The Evil Thoughts of Hogwarts and the Genie

Chapter 94 Outdated Old Things

These words seemed to awaken the monster in the cage.

Gellert Grindelwald opened his eyes. His cheeks were sunken, and he had long lost the vigor of his youth. But when he gazed intently at you, even the most compassionate person could not see him as just a pitiful old man.

Those eyes were still bright, almost too bright. Grindelwald stared coldly at the goblin who had delivered the message.

The old wizard felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of this body that had almost lost its self-awareness. Then, he laughed like a vulture.

"Can't you learn to respect others? I'm calling you to come see me, 'you,' not these little toys you've left lying around."

'

Upon hearing this, the genie chuckled.

"Excuse my bluntness, sir, but you take yourself way too seriously."

The fairy, with his hands behind his back, circled Grindelwald's cell twice.

"Respect? Respect what? Respect you? Let's be frank, why should I respect you? You're just an outdated old man, Grindelwald. You can't be so naive as to still have any hope that you have followers or that you might leave this place alive, can you?"

"Impossible, Mr. Grindelwald! Don't get the wrong idea that you can bargain with me—you can't get out, and you can't die, hahaha. I heard you went mad a few years ago—life without magic isn't easy, is it?"

The genie laughed, but after those initial arrogant laughs, he suddenly lowered his voice:

"But the hardest thing to accept is something else, isn't it?"

His implication couldn't be clearer: pain and weakness can indeed torment a dark wizard to the point of mental instability, but Grindelwald's early roars were mostly related to Dumbledore.

Clearly, Grindelwald found it extremely difficult to accept that his former "best friend" had actually locked him up in Nurmengard—a magical prison built by Grindelwald himself; more importantly, he did not expect that Dumbledore would actually ignore him and never come back.

Grindelwald could endure pain, but he refused to be forgotten. Perhaps he could also bear the world's shunning, but the neglect of Dumbledore, whom he regarded as his nemesis and "the only wizard who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him," was like a slow, agonizing torture for him.

Without a doubt, the genie said this to provoke Grindelwald. He wanted to see him lose his composure and suffer.

What? Grindelwald can't come out, can't use magic, and can't attack him? What good would it do the genie to provoke him?

—Indeed, there is no benefit whatsoever.

But he just loves watching it.

The genie stared wide-eyed, wanting to see the demon king in his prison descend into madness. But the old man merely stared back at him coldly, and Edmund almost thought he had developed dementia. Grindelwald stared at him for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.

"It seems I shouldn't have had such high expectations of you, Genie," Grindelwald said coldly. "But that makes sense. So many years have passed, and Oscar hasn't been killed by you yet—you really can't inherit the wisdom from your past life, can you?"

The genie stopped laughing.

The old man practically pointed his finger at him, calling him stupid, and saying that laughing would only make him look like a fool. Edmund pondered for a moment, then snorted coldly.

"You cunning old fool, you know more than that fool."

"But what's the use? You're inside, and he's outside. He's the one who got the magic lamp, made a wish, and became my 'master.'" -- Hehehe, but I don't kill him, of course, because I have my reasons. Just like you called me here, there must be a new plan, a new decision, right?

The genie tried to steer the conversation back on track. He had no personal grudge against Grindelwald, and Aberforth Dumbledore hadn't granted him the power to verbally abuse Grindelwald; continuing their trash talk would just be a waste of time.

"If you're really prepared to just drag this out, then I don't really care. I crave your power—despite being pessimistic about how much 'power' you have left. But in any case, your body is still a useful flag—so,"

Why not make a wish? Make a wish, Grindelwald!

"What does a third of your soul matter if you're just 'living' like this, unable to get out or die? Life without magic must be unbearable for someone like you—right?"

The fairy rubbed his palms together, looking sincerely at the person in the cell, his large eyes gleaming with the genie's own charisma.

"I really don't know what you're holding back for, old man! No one else in this world would offer me such a high price—we're all going to hell anyway, so why make things so complicated? Don't you want to get some fresh air? Don't you want to see your old friend again?"

Let's test his strength now!

Grindelwald remained expressionless, staring at the grotesque goblin. After a moment, he asked softly:

Would you talk to him like that?

The old wizard gave a sinister smile.

"When you were studying in England, did you also have to wear those ridiculous school uniforms and obey professors, genie?"

"Even so, you dare to speak so rudely and make such comments about him, Genie? You've really shown me that Dumbledore's insistence is also a joke."

Edmund, who controlled the fairies, proved it.

But he didn't pretend to be stupid, nor did he ask, "What are you talking about?" Although Nurmengard had become Oscar Soman's base for storing batteries for the Genie, apart from the father and son, even Grindelwald shouldn't know that the Genie's current identity was "Edmund Soman," and therefore shouldn't know that Edmund was studying in England.

But how could Grindelwald possibly let go of this strange silence?

"When I say you lack wisdom, genie, you should understand that I meant no harm. It was just an objective assessment that you don't understand where you slipped up, didn't you?"

Edmund grunted and watched as the goblin rolled its eyes.

"I admit I underestimated you, Grindelwald. I shouldn't have assumed you were senile just because you're so listless every day." The fairy shrugged.

"It was those prisoners with British accents who gave you this idea, wasn't it?" But then he thought about it again and realized something was wrong. "But why do you think I studied in England? You're just having a fit of madness; it doesn't make any sense at all."

Grindelwald stared at him coldly, clearly not intending to tell him how he had guessed it. Edmund didn't dwell on it any longer; he simply snorted.

"Alright, alright, Mr. Grindelwald." The goblin relaxed his shoulders. "If you summoned me here just to demonstrate your extraordinary wisdom, then I can only regretfully say, 'I know.'"

"I hope you understand soon. Make your wish as soon as possible; it will be good for both of us." After saying this, the genie was about to manipulate the fairy to leave.

With a thud, Edmund turned to look. He saw Grindelwald suddenly move; the old wizard lunged towards the cell door.

The runes carved on the railings made a loud thud.

"I want to see you." Grindelwald's eyes were like a steel blade. "I want to see you—your true form, boy."

The former Dark Lord grinned, revealing a ferocious smile.

"You're going to deal with him, you're preparing to go after Dumbledore, I can tell!"

"Then how dare you not come to see me? Little thing, don't you want to learn my magic, don't you want my power?"

"Come to me, Genie—I will teach you how to defeat Dumbledore!"