Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Now, Eric has not only succeeded, but he has also sent a portion of his soul into the locket in front of him.

Only a wizard like Grindelwald could understand just how monstrous Eric was.

Based on this achievement alone, Eric is enough to be considered one of the best wizards of our time.

He pioneered a new field.

Prior to this, no one had ever verified the conclusion that souls could be extracted and combined.

If this discovery were made public, it would undoubtedly cause an earthquake in the magical world.

Grindelwald didn't know how Eric did it, nor did he want to know.

All he knew was that Eric had surpassed everyone else and entered a completely new level.

Chapter 201 Freedom

When Eric and Grindelwald stepped out of the Room of Requirement, they were surprised to find Dumbledore still waiting at the door.

It's the holidays now, and the students haven't returned to school yet. Apart from essential school staff, only ghosts occasionally pass by.

In other words, for as long as they were inside, Dumbledore was waiting outside.

Having recovered his health, Grindelwald saw Dumbledore and couldn't help but snort, saying to Eric, "Our agreement is over."

Eric nodded with a smile.

The two reached this agreement when he rescued Grindelwald from Hilarious Rozier and Voldemort.

Eric attempts to help Grindelwald remove the fragments of his soul from his body.

Grindelwald, on the other hand, would need to become Eric's experimental subject.

Now, the experiment has been a complete success, and the two have each gotten what they wanted.

Dumbledore asked, "How is it?"

Eric said, "It's been very successful so far. I've extracted the fragments of his soul from his body."

“Are there any side effects?”

“To be honest, I don’t know either, because this fragment of soul has been in his body for too long, so long that it has even affected his mental and physical condition,” Eric said. “Expelling the soul now does not mean that Mr. Grindelwald’s condition will improve, Professor, you are both over a hundred years old after all.”

"At this point, all I can guarantee is that his health will not deteriorate further due to this reason, but the effects caused before will still remain."

Dumbledore thought for a moment and asked, "So, this can't be called a treatment either, right?"

“Yes,” Eric said. “To be precise, forcibly separating a person’s soul from their body can have many unpredictable consequences. He is lucky to be alive today.”

Eric explained, “The effects of a separated soul are greater than you might imagine. Mr. Grindelwald may seem fine now, but that doesn’t mean he will be later. This power has been in his body for far too long, and in the process, his own soul has been unconsciously fighting against it, but at the same time, the two are slowly assimilating.”

Eric said, “A wizard’s magic comes from his own soul, whether that soul is good or bad. What I can confirm now is that stripping away that part of the soul’s power will not restore his magic level to what it was before, and vice versa. If you want to increase the quality of your magic, trying to merge with other people’s souls is useless. Voldemort is an exception. I don’t know how he did it yet, perhaps it’s related to the will of the person who offered their soul.”

Before the fragments of his soul were ripped away, Grindelwald was indeed terminally ill.

Since being defeated by Dumbledore and losing his drive, Grindelwald has never been the same again.

His strength has declined drastically, and coupled with the effects of age, he is now at the level of an ordinary adult wizard.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have been kidnapped by Hilarozir when he stormed into Nurmengard.

There are too many spells that can be controlled, and one can take someone away without his awareness, which is not up to Grindelwald to decide.

What Eric did on Grindelwald today was more of a surgery than an experiment.

This is a surgery specifically for the soul.

Eric proved the feasibility of his idea.

Eric gained no less than Grindelwald in the process.

Dumbledore turned to Grindelwald, hesitatingly saying, "Gellert..."

Grindelwald turned around, his back to the two men, and said, "There's no need to tell me this. I know my condition very well. If it continues to deteriorate at the original rate, I'll probably only live for about a year at most. I've been mentally prepared for that."

Grindelwald sneered again, "I'd like to ask you, now that I'm healthy again, what do you plan to do with this hot potato? Do you want to lock me up again in Nurmengard? Or Azkaban?"

Since Eric's successful surgery, Grindelwald has unconsciously exuded a sense of oppression.

This is the aura that originally belonged to the first Dark Lord.

As the only person who could once rival Dumbledore, he certainly had the qualifications.

Faced with Grindelwald's questioning, Dumbledore simply smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, you don't need to go to Azkaban, and I won't let you return to Nurmengard."

Grindelwald gave a mocking look and reminded him, "I am a criminal, the most vicious criminal in history."

“I know, but you have already atoned for your sins,” Dumbledore said.

"Really? When? How come I didn't know?"

