Early the next morning, Robert had already packed his luggage.
Of course, all the luggage in front of Toby was just a small suitcase. The Traceless Stretching Spell that Robert had been practicing these days had not been in vain. Though he wasn't particularly skilled yet, he had managed to expand the space of his suitcase to about one cubic meter. Because of this, even after putting all his books inside, there was still plenty of space left.
"Alright, Toby. While I'm at school, you stay here and take care of the plants in the yard. I've already taught you all the methods..."
"Yes, Master Wade! Toby will definitely complete the task you assign me!" Toby, wearing a big gold ring, immediately responded loudly.
Robert nodded with satisfaction and looked at his small suitcase again. At least now, he no longer had to drag a ridiculously large suitcase to school.
Tom, observing this, stroked his chin as he looked at Robert's compact suitcase and then at his own large one.
"I seem to recall... the Traceless Extension Charm is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. Private individuals aren't allowed to use it casually."
Robert glanced at him and said, "Why? Are you going to report me?"
"You never know..." Tom said meaningfully.
"Tom... you just want me to use the Traceless Extension Charm on your suitcase, don't you?" Robert smirked. "You think that if you imply you might report me, I'll use the spell on your suitcase to stop you, right?"
The smug expression on Tom's face instantly disappeared.
"Actually... why make it so complicated? You just need to ask politely, and I might consider helping you." Robert smiled.
"Hmph… boring…" Tom, embarrassed at being seen through, put on a stern face, pushed his suitcase, and walked towards the fireplace.
"Tom, saying 'please' isn't that difficult. How about you try it?"
"Even if I'm burned to death by the fireplace, teleported wrong by Floo Powder, or crushed to death by my suitcase, I will never say 'please' to you!" Tom snapped.
"This kid is really stubborn…" Robert shook his head, sitting back at the dining table. "But no matter how stubborn you are, you need to eat breakfast first. It's not time to leave yet."
Tom, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks. He was actually quite hungry.
"I was just moving my luggage in front of the fireplace so I can leave later. Who said I was leaving now?" Tom said, sitting down and eating breakfast as if nothing had happened.
"Meow~"
Tom Cat suddenly walked over to Robert, placed its "hands" on Robert's thighs, and drooled at the sausages on his plate.
Robert put down his fork and rubbed the cat's head. "You're already a mature cat. If you're hungry, you need to learn to cook for yourself."
"Meow?"
On the Hogwarts Express
Robert sat by the window, reading a book.
Next to him, an incubator held Nagini, who was hibernating. Tom Cat, meanwhile, was sound asleep in a makeshift nest nearby.
It was just that… Tom Cat was starting to act more and more like a human.
It used to curl up when it slept, but now… it sprawled out on its back like a person.
Tom had been observing the cat for a long time.
"So... what exactly did you do to it?" Tom asked, breaking the silence.
"It was just a small experiment... Though, there was a slight unexpected outcome."
"A slight unexpected outcome?" Tom sneered. "The only thing missing now is the ability to speak!"
Robert put down his book and said helplessly, "This was a rare coincidence. Otherwise, I would've given it a few more companions."
He glanced at Tom and added, "After all, animals are often more trustworthy than people..."
Hearing this, Tom frowned and put down his quill. "Will you ever speak without throwing in a jab?"
"Can you blame me? Not only did you write a letter to report me, but you did it right in front of me. I was just reading a book, Tom, I'm not blind."
"You're slandering me." Tom silently crumpled the letter on the table into a ball and set it on fire with his wand.
"No, I'm really not blind…"
Before Robert could finish, the compartment door opened.
Anne walked in quickly. "I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Robert asked.
Anne sat beside him, looking anxious. "Aren't you worried at all?"
Robert and Tom exchanged glances. "Worried about what?"
"Didn't you write to me saying that you received a gift from... that man? The one thing we've been searching for?"
"Indeed..." Robert nodded. "Though I have no idea where he got it from."
"I suspect he found it in the Forbidden Forest!" Anne said urgently. "We searched several places before but only found that 'thing' in one location, right? Is it possible... that he took everything before we got there?"
"That's very possible," Robert admitted. "But more than whether he took everything, I'm curious how he knew we were looking for it."
Anne suddenly froze.
"Could it be... he doesn't know we were searching for this thing? Maybe he just knows you crave power and decided to give it to you?" Anne suggested hesitantly.
"That's also possible." Robert nodded. "If that's the case, it's a pity. It seems we weren't meant to have it."
Anne was stunned. "You're just... giving up?"
"What else can we do? Attack Nurmengard, kill Grindelwald, and take it back?" Tom sneered. "I'd love to, but do you think we're capable of that? Are we even worthy of that power?"
"This..."
"What Tom said is right. Now that he's taken it, we've lost our chance," Robert said.
Anne quickly interjected, "Then maybe we could—"
Robert cut her off. "What? Go to Nurmengard and join him? And if he doesn't accept us, we die? Even if he does, what if he never gives us power? That would be a wasted trip. We have a stable life now, and we can get stronger over time. Why risk Nurmengard? If we missed it, we missed it. Life is full of regrets."
Anne was speechless.
According to Grindelwald's orders, she was supposed to lure these two power-hungry boys into joining him.
But before she could even start persuading them, Robert and Tom had already blocked her arguments.
She had no choice but to keep silent. She couldn't reveal her true intentions.
If they found out, what if they turned her over to Dumbledore? She didn't want to end up in Azkaban...
At Hogwarts Castle
In Dumbledore's office, a visitor arrived.
"My name is Achilles Tolliver, and I'm an Auror from MACUSA," the man said, staring at the strange drink in front of him.
"Hello, Mr. Tolliver." Dumbledore smiled. "This is a drink one of my students introduced me to—milk tea. You should try it. It's quite good."
Tolliver took a sip and nearly choked on the excessive sweetness. Even as an American, it was too much.
"Ahem..." He quickly put the drink down. "I came here for something important."
Dumbledore's expression turned serious.
"Is it... him again?"
Tolliver nodded. "Since Christmas Eve, people have been disappearing—high-ranking officials, Aurors, clerks... all from the Magical Congress."
"Disappearing?"
"Yes. Chairman Picquery is certain it's Grindelwald. Now, the entire Magical Congress is locked inside the building. No one dares leave."
Dumbledore frowned deeply.
"That means... there are spies in the Congress."
"Yes. Just like what happened with Director Graves..."
Dumbledore nodded grimly. Grindelwald had impersonated Graves before.
And now, it seemed he was using the same trick again.
But why?
What was he planning this time?
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