"It's truly astonishing. Is this how you perceive the world?"

"More or less, though now it should be 'we'."

On the Hogwarts Castle's pathway, Grindelwald and Benítez conversed as they strode forward.

The injection and transformation process of the werewolf potion were far more gentle and straightforward than the two had anticipated. They even briefly questioned whether the potion had taken effect.

However, when José Benítez inquired about their arrival upon seeing the winged boar statues before the Hogwarts gates, any such doubts promptly vanished.

"Hogwarts is surrounded by special magic: Muggle-Repelling Charms, Unplottable Charms, Concealment Charms, and more..."

Grindelwald spoke, gesturing toward the towering, ancient castle in the distance.

"If you were still a Muggle, you'd see nothing but ruins—and likely not even clearly."

"Because before you could even step through Hogwarts' front gate, the Muggle-Repelling Charm would take effect, reminding you of some urgent matter requiring your departure."

As the new caretaker of Hogwarts, and one of the most powerful wizards of this century, Grindelwald was arguably the most suitable guide.

What prompted his change of heart, however, was the new radiance emanating from Benítez:

The vision that Eileen had painted two or three years ago was gradually becoming a reality.

Muggles from the non-magical world could be transformed into members of the magical community, even those he had once scorned and looked down upon as "lacking magical talent."

But from this moment on, the wall between the non-magical and magical worlds had truly begun to crack, and the magical era that had only existed in fantasy was now unexpectedly descending.

"...What if the urgent matter *is* to enter Hogwarts Castle?"

José Benítez curiously examined his surroundings. It wasn't his first visit to Hogwarts.

However, previously he had usually arrived via professors or house-elves, making this his first time entering through the front gate.

More importantly, he could vaguely sense a stirring hidden beneath his priest's robes, as well as the strange pulsations of blood flowing through his body.

With the injection of the "werewolf serum," the world seemed to shed a layer of hazy gauze before his eyes—seemingly unchanged, yet as if everything had become clearer.

Benítez glanced at the approaching castle and gestured around, asking with some confusion.

"Um, what I mean is... does Hogwarts' security rely solely on people's subconscious uncertainties...?"

"The protective measures of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry come from over a thousand wizards, sir."

Before Grindelwald could answer, a voice echoed in front of them.

Immediately after, a semi-transparent ghostly figure materialized.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Benítez. I am the resident ghost of Gryffindor House. You may call me Sir Nicholas."

The ghost gave Benítez a simple, elegant greeting, then turned to look at Grindelwald.

"Miss Kaslana received a message from Dumbledore. She is currently 'looking' for you all over the castle."

"Looking for me?" Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, a hint of danger flickering in his eyes.

"Yes, or we could use another word – hunting."

After a half-second pause, Nearly Headless Nick spread his hands, adding with a slight smile, "..."

"...So you're involved in this as well?"

Grindelwald narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtfully studying Nick.

"Three Great Arcana temporarily voted for this resolution, which is in accordance with the regulations... a special case."

Nearly Headless Nick replied unhurriedly, glancing at the first "serum werewolf" before continuing calmly.

"Miss Kaslana follows the rules, which is her most admirable quality, so we must also abide by the rules. You can identify me as the proposer of the suggestion."

"Or Dumbledore... anyway, one is not at Hogwarts, and the other is an untouchable ghost."

Grindelwald snorted softly. Dumbledore was as steady as ever when it came to scheming against people.

But even without this backup plan, he originally intended to shift all the blame anyway.

"Uh—excuse me... Sir Nicholas."

Benítez raised his hand, quickly recovering from his shock at seeing the ghost.

"Kaslana... is she causing trouble in the castle? I just heard you say she was... hunting... err... searching all over the castle..."

"Hm?! You haven't explained this to Mr. Benítez yet?"

Nearly Headless Nick turned to look at Grindelwald, frowning slightly, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Mr. 'Tower', how could you hand over the 'serum' to someone who doesn't understand the whole story, and hasn't been fully assessed?! Do you know what kind of danger this poses to the organization!"

He quickly glanced at the bewildered Benítez, his expression suddenly becoming serious, the surrounding temperature seemingly dropping several degrees in an instant.

"You are well aware of Miss Kaslana's importance. If Mr. Benítez becomes uncontrollable, it could even directly affect her permissions."

"Well, I think it's best to let that girl explain these things herself."

Grindelwald replied calmly, casually patting the somewhat perplexed middle-aged man next to him, continuing,

"This is not only a special resolution of the Great Arcana Council, but also a matter of our own Apocalis family. It's not as complicated as you think—isn't that right, son?"

"...Council? Resolution? Great Arcana... risk..."

Benítez paid no attention to the old man's opportunistic words, turning his head to look at Grindelwald with a solemn expression.

"Wait, didn't you say before that Eileen is a very talented young witch, so you decided to focus on cultivating her..."

"How does it sound now like she's also involved in some mysterious organization in your magical world?"

Benítez recalled his past when he joined the Brotherhood, his face becoming somewhat unsightly. He never expected that Eileen's studies in a magic school would involve these things.

"That child is only twelve years old this year. Even if you want to discover some potential stars, isn't this a bit too early?! I think—"

"Ahem—"

At this moment, Grindelwald coughed twice, raising his hand to interrupt Benítez.

The old wizard blinked his eyes, his expression slightly odd.

"Um... my dear son, do you know that the founder of our organization... well, the Great Arcana Council is... lovely little Eileen? In a sense, she is now essentially the underground empress of most of the European magical world."

"No matter who it is, I still think that at her current age—huh?"

Benítez's remaining words caught in his throat.

He looked incredulously at the old wizard in the distance, and then at the ghost gentleman nodding in agreement.

Um...

Hmm...

Benítez rubbed his forehead with a bit of a headache, his mood quite complicated.

It seems he has a lot of adolescent troubles to discuss with that child at this parents' meeting.

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Yay!