"Burp, elf, black tea - not the popular stuff in the auditorium."
Grindelwald raised his hand, and the house elf next to him quickly brought him a cup of steaming black tea.
Just as Dumbledore said, after so many years of cold wind blowing in Nurmengard Castle, his biggest wish now is to find a lively place to eat and wait to die.
Compared to the boring life at Nurmengard Castle, there were so many things worth appreciating at Hogwarts, whether it was food, daily programs, or even the gorgeous "morning light of the future".
"All in all, if wizards at the level of Albus and I really want to leave, no one can stop them—"
The old devil gently blew the water vapor on the tea cup, looked at Elena slowly and said.
"It seems that your Professor Dumbledore is no longer planning to go through this with you."
"...Unless I find him, or force him to show up on his own initiative. There is still a lot of difference between faking death and disappearing."
Elena glanced at the ruined old devil, took a sip of her iced juice, and said thoughtfully.
If Dumbledore really does not intend to participate in all actions, then his most thorough and simple solution is to "fake death" instead of disappearing from the world in a rather ambiguous manner like today.
"Never block all escape routes. I really understand Albus very well."
Grindelwald grinned, a sarcastic look appeared on his face, shook his head and whispered...
"What he likes most is to use something almost impossible to create hope, or is there really a way to find a hidden wizard in a huge crowd?"
"How is it possible? Even if Professor Dumbledore has not left the UK, based on the current situation alone, it is impossible to launch a full-scale Skynet lock-"
Elena shrugged her shoulders, spread her hands and admitted helplessly, "The non-magical world is much bigger than the wizarding world, and besides, this is not the period of witch hunting in the European Middle Ages."
The United Kingdom alone is divided into four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with dozens of counties and cities, and millions of people in each region, not counting the small villages and towns in the suburbs.
At the end of the 20th century, when Internet technology had just sprouted and there was no global network, the "Skynet" structures in her mind had not yet even established the first base station.
The best Elena can do is to ask Gringotts Wizarding Bank to issue a reward, and at the same time pay close attention to the movements of Dumbledore's related accounts, but she doesn't have much hope that these methods will be effective - after several years of running-in
Understand that Dumbledore, one of the "Major Arcana", is no longer the outdated old guy who knows nothing about finance.
Dumbledore's position is quite clear. He does not hinder the emergence of new things, otherwise he can choose to counterattack at critical moments.
Of course, part of this may be due to war deterrence, but Elena believes that the old man is far more rational and ruthless than everyone else in terms of value measurement and judgment.
But on the other hand, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Chief of the International Federation of Wizards and the Wizengamot Tribunal, Dumbledore had too many things on his shoulders.
In terms of combating the resurgence of the dark forces and rescuing the non-magical and magical communities in distress, Dumbledore will certainly be determined to promote progress.
But as Voldemort disappeared and the werewolf problem began to be peacefully resolved, Elena and others and Dumbledore inevitably had a disagreement on the future path:
Unlike Elena, who has clear guidance for the future, Dumbledore does not want too rapid or drastic changes from the bottom of his heart.
Rather than being a promoter leading the times, he prefers to be a guard who observes and protects from the side...
"This is actually a good thing. Professor Dumbledore doesn't have any important projects in his hands anyway."
Elena's index finger gently slid across the wall of the cup, her lake-blue eyes flickering.
Although Dumbledore's disappearance can be seen as a silent protest, it is not necessarily a tacit approval of the old wizard.
From now on, the balance between the Destiny Group, Hogwarts, and the Tarot Club is completely broken, and Elena can promote various projects more freely.
"Do you think he is hiding around Hogwarts and observing our every move, or is he going to the non-magical world to understand and absorb the culture of Muggles, as he said?"
"Now? I don't think so - he probably found a 'magic safe house' and hid it himself."
Grindelwald raised his eyebrows, thought for a few seconds, and then said softly, stroking the stubble on his chin.
"At least in a short period of time, his disappearance will definitely cause a sensation in the magical society. We are not the only ones who want to find Dumbledore."
"At this time, it is impossible for Dumbledore to make a high-profile appearance outside. I even doubt that he will not go out at all in recent years, similar to the reclusive Nico..."
The non-magical world and the magical world have been at peace with each other for many years. Under the constraints of the "International Federation of Wizards Secrecy", even the war that year did not expose the magical world.
As the chief wizard of the International Confederation of Wizards, Dumbledore's research on "magical secrecy" is no lower than anyone else's.
In the absence of life-threatening situations, people have no means to identify wizards and Muggles, and what Dumbledore asked him to convey before leaving is very interesting.
