"No."
Dumbledore's voice wasn't loud, but his tone left no room for negotiation.
He didn't even need to think about it. The answer came almost the instant Grindelwald finished speaking.
Faced with Dumbledore's immediate refusal, Grindelwald burst into hearty laughter as though he had won.
His laughter echoed through the empty cell, carrying a trace of childish triumph that formed a strange contrast with his aged, withered appearance.
He still preferred seeing Dumbledore's emotions fluctuate.
Who was that perpetually composed expression, as though he had everything under control and could see straight through people's hearts, supposed to impress?
Watching Grindelwald's triumphant expression, Dumbledore shook his head helplessly.
That part of him hadn't changed much.
He was still as carefree and uninhibited as he had been in his youth.
Dumbledore wasn't afraid of Lucien coming into contact with or learning more about the Dark Arts. The boy possessed exceptional talent in that field, but his convictions were firm enough that he wouldn't be easily corrupted by them.
What Dumbledore feared was Grindelwald influencing the boy.
Not through magic, but through ideas.
Even during his school years, Grindelwald had already displayed dangerous tendencies.
Even at Durmstrang, where the Dark Arts were permitted, Grindelwald had been expelled for conducting magical experiments that were considered excessively dangerous and sinister.
One could easily imagine just how outrageous Grindelwald had been back then.
A teenager who dared to touch taboos that even adult wizards were reluctant to approach.
However, compared with his talent for the Dark Arts, Grindelwald's words were perhaps even more dangerous.
With nothing more than his voice, he could sway countless people.
He had once persuaded an elite Auror who was a complete stranger to help him escape imprisonment after only a few days, relying entirely on his silver tongue.
When that Auror was later put on trial by the Ministry of Magic, he had even continued defending Grindelwald, firmly believing that what he had done was for the "greater good."
That extraordinary gift for oratory and personal charisma was even more unsettling than Grindelwald's magic.
Dumbledore didn't believe Grindelwald had any intention of persuading a young man to start another wizarding war.
However...
Even a subtle influence from Grindelwald's ideology might cause someone still in the process of growing up to become more radical.
Grindelwald suddenly stopped smiling.
He leaned forward, moving closer to Dumbledore across the table.
"If you think it's appropriate, you could bring him here to meet me. Some matters concerning curses are easier to discuss face-to-face."
He paused, his mismatched eyes staring directly into Dumbledore's.
"And if we're talking right under your nose, you should be able to rest easy, shouldn't you?"
Dumbledore's eyes flickered.
He certainly couldn't accept the two of them communicating privately through Instant-Speak.
But if he were there to supervise them in person...
Still, bringing a young wizard to meet Grindelwald?
To meet Gellert Grindelwald, the man who had once thrown all of Europe, and even the wider world, into turmoil?
Grindelwald picked up an Every Flavour Bean and tossed it into his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he said leisurely,
"Don't be so rigid, Al. You don't have to bring him here to meet 'Grindelwald'."
He swallowed the sweet, the corners of his mouth curling into a sly smile.
"Just tell him you're taking him to meet a reclusive, eccentric old wizard. You don't have to worry about him recognising me. It's been decades. How would a young wizard know who the old geezer sitting in front of him is?"
As he spoke, Grindelwald pointed at his own withered face, a trace of self-mockery flashing in his mismatched eyes.
Dumbledore remained silent.
But Grindelwald knew that Dumbledore was genuinely considering it.
If there had been absolutely no room for discussion, Dumbledore would have refused outright instead of remaining silent.
That silence itself was a form of hesitation.
There wouldn't be a clear answer anytime soon.
Grindelwald changed the subject, his tone becoming more casual.
"By the way, Al, do you really think a problem you couldn't solve back then has any hope of being solved by a child?"
Dumbledore looked up at him.
"There is always someone capable of creating miracles," Dumbledore said, his voice calm but firm. "Whether in the Muggle world or the wizarding world."
His gaze, behind the half-moon spectacles, passed over Grindelwald and settled on the grey sky beyond the window.
"Some people are even 'miracles' themselves."
Seeing Dumbledore praise the young wizard so highly, Grindelwald clicked his tongue and said nothing more.
Having received the answer he wanted, Dumbledore prepared to leave.
With a wave of his hand, the tableware vanished.
He still had many matters to deal with: clues concerning the Horcruxes, affairs at Hogwarts, and Voldemort, who might suddenly return at any moment...
Grindelwald merely raised one hand and waved in farewell.
His other hand remained firmly pressed over the Instant-Speak booklet, fingers gripping the cover as though he had no intention of returning it to Dumbledore.
When Dumbledore looked at him, Grindelwald glared back as though it were perfectly reasonable.
"What? Even with a delay, it's still faster than an owl carrying parchment."
Not content with simply "keeping" the Instant-Speak, Grindelwald continued,
"Can you have Lucien add a few more magical functions to Instant-Speak? Something that can help an old man pass the time... Isn't he studious and fond of reading? As a 'return gift,' I could teach him a few more spells. Or perhaps send him to Vinda for some books with a letter from me, though we'd still need to come up with an excuse to conceal the identity..."
He kept talking, as though a floodgate had opened now that Dumbledore was about to leave.
Dumbledore completely ignored the suggestion of having Lucien ask Vinda for books.
After all, apart from Grindelwald himself, most of his followers, the Acolytes, were also imprisoned.
As the foremost among them, Vinda was naturally no exception.
Only relatives connected to their respective families could visit after receiving approval.
However, Grindelwald's words reminded Dumbledore of something.
A few days earlier, Lucien had mentioned seeing Fiendfyre in a book and had been rather curious about it...
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