Dumbledore said calmly, "That fragment of soul you absorbed, if I'm not mistaken..."

“Stop,” Grindelwald interrupted him, “I’ve already said there’s no need to beat around the bush.”

The two of them were speaking in cryptic terms, and Eric seemed to be deep in thought.

There are very few people who can be so important to both Grindelwald and Dumbledore; you can count them on one hand.

But Grindelwald was unwilling to say, so Eric had no choice but to keep quiet.

“…Alright.” Grindelwald was resolute, and Dumbledore did not continue. Instead, he said, “These are turbulent times. Sending you back to prison would probably cause more trouble for the wizarding world. Not only would we need to arrange for people to guard you, but we would also have to spend too much energy on you.”

Grindelwald is no ordinary criminal.

As the first Dark Lord, he possessed a natural personal charisma.

With just a few casual words, he can sway people's minds.

This is why Grindelwald wasn't imprisoned in Azkaban or any other prison.

No one dared to put him together with the others.

The jailers who guarded him were often so moved by his ideas within a few days that they swore allegiance to him.

After this happened several times in a row, finally, no one dared to send Aurors to Grindelwald's side anymore.

Finally, with Dumbledore's guarantee, the International Federation of Wizarding Societies agreed to imprison Grindelwald in Nurmengard without guards.

Grindelwald retorted sarcastically, "So you mean I'm free?"

"Yes, you are free, Gellert." Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Dumbledore and making him appear even more otherworldly. At this moment, Dumbledore truly seemed like the strongest being in the magical world, his every word carrying an undeniable aura.

“What’s the point of locking up a person who has lost hope, family, friends and ideals in one place?” Dumbledore said. “You can go and do whatever you want, because you are now just a walking corpse. You are no longer a threat to anyone. On the contrary, there are plenty of people out there who want you dead.”

As Dumbledore spoke, Grindelwald's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and didn't let himself fall into a daze.

Dumbledore paused, then said, "Let's go, let's leave this place. As you said before, we will never see each other again."

Grindelwald didn't speak, but silently glanced at Dumbledore and Eric before turning and walking out of the corridor without looking back.

“Oh, and one more thing. Before you make a final decision to leave, I hope you can see someone,” Dumbledore called out to him.

"who is it?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Hilary Rozier, she's waiting for you."

Chapter 202 The Ring of Marvologant

"Hilla Rozier?"

Grindelwald's voice trembled slightly.

This is definitely not due to fear, but rather to emotional fluctuations.

“Yes, she contacted me and asked to meet with you, and I agreed,” Dumbledore said.

Grindelwald's expression grew even colder; he neither agreed nor disagreed.

Dumbledore knew Grindelwald well and knew that this attitude did not mean he refused, so he said, "Eric, could you give Gellert a ride? I think he probably wouldn't want to go with me."

Eric nodded: "Okay, but why are you in such a hurry? Don't you want to see the results?"

“Ah, right, I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

Grindelwald remained silent, walked to the side, and waited quietly, no longer looking at the two of them or speaking, lost in thought.

He had absolutely no interest in Horcruxes.

Neither Eric nor Dumbledore disturbed Grindelwald.

Eric carefully took out the Slytherin locket, revealing a metallic surface that shimmered with a mysterious light.

Slowly, Eric lifted the locket and placed it under the light.

The metal surface inside the box reflects countless tiny rays of light, radiating a dazzling brilliance. These rays intertwine to form a magnificent pattern, as dazzling as a starry sky.

What's particularly eye-catching is that a faint black mist keeps slowly drifting out from the almost airtight gaps in the locket.

The black mist exuded a terrifying and evil aura, forming a perfect combination with the locket itself, making it appear mysterious and profound.

Dumbledore seemed stunned as well, staring intently at the locket in Eric's hand, and said, "You must have gained a lot..."

"Yes."

Eric did not deny it, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Just after he integrated the soul fragments into the locket, he could clearly feel that his spiritual power had reached a new level.

The changes brought about by his extreme mental strength completely transformed Eric.

Now, he hardly needs to pay attention to anything to understand all the information about his surroundings.

Even if he maintained his mental stance, the burden it placed on him was almost negligible.

In this state, one can easily perform transformations on all kinds of objects.

The acacia wood wand and he had an even better understanding of each other, to the point that it was as easy to use as an extension of his own arm.

Eric felt an unprecedented power contained within his body, ready to erupt at any moment.

With Dumbledore's and Grindelwald's discerning eye, they could certainly see that.

Eric is now unstoppable.