Lockhart and Gale spoke in unison: "Phoenix!"
Gale panicked, his legs gave way as he collapsed to the ground and desperately said, "Did Dumbledore come?"
What could we have possibly done to deserve Dumbledore coming personally to capture us?
Lockhart was also frightened and fell, but he quickly realized something was different. "No... No, I've seen Dumbledore's phoenix at Hogwarts, and this one looks a little different."
Mabel stared at the firebird and felt a strange sense of familiarity. After thinking for a while, she finally remembered its name—
"…Mikael?"
Mikael nodded, chirped twice, then turned its head and gestured.
Mabel asked, "Did Wade Grey send you to find me? Where is he?"
Mikael didn't answer, instead it flew out, landed on the surrounding wall and looked back at her.
Mabel understood. Without hesitation, she opened the door. Gale couldn't help but shout, "Wait! What if it's a trap?"
As soon as he spoke, he immediately covered his mouth and looked as though he regretted his words. Lockhart shot him a fierce glare.
Mabel paused for a moment, stood at the door and turned back to smile.
"I should leave now. Please thank Mr. Troka for his hospitality."
Her expression looked no different from that of an ordinary, carefree little girl, which caused both of them to momentarily freeze.
Then, the girl lifted her skirt and quickly ran out. The firebird flew ahead and occasionally stopped to guide her along the way.
The room fell silent for a while.
"…Strange," Gale muttered, rubbing his nose. "Why do I suddenly feel… a little worried about her?"
"You worry about her if you want," Lockhart said, gritting his teeth. "I just hope she never comes back."
Lockhart leaned against the wall and slowly stood up, his face twisted in pain as he said, "My whole body aches. I just want to lie in bed for a while. Don't call me for lunch…"
Gale watched as Lockhart slowly hobbled toward the bedroom, each step seemed like torture. He couldn't help but show a look of sympathy.
"Sigh… Humans are so fragile. Lucky for me, I'm a vampire…"
He licked his lips with a look of longing, muttering, "Where can I steal some blood at noon? Forget it, Mabel just left. The Dementors might still be nearby. Better be cautious…"
...
Mabel followed the firebird all the way to an abandoned building. Looking at the eerie interior, she couldn't help but feel a little scared.
Fortunately, Mikael didn't fly any deeper. It quickly stopped and landed on the dust-covered railing on the second floor.
"Um... Mr. Grey?"
Mabel slowly stepped inside and asked softly.
The abandoned building was very empty; she could even hear her own echo.
Soon, she heard a voice.
"Sorry, Miss Mabel." A figure walked out from behind a column at a slant, saying, "Since we can't really reveal ourselves, we had to send Mikael to bring you here."
Mabel took a step back, her posture became cautious as she said, "You're not Wade Grey! Who are you?"
Dark mist began to swirl and rise along the ground and the columns on both sides.
Mikael, who was perched on the railing, tilted its head and spread its wings. The flames on its body flared brightly, lighting up the eerie, dark building and revealing the "figure" next to the column.
Mabel's eyes widened in shock.
It was a box, square and colorful, with a pair of antennae with eyes on top. It had thin metal arms on either side, and several wheels at the bottom.
It looked like a strange toy, but the voice was definitely coming from it.
"Don't doubt it, it's me speaking," the box "moved" two steps closer to her and said, "Hello, I am a magic cube doll. Wade Grey is my master, and he gave me life himself. The others are in the same situation as I am."
Following its pointed direction, Mabel saw the firebird Mikael, a broomstick floating in mid-air nodding, a cloak making a waving motion, and under the cloak, it seemed there was a shadow of a person.
She stared at the short and stout shadow for a while, confirmed it couldn't possibly be Wade, and asked, "Who is this gentleman?"
"I am also a doll," Peter II added, "A humanoid doll."
Mabel nodded as if calmly accepting this, pretending like it was a common occurrence, though inside, she was full of surprise.
During this time, thanks to the newspapers, she wasn't as clueless about the wizarding world as she had been before. But most of the dolls she had seen in the papers resembled small animals, none were as bizarre as this one.
Humanoid dolls were actually quite rare because some wizards believed that these dolls could endanger the safety and ethics of the wizarding world. They strongly opposed them and even pushed for the Ministry of Magic to list them as banned items, prohibiting their production and sale.
