### Chapter 97: Hehehehehehe
"Determine your opponent's attack trajectory! Don't overestimate your own reaction speed!"
"Move! You're not a stationary turret!"
"Yes! That's it!"
"Don't rely too heavily on physical strength! When you fight like a dragon, you're no different from a beast. Your opponents can easily read your movements!"
"Concentrate! Never let your guard down! In battle, even the slightest lapse in concentration can cost you your life!"
Ukraine, inside the Black Sea Shipyard.
On an aircraft carrier that was less than forty percent complete, Grindelwald was putting Hydra through her combat training.
"Don't think you're invincible just because you have a Dementor Physique! Aside from Expecto Patronum, I have a hundred ways to hurt you!"
A flash of red light struck Hydra, and she cried out in pain.
"You old geezer! Can't you go easy on me?!"
Cursing under her breath, Hydra charged at Grindelwald, transforming into lightning as she moved.
But Grindelwald had mastered Apparition to its absolute peak. When it came to speed, few could rival him!
His Apparition was silent and unpredictable, so fast that it seemed as though he had several clones moving around the battlefield.
An orange magical whip lashed mercilessly at Hydra, nearly tearing through her dragon scales.
"ROAR!"
Enraged, Hydra unleashed a blast of Dragon Breath. The center of the fiery column glowed blue-green, indicating an extreme temperature.
Yet it was completely useless!
Grindelwald had already appeared behind her, his wand raised as he prepared to teach his student another lesson.
The lesson was simple: never act impulsively in battle!
Losing your temper and attacking recklessly would only lead to defeat!
But in the next instant, Hydra vanished into the flames.
Grindelwald immediately looked toward the sky. He recognized this particular form of Apparition—it originated from the Phoenix Physique.
Given the girl's usual fighting style, she would most likely choose to attack from the air!
This time, however, Grindelwald was wrong.
Hydra hadn't used the Phoenix Physique at all.
The flames came from the Flame Curse, while her sudden disappearance was the result of the Occamy's shrinking ability.
The aftershock of her Dragon Breath, combined with the Flame Curse and the Occamy's ability, had created the illusion of a phoenix's teleportation.
It was nothing more than a smokescreen!
A beam of red light shot up from the ground toward Grindelwald.
It came from a Hydra no bigger than a thumb!
Although Grindelwald had misjudged her move, how could a master of combat possibly be without a contingency plan?
The hem of his wizarding robes transformed into blue flames, deflecting Hydra's attack.
"Now that's more like it!" Grindelwald praised her.
"Keep going. If you can land even one hit on me, I'll give you three days off!"
Hydra's beautiful eyes lit up.
"You said it! No taking it back!"
Grindelwald laughed heartily. "Of course! I—"
Two consecutive spells shot toward him, cutting off his words.
Good heavens! What happened to sportsmanship? You're actually taking advantage of me while I'm talking?
You little rascal! You're ambushing a comrade who's already 109 years old!
…
Vinda Rosier leaned against the ship's railing, watching the battle between the old man and the girl with an ever-present smile.
Even at her advanced age, this rose of a woman still surpassed the younger generation in elegance and charm. True beauty lay in one's bones, and Vinda remained undeniably beautiful.
It made one wonder just how breathtaking she must have been in her youth.
"Edmond, how long do you think it will take Hydra to complete Gellert's training?"
"That's hard to say," Edmond replied. "I've never reached my great-uncle's level, so I can't make an accurate judgment."
He rubbed his eyes.
"But given Audrey's talent, I don't think that day is very far off."
Bang!
Hydra was knocked flying by Grindelwald once again.
Although the old geezer's attacks looked brutal, he had complete control over his strength. He knew exactly how much force to use to make her feel the pain without causing any real injury.
"This is the seventy-ninth time I've hit you today!" Grindelwald announced.
Hydra somersaulted through the air and landed back on the deck. She waved her hand like an impassioned conductor, her words flowing just as dramatically.
"Only seventy-nine times! Yesterday, you hit me a full two hundred times! At this rate—"
"I can fight you all day!"
Bang!
A flash of light appeared, and Dumbledore arrived on the scene with Fawkes perched on his hand.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to fight all day," the Headmaster said gravely. "Let's find somewhere quiet to talk."
Ignoring Dumbledore's feelings entirely, Fawkes flew straight onto Hydra's shoulder.
As the two elderly wizards and the girl headed toward the shipyard's conference room, Vinda snorted coldly.
"I hate that old man with the white beard."
Edmond laughed. "You've hated him for half a century, haven't you?"
He hopped down from the ship's edge and headed toward the office building.
"But honestly, I don't like him much either."
Vinda sighed and muttered to herself,
"But he likes him…"
…
…
Inside the conference room, Dumbledore placed a copy of The Daily Prophet on the table in front of Grindelwald and Hydra.
The headline read:
SHOCKING! FORMER MINISTER FOR MAGIC ASSASSINATED! CRIME OF PASSION OR SUICIDE?
Former Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge was found dead in his mansion by Dolores Umbridge, who is suspected to have been his mistress. Reliable sources indicate that Umbridge frequently received special treatment from Fudge during his tenure at the Ministry of Magic…
"Oh, Umbridge!" Hydra exclaimed. "Cornelius Fudge certainly had some unusual tastes. He actually fancied that pink toad…"
"Hydra!" Dumbledore interrupted sternly. "I won't criticize you for helping remove Fudge from the position of Minister for Magic. He was clearly unfit for the job."
