A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Grindelwald looked him over for a moment, then grinned and silently mouthed a shape.

Felix's eyes widened.

"An unbreakable oath?" he exclaimed, utterly shocked. His gaze instinctively fell on Grindelwald's wrist, pausing slightly when he saw the charred remains on his left hand before shifting to the hand holding the wand.

“Of course it hasn’t been signed yet,” Grindelwald gave him a strange, wary look. “His statement today is a prerequisite for Lixi, but—well,

After I finish talking to you, I'll go find him. Maybe I'll even run into your little girl minister. With a whole bunch of ministers of magic and their representatives as witnesses—and I believe Abakind will do that—the binding force of the oath will be incredible.

Felix pursed his lips and swallowed.

“Oh, I understand,” Grindelwald said slowly. “People like us aren’t used to leaving our fate in the hands of others, but that’s what makes us more convincing, don’t you think? For example, if I told you now, could you stop all of this?”

"What oath are you planning to take?" Felix asked with some difficulty.

"I guess it's because we can't kill people indiscriminately, and we can't start wizard wars," Grindelwald said vaguely, appearing nonchalant as if he didn't care about the matter.

Felix raised his eyebrows.

"Have you found a way to break the 'unbreakable oath'?"

Grindelwald paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Why do you think that?"

Felix also fell silent.

Is this line of thinking incorrect?

Was Grindelwald really going to swear an oath? Had he lost his mind? A thought flashed through Felix's mind, and he tentatively reminded him, "You want Dumbledore to have a funeral worthy of him?"

Grindelwald immediately sniffed as if he had smelled rotten flesh, his face showing disgust.

“You’ve reminded me,” he said harshly, a smile hidden in the shadows. “Where did you bury him? There are some things I can only say to his tombstone. Don’t tell me he went into hiding, hiding away and afraid to face anyone. I know everything—but it’s good that he’s alive. I’d love to see his regretful expression.”

A moment of silence. Felix raised his left hand, and the emerald ring on his hand lit up, from which letters flew out and fluttered in front of him.

Grindelwald's expression froze.

"What is this?" he asked cautiously. Felix seemed to be able to sense the heartbeat on the other end, but Grindelwald's eyes were like a bottomless well, devoid of any emotion.

“If you were still in Nurmengard, you would receive one of these letters every two or three months, and it would probably continue for twenty years. But that’s no longer necessary.” Felix said, sending the letters flying towards Grindelwald like dove feathers. Grindelwald reached out, and the letters were instantly snatched away.

Another silence fell. Felix suddenly asked, "By the way, if I go to classroom number seven now, will I be able to see Yi-yi?"

“Enough!” Grindelwald snapped, his nails digging into his flesh, but he immediately regained his composure, as if his momentary lapse in composure had never happened. “Felix, something is missing from you, which is why you can’t stop me. I can teach you a trick:”

He said coldly, "You have to burn yourself out."

Grindelwald is gone.

Felix fell into deep thought, walked heavily back to his office, and looked up to see a huge dark figure leaning against the doorway.

"Hagrid? What are you doing here?"

Hagrid was jolted awake. His face was wet with tears, his eyes were red, and he was unconsciously clutching a dirty handkerchief in his hand.

“I…I’ve been waiting for you, Felix,” Hagrid said, somewhat bewildered, then his eyes widened with fear, and his voice choked as he spoke.

“I saw it in the newspaper…Dumbledore…tells me it’s not true.”

Felix hesitated. How should he answer? Should he repeat the lie? The truth could no longer be hidden when Abakind and Grindelwald were bound together by an unbreakable oath.

He stood on tiptoe and patted Hagrid on the shoulder.

Hagrid's expression froze, then he suddenly let out a beastly howl, tears streaming down his face and soaking into his bushy beard. He lunged at Felix and embraced him, who groaned and cast a humanoid armor spell on himself, the spell teetering on the edge; he then cast a silencing spell to prevent Hagrid from waking everyone in the castle.

