Ever since leaving Nurmengard, Grindelwald had found himself even more at ease.
Before, while he stayed in the prison he had built with his own hands, his only sources of information were the occasional letters from Tver and Cynthia. In fact, when Tver was too lazy to write to him, Cynthia's letters were his only way of learning anything about the Muggle world and the wizarding world.
But back then, Cynthia had only been a student, and most of the information she could obtain was just scattered fragments from the newspapers.
If he had merely been a prisoner, then naturally, he would not have needed to care about the outside world.
But after taking Tver as his student, he had become a teacher passing on his ideals.
So for someone like him, who was used to controlling everything and wanted to nurture Tver as much as possible, anxiety had inevitably set in.
That was why he broke his promise to Dumbledore and ultimately chose to leave Nurmengard.
Only, after Tver graduated from Durmstrang, it seemed as though he had graduated from Grindelwald as well…
Grindelwald suddenly realized that even though his horizons had broadened, and his strength had gradually recovered to seventy or eighty percent of its peak, the help he could offer Tver was not even as useful as that of his equally aging subordinates.
Those people, stationed in the Ministries of Magic of various countries, could at least set an example when the Joint Operations Office faced internal doubts. They could tell everyone that this office could prevent another Grindelwald from appearing, thereby pushing Tver's plan forward.
And him?
He seemed like a truly retired old man, watching the student he was so proud of stir up storms in both the wizarding world and the Muggle world.
Aside from offering approval, it felt as though he could not help with anything.
Of course, Grindelwald was not a sentimental person. His student was so outstanding, and the subordinates Tver had chosen were even shrewder and more capable than his own had been back then. Naturally, he was happy to enjoy his leisure.
Once Grindelwald adjusted his mindset, he spent most of his time wandering the world, looking around here and there, no longer limiting himself to the wizarding world.
It was both a way of reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future.
Occasionally, he would help mislead Aurors who noticed something odd about a disguise. From time to time, he would pretend to be a famous person and appear on television programs, openly discussing the magical phenomena that had become increasingly obvious in recent years.
Those little pleasures of fooling the world made him feel as though he had returned to the days when he had once tried to overthrow the Statute of Secrecy.
Only this time, his mood was far more relaxed.
In truth, from the moment Grindelwald first came into contact with Tver, he knew that the boy who had barged into Nurmengard was a magical time traveler.
Although time travel was strange, in the wizarding world, traveling through time and space was not entirely impossible. So Grindelwald did not dwell too much on that point.
What truly moved him, and prompted him to accept Tver as his student, was the unbelievable technology he saw in Tver's eyes, as well as his precise plans for the future.
Because of that, Grindelwald's desire to overthrow the Statute of Secrecy stirred once again.
Even if this time it was no longer for the sake of ruling the world, he still placed all his hopes on Tver.
However, when his strength returned to its peak once more, his miraculous yet tragic prophetic ability faintly told him that Tver's time travel was not as simple as it appeared.
Whether because his strength was still insufficient, or because the level involved was too high, he could only faintly sense that unease.
So he began investigating the truth behind Tver's time travel, which led to his trip to Durmstrang.
Only, the result made his unease even heavier.
Even though Tver himself soon found a breakthrough, and even gained a chance to strike back against Death, Grindelwald's inner unease did not lessen in the slightest.
As Tver's teacher, Grindelwald would never allow his student to face an unimaginable enemy alone.
As the first-generation Dark Lord who had once held the world in his grasp, Grindelwald would never allow his ideals to be destroyed again.
Even if his opponent was Death, something he could neither see nor touch.
Of course, he was no reckless fool. He would not stupidly wave his wand and confront Death head-on.
After thinking seriously for some time, he realized that he could not research anything useful on his own.
So he calmly sought out someone who had studied death, the Deathly Hallows, and Death itself in great depth.
Albus Dumbledore.
Taking advantage of the Christmas holiday, Grindelwald came to snow-covered Hogwarts.
Before arriving, he had not thought facing Dumbledore directly would be such a big deal. After all, Tver and he had spent no little effort over the past few years subtly influencing Dumbledore's state of mind.
But the instant he appeared at Hogwarts, to be honest, he still could not help feeling a little nervous.
This time, Tver and Cynthia were not there to joke around and smooth things over. He had to face Dumbledore alone.
"I didn't expect Dumbledore to agree to let you leave Nurmengard."
Professor McGonagall studied the old man before her with a complicated expression.
It was not that she had never seen Grindelwald appear at Hogwarts before. It was just that more than fifty years had passed, and back then, she had only faintly sensed something was off.
Only this time, when Dumbledore asked her to come out and escort Grindelwald inside, did great waves rise in her heart.
She had not taken much part in the war back then, but her understanding of the grievances and entanglements between the two men was no less than anyone else's.
In fact, because she often interacted with Dumbledore, she understood the complexity of their relationship even better.
Only this time, both Dumbledore and the Grindelwald before her seemed quite calm. At least, they looked calm.
That reassured her a little.
Compared with seeing these two fight at Hogwarts, she would rather have Voldemort attack the castle. At least then, they would surely be more willing to deal with that Dark Lord first.
"It wasn't Dumbledore who locked me up, Minerva. I don't need his permission," Grindelwald said lightly.
Professor McGonagall's heart clenched. She immediately felt she had relaxed far too soon.
She stood where she was and took several deep breaths before finally calming down.
"Come on. Dumbledore is waiting for you in the Headmaster's office."
"Tsk. Someone who didn't know better would think he's some important figure now, refusing even to leave the Headmaster's office," Grindelwald said with slight disdain.
Although he had come to Hogwarts before, he had been disguised as Ludo Bagman at the time, so it was normal that Dumbledore had not come to greet him.
But now, he had informed Dumbledore in advance that he had something important to discuss, and yet his warm face had still been pressed against a cold backside.
"Dumbledore needs to monitor the castle…" Professor McGonagall wanted to explain on Dumbledore's behalf, but considering the complicated relationship between the two of them, there might well be reasons she did not know. "Forget it. Think whatever you like."
And so, some of the students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas saw a stern-faced Professor McGonagall, followed by a kindly old man.
An old man as kind as Dumbledore.
That strange atmosphere suddenly gave everyone a feeling.
This Christmas did not seem especially wonderful, at least not for certain people.