I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 412 Two Legends

"Someone told me to take a break for a while," the man said.

"Dumbledore?" Wenda asked calmly.

"I heard he's pushing for reforms within the federation. Do you think there's still a need for change?" Grindelwald didn't answer directly, but instead asked another question.

"Boring bureaucracy." She sat down again. "The war against the Imposters has yielded little result over the past few months. The Ministries of Magic in various countries are quite resistant to a thorough investigation."

"As expected," Grindelwald said. "Sometimes he just can't be tough, just like in the last few decades."

"Despite possessing immense power, they willingly allow themselves to be driven by others."

He shook his head, smiled contemptuously, and then his gaze fell on the reserved young wizards.

Because of the story Wenda had just told, several young wizards gathered together and squeezed onto a sofa.

If there's no room to sit, just sit on the ground.

Anyway, the thick carpet and the roaring fire were enough to drive away the cold from the ground.

"Oh, the young talents of Hogwarts," he said lazily, "we meet again."

"Oh! Hello—Mr. Grindelwald." Harry was overjoyed; the battle between Gellert Grindelwald and Professor Quirrell during his first year was still unforgettable.

Compared to Dumbledore, Grindelwald was practically the perfect wizard he imagined: powerful, confident, and omnipotent.

In comparison, Professor Dumbledore seems a bit too mysterious, and his powerful aura is not obvious. Usually, he gives the young wizards the feeling of being a kind old man.

"Are you—Harry Potter?"

"Oh! Right, do you remember me? I'm good friends with Owen," Harry said.

"Of course—people all think you're the legendary savior," Grindelwald said.

"Maybe I really am the savior!" Harry said excitedly, his eyes shining. It felt like he was being recognized!

"Ouch!" He was feeling smug when he suddenly felt a pain in his foot.

Hermione, who was standing nearby, lightly stepped on his foot.

"Okay—actually, I think Kyrie Irving is more like a savior."

"┗|｀O′|┛Aww~~!" Harry quickly pulled his foot back, this time stomping on it and glaring at him.

Hermione turned to Grindelwald. "There is no savior."

She said, "We're just doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Grindelwald stared at the little witch.

In fact, what shocked him the most throughout the year was this Muggle witch in front of him.

He had met Hermione a few times before, but he only paid her a little attention out of affection for her.

He had to admit that the little witch in front of him did have some talent, but not much.

As Hermione herself said, she simply enjoys reading.

Diligence is simply the full display of the talents that an ordinary wizard should possess.

Wizards like Dumbledore or himself had vastly different levels of magical talent.

But it's been just a year and a half.

The little witch in front of him began to display an astonishing magical talent.

Many times, even he had to wonder if she really was the heir to the ancient family that the rumors were talking about.

"What do you think is the right thing to do?" Grindelwald asked with some interest.

Hermione straightened her back, her eyes firm and bright. "I believe that protecting our friends and family, stopping innocent people from being harmed, and liberating oppressed lives is the right thing to do. We are working towards that."

"Are you very confident?"

"Yes, I will, we will," Hermione answered clearly, without avoiding Grindelwald's gaze.

"Very good—" Grindelwald said approvingly.

The firelight illuminated his clothes, and flames danced in his heterochromatic eyes. He could somewhat understand why a girl like this could attract that little guy.

Just then, two more people walked in from outside the manor.

An old man with a white beard.

A young woman with fiery red hair.

"How lively!" Dumbledore said as he walked in with a broad smile.

The witch accompanying him was someone none of the young wizards present recognized.

But she seemed quite adept at it.

The witch approached Wenda and said gently, "Merry Christmas, madam."

Then he nodded at Grindelwald.

"Sir, the Ministry of Magic in South America is more chaotic than in North America, and getting things in order with some key departments requires a bit of maneuvering. That's caused some delays."

"Hmm!" Grindelwald nodded, looking down.

Then all attention turned to Dumbledore. The two looked at each other. Two of the most unique souls in the world, bred by time, were gazing at each other. Those complex eyes, those clear eyes, those extremely simple eyes—all words paled in comparison.

There seemed to be an unspeakable restraint between their lips and teeth, making it difficult for them to open their mouths.

And the others.

At this point, it is nothing more than a canvas that has lost its color, reduced to a background.

They never saw anyone else.

And so I remained anxious.

Perhaps a long time has passed, or perhaps it was just a moment.

Dumbledore finally broke the silence. His voice was still so calm. If it weren't for the unwavering gaze behind his half-moon spectacles, no one would know the turmoil in his heart at that moment.

"How are you doing?" He pondered for a long time, but only said the most ordinary question.

"Not too good." Grindelwald stood up abruptly.

The black trench coat billowed.

The leather boots made a soft 'tap-tap' sound as they lightly stepped on the wooden floor.

He is just as he was fifty years ago.

But both of them knew that time had passed and, besides aging, there was an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

"But I'm used to it all now." He gazed at Dumbledore. "Am I all alone now?"

The two disappeared one after the other into the corridor leading to the restaurant.

And then these two legendary wizards left one after the other.

The living room felt as if it had stepped directly from autumn into spring.

Everyone started to catch their breath; the silence just now had made them so nervous they were practically sweating.

"Wow—Big Sister!" On the other side, Garona leaped and rushed into Roy's arms.

"Where have you been? It's been so long—so long since I've seen you."

"Yes, I've been quite busy lately." She gently rubbed Garona's head with affection.

"Mr. Grindelwald needs an assistant for his work."

"So you were working for Mr. Grindelwald! Why didn't you tell us?" Garona said with a hint of reproach.

"Because I need to be hidden."

Roy spoke gently.

Then he turned his gaze to Hermione.

"So, you're that little guy Irving's girlfriend?"

"Ah—um!"

