Anne was shocked to witness Tom's tragic death.
She never expected that someone as short-tempered as Tom would choose to sacrifice himself for his friend at such a critical moment, exchanging his life for Grindelwald's.
As for Robert's actions… she really didn't know how to comment. It was a very typical Slytherin move.
If she had been in his place, she would have accepted Grindelwald's offer without hesitation when he promised to give her half of his magical power. Of course, she wouldn't be like Robert, relying on friends to fight for him.
In fact, she couldn't understand why Robert had refused Grindelwald's proposal in the first place.
Grindelwald hadn't even asked them to openly join him! He had suggested that they could join secretly, and if the revolution failed in the future, they wouldn't be implicated. As long as they agreed, they could gain half of his magical power.
Why had Robert rejected such a generous offer? Not only did he refuse, but he also deliberately provoked Grindelwald! In the end, this led to Tom's tragic death.
But… Anne suddenly remembered the way Tom had resolutely detonated the poison gas bomb.
She started to feel uncertain.
Tom had been willing to exchange his life for Grindelwald's, so even if Robert had agreed to join, would Tom have accepted it?
She still vividly recalled how, when Grindelwald had extended his olive branch, Tom had spat in disgust and cursed, "Disgusting."
It seemed that not only Robert but Tom also despised Grindelwald.
While Anne was deep in thought, Robert heard Grindelwald's offer once again.
The smile on his face gradually faded.
"You killed my loved ones and friends, and you still want me to join you? Do you think that's reasonable? Do you believe that everyone is as cold-hearted as you?"
Grindelwald frowned. "Hmm?"
Hearing Robert's words, Grindelwald was momentarily speechless.
"It seems you're not just ruthless but also incredibly thick-skinned… You're the one who is cold-blooded, who kills their own friends and loved ones. What does that have to do with me? If you had put down your wand and surrendered, would Tom still have chosen to die?" Grindelwald said with a sigh.
"Yes! The moment you captured him, his fate was sealed!" Robert's voice was both firm and sorrowful. "He knew I would never surrender, and he knew he would never escape from you. So, to spare me from making an unbearable choice, he did what he believed was the right thing. He chose to die with you… Unfortunately…"
"Hiss… Something feels off… Wait… Let me think… Why do I feel like there's something wrong? I'm actually starting to believe what you're saying?"
Grindelwald frowned and scratched his head in confusion.
Robert was speaking with such righteousness now, yet Grindelwald couldn't shake the feeling that Robert wasn't the selfless, honorable person he was pretending to be.
Robert spoke again, his voice cold. "Don't you get it? Neither Tom nor I would ever join you. We would rather die than surrender to you! We understood each other perfectly. That's why, when Tom was caught, even though I was devastated, I couldn't save him. If I had surrendered just to spare his life, Tom would have never forgiven me. His sacrifice proves that I was right… He died with dignity, refusing to let me be swayed by your tricks. If I surrendered to you now, it would make a mockery of his sacrifice."
Grindelwald scoffed, "You just said you'd give him a grand funeral and burn offerings for him next year. You sounded quite happy about it. I don't see any sorrow on your face."
"If I survive this, then what's wrong with giving Tom, who died heroically, a proper farewell? If I smile, it's because I want to honor his bravery, not wallow in grief. But if I don't survive, then it doesn't matter—smiling or crying, we'll embark on another journey together in death. But why am I even explaining this to you? You don't know what true friendship is. You'll never understand."
Grindelwald: "?"
Sometimes, Grindelwald felt Robert was too much. Couldn't he just talk about his own business without poking at his old wounds?
Meanwhile, Anne stood there, dumbfounded.
Was this really the truth?
Had Robert not betrayed Tom, but rather, had the two of them helped each other in a final act of friendship?
Such unwavering loyalty…
For the first time, Anne felt that the Grindelwald she had once admired might actually be the villain in this story.
"But I had already said I wouldn't hurt either of you," Grindelwald said, exasperated. "In other words, even if you don't join me, as long as you put down your wands and don't interfere with my plans, I won't harm you."
"Really?" Robert sneered. "If Tom hadn't detonated the poison gas bomb just now, wouldn't he have been killed by you?"
Grindelwald fell silent. He had, in fact, intended to kill.
But at least, he hadn't planned to do so in the beginning.
"We won't trust the words of a notorious dark wizard, and we won't let you achieve your sinister goals." Robert suddenly spoke with righteous determination.
Grindelwald's eyes widened. "No, didn't you just say you wanted to kill me to keep all that magical power for yourself?"
"Who says good people always tell the truth? I lied to you, the dark lord—isn't that fine? I needed to keep you distracted! Enough talk! Let's fight. I'd rather die than drop my wand and kneel before you! Expelliarmus!"
Grindelwald dodged the spell and suddenly realized something was wrong.
Robert… wasn't using dark magic?
There was only one reason why Robert would suddenly stop using dark magic and start talking so self-righteously…
"You didn't let me down, Robert…"
A familiar voice echoed behind Grindelwald.
Grindelwald turned abruptly and saw Dumbledore standing at the entrance of the secret passage, a large fiery red bird perched on his shoulder.
A phoenix…
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes. He had overlooked something critical—Robert could use a phoenix to send messages.
Unlike normal magical travel, a phoenix's teleportation ability ignored anti-Apparition spells.
Grindelwald sighed. "When did you return?"
"When you called my student ruthless and tried to recruit him," Dumbledore said coldly. His eyes fell upon Tom's lifeless form, filled with sorrow. "So… You killed my student? Tom… He was a good boy…"
"No, I didn't," Grindelwald said hurriedly. "He took his own life."
"But you held him hostage and forced my other student to make a choice," Dumbledore countered. "He died because of you, Grindelwald."
Grindelwald knew that their conversation was over. Dumbledore had already made his judgment.
"Robert… take Tom and wait for me over there. Once I finish here, we'll…" Dumbledore's voice faltered slightly, his eyes misty with emotion.
Robert exhaled in relief. His plan had worked. Dumbledore's arrival meant the battle was no longer in his hands.
He ran to Tom, knelt beside him, and discreetly pulled out a white ointment.
He smeared it under Tom's nose.
Suddenly, Tom's eyes shot open, and he immediately gagged.
"Ugh! Robert! Did you just feed me something disgusting? It stinks!"
Everyone froze.
The dead couldn't speak.
Grindelwald felt a strange sense of relief without even realizing it.
"Hey, Tom, you actually called me by my name properly this time. That's progress," Robert chuckled.
Tom's eyes darted around as realization hit him. He quickly coughed and changed his words.
"Um… those potions you gave me… they were really strong. My head still hurts…"
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