At the start of this term, she had learned what Dumbledore intended for Wade to do.
Because of that, she had been quite worried about him.
So much time had passed that Dumbledore must have already explained everything to Wade.
Which made it obvious who the student coming to see him at this hour was.
Seeing no movement in the corridor, McGonagall sighed. "I know what you're doing, Wade. Don't worry, come out. I won't deduct any points."
At that moment, Dumbledore also walked to the doorway, a hint of helplessness on his face.
He knew it would be difficult to hide things from McGonagall. She had always been exceptionally sharp, even as a student.
Dumbledore glanced at the empty corridor. "Wade, stop hiding. Come out."
The next second, in the middle of the corridor, Wade's figure suddenly appeared, as if stepping out of thin air.
Dumbledore's eyes lit up slightly. "Wade, even I couldn't see through your Disillusionment Charm…"
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, good evening," Wade said, his smile a little stiff.
He wasn't sure if he was mistaken, but he thought he saw a trace of distress on McGonagall's face.
Shouldn't she be angry and deducting his House points? Why did she look like that?
"Come in," McGonagall said gently, turning back into the office.
Wade looked at Dumbledore in surprise.
Albus Dumbledore smiled and nodded to him, and only then did Wade follow him into the office, still somewhat confused.
Professor Minerva McGonagall closed the door and looked at the two of them.
At the same time, Wade and Dumbledore were also looking at her.
"Albus, please, I'm also part of Hogwarts. Can you stop keeping everything from me? Even Wade, a student, has contributed his part. Am I really so unqualified…" McGonagall grew more emotional as she spoke.
Dumbledore had involved even a second-year student like Wade, yet she, a professor, had been kept in the dark. No matter how she thought about it, it felt wrong.
Hearing this, Dumbledore couldn't help but glance at Wade.
Wade shrugged. "If you put it that way, then you really are in the wrong, Professor Dumbledore. How could you keep it from Professor McGonagall?"
Sorry about that, Professor Dumbledore. I'm not the one who kept it from her, so don't drag me into this with you.
Dumbledore could only sigh. "That's not what I meant, Minerva. It's just that this matter… is somewhat complicated and somewhat dangerous. So until a critical moment, I wasn't planning to involve more people…"
"I know what you're worried about, Albus… but what's so complicated about this? To oppose Grindelwald, I've been involved over the years as well. I've fought the Wizards under him. Wouldn't it be better if more of us participated and worked together? I don't understand… why you insist on keeping us professors out of it. Or do you think we're not capable enough?" McGonagall said, puzzled.
Wade turned and added, "Yeah, why?"
Dumbledore shot Wade a glare. This boy was only making things worse.
He turned back and said earnestly, "This has nothing to do with ability, Minerva. I am well aware of your exceptional capabilities. But… secrecy ensures success. When facing an enemy like Gellert Grindelwald, one cannot be too cautious. The fewer people who know our plans, the lower the risk. Even if you don't know now, when the time comes to act, I will still need your help."
McGonagall sighed upon hearing this. She looked at Wade, then at Dumbledore. Although she understood Dumbledore's concerns, she still didn't want to remain uninvolved.
No matter how capable Wade was, he was still her student. Watching her own student step onto the front lines while she could do nothing was a feeling she found hard to accept.
After a long while, she said quietly, "If that's the case… then I'll take my leave. You two can talk…"
"Please wait, Minerva." Dumbledore stopped her. After a moment of thought, he continued, "Since you're here tonight… stay. In fact, I don't yet know what Wade wishes to report."
Wade said, "Professor, the current Grindelwald may be more dangerous than before, but that's in terms of the bigger picture. As long as you are here, under your deterrence, he actually won't dare to go too far. So it doesn't matter if Professor McGonagall is involved."
Dumbledore recalled Grindelwald's attitude when facing the centaurs and couldn't help but nod.
"Indeed, for the sake of his long-term plans, Grindelwald is no longer as reckless as he used to be.
