Chapter 424
: Vader: My Background Has Nothing to Do with Me
Chapter 424: Vader: My Background Has Nothing to Do with Me
Vader didn't know how many people were on their way to save him, and he didn't place his hopes on others.
In Wade's opinion, he was most dangerous when he just woke up - of course, it was not the cat that posed a threat to him, but Grindelwald's attitude.
If the dark wizard who was said to have committed so many murders thought that he could control him in the simplest way and rob him of the technology he now possessed - using the Imperius Curse, love potions, or erasing his memory, Vader would have no choice but to fight back desperately.
But he also knew that his greatest value did not lie in his magical abilities, which were outstanding compared to his peers, but in his unique alchemy skills.
Magic or potions that manipulate people will damage their IQ, so as long as the other party has ulterior motives, he is basically safe.
Wade had thought through these issues the last time he was hijacked by the organization.
Alchemy is different from most magic systems. It requires wizards to maintain a clear mind and a clear memory, just like a scientist doing experiments. It is impossible for the mind to be in a daze, and it is even more impossible for the brain to be in love and think about the "lover" wholeheartedly.
Moreover, unlike technological products that can be stably produced following specific steps, even the most skilled alchemists are likely to fail frequently when performing alchemy.
Magic is closely tied to the power of the wizard's mind, and so is alchemy.
Therefore, if the Alchemist does not cooperate willingly, he may become a money-eating beast that consumes huge amounts of money but produces inefficient and useless results.
Since Grindelwald did not resort to any means of control or threats when they first met, the greater the value that Vader demonstrated later, the lower the possibility that he would suddenly turn against him.
Unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald values talent over bloodline and is a meritocracy. This famous dark wizard can also be friendly and welcoming to capable people.
Therefore, when making the tools for the invasion flow mirror, Wade did not pretend to fail to delay time. He spent two hours designing it, and once the materials were in place, he immediately started making it.
This time, he did not rely on the assistance of his unique vision, but only relied on the alchemy technology he had mastered to complete it.
Grindelwald also sent a white-haired alchemist to be his assistant. The two discussed and worked at the same time. The alchemist praised Vader's skilled transfiguration, solid magic foundation and unique ideas. Vader also learned some alchemical techniques of the German wizard from him.
After three failures, they finally saw the dawn of success on the fourth try.
The alchemist named Wovilet brought a stream mirror for testing and found that the picture was successfully replaced, and the transmission of sound and images was also very clear and smooth.
"Oh my god, I didn't think it would go this smoothly—at least not this quickly!" Wowelet looked at Vader in amazement. "I guess you've thought about this kind of thing a long time ago, right?"
Vader smiled, neither admitting nor denying.
Wowelet already had a default answer in his mind, and he didn't care about his silence. He walked around the radio-like object twice and said:
"This is your work...give this little guy a name."
"Uh..." Vader thought for a moment and asked, "How about Zero Day Squirrel?"
Zero-day, in the computer field, is usually used to refer to undisclosed vulnerabilities that can be used to launch attacks.
As for squirrels, they are animal thieves in nature.
“——Zero Day?” Wowelet didn’t understand the meaning, but it sounded good. He nodded and said, “Very good. I hope this little squirrel can get more magic nuts for us.”
The main structure of Zero Day Squirrel has been completed, and what remains is to fill in and modify some corners.
"Did Mr. Wowelet graduate from Durmstrang?"
While making a small part, Vader asked casually.
"Yes, I studied there." Wowelet smiled. "Although Durmstrang has a bad reputation for allowing students to get involved in the dark arts, the school is actually quite different from what most people imagine. The students are usually serious, but they will dance and sing on their days off."
"Will Durmstrang teach the three unforgivable curses?" Vader asked curiously. "Will students experiment with the Imperius Curse or the Cruciatus Curse on each other?"
"Of course not!" Wowelet said flatly: "Drmstrang's attitude towards certain spells is the same as other schools! Including Guy..."
His voice stopped abruptly and he glanced at the door secretly, wary of Grindelwald suddenly running over.
Then he lowered his voice and whispered to Wade: "-- Including Gellert. Did you know? He was expelled from school because the dark magic experiments he conducted were too dangerous, even though he was talented!"
