A couple of hours later, Victor was already sitting opposite Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, leisurely sipping tea.
— And yet... why do you need all this? — Dumbledore asked, narrowing his eyes.
— I just feel sorry for them. You know, mudblood to mudblood. Plus, I've accumulated a lot of stuff that would be nice to sell at a good profit, — Victor replied with complete composure.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow; he didn't believe a single word.
— Look, Victor, I really don't have time for this right now. Come back in a month.
Victor nodded understandingly:
— I understand. You must be very busy right now, planning how to help Sirius Black escape from Azkaban and make him do it.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at Victor with his usual calm. However, no matter how hard the Headmaster tried to maintain an impassive expression, Victor noticed his fingers twitch slightly.
— What does Sirius Black have to do with this? And why on earth would I help him escape? — Dumbledore asked back, genuinely bewildered.
But Victor said nothing and merely kept smiling mysteriously, looking him straight in the eye.
After a couple of minutes of ringing silence, Dumbledore finally gave in and let out a heavy sigh:
— Ah-h-h... Will you ever tell me where you get all this information?
Victor laughed heartily and shook his head:
— Ha-ha-ha! Ne-ver! So, will you help me out?
Dumbledore tiredly removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose:
— Very well. I will do it.
Victor nodded with satisfaction and rose from his chair:
— Thank you! Well, I should probably be going. The tea, as always, is simply delightful!
Dumbledore watched him leave with a stern gaze:
— Victor...
— Yes, yes, yes, don't worry! The fact that Harry Potter's godfather is about to escape from Azkaban is none of my business whatsoever. Besides, I said all that as a joke—don't take it seriously!
Dumbledore merely gave a satisfied nod, watching Victor leave his office with a calm smile.
Victor appeared with Missy right next to Perenelle, who was standing at a desk writing something intently.
— What did Dumbledore say? — Perenelle asked without looking up from her papers.
— Everything's fine, he'll help, — Victor replied, lounging into the armchair across from her.
— Were there any problems?
— Well, he resisted a bit at first, but I put a little pressure on him, and now everything is sorted out.
Perenelle finally looked up from her letter and stared at him in surprise:
— Wow! You have leverage over Albus Dumbledore himself?
— Well, not anymore. I think that was a one-time thing, — Victor waved it off.
He didn't know for sure, but he assumed Dumbledore was involved in Sirius Black's escape—there were just too many coincidences in the events of the third year. A wizard weakened by years in Azkaban suddenly finds the strength out of nowhere to turn into a dog and break out just from seeing the Weasley family photo in the paper? And then the sudden appointment of Remus Lupin as a teacher on top of that.
— Care to share? — Perenelle asked with curiosity.
Victor merely shook his head:
— I don't think I should.
— Wow... You prefer to remain loyal to Dumbledore rather than your own grandmother?
Victor laughed genuinely:
— Ha-ha-ha! Of course not! I just don't think I have the right to blab about other people's secrets.
Perenelle looked at Victor intently and very carefully:
— You respect him, don't you?
— Well, why wouldn't I? — Victor shrugged. — I think he fully deserves my respect.
Perenelle nodded understandingly, but in the next moment, her expression turned much more serious:
— Still, you need to be extremely careful around him. Even though Albus looks like a kind, sweet old man, he is actually an incredibly cunning manipulator.
— Don't worry, I know that all too well, — Victor replied. — And I always try to act as carefully as possible. But it's pretty tough because of his wild card—Sybill Trelawney. That woman can see my moves before I even think about making them.
Perenelle scoffed and burst out laughing:
— Ha-ha-ha! Who?! That pathetic excuse for a seer?! She can't even see her own future!
Victor looked at Perenelle in surprise:
— Why? Isn't she a real seer? After all, she was the one who predicted Voldemort's fall at the hands of Harry Potter!
— Of course not! — Perenelle shook her head. — Her great-great-grandmother was indeed a great prophetess, but Sybill herself... alas, no. Although you are right about one thing: Albus does have a powerful seer among his friends who helps him from time to time. Dumbledore just cleverly frames it to look like it's Trelawney's doing. It helps immensely that during her "prophecies," she goes into a trance and remembers absolutely nothing.
— Wow... — Victor leaned forward in surprise. — And who is this real seer?
— Gellert Grindelwald.
— What?! — Victor's eyes widened. — But aren't they enemies?!
— Hm-m-m, I don't think so. They've always had a rather... specific relationship.
Victor grimaced slightly:
— By "specific relationship," do you mean they like to play "special friends"?
Perenelle didn't quite catch his drift:
— Play special friends?
— Well, let's just say... rear-admirals of the navy.
Perenelle paused for a moment, and when it finally dawned on her what he was hinting at, she wrinkled her nose in disgust:
— Eww, Victor! What dirty thoughts!
— Why dirty all of a sudden? I'm not judging them at all! But think about it yourself: both are old men, both are still single, and you just said yourself that they have a very strange relationship.
Perenelle froze for a second, deep in thought, and then quickly and vigorously shook her head:
— Why on earth did you have to tell me that?! Now I'm going to be thinking about it and won't be able to sleep at all!
— Ha-ha-ha! Alright, let's leave them in peace. What do you think about Daphne?