After Hagrid cried himself to sleep, Felix was as if he'd been pulled from the water. He took Hagrid to his office and let him sleep on the sofa. The next morning, Warren and Felix, who hadn't slept a wink all night because of the deafening snoring, left the office and went to Professor McGonagall to tell her what had happened the night before.

Professor McGonagall looked shocked upon hearing this.

But not long after, Ms. Burns sent word: it was all true. Just last night, hundreds of Aurors were on high alert, and the Ministers of Magic from more than ten countries were present to witness Abakind and Grindelwald signing the pact.

The following morning, Professor McGonagall sadly (but also with a sigh of relief) announced Dumbledore's passing to all the faculty and students.

The students were shocked and deeply saddened. Professor McGonagall hastily announced Dumbledore's last wishes and then hardened her heart to prepare for Dumbledore's funeral. Since it was no longer a secret, she hoped to allow the students to attend the funeral before the students went on holiday to express their condolences for Dumbledore.

Hogsmeade was filled with wizards from all over the world in the blink of an eye. What they heard was actually the news that Abakind had announced to the public. They had set off beforehand to bid a final farewell to Dumbledore's remains.

That night, torrential rain poured down, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts, as if dampened by the rain. The next day, the sky cleared, and the gates of Hogwarts opened wide, as wizards and witches from all over poured into the school. Felix's gaze swept through the crowd; he was looking for someone, someone he knew Grindelwald would definitely appear.

All of Grindelwald's plans will be revealed today.

Chapter 682 The End and the Beginning of an Era

The funeral was held near the Forbidden Forest by Black Lake. Hundreds of chairs were laid out in an open space, but as more and more people arrived, the professors added many more from nearby. All the chairs faced a clean white stone table. A light drizzle was falling from the sky.

The chairs were almost full, but more people were still arriving, standing solemnly in the back.

Grindelwald did not appear until the funeral began. Felix suppressed his doubts and sat quietly in his seat, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Everyone heard music that sounded like heavenly music.

Near the surface of the clear, green lake, a mermaid choir sang mournfully, their pale faces filled with emotion as they expressed their sorrow in the mermaid language. Felix looked up; the fine, silken drizzle had not yet completely ceased, and a phoenix circled high in the clear sky, uttering a poignant elegy. Amidst the mournful duet of the mermaids and the phoenix, Hagrid appeared, carrying Dumbledore's body. He walked through the gaps between the seats towards the front, large tears streaming down his beard and dripping onto the purple velvet draped with gold stars that covered the body.

Hagrid gently placed the purple velvet on the pristine white stone table, paused for a few seconds, his hands still in the position of holding the object. Then he returned to the aisle and walked to little Grop (leaving a large empty space around him), his half-brother, a giant wearing a huge jacket and tent-like trousers, his expression docile, and patted Hagrid's head heavily in a comforting manner.

The music stopped, the mermaid submerged, and her blurred face vanished completely. Only the phoenix continued to glide across the sky. A short man with thick hair, dressed in a black wizard's robe, stood up, walked to the stone table, and turned to face the crowd with a solemn expression. He cleared his throat.

Just then, an accident happened.

A silver lynx landed gracefully in front of Felix and his group, raised its head elegantly, and spoke in Kingsley's voice: "Grindelwald is here! With some men, you'd better be careful, oh my god! There are too many people!" His voice was panicked at the end, and there was no trace of his usual composure.

The wizards in the first few rows looked at each other in bewilderment.

The president of the International Federation of Wizards, Babajid Abakind, frowned and said, "He brought those saints with him? Is it to show off his strength or to guard against our trickery?" No one answered him. A flash of silver light appeared in Felix's eyes, and his eyes widened suddenly.

