If Grindelwald had simply ignored Anne, then maybe he really had let her go, allowing her to go wherever she wanted.
But when Wade heard Anne say that Grindelwald had comforted her so kindly, he was one hundred percent certain that Anne had gained some new value in Grindelwald's eyes.
That was the kind of man Grindelwald was. Anyone worth his time to console must have some significant use to him.
Hmm...
At that moment, Wade didn't speak again. He simply stared at Anne in silence, exerting pressure with his gaze.
Anne sat rigidly in her seat, her hands gripping the hem of her robes tightly.
Her heart was already full of conflict. Under Wade's piercing stare, her thoughts had long since tangled into a mess.
The Grindelwald Wade described was not the Grindelwald she knew.
Before, she would never have believed Wade's words.
She had always firmly believed that Grindelwald's noble ideals would surely bring beauty to the world.
And that the path Grindelwald had chosen was absolutely the right one.
But now… that once steadfast heart of hers had begun to waver.
Because Grindelwald's actions over the past few months had completely contradicted everything he once stood for.
And… the way Grindelwald was handling things now—wasn't that exactly the method she had once learned from Wade?
Anne had only passed on those ideas to Grindelwald as part of her duty, to help him better understand Wade and Tom's words and actions.
She thought Wade's views might give Grindelwald a bit of inspiration at most.
She even believed Grindelwald would probably laugh at Wade's unrealistic notions.
But she never expected that Grindelwald would actually follow Wade's words to the letter!
When she later heard her aunt say that Grindelwald, in order to clear his own name, had personally sent his most loyal followers—the Alliance Party—to the guillotine, Anne felt her faith crumble.
Of course, her aunt had only meant to express relief—relief that Grindelwald had saved her at the time, or she too would have ended up dead in Azkaban.
Her aunt could never have imagined how deeply those words would shake Anne's once-unshakable faith.
After all, Vinda had no idea that Anne had truly, naïvely believed in Grindelwald's ideals, rather than simply working for the sake of the Rosier family's interests.
And now, the image of Grindelwald—betraying his comrades and showing such ruthless indifference—was no different from the so-called "slander" the outside world had always hurled at him.
She had once thought those accusations were just the world's attempt to smear a reformer. But now, she had seen it with her own eyes.
She had spent the entire holiday trying to convince herself that there must have been a reason behind everything Grindelwald did, that she was simply overthinking it.
Later, when Grindelwald offered her a few comforting words, she finally managed to calm down a little, forcing herself to stop dwelling on those troubling thoughts.
More accurately, she had simply found an excuse to avoid facing them.
But she never expected Wade to tear off that carefully placed veil again—so ruthlessly—exposing all the bloody truths she had been avoiding.
The harsh reality she'd tried so hard to ignore was once again laid bare before her eyes.
"I can tell you're deeply conflicted right now. Maybe even on the verge of breaking down," Wade finally withdrew his intense, probing gaze.
Anne's body relaxed all at once, realizing her back was completely soaked in sweat.
Her eyes, however, were filled with even greater confusion.
"No… there must be a reason for what Mr. Grindelwald did…" Anne whispered under her breath.
Across from her, Tom, who had been quietly reading, looked up and asked, "What did you do to her? You didn't make her stupid or something, did you?"
Just now, Wade had only stared at her for a while, and then she'd gone completely blank, like she'd lost her mind.
Given what Tom knew of Wade's bizarre tricks, it was hard not to suspect that he had used some strange method again.
"I didn't do anything. I just put the problems she's been avoiding right back in front of her," Wade said vaguely as he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and popped it into his mouth.
"So she… made herself stupid?" Tom frowned.
Wade looked down at the Chocolate Frog card in his hand—it showed a rather odd-looking wizard.
"It's normal. When someone's long-held beliefs collapse all at once, they're bound to act a little strange."
"Beliefs collapsing? Don't tell me she actually believed all that nonsense Grindelwald preaches?" Tom said incredulously.
Wade chuckled. "You've got some nerve laughing at Anne. Weren't you almost convinced yourself once?"
"Hah. I only believed in the benefits he could offer me. Ideals? Don't make me laugh. There are no such noble ideals in this world," Tom sneered.
"You're wrong about that," Wade replied, tossing the empty wrapper aside. "There are noble ideals in this world. They just don't exist in the hearts of ambitious men like Grindelwald."
As he spoke, he casually flicked the Chocolate Frog card toward Tom.
"What am I supposed to do with this? And why does this guy look so weird?" Tom complained.
"Ha! You unfilial brat—don't tell me you didn't recognize your own ancestor, Salazar Slytherin?"
