Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 71 Grindelwald's Premonition

The appearance of the two invisibility cloaks made Harry and Moran realize something.

Just like how they saw through the Thunderbirds' illusion and broke through the American Aurors' encirclement, the person who used Harry and Morgen to steal a large amount of goods from Borgin & Burke's at the end of August was very likely themselves from the future.

"But... that doesn't make sense! Even if we need an extra invisibility cloak to lend to Professor Snape after we've traveled through time, we don't need to steal it from our past selves, do we? There's simply no time to do that!"

Harry was right. Chronologically speaking, Professor Snape gave him his birthday presents much earlier than the theft at Borginborough. In other words, unless he and Moran traveled back in time after stealing the Invisibility Cloaks, these two Invisibility Cloaks couldn't possibly be here.

Mo Ran in the live stream didn't speak. He stared at the invisibility cloak that had appeared in front of him, looking at it lying quietly on the table, as if it were challenging his understanding.

"Let's change players."

Mo Ran said softly.

The next second, his fingers gently touched the invisibility cloak.

Feeling the familiar texture of the silver cloak, Mo Ran couldn't detect any flaws or problems. He picked up the invisibility cloak and examined it carefully in his hand, but no matter how he tried to find clues or explanations, it was all in vain.

"Did 'I' really put it here on purpose? Or is it just a strange coincidence?"

Mo Ran's thoughts were in complete disarray. He tried to make sense of it, but he felt increasingly lost.

If the goal is to have two invisibility cloaks after time travel, why not choose a more direct and effective method—such as placing the invisibility cloak on the path that Harry and I must take, or putting it back in the dormitory while Harry is in class?

What is the deeper meaning behind all this elaborate process?

Could it be... that some unforeseen event occurred in the future, preventing the successful transmission of this Deathly Hallows? Or is it that the future "me" used such a roundabout method to transmit some particularly important but unspoken information to the present self?

The more Mo Ran thought about it, the more confused he became. His mind felt like it was filled with a tangled mess, chaotic and utterly clueless. The problems brought about by the second invisibility cloak were even more numerous than those solved when the first invisibility cloak returned. Fortunately, whoever "returned" the two invisibility cloaks left behind clues that could solve this puzzle.

......

The props used to carry the invisibility cloak can be made into any shape, but it was only when she was made into the Deathly Hallows emblem that she attracted Mo Ran's attention.

So... besides using a triangle to hint at the existence of the invisibility cloak, does it really have no other meaning?

Looking at the now empty "pocket watch mechanism," Mo Ran's thoughts finally stopped being confined to the invisibility cloak itself.

The concept of the Deathly Hallows was officially introduced in the seventh book of the Harry Potter series. However, compared to the characters in the main works, there is a wizard who was not known to audiences until the release of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He is the person that Harry Potter fans are most likely to associate with the Deathly Hallows.

Grindelwald!

Yes! Back in Borginborough's shop, that guy in the black robes wasn't just someone with high magical power. The composure and confidence he exuded in every gesture were more like the calmness of a great prophet who has seen through everything.

Moreover, even if he wasn't the one who stole the Invisibility Cloak, a former Dark Lord who had a thorough understanding of the Deathly Hallows, possessed prophetic abilities, and hadn't been driven mad by dark magic would undoubtedly be the person who could provide the greatest help to him and Harry in the present moment.

"Huh? Why did you switch back? Have you figured it out already?"

Harry, who had suddenly regained control of his body, asked, clearly not believing that Mo Ran could solve such a difficult problem so quickly.

"Not yet, but I have a rough idea where I can ask for clarification."

......

Three days later, in the tower of Neumontgarde prison in Austria, Gellért Grindelwald, who had been imprisoned for decades, welcomed two unfamiliar visitors.

Contrary to Mo Ran's expectations, this Dark Lord, who was hailed as the most powerful before Voldemort, did not live a life of being imprisoned and guarded by a large number of jailers and defensive magic.

"You've arrived?"

Amidst a jungle of bookshelves, an aged voice suddenly rang out. His tone was elegant and steady, as if he had truly foreseen this day would come.

Faced with such a forceful opening remark, Harry quickly spoke up and retorted:

"Gellert Grindelwald, a student at Durmstrang Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was expelled from the school in 1899 for conducting excessive experiments with the Dark Arts. That summer, he traveled to Godric's Hollow in search of the Deathly Hallows, where he met..."

"Professor Dumbledore."

To amplify his entrance, Harry deliberately timed it perfectly, saying his headmaster's name as he passed the bookshelf to the left and behind Grindelwald. This naturally left a deeper impression on Grindelwald, but also earned him a bit of hostility.

"So, you're his favorite student right now?"

"I don't know, but apart from me, it seems that Professor Dumbledore hasn't given any private lessons to anyone else."

"Oh?"

