Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 345, page 339: Are wizards still using owls to deliver messages?

"What I'm going to teach you is not just the simple Fiendfyre spell."

"It can be considered an advanced version of the Fiendfire Curse, the result of a lot of research I've put into it—Blue Fiendfire."

"Besides being more malleable, it is also more stable and has greater power."

"Ordinary Fiendfire can burn anything that can burn, and it never dies. But these blue Fiendfires can even burn ordinary Fiendfires."

"Of course, it's also three times more difficult than a regular Fiery Blade."

Grindelwald is a wizard who prioritizes pragmatism, so the content of his classes is mostly practical information. You must pay close attention, otherwise missing any point will be a huge loss. Don't expect Grindelwald to explain things to you a second time.

As he himself said, the difficulty of the Blue Fiendfire is indeed extraordinary. Even with the help of the Data Eye, Dudley was unable to master the trick of changing the flame from red to blue in the first lesson.

"Ring, ring, ring"

Just as the class ended, Dali heard the Den Den Mushi ring in his pocket.

The caller ID showed it was from Kakarov, and Dali didn't try to avoid suspicion, answering the call right in front of him.

Grindelwald and Dudley didn't exchange a single word throughout the entire class, and Grindelwald didn't even bother to look at him. But from the moment the Den Den Mushi rang, Grindelwald's eyes never left Dudley, quietly waiting for Dudley to finish the call before taking the initiative to say the first thing he said to him in the entire class.

"A Muggle telegraph machine?"

When Grindelwald initiated the conversation, Dudley naturally answered his question: "Professor, telegrams are no longer used. This is a Den Den Mushi, which you can think of as a mobile phone used by ordinary people. It's a communication tool that allows people to communicate freely even if they are thousands of miles apart."

"Telephone? Mobile phone? Where is your phone line?"

In Grindelwald's time, there were no cell phones, but there were telephones, albeit the most old-fashioned hand-cranked telephones.

"No telephone line is needed; it uses biosignals."

Dudley didn't care whether he understood or not, and simply explained it to Grindelwald.

"Is it alive?"

Upon closer inspection and witnessing the human-like nature of the Den Den Mushi, Grindelwald couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Have Muggles developed such advanced technology?"

"Professor, Muggles don't know this technology. It's unique to wizards, or more precisely, it's my unique way of communication. It's not widespread."

Dudley continued to explain.

"Not widespread?" Grindelwald grasped the key words perfectly, a hint of mockery creeping onto his face. "So wizards are still using that outdated method of delivering messages with owls?"

"Yes, professor, they think it's very convenient."

"Convenient?" Grindelwald's sneer grew even more pronounced. "The way owls deliver messages is slow and laborious, and it's long outdated. Muggles can get the news in a very short time, while it might take us half a day."

"Aren't telephones common in the Muggle world now, including the kind of mobile phones you mentioned?"

In his time, telephones were still a rarity, but he firmly believed that over the years, the world of ordinary people must have developed to an incredible degree.

"As you might expect, most households now have telephones, and even cell phones are not such a big deal anymore."

Mobile phones appeared as early as 1983, and the first meaningful text message appeared in 1992. Now it's 1995, and the first "flip phone," the Motorola 8900, has been released. Dali happened to get his hands on a few of them, and he planned to equip each member of the discipline team with one.

"For example, this one."

As he spoke, Dali handed the latest Motorola to Grindelwald.

Grindelwald examined the Motorola closely, his face filled with astonishment: "Incredible!"

He quickly returned the Motorola to Dudley, found a seat, and said to Dudley, "If you don't mind, could you keep this old man company for a chat?"

Let's talk about the lives of ordinary Muggles these days.

Dudley was completely unambiguous; since Grindelwald wanted to hear it, he was willing to tell him.

Ironically, this "dangerous dark wizard" who has been imprisoned for fifty years is perhaps the wizard in the entire wizarding world who knows best just how powerful technology is.

He might be even more lucid than those mixed-race wizards born into ordinary families.

Thus, through Dudley's vivid descriptions, the world of ordinary people is gradually revealed to Grindelwald.

As Dudley began his narration, Grindelwald initially remained calm, but when he heard that electric lights, refrigerators, and televisions were already commonplace in the world of ordinary people, even he couldn't help but change color slightly.

"I knew back then that Muggles' technology was in no way inferior to magic."

"Tanks, missiles, and bombers can easily destroy the homes that wizards have worked so hard to build, not to mention the most dangerous weapons. Most wizards cannot escape them."

Even with an apparition, an ordinary wizard would have no chance of escaping. A key to the door would work, but you need to know when the attack will happen; otherwise, it will be too late to run when the bomb explodes.

His era may have been the only opportunity, but now, after more than fifty years of development, the wizard... heh heh.

To put it bluntly, a headshot from a sniper rifle is something that even the most skilled healer cannot save from, as the brain explodes like a shower of petals.

Upon hearing the location of the Ministry of Magic's base, Grindelwald was at a loss for words to describe his feelings.

"Built beneath the phone booth."

"It really does fit my impression of the foolish Ministry of Magic: arrogant, unambitious, and lost in the lust for power."

Grindelwald didn't hold back in expressing his criticisms of the Ministry of Magic.

"You're right." Dudley strongly agreed with Grindelwald's point of view: "If it weren't for that, Tom wouldn't have almost turned the entire wizarding world upside down back then."

"I know him. He's an absolute madman, but even I have to admit how powerful he is."

"He used extremely dangerous magical transformation to gain his current power."

It's not surprising that Grindelwald knew about Voldemort. Don't underestimate any powerful wizard who can stir up trouble. This so-called 'prison' can't hold him at all. No matter how hard the Austrian Aurors guard him, he's here simply because he wants to be here, nothing more.

The original book mentioned that Tom had undergone several dangerous magical transformations. When he reappeared, he had changed his appearance drastically and named himself Voldemort.

He sacrificed his appearance for power, and he was willing to be cursed for immortality.

(End of this chapter)