He stood up abruptly, and before anyone could react, turned to Professor McGonagall and the three heads of the house, saying, “I’ll go first. There shouldn’t be a fight, but—” “Of course there won’t be a fight! He swore he wouldn’t start a wizarding war!” Abakind said, raising an arm where the skin had some strange markings. Felix didn’t look at him, continuing calmly, “But I advise the students—at least the younger ones—to be prepared to evacuate at any time, through the secret chamber.”

Professor McGonagall swayed, her face turning deathly pale. She clutched her collar to confirm, "A lot of people have come?"

Felix said succinctly, "Far beyond imagination." Then, like a drop of water merging into the air, he vanished from sight. The funeral attendees immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. Abakind opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Professor McGonagall stepped across the crowd, raised her arm to signal everyone to be quiet, and said loudly:

“…Hogwarts will protect the safety of all guests. In case of danger, we will be at your front to buy you time. The evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Mrs. Pomfrey. Prefects and professors, maintain order and await the signal. Evacuation point—Potter? Harry Potter?” she called out.

Harry stumbled over, his face still showing deep surprise.

“You know Place One,” Professor McGonagall whispered, “in the secret chamber, inside that statue of a man there’s a fireplace that allows for escape. You can open it with Parseltongue.” With that, she hurried toward the school’s main gate. But after a few steps, she stopped in surprise.

Suddenly, a dazzling white light shone from the sky above the school gates. The wizards who looked in the direction of the light felt a sharp pain in their eyes. Every cell in Harry's body was sending him warning signals. Then the sky darkened. No, Harry squinted, fighting back tears. A phantom Hogwarts Castle appeared in the sky, completely enveloping the white light.

The black castle seemed to be illuminated by white light, the rays like tiny knives, leaving countless deep scratches on the walls in the blink of an eye.

The wall cracked like a water-filled bag, seemingly about to collapse at any moment. Felix turned a page of the book of runes, and tiny runes began to flash on the wall surface—the cracks disappeared.

Grindelwald waved his wand, and all the light disappeared.

Felix looked up, the lines of the castle faintly visible.

“Dumbledore’s moves,” Grindelwald sighed, “left a deep impression on me back then, but after all these years, my imitation isn’t too bad.” The two stood about two hundred feet apart, behind Grindelwald a dense, silent crowd of people, numbering roughly several thousand.

The information Felix received did not match up at all.

A thought crossed his mind: most of these people were just people Grindelwald brought in to make up the numbers.

Kingsley, somewhat embarrassed, said, "There are people in other parts of the school too. They've surrounded the school, but they don't seem to be making a move." Felix looked past Grindelwald into the distance, where some people were pointing and whispering at them.

Further away, wizards continued to arrive, the crackling sounds of apparitions echoing incessantly. The newcomers jostled and craned their necks to look up, seemingly attending a gathering or watching a competition. Felix, however, sensed no pre-battle atmosphere whatsoever.

Grindelwald waved to him.

"We haven't had a proper fight yet. We still have some time before Abakind arrives, so let's take this opportunity to..."

Felix's eyes suddenly turned to the crowd. He used Legilimency, and a spell shot out, but a tall, burly suit of armor leaped out of the Book of Runes, instantly deflecting the spell. Felix withdrew his gaze, his mind filled with even more doubts. These people seemed to have come with a mission, intending to stir up trouble.

But unless Abakind and the other Ministers of Magic were blind, causing Grindelwald to make a false oath, this couldn't have happened.

"Then I'll grant your request." Felix said calmly, and the Book of Runes began to turn its pages with a whooshing sound. Streaks of black lightning shot towards Grindelwald. Grindelwald's eyes widened, and his wand emitted a sharp whistling sound as black lightning flashed in front of him.

At this point, it became clear who among the crowd behind him were elites and who were a rabble. Some stepped forward, joining forces to erect protective magic, but the majority of wizards retreated in disarray. Felix's eyebrows relaxed slightly, but then furrowed again.

"Back off!" Grindelwald shouted, seemingly suppressing his anger.

