Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 170 The Dialogue Between Dumbledore and Grindelwald
Before Dumbledore could answer, he chuckled and said, "Forget it, what do I, a dying old man, care about these things?"

"..."

Dumbledore opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't get them out.

With a complex expression, Grindelwald slowly turned the pages of Vaughn's letter. After a long while, he pushed aside the last page and smiled faintly: "Amber light..."

He turned and looked around the courtyard, which was also filled with amber light, and shook his head slightly: "Another old guy who's about to die!"

"…Are you sure?"

“Of course, it’s quite obvious.” Grindelwald smiled, extending his hand. In his withered hand, almost devoid of magic, the light of dusk gathered like fire in his palm.

“I have no magic left, but this light, it is the witness to my death, and the world’s last gift to me. I can still control it as if I were manipulating magic… The same goes for that ‘DeSantis’!”

As he spoke, his heterochromatic eyes fixed on Dumbledore, his smile unchanged: "You should know...you've seen it too!"

"..."

"It always chases the direction in which we are most talented. I am good at black magic and prophecy, so when I was over 100 years old, it came to me like a prophecy and destiny. 'De Santis' seems to be good at memory magic, so it filled his mind, and even his creations could not avoid it."

"And you... my dear, you are skilled in alchemy and have forcibly pried into fate. Has it already caught up with you in the ether?"

Looking at Grindelwald's gentle smile, Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh: "Yes..."

"Then you'd better stay away, you still have a lot of things to do!"

“I have tried to minimize the number of times I enter the ether.”

"Really? When was the last time I saw it?"

“A few months ago…” Dumbledore said, the tranquil atmosphere making him feel as if he had returned to more than 90 years ago. He subconsciously explained, “Vaughn showed a talent for alchemy, and I had to be his guide…”

“No need to explain.” Grindelwald slowly shook his head. “You always have your reasons for doing things. I couldn’t interfere with or change your mind before, and it’s even more impossible now.”

Dumbledore was speechless.

After a long pause, he sighed, "I'm sorry, Gellert..."

"There's no need to apologize. It was all our own choice, or you could call it a trick of fate." Although he said that, Grindelwald clearly didn't want to continue the topic.

Although time is indeed the most effective spell to forget.

But some things can't be erased until death...like love and hate!

He tilted his head and looked at the courtyard, which seemed frozen in the twilight, and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Don't worry too much about Vaughn Weasley. His talent is stronger than you expect. He noticed DeSantis's abnormality. Although he had his reasons, the most fundamental reason is that he is very spiritual."

“His spirituality was warning him, but he was unaware of it. DeSantis did not deceive him, so next time, his spirituality will still work, making him instinctively avoid places where DeSantis might appear.”

"Is it really okay?"

Grindelwald chuckled: "This is the first time I've seen you so worried about someone... If you're worried, you can go and tell him these things. Oh... I just remembered, he was there when you encountered 'Twilight' in the Ether. You don't want him to know you're dying?"

"……Um!"

"Then let's keep it a secret. That 'DeSantis' is probably in a similar situation to me now, and he probably doesn't have the energy to run around anymore."

Dumbledore nodded and accepted Grindelwald's suggestion.

However, his consultation wasn't over yet. In fact, what followed was his real question: "Gellert, since DeSantis is about to die, why is he still causing trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Grindelwald turned around and stared at him calmly for a moment: "What are you trying to say?"

Dumbledore looked directly into his strange eyes: "I didn't mean anything by it, I just find it strange that even though this world's last gift still allows you to cast spells, it is already nearing its end. What exactly drives him to choose to stand up against the Magical Congress at this time?"

“DeSantis is an Italian surname. Coincidentally, you are Austrian, and Italy is just to the south. Your followers are all over Central Europe. Even more coincidentally, when you decided to challenge the Secrecy Act, you chose North America as your point of entry…”

Dumbledore stopped abruptly at this point.

The rest is self-explanatory.

The light of dusk bathed everything in the courtyard in an orange-red hue.

