Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 79 Prophecy

Grindelwald is a natural prophet, and unlike Professor Trelawney, who relies on ancestral bloodlines, he doesn't need to rely on luck to open his third eye.

"I need a magical creature with naturally powerful magic, not the Obscurus within you. Also, you came here through a time-tamper, which is very likely to interfere with the outcome of my prophecy, so you'd better have some kind of item on you that can help me with my prophecy."

“That’s perfect. I have a prophecy orb from the Department of Mysteries. As for the magical creature, if you don’t need to kill it, there’s a Thunderbird waiting to hatch in the Forbidden Forest right now.”

As he spoke, Mo Ran tossed the prophecy ball into Grindelwald's hands. Then, he turned to look at the old headmaster behind him, who might have been involved in or even orchestrated everything.

"I will not participate in what follows."

Dumbledore said with a half-smile:

"But remember to act quickly, otherwise in a couple of days, the Ministry of Magic won't just be coming to Hogwarts to chat with me anymore."

"But then what? What should I do next? What specific time do I need to go? How do I get there? Can you give me more hints?"

Sensing that the other party intended to use Apparition to leave, Mo Ran immediately asked all the questions he could think of. However, just as he expected, the white-bearded old man standing opposite him answered him with a riddle.

“A highly skilled prophet would certainly be more helpful to you than I am. If you are ever truly undecided… well, I think you already know what I’m going to say.”

Snapped!

The sudden, resounding sound of Apparition left Grindelwald speechless for a while; in his memory, he had never seen Albus so cunning.

"Hurry up, you don't have much time. Where is Thunderbird?"

Before he could even mentally complain about Dumbledore, Grindelwald immediately urged Mo Ran on. He wasn't usually indecisive, but his current slightly impatient demeanor made it hard for Mo Ran not to notice some underlying emotions.

"East, near the lake."

Mo Ran replied without changing his expression, secretly plotting how to take advantage of Grindelwald's lack of composure to gain some benefits.

......

The sounds of various magical creatures roaming the Forbidden Forest in the dead of night were frequent, including dangerous species like the giant eight-eyed spider, capable of preying on adult wizards. Fortunately, back in their first year, Moran and Harry had already established a fearsome reputation here. Their dense dark magic, while not enough to terrify the magical creatures of the Forbidden Forest, was at least quite intimidating. Otherwise, given Grindelwald's temper, who knows how many more "blind" fools would have been sent to meet their deaths tonight because of a moment of greed.

The minutes passed quickly, and before Mo Ran and Grindelwald could feel awkward about having nothing to talk about, they arrived at the location of the Thunderbird's Nest without any problems.

"Did you set up the magical restrictions here?"

Grindelwald's expression seemed somewhat surprised. Through his heterochromatic eyes, countless spells composed of the Armor Charm, the Peaceful Protection Charm, and the All-Encompassing Protection Charm reflected a captivating magical energy, like the shimmering surface of a lake. Such a large-scale, meticulous, and detailed multi-layered protective spell was simply beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, except for elite Aurors and professors who could teach at magic schools.

"Harry cast the spell back then; I don't need to exert much effort on this level of magic."

Mo Ran seemed oblivious to the acknowledgment of his strength in the other's words. Having long since accepted unconventional spellcasting techniques as routine, he opted for the most nonchalant approach of acknowledging it, which ironically piqued Grindelwald's interest. He asked again:

"Oh? So that savior isn't weak either, interesting... In that case, aren't you worried that if you don't strike first, Harry Potter might one day steal all your power?"

"what?"

Mo Ran looked at Grindelwald with some surprise, only to find that there was no hint of mockery or joking on the other's face.

The next second, without the slightest wavering or hesitation, he spoke again:

"Do you have some misunderstanding about me, or about Harry? Not all wizards in this world see power as the most important thing, Mr. Grindelwald. You've been defeated by someone like that, so you should understand that."

"ha......"

Grindelwald chuckled softly and said:

"There are more than one people with this kind of awareness, but only the greatest wizard of this century can defeat me. You don't really think Albus never embarked on the path of pursuing power, do you? Oh no, forgive me, I was not rigorous. After all, if you really thought power was unimportant, this Thunderbird egg, and you, me... wouldn't be gathered in the Forbidden Forest at this moment."

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

This was Mo Ran's first assessment of Grindelwald after he had recovered.

Unlike Voldemort, who used terrifying dark magic to crush and intimidate people, Grindelwald, who once turned Europe and America upside down, always relied on his eloquence and personal charisma as his strongest weapons. If one hadn't already seen the entire Harry Potter film series and grown up with Harry, this level of "devilish whispers" could truly shake one's inner beliefs.

"No wonder, I'd forgotten you're such an extreme idealist..."