He raised his wand, and a silver firebird with a body covered in blue flames emerged from the tip. The firebird's two eyes were replaced by crystalline flames.

"A guardian deity?" Felix thought to himself. He hadn't been entirely sure when he saw it in the newspaper, but now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he finally made an accurate judgment.

The castle, conjured in ancient runes and memory magic, solidified from its outline in the air, trapping the strange guardian spirit within. Grindelwald waved his wand, and the firebird instantly expanded a hundredfold, rampaging wildly. At the same time, blue and white flowers drifted down from the sky.

They stuck to the castle walls that Felix had summoned, and in the blink of an eye, the battlefield between the two turned into a sea of ​​fire.

Professor McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, Burns, and Abakind were the first to arrive, followed by a dozen other Ministers of Magic from other countries and their accompanying Aurors, all of whom gaped in astonishment.

An incredulous light shone in Abakind's eyes. Unlike the shock and awe of the others, his gaze also held doubt and confusion.

He rolled up his sleeves, staring blankly at the patterns on his wrist. Had the unbreakable vow failed him, so neither of them were serious? Or was a one-on-one duel not considered starting a wizarding war?

Professor McGonagall and Ms. Burns looked worried. Felix seemed to be at a disadvantage—the entire castle was shrouded in magical flames, and more than a dozen firebirds, larger than fire dragons, poked their heads out from the towers, hovering high up and spewing flames everywhere.

At that moment, Felix tossed the Book of Runes high into the air, and the Book of Runes transformed into a ray of light that merged into the castle.

The castle instantly expanded more than ten times, becoming almost identical in size to a real school castle, with magical symbols flashing on every brick.

It sounded as if shouts were coming from a distant place.

Figures appeared out of thin air in perfect unison—Hogwarts students and professors, wands in hand, chanting spells in perfect unison. In an instant, hundreds of golden-red spells pierced the air. Grindelwald's flames were forced apart, and then one after another, enormous rune creatures appeared, fearless, charging straight into the sea of ​​fire. A few seconds later, a firebird was overwhelmed, turning into fragments of flame, which were then extinguished by the spells of the students below.

If this is a battle fought with the castle projection as its battlefield, Felix has already begun to reclaim lost territory.

Grindelwald waved his wand solemnly. The two seemed to have reached an agreement: instead of using new magic, they would compete in their understanding of spells. New firebirds continued to emerge, and fiery petals rained down from the sky, but it was all in vain. The students in the castle—they were merely images Felix had concocted for convenience, essentially no different from the runic creatures rampaging on the ground—they couldn't die, and were stronger than the real students.

"Is it him?" asked an old wizard with a wrinkled face from the crowd behind Grindelwald.

“Yes, are you satisfied?” Vita Rozier asked. The old wizard coughed twice.

The last flickering flame went out, leaving only the firebird guardian that had appeared at the beginning in the castle. Felix weighed his options in his mind; if Grindelwald only possessed the strength he had displayed so far, he could still handle him. Grindelwald had already put down his wand.

"Stop!" Abakind shouted at the opportune moment. He stepped forward, raised his arm, and said through gritted teeth, "Grindelwald, do you want to break your oath? Do you want to start a war?"

“It’s just to pass the time,” Grindelwald chuckled, following Abakind’s gaze to look behind him. “Oh, I invited them to watch the show. I was worried the funeral wouldn’t be grand enough—otherwise, even my old friend Dumbledore would be disappointed.”

Abakind's expression hardened, and he couldn't help but lower his voice and shout, "Grindelwald, you've broken the rules. If you still want to negotiate, let them leave."

Grindelwald glanced at him sideways. Felix had thought he would refuse, given the huge commotion he had caused, but Grindelwald actually gave in.

“You heard that, you can leave now. Do whatever you want,” Grindelwald whispered, pointing his wand into his ear. His voice carried clearly to everyone present. Then, one by one, they Apparated.