However, the warm colors that should have brought tranquility, peace, and contemplation were now so heavy that it was almost suffocating.

Dumbledore's bright eyes were fixed on Grindelwald, whose comical pinkish-purple robes were slightly bulging, as if a vast amount of magic was brewing.

In contrast to his stern demeanor, Grindelwald remained calm. He gazed into Dumbledore's eyes for a long time before smiling gently and saying, "You are still the same as before, suspicious and stubborn, always assuming the worst of others."

Dumbledore remained unmoved: "I just want you to answer my question."

Would you believe it?

Tell me your opinion, and I'll make my own judgment.

Grindelwald sighed: "I have never forgotten our promise. More than 50 years ago, we agreed to have one last match. I lost, so I kept my promise and never stepped out of here for the rest of my life. But you didn't believe me. You asked all the European countries to send Aurors to surround me. I didn't even have any privacy when I went to the toilet."

“Even more than ten years ago, when ‘Twilight’ descended upon me and other countries thought I was doomed and stopped paying attention to a decrepit old man who had lost his magic, you still didn’t let your guard down. If it weren’t for your good student diverting your attention, you would have loved to stay in Nurmengard. Even so, you still suspect me today… Albus, why are you treating me so badly?”

His calm tone conveyed his grievances and resentment, as if he truly didn't understand.

But Dumbledore remained unmoved, staring into Grindelwald's strange eyes: "Because your thoughts are too dangerous, so dangerous that I dare not relax even a little bit, unless..."

"Unless I'm truly dead?"

"Yes!"

The resolute words made Grindelwald gently close his eyes, and when he opened them again a moment later, a poignant sadness and bitterness remained within them.

And anger!
"My thoughts?"

The emaciated, almost skeletal old wizard's heterochromatic eyes suddenly brightened and sharpened: "You still believe I'm acting for my own selfish gain? Don't deceive yourself, Albus. Can you forget the hatred of your father's death in Azkaban? Can you forget the humiliation Arianna suffered? You..."

"You are not allowed to mention her!"

Dumbledore's beard trembled.

Grindelwald paused, the light in his eyes dimming again. The brief surge of emotion had exhausted his already limited strength, and he gasped for breath.

After a long pause, he said hoarsely, "I'm sorry... but I still have to say, where there is oppression, there will be resistance. Hatred doesn't appear out of thin air, nor is it because of my thoughts, my speeches, or my incitement... Class contradictions arise from the classes themselves. Whether I am there or not, it is there, like a volcano that is brewing, and it will erupt one day!"

He seemed genuinely frustrated. After saying this, he didn't argue further and sighed, "Prejudice is a mountain in people's hearts. I can't convince you. Believe it or not, 'DeSantis' really has nothing to do with me. In fact, even without DeSantis, there would be Schmidt, Martin, and John."

“I don’t know why ‘DeSantis’ chose to come out and organize forces to fight against purebloods at the end of his life, but you should know about the oppression of non-purebloods by American purebloods. The enemy has a knife to his throat. Perhaps he just wants to take advantage of the last time of his life to do something that he had previously hesitated to do?”

This is indeed a plausible possibility.

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then stood up: "I will continue to watch over you, Gellert."

"Are you leaving?" Grindelwald asked.

"..."

"...I don't know when we'll meet again. You should change your temper, Albus. I can overlook your questioning of me, but if you treat Vaughn Weasley like this in the future, will he also overlook it?"

Dumbledore, who had already taken a few steps, paused upon hearing this, but did not turn around:
“Vaughn is not like you.”

Having said that, he slowly walked away in the twilight glow that filled the courtyard.

Behind him was a long silence.

Grindelwald stopped looking at his back and turned to gaze in the direction from which the light was coming. In his eyes, there was nothing there but endless twilight.

This was time's final warning, a reminder that his life was coming to an end and that he should enjoy the peace and solitude after death.