Grindelwald was very aware of Elena's competitive spirit. Faced with Dumbledore's direct and childish "challenge", a certain little mixed-blood Veela would definitely devote a lot of energy to it.
"Understand, girl, maybe you should listen to the opinions of older people..."
The old devil put down the teacup in his hand, and after thinking seriously for a while, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
"Ignore Dumbledore and do what you want to do - that guy is probably distracting you to slow you down."
"This world is very big. Even if he really goes to live in a non-magical city, he has too many ways to hide himself in front of such a huge and vast crowd of people and the world."
"If he occasionally secretly uses a little magic, then what you are fighting against is the Statute of Secrecy and magical secrecy; if he does not use magic, then even if he is reading a newspaper on the streets of London, you will not be able to find him. This is
Just like birds flying through the sky, and fish swimming through the sea, no one can search every piece of sky and sea, not even gods can do it..."
God? Delay... time?
Elena was stunned, and then she understood what Grindelwald meant.
It was obvious that Dumbledore's words before his disappearance were obviously directed at her alone.
Without any restraint, the old wizard was obviously worried that she would fly too fast, so he deliberately set a small goal for her to kill her energy.
only……
A clever and cunning smile flashed in Elena's blue eyes.
"Well, the past two years have been a bit difficult. However, the future is hard to say."
"Isn't the essence of magic just to make illusory wishes come true? Since a thing can be imagined, there must be a way to achieve it——"
Elena glanced at the old Dark Lord who was hesitant to speak, put her hands on her hands, jumped down from the kitchen workbench, and said nonchalantly.
"Don't worry about this. Even without Professor Dumbledore's letter of challenge, Skynet will appear in the future world."
"The conditions proposed by Professor Dumbledore only slightly raised the priority of the Magic Skynet. Whether it is magic, science, or everything that human civilization is trying, in the eyes of people in ancient times, it is not just in the eyes of people in ancient times.
Are you on par with the so-called gods? When the Hogwarts 'Local Area Network' is established, you will understand what I am talking about..."
Regarding the conception of Magic Skynet and Hogwarts Eye, Elena does not intend to explain too much now.
The birth of the Internet has subverted the times. If you have not experienced it before, even if you try hard to explain it, it will be difficult to form a solid impression in the minds of people today.
Just as Dumbledore left, without Dumbledore's protection and checks and balances at Hogwarts Castle, she had too many "pilot projects" that she could try and change.
Perhaps Professor McGonagall is not much worse than Dumbledore in terms of being disciplined and cautious, but after all, the older cat lady is just an "acting principal".
After subduing Lucius Malfoy and disrupting the tide of the wizarding world, the power that Elena can call upon is not something that the "acting principal" can directly refuse.
As a "just partner" who accompanies Professor McGonagall and guides the braves to the right path, she is really skilled at this kind of thing - from the moment Dumbledore let go of Hogwarts, this castle completely became
After entering the Demon King's back garden, the only thing Elena has to consider is whether there will be a student uprising when a certain scientific Hogwarts really becomes a reality.
Of course, before that, we must first stabilize parents and students so that everything can transition smoothly to the "post-Dumbledore" era.
Elena raised her hand and snapped her fingers, and the cookies in Grindelwald's hand disappeared in an instant.
"Let's go, Professor Apokalis, parents are still waiting for you - this afternoon's parent-teacher meeting is a very important home-school linkage."
"……how about you?"
"Me? Of course I will go to the classroom and sit and wait for the parent-teacher meeting."
Elena said matter-of-factly, patted her small chest, and answered cutely.
"Granger's parents are coming to school for the first time, and I can't give them a bad impression."
"Elena Kaslana is a good student who abides by school rules, is polite and generous, and is an outstanding student cadre. Even if she is a poor little orphan, it is obviously not allowed to be late and absent at the first parents' meeting... Huh?
,Wait, what are you laughing at?"
Well, when Elena finished her narcissistic monologue, the girl suddenly narrowed her eyes alertly and stared at the strange-looking old devil not far away.
"Well--"
Grindelwald took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and shrugged calmly.
"Sorry, I may not be able to go to the classroom first."
"My 'son' is about to get off work, and I promised to pick him up to attend the parent-teacher meeting at school——"
"?!"
The dull hair on Elena's head suddenly stood up like a frightened groundhog.
"Oh, this is the principal's order——"
Glancing at Elena who looked shocked, Grindelwald slowly took out a small note and handed it to Elena, saying softly.
"He found that you seemed to have accidentally missed sending an invitation letter when notifying your parents, so he wrote a letter with his own hand stating that this is the letterhead, and I am only responsible for picking up and dropping off... If you have any questions, you can come face to face later.
'Thank you' for your careful and serious principal."