At the tower of Nurmengard, the mournful cries of ravens could often be heard.
Inside the tower, a thin old man stared at the screen and, more specifically, at the name displayed on it.
What was this?
Some new torture device released by the Ministry of Magic?
And why was Dumbledore’s name on it?
They had already exiled him, so why were they using something like this to torment him?!
Enraged, Grindelwald grabbed a tree branch.
Although his wand had long since been confiscated, he still used the branch to cast a spell at the strange object.
“Diffindo!”
Blue-green flames burst from the tip of the branch and shot toward the screen.
But it was completely useless.
As the last bit of magic within Grindelwald was drained away, the screen remained exactly as it was.
Grindelwald was startled.
What an incredibly sturdy shell this creation had!
It could actually withstand his magic!
There was absolutely no way that idiot Fudge could possess such talent.
This thing could only have been created by one person.
The moment he thought of that person, Grindelwald immediately fell silent.
“All right. Since it’s yours, I’ll take a look.”
“After teaching for so many years, your magic hasn’t diminished in the slightest.”
He stared at the screen, where one person’s name continued to be displayed.
Anton.
Grindelwald had no impression of the unfamiliar name, but he was extremely curious.
A wizard chosen by such a powerful magical artifact certainly could not be ordinary.
….
Meanwhile, deep in the rainforests of Brazil, Newt poked at the screen before him and called out to the woman beside him.
“Tina, come take a look!”
“What is this?”
Tina pushed aside the grass and walked over to Newt.
After taking only one glance at the screen, she said seriously,
“It looks like some kind of liquid-crystal television, just much larger.”
“As for the magic on it, I can’t tell where it came from.”
Newt excitedly wiped the screen before him.
During the three months he had been trapped in this lonely rainforest, he had long grown accustomed to boredom and waiting.
Having something new to look at was an enormous source of entertainment.
The adventurous spirit engraved into Newt’s very bones was completely awakened.
Just then, the screen suddenly flashed, and a person’s name appeared in the center of the enormous display.
Newt immediately excitedly called Tina over.
“A name! Anton? It looks like some kind of foreign writing.”
“Do you know this person?”
Tina decisively shook her head.
Then, a large number of names flashed across the bottom of the screen.
Newt excitedly read the names aloud.
“Harry Potter. That’s the Boy Who Lived they’ve been talking about.”
“Good heavens! That’s Snape! He’s not exactly easy to get along with.”
“Professor Dumbledore is here too!”
“Wait, why is Quirrell’s name so strange?”
“Hold on, there’s another name.”
Newt stared at the final name, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“Grindelwald?”
“Isn’t he in Nurmengard, in his own prison?”
For a moment, both of them drew their wands.
Newt nervously watched the screen.
“Be careful, Tina. This could be his trick.”
Tina nodded.
“But I’m even more curious. Who exactly is this Anton we’ve never heard of?”
….
In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was clutching her head in frustration.
“Harry, Ron, we have to think of a way to rescue Anton.”
“What on earth is going on?”
The events of the day had left even the normally rational Hermione exclaiming in disbelief.
Her mysterious companion who had suddenly appeared in her life had unexpectedly been identified as the reincarnation of Merlin.
And this bizarre giant screen was equally strange.
But what made her most curious was the mysterious past of her newfound friend.
Harry nodded.
“Anton will be fine. Dumbledore is there.”
“But I’m even more curious. Why was Anton thought to be the reincarnation of Merlin?”
Hermione said irritably,
“Merlin can’t be reincarnated, Harry.”
“Have you ever even read History of Magic?!”
“According to the seventh paragraph on page 231 of History of Magic, no wizard may resurrect themselves by any other means.”
“Otherwise, the followers of that mysterious man wouldn’t be called Death Eaters.”
After Hermione gave him a thorough scolding, Harry stuck out his tongue and exchanged a glance with Ron.
They both wore helpless expressions.
Hermione felt helpless herself.
Compared to the quiet and mature Anton, these two boys were practically a pair of immature children.
Just as she was feeling exasperated, Ron suddenly let out a loud shout.
“Harry! Hermione! Look over here!”
The two hurried over, only to see a giant screen stretching across the middle of the common room.
Ron excitedly pointed at the names on the screen.
“Look!”
“We’ve entered the livestream room too.”
“With this, we’ll definitely be able to learn about Anton’s past!”
….
While people everywhere were frantically trying to figure out what to do with this bizarre screen that had fallen from the sky, a name appeared in the center of the display.
However, this name was far more dazzling than all the names that had appeared before it.
The name shone like a star, its radiance flowing like the night sky.
It seemed to contain an endless supply of magical power.
As the name appeared, the entire screen began to erupt with waves of golden light.
[Anton has joined the chat group.]
[Recruitment for the chat group has been closed!]
For a time, everyone became curious about Anton’s identity.
The chat group gradually began to grow lively.