Chapter 327: The Answer

Having lost his wand, Wentworth was no match for the Norwegian Ridgeback during the first few days. However, his growth was swift and astonishing.

At first, he could only dodge and bide his time for a counterattack. Then, he managed to hold his ground against the Ridgeback, barely. Eventually, he succeeded in forcing the dragon beneath his feet once more.

Wentworth wasn't sure if his rate of progress was fast enough, but at the very least, he hadn't seen Gellert Grindelwald fly into a rage again.

After subduing the Norwegian Ridgeback one more time, Wentworth collapsed onto its back with a heavy sigh of relief and muttered:

"Well, this time… I must've passed, right?!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than, just like the last time, Gellert Grindelwald appeared as expected. Upon seeing Wentworth seated atop the dragon, he raised a single finger and intoned:

"Silencio."

Instantly, Wentworth felt his lips sealed by some invisible force—locked tight, unable to open.

But this time, with the lesson of the past fresh in mind, Wentworth remained calm.

He sprang off the dragon's back, placing some distance between them, then stood still, watching the Norwegian Ridgeback intently.

The dragon, previously pinned beneath him, slowly rose to its feet. But unlike what Wentworth had anticipated, it didn't charge at him in a frenzy.

Instead, it stared at him, still growling in a low rumble, clearly uneasy, yet it made no move to attack.

Seeing this, Wentworth broke into a grin and turned toward Grindelwald with a look that seemed to say:

"Grandfather, look, Nibelungen is finally under my command!"

Grindelwald ignored him, his eyes fixed on the Norwegian Ridgeback. Slowly, he spoke:

"Strike, or I will strike you. Perhaps once he fully masters nonverbal spells, you'll end up beneath his heel again. But for now, at least you can reclaim a bit of the dignity you've lost."

Wentworth's face fell at Grindelwald's words. The Norwegian Ridgeback, too, let out a long, anguished roar, as if pleading:

"Boss, I'm being forced into this! Don't blame me!"

And once again, the battered dragon charged at Wentworth. Moments later, he found himself pinned under its talons.

As August drew to a close, Albus Dumbledore returned to Nurmengard. He hadn't even reached the top of the fortress when he heard a thunderous roar echoing through the mountains.

By the time he reached the upper levels, the roar had faded into a faint, whimpering sound, barely audible.

Following the sound, Dumbledore ran into Wentworth just as he was stepping out of a room.

Wentworth, surprised to see Dumbledore, opened his mouth to speak, only to realize the Silencio charm was still in effect.

Seeing this, Dumbledore reached out to lift the spell, but before he could do so, Wentworth simply wiped his mouth with one hand, and the spell broke instantly.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in thought, then smiled warmly and said:

"Wentworth, it seems you've grown quite a bit this summer."

His eyes drifted past Wentworth into the room. Inside, the Norwegian Ridgeback lay sprawled on the ground, wheezing heavily.

Wentworth, by contrast, appeared calm and composed, dusty clothes aside, he was unscathed.

At that moment, Grindelwald stepped out of his room and tossed Wentworth's wand back to him. Then, turning to Dumbledore, he said:

"What a heartless headmaster, abandoning his student for an entire summer without so much as a letter."

Albus Dumbledore: "???"

Grindelwald ignored him, turned to Wentworth, and said, deliberately and clearly:

"Albus is here to take you back. Now… you can tell me your answer. What is the courage of the Grindelwald family? If your answer fails to satisfy me, even Albus won't be able to walk out of here with a living soul. A dead one, perhaps."

Wentworth was unfazed. He calmly dusted himself off and replied, word for word:

"What is our family's courage? Courage… is maintaining grace under pressure."

Grindelwald gave no immediate reaction, neither approval nor dismissal. He merely waved a hand and said:

"Albus, you may take him. The both of you should leave quickly. I can finally return to my peaceful days."

Dumbledore chuckled and was about to speak when Wentworth interjected:

"Grandfather, Headmaster Dumbledore, why don't we have lunch together today?"

Grindelwald instinctively frowned, clearly about to refuse, but Wentworth pressed on:

"I left a message on the serving tray yesterday, asked them to prepare everything. Today, I want to cook for you myself. Please, both of you, honor me with your presence."

Before Grindelwald could respond, Dumbledore chimed in:

"Well, aren't we in for a treat! Gellert, Wentworth won over the most discerning palates at Hogwarts during his very first week!"

Grindelwald snorted in disdain.

"What exactly have you been teaching at Hogwarts these years? Wizards… oh, never mind. Talking to you is always a waste of breath."

Since Grindelwald didn't refuse again, Dumbledore gave Wentworth a quick, knowing wink.

Wentworth got the hint and ran off toward the lower floors of Nurmengard.

Watching him disappear, Dumbledore's smile faded. He turned to Grindelwald and said:

"I received your letter. Are you truly going through with it?"

Grindelwald didn't look up.

"What, is it disrupting the schedule of the great Albus Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore shook his head, speaking with layered meaning:

"Even if you make Wentworth retrace your steps… it doesn't mean he'll make the same choices you did."

Only then did Grindelwald look up. Meeting Dumbledore's gaze, he replied:

"I'm not making his choices for him. I just want him to see more of this world."

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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]