Weather in southern England around June was usually pleasant, with a mild breeze, bright sunlight, and green rolling hills stretching into the distance, temperatures hovering around twenty-five degrees. Today seemed no different. With only a few scattered clouds in the sky and warm sunlight bathing the grasslands, one could hardly believe a great catastrophe had occurred here just hours ago. Maverick, together with his teacher and Olympe Maxime, surveyed the region from above, the results of their hours of effort plain to see. Most of the damage had been restored, save for a few lingering scars that refused to heal because the damage had exceeded the time limit within which the magical rules could take effect. The people who were relocated to who-knows-where by the big boss last night were also returned safely to their settlements. Thankfully, there were no issues when the restoration magic worked on those areas, with the villages looking as good as… well, as good as they used to. “Alright. We’re done here...” It was bound to be a busy day ahead, so there was indeed no reason to linger there any longer. Through a sling ring portal, Maverick then brought his teacher atop Tower 42, London, to take a look at the state of the capital. Maxime, meanwhile, went back to Hogwarts, saying she needed to go check on her babies. The woman probably thought she’d be dumped with more labour and simply came up with an excuse to bail. No matter. Maverick had no intention of intervening personally in matters here in any case when Greengrass had the entire Ministry of Magic mobilised to handle the situation. --- The city was still bustling with noise. Sirens continued to echo from every direction, though the chaos had died down a notch compared to a few hours earlier. Martial law had been declared throughout the capital, and uniformed personnel from various branches of the government filled the streets. “I’ll be heading back for a while too.” Edward slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop, his sharp gaze sweeping across the restless streets. “Seraphina has been nagging me since morning to head over to MACUSA.” The building stood nearly two hundred meters tall, and at the top, cold winds swept past them, rustling their hair and tugging at their clothes. “That’s fine...” Maverick stepped forward as well, coming shoulder to shoulder with his teacher. “Just don’t forget about tonight...” "Yeah, yeah, I hear you." Edward waved him off without looking. "Stop stressing over it so much. We've got the numbers on our side, don't forget, and if Volkov really is dead, then we've got even less to worry about..." He finally turned, looking at his student. "And besides," he added, a grin spreading carelessly across his face, "if they won't listen, just beat them up until they do." A small smile formed on Maverick’s face as well at that thought, though he knew his teacher was only joking. Well... probably. Thuh-thuh-thuh-thuh-thuh... Helicopters filled the skies above the city, from news choppers and emergency responders to military and government aircraft. One flew directly overhead, causing both of them to glance up briefly before their attention returned to the busy streets below. “Any... word from that old thing?” Edward asked without turning, a faint trace of hesitation in his voice this time. “Not yet...” “Don’t you want to go see for yourself?” “Hm...” Maverick hummed thoughtfully at that. There wasn’t anything urgent on the table until the congress later anyway, so, “might as well. I’ve always wanted to visit that prison...” “It’s just a tall, ugly-looking tower,” said Edward with a shrug. “The wards are what make it a fortress. Since he told the three of us its location before leaving, the Fidelius is no longer an issue.” His tone then gained a hint of seriousness, turning his head, “see what happened... even if it’s true that Volkov is dead, I still want to know what exactly drove him to seek out Grindelwald.” “Do you two have some bad history or something?” Maverick asked curiously. “You could say that...” Edward’s mane-like hair fluttered in the wind as a thoughtful glint passed through his eyes while he turned back toward the city. “During the war back then... I killed his brother...” He sighed. “It’s a long story...” Maverick arched an eyebrow at that. That was news to him. “Was he one of Grindelwald’s followers?” Edward nodded. “Extremely fanatic... Volkov, on the other hand, was very quiet back then... most people didn’t even know about him until his brother became a notorious criminal. A complete contrast, those two. One openly sided with Grindelwald, going as far as making sure everyone knew it was him whenever he caused trouble. Meanwhile, Volkov chose neutrality and refused to side with anyone..." Maverick listened with mild curiosity... his teacher rarely talked about such kind of history about him. “But both brothers were genuine geniuses, having reached the rank of Marques while still in their thirties. Then, around a decade after the war, Volkov broke through even further and reached King level. I thought he’d issue me an open challenge or something, but after announcing his breakthrough, he disappeared again. He rarely even shows up at the ICW congress, and that’s an assembly held only a handful of times each year.” Still, that doesn't explain why Grindelwald’s escape coincided so precisely with last night’s operation. But his teacher was right. This was worth investigating. More often than not, it was the silent ones who bit the hardest. And if they couldn’t strike at the prey directly, they would go after those around it instead. Though it was unlikely that his family could have been targets, Maverick didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. “I’ll pay a visit there then...” Maverick said after a moment. “Hopefully, Headmaster has some answers waiting by now.” Edward nodded. “I’ll see you tonight then,” he said, then with a wave of his hand and without looking, his figure disappeared from Maverick’s sight. Maverick exhaled a breath, watching the distant movements for several seconds before glancing slightly to his right from the corner of his eye. As soon as he did, five figures slowly appeared in the exact spot he had looked, as though an invisible veil over that patch of space had been gently lifted, revealing what had been hidden all along. “Teacher already knows about you all, you know?” Maverick said inquiringly, tilting his head slightly. “You two looked pretty deep in conversation, so we stayed hidden until you were done. Didn’t expect him to disappear that suddenly.” “That fellow... hmm. I’m quite certain he’s descended from you, Godric. You should consider getting to know him better.” “Bah... I don’t remember fathering that many children. If anything, he’s likely some many-times-over grandson of yours, Helga. I remember one Irish bloke with—” Whatever Gryffindor had been about to say died in his throat when Hufflepuff suddenly made a quick yet elegant swatting gesture, as though batting his words back into his mouth. But that slight twitch in the voluptuous woman's brow didn’t go unnoticed by Maverick. There was so much “history” still to be learned, he mused with an inward chuckle. “No, he is most definitely your blood. Bloodlines are fascinating things, centuries may pass, yet certain traits remain stubbornly intact. That ridiculous noise, for instance.” Gryffindor turned sharply toward his counterpart as if ready to pounce, but thank... well, Merlin was there, so their exchange didn’t escalate beyond words. “I trust the rest is well within your hands, child?” Perhaps the old man was simply used to it, having watched over their endless squabbles for years. He didn’t seem bothered, nor did he make any move to stop their back-and-forth. In any case, they, master and students, seemed to share a very close bond. “They are, Supreme.” Maverick ignored the founders’ verbal sparring as well and nodded solemnly. “Thank you for your help. All of you...” He had half a mind to ask if they might now consider revealing themselves once the noise died down and the two worlds eventually integrated, but then just as quickly brushed the thought aside. They would do so when they felt like it, and wasn’t he himself the same, having decided to hide the fact that he was now a Warlock from the public. “Boy, it’s not like we’re disappearing to another dimension. I’ll be coming to find you sooner than you think...” Gryffindor said almost immediately after Maverick finished. He flashed him a grin, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You’re welcome to come anytime...” Maverick nodded with a smile. “I’ll have some gifts prepared by then.” He truly meant it. Who wouldn’t want the company of the Hogwarts founders? They carried so much knowledge and so many stories from lives spanning centuries. Especially since, taking Olympe Maxime aside, they were perhaps the most out-of-character people Maverick had met since transmigrating. Gryffindor, for example. The guy reminded Maverick of a character from a manhua he had read in his previous life, Thomas Andre from Solo Leveling, only mixed with the goofiness of Monkey D. Garp from a completely different story. “Oh my... a surprise. Now I simply must find time to visit you as well, little man.” Helga Hufflepuff, meanwhile, gave Maverick the impression of being a blend between Tsunade Senju from Naruto and Albedo from Overlord, their most... noteworthy traits, seemingly handpicked and combined into one person. “Our paths shall cross again soon. Of that, I have little doubt.” Salazar Slytherin was perhaps the most accurate to the character Maverick remembered from the Harry Potter story in his previous life. Then again, there hadn't been much context to go on. Nothing concrete describing their characters in any real detail. Either he had read too many fanfics before transmigrating, or... he had read too many fanfics before transmigrating. “I shall come to find you as well, young man.” Rowena Ravenclaw, on the other hand, if he were to picture a character, would be a mix of Morticia Addams from The Addams Family, Yennefer from The Witcher, and Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop. Smart, elegant, mildly gothic, stylish, and absolutely gorgeous. Merlin didn’t say anything and only gave him a slight nod, which Maverick returned in kind. Although he didn’t voice it aloud again, his expression made it clear just how much he appreciated their help. Right now, there probably wasn’t anything he could do to return the favour, but in the future, that wouldn’t be the case. And Maverick was fairly certain that was the case. For lack of a better word, he was their—or rather, Merlin’s—investment. As for what kind of return they expected, and how manyfold, Maverick had no idea. After the five of them left for good, Maverick still didn’t leave just yet. Instead, after absentmindedly looking into the restless city for a while, he closed his eyes. A few seconds later, they opened again with a sharp snap... and his figure too disappeared from the spot. ——————— Author’s Note: The latter half of this chapter had only four sentences in my original manuscript. I honestly don’t know how it somehow turned into an entire chapter. I’m sorry, guys. It’s not me. My brain simply refused to accept it any other way.