In the long silence, in this courtyard where time seemed to stand still, Grindelwald murmured softly:
“Ha, I’ve heard of Vaughn Weasley before, Albus. What’s the difference between him and me? His ambition, his ideals, his actions… You’re just hesitating. You’re afraid that if you kill Vaughn Weasley, the English wizarding world will decline rapidly after you die.”

"When it comes to really important matters, you are always so indecisive and at a loss for what to do, even to the point of deceiving yourself, just like how you lied to yourself that you liked Muggles in order to oppose me."

"Sigh, I should have realized your true nature sooner..."

The whispers faded away, but Grindelwald remained gazing in the direction from which the light shone, a light that reflected in his pupils—orange-red, intense, and surging…

Like fire!
……

Early in the morning, Lu Ping was still waiting in the hotel lobby.

This is a luxury hotel operated by a Muggle company, located near the docks. It was the accommodation arranged by the Federation for the delegation. Although the Federation's foundation is the Secret Service Act, they should not, in principle, be too entangled with Muggles.

In reality, compared to true conservatives like the United States, the Federation is quite enlightened and owns many Muggle businesses.

The hotel belongs to one of the restaurant groups.

"...The Federation's demands differ from those of individual countries. Various countries may have different reasons for enforcing the Secret Law, such as pure-bloods wanting to monopolize magic, wizarding people yearning for peace and stability, or some cowards being frightened by the witch hunts in history... The Federation is different. We promote the Secret Law for the sake of the entire world."

Akinbad was also in the lobby, sitting next to Lupin, talking incessantly.

Both of them were waiting for Vaughn to return.

With the Federation providing protection for the delegation, Lupin couldn't just slip away quietly. At first, he just gave a few perfunctory replies, but as the conversation went on, he became more engaged.

Upon hearing Akinbad's argument, Lupin couldn't help but ask curiously, "For the world? What do you mean?"

“It’s simple.” Akinbad stretched out his finger and circled the American Muggles in the hall. “The Muggle population is too large. You can imagine what their reaction would be if one day these Muggles suddenly found out that there was a group of wizards who could fly and teleport among them.”

"Uh……"

Lupin, who knew little about Muggles, hesitated.

Akinbad raised his hand encouragingly: "Think about it carefully, you werewolves are actually the ones who can best empathize with the Muggle perspective."

From a Muggle's perspective, what would a werewolf be like?

Lupin frowned: "Fear?"

He was puzzled and asked, "Why?"

“Because wizards have things they don’t,” Akimbard said enthusiastically. “Take the Muggle banishment spell, for example. It’s so simple that a second-year student can master it after a period of training.”

"But to Muggles, this spell is terrifying—no one informed them, no warnings, no signs, no regulations, just a strange man with a stick chants a spell at them, and they leave 'naturally' like puppets. Isn't that terrifying?"

"And memory magic? My God, your privacy, secrets, memories, and thoughts are all laid bare before other people's eyes. Isn't that terrifying?"

"Not to mention the various poisonous curses, curses, and death curses that even wizards find difficult to defend against. How can Muggles possibly fight them off?"

Listening to Akinbad's analogy and description, Lupin gradually realized that the other man was right; this inequality in power was indeed similar to the relationship between werewolves and wizards.

Werewolves are generally afraid of wizards because wizards have magic, while werewolves only have fangs and claws!

Of course, wizards are even more afraid of werewolves; nobody wants to be scratched by a werewolf.

However, while Lupin understood Arkinbad's point, he still felt the other was being too absolute. He countered, "Muggles may indeed be afraid of the unknown, but that's only because they don't understand it. If Muggles could understand wizards and get used to magic..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a voice say, "Once Muggles understand wizards and get used to magic, that fear will not only not disappear, but will intensify. However, at this point, the fear will no longer be due to the unknown, but rather to envy—envy that they cannot learn or master the power of magic!"

The familiar voice made Lupin stand up immediately.

Turning around, he saw Vaughn, looking travel-worn, walking towards him, with a person covered in bandages floating around him.

"Mr. Chairman!"

