While Wade compared the differences between the two Elder Wands, Dumbledore had already given Minerva McGonagall a rough account of what had happened earlier.
Even with her exceptional intelligence, the concept of parallel worlds was something she had never encountered before, and it took her quite a while to barely grasp it.
"In that case, Wade has accomplished something extraordinary tonight!" McGonagall said excitedly. "Just think, if Grindelwald had regained the Elder Wand, the consequences would have been severe. And Wade stopped him!"
Wade simply shook his head modestly. "Just luck…"
In truth, Wade felt that whether Grindelwald had regained the Elder Wand or not wouldn't have made much difference.
After all, even with the wand, the only person he feared was Dumbledore. Without it, given his strength, the only one he still feared was Dumbledore.
Although Wade was strong, he was still unable to overpower Grindelwald.
He lacked real combat experience, something that could only be honed over time. Dumbledore's special training with him was meant to address exactly that.
If Wade, still inexperienced in actual combat, faced Grindelwald, then unless he could overwhelm him in magical power, he would most likely be at a disadvantage.
Even with the Elder Wand boosting him significantly, it would likely take a few more years before Wade could completely suppress Grindelwald in terms of magical power.
Of course, if his ancient magic could advance again now, those years of growth could be skipped entirely.
Unfortunately, all known ancient magic hotspots had already been absorbed by Wade.
If he wanted to improve further, he would have to find another method.
At that moment, Wade suddenly recalled the patchwork-like ancient magical energy that appeared when multiple dark creatures gathered together.
Perhaps… if he wanted to advance his ancient magic, this was the direction he needed to explore.
And it just so happened that the design of the challenges was now in his hands. That meant all the dark creatures under Grindelwald's control were now effectively at his disposal.
It seemed that experiments on refining ancient magical energy would have to be arranged soon.
He wondered if his senior had recovered yet. Otherwise, she would be the best person to handle this experiment.
After all, in this world, unless an ancient sage traveled through time to the present, no one understood ancient magic better than she did.
"Let me take another look at that contract."
Albus Dumbledore took Wade's magical contract again and examined it carefully, worried that his student might have been taken advantage of.
Wade casually returned the Elder Wand to him.
"Tomorrow, we'll go talk to that old man," Wade said.
"Alright, tomorrow it is," Dumbledore replied with a faint smile.
By now, Minerva McGonagall had finally come to accept that Wade's strength was far beyond that of an ordinary young wizard.
Someone who could take the Elder Wand from a wizard like Grindelwald was anything but ordinary.
So her resistance to Wade involving himself in dangerous matters had lessened.
She looked at him seriously and said, "Wade… you're not fighting alone. If there's anything you need my help with, don't hesitate."
Wade's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course," McGonagall nodded.
Wade was facing Grindelwald.
Strictly speaking, besides being her student, he was also her comrade now.
How could she not support him?
"Well… I actually do need your help with something," Wade said awkwardly.
"What do you need?" McGonagall asked immediately.
Wade hesitated for a long moment before speaking in an embarrassed tone, "Uh… well… about that… can I stop doing Transfiguration homework from now on?"
McGonagall: ???
Dumbledore pressed a hand to his forehead. "Oh… Wade…"
…
Twenty minutes later.
Wade returned to the dormitory with a light, carefree stride.
He hadn't expected that going out tonight with Tom to catch snakes and take the cat for a walk would lead to such a huge gain.
This was the Elder Wand.
By Wade's rough estimate, casting spells with it increased their power by about twenty percent.
No wonder Dumbledore could now rely purely on magical power to overwhelm Gellert Grindelwald without worrying about technique.
From that perspective, Grindelwald's spellcasting technique was indeed inferior to Dumbledore's.
After all, according to the original course of events, even with the Elder Wand, Gellert Grindelwald still failed to defeat Albus Dumbledore, who had not yet resolved his inner conflict.
Of course, even in that history, it wasn't easy for Dumbledore to defeat Grindelwald wielding the Elder Wand.
In truth, for Wade, the Elder Wand wasn't even his greatest gain tonight.
The biggest gain was… from this day forward, he no longer had to do homework.
In the dormitory, the other students were already asleep, and Tom was curled up on his bed, having just drifted into a hazy sleep.
What had happened tonight had indeed frightened the young Tom.
When Wade took the Elder Wand, the look in Grindelwald's eyes had been terrifying.
That lunatic might not be afraid, but whether you're afraid or not, could you at least not drag me along when you decide to take risks?
However, just as Tom finally managed to push aside his tangled thoughts and fall half-asleep, he was suddenly shaken awake.
"What is it? Has Grindelwald come after us?!" Tom grabbed his wand and sat upright.
"What do you mean come after us? I've got good news!" Wade said excitedly.
Once Tom woke up fully, he realized it was Wade who had shaken him, and his irritation flared immediately.
He put his wand away and snapped, "Are you out of your mind? I just fell asleep! Fine… what's the good news?"
"The good news is… from now on, I don't have to do homework anymore!" Wade said proudly.
"What? Really?" Tom asked in delight.
"Of course. Completely exempt. Special permission from Dumbledore!" Wade said smugly.
"Wait… you said you don't have to do homework, not that we don't have to, right?"
"That's right."
"So… that doesn't include me?"
"What are you thinking? Of course you still have to do your homework properly."
Tom's smile froze. "Then why did you wake me up?"
"To tell you the good news, of course."
Tom drew in a sharp breath. Sometimes, having a friend like this was truly exhausting…
He silently turned over and lay back down.
"Tom? What's wrong, Tom? You don't look very happy, Tom?"
"Go away! Are you poisoned or something? Why wouldn't I be upset? Don't you have any self-awareness? You not having homework has nothing to do with me! I just managed to fall asleep!"
…
"Yes, Vinda Rozier, I've handed over the design authority. There's no need to look for a magizoologist anymore, save your effort… Before long, the same Newt who ignored us just days ago will be helping me design the challenges. I may not be able to command him, but naturally, someone else can. I must say, that little Wade can accomplish things we cannot."
In the office, Gellert Grindelwald was giving instructions to his subordinate.
"Understood…" Abernathy still had some doubts, but he never questioned Grindelwald's orders.
"How has Vinda been lately?" Grindelwald asked.
"She… hasn't been doing well," Abernathy replied. "You know she wants to work for you."
"I see." Grindelwald gave a noncommittal response.
Abernathy hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Sir, I still think Vinda is better suited for these matters than I am… Besides, things have calmed down now…"
Grindelwald glanced at him, and Abernathy immediately fell silent, realizing he had said too much.
After a long pause, Grindelwald finally spoke. "You're not wrong. It's about time Vinda's 'holiday' came to an end… As for you, you've had a difficult time these past days. You may return to your previous duties."
A faint smile appeared on Abernathy's face. "Understood! I'll inform Vinda immediately!"
Click.
The office door was pushed open.
Wade and Albus walked in one after the other.
Grindelwald leaned back in his chair, looking at the two of them before him.
Albus glanced at Abernathy and said in a low voice, "Leave."
Abernathy's expression stiffened immediately.
"Go on, Abernathy. After all, this is their territory. They don't even need to knock before coming in," Gellert said with a smile.
Abernathy gave a respectful nod to Grindelwald, then turned and left.
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