Waiting quietly for Grindelwald to explain the whole story, Dumbledore was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled bitterly.
"I understand. It seems that I have an important responsibility that I cannot shirk in this matter."
For Dumbledore, although some details are still missing, the information presented by Grindelwald is enough for him to construct a complete story framework. Obviously, Grindelwald, who narrowly escaped death, has sufficient
Reason to vent your dissatisfaction and anger on him.
"Gellert, this is entirely my mistake. I have become accustomed to the power and convenience of magic, but I have selectively forgotten the fact that we are all getting older. However, fortunately, Miss Kaslana is here, she
His admirable and noble behavior in the face of crisis did not bring the whole incident to an irreversible point."
Albus Dumbledore's tone was full of self-blame, and his blue eyes looked at Grindelwald sincerely, with deep fear in his eyes. He simply couldn't imagine that if it weren't for Elena's response, one day
What kind of mood should he have when facing Grindelwald's cold body?
"It is always the person who is noble, not your decisions and arrangements, Albus."
Gellert Grindelwald crossed his arms and snorted unmoved, "In the past few decades, as long as you had thought of such a thing once, the current situation would not have happened.
I know you too well, you always act like a savior and come out to clean up the mess after something is messed up."
"No one can completely control the future. Someone has to clean up the mess, and you didn't think of it in advance, right? Responding to the situation is always the key to winning the final victory."
Dumbledore spread his hands helplessly, not intending to delve further into this issue.
He and Grindelwald had discussed this point too many times over the past decades, and neither could convince the other.
However, there was another problem that Dumbledore was facing now, which Dumbledore could not avoid. The old wizard took a deep look at Elena's chest, and his expression turned serious.
There, a small and exquisite Deathly Hallows necklace lay quietly next to the girl's collarbone. The wood-like iron pendant was intertwined with the thrilling snow-white skin, giving it a different kind of allure - Dumbledore
I knew very well what that necklace meant to Grindelwald. It was once the gift Grindelwald planned to give him at the end of that summer.
Dumbledore frowned, looking away from the girl's collarbone and looking at the old man standing in front of him.
"Grindelwald, she is just a child under eleven years old. She is destined to belong to Hogwarts. Therefore, she cannot, should not, and will not become your follower."
"It's just a necklace. It doesn't mean anything. Dumbledore, you are too sensitive." Grindelwald shook his head.
"But this is a very dangerous signal - she is not a pawn that you can control. Neither the saint nor you should appear in this world again. This is not in line with the plan we made before."
"Sorry, this is what I want to say to you." Grindelwald said, "She is not your pawn, Dumbledore. What you can control is always yourself."
"Of course she will not be a chess piece. She is destined to sit on the chessboard. You and I both know this."
Dumbledore waved his hand slightly distractedly, "We are all old, and this world will not leave us too much time. Before that, I must leave enough seeds to ensure that the future will
Continue to develop as we want. When necessary, she will replace me and continue to promote the long and subtle process."
"Become another you?"
Grindelwald raised his eyebrows and said in a sarcastic tone: "Give up, she will never be you, she is not cold enough."
Perhaps in the eyes of most people, Albus Dumbledore is a sentimental, gentle and considerate good man. But Gellert Grindelwald knows very well that Dumbledore's character is exactly the same as his in some aspects -
—Unfeeling, dedicated, gentle and tolerant, there is a biting indifference hidden under it. (Note 1, click to view)
"Do you think you know her well? No, you don't know this child at all. She is more cruel and terrifying than you think. Grindelwald, you in Nurmengard Castle have no idea that the child lives in your mind.
What a terrifying monster.”
Dumbledore's eyes gradually became sharper and his face became more serious.
"Just this morning, Gringotts, which has a history of thousands of years, was divided, and the MACUSA also appeared in it. Facing this increasingly complicated goblin war, I can feel that the British
The officials of the Ministry of Magic are already ready to take action - fortunately, my current prestige is still effective, so I can still stop them a little to prevent the situation from getting out of control."
Speaking of this, Dumbledore felt a faint tingling sensation in his temple again.
There is no doubt that the goblins' lobbying is particularly powerful and sincere. If only MACUSA intervened in the fight between goblins, Albus Dumbledore would still be confident in convincing Cornelius Fudge not to take the entire
The British Ministry of Magic joins the whirlpool of civil strife at Gringotts.
Well, the Ministry of Magic secretly reached an agreement with the goblins and agreed to exchange strategic reserves for rubles, which almost tied the entire British Ministry of Magic to the chariot of the goblins of Gringotts in London. Even Dumbledore had such a
The old wizard with rich life experience was completely blind when facing the completely unfamiliar field of financial war. Only at this moment did he vaguely understand how complicated the world game that took place in the Slytherin common room was.
horrible.
"So, is this the reason why you were late this morning? It's a pretty good reason."
Grindelwald's tone was full of sarcasm, "But that doesn't mean anything - I'm not so confused as to attribute all events to a girl who is less than eleven years old."
"Of course, it would be terrible if that were the case. All I want to say is a connection."
Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Using only a title deed to Hogwarts Castle, she successfully moved the entire world. In two months, the subsequent development of events was almost close to what you have done for more than ten years-provoking a
A war that could spread to the entire world, including the non-magical world and the magical world. The most important thing is that this was not an unintentional move. Before making those choices, she had already seen what might happen in the future.
Some changes. You know, sometimes I can clearly feel that the whole world seems to be just a game in her eyes. Whether it is displaced people or death, it is just a given piece of information."
"That's just stupidity, not cruelty."
