quietly distressed—but never explained.
The next day, Kai would return as normal, and Hermione would greet him with a smile brighter than before.
And so, two months passed.
—
Today, they didn't head to the Chamber.
Instead, they arrived early in the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table, chattering among themselves.
The first term had come to an end.
In two days, it would be December 25th—Christmas in the Muggle world.
Theoretically, Christmas held no real significance for Wizards. It was, after all, a religious celebration marking the birth of a saint—a figure whose true nature, magical or Muggle, was uncertain.
Still, that hardly mattered. Wizards, like Muggles, loved holidays. In the end, all humans sought celebration and warmth.
So they adopted it.
Hermione had already packed her bags days ago. She'd received a letter from her parents inviting Kai to spend the holidays with them.
They had even written: If Kai doesn't come, neither should you.
Hermione had sulked for an entire afternoon.
Now she sat beside Kai, pouting and glaring at him.
Kai raised an eyebrow and offered a helpless smile. "Still upset?"
"I seriously suspect you cast the Imperius Curse on my parents."
She crossed her arms. "Why else would they like you that much?"
"Good character and devastating good looks?" he offered mildly, pouring tea.
"Arrogant," she muttered—but still accepted the teacup with practiced ease.
She turned away, announcing with a sniff that their friendship was officially suspended for one minute.
Kai looked at her fondly, warmth flickering behind his composed eyes.
Across the table, Harry and Ron looked thoroughly satisfied, having just polished off a mountain of eggs and toast.
Ding ding ding!
The sound of a spoon tapping gently against a goblet echoed through the Great Hall.
All conversation quieted as Dumbledore rose in the center of the room, his gaze sweeping over the students with gentle affection.
Kai's expression shifted.
Dumbledore hadn't summoned him once since their last meeting in the Headmaster's office. Not once.
But now…
His gaze moved to the side of the old wizard—and his eyes narrowed.
Cornelius Fudge stood beside him.
Kai's fingers drummed softly against the table.
Now what is he doing here?