Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 148 No Better Future

All the old UMNO members were watching Grindelwald.

Only Severus and Nico stood at the edge of the spiral staircase, watching the scene as spectators.

Under the expectant gazes of so many elderly people, and upon hearing their requests, Grindelwald simply shook his head slowly.

"Why? Leader! We hadn't lost yet, had we? It was only because of Dumbledore! It was because of Dumbledore! If you're worried about him..."

"Do you think I lost my fighting spirit because I lost to Dumbledore?"

Grindelwald merely interrupted his follower's speech softly, chuckling lightly.

“The necessary strength is a prerequisite for realizing our ideals, but not an absolute condition. I have always understood this, Carlo.”

"Then why did you refuse?"

Many more people said that.

They looked at their leader with deep pain and sorrow.

“We’ve been here many times, but we always thought this prison was holding you captive! That’s why we did those things in France, hoping to free you from here!”

"If you could have left here earlier and hadn't lost your fighting spirit in that duel, why didn't you come out and continue leading us?"

They were all once renowned figures in the magical world.

These people are not all from dark wizarding backgrounds; they include officials from the magic departments of major powers, former professors from magic schools, famous wizards, and experienced adventurers.

They once gathered around Grindelwald for the same ideal, regardless of nationality, bloodline, or race.

Now everyone is in tears, desperately begging him to come back.

At this moment, the smile finally disappeared from Grindelwald's face.

He met the expectant gazes of the group, his expression neither sad nor happy, and spoke calmly.

"Do you all still remember what kind of world we wanted to create?"

"Break the Secrecy Law!" someone shouted in response.

"Let wizards no longer live like rats!" someone cried out.

"Let's build a new world, led by wizards, that rules over Muggles!" someone said solemnly and quietly.

"right"

Grindelwald spoke slowly.

“You all still remember, and of course I have never forgotten, but in the end these are just wishful thinking.”

His words were like a mute button pressed in the prison, leaving everyone else staring at him in disbelief. Even Vida was speechless.

They never imagined that such a complete denial would come from the mouth of this old man!
“I’ve been reflecting here for a very long time since that duel.”

The silence made Grindelwald's voice all the clearer, and everyone, even Severus and Nico, listened intently to his story.

"Where did our failure stem from? Was it because we weren't strong enough? Was it because there weren't enough people who thought the Secrets Act was absurd? Or was it because Muggles had already surpassed wizards, and our actions were too late?"

"I've thought about these questions a lot, but I've finally realized that the key isn't actually there." "Our strength was already strong enough at the time. Almost half of the wizarding world also believed that the Statute of Secrets should be abolished and that magic needed to embrace the world. Muggles' technological development was rapid, but it was far from its peak, and they were going through a huge war at that time, which was clearly the best opportunity."

"But Albus's words during that duel were a wake-up call for me, and they have kept me thinking ever since."

Grindelwald did not avoid the gazes directed at him.

"The Secret Law is not oppressing wizards, but protecting them."

His remarks caused a great commotion among those who had been watching him kneel down. The elderly people were all shocked and simply refused to believe that he could say such a thing!

Some people even felt a sense of absurdity.

Decades ago, when they were at their most powerful and had almost divided half of Europe, the purpose of building Nymungard was to imprison those who said, "The Law of Secrecy is protecting wizards!"

And now, the original owner of the prison has also been imprisoned here, and as if by curse, he has said the same thing!

"I...I can't accept myself, I can't accept it!!"

Someone screamed like a madman, turned around, and ran away.

Although Vida was also shocked, she remained calm.

As she herself said, whatever decision Grindelwald made, she was willing to listen and understand.

“I can understand that you will find this absurd, but this is the conclusion I have drawn after sitting here for decades.”

Grindelwald remained calm.

"If the existence of wizards and magic were to be made public in the Muggle world, we would be the ones who would truly be harmed."

"Wizards can emerge from among Muggles, and there can even be a large number of them. They are relatives and friends, influenced by blood ties and emotions. These people will be constantly subjected to such tests and torments, and most of them will eventually choose to turn against their wizarding identity."

"But what about the wizards?"

"What are Muggles born from wizards? Squibs? Will they have any impact on the Muggle world?"

"No, nothing at all. It seems that we had a lot of support at the time, but if a violent conflict with Muggles really occurred, then what we would be facing would not just be Muggles, but the other half of wizards and Muggles together."

"Is it possible for us to kill all of them? Or use Imperius on them all to control their minds?"

"it's useless."

"The power of magic comes from the mind and will. No matter how exquisite the manipulation, as long as a Muggle is still a Muggle and wizards will still emerge from among Muggles, the outcome will not change."

His words left many people present stunned and bewildered.

“If we are not stopped and we truly lead everyone to continue to carry out our ideals, that ideal world will never be realized, and the wizards will be completely divided.”

"Pure-blood, mixed-blood, and Muggle-born individuals will expose their fundamental contradictions, leading to the deaths of many, many people, a sacrifice far exceeding anyone's imagination."

"There is no better future, only the destruction of the world. That's not what we want, is it?"

"We want to create a perfect world, not a sinful land filled with despair."

"So I stayed here."

(End of this chapter)