After a brief moment of astonishment, Grindelwald shook his head, "This little guy who is hot-headed from time to time may not think that much at all. I'm sorry, she is not as smart as you think, she is just a stubborn, stupid,
Just an idealist living in a fairy tale."
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore opened his eyes.
"But she saw all this in advance and made a prediction-like deduction. Do you still think that a person with such a perspective will not be able to show himself the decisiveness and ruthlessness when necessary?
"
"Of course, one of the biggest characteristics of people is that they think what they say and what they say. I only believe in the behavior shown in critical situations."
As he spoke, Grindelwald lowered his head and glanced at the sleeping Elena. A trace of crystal flowed from the corner of the girl's mouth. She was obviously having a sweet dream. The old wizard shook his head helplessly. Maybe this was what happened.
It’s just Bai Mao Danzi’s most essential hobby.
"This child has proven that she cannot be a hard-hearted decision-maker. Otherwise——"
Grindelwald paused and did not say the next words.
There are some details that Dumbledore is not suitable for knowing too much, as it can easily dilute the sense of surprise in the future.
"So...she will never be the next you."
Gellert Grindelwald calmly raised his head, looked at the white-bearded old wizard who was known as the number one person in the wizarding world today, and said with determination, "Because she is destined to surpass you. And all I have to do is to
Work hard to ensure that this hope will not be killed by anyone."
"Oh, I've never heard such high praise from you, Gellert."
Dumbledore said seriously, "You won't change your ideals and persistence just because of a few words from a ten-year-old child, right? I won't let our persistence over the years be in vain because of your willfulness.
.”
There is no doubt that the moment the goblins arrived in the morning, Dumbledore realized that even though he had valued Elena as much as possible, he still underestimated the potential hidden in the girl - and this huge
Potential, the powerful temptation for Grindelwald who is about to come to the end of his life.
Hope, this is one of the most terrible poisons in the world.
Whether Grindelwald chose to take the initiative to cut off the flames of the revolution and force the stubborn wizarding community to make compromises; or Dumbledore chose to give up the post of Minister of Magic and train young wizards with peace of mind, bringing more and more muck wizards to the forefront.
and the introduction of mixed-blood wizards into the magical world. The final result they want to achieve is actually the same - to break the inherent dominance of the pure-blood wizarding world over the non-magical world and the Muggle wizarding class.
In fact, all this has begun to take shape. In another twenty years at most, as the proportion of muck wizards in the magic world becomes more and more important, the contradictions and conflicts that have been temporarily shelved will be re-ignited. By that time
At that time, the traditional stubborn conservative class will no longer be able to make any resistance when faced with the huge number of mixed-race and hemp wizards spread across all walks of life in the magic world.
The biggest problem in this may be that neither Grindelwald nor Dumbledore can really wait until the day when their ideals are realized.
Fortunately, Elena's appearance perfectly solves this last concern: she can take on the responsibility of maintaining the balance of the new world after Dumbledore leaves - or, in other words, acting like a catalyst, accelerating the process.
progress.
"That's it, Gellert. The stage that belongs to you has ended. Don't forget the words you have always engraved at the entrance of the castle."
Dumbledore raised his wand with a serious expression. He understood what Grindelwald was thinking. But fortunately, he was confident that he could get everything back on track.
"Ideal?!" Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, "Ideals have never changed."
Ignoring Dumbledore's actions, Gellert Grindelwald stood up suddenly, walked to the window, and pushed the window open forcefully.
"Look, Dumbledore. Take a good look at this city, this world - maybe you know love and peace, but you will never understand what glory and stubbornness, stupidity, and unrealistic ideals are."
"Oh my god...what have you done?"
Dumbledore turned his head and looked out the window, a look of shock appeared on his face, and he almost dropped the wand in his hand.
This is a scene hundreds of times more shocking than Grindelwald gathering his followers.
In the sky of Salzburg, countless Deathly Hallows light and shadow symbols shine into the sky from every corner of the city, and the shimmering Deathly Hallows symbols fill the entire sky.
Every street and every square in the entire city is flashing with Grindelwald's mark.
"Forty-six years...they've been here?"
Dumbledore turned to look at Grindelwald, unspeakable surprise filling every wrinkle on the old man's face.
"Yes, this is something you have never believed in. There are always some things that will never fade. Forty-six years have passed, and even you cannot defeat a city."
Gellert Grindelwald stood by the window, looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath, "You can try to defeat me, but I will never die unless you destroy this city and kill every saint.
.Now, can we have a serious talk about Elena's issue again?"
"Is it really worth it? The international wizarding community will never tolerate such a high-profile provocation."
Glancing at Grindelwald standing by the window, Dumbledore sighed heavily, "Okay, Gellert, what do you want to do? She needs to receive a systematic magical education and a circle of peers.
She needs a partner - even if you keep me here, you can't stop her from returning to Hogwarts."
"I understand. I just want to tell them that there is no way Nurmengard Castle can imprison me——"
Gellert Grindelwald nodded, with a hint of cunning on his face, "There is only one place in this world that can imprison me, Albus."
"Moreover, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry may also need an experienced substitute wizard, who can also help alleviate unexpected conflicts and medical pressure among students. Oh, maybe I can also work part-time as a vault guard, after all, you are so rich now."
"Gellert Grindelwald..." Dumbledore took a deep breath, "After all these years, you are still the complete villain and devil."
"Thank you for the compliment."
————
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Gu, the BOSS finally came out.
You can go back to school next~
The noseless monster is so pitiful, well, it’s okay, I didn’t intend to treat him as a BOSS in the first place.
It’s a big chapter again. Please give me your monthly votes and Zhang’s comments~