Lupin greeted him, glancing at the person floating beside Vaughn, who was also awake and gave him a blank look.

"This is……"

“Bruce Essex, the commander of yesterday’s squad, Remus, take him to rest first.”

Vaughn gave instructions to send Lupin away, and then headed toward Akinbad.

Akinbad greeted him warmly and shook hands with him: "President Weasley, you must have had quite a haul this time. So, is there any intelligence you can share?"

Vaughn gave a half-smile: "Sorry, not at the moment."

Dumbledore hasn't replied yet. It's unclear whether the other party hasn't found an answer or if Fawkes is too tired and needs rest.

Until he received a letter from Dumbledore, Vaughn decided to keep the information about "De Santis" and the Mystic Brotherhood to himself for the time being.

Akinbad was not satisfied with his answer: "Hmm—but you were gone all night..." "The chase went a bit too far. Mr. Essex forced himself to Apparate multiple times, causing a split accident. I had to delay him for a while to prevent him from bleeding to death."

"……All right!"

Akimbad clicked his tongue and reluctantly accepted the reason.

At the same time, he glanced at Vaughn with some surprise—to force an adult wizard to split into two, just how powerful is your Apparition?

Ignoring his gaze, Vaughn politely said, "I haven't slept all night, Mr. Akinbad. If you have nothing else to say, we can talk later."

"and many more!"

Akinbad stopped him and handed him an official letter.

"what is this?"

"They were sent by the Magical Congress. They'll be here this afternoon to register our wands and personal magical items."

Vaughn asked curiously, "Us? Including the Federation delegation?"

Akinbad's dark old face broke into a "kind" smile: "Yes, the Magic Congress has always strictly adhered to the rules. Every time the Federation comes to investigate, we receive a warm welcome from them. This time, your delegation received the same treatment because you are with us. Aren't you happy?"

"Thank you so much."

After exchanging a few jokes, Akinbad's expression turned serious: "After those lackeys from the Magical Congress leave this afternoon, we need to meet to discuss our upcoming itinerary... Mr. Weasley, regardless of any past conflicts, at this moment, in this place, facing what could be a very complex situation, we, as outsiders, are natural allies. Do you agree?"

Vaughn thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, I'll come find you then."

Upon hearing his reply, Akinbad shook his hand firmly.

Watching Akinbad's departing figure, Vaughn shook his head. Considering Akinbad's angry behavior at the dock yesterday and his posture of waiting in the hotel lobby early this morning, it seemed that the intelligence on the Purifiers should be taken very seriously by the Federation.

This reminded him of the conversation between the other party and Lupin when he had just returned.

In fact, the Federation is probably the most concerned magical organization for Muggles in the world. While other countries are implementing the Law of Secrets for various reasons and remaining closed off, only the Federation, which is based on the Law of Secrets, takes the initiative to infiltrate Muggle society.

This isn't to say their organizational structure is more advanced, but rather it's due to their broader perspective—

This transnational organization has a more global perspective than any Ministry of Magic when it views humanity as a whole.

Perhaps other aspects are not as intuitive, but the terrifying population of 55 billion (1992 data) is sure to leave a deep impression on any wizard!

And this number is still climbing.

"The Purifier... DeSantis..."

Thinking about the concepts I've encountered in the past two days, the possibilities hidden behind them, and the complex, tangled connections between them, like a ball of yarn that's impossible to untangle.

Vaughn rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache.

"President, what's wrong with you?"

Lu Ping, who had returned, asked with concern.

Vaughn waved his hand: "It's nothing. Take me to rest, Remus. I need to get a good night's sleep and don't want anyone to bother me."

"Uh……"

"what happened?"

Lupin hesitated for a moment: "Kingsley Shackler, you agreed to talk to him yesterday, and he's still waiting for your reply."

It's Dolores Umbridge again!

Vaughn said impatiently, "Let's talk about this little thing when I wake up!"

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Lupin didn't dare to say anything more. He took Vaughn to rest while silently mourning for Kingsley.