--Really?
Wade didn't quite believe it.
Because he still remembered that during the Triwizard Tournament, Krum, the contestant from Durmstrang, was under the control of the Imperius Curse and tortured Cedric with Cruciatus.
The Imperius Curse can control the person who is under the curse, but it cannot force a spell that the other person has not mastered into his mind.
Vader did not refute the other party's statement, but Wovilet seemed to be aroused by the topic and wanted to talk about sex.
"Ah... Gellert was really charming when he was young. I was a few years younger than him, but when I was in school, I wanted to follow him..."
Wowelet said with a fascinated expression: "He may be addicted to dangerous magic and may have done some wrong things... But his original intention was just to establish an ideal country for wizards and to consider the interests of the wizard community..."
"Your headmaster, Dumbledore, doesn't want to sacrifice any innocent people. The wizarding world praises him as a saint, which is really hypocritical in my opinion... Don't frown, child... If you read more history books - I mean Muggle history books - you will find that there is no change without bloodshed..."
"Dumbledore is too weak. Only Gellert - only his ideas can truly change the situation of wizards hiding. Even if he fails, I still want to say this... I will always believe in him..."
"Thank you, John, thank you for your trust and praise." Grindelwald pushed the door open and saw the relaxed expressions of the two. He smiled and said, "It seems that what I want can be completed soon?"
"In fact, this zero-day squirrel is already done!"
John Wowelet patted the "squirrel" robot next to him and praised it with a smile: "What a genius design! Now we are just adding a layer of protection to it to prevent it from being easily damaged during use later."
Grindelwald's eyes lit up, and he was obviously very surprised. He said, "Great, I think our plan can be completed a few days earlier than expected... John, can you complete the rest of the work yourself?"
"Of course..." Wowelet suddenly realized something, looked at Wade worriedly, and changed his words: "But there are some things I don't quite understand, and I really need the wisdom of Mr. Gray..."
"Then I will borrow it first, Vader." Grindelwald interrupted him, put his palm on Vader's shoulder, called the boy's name affectionately, and said, "We have something to discuss."
"Gellert, Mr. Gray is truly an outstanding alchemist. I have never seen a child of his age possess such profound knowledge..."
Wowelet's face turned slightly pale, and he mustered up the courage to say, "He is still young. Even if you disagree, don't... don't..."
"Hahaha, what are you thinking, John." Grindelwald laughed, "We are really just [talking], literally!" Wowereit breathed a sigh of relief, watched the few people walk out of the room, and then sighed sadly.
Even though he was the one who chose to follow...but when Grindelwald becomes ruthless and cruel, he is really scary!
Moreover, he knew very well that Grindelwald was sometimes very impulsive, arbitrary, and could change his attitude at any time... If the young and hot-tempered Wade Grey said something back, then...
The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Wowelet simply put down his wand and walked around the room, waiting for the outcome of the [conversation].
……
In Wowelet's imagination, Grindelwald saw Vader's value and would probably coerce and bribe him to join the Witch Party.
But Wade obviously admired Dumbledore very much and felt a sense of belonging to Hogwarts. This kind of trust relationship could not be broken with just a few words.
When Grindelwald is rejected, he will first use a few Cruciatus Curses to "persuade" the other party. Most people will succumb to direct violence, but some people will be aroused to a stronger sense of resistance...
The facts were different from what Wowereit had imagined, and what Grindelwald wanted to talk about had nothing to do with surrender.
He sat comfortably in the armchair, motioned to Delain to pour a cup of tea for Wade, and then asked: "Child, do you know your origins?"
Wade was stunned for a moment, then said: "Of course I know who my parents are."
"No, I'm not talking about your parents, but your grandparents, grandmother, and your great-grandparents," said Grindelwald.
Vader was silent for a moment.
Although Wade had heard some of it from his parents, there was no family tree or anything like that at home, not even photos of those people, and Wade had never been curious enough to ask.
In his opinion, sending two children without magical abilities away when the situation was chaotic and never caring about them again was completely abandonment. Although this was a tradition in the wizarding world - even the Weasley family did this - as a parent, it was undoubtedly a dereliction of duty.
Wade had never thought about recognizing his relatives, and in school, he always claimed that he came from a non-magical family.