Mo Ran's tone no longer held any surprise or annoyance. He simply raised his head with absolute confidence, meeting Grindelwald's gaze, and said:

“What you just said makes me feel like there are two souls living inside you, just like that unique eye. Many of your ideas and the causes you pursue are reasonable, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to use cruel, evil, and violent means. You can’t balance them, can you? That’s why you live in a way that’s somewhere in between.”

Grindelwald gazed at Mo Ran, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"Maybe."

Grindelwald said slowly:

“You may not think it’s a big deal that you can’t achieve perfection or be omniscient and omnipotent, and you won’t struggle with your own desires and imperfections; but the burden on your shoulders may be much heavier than you think, which is why Albus asked me for help.”

He paused for a moment, and then a series of crisp sounds came from the prophecy sphere that Mo Ran had brought out from the Department of Mysterious Affairs.

Click!Click!

Like snowflakes and stardust, the crystalline fragments continued to decompose and float until they slowly turned into a mist-like substance, at which point Grindelwald slowly closed his eyes.

Swish!

Using the moonlight reflected on the Thunderbird's egg, a strange picture slowly unfolds!

The magnificent and mysterious light was as dazzling as the Milky Way, making it impossible to discern what kind of magic it was. But one thing Mo Ran was certain of—Grindelwald's prophecy seemed to have nothing to do with the time travel he was experiencing.

......

Sometimes the line between profound mystery and utter incomprehensibility is very thin, but for Mo Ran, who had witnessed Grindelwald's abilities in the movies, he simply couldn't believe that the person who had accurately shown the images of World War II to his followers would give him a bunch of clueless instructions.

"You failed?"

"No, ha... Rather than saying there was no failure, it would be more accurate to say that this prophecy magic I cast was the most skillful I have ever performed in my life."

Grindelwald's voice sounded slightly tired, but his tone suggested that he was still very confident in the outcome of his prediction.

Mo Ran seemed unsure of what to say in the face of Grindelwald's "mad ramblings." He took out his wand, pointed at the scattered fragments of the prophecy orb on the ground, and chanted a spell:

"Reparo" (restor to its original state)

"what?"

Just like when Hermione first summoned her flying broom in flying class, the tiny crystal shards scattered all over the ground didn't even flinch, let alone jump up and reassemble.

"Household magic... You really think this kind of thing can be used to repair the prophecy orb?"

Grindelwald's tone this time carried a hint of sarcasm, perhaps in response to Mo Ran's earlier distrust. He put his hands behind his back and slowly walked up to the Thunderbird egg, carefully examining its appearance under Mo Ran's complicated gaze.

“I heard from Albus that you and that savior learn things from textbooks very quickly… But have you ever thought about why, even though you went to Albus and other professors for tutoring early on and were exposed to advanced magic in advance, you still find it difficult to break through the shackles of being a jack of all trades and master of none?”

Using the phrase "broad but not deep" to describe Mo Ran seems a bit of a stretch. Considering the overall level of wizards in the current magical world, he and Harry are undoubtedly at the very top. The problem is, the person speaking right now truly has the qualifications and the right to make such a assessment, which is why Mo Ran didn't show the slightest offense or impatience.

"According to Professor Dumbledore, that's because I haven't fully mastered the Obscurial's power yet, and I'll share it with Harry later..."

"It's the same even if we break up."

Grindelwald said without any reservation:

"Learning one or two advanced spells doesn't mean you've reached a higher level. Magic isn't simply about combat strength... I once knew a young man who was quite knowledgeable about magical creatures, a young man who I could defeat even with just one of his wands. But because I was just as ignorant about magic as you were back then, I repeatedly fell into his hands."

Grindelwald's ability to face failure and acknowledge his shortcomings made Mo Ran feel somewhat unfamiliar. He had heard that the director's radical changes to Grindelwald in the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" movie had caused a lot of dissatisfaction among fans, but only now did he truly believe that the man in front of him would never betray Dumbledore and tell Voldemort where the Elder Wand was.

"You mean Professor Scamander?"

"He went back to Hogwarts to teach?"

"No, but Professor Dumbledore once invited him to the castle to tutor Harry, and I sat in on his classes."

Grindelwald nodded slightly and continued:

"Since that's the case, it saves me some trouble... Think back carefully, apart from those teachers who major in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, can the other professors in Hogwarts Castle, even if they are not good at dueling, still use their own abilities to show off their skills in a duel?"

Time seemed to have turned back to the second semester of second grade.

When Tom Riddle, who should have been limited by Lockhart's frail physique, attacked Hogwarts students with despicable means, the balance of power between the two sides was once again broken.

Mo Ran did not personally experience the subsequent battle, but when he learned from Harry's memories and descriptions that it was Professor Sprout and Cedric's timely intervention that nipped all the worst possibilities in the bud.

"Could it be that the magical plants that Professor Sprout cultivated back then were actually similar to the winged demon that Professor Scamander used to capture Grindelwald? But what does all this have to do with my prophecy?"

As if he had heard the series of questions popping into the other person's head, Grindelwald stopped being mysterious and chose to answer directly: