69novels Chapter 192 Ancient and Modern Prophets' Day and Night Divine Punishment
Chapter 192 Ancient and Modern Prophets' Day and Night Divine Punishment
Chapter 193 (4k long chapter) Ancient and Modern Prophets' Day and Night Divine Punishment
Picking up where we left off, Grindelwald claimed he had been waiting for a long time. Harry saw through his ruse and immediately stopped talking, striding towards the carved table.
He ripped off a fat duck leg and began to chew it, while simultaneously picking up a bottle of fiery whiskey to eat, truly devouring everything in a whirlwind.
Grindelwald still had a smile on his face, but just as he was about to take a step, he suddenly stopped smiling.
He bent down, tapped his left knee with his finger, then turned his head and swept his gaze across the group of house-elves, saying:
"Al has spoiled you rotten. You can't even use the most basic healing magic properly."
"My shinbone didn't fully heal."
Grindelwald spoke gently, but the house-elves trembled with fear, shaking like leaves.
A leader stepped forward shakily and stammered, "I...I'm sorry, esteemed Mr. Grindelwald."
"I can't, I can't completely remove the magic Mr. Potter left in your body. That spell is very unusual!"
Harry remained silent, continuing to eat large chunks of meat and drink large bowls of wine, coldly watching Grindelwald's bird tricks.
He thought to himself: The way he addresses him as "Al" sounds so intimate; it seems that Grindelwald and Professor Dumbledore are indeed very close friends.
Could it be that you, like me, have a sworn brotherhood with my elder sister and brothers?
Grindelwald ignored the house-elves, sat down opposite Harry, took a sip of his wine, and said casually:
"I'm not interested in excuses, I just want to see punishment."
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent instantly, with only the clinking of knives and forks and the sounds of chewing and swallowing echoing from the two men.
The house-elves looked at each other in fear and dared not speak.
The leader gritted his teeth, dragged himself over to Grindelwald, and said in a hoarse voice:
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Grindelwald. I should punish myself... punish myself now..."
Having said that, he stretched out his withered, twig-like fingers and gently sliced his own leg bone, causing the skin and flesh to split open.
A piece of pristine white leg bone rose from the fingertip, untouched by any blood, and floated lightly to the side of Grindelwald's plate.
Grindelwald didn't even look up, saying, "Now, don't disturb my meal."
These words were like a pardon, and all the pet elves felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty. With a few crisp "crack" sounds, they all turned into white smoke and disappeared.
Suddenly, only the two of them remained sitting facing each other in the room.
Harry took a sip of his drink, glanced at him sideways, and said, "You old man, you've got some nerve. I don't believe Professor Dumbledore allowed you to wreak havoc on these house-elves."
"Oh dear, Harry, it seems you, like Al, completely misunderstand these little slaves."
Even if you treat them as human beings, they can't forget the servility ingrained in their bones.
Grindelwald calmly picked up a napkin to wipe the wine stains from his lips, then raised his glass to Harry and said:
"Come and celebrate with me, Harry. Our meeting today is truly a historic moment."
"I believe this day will be recorded in the history of magic in the future."
Harry raised his glass but didn't respond. He tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp, then slammed it down on the table with a "bang."
"Since you knew I was coming today, you must know why. You must explain yourself clearly, or I'll take your head right now!"
Grindelwald didn't seem to care and shook his head, saying, "You don't need to be so hostile towards me, Harry. I just helped Hermione with a small favor."
"Help her to be qualified to stand by your side."
Harry chuckled at this, "You old man are just like Professor Dumbledore, full of sweet talk to fool people!"
"When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, I dare not claim to be unparalleled in the world, but I am certainly a formidable opponent in the magical realm."
"All the powerful spells and incantations from ancient times to the present have been passed down to my eldest sister without any reservations. Why would she need to borrow your methods to strengthen her body?"
"Of course, the conditions you provided for her were indeed very plentiful."
Grindelwald remained unperturbed, swirling the nectar in his glass as he said, "But her innate conditions are far inferior."
"A little bit of cleverness can't make up for the gap in the upper limit of magic power in the human body."
"If we don't use spells and just use magic to consume each other, I think ten Hermiones wouldn't be able to beat you."
Having said that, Grindelwald took another small sip of his drink, and suddenly spoke candidly:
"Here's some advice for you regarding relationships: don't tell Hermione about today's conversation."
"Women are very sensitive."
Harry squinted, scrutinized him for a moment, and then suddenly said:
"I don't believe you're genuinely helping me, and yet you don't ask for anything in return."
Grindelwald shook his index finger slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "Harry, you seem to have some misunderstanding about me. I'm not some kind of philanthropist."
