The Last Goodbye

Ald saw the other party's concerns, but didn't explain much.Each of his business cards is designed as a special door key, which can only be activated by wizards authorized by the business card.Even if other people get it, it is just a blank sheet of paper.And the Portkey he handed to Riddle only granted two people the right to activate it.This was, of course, so that someone he needed could come at any time.Originally, he was still thinking about how to create an opportunity...

Unexpectedly, the other party took the initiative to deliver it to the door.

"You must be very tired. Rest at my house tonight." He sincerely extended the invitation, although it sounded more like a gentle order. Abraxas hesitated but dared not object. "Can we use your owl?" Riddle didn't continue to be polite to him. "Owl?" Grindelwald smiled at him. "Sorry, I don't have an owl. But you can use my phone."

Riddle quickly understood why Grindelwald and Malfoy had become 'allies' - they had made the most of what they had.Although Malfoy Manor is also very modern, the owner has carefully hidden those non-magic props because of his status as an aristocrat in the British wizarding world.Even though Riddle was familiar with the Muggle world, it took him a while to discover the tricks. Grindelwald didn't bother with that at all.He swaggered to show off the technology in the manor—upstairs and downstairs, lights and telephones.There is even a ballpoint pen invented by the Hungarians in the study.As if the notorious Dark wizard was not shy about using Muggle tools to improve his efficiency, it didn't seem to conflict with his disdain for Muggles.The curious Alphard even secretly took a picture of the two friends with a color camera invented by Muggles.Grindelwald just smiled slightly when he saw the occasional questioning looks from the little guests, "There is no distinction between good and evil..." He thought for a while and added, "There is only difference between strength and weakness."

After dinner, Riddle was kindly invited by the owner of the manor to have a brief talk in his study.Now he was almost sure of the purpose of the other party looking for him.But he was also very curious about what the well-known dark wizard wanted from him.He bumped into Abraxas in the hallway.The other party stopped on his only way, obviously waiting for him deliberately.

Abraxas pulled him aside and reminded in a low voice, "Don't get too close to him."

"Isn't he your father's friend?"

"It is true, but you heard about the Crystal Night a while ago. After that, there were also very bad incidents in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp."

Abraxas lowered his voice, almost whispering, "The German head of state he supports is crazy. Although he and his father promised not to let the war spread beyond the European continent. But if the war starts, the situation will change rapidly, maybe..." He After a short pause, he looked at his friend worriedly, "...Anyway, you have to be careful not to get involved." Riddle smiled softly, "I see."

Abraxas patted him on the shoulder and walked away thoughtfully.

Grindelwald was sitting on the sofa reading when Riddle walked into the study.He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and his slender legs were curled up. He looked as elegant as a professor at the University of Munich.A fire burned brightly in the fireplace, warming the stone building.The light of the fire cast a layer of soft gold on the dark wizard's body.He looked nothing like the grim image of prey that the Daily Prophet promoted. Grindelwald looked up and smiled at the little guest, put down the "Brave New World", and made a gesture of invitation.

Riddle sat down on the sofa chair opposite him.The movement tugged at the robe. Grindelwald noticed something. "You shouldn't have hidden them," he said suddenly. Riddle looked at him suspiciously.The black wizard raised his eyebrows, and rolled up the sleeve of the opponent's left arm with magic.

A reddish-brown scar was exposed in the firelight.The boy turned his arm subconsciously, covering the wound with some displeasure.But Grindelwald just smiled at him softly. "It's not you who should be hiding, Salazar. It's the people who hurt you."

After speaking, he also rolled up his sleeves, revealing his pale and strong forearms.There was a mottled bump on his arm, red and black in the firelight.It was a line of words baked on by a soldering iron:

Maleficium.

"what is that?"

"It's a mark to distinguish people like you and me from other...'normal people'." Grindelwald deliberately bit the last few words, his strange eyes flickered slightly. Riddle looked at him blankly, "...was it made by Muggles?"

Grindelwald rolled his sleeves down. "I am from a small place." He said slowly, "I was born in a small village in southern Norway. The village is very small, with only a few dozen families. The neighbors are very familiar with each other. When I was young, I did not How popular." He pointed to his eyes, "People don't always like people who look different from themselves." Riddle listened quietly.He was not actually interested, but there was a unique magic in the voice of the other party.

Grindelwald always had an easy time grabbing someone's attention, no matter what he was saying.

"At that time, I thought that the situation couldn't be worse. But I was wrong." He paused, and looked at the other person kindly with strange eyes, "How old were you when you found out?"

"Eight years old." Riddle knew exactly what he meant. "I was nine years old." Grindelwald paused and smiled self-deprecatingly. "It took me by surprise at first."

"Me too." Riddle hooked his lips.

"That's right." Grindelwald smiled at him, and waved for two mugs, filled with hot chocolate.He handed one of the cups to the other party.

"But I think you, like me, quickly found the secret to controlling it. At that time, I was so happy that I found out that I was special for the first time." He said nostalgicly, "I enjoy using magic endlessly. I am not in a good mood. When I’m in a good mood, I use it to avoid people I don’t want to see. When I’m in a good mood, I use it to help others. Of course I’m careful not to let them find out.” He paused to take a sip of hot chocolate. Riddle followed suit and took a sip.

Grindelwald put down his glass, and glanced at the other's arm sadly, as if he was the one who was hurt, "...but we can't escape the fate of being found, aren't we?" Riddle pursed his lips lightly. Grindelwald smiled inwardly.

"My mother took me to see the priest in the town. She kindly wanted to help me... get rid of the demons in my body." He raised his eyebrows sarcastically, "I still remember the appearance of that priest. In my impression, he He was always tall and majestic. Don’t tell me, he really looks like an agent of God..." His eyes stopped for a while in the memory, and then came back, "So my mother took me to see him, please He helped me, saved me. He readily agreed. After my mother left, he took me to a small room at the back of the church and asked me to take off my clothes." Riddle's eyes widened in surprise. Grindelwald still looked at him tenderly, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Every Sunday, after worship, I have to stay. The priest said that as long as I obeyed, he would tell the other villagers that the demons in me had been driven away by him. But I must obey his orders, You can't resist, you can't make a sound. Sometimes it hurts too much, I can't help it, and he will do it." He stretched out a finger and pressed it to his lips, "Shhh..."

Riddle gripped the cup subconsciously. Grindelwald's expression was calm.His tone is as if telling a vivid story, without the slightest bitterness or shame. Riddle admires him from the bottom of his heart—in fact, he has an innate ability to easily see through other people's lies.But the person on the other side is undoubtedly telling the truth.This requires considerable frankness and courage, and a truly strong heart.He stared at Grindelwald with interest, the first person since Harry who really piqued his interest.

"My magic power grew day by day, and finally the priest couldn't even touch me. He was so angry that he gave me this." The black wizard patted his arm, "They decided to drive me out of the village. My mother tried to stop me, but my brothers Stopped her. Actually I didn't want to go, but I can't beat dozens of people by myself." He even smiled, as if it was something funny, "My mother kept crying. She blamed herself. She said this It was all her fault, she made me like this. Then she cried so much that she passed out, and they took her away. My neighbor said to me, 'Gellert, you get out, or we're going to die. You're not being polite.' It's as if they were being polite to me." He put his hand on his chin, and his strange eyes flicked into the firelight.When I looked at the boy again, those eyes suddenly became very cold, "I understood at that time. How stupid I was in the past. I naively thought that if I could pretend to be with you