"... Really?"
"Of course—it's fake, actually I'm just naturally amazing, buddy."
"..."
"Just kidding, to me, it's actually a battery that can supply power remotely, letting me not worry about being restrained by my own lack of magic power—the magic inside might even be infinite. I just cleaned it up a bit and used it for myself, though I haven't studied it carefully..."
"Just hearing that, I can guess how crude your research on that 'Secret Vault' is, endless energy..."
"Don't worry, Sailor still doesn't know about this."
"?"
"Another joke—I don't need to study it; the current power is already sufficient for me. I'm the kind of person who's never been good at resisting temptation since I was young, so I never actively rush into danger. After all, it's only the nineties now; humanity probably won't need endless energy for a while."
William tapped the table, using the teacup in his hand to snap Grindelwald out of his thoughts about "endless energy," "Now, back to the previous topic—the energy retained in the Secret Vault was formed after Isadora collected the emotional energy of Wizards and Muggles from over half of Scotland. If I used it, it would create a kind of magic force field around us—"
"And then, causing us..."
"Causing your thoughts to be influenced by this force field, so you won't be so extreme? Especially regarding the positions of pure-bloods and Muggles, it's particularly obvious. Otherwise, those pure-bloods wouldn't be so easy to 'manipulate'—in other words, some subtle changes in thought, but don't worry, it won't affect you as deeply as you think. You'll still be yourself, just not as eager to... uh, rule the world?—That's all. Don't look at me like that. Giving up those unrealistic thoughts and ideas was entirely your own decision, Lord Black Wizard, after countless nights of tossing and turning, weighing the pros and cons—my influence doesn't reach such personal areas."
"—Have you looked into my mind?"
Grindelwald instinctively stood up, pressing his left hand against his temple, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
"Actually, I've looked into everyone's mind, Gellert. Without diving in to see your true inner self, I can't trust anyone who was once... ah, I seem to have said this long ago, right? A heinous black wizard."
William pressed down with his right hand, signaling for calm.
"..."
This time, the silence was particularly long. Although Grindelwald still felt that there must be some trap hidden behind William's "frankness," the alarm bells in Grindelwald's heart continued to ring, but after thinking for a long time, Grindelwald suddenly realized that he might not need to change anything. The current life—
"Sounds reasonable."
Grindelwald sat back down in his chair, gently stroking his chin, and muttered in a "negotiating" tone, "Of course, if you intend to let me study that Secret Vault, which is more magical than Merlin's underpants—that would be even more reasonable."
"You don't plan to blow up Newt's basement with that thing, do you?"
"Why would I have such an idea?"
"I don't know, but Dumbledore has emphasized to me several times that your relationship isn't much different from the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union—seeing now, it seems he was right."
"That's all in the past. How about it? I swear I won't use it to make bombs."
"I hope your vow is more useful than the Holy Master's—"
William nodded and then stood up, "Since you're curious, come with me."
"Before that—I want to know, what exactly do you plan on doing with him?"
Before leaving, Grindelwald remembered the last person in the room, turning his head to look at the man sitting in the chair, still on his last legs yet unable to die.
"I'll leave him here for now; you can't rush these things—"
William rubbed his brow, speaking without turning back, "I'm waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for the plot on the other side to advance—"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"I thought you'd be in the Great Hall by now—I heard quite a few people intend to celebrate for you."
In the Slytherin common room, young Daphne Greengrass, who already suffered from joint aches, was nestled in a couch, repeatedly stretching and bending her legs. Presumably, it helped her worn-out knees, much damaged from years living in the cold and damp of the Slytherin Dungeon, feel better.
Draco's gaze, however, unconsciously followed the outline of her smooth, fair calf back and forth, until the girl clicked her tongue impatiently, snapping him out of his daze.
"You didn't have dinner?"
Draco avoided the girl's topic, hedging instead.
"Dieting—"
Daphne patted her belly, which gave a hollow response.
"Alright."
The half-hearted reply seemed to linger in the slightly oppressive air, but when Daphne turned back, she noticed the boy had vanished, leaving only a taut silhouette disappearing down the hallway toward the boys' dormitory.
The girl's slender fingers turned a book page, hesitating in mid-air—
Even a fool could see that something was off with that guy just now. Daphne was certainly no fool, and a strong sense of curiosity and concern gripped her in that instant. Without a second thought, she gracefully rose from the couch, making not a sound, like a silent serpent in stealth, tailing the boy, watching him slip through the dim corridors and into his dormitory.
The door shut tight behind him.
Daphne held her breath, eyeing the Hogwarts dorm room door, known for its excellent soundproofing to protect student privacy. She reached into her pocket—unexpectedly, the "Extendable Ears" she bought at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes before school started finally came in handy.
The flesh-colored ear slipped through the narrow crack in the door, and Daphne pressed the other end against her ear, hearing faint rustling sounds.
Then, she heard Malfoy's voice, "—that guy wants us to duel... What? Of course, I defeated that stupid Weasley, sir! But that farce looked like, looked like... Yes! Just like a circus animal fight, William Richard made me look like a clown, for everyone to watch and laugh, he even let those Gryffindors organize a betting pool!"
Malfoy's voice was sharp, seemingly confiding in someone, but his next words made Daphne's breath involuntarily catch—
"...Yes, sir, I've been looking forward to it, taking out those guys for you will be my honor!"
Malfoy said, his voice as shrill as two and a half years ago.