He paused, his expression turning serious.
"But you shouldn't have killed him!"
Hydra's eyes widened.
"Professor Dumbledore! Even though you're my Headmaster, you can't just accuse me of murder without evidence! Do you want me to sue you for defamation?"
She argued indignantly, "My goal was already accomplished once the pure-blood families brought Fudge down. The new Wizarding Bank is opening next month. What reason would I have to kill him now?"
She glared at Dumbledore.
"Even the newly appointed Minister for Magic, Barty Crouch Sr., has a stronger motive than I do! Or perhaps Rita Skeeter wasn't lying for once, and it really was a crime of passion?"
Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged as he asked quietly,
"Are you absolutely certain you didn't do it?"
Hydra was furious. She genuinely had no idea who had killed Fudge!
She glared defiantly at Dumbledore and shouted, "If you think you can use Legilimency, then read my mind! Go on! See for yourself whether I did it!"
Dumbledore sighed.
"I can't read your mind."
Tears welled up in Hydra's eyes. She tilted her head back slightly, struggling to keep them from falling.
Then she pulled out a bottle of potion and slammed it onto the table.
"That's Veritaserum!" she declared. "If you still don't believe me, I'll drink it right now!"
Grindelwald hurriedly caught hold of Hydra's hand and turned to Dumbledore.
"Al, you've gone too far!"
He gently patted Hydra's hand.
"If Little Hydra had really done it, she wouldn't be denying it like this. You've genuinely wronged her this time."
Dumbledore let out a relieved breath, and his expression softened.
"Gellert, you know this child can't afford even the slightest setback on the path ahead of her!"
He turned to Hydra and apologized sincerely.
"I'm sorry, Hydra. I was wrong to accuse you."
"I won't accept your apology, you old geezer!"
Hydra snatched the Veritaserum back, spun around, and—
Whoosh!
She disappeared from the conference room.
"Was that… Apparition?" Dumbledore exclaimed in surprise. "When did she learn to do that?"
Grindelwald chuckled, unable to hide his pride.
"She mastered it half a month ago! You have no idea how quickly she's progressing! And you're still wasting your time training that so-called Chosen One?"
He shook his head repeatedly.
"In a few years, neither of us might be able to match Hydra, let alone her father! Instead of spending so much effort on Potter, you should focus on nurturing Hydra."
Dumbledore shook his head with a wry smile.
"I'm just afraid she'll follow in her father's footsteps."
Grindelwald burst into hearty laughter.
"You really don't understand Little Hydra. She… Hahahahaha!"
Dumbledore blinked.
"Wait a moment. Where's my phoenix?"
…
…
Minister for Magic's Office.
Barty Crouch Sr. was buried beneath a mountain of documents, working diligently.
His determination to be a good Minister meant that he was destined to drown in paperwork.
Whoosh!
Hydra appeared in her true form.
With Fawkes perched on her shoulder, Barty Crouch Sr. initially mistook her for Dumbledore transformed into Hydra's appearance.
"Hydra?"
He hurriedly rose to his feet, looking somewhat flustered.
They hadn't met face-to-face since he had injured her the previous year.
And now, despite their past grievances, the girl standing before him had helped him ascend to the position of Minister for Magic!
"Mr. Crouch, I'd like to know something…" Hydra began. "How did Fudge die?"
"Huh?"
Barty Crouch Sr. was stunned.
He had imagined countless reasons why Hydra might come to see him, but he had never expected her to ask about Fudge's death.
"The Aurors are still investigating," he explained. "We've found traces of several different kinds of magic at the scene, which suggests that more than one person may have been involved. Unfortunately, Fudge's body wasn't discovered until too late, and much of the evidence has already been lost."
"Find the killer as soon as possible!" Hydra said angrily. "I'm already a suspect in Fudge's murder, and you're a suspect too. You'd better be careful."
Barty Crouch Sr. nodded.
"Of course."
Hydra continued, "There's something else."
She gathered her thoughts before explaining, "Before the start of the previous school year, the Ministry of Magic issued an order specifically targeting me. It required me to pass all twelve OWL subjects before I could advance to sixth year."
Barty Crouch Sr. stared at her in disbelief.
"That's absurd! Completely outrageous!"
"Exactly. It's ridiculous," Hydra agreed with a nod. "I received an Outstanding in eleven of my OWL subjects this time. The only one I failed was Muggle Studies…"
Barty Crouch Sr. was speechless.
Wasn't she a superstar in the Muggle world? She'd lived among Muggles for years, yet she'd failed Muggle Studies?
"So, I'd like you to revoke that order so I can advance to sixth year without any further trouble."
"No problem!" Barty Crouch Sr. replied readily. "That's a trivial matter. I'll check the records later, and as soon as I find the order, I'll cancel it for you."
Hydra nodded with satisfaction.
Everything is going according to plan!
First, bring Fudge down. Then, help Barty Crouch Sr. become Minister for Magic. Finally, get him to revoke that ridiculous order.
That way, she wouldn't have to repeat a year!