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"Oh, my Tommy boy… you've grown up. You used to only seek strength from me, but now… you're beginning to acquire wisdom from me as well! So, since I've helped you become smarter, don't you think I deserve a generous reward?"
Tom was rendered speechless.
After a long pause, he finally sighed and said, "I thought I'd already grasped your essence… but clearly, I've only scratched the surface. That shamelessness of yours… I guess I'll never be able to master it in this lifetime. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get your cut."
Wade cheerfully patted Tom on the shoulder.
"Very good, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. By the way, if you were imitating me just now, it still wasn't quite right. You shouldn't have mentioned money. If I were you, I would've just said it was out of a longing for familial affection and not brought up money at all… That way, the check you received might have had a much higher amount."
"Wade, you're shameless…"
"How is that shameless? If you say you yearn for family, Mr. Riddle would only be more moved! That way, he wouldn't suspect you accepted his offer just for the money."
Tom froze. After a while, he muttered, "I have to admit… you do make a good point…"
"Right? You still have a lot to learn, kid! So… how about an additional tuition fee?"
"..."
Tom was speechless. He had the distinct feeling that he might not even inherit the Riddle family fortune before Wade found a way to scam it out of him…
It seems that the old saying still held true: beware of fire, theft, and Wade fucking Reynolds!
…
Back at Godric's Hollow.
After giving Wade and Tom a few more reminders, Dumbledore left.
By then, Toby had already prepared their afternoon tea along with a tray of pastries.
The two of them settled comfortably into the living room.
"What a pity—if it weren't for needing to guard against Grindelwald, you could've stayed at your old man's estate. That way, this whole house would be mine alone!"
Wade wore a thoroughly greedy expression as he spoke.
But Tom didn't believe a word of it. He knew very well what Wade's true nature was like.
"If I weren't staying here, would you be moving your secret laboratory into this house?" Tom said with a cold smirk.
"What laboratory? I have no idea what you're talking about," Wade replied innocently, munching on a pastry.
"Heh…"
In Tom's eyes, Wade definitely had a secret lab. Otherwise, where did he brew all those potions? And where did he develop all those "fakes"?
Thinking of this, Tom couldn't help but fall into contemplation. Now that he had the funds… should he build a laboratory of his own?
The Christmas break lasted two weeks.
And it started one week before Christmas Day.
That meant there were still six or seven days left until Christmas.
What if… I built the lab at the Riddle Manor? Tom began considering the feasibility of this idea.
A quiet place—where even if he couldn't produce any major results, he could at least secretly master a few tricks without Wade noticing…
"Tom, can I borrow that ring of yours to study for a few days?"
"Hm? This one?" Tom looked at Wade warily. "Why?"
"It might be a relic left behind by Salazar Slytherin, right? Aren't you curious about what kind of powerful magic it holds?"
Upon hearing that, Tom immediately handed the ring over. "Fine, but I want to be part of the research! And don't break it!"
…
While Wade and Tom spent Christmas break in the safe house specially arranged by Dumbledore, doing research,
Anne had already returned to Nurmengard.
As she stood in front of Grindelwald, a wave of unease rose in her heart.
Because her actions—could very well be seen as betrayal.
"You seem nervous, Anne," Grindelwald asked calmly.
"Mm… I… When I was deciphering the ruins with Wade and Tom, I secretly absorbed quite a bit of magical energy… I heard that this kind of magic is very rare… so…" Anne's voice gradually softened.
"Anne… since that magical energy was found by your group, then naturally, it belongs to you. Besides… you were the one who discovered the correct method. That alone deserves a reward, doesn't it? Otherwise, our people might still be blindly flailing around in the Forbidden Forest like headless flies."
Anne's explanation was reasonable, so Grindelwald didn't grow suspicious.
After examining her closely, he added with delight, "It seems this type of magical energy really is quite unique. Your magical strength looks much greater than it did a few months ago."
He paused, then continued, "So by that logic, Wade and Tom must have improved greatly as well?"
Anne quickly nodded. "Yes… they've both made a lot of progress…"
However, even though she answered without hesitation, deep down she desperately hoped Grindelwald wouldn't get a chance to meet Wade and Tom.
Otherwise…
Grindelwald would instantly see that they hadn't been enhanced at all! And then, her betrayal would be exposed!
"Hand over the manuscripts you obtained, and then go rest," Grindelwald said gently.
"Oh… alright." Anne quickly handed over the manuscripts she had long prepared in advance.
Grindelwald took them, and Anne slowly exited his study.
As she closed the door behind her, Vinda, who had been standing nearby the whole time, suddenly said, "That girl… something seems off."
"Hm? What is it?" Grindelwald asked.
Vinda replied with suspicion, "Previously, whenever she saw you, she was always very excited. But just now, she looked too nervous—completely different from how she used to be when meeting you."
Grindelwald smiled. "Don't be so harsh on a child, Vinda. I remember when you first met me, you were also very excited. But now, haven't you grown much calmer?"
"Apologies, sir… perhaps I was just being too sensitive," Vinda bowed slightly.
"Alright, let's take a look at these manuscripts. Regardless, we've already made great progress!" Grindelwald returned to his seat, spread the manuscripts across his desk, and began reading them closely.
After a long while, Grindelwald finished going through the manuscripts and handed them to Vinda, falling into deep thought.
Vinda skimmed through them as well, then frowned. "So the rest of that magical power is hidden beneath Hogwarts now? How is that possible? Wouldn't Dumbledore have noticed?"
Grindelwald shook his head. "If it's like the other magical energy we found—sealed inside a large container made of goblin-forged metal—then even Dumbledore would have trouble detecting anything unusual… otherwise, we wouldn't have only just found this clue."
"If that's the case… why don't we take action during Christmas?" Vinda said excitedly. "We already have all the clues, and during the holiday, most of the staff and students will be away from the castle! That's when their defenses will be at their weakest! All we need is a swift operation!"
Indeed, during Christmas, most professors would return home for the holidays. Even Dumbledore wouldn't be staying at the castle the entire time.
Which meant that Hogwarts' defensive power would be at its weakest during Christmas.
It was the perfect opportunity to act.
"This certainly is a good opportunity…" Grindelwald murmured thoughtfully. "But… I still need to find out where Dumbledore will be. Then I have to find a way to draw him away. If he's present… it will be very troublesome."
In Grindelwald's eyes, as long as Dumbledore was around, Hogwarts might as well be an impenetrable fortress, even if there was no one else in the castle.
"That's not too hard. We just need to stir up some trouble farther away, and Dumbledore will naturally be drawn away," Vinda said.
"Even so, we must move quickly… Dumbledore returns to Hogwarts very swiftly!" Grindelwald said, deep in thought.
"So we must first pinpoint the exact location of the magical power. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes! We only have one chance! If Dumbledore discovers our true objective—"
Grindelwald stood up, his face filled with worry.
"If Dumbledore absorbs that power… the consequences would be catastrophic!"
A Dumbledore empowered by such magic—Vinda couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"That's why we actually don't need to rush, Vinda. We don't have to strike before Christmas… As long as Dumbledore remains unaware, the advantage is still in our hands. If we can locate the exact spot and prepare thoroughly, we can move at any time! And the event used to lure Dumbledore away… it absolutely must not be minor. We've kept quiet long enough… Vinda."
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