Even when he wanted to deal with the centaurs, he had to deliberately provoke them into striking first…"
"I understand. Then… Minerva, sit down for now. After Wade finishes his report, I'll brief you on the recent situation. You're right, having more people contribute ideas is a good thing."
Since Grindelwald had already changed his approach, Albus Dumbledore felt he should adjust his own thinking as well.
Then Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall both turned to look at Wade.
"So, what did you come to tell me tonight?" Dumbledore asked.
"Oh right… I almost forgot." Wade said, pulling the Elder Wand he had just taken from his pocket and handing it over.
Dumbledore stared at the wand in Wade's hand in shock. "When did you…"
He had been about to ask when Wade had taken the Elder Wand, but before he could finish, he felt the wand still in his own pocket.
Then Dumbledore drew out his own Elder Wand.
The two identical wands lay side by side. Dumbledore could even feel the magical currents within the wand in his hand tremble slightly.
A wizard of Dumbledore's caliber didn't need to examine it further. The moment he held it, he knew that the one Wade had brought was also a genuine Elder Wand.
"Where did you get this?" Dumbledore asked, uncertain.
The two Elder Wands, placed side by side on the desk, seemed to produce a strange reaction.
Even McGonagall, sitting nearby, could feel the unusual magical fluctuations emanating from them.
It was as if… neither wand was willing to yield to the other.
Wade said, "Tonight, I went into the Forbidden Forest to handle something, and then… I happened to see Grindelwald gathering all the dark creatures together…"
"What?" Dumbledore immediately understood what had happened.
His face darkened with anger. "Has that old fool gone mad? Does he not realize what terrible consequences could arise if something goes wrong?"
There were far too many uncertainties with parallel worlds. If another Grindelwald arrived and failed to leave… then there would be two Grindelwalds in this world.
Not to mention anything else, the two of them would inevitably clash first. And if the one who came over was the Grindelwald from before he changed his methods, it would be even worse…
McGonagall sat to the side, looking at them in confusion. Not knowing the full story, she couldn't understand what they were talking about.
But she also knew this wasn't the time to interrupt, so she remained quietly seated, listening.
"Yes, it was extremely dangerous!" Wade added, taking the opportunity to exaggerate slightly. "That newcomer Grindelwald was incredibly powerful. Even with a group of Wizards, Grindelwald couldn't defeat him. In the end, all those Wizards were knocked down, and only then did he lure the newcomer into a trap…"
"He defeated the other version of himself?" Dumbledore asked quickly.
"Just a little short of it… but I stepped in at that moment and took the Elder Wand from Grindelwald," Wade said calmly.
Albus Dumbledore was stunned for a moment before asking, "You came out and ambushed Grindelwald?"
"Strictly speaking, it was another Grindelwald, so it doesn't count as attacking a Ministry official," Wade corrected.
Dumbledore let out a breath of relief, then frowned and began to admonish him. "How could you act so rashly? After what you did… how could Grindelwald possibly let you go?"
Taking the prize right in front of him like that. Even if it were Dumbledore himself, he would be furious in such a situation.
"Because he couldn't beat me anymore, so he had no choice but to talk," Wade said evenly.
For a moment, Dumbledore was at a loss for words. At the same time, a strange feeling arose in him. The thought of someone as proud as Grindelwald being forced to bow his head to a boy like Wade almost made him laugh.
But the urge to laugh quickly faded, replaced by deep concern.
"Grindelwald won't let this go," Dumbledore said with a frown. "You were too impulsive. Even if he regained the Elder Wand, I could still keep him in check. There was no need for you to take such a risk."
"No need to worry, Professor. I made a deal with him over it and took over the task of designing the challenges," Wade said, pulling out a magical contract.
Dumbledore stared at the contract in astonishment. "You mean… not only did you take the Elder Wand from him, you also took control of the most important part of his plan, the trial design?"
"That's right."
Dumbledore fell silent for a long moment before finally asking, "Grindelwald… was he in his right mind?"
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