Of course, such a proposal didn't pass, but it was said that very few people owned humanoid dolls.
"Why are you wearing a cloak?" Mabel asked curiously.
"Because my appearance would scare people and cause a disturbance," Peter II replied.
—How ugly must one look to cause chaos just by their appearance?
Mabel instinctively thought this and felt curious as to why Wade would create such a strange and ugly doll when he had so many other options.
Then she remembered why she had run out and asked, "Where is Mr. Grey?"
"This is why we sought you out, Miss Mabel," the magic cube doll said seriously. "Master has been captured by an evil dark wizard, and we need your help!"
Mabel's expression changed slightly, and she asked, "What happened?"
...
Wade had no idea that his aesthetic reputation was quietly being tarnished. He was inspecting a cloak sent by someone from Delaine's group.
The plain, pure black cloak with sleeves was very simple, only marked with a symbol of the Alliance on the front chest and the back. The large pockets could easily conceal a wand, and there were several hidden pockets on the sides for storing other items.
"Try it on," the witch with a serious expression and a bun said. "It should fit perfectly."
Wade didn't refuse. He put on the cloak, pulled up the hood, and prepared to see himself in the mirror. However, to his surprise, he found that he couldn't see his face at all!
The wide hood covered his entire head in shadow. Even though the surrounding light was bright, Wade couldn't make eye contact with his reflection or even make out his features.
The cloak also blurred his silhouette. The figure in the mirror was so vague that, aside from his general height, it was impossible to tell if he was male or female, or even his body shape.
At his current height, Wade was over 1.6 meters tall. With the cloak on, no one would be able to tell that he was still a minor.
The witch behind him reached out and tugged at the hood from the back twice, but couldn't pull it down.
Wade yanked off the hood and silently looked at her.
"You see, no one else can forcibly remove the hood. It can only be taken off by you," the witch explained.
"Right now, the power of the Alliance can't be compared to the past. It's crucial to hide your identity during operations—this is something we learned from painful past experiences."
She put away her sewing kit and the basket filled with fabric, sighed, and looked at Wade with a hint of sympathy and pity in her eyes.
"You're so young, and you have to join their cause... No matter what happens, stay close to that man. Whatever the situation—no matter if he tells you to walk into a blazing fire—never doubt him! Remember my words!"
There was a knock at the door, and the witch quickly hid her expression, picked up the basket, and lowered her head as she left the room.
Delaine stood at the door. He glanced at Wade and gave a satisfied smile, saying, "Let's go, the master is waiting for you."
The two of them put on their hoods and walked down the hallway. It was the first time Wade had seen the place.
It was a stone castle, possibly as grand as Hogwarts. Thick stone walls were made of gray-brown boulders, and the corridors were lined with soft, exquisite carpets that barely made a sound when walked on.
The windows at the top were narrow and dim, and countless candles flickered on the walls. The candle holders below were twisted but incredibly lifelike human-shaped sculptures.
There were also portraits hanging on the walls, but none of them were moving. They seemed like ordinary Muggle-style portraits.
As they moved forward, the people from other rooms gradually gathered, and the crowd around them grew larger.
They were all dressed in identical cloaks, their faces obscured, and they made no sound, like a group of ghosts wandering the earth.
Wade, along with the others, arrived at the hall, where he saw Grindelwald standing before a massive painting, gazing up at the scene in the artwork.
It was a depiction of Hell, with countless people struggling and enduring torment in layers upon layers of Hell. At the very top, an angel bathed in bright light looked down coldly at the suffering below and even showed a hint of mockery.
Even the small, innocent angels that should have appeared pure and sweet had grotesque, evil expressions.
Only Grindelwald did not hide his appearance under a cloak.
Everyone quietly stood behind him, silent.
Grindelwald turned around and said, "Hell and Heaven—only a thin line separates them, to the point where we often can't distinguish the boundary between the two. But here, in this world, we can hear the agonizing screams of souls in torment."
"I know that some of you might be here just because of your parents' will. Some of you may have come to me with the intention of destroying me. And others, perhaps, have lost hope in the reality of your lives and are here, seeking a sense of purpose."