Before he finished speaking, he gestured with his lip toward a potion bottle on the desk.
"I took a strand of her hair as payment."
Harry looked closely and, sure enough, a single ochre hair was floating up and down in the clear liquid inside the bottle.
In an instant, two murderous glints flashed in Harry's eyes, and he pointed his wand directly at Grindelwald's face.
"You think I'm a pig? I've never heard of asking for even a single hair as payment!"
"If you don't give me a straight answer today, I'll make sure you die under my cane!"
This scarred man was truly sharp-eyed and discerning; no matter how many tricks he used, he couldn't be fooled. Grindelwald, despite his eloquent words, now found them all rendered meaningless.
He sighed deeply, finally relenting, "Alright, Harry, I can tell you the truth."
Strictly speaking, you should call me the principal's wife.
As the saying goes: "One must say something shocking to die." Harry felt his arm go limp, and the wand clattered onto the table.
He leaped up abruptly, his chest churning with turbulent emotions, and blurted out:
"Damn it! No wonder Professor Dumbledore has been single for a hundred years, neither marrying nor having children. It turns out it was all because of you!"
Grindelwald placed his fingers together in front of his abdomen and said leisurely:
"Just as you wouldn't be jealous of Hermione for getting first place in the whole school, I wouldn't hate Al for the rest of my life because he beat me."
"I've already lost, so I don't mind helping to cultivate a friend of the heir Al has his eye on. I'll symbolically accept a strand of hair as payment, just to keep Hermione from overthinking things."
Are you satisfied with this answer?
"Harry?"
Even Harry, who had seen his share of storms, was now in a state of utter turmoil. When he thought of Dumbledore again, he realized that things were different now.
He quickly drank several large mouthfuls of wine to calm his nerves, then exhaled a breath of stale air and thought to himself:
People say that you only see a fraction of what it means when you live long enough, but only today have I truly grasped a part of that meaning.
Harry cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I have nothing more to say. I only need to trouble you, sir, to make an unbreakable vow before I can finally put my mind at ease."
"Okay, I have no objection."
Grindelwald stood up and cracked his neck. "But you'll need to bring another witness."
Before he finished speaking, the portrait of Salazar in Harry's arms suddenly sprang out and unfolded on its own.
"I can be your witness."
Grindelwald stared intently, and suddenly three deep ravines appeared on his brows.
"Are you Salazar Slytherin?"
"Good eye, lad." Salazar floated in front of him and said, "After you've sworn your unbreakable oath, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
Grindelwald seemed not to hear these words, and simply stared at Salazar with his heterochromatic eyes.
After pondering for a long while, he slowly said, "This is really strange. The prophecy did not tell me that there would be a second guest today."
Salazar smirked. "Someone simply cast a spell on me to shield me from prophecy."
Grindelwald asked in surprise, "Prophecies can be blocked?"
"Don't blame me for being blunt, young man."
"You are not worthy to be called a prophet in his presence. Your so-called prophecies are nothing but child's play to him."
Having said that, Salazar suddenly flung the drawing paper aside and proclaimed in a loud voice:
"Alright, you two should hurry up and make your vows. I still have questions for you."
Without hesitation, Harry and Grindelwald clasped hands tightly, while Salazar directed Harry's wand to cast a spell.
In an instant, several streams of silver light emerged from the tip of the staff, wrapping around the wrists of the two men like living snakes.
Grindelwald solemnly swore;
"I will help Hermione Granger become stronger in a way that does not endanger any human lives."
As soon as he finished speaking, the silver threads suddenly shone with an unusual brilliance, then disappeared into his skin and flesh.
Salazar tossed the wand back to Harry, then turned to Grindelwald and said:
"You once possessed the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows, didn't you?"
"I'd like to know, what are your thoughts on the Elder Wand?"
"Was that truly a gift from Death?"
Upon hearing this, Grindelwald remained silent for a long time. He took a deep breath and then spoke:
"If the Elder Wand—"
"stop!"
Salazar suddenly shouted, his voice shaking the heavens and startling Grindelwald so much that he choked on his breath.
He said calmly, "Don't overcomplicate things. Just tell me yes or no."
"This is my reward for being your witness."
"Well, Mr. Slytherin," Grindelwald said, taking a sip of his drink to catch his breath. "I don't think so."
"Give me the right materials, and I can make a replica of the Elder Wand with the same power."
Salazar, after receiving this reply, pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and then swiftly rolled up the drawing paper and darted back into Harry's arms.
Salazar refused to listen any longer, but Harry, restless and unable to contain himself, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Grindelwald and said:
"I have heard that the Death Eaters wreaked havoc in Nurmengard in order to force the old man to reveal the whereabouts of the Elder Wand."