Hermione gazed at the witch before her. She had cascading fiery red hair, and her eyes shone like the starry sky, their deep blue reflecting the stars. Oval-shaped glasses were held in place by her straight nose, giving her an intellectual beauty.

She was quite surprised and wondered which of Irving's relatives this was.

Are they from the Rozier family?

But that red hair reminded her of Weasley even more.

"Don't be nervous." Roy reached out and rubbed Hermione's cheek. "Seriously speaking, Owen should call me Auntie."

"Aunt?" Hermione was a little surprised. She had never heard Owen mention that he had an aunt.

Roy did not explain when faced with Hermione's doubts.

Let that past history disappear completely. Bringing it up again will only cause unnecessary conflict.

"Okay." At this moment, Wenda suddenly stood up.

She stared at Roy.

Although the two remained silent, others could clearly sense the deep conflict between them.

Although Roy had always acted very compliantly.

Wenda glanced out the window; the sky was growing whiter, and the moisture from the Atlantic Ocean had finally descended upon Paris.

It's going to snow.

"The banquet is ready," she said in a deep voice.

Spike was right beside her.

The fairy just informed her.

"Oh! Finally—dinner's ready!"

Ron jumped up from the ground.

He was starving.

They ate lunch too early, which made him hungry in the afternoon.

The only reason I've been able to hold on until now is because I'm being reserved in a new place.

Ron's sudden joke eased the tense atmosphere once again.

Hermione's fair forehead gradually furrowed.

She wasn't stupid; she could see the various contradictions facing the Rozier family.

Just like in the novel—after a period of rapid development, the large family enters a phase of internal strife.

Subsequently, a once glorious family came to an end in internal strife.

She began to worry whether such chaos would affect Irving.

She knew the boy; he was capable of using force, and unless he was under someone else's control, he would immediately choose to take action.

Given the existing conflicts within the family, coupled with his personality, it's hard to imagine what will ultimately happen.

"Phew—" The little witch sighed and followed Harry and the others into the restaurant.

This is the manor's dedicated dining corridor.

Everyone took their seats at the long table.

This restaurant has never been as crowded as it is today.

This time, they are roughly divided into two camps—one is Dumbledore's army, which includes the Order of the Phoenix.

On the other side were Grindelwald's saints and members of the Masonic Party.

The long table was laden with all sorts of delicious food carefully prepared by the little elves.

Not only French cuisine, but also recipes from Germany, Italy and other countries are featured.

The ceiling of the corridor, like the Great Hall of Hogwarts, was enchanted, with snowflakes falling through layers of mist.

However, after descending to a certain altitude, these snowflakes disappear and do not fall to the ground.

It could be said that the entire corridor had been meticulously decorated by the elves, all for the sake of the evening's banquet.

However, their efforts do not seem to have paid off.

In fact, from the moment everyone sat down, an invisible tension began to rise.

The flames unexpectedly did not originate from Vanda.

Instead, it came from Grindelwald and Dumbledore, the two "lovers" whom Irving described as having a tragic love story.

At first, they just talked about some problems they had recently encountered at "work".

But when this problem begins to unfold...

Conflict arose.

As a recent major event, purging the "imposters" naturally became a topic of discussion among them.

A staunch hardliner, Grindelwald dismissed Dumbledore's cautious investigative methods.

He advocates for large-scale, forceful intervention. Dealing with the "imposters" cannot be delayed; we cannot give them a chance to prepare. The longer it is delayed, the more the situation will likely deteriorate.

"Albus," Grindelwald's voice was firm and unwavering, "Perhaps you've been hiding behind your school and principles for too long. You haven't grasped the situation, and pointless hesitation and worry will only make things worse. I think you should leave this to me before you issue another indecisive order."

Dumbledore frowned slightly, his voice calm yet firm: "I understand your concerns, Gale. But we must ensure that our actions do not harm innocent people. We cannot let our haste cause us to overlook the bottom line of justice and morality."

A flash of displeasure and anger crossed Grindelwald's eyes: "Justice and morality? When facing these [imposters], do you even care about those? They won't reason with us, Albus? Are you senile?"

Grindelwald's words were like a sharp knife, piercing Dumbledore's heart.

Although they reconciled.

But their ideas have never been aligned.

The only consensus between the two sides is that they both believe the other's ideas are flawed or even wrong.

Both have placed the future of the magical world on the shoulders of the next generation. Before it was Owen, and now—Miss Granger's name has also appeared on their pledge list.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm: "Gail, I simply believe that no matter what kind of enemy we face, we must not abandon our principles and bottom lines. If we invade and destroy other countries today because of the possibility of 'imposters,' then tomorrow everyone will be terrified by the possibility of unwarranted censorship and invasions of privacy."

In fact, the number of "Impersonators" is not as large as we imagine. Although we still don't know how they reproduce, it must be extremely difficult. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so few after more than a hundred years.

"Principles and bottom lines." Grindelwald moved his lips, his heterochromatic eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

Clearly, these vague and abstract ideas could not convince him.

However—he didn't speak again, but just looked coldly at Dumbledore. The arguments and conflicts between him and Dumbledore could no longer be resolved with words. If dialogue could bring the two of them to the same conclusion, then they should have achieved it decades ago.

Instead of continuing the endless arguments we're having now.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Miss Granger, who was talking to Roy.

Hermione noticed the gaze too.

"What do you think we should do?" he suddenly asked.

This surprised even Dumbledore, who looked over in astonishment.

Once he understood Grindelwald's intentions, he began to look forward to Hermione's answer.

"Me?" Hermione pointed to herself, looking around. After confirming that both legendary wizards were watching her, she quickly sat up straight, then frowned and began to ponder.

This is definitely not a question that can be answered easily.

This is a paradox.

She didn't have any good ideas.

(End of this chapter)