Perenelle looked at him thoughtfully. While Victor had been running around all day arranging the purchase of shops and workshop spaces, as well as negotiating with Dumbledore, she had tested Daphne and Hermione.
— Things went much better than I anticipated. I admit: I underestimated them a bit.
— Them? — Victor raised an eyebrow in surprise. — Hm, Daphne makes sense—she's been groomed to be the future head of House Greengrass since childhood. But Hermione too?
Perenelle nodded with conviction:
— Don't underestimate Granger! If I were to compare them, I'd say she possesses even greater managerial potential than Greengrass.
Victor was genuinely surprised, but he didn't doubt his grandmother's words for a second. Then, after thinking for a moment, he felt like slapping his forehead. Of course! Hermione was supposed to become the Minister for Magic in the future! And for that, being a bookworm isn't enough—you also need the ability to lead and manage people effectively.
— Well, that's just great! But I hope you'll still train them properly so I have the best assistants in the world?
Perenelle nodded with a warm smile:
— Don't worry, I'll teach them everything I know.
Victor nodded in satisfaction:
— Excellent! Well, time for me to hit the sack. And don't stay up too late either—sleep deprivation causes premature skin aging!
Perenelle rolled her eyes:
— Just go already.
Victor smirked and headed for the exit, but right at the door, he suddenly stopped and stroked his chin thoughtfully:
— Hm-m-m, still... I wonder who's the top and who's the bottom between those two? Or do they switch?
And with a happy grin, he quickly vanished behind the door.
Perenelle frowned.
— Top?.. Bottom?.. Switch?..
A second later, it finally clicked, and her cheeks turned ghost-white:
— Aah! No, no, don't picture it! Curse you, VICTOR!
Victor walked through the estate with a smile when the detailed city model at the foot of the stairs caught his eye. Leaning against the railing, he began examining it. Truth be told, the idea of creating his own followers hadn't appealed to him much at first. A city — that was what he truly wanted. His very own city built in a Muggle style. Realizing, however, that his grandmother would hardly agree to give him money for such a grand whim, he had come up with a hidden purpose for the project.
— Ah-h-h, I'll have to wait... — he let out a heavy sigh. — But come to think of it, a personal little army doesn't sound so bad after all. Why not? Am I any worse than the rest? Voldemort has his Death Eaters, Dumbledore has the Order of the Phoenix, even grandmother has plenty of loyal people scattered across France just waiting for the signal.
Victor gave serious thought to the idea and concluded that it was actually a good one. Heading to his room, he pulled out a clean notebook, settled into a deep armchair, and set about planning his own organization.
When Adele entered the room, he leisurely put the notebook aside and opened his arms. A happy smile lit up the girl's face, and she immediately dove onto his lap, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
— What are you writing? — she asked with curiosity.
— Just summer plans. I want to build a squad — something like the Death Eaters. Except my people will be far better trained, disciplined, and loyal, — Victor smiled, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.
He already understood with utmost clarity how he would achieve absolute loyalty: the Unbreakable Vow. He would make every single one pass through that vow, and then, training them step by step, brainwash them so thoroughly that by the end of their preparation, they would be ready to lay down their lives for him without hesitation.
Noticing that her brother was lost in thought again, Adele gently stroked his cheek, forcing him to shift his gaze back to her:
— Victor, why do you need all this? You train relentlessly, perfect yourself, you almost died when you implanted that Sharingan into yourself... And now an army, too. Are you planning something massive? Something that will turn the wizarding world upside down, or do you want to start a war?
She genuinely wanted to understand what ambitions and desires drove Victor so she could prepare in advance and help him in the future.
Victor looked at her and laughed softly, patting her affectionately on the head:
— No. I don't give a damn about the wizarding world, or the whole world in general. I just do what I want. I want to be the strongest, I want an army, I want a city — that's all.
Adele frowned:
— That's it? Just a momentary impulse? No hidden motives or preparing for future problems?
— Ha-ha-ha, no! What were you expecting? Me to say something like, "I seek power to protect those dear to me"? Ha-ha-ha! If that's what you wanted to hear, you definitely came to the wrong person. I am a complete egoist. Everything I do, I do solely to satisfy my own "I want." I need power to rise above everyone else. A city — so that my name is known not just within the school walls, but across all of England. An army? Well, why not? All the powers that be have one, why should I be any different?
Victor looked Adele straight in the eye:
— What was the point of me appearing in this world if not to do whatever I damn well please? Who knows: maybe today I dream of my own city, in a year I'll want to subjugate England, or build a modest little house in the middle of nowhere and live there until the day I die... Hmm, that's probably why Dumbledore leaves me alone, letting me do whatever my heart desires since my very first year. I'm sure he knows I won't become a threat — simply because I truly don't give a damn where this world is heading. I go with the flow, doing what I enjoy, and it seems in the future I won't have the slightest desire to harm the world.
Adele didn't quite understand the part where he mentioned Dumbledore — it seemed Victor was speaking to himself in that moment. But there was one thing she was a hundred percent sure of: no matter what selfish desire was born in Victor's head, she would do absolutely everything to help him. After all, her main and only wish was to never, ever part ways with him.