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HRHL# CHAPTER 168
🕑 Added 2025-04-30 17:35:32 +0000 UTCFar away in Nurmengard Castle, Gellert Grindelwald jolted awake from a restless sleep.
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, panting heavily for a good while before regaining his composure.
The ordeal in his dream had left him genuinely unnerved.
Merlin’s beard…
He reached for the glass of water on his bedside table and took a fierce gulp.
These past few days, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something ominous was looming, he thought.
…
The next morning, Harry knocked on Veratia’s door.
Veratia was already up, and upon seeing Harry, she greeted him with a cheerful, “Good morning!”
“Let’s grab some breakfast and then take a cab to the Granger house,” Harry said to Veratia.
Veratia had no objections. After a quick breakfast, she followed Harry to prepare for their trip to the Granger residence.
“Got everything?” Veratia asked uncertainly, patting around her bedside as if ensuring she hadn’t forgotten anything.
It was a habit she’d developed long ago, born from the schemes of her sisters. Back in Vienna, they were jealous of her position as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress and would hide her belongings, earning her the nickname “Careless Vera.”
The misunderstanding wasn’t cleared up until 1888, when Harry visited Vienna with the Malfoys.
As a result, Veratia had grown accustomed to triple-checking her things before leaving, lest she leave something behind.
“Don’t worry, Veratia,” Harry said, patting his waist. “We’re ready to go.”
Last night, he had temporarily released the dark witch Farina, planning to apprehend her again after the school term started to use her as a teaching tool.
As for the Basilisk, Alfonso, it was still snoozing in his wallet. Harry had fed it two whole cows, and Alfonso was now thoroughly content.
The two hailed a taxi and arrived at the Granger family’s small villa.
Harry stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
Moments later, Hermione came running out.
“Harry!” she called out joyfully.
When she opened the door and saw Veratia standing beside Harry, she asked curiously, “Who’s this?”
“This is my sister, Veratia,” Harry introduced.
“Hello, Veratia!” Hermione greeted sweetly.
Seeing Hermione, Veratia felt the remaining half of her worries melt away.
She knew Harry’s character well. Despite being emotionally dense, his standards were sky-high.
In other words—Harry only had eyes for stunningly beautiful girls.
This Miss Granger… well, she was certainly pretty, but only somewhat pretty. She was far from meeting Harry’s lofty standards.
“This is the new house Dad just bought,” Hermione said, taking Veratia’s hand and explaining to Harry. “Remember how Dad converted all our money into dollars? A while back, some American named Soros or something caused a financial storm in Britain. The pound dropped to half its value against the dollar, which basically doubled Dad’s assets…”
Harry looked at the Granger villa with a touch of awe, feeling boundless respect for Mr. Granger.
Vernon Dursley, by comparison, didn’t have a fraction of Mr. Granger’s financial acumen—no wonder the Grangers were thriving.
“Financial storm?” Veratia asked curiously.
“I don’t really get it either,” Hermione said, shaking her head with a sigh. “But it’s hit Britain hard. Life’s tough right now. America’s just too powerful. All of Europe’s become their playground. One sneeze from them, and the whole European economy screams…”
“Is it really that bad?” Veratia raised an eyebrow, a glint flashing in her eyes.
“That’s what Dad says,” Hermione replied honestly. “Ever since I started at Hogwarts, I haven’t heard him talk about it much.”
Veratia let out a soft humph. America, nothing but a nouveau riche upstart. To think they could lord over Europe? Muggles really were incompetent…
“What about the wizarding world?” she pressed. “Are they also under America’s thumb?”
“That, I don’t know,” Hermione admitted helplessly.
Harry glanced at Veratia with concern. He knew his sister’s ambitions.
As a proud daughter of the old Habsburg black-and-yellow banner, she would never accept her beloved Austria being shattered and trampled by upstarts.
“You okay?” Harry asked gently.
“I’m fine,” Veratia said with a smile. “Didn’t we say we’re buying a computer? When are we heading out? Oh, and I’d like to pick up a few books—Hermione, any recommendations on international politics or history?”
“Of course, Veratia!” Hermione giggled, feeling an inexplicable fondness for this older sister figure.
Soon, Mr. Granger emerged from the house.
“Uncle Askin,” Harry greeted.
Veratia followed suit. “Hello, Uncle Askin. I’m Harry’s sister, Veratia Grindelwald.”
“Hello, Miss Grindelwald,” Mr. Granger replied politely, nodding to Harry. “Good to see you again, Harry.”
Hermione, however, felt the name “Grindelwald” sounded vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t place it.
Since she couldn’t recall, she didn’t dwell on it and hopped into the car with her father.
“What are you lot buying?” Mr. Granger asked curiously. “Hermione mentioned computers? Are wizards allowed to use those now? I remember Arthur saying wizards aren’t supposed to misuse Muggle items.”
“It’s for a friend, Nicolas Flamel,” Harry answered truthfully.
“Nicolas Flamel?!” Hermione squealed, whipping around from the passenger seat. “You know Nicolas Flamel? How? Merlin’s beard…”
“Remember the summer?” Harry said to Hermione. “That’s when… If there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you.”
“Oh my gosh, Dad!” Hermione could barely contain her excitement. “Did you know Mr. Flamel is an alchemist who’s over six hundred years old?”
