Chapter 30: Are You Dumbledore’s Favorite Student ?Yesterday

Robert's heart sank.

It seemed that any hope of a peaceful resolution had completely vanished.

The fact that his opponent had managed to get behind him unnoticed was enough to prove that their strength far surpassed his own. No matter what the other party intended to do, Robert knew he had no way to resist.

Sure enough, while Grindelwald was speaking with him, Vita had already begun untying the ropes that had just been used to restrain the witches—doing so without a hint of hesitation.

"Who are you..." Robert asked, though he already had a good idea of the answer.

Who else could move so silently and possess such a distinctive appearance if not the current Dark Lord—Gellert Grindelwald?

"You must know Dumbledore, right?" Grindelwald said with a smile. "I am Dumbledore's friend, Gellert Grindelwald."

Robert glanced at Vita, who was tending to the witches nearby. "It's obvious that these people are yours... As far as I know, Dumbledore's friends don't go around attacking us."

"Well... I should say that we were friends once," Grindelwald replied, unfazed. "We simply had a minor disagreement that led to us parting ways."

"Why did you attack us?" Robert asked bluntly. "And where is Professor Hicks?"

"If you were paying attention, you'd notice that none of my people used lethal spells tonight," Grindelwald said, removing his hand from Vita's shoulder as he slowly approached Robert. "As for Professor Hicks—unless he managed to escape, he should be safe."

Robert remained silent. He had no choice but to take Grindelwald's word for now.

"As for why I attacked you…" Grindelwald gave him a peculiar look. "I was simply curious why Dumbledore values you so much. So, I wanted to have a chat."

"Was there no other way?" Robert sighed. "You could have just knocked on the door instead of blowing a massive hole in our house."

Grindelwald looked up at the sky and shrugged. "You have a point, but… I'm used to it. This is how we've been dealing with Dumbledore's people for years now."

By this time, most of the members of the UK Orphanage had been freed. Their injuries, which would have been severe for Muggles, were easily treatable with healing spells.

Inside the house, someone had woken Tom and Toby and brought them out.

Toby's eyes were filled with despair—he had failed to save his master! He had let him be trapped!

Tom, however, remained indifferent, his expression unreadable.

Vita approached. "The other kid is still here. But Hicks escaped… We need to hurry."

Grindelwald's gaze drifted past Toby and settled on Tom.

Tom looked up, meeting Grindelwald's eyes without a hint of fear.

A slow, satisfied smile spread across Grindelwald's face.

For any other eleven-year-old, standing firm under such circumstances—without trembling or crying—would already be considered remarkable.

But here, one child had single-handedly defeated many of his men, and the other remained unfazed by his presence.

Although Grindelwald was still unsure of Tom's true abilities, he had already witnessed Robert's talent firsthand.

People of the same kind are drawn to each other.

Since Robert and Tom had been together all this time, it was clear that even if Tom was not as powerful as Robert, he was not far behind.

These two children had remarkable potential. No wonder Dumbledore was keeping such a close eye on them.

Robert and Tom exchanged a glance before Robert finally spoke.

"Alright… Now that you've seen us, how exactly do you plan to 'talk'? And what do you intend to do with us afterward?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be Dumbledore's favorite student, right?" Grindelwald asked softly, his gaze fixed on Robert.

Robert frowned.

If he remembered correctly, the last person to be asked this question was Newt Scamander… and he had been sentenced to death shortly after.

"In fact, we haven't even officially enrolled yet," Robert replied calmly. "We don't even know what subjects Professor Dumbledore teaches. So, his favorite student must be someone else."

Dumbledore's favorite student?

No, I'm not…

Especially not in front of you.

Grindelwald studied Robert for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"In that case, how about coming with me?" he said. "If you follow me, I can show you things you'd never get to see at Hogwarts… I can give you the power you desire."

"If you truly wish for strength, I suggest you don't let this opportunity slip away…"

"You know Dumbledore," Grindelwald continued. "Then you should also know there's a lot of magical knowledge he would never let you access."

Grindelwald had seen through their desires—the deep yearning for power hidden within both Robert and Tom.

This was why Grindelwald could attract so many followers.

On the surface, he appeared to be someone who helped others achieve their dreams. And he had the means to do so, making him seem like a savior tailor-made for those who sought more.

Many had fallen into this illusion before.

And now, Tom was already tempted.

Staying with Dumbledore meant suppressing himself.

Following Grindelwald, however, meant he could be his true self—free, unrestricted, and able to learn magic he'd never been allowed to before.

The arrogance Tom had displayed earlier faded.

After all, he was going to Hogwarts soon. He would have to follow Robert regardless…

But just as he was about to speak, Robert shook his head.

Tom hesitated, the words dying in his throat.

Having spent so much time with Robert, he knew that Robert was someone who never let himself be at a disadvantage.

If there were truly benefits to following Grindelwald, Robert would not refuse.

So, although Tom didn't understand the reason, he chose to trust Robert's judgment.

Of course, Robert had no intention of joining Grindelwald.

After all, history was clear—Grindelwald would be defeated in 1945, and right now, it was 1938.

Knowing that he was doomed to fail, why would Robert join him?

Why not side with the eventual victor instead?

Not to mention, with the system's blessings, Robert could grow stronger on his own.

There was no need to gamble his future by aligning with Grindelwald.

To put it bluntly, Grindelwald and his followers were nothing more than terrorists.

Unless he could achieve his ideals and successfully redeem himself—something Robert found highly unlikely—there was no reason to follow him.

"Thank you for your offer," Robert said, "but I must refuse."

Grindelwald's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's a shame… But you're still coming with me. I believe that after seeing what we're planning, you'll change your mind."

"No," a calm voice interjected from the shadows. "They're not going anywhere."

Dumbledore had arrived.

End of Chapter 30

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