Poor guy, such bad luck...

The Shackle family was even more of a fence-sitter than Travers.

However, unlike the Travers, who spread their branches and cast a wide net, the Shackles' wavering was determined by their own family reasons—they had intermarried with foreign families, including African ones, from a very early age, which made their skin color stand out from other families in England.

England is not France. The Lesterrange family, who were also Black, were able to thrive in France decades ago.

Even though the main branch of France has been extinct, the branch (white skin) can continue in England.

The Shackles were not so lucky. The pursuit of pure bloodlines by the English purebloods was not limited to magic.

Even among the current Holy 28 families, including the Weasleys, a "pure-blood traitor," there have been marriage alliances with other families, but Shackleton seems to have been forgotten for many years.

Even now, they have not truly integrated into the pure-blooded English camp—they are not even related by blood, so how can they be integrated?

Therefore, the Shakel family is currently in a very awkward position.

They are one of the 28 sacred clans and theoretically enjoy privileges, but other clans are unwilling to include them.

Their status as one of the 28 tribes creates a barrier between them and mixed-race families and Muggle factions.

This unfavorable situation had persisted for many years until Kingsley Shackleton took over the family's power, after which things began to improve.

The suitcase is bathed in warm sunlight.

Vaughn, who had just woken up, lay under the huge oak tree, looking through information about the Shackle family.

The reason he kept Kingsley out of the loop was because he had his eye on Kingsley and the Shackle family!
Especially Kingsley!

Vaughn, who has memories of his past life, is deeply impressed by this veteran Auror, the guy who inexplicably became Minister for Magic in the "future".

If everything unfolds according to the events in my memory, six years later, with Fudge's resignation, Amelia and Scrimgeour are killed one after another, and Voldemort falls from power.

Kingsley Shackle will rise to the pinnacle of power in the English wizarding world after the war!

No one knows how he did it. He wasn't a founding member of the Order of the Phoenix, but inexplicably gained Dumbledore's favor when the Order was reorganized in 1995.

He wasn't Fudge's confidant, but Fudge always trusted him. "Future" even arranged for him to hunt down Harry, and Fudge had no suspicion of his perfunctory attitude and passing on false information.

Even the Muggle prime minister and the Dursleys liked him very much...

This is... truly a perfect candidate for a subordinate!
"He has high emotional intelligence, good abilities, and political wisdom. Judging from his future trajectory, he is very good at handling interpersonal relationships."

Summarizing Kingsley's strengths, Vaughn nodded repeatedly, quite satisfied.

If there's one flaw... it's probably that he's too good at handling interpersonal relationships. Perhaps it's because of the family's unpleasant living environment he experienced from a young age that forced Kingsley to learn to be tactful to both sides, but also made him too slippery and lacking a firm sense of taking sides!

In fact, ever since he first met Kingsley Shackler at the beginning of the holiday and the latter showed a friendly attitude, Vaughn had been hoping that the latter would express a deeper willingness to "take sides".

But he disappointed Vaughn!

Kingsley's goodwill seemed to be merely a subconscious investment in his network. After getting to know Vaughn, he provided him with many conveniences and appeared to treat Vaughn very well, but he did not take any further action.

Even after Vaughn turned Umbridge into a toad, he still didn't understand why Vaughn had refused to see him despite his repeated requests.

That means that subconsciously, he hadn't considered taking a completely side.

Or perhaps this "smart person" wants to wait and see how things develop before deciding whose side to join!

Such a clever person will not change his mindset unless he is made to realize the harshness and urgency of reality.

"My patience is limited, I hope you realize this soon."

Putting away the information about the Shackler family, Vaughn stopped thinking about Kingsley and got up to go to the "experimental area," where he drew his wand.

"The force is released and the energy dissipates!"

As the short incantation was uttered, the chains binding a giant beast in the distance rattled and broke free.

It was a Hungarian wood bee, and even in the entire magical world, wood bees are considered among the most dangerous and ferocious magical creatures.