"Children, I don't care... I don't care why you're standing here, but today I will tell you—why am I still here?"
"When you have bread, work, high-quality cloth, and Quidditch, why do I still stir up chaos and make people bleed?"
"Because wizards still have no freedom, no dignity! Because you wear the mask of peace, pretending to live a perfect life, but you are no different from beasts locked in cages at a zoo! Because you are still afraid, still living in fear, and even still being harmed!"
"When it's not you bleeding, can you pretend not to hear? When it's not your loved ones being killed, can you still pretend you have peace?"
"Wake up, wizards! This world is no different from fifty years ago, still filthy and ugly!"
"Words are pale and powerless, but today, I will show you the truth of this world!"
With a flick of his wand, Grindelwald caused the outermost ring of the chandelier to spin and enlarge suddenly, and it quickly descended. Some wizards hurriedly moved aside and watched as the circular ring descended among them, spinning slowly in circles.
Moments later, Delaine stepped forward, touched the ring, and his body instantly vanished.
Then one, two, three... countless wizards stepped forward, their movements quickened, and the once crowded hall quickly became sparsely populated.
Wade hesitated for a moment before also touching the ring. His body was yanked upwards suddenly, and he flew off the ground. Everything around him blurred into a series of afterimages, and he felt as though he was flying faster than ever.
Wade suddenly landed on the ground, and as soon as he steadied himself, a surge of magic yanked him forward.
"Kid, stay close to me," Grindelwald said.
Wade had no idea how this person recognized him out of the crowd of identical figures. He quickly cast layers of protective spells on himself after getting a clear look at the surroundings.
The other side of the Portkey led to a completely unfamiliar place.
Nearby, white buildings gave him a sense of déjà vu, while Muggle soldiers were startled by the sudden intrusion of the wizards. However, someone shouted, and they quickly drew their guns.
Inside the building, weapons were also moving, pointing their barrels at the wizards.
The black-robed wizards appeared imposing, but not everyone had a quick enough reaction. Many of them didn't even know the Shield Charm.
After several gunshots, a few wizards were shot as they bled and collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain.
Grindelwald swung his wand forcefully, and blue flames appeared out of thin air, rapidly expanding and rushing toward the terrified Muggle soldiers like a flood, sweeping over them.
"Fire! It's on fire!"
"It's the devil!"
"Quick, shoot! Kill that person!"
The soldiers were in chaos, some trying to escape, others wanting to retaliate, but in the blink of an eye, the flames surged toward them. Dozens of soldiers who were either in a defensive stance or running were instantly reduced to piles of black ash.
The remaining soldiers lost all will to fight, and dropped their guns and turned to flee.
The weapons on the walls also twisted and deformed under the influence of magic, exploding with a loud crash.
Wade saw that even a few black-robed wizards were burned to ash by the blue flames, but there were still some who courageously advanced through the flames, unscathed by the inferno.
Perhaps it was the blood and screams of their comrades that gave them courage, perhaps they had no choice, or perhaps it was the fear of Grindelwald… Many black-robed wizards stepped through the fire and cast curses at the fleeing soldiers.
Not everyone could kill without hesitation like Grindelwald, but even those struck by the Stunning Charm were quickly consumed by the flames that followed.
"I know you were involved in that operation not long ago," Grindelwald suddenly said. "Does this place seem familiar?"
Wade asked, "Is this another research base of that organization?"
"Research?" Grindelwald chuckled softly. "No, this is a place for transformation."
He waved his wand like a conductor, directing the blue flames that tore through everything in their path, as if even the air was burning, suffocating them.
Wade followed behind Grindelwald with his wand tightly gripped in his hand. He looked ahead at the unguarded back before him, and expressionlessly turned his gaze away.
With a flick of his wand, an invisible Shield Charm blocked a stray bullet, and layers of translucent ripples appeared in the air.
Boom!
The deafening explosion shattered the thick walls, and the first wizard to enter froze in place.
He was one of Grindelwald's most loyal followers, highly trained with a strong and unyielding will.
But at that moment, he stood stunned and his pupils constricted in fear, completely forgetting to react.
"What... what is this?" the wizard exclaimed, stepping back in horror.
Behind the walls, a scene from hell unfolded before them.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
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