Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Chapter 105 An Unexpected Person

When Grindelwald opened his eyes again, all the pain had vanished, replaced by a profound calm and a chilling majesty.

He gently raised his hand, and the crown, which had become ordinary and unremarkable, was still in his grasp.

He didn't even look at it and casually threw it away.

He clenched his fist slightly, and a wisp of dark red energy danced at his fingertips, as if the surrounding magic was slightly distorted by his will.

He succeeded.

Grindelwald perfectly accommodates the Conqueror rune.

The sounds of battle outside continued, but the saints were clearly gaining the upper hand.

Grindelwald's gaze shifted to Lux, his eyes filled with an indescribable pressure and a hint of admiration.

Lux.

"Do you see? This is its rightful place. The old world is collapsing, and I will create a new order. Your talent is unique. Stay. We need talents like you who can sense and wield ancient powers. I sensed other runes. We can find more runes and build a greater magical world together."

"Join me, and I can give you a position second only to mine."

This is direct recruitment.

Lux's heart was pounding.

The Grindelwald before him was even more unfathomable than before; the power of the runes made him seem to merge with the entire space.

"System, absorb the runes!"

[Having learned from its failure, the rune chose Grindelwald and deeply integrated with him.]

[Please weaken or kill Grindelwald, and the system can extract him.]

Looking into Grindelwald's eyes, at the unwavering will to conquer all, she thought of Hogwarts, and of Dumbledore—

Lux took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and even managed a slightly stiff smile: "Mr. Grindelwald, I feel that my studies at Hogwarts are not yet finished, and it's a bit early to be employed now. Besides, I'm not very interested in conquering the world or anything like that."

Lux doesn't believe she can retrieve the rune on her own. She needs to return to Hogwarts and find a way to bring forward the legendary duel of 1945. Otherwise, once Grindelwald fully masters this power, she really can't think of any other way to obtain the Great Rune except to outlive Grindelwald.

Grindelwald listened quietly, his face expressionless, but the air around him seemed to freeze.

A few seconds later, he chuckled and shook his head. "An interesting answer. Well, I appreciate your honesty and courage. It's not wise to force a genius whose heart isn't in it."

He looked at LeBlanc: "Give her the key and take her back to where she belongs."

LeBlanc immediately took a key from her pocket, leaned close to Lux, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "We don't have a direct way to Hogwarts. Here, take this and silently say Charing Cross Road. I'll keep an eye on Grindelwald regarding the runes. You stay at Hogwarts and don't wander off."

Lux quickly took it and held it tightly.

Grindelwald gave Lux one last look, his eyes deep: "We will meet again, Lux. When the storm of change truly arrives, I hope you won't be on the wrong side."

Having said that, he didn't linger. He turned and walked towards the saints, who had already cleared out most of the Aurors. The Soviet Ministry of Magic was about to welcome a new resident.

Almost simultaneously, Lux activated the door key.

I felt my navel being suddenly hooked, and I was pulled into a familiar spin along with Eve and Lumi. The last thing I saw was the mess in the warehouse and the still flashing spell.

The night at Charing Cross Road was cold and damp. Lux stood blankly on the sidewalk, still clutching the old tin goblet key tightly in her hand, her mind buzzing with the crazed, satisfied look in Grindelwald's eyes as he grasped the crown, and the horrifying sight of the dark red runes completely merging into his body.

"It's over—it's all over—" she muttered to herself. "A Grindelwald wielding the Elder Wand and possessing runes... this dungeon's difficulty has gone off the charts!"

Eve, who was next to her, seemed to sense her emotions and came over to pat her head.

Lux sighed dejectedly, unconsciously raising her wand aimlessly into the air. Her mind was a mess; she just wanted to find a place to sit down and think things through.

However, just as she pointed her wand at the dark night sky, "Bang!!!"

A deafening roar suddenly erupted, and a three-story, brightly colored bus seemed to burst out of another dimension, coming to a stop just inches from her feet.

A large sign hangs on the front of the bus: "Knight Bus".

Lux was startled by the sudden appearance of the enormous creature and the blinding purple light, and jumped back, almost bumping into Eve.

The bus doors swung open with a clatter, and a pale, exhausted young ticket seller in a crumpled uniform leaned out. In a monotone, almost chanting voice, he announced rapidly, "Welcome aboard the Knight Bus! We provide emergency transportation for witches or wizards in distress. Please state your destination, and we will—why is it you?!"

The ticket seller's voice rose sharply when he recognized Lux's face, filled with incredulous shock and—intense disgust.

Lux was also stunned; the voice sounded familiar.

She looked up and stared intently at the face that screamed "I don't want to go to work." Black hair, slightly pale skin, handsome features that now held a chilling sense of world-weariness. ————

"Tom?!" Lux's eyes widened. "You—what are you doing here?! And wearing that uniform?"

Tom Riddle's lips twitched visibly. He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to maintain his professional demeanor, but ultimately failed, replying curtly, "Obviously, I'm on duty. Where are you going? If you have nothing else to do, please move aside and don't hold up the other passengers."

His self-glow swept over Eve, who was clearly inhuman and exuded a faint aura of danger beside Lux, and his brows furrowed even more, but he wisely did not ask any further questions.

Lux then realized what was happening.

Knight Bus! It goes straight back to Hogwarts! The journey might be a bit bumpy, but it's better than staying in London in the cold wind.

"Hogwarts! Let's go to Hogwarts!" Lux exclaimed, pulling Eve, who was curious about the Knight Bus, towards the bus.

Tom expressionlessly stepped aside, and after they and the huge "strongman" squeezed onto the bus, he skillfully waved the door shut, then held out his hand: "Outside the gates of Hogwarts, eleven chips each, two extra chips for hot chocolate, and a set of thermos and toothbrushes for one chip each."

Lux instinctively reached for her purse, then suddenly stopped, looked up at Tom suspiciously, and asked, "Wait—what did you just ask me?"