"Now that we've come this far, sir, could you please tell us where this sacred artifact has ended up?"
Grindelwald stared at Harry's chest for a moment before meeting his gaze and said, "You should know, Harry, the Elder Wand follows the disarming rule."
"Only by defeating the original owner of the Elder Wand will the Elder Wand serve you wholeheartedly."
He paused slightly, then said with a half-smile, "I remember the little cards in those Chocolate Frog boxes said that the person who defeated me was Dumbledore."
Upon hearing this, Harry suddenly understood, and the doubts in his heart were cleared up.
Grindelwald intended to use the break from dinner to find out more about Salazar.
However, Harry was preoccupied with the person Salazar had mentioned who was using magic to conceal the secrets of heaven, so he excused himself, said he was not feeling well, and hastily bowed and took his leave.
Stepping out of the room, Harry asked anxiously:
"Brother, that person you just mentioned, could it be the very person who attracted the lightning tribulation to strike you down?"
Before Salazar could refuse, he interrupted, "If I hadn't led my brother to meet Grindelwald today, how would he have found the Elder Wand? In that case, he owes me a debt of karma."
These words completely blocked any way out, leaving Salazar with no choice but to say, "You guessed right."
"He is not only extremely skilled in magic, but also an exceptionally powerful prophet."
Seeing the hidden meaning in his words, Harry felt a surge of anxiety and thought to himself:
According to my brother's statement, the one who refined the inner cave with him must be a remarkable figure of our time.
I'm afraid even if all ten of my fellow disciples, Gongsun Sheng, were stacked together, they wouldn't be able to match the depth of his cultivation.
After thinking it over and over, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he exclaimed, "Brother, are you referring to the immortal Luo Zhenren who can summon wind and rain?"
"I don't know him."
"Could it be Master Zhenjing, Bixuzi?"
"Never heard of it."
"Could it be the Purple Sun Immortal who cultivates both body and spirit?"
What is "cultivating both body and spirit"?
Harry rattled off more than a dozen names, all powerful figures in the Taoist sects during the Song Dynasty, but Salazar repeatedly rejected them.
Seeing his attitude, Harry exclaimed, "Brother, why are you so unhappy!"
"I am also a semi-Taoist, and I know all the great masters in the Taoist sect. I have already told you all about them."
"But this deity can't reveal even the slightest secret? He'll give me a chance to ponder even just his surname!"
Salazar sighed deeply. "To put it simply, he's a man who gets struck by lightning three times with every step he takes."
"By the way, this is not a rhetorical device, but a declarative sentence."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Damn it! Brother, you really aren't just teasing me?"
"When the serpent transforms into a dragon, a supreme treasure is born, and a true immortal ascends to heaven, even if he is struck by the divine lightning of the Nine Heavens, it will only be thirty to fifty strikes."
"What heinous act has this powerful being committed? Did he overturn the Lingxiao Palace or kick down the Tushita Palace, that heavenly lightning has been relentlessly chasing after him day and night?"
Salazar's words carried a rare hint of melancholy. "I asked him that question back then too."
Harry asked urgently, "What happened next?"
"Then I was struck by lightning."
Salazar, unwilling to elaborate, suddenly changed the subject, saying, "I suggest you don't completely trust Grindelwald's words. Every action the prophet takes that you can't understand has a purpose."
"He may not be as impressive as that person, but compared to others, he is indeed a first-rate prophet."
Harry nodded. "Don't worry, brother, I know what I'm doing."
Having said that, he went straight back to the Gryffindor Tower.
He summoned Ron and Hermione, but did not mention Grindelwald's secret teachings. He only instructed them to relay messages to the Boxers, saying that he would personally teach them the Unforgivable Curse later.
Ron and Hermione were both taken aback by these words and tried to dissuade him.
"Harry, I don't think this is a good idea. There are too many Boxers. You can't guarantee that not everyone will turn into a dark wizard."
Ron nodded eagerly, "Yes, this kind of thing should only be spread on a small scale."
Harry waved his hand dismissively. "There have been so many strange things happening this semester. First, the Death Eaters caused trouble, then there's this undead and that Dark Lord."
"In another month or two, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and their students will arrive, making things even more complicated."
"As the saying goes, 'When a storm is brewing, the river is about to overflow.' We don't know where Voldemort is lurking. If he causes any trouble, I'm afraid our brothers won't be able to protect themselves without a powerful curse to protect them."
Harry's points were all reasonable. Ron read them for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Hermione stopped trying to persuade him. After thinking for a long time, she suddenly said:
"I can teach you."
"But we need to get them officially admitted to the group."
(End of this chapter)