“Six hundred, huh,” Mr. Granger said distractedly.
In the car, Veratia kept Mr. Granger engaged in conversation about computers—components, performance, the works.
Mr. Granger, ever talkative, patiently explained everything to her.
When they got out of the car, Mr. Granger suddenly honked the horn.
“What? Six hundred years?!” he exclaimed, stunned. “Merlin, magic is incredible.”
Hermione had never seen her dad’s reaction time so delayed—though perhaps it was because he’d been distracted by driving and their chat. He did love computers.
Mr. Granger led them into a London mall, straight to the computer section.
“Here to buy a computer?” a salesman greeted warmly, smiling at Mr. Granger. “Getting one for the kids? Take a look at this one—latest Pentium 486 processor, only £2,399.”
Before Harry could speak, Veratia piped up, “Can you make it cheaper?”
“I’m sorry, miss,” the salesman said with a polite smile. “This is already the lowest—”
“But the Pentium 486 is a 1989 model, sir,” Veratia said methodically. “The news says Intel’s launching the new 586 processor next March. I don’t think the 486 is worth this price at this point.”
Harry and Hermione both turned to Veratia—Harry unsurprised, Hermione gobsmacked.
A pure-blood witch, picking up so much computer knowledge from a brief car ride with her dad and using it to haggle?
Merlin’s beard, Hermione thought she was a swot, but this Miss Grindelwald…
Wait. Miss Grindelwald?
Hermione felt a chill. She remembered the Chocolate Frog card: Dumbledore defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945… Grindelwald…
Meanwhile, Miss Grindelwald was still rapid-firing clear, logical arguments at the salesman.
The salesman was floored. How could such a refined young lady wield computer knowledge so fluently to haggle?
Weren’t rich girls like her supposed to just pay full price without a fuss? Why was she haggling so… shamelessly?
“So, £1,899, sir,” Veratia concluded, unsheathing her metaphorical dragon-slaying knife. “That’s a fair price, considering the 586’s launch next year… We’re buying five units. A great chance to clear your inventory, don’t you think?”
“F-Fine…” The salesman wiped the sweat from his brow, conceding to Veratia’s slaughter.
“Deliver them to this address,” Mr. Granger said, handing over the Granger residence details. “That’ll do.”
“No problem, sir,” the salesman nodded. “Let’s process the payment.”
They fussed a bit over the fifty-pound notes.
“Come back soon!” the salesman called as they left.
Harry gazed at Veratia with admiration.
“You’re incredible… If you’d been with me last time I bought a computer, I might’ve saved a few hundred pounds…”
Then he noticed Hermione lagging behind, her face screaming I’ve got something on my mind. “Hermione, you okay?” he asked.
“I…” Hermione hesitated, glancing at Veratia.
“It’s alright, Hermione,” Veratia said gently, ruffling her bushy hair. “Ask whatever’s on your mind.”
Hermione nodded. “Um… Veratia, are you related to Gellert Grindelwald?”
So that was it…
Veratia smiled. “No, I’m not his descendant.”
“Oh, okay!” Hermione beamed, relieved.
The little witch had been terrified that this warm, approachable big sister was the heir of that dark wizard.
Little did she know, Veratia wasn’t his descendant—she was his elder sister. Same parents and all.
“So, where to now?” Mr. Granger asked, right on cue.
“Let’s get some books—politics and history,” Hermione said to her father. “Veratia’s really interested in those.”
She lowered her voice. “Muggle politics and history.”
“Oh,” Mr. Granger said. “I’d recommend starting with something accessible, like Stavrianos’s A Global History. It’s a solid foundation for historical study…”
“Hmm… Other people’s historical summaries are worth reading, but relying on one perspective can introduce bias,” Veratia said, ruffling Hermione’s hair again. “Is there something more direct? Like data to back up their claims? Newspapers from 1890 onward, or records reflecting the true historical situation…”
“That’s more specialized,” Mr. Granger said with a smile. “I happen to know a professor at the London School of Economics. If you’d like, I can ask him to compile a reading list for you to check out at the library.”
Library?
Veratia’s eyes lit up.
Libraries were perfect—free books!
“But if you’re curious about other perspectives…” Mr. Granger’s tone and expression shifted, like a shady vendor hawking DVDs. “I’d recommend reading works from other countries. Like… the former Soviet Union. You can compare them.”
“The Soviet Union?” Veratia asked, intrigued.
“Yep,” Mr. Granger said mysteriously. “I’ve got a full set of World History published by the Soviets at home. I can give it to you—original Russian text.”
“Perfect! I know some Russian,” Veratia said, nodding eagerly. “Thank you, Uncle Askin.”
She was brimming with enthusiasm. Not only did she want to understand what had happened in the last century, but she also wanted to know how modern people viewed the past and how different perspectives shaped historical narratives.
Still, Veratia picked up a few books from the bookstore, mostly secondhand finds.
In a corner, she spotted a German original of Mein Welt. Intrigued, she reached for it, but Mr. Granger stopped her.
“Good kids shouldn’t read that, Miss Grindelwald,” he said, shoving it back. “It’s just the ramblings of a failed Viennese art student. Nothing worth seeing.”
“Oh,” Veratia nodded, understanding.
T/N: If you find any typos or incorrect names, please leave a comment. Thanks, and enjoy reading!
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