Time passed slowly, and Hogwarts gradually returned to its former tranquillity. The chaos in the wizarding world gradually subsided under the power of time.
The pain caused by Voldemort.
The joy of defeating Voldemort.
The suspicions about Dumbledore.
The shock of Andy becoming a ghost.
All of these things were just a passing cloud in the face of the power of time. After the chaos, there will be peace.
Everyone has their own lives to live, and no matter how dramatic things get, they can't compete with the wear and tear of daily life.
Unless, of course, that's your job.
Or your dream.
***
At the end of another meeting of the Slug Club, Andy, with a smile on his face and a small glass vial in his hand, walked out of the club with Hermione.
"Andy, you really outdid yourself today."
Hermione, who held a stack of books in her arms, raised an eyebrow and teased, "Even Professor Slughorn was shocked by you."
"It's all thanks to Professor Snape, the master of potions." Andy didn't take any credit for it.
Potions brewing?
You just need to follow the steps carefully. The hard part is understanding the properties of the potion ingredients, improving the existing potions, or even developing a new one.
"I heard that Felix Felicis can bring you luck."
Hermione continued, "Andy, you mustn't use it for gambling or anything bad."
Andy touched his nose at this and asked in return, "Er, what do you mean by something bad?"
Hermione wrinkled her nose and hummed, "For example, sneaking into the Department of Mysteries."
"Of course I won't!" Andy said with conviction.
"Besides..."
Hermione looked around, then leaned closer to Andy and whispered, "I know exactly what that symbol represents."
"What symbol?" Andy was taken aback.
"The symbol of the Deathly Hallows."
Hermione stared into Andy's eyes and said in a grave voice, "That's the symbol of Gellert Grindelwald, isn't it? He sent you that box, didn't he?"
Andy: "..."
If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten that.
Besides, how could you remember something that happened so long ago?
Are you digging up old skeletons?
"Did he try to recruit you to help him deal with Dumbledore?"
Hermione said quietly, "I've been bottling this up for a long time without knowing how to tell you."
"You tried so hard to win the Felix Felicis today because you wanted to use its power, didn't you?"
Andy was silent for a moment and then asked in return, "So what do you think?"
"Of course, I believe you wouldn't do that!"
Hermione gave Andy a look and snorted, "The Andy I know would never bother with someone like Grindelwald. Even if you do contact each other privately, it would only be for knowledge of magic."
"Are those alchemy books is the condition?"
"So...what does he want you to do?"
Andy: "..."
How did the little witch become so brilliant?
"First of all, thank you for your trust."
Andy chuckled. "And secondly, he gave me the books for free, so it wasn't really a deal. Umm. Well, he wants to meet with me."
"You agreed?" Hermione looked at Andy.
"On this Christmas," Andy said.
"Do you need Felix Felicis for it?" Hermione asked.
"No! That's a separate matter."
Andy explained, "Professor Slughorn offered Felix Felicis as a reward to help me with my magic research."
"I knew about this for a while and had prepared to win it."
Hermione stared Andy in the eyes for a while before sighing softly, "I know you're not afraid of Grindelwald, but you still have to be careful. He might use other methods against you."
Andy was surprised. "I thought you would stop me."
"So, will you listen to me?" Hermione asked in return.
Andy: "..."
This question... not an easy one to answer!
"If someone sees you together, it could cause you a lot of trouble."
Hermione didn't press the issue but continued to warn, "He may also try to tempt you in other ways, with something you absolutely cannot refuse. For example, the secret of the Deathly Hallows."
"Hey~"
Hermione suddenly sighed and then said concernedly, "Andy, do you know what your biggest weakness is?"
"What is it?" Andy was curious about this as well.
"It's arrogance!"
Hermione said seriously, "You told me about Voldemort's secrets and your private contact with Grindelwald without any reservations."
"You don't care about them at all."
"And you don't worry about these things being known to others."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione continued, "Andy, what worries me most is that Grindelwald will take advantage of this. Use your arrogance to make others misunderstand you."
"Don't worry!"
Looking at Hermione's worried expression, Andy patted her head and smiled lightly. "Grindelwald won't do that because it will only force me to oppose him."
"Besides..."
"Even if my relationship with Grindelwald is exposed, as long as I don't actually join forces with him, there will be many people who will testify on my behalf."
"Because the thing they fear most is me joining forces with Grindelwald."
Hermione: "..."
This young man can really be arrogant!
"Even you know what the Grindelwald symbol is. So, do you think the Ministry of Magic doesn't know?"
Andy continued, "But the box still ended up in my hands, and not only were the contents still there, but the Ministry of Magic didn't even mention it."
What do you think made them keep quiet?
Hermione: "..."
She had to admit, Andy did have grounds to be arrogant.
The box with the 'Grindelwald symbol' was delivered to Andy's hands from across the ocean. Could it be that the Ministry of Magic really knew nothing about it?
Of course not!
The Ministry was fully aware of it.
But what they knew even better was that Andy is not Dumbledore!
Anyone who had a basic understanding of Andy's 'personality' should have known that Andy is definitely not a good person.
Dark wizard!
The next Dark Lord!
These are the labels that Andy was given.
People are not afraid of armed police officers, but they are afraid of armed robbers.
If someone offers you 1000 pounds to do something against your will, many people will refuse.
But if someone points a gun at you and forces you to do it, most people will do it.
This is Andy's deterrent power!
As Voldemort said: Magic is might!
This is true.
Because the nature of power is to plunder!
When you can plunder the interests or even the lives of others, you have the power to dominate the other party.
"They're afraid of you?" Hermione was at a loss for words.
She knew that Andy was very powerful, but what was there to be afraid of?
After all, they are the Ministry of Magic!
The supreme authority in the wizarding world!
At this moment, the young witch, who had finally understood something, felt like her beliefs were about to collapse.
----
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