Early the next morning, Kyle looked at the teacup in front of him with a miserable expression.
If his judgment wasn't wrong, their mode of transport to France would be—
"A Portkey. You've experienced it before." Dumbledore was in a very pleasant mood.
Fine, they could only travel by Portkey.
Apparition consumed too much magic. Even if Dumbledore were a Jinchūriki, he couldn't possibly drag Kyle along for an Apparition straight from the Scottish Highlands to the Alps.
No, wait, a complete Nine-Tails Jinchūriki might actually be able to pull that off.
But there were no Tailed Beasts in the wizarding world, so they had to resort to the Portkey method.
After landing, Kyle pulled Dumbledore along the rugged mountain path. After passing through a barrier, the familiar castle appeared before the two of them.
Unlike Kyle's last visit, waiting at the castle gates to greet him, in addition to Old Man Alfred, was a beautiful young girl with a head of lovely black hair.
"Welcome, respected Dumbledore."
Alfred bowed slightly, then turned to the Little Dark Lord beside Dumbledore.
"Welcome home, Master Kyle."
Kyle had intended to introduce Dumbledore to this butler who had always taken such good care of him, but he hadn't expected Dumbledore to speak first.
"Good morning, Alfred."
They knew each other?
Fine, that wasn't strange at all.
According to Old Man Alfred, his father had followed Grindelwald as a loyal Saint in the early twentieth century.
After growing up, he had the honor of taking over the position of the Grindelwald family butler from his father, serving the Grindelwald family loyally to this day.
Given such a long span of time, it was perfectly reasonable for Dumbledore to know Alfred.
Kyle turned his gaze to the black-haired girl who had been sizing him up from beside the butler this whole time.
What made Kyle curious was the girl's face; it was a completely Eastern face, appearing gentle, elegant, and dignified, like a princess from the imperial palaces of ancient Kingdom.
Sensing Kyle's gaze, the girl turned her eyes—bright as stars and clear as autumn water—toward him.
She smiled faintly at Kyle, and Kyle felt his heart instantly skip a beat.
Oh no, it was the feeling of being lovestruck.
Alfred took the initiative to introduce her: "This is my granddaughter, Catherine August. She is currently a seventh-year student at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She came this time to keep a lonely old man like me company for Christmas."
Catherine lifted the hem of her dress with both hands and curtsied to Kyle in an extremely elegant manner.
This sudden formality made Kyle a bit uncomfortable, but fortunately, he had frantically studied noble etiquette with Alfred for a period before, so he managed to respond appropriately.
After a brief exchange of greetings, the butler led the group into the castle.
In the living room, Grindelwald stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing away from the door. His gaze was fixed on the snow-capped mountains in the distance, his demeanor one of breezy nonchalance, as if Dumbledore's arrival couldn't bring even a ripple of emotion to his heart.
If it weren't for the cup of completely cold black tea on the table beside him, and the slight swaying of his body caused by leg soreness from standing too long, Kyle would have believed it.
His old dad had probably been waiting in the living room for quite a while.
He might have even secretly rehearsed this moment for a long time in private—perhaps even the first sentence he would say to Dumbledore had been decided after careful deliberation.
"You're here." Grindelwald's tone was calm as he slowly turned around.
However, when he met Kyle's meaningful gaze, Grindelwald—feeling like he had been seen through—almost broke character.
Grindelwald swept a glance at Kyle without leaving a trace, his eyes revealing a hint of a threat.
Kyle, understanding instantly, slipped away immediately after greeting him.
Only Dumbledore and Grindelwald were left in the living room.
Dumbledore looked at Kyle's retreating back and sighed faintly, "He's becoming more and more like you were back then."
Grindelwald, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. He didn't speak, but the arc curving up at the corner of his mouth revealed his current mood.
"Gellert, we need to talk." Dumbledore withdrew his gaze.
"I don't think there's anything to talk about," Grindelwald huffed coldly. "He is my son; he is destined to walk this path."
"He is my son too!"
Grindelwald shrugged nonchalantly. "So what? Look who he's closer to."
Watching Grindelwald's roguish demeanor, the corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched slightly.
He still couldn't quite figure it out. He had come first, so why was it that Kyle, after living with Grindelwald for only two months, had a relationship with him as close as if they were thick as thieves?
Was it because of the blood concentration?
Damn it!
Seeing Dumbledore's face instantly turn black, Grindelwald smiled triumphantly.
"What is wrong with a son inheriting his father's unfinished great ideals?"
"We have discussed this many times, Gellert..."
Grindelwald held up his hand, interrupting Dumbledore.
"Albus, you aren't going to bring out that set of rhetoric again about how 'as long as he is happy, it doesn't matter if he's mediocre or extraordinary,' are you?"
Grindelwald let out a sarcastic sneer. "Do you think the surname Grindelwald is really that easy to bear?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment and did not speak.
"Kyle has inherited the magical talent of both of us, and he possesses a maturity of mind far beyond his peers. His brilliance cannot be concealed, no matter what."
Grindelwald took a step forward, staring down his old lover.
"Unless you lock him in Nurmengard, even without my guidance, those Saints will actively seek him out one day in the future..."
Kyle's appearance couldn't deceive anyone; he and the young Grindelwald were practically carved from the same mold.
This might fool those who had never seen the style of the first Dark Lord, but it could absolutely not hide the truth from those fanatical Saints.
Unlike the Death Eaters who instantly became rats in the gutter after Voldemort's downfall, Grindelwald's followers faced almost no purging or accountability after he fell from power.
No matter how heinous the crimes Grindelwald had committed back then, no matter how the people of the wizarding world viewed Grindelwald and his followers...
The vast majority of the Saints who gathered around Grindelwald back then fought for freedom, for truth, and for love.
The power gathered based on these three beliefs is extremely powerful.
This is also why the Ministries of Magic of various countries coincidentally chose to give up on a post-war reckoning, allowing those Saints to go into hiding once again.
If one day, a wizard appeared in the wizarding world with Grindelwald's blood flowing through his veins, and with talent comparable to or even surpassing Gellert Grindelwald, then...
After taking a serious look at the determined expression on Grindelwald's face, Dumbledore knew he couldn't change Grindelwald's mind.
He could only voluntarily take a step back.
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