The Return to Hogwarts

"If I'm not mistaken, Amostall's wand is with you?"

Upon hearing this, Amelia was startled, but the look of surprise quickly faded, replaced by a sorrowful expression. If Grevis was the one behind the vampires, then who else could have killed Chago?

"I don't want to harm an innocent wizard—"

There was a hint of regret in Grevis's tone.

"But I couldn't think of any other way. After the joint review meeting, I did hold onto a sliver of hope that Blaine could leave New York as soon as possible, but I didn't expect—"

Grevis paused, looking at the fangs that were channeling power into the pool of blood.

“I didn’t expect Blaine to have this. Morgans told me that if I could get this fang, our resurrection plan would be greatly enhanced, and we wouldn’t have to risk collecting the blood of those magical creatures anymore. I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I had no choice but to do this.”

Grevis sighed softly.

“You guessed right, Mr. Black, it was I who killed Chago Piorio and tried to frame Blaine for it.”

Of course, I knew my excuse was terrible, but that didn't matter. I just needed an excuse—to check if Blaine had retrieved his wand, to examine his belongings, find out where he'd put the fang, and then steal it.

The surging anger within Amelia made her tremble all over!

She finally understood why, based on such an absurd and untenable assumption, Grevis had sent an Auror into her home to threaten the arrest of Amosta.

Grevis knew that Amosta wouldn't agree to his imprisonment so easily, but that wasn't his goal; he just wanted to find out where the fangs were.

"But all of this—"

Amelia, who had only recently graduated from magic school, looked sadly at Grevis, at the fang that contained a chilling power.

"You did all this to gain greater power?"

"Power!"

Grevis gazed at the fangs, his eyes gleaming with reminiscence, and smiled wistfully.

"It's always so fascinating. You all know that my grandfather, Percival Grevis, was once the Minister of Security of the Magical Congress, a powerful and renowned wizard. But just when his career and reputation were at their peak, he encountered Gellert Grindelwald. In the face of that dark wizard, all his power and reputation were of no use."

He was imprisoned by Grindelwald, who impersonated him and became the Minister of Security, causing harm to the city. Although Newt Scamander ultimately thwarted Grindelwald's plot, he could not wash away the shame inflicted on my grandfather, the respected wizard, who eventually died in disgrace and illness.

"so--"

Amelia looked at Grevis in disbelief.

"You were willing to commit the heinous crime of murder in order to gain greater power!"

"I'm just an ordinary wizard, Amelia—"

Grevis's lips twitched, and he said with deep regret,

“I am not a wizard of extraordinary talent like Amos Stark Blaine, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, or that mysterious man from England. I have always been clear about this. We do not have such great ambitions for power.”

"Then why did you do all this?"

Sirius said calmly,

"If you're not seeking greater power, then what is it for?"

Didn't Blaine tell you?

Grevis looked at Amelia, who was also waiting for an answer, and smiled.

He withdrew his wand from its mid-air position, pointed it at himself, and then his robes were instantly torn apart. The four pursuers, upon seeing his naked torso, all displayed varying degrees of shock.

Grevis's upper body skin was shrunken like that of an old man on his deathbed. On his ugly body, his own fine blood vessels formed crisscrossing black lines, and it seemed that the blood flowing in his veins had been completely contaminated by the curse.

Seeing the shock and reluctance on their faces, Grevis smiled wearily.

"So, you understand now, I'm about to die."

Chapter 952 Past Events

2024-06-02

"As I assured you, Mr. Grevis—"

In the ensuing silence, Morgans stepped forward, his head bowed, his expression a mix of guilt and regret. "If our ancestor is resurrected, he will have the power to lift the blood curse—"

"I have no doubt about that."

Grevis glanced at Morgens and said coldly. He then looked at the silent crowd, a smile returning to his face.

"I'm sure you're all confused as to why I've become allies with dark creatures like vampires. Actually, I shouldn't be telling you this, but these secrets have been buried deep in my heart for too long, making me feel incredibly oppressed."

Tonight, all the shackles that fate has placed upon me will be broken, so I am willing to share some of my secrets with you—”

Sirius's expression turned slightly cold. He knew very well that the more Grevis told them, the less likely they were to leave here alive.

"--Where should I begin?"

Grevis seemed completely relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He twirled his wand between his fingers, sighed softly, and his gaze drifted into reminiscence.

“I’ve already told you about my grandfather. Oh, my father is nothing to write home about. He was a poor student at Iphamoni, with no outstanding talents in magic or anything else. In a large magical family like Grevis, his mediocrity made him a laughing stock. Oh, heh heh, perhaps that’s fate’s blessing on him.”

The fangs continuously poured evil magic into the pool of blood, and as time went on, it gradually became transparent.

Grevis released his grip on the fangs and slowly paced along the edge of the blood pool.

“Now that you know my grandfather’s story and my father’s situation, it’s not hard for you to understand the expectations that my grandfather and my family had for me as my father’s only son and a direct descendant of the Grevis family.”

This is a question that doesn't require much thought.

