73. Someone Is Anxious, I Won’t Say Who It Is

"Why do I think he seems accommodating to you? Just because you have been living in exile for so many years, he is apologetic?" Nagini asked doubtfully.

"Of course, there are reasons for this, but more importantly, it's because of the Obscurus," Aurelius closed the door and explained.

"Oh, by the way, the Obscurus can't live to be ten years old," Nagini said suddenly.

The Obscurus cannot live beyond ten years old and Aurelius had already overcome it, but breaking such impressions was not so easy.

The erosion caused by the Obscurus is irreversible. As long as the host is alive, this erosion will not stop.

Dumbledore's sister is the Obscurus, and he has more knowledge about it.

Grindelwald likely learned about the Obscurial from Dumbledore.

In Dumbledore's eyes, every day is a countdown to Aurelius' death.

But who isn't?

The scary thing is not death itself, but the anticipation of one's death!

Finding a long-lost family member after many years would be a joyful thing, but the bad news is that the lost family member is approaching the end of their life.

This is how Aurelius is seen in Dumbledore's eyes.

This is why Dumbledore knew about Aurelius' strange behaviors but pretended not to see them and accommodated him again and again.

It no longer resembles him at all.

Dumbledore is not perfect; in fact, he has a fatal weakness - his family.

In other words, he deeply regretted and blamed himself for those things.

It was his destiny, and it eventually led to his death decades later.

"Whew—" The summer was hot, but Dumbledore's hands and feet felt cold.

He didn't come here to ask questions. Of course, asking a few questions and satisfying his curiosity were also some of the purposes, but they were not the main purpose.

His main purpose was to see if Aurelius was truly a member of the Dumbledore family.

He never knew that his brother, who hated him, had a child. Perhaps this is the consequence. They are brothers, but they are now living in such an embarrassing situation.

The result is, of course, confirmed. This is the truth.

But the worst part is that his nephew, whom he only met today, is dying.

He has the same 'disease' as his sister, but he has grown so much.

"This is truly a significant discovery worthy of winning a prize, but I would rather not have made this discovery..." Dumbledore showed much pain. Thirty years ago, he witnessed the loss of his sister with his own eyes. Seeing his nephew suffer the same fate as his sister, the scene he didn't want to remember kept replaying in front of his eyes.

"Aberforth, it's time for us to talk." Dumbledore took a deep look at Aurelius waving from the window, raised his legs, and disappeared."What a terrifying magical achievement," Aurelius marveled. "You can use Apparition for that purpose. You are worthy of Dumbledore."

In terms of destructive power, Aurelius doesn't consider himself weaker than the two polar opposites in the magical world. However, when it comes to magical attainments, he falls far behind.

One person has reached the pinnacle of white magic, while the other has mastered the highest level of black magic.

Aurelius is confident in his exceptional magical talent, so how could he not be on par with them?

After only studying magic for six months, he wants to compare himself to the two most powerful wizards in the wizarding world.

"Alas—I haven't practiced enough."

Families know best. Aurelius understands that magic is merely a tool for him and he cannot dedicate his whole life to it. Spending his days locked in a room studying magic? The thought makes him uncomfortable.

He focuses on specific areas of magic—attack, defense, escape, and control.

His goals are clear: attacking and defeating enemies, defending and protecting himself, escaping if unable to win, and gaining power and control over others.

While Aurelius always yearns for Dumbledore's presence, when Dumbledore finally arrives, it's nothing more than tying up loose ends.

Aurelius lives a leisurely life, residing in a hotel, studying blood spells, and practicing magic.

He's not in a rush, but someone has forgotten.

New York, City Island. Several wizards in solemn black robes wait with their heads bowed.

Grindelwald Apparates.

"He's still in New York?!"

Everyone assumed he had returned to Europe.

"Did you find it?"

"Not yet," the leading woman responds softly.

"No?" Grindelwald gazes displeasedly at her with his strange eyes. "I gave you two months, and you have found nothing?"

"Credence... it's as if he disappeared into thin air, or he's hiding..."

"A wizard who has been exposed to magic for less than a year manages to elude the search of my most loyal and capable subordinates. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Grindelwald's eyes sweep across the Wiccan Party members, one after another making eye contact, causing them to lower their heads.

"Perhaps..." Abernathy, who has been inconspicuous in the crowd, suddenly speaks up but is immediately silenced by Grindelwald's piercing gaze.

"Maybe what?" Grindelwald looks at Abernathy. He has taken a particular interest in him despite the others not thinking highly of Abernathy's skills.

But Grindelwald knows better. He is a capable leader who recognizes the potential in his subordinates, provided they are wizards.

If Abernathy were a squib, Grindelwald would feel compelled to wash his eyes after one more glance. When he was pretending to be Graves, he discovered that Abernathy, a seasoned worker, seemed to possess a unique ability. It appeared that he could locate himself at will.

However, the underlying assumption is that he didn't intentionally cover his tracks.

"I mean, maybe he left New York," Abernathy suggested.

Confused, Grindelwald asked, "What's your theory?"

Abernathy composed himself and organized his thoughts, saying, "I've come across the name Credence before. Tina Goldstein once reported an unregistered wizard to the Ministry of Security. In her report, she mentioned that Credence grew up in the No-Maj world until he met you."

"Met me? How does that connect to all this?"

Abernathy continued, "He claimed that you taught him magic—"

"Nonsense!" Grindelwald interrupted, feeling upset. While he did promise to teach Credence magic and genuinely wanted to do so, he had never actually taught him anything!

"The report stated that Goldstein hoped the Magical Congress would register Credence and provide compensation to rectify their mistakes in handling his case. However, her request was denied. President Picquery labeled him as an illegal wizard, initially intending to deport him forcibly. I'm not sure why she changed her mind later," Abernathy explained, becoming more fluid and fluent as he spoke.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "From the information we gathered, it seems that Credence vanished shortly after the incident. I believe he may have been trying to evade capture by the Magical Congress Aurors and has successfully escaped."