Besides its breath, which can travel up to 50 feet and is unmatched by any fire dragon, the tree bees' sharp spines are also their weapons.

In particular, its long, flexible, and powerful tail, with the sharp barb at its tip, can pierce any life within 20 feet of the tree bee.

From an evolutionary perspective, tree bees can be considered "perfect" predators!
Of course, this predator, known for its danger and ferocity, has now been completely "tamed." With its chains removed, the fire dragon wagged its tail and trotted to Vaughn like a puppy, then collapsed with a thud, exposing its belly, its ferocious mouth opening wide and its tongue lolling out.
Grandpa, come and have some fun!

Vaughn touched its soft belly, somewhat hesitant.

"system!"

A virtual panel unfolded before him. Vaughn's gaze swept to the bottom to check the progress of the side quest:
Side Quest 3: Research all the magic of the fire dragons and figure out their basic principles (in progress)

【Progress: 4/10】

[Reward: 100 Magic Scales, Spell Development Module]

"We've already finished researching the Longhornosaurus, Viperosaurus, Brachysaurus, and Ukrainian Ironbelly... all that's left is you and the Norwegian Spinosaurus..."

Vaughn's hesitation wasn't due to a problem with his research, but rather because he found himself somewhat reluctant to kill the tree bee.

There's no way around it, cat lovers are always easily softened by "small animals"...

After a moment's thought, he sighed and patted the tree bee's belly: "Forget it, I'll have them prepare another tree bee later... Keeping you will also keep Nobeta company. She's been influenced by Fruit Tea and always thinks she's a cat."

Seemingly sensing the pity in Vaughn's tone, the tree bee affectionately nuzzled its head closer.

Having found a plausible reason, Vaughn smiled and pushed away the tongue that was trying to lick him, then pointed his wand at the last Norwegian Spinosaurus.

Silently recite the incantation, and the chains loosen.

"Ow—"

The Spinosaurus, which had been trapped for several days and seemed to be losing its mind, roared and flapped its thin, bony wings.

Its shriveled yet enormous body took flight.

Those crazed eyes were fixed on Vaughn, his mouth already agape.

Vaughn calmly patted the tree bee: "Go, subdue it!"

"Goo-"

The highly intelligent fire dragon understood Vaughn's meaning. It turned its head, looked at its own kind with its vertical pupils, and the next moment, it breathed out a 50-foot-long pillar of fire.

At the same time, a strong wind swept through, and dust flew everywhere.

Amidst the bursts of fire, the two colossal beasts collided with a deafening roar.

Roars, howls, scales and blood!

When Lupin and the registrars from the Magical Congress descended the oak ladder, they witnessed the two enormous creatures locked in a fierce battle.

"Ow—"

A loud dragon roar echoed throughout the entire suitcase.

In the wild, battles between fire dragons are not usually too intense. They are usually used for probing, intimidation, and threats. Wilderness survival is full of unexpected events, and food is not something that can be found everywhere. If you expend a lot of energy fighting, what if you get injured and can't hunt?
But the current situation is clearly beyond the realm of common sense.

The shriveled and withered Norwegian Spinosaurus, flapping its huge, bat-like membranous wings, and the tree bee, covered in sharp spines and like a killing machine, fought wildly together.

They spewed intense breath at each other, jets of flame sliding across the scales and skin of the two fire dragons. The terrifying heat caused the scales to curl and the skin to turn black.

The pain further aroused the two giant beasts.

With its enormous wings whipping up a gale, the Spinosaurus used its venomous teeth and claws to carve dark green wounds into the tree bees.

The price was that its mouth and claws were torn open by the sharp stingers covering the tree bee's body.

"Spinosaurus is no match for tree beetle."

A humble voice rang in Lupin's ears.

Following him was an official from the Magic Congress, a typical middle-aged Blue State man, dressed in a well-tailored suit, with his hair neatly combed and even his beard meticulously trimmed. He wore glasses and looked like a polite scholar, and even his voice conformed to the stereotype.

(End of this chapter)