As a direct descendant of the Grevis family, Trak Grevis was certainly expected by his family to secure a high position in the Magical Congress, while Percival Grevis, who was captured and imprisoned by Gellert Grindelwald, certainly hoped that his grandson could avenge him.

"Ever since the day I awakened my magical talent, my grandfather and my family have planned out my future path. They hope that I will be an excellent wizard and that I will stand out from the crowd and uphold the glory of the Grevis family."

I grew up listening to these encouragements, and naturally, I sincerely took them as my life goals. I hope to achieve something great, wash away the shame of my grandfather, and bring the Grevis family to new heights.

With such high aspirations, I graduated with excellent grades and entered the Magical Congress of the United States. Furthermore, at my grandfather's strong request and through family connections, I successfully entered the Department of Security and became an Auror.

Harboring dreams and ambitions, I did quite well in the early days, solving many crimes and arresting numerous dark wizards. People praised me, saying I was worthy of being a descendant of the Grevis family. But I didn't become complacent; I continued to fight against evil, gradually becoming a seasoned Auror. The previous head of the Security Department held me in high regard.

These things don't need to be elaborated on by Grevis; Serena, Eriel, and even Amelia are all very familiar with them.

Trak Grevis is considered a legendary wizard in the American wizarding world. His achievements in his youth are still talked about and remembered.

And that is precisely why it is all the more heartbreaking.

"My early life was smooth sailing. Back then, people thought I would definitely be the next head of the security department, and that I was capable of leading it to make even greater contributions—"

Grevis stopped and looked at the vampires in front of him.

"Then I met them. You've all heard about it. Eight years ago, there was a series of vampire attacks on Muggles in New York. A group of vampires broke the law and attacked Muggles, sucking their blood and taking their lives."

This incident caused a huge uproar at the time, and the public reaction was immense. The pressure from public opinion forced the security department to solve the case as soon as possible. However, these vampires were very cunning, and my superior at the time, Mr. Akratt Nassar, was overwhelmed with the problem and could only hope that I could quell the storm.

After a series of meticulous investigations and a lot of effort, I finally caught the vampires red-handed and led my colleagues from the security department to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Although the matter was over, someone had to take responsibility for the Muggles who lost their lives and the Aurors who suffered heavy casualties in the final arrest operation. Therefore, Arkwright was dismissed by the Council.

"And because of that successful arrest, you eventually became the head of the security department."

Amelia remembered that Narrak had told her and Amosta these things.

"That's right--"

Grevis smiled at Amelia and said,

"Before the official appointment was made, I had already heard the news. Because of the serious injuries I sustained in the final battle, I was recuperating at the St. Josiah Magical Injury Hospital. You can imagine how excited I was when I received this news. My family's expectations, my grandfather's hopes, had finally been fulfilled after so many years of hard work. I was overjoyed and didn't care at all about the dark magic I had been afflicted with."

Grevis's smile held a hint of sadness.

"I couldn't wait to be discharged from the hospital and return to work, hoping to make a difference in my position as head of the security department, but things don't always go as planned, do they?"

Just when my dream was about to come true, the healers of Saint Josiah told me that they couldn't break the black magic that had afflicted me. Based on their observations and judgment, the evil curse would continue to erode my magic and life force; they told me I had at most a few months to live.

Amelia pursed her lips; she had heard Narrak tell her these things.

In an attempt to ward off the curse, Grevis even secretly went to the St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries, but to no avail. In the end, he chose a forbidden drug to prolong his life.

She was quite indignant when she first heard about it, thinking that a wizard like Grevis could not possibly do such a thing. Now it seems that Narrak did indeed tell them the truth.

"So, in order to figure out the curse that afflicted you, you went and cooperated with vampires, right?"

Sirius asked.

"I had no other choice, did I?"

Grevis said,

"Bearing the expectations of so many people and the fruits of so many years of hard work, I was finally about to achieve my dream, only to be mocked by fate. I was unwilling to accept this, and I wanted to continue living. So, I found the vampires I had captured back then and asked them—"

Grevis's gaze fell on Mogens again.

"Now you all know that the vampires committed the killings in order to resurrect one of their ancestors. I later learned that, in fact, for centuries before they slaughtered Muggles, they had been making secret efforts, but they were so careful that they did not attract the attention of wizards."

Over the centuries, their resurrection plans have made little progress, leaving them anxious and frustrated, which is why they have resorted to the risk of harming the souls and blood of Muggles. A vampire who has already been executed told me that this blood curse comes from the ancestors they want to resurrect, and if I want to get rid of this trouble completely, I must help them complete their plan.

Morgans was a survivor of that capture. I found him later and made a deal with the vampires involved. I used my power and the wealth of the Grevis family to fund and protect their plans. In exchange, they would lift the curse on me after their ancestor was resurrected. During this time, I could only survive by drinking dangerous and forbidden potions.

Chapter 953 War begins

2024-06-02

Looking at the man with a weathered and haggard face by the pool of blood, and at his unbearable torso, Selena and Eriel, the two subordinates most furious at Trak Grevis's betrayal, gradually lost their disappointment and anger. They looked at Grevis sadly, unspeakable emotions brewing in their hearts.