Ferdinand and Fiona were his parents in this life, who had carefully raised him, and they were his only relatives. As for other people, did they want to become a yoke around his neck just by virtue of blood relationship?
This is impossible.
It was unknown how Grindelwald interpreted Vader's silence. He simply stated the results of his subordinates' investigation in a casual manner:
"I originally thought your parents were both Muggles, but it turns out that they both frequented Diagon Alley while you were at Hogwarts."
Wade's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he looked at Grindelwald dimly.
“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to threaten you with them.” Grindelwald stroked the rim of the cup and smiled, “I just realized that since you can see the Leaky Cauldron but have no magical abilities, your parents are actually Squibs, right?”
"Then my people looked up your grandparents. It was not easy to find information. Fortunately, there was an enthusiastic young man in the British Ministry of Magic who was willing to help..."
He looked into Wade's gray eyes and said, "Your grandmother's name is Rosie Black, and her father's name is Marius Black. I heard that you have been to the Black family's mansion, but you probably haven't seen this name - Marius Black was expelled from the Black family a long time ago because he was a Squib."
Vader's eyes moved slightly, but he was not surprised.
Even though the Black family is declining in number now, it was once as prosperous as the Weasley family. He had seen the tapestry of the Black family. The famous families in the wizarding world - Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, Crabbe, Longbottom, etc. - had all been married to the Black family.
And Vader had noticed it a long time ago... He himself looked somewhat similar to Sirius, but the blood relationship between the two was actually very distant - probably to the extent of being on the edge of the Nine Clans and Five Gentlemen chart.
"And your great-grandfather," Grindelwald continued, "His name is Joseph Bones, your grandfather is Andrew, and your grandmother is Cara. The Bones family has produced many outstanding wizards - do you know Amelia Bones? She is now the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the United Kingdom. She is your distant aunt."
Wade leaned back slightly, stared at the other person, and asked, "So? What's your purpose in telling me all this? Help me find some relatives?"
Grindelwald held his chin with his hand and said with a smile: "I would like to help you establish more close connections in the wizarding world, but unfortunately..."
The dark wizard sighed softly: "Your grandparents and grandmother have all been killed by Voldemort or his Death Eaters."
"Originally, after you were admitted to Hogwarts, you should have returned to the Bones family, but because your grandparents had passed away, you remained in the Muggle society. Amelia Bones didn't know that her Squib cousin was still alive."
As Grindelwald spoke, he observed the expression of the young wizard opposite him with interest.
Generally speaking, most people will show obvious emotional fluctuations after hearing news about relatives they have never met - joy, regret, resentment, sadness, yearning... No matter what kind of emotion it is, it is understandable.
But Weed Grey was different.
He seemed to be listening to a stranger's story, and even his eyes didn't show any noticeable fluctuation.
Grindelwald could see that he was not pretending to be calm, but really didn't care. Whether the family was once strong or weak, it seemed to have nothing to do with him.
A faint smile appeared in the depths of Grindelwald's eyes.
"It's good that I don't know. I'm used to the last name Gray and I don't plan to change it." Wade changed his sitting position and said, "Thank you for telling me, although I don't really want to know this."
Grindelwald tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair and said thoughtfully, "But I want to know - a child like you who should have grown up in the magical world but accidentally lived among Muggles, and has a deep understanding of both sides - what do you think of the current relationship between wizards and Muggles?"
Vader's expression changed, and he raised his eyes to look at the other person.
He realized that this was what the other party really wanted to say.
If Vader was a pure Muggle-born, this wouldn't be a problem...but he is related to two famous families in the wizarding world, which makes this question meaningful.
Even his parents couldn't be considered non-magical.
Although Squibs are at the bottom of the wizarding world's contempt chain, they are still part of the wizarding world.
After a moment of silence, Wade said, "I don't know if you have noticed this fact - I am thirteen years old."
Age is his disadvantage, but also his shield.
Grindelwald smiled.
"That's right, I was too anxious." He stood up and said without question, "Go back and rest. I'm sure you will have a lot of thoughts tonight, but you still need to go to bed early... We may need to go out for a walk tomorrow, and you can come with us."
(End of this chapter)