Grindelwald looked up and met Harry's cautious gaze.

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds. Then, whether Grindelwald had truly let his guard down or, with his prophetic abilities, already knew in advance that Harry had not come to take his life, the former Dark Lord ignored the wand that Harry was clutching tightly in his hand and turned his attention back to the heavy book in his arms.

"I can't help you, Savior. Your destiny is already clearly written; how you choose is up to you."

Harry's brow furrowed even more. Judging from Grindelwald's words, he didn't seem to realize that he and Moran were actually from the future. If Harry were to reveal his identity in order to ask for advice, he would be violating the rule that time travel must not be discovered or seen.

"To be honest, I don't know you."

After a moment's hesitation, Harry spoke again.

"However, judging from your current state, you and Dumbledore are quite similar in their riddle-telling abilities. Since you already foresaw my arrival, why did you say you couldn't help me? Could the renowned Grindelwald have only predicted that we would have a meaningless meeting?"

Grindelwald sighed, slowly closed the book, and said in a tone that was both helpless and regretful:

"What I encountered was a scene where three faces were locked in eye contact. Clearly, you've come at the wrong time, and the location is poorly chosen..."

The words 'the location wasn't good' instantly put immense pressure on Harry's already tense nerves. Almost immediately, the wand that had been hanging at his waist was raised high.

"You're trying to escape from prison?"

Seeing that Mo Ran looked like he was about to unleash some evil curse, Grindelwald didn't show any worry or mockery. Instead, he looked at him with surprise and asked incredulously:

"You know so much about me, but you don't know that the reason I'm locked up here is because of an unbreakable oath?"

"An unbreakable curse?"

Harry unconsciously repeated the spell's name, completely unaware that Mo Ran deep within his soul had become restless.

Grindelwald was imprisoned because of the Unbreakable Curse? This is a bombshell he's never heard of before!

It's likely that the *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* film series wasn't fully completed before his suicide. Therefore, regarding the plot of Dumbledore's subsequent duel with Grindelwald, he and other viewers could only offer general speculations. It seems that there are still many unknown secrets surrounding that duel!

Seemingly noticing the slight change in Harry's expression, Grindelwald didn't choose to waste any more time on the previous topic. He turned around and slowly walked towards the young boy who was pointing his wand at him, saying:

"Relax, child... Here's the thing, first I need to make it clear to you that I don't think I can help you much with my prophetic abilities this time; also, in terms of teaching and nurturing, I'm far inferior to him. But since you've come to seek my help, I can try my best to help you resolve your doubts."

Faced with Grindelwald's sudden show of goodwill, the cautious Harry did not lower his guard rashly. He tilted his head, carefully examined the former Dark Lord before him, and asked in a cold voice:

Where is your wand?

"Of course it was confiscated. Obviously, the jailers here think that I haven't been able to escape because I don't have a wand."

Grindelwald answered decisively, shrugging as if trying to mask his indelible arrogance with helplessness.

A brief silence fell over the tower of Nurmengard Prison. After a moment, an invisible cloak shimmering with silver light slowly emerged from beneath Harry's robes.

"Invisibility cloak?"

Grindelwald recognized the thing he had studied for most of his life almost instantly, but unlike Mo Ran's prediction, his tone of surprise lacked the usual fervor.

"So that rumor is true. The witch who married Hadwin, the eldest son of Limfred, was Ignotus Peverell's granddaughter—Aiolans Peverell... Hmm, it seems that the Peverell family has had no male heirs since that generation. No wonder... no wonder I couldn't find it for so many years. It was passed down to the Potter family's descendants."

"Excuse me, I have to interrupt. I don't want to ask you about the origin of the Deathly Hallows today."

Grindelwald looked calmly at Harry, who had interrupted him, his expression growing increasingly complex. With his magical skill, he could certainly tell that the boy before him had the ability to face him without fear.

Are you provoking me?

"I'm not that bored."

As Harry spoke, he took a second Invisibility Cloak from his waist and said:

"What I'm really curious about is, if the Deathly Hallows can't be copied, is it possible for a wizard to use a magical artifact like a time-twister to create two independent Deathly Hallows that coexist in the past?"

Harry's clever question made Mo Ran want to applaud. In fact, ever since the start of the third year, he had been a little worried that Harry, entering adolescence, would become more and more like "Little James" from the original books. But now it seems that after being influenced by Mo Ran, this boy who survived a great calamity has developed a cautious and deliberate character.

On the other side, Grindelwald's expression remained unchanged upon seeing the second Invisibility Cloak. Having spent most of his life chasing the Deathly Hallows, he hadn't even considered touching the silver cloak. He pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself:

"The mystery of time is like a pebble thrown into a lake. Ordinary people often only see the ripples on the surface, but in fact, the lake will eventually return to calm. What is truly and permanently changed is hidden in the riverbed beneath the water."