Only then did Tom notice the name printed on the card.
"What the fuck.. They made Slytherin look hideous! I'm writing a letter of protest tomorrow!"
Tom slipped the card into his pocket without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"Ha, Tom, your ability to play dumb is improving," Wade said dryly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Wade. You'd better think about how to calm down Miss Rosier instead—she's crying because of you. If another student sees her like this, it'll be hard to explain."
Wade turned his head, and sure enough, Anne's face was streaked with tears.
Through the aid of Legilimency, Wade could clearly sense what she was feeling.
The person she had admired most—her great idol—had crumbled before her eyes, and the ideals she had held so tightly to were now collapsing with him.
The worst part was, she had no one to talk to. Her family were all fervent followers of Grindelwald. There was no one who could understand her doubts, let alone advise her.
For the first time, she felt lost—abandoned by the very era she belonged to.
In Wade's mind, he could only sigh. Girls really did have complicated and messy thoughts.
"There's nothing worth mourning or being confused over. That old man Grindelwald isn't worth your tears," Wade said.
Anne wiped her face. "I… I don't know what to do now. I can't get out anymore…"
She knew Grindelwald was using her. She knew what she was doing was wrong. But what else could she do—just stop?
But if she didn't continue, would someone like Grindelwald really let her go?
At this point, Anne was already completely trapped—it was nearly impossible for her to pull herself out of Grindelwald's mess.
Even though she knew the path she was on was no longer right, she had no choice but to keep walking down it.
"It's not that complicated. In fact, it's quite simple, Anne," Wade said with a smile.
A faint glimmer of hope appeared on Anne's face. She genuinely hoped Wade could show her a way out.
"Just do what Tom did—side with me!"
"Pfft!" Tom, who had been sipping juice across from him, instantly sprayed it all over—straight toward Wade's face.
Unfortunately for him, Wade was well-prepared; the juice splattered harmlessly against an invisible barrier and... rebounded back!
Tom jumped up in frustration, wiping himself clean with his wand while cursing.
"Wade Reynolds! When did I ever say I was siding with you!?"
"Oh, Tom, still as stubborn as ever…"
"Stubborn my a—!"
Tom hadn't even finished swearing when he noticed that Wade had quietly taken out his wand and was slowly polishing it.
"Yes, I did side with Lord Wade," Tom admitted honestly.
When Wade wasn't being serious, he could joke around with him and maybe even benefit a little. But when Wade was serious, it was best to know one's place.
And with Tom's sharp instinct for reading the room, he was absolutely sure—Wade wasn't joking right now. So he immediately backed down.
"Me? Side with you?" Anne's eyes widened.
"You should know what I'm capable of… You didn't actually think the things I told you before the summer break were just idle talk, did you?" Wade said with a calm smile.
Anne suddenly froze, realization dawning on her—Grindelwald had changed his methods precisely because of the things she told him, which came from Wade!
That meant Wade had known her identity all along!
In other words… Grindelwald, that terrifying man, had actually been manipulated by a boy who hadn't even come of age yet?!
And those times Wade had let her absorb magical power—knowing full well who she was—he'd still allowed it!
He'd even given her the chance to claim a massive share of it for herself…
There was no doubt about it—Wade had planned it all deliberately.
Thinking back to the sleeping potions, the dung bombs, and the captured Grindelwald followers… it all lined up perfectly. That had to be one of Wade's traps. But what was the purpose of that trap?
Grindelwald failed because of it, grew discouraged, and then, through her own mouth, Wade fed him a new method to follow.
In the end, Grindelwald did exactly what Wade had wanted.
Realizing all this, Anne felt a chill spread through her chest.
She had only just learned when her cover had been blown and hadn't had time to think about everything that followed. But now that she connected the dots, she finally understood how terrifying Wade Reynolds truly was.
Grindelwald, the Alliance, even Dumbledore—all of them were pieces on his chessboard.
And this terrifying person… was only twelve years old.
Maybe… maybe someone like him really could help her escape her predicament.
"You… you really can help me?" she asked quietly.
"You've misunderstood, Anne. I'm not helping you. I just happen to need you as a piece on my board. Since I need this piece, I'll naturally protect it. And unlike Grindelwald, I'm not so heartless— even a useless piece, I wouldn't discard without reason."
"Alright… I… I don't really have any other choice anyway."
Though Wade's words were brutally honest, they were still better than Grindelwald's empty promises and manipulative lies.
And after the mess she'd caused before, even if Grindelwald still found her useful now, who could guarantee he wouldn't settle accounts with her later?
At this point, Anne no longer dared to trust Grindelwald's character at all. She might as well take a gamble.
_________
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