บท 854: Young Ideals and Reality
บรรณาธิการ: Atlas Studios
Dumbledore was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "Because the prototype of this plan was something that we came up with together in our youth… Many years ago, we were close friends…" His eyes were filled with regret and nostalgia, and his thoughts seemed to drift back to that afternoon more than a hundred years ago.
He and Grindelwald sat across from each other, discussing the future of the wizarding world.
He was a favourite chess player at the time, representing the Muggles as villains and playing against the wizards representing Grindelwald.
Over the course of countless battles, they worked out roughly feasible routes, and always believed that there were simply too many Muggles, and that there was only one way for a wizard to get to the front of the stage openly.
The goal was to provoke a war between Muggles, and then use magic as a decisive force, controlling the weak to triumph over the strong, in order to reduce Muggle populations en masse and take over the world.
He also naively believed that this was the only way to achieve their original vision…
Therefore, the deaths of Muggles and wizards are necessary sacrifices, the pains of an age — all for the greater good!
Ivan's gaze grew strange as Dumbledore explained, as he had not expected the old professor to be an anti-humanist in his youth.
Ivan, of course, knew of Dumbledore and Grindelwald's close relationship, and had even privately discussed some sort of nefarious plan to take over the Muggles, but the two played it too far…
Ivan found it hard to believe that two teenagers could think so far ahead…
"It took Grindelwald several decades to perfect our original plan, and then, on that night, he infiltrated Hogwarts to lay it out for us, wanting to invite me to join him…" Dumbledore began.
"You turned him down, didn't you?" Yvonne said, feeling a little wistful about the outcome.
Grindelwald and Dumbledore were both extraordinarily powerful wizards, and if they could work together, one in the open and one in the dark, they might be able to achieve their goals.
"No, I'm afraid you overestimate me, Hulse, as I hesitated to give him a clear answer the other night…" Dumbledore shook his head, closing his eyes as memories flooded his mind.
He could still remember the night Grindelwald suddenly appeared in his lounge and told him that he had found the Deathly Hallows and that he had gathered enough men.
With a nod of his head, the two of them could achieve their original vision.
His feelings at the time were indescribable, as he had not been in contact with Grindelwald since Ariana's death.
The two of them had not seen each other for decades, but the other party had not forgotten about him. In fact, they had been walking on the path that they had once imagined and had come up with an extremely perfect and feasible plan.
The unattainable dream seemed within reach at the time…
As long as they are willing to take a step forward hand in hand!
Thus, Dumbledore hesitated, and was moved, and did not immediately refuse the offer…
"I think it's possible for anyone to lose their mind in the face of the comforting words of a close friend and the dreams of their youth," Ivan said soothingly. Emotions were Dumbledore's winning charm, but they were also his Achilles' heel!
Dumbledore gave a non-committal nod, and then resumed his story, this time without comment, although Grindelwald presumably took his reaction as a refusal and did not contact him again for some time.
It's just as well, because Dumbledore is not sure he can resist the temptation again…
The next time they heard from Grindelwald, he was the Dark Lord, feared throughout the wizarding world of Europe, leading a group of Saints to wage war against Muggles.
"At first, I had no intention of going against him, and we made a vow never to go against each other, although Grindelwald's idea was too radical, and I stubbornly believed it was a way out for the wizarding community," Dumbledore added.
"Then why did you change your mind in the end?" Yvonne asked, puzzled. Grindelwald's display of affection and the use of his adolescent desires as a trump card could be described as a move aimed at Dumbledore's weakness.
Dumbledore, however, managed to hold back, and in the end, put his own life on the line, which he found hard to understand…
"Because Grindelwald's plan did not go well, and he faced far more resistance than we had anticipated, not only from the wizarding communities of the Americas and Europe, but also from the International Confederation of Wizards, who were making an enemy of the entire world!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
Wizards like them were extremely powerful, and no number of ordinary Aurors could threaten their lives.
However, there was a limit to how strong they could be, and ten wizards like McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick were enough to hold them back.
Grindelwald was not strong enough to compel wizards who disagreed with him to do as he wished.
Dumbledore could predict that even with his participation, it would probably end in a dead end!
"I foresaw his defeat. As I had imagined, the situation deteriorated, and Grindelwald's methods became more and more insane, leading to the deaths of countless people…He became so indifferent to life that he sought to destroy Paris…"
Dumbledore's voice quavered. "I realised then that the wizards and Muggles who died in the conflict were not pawns in the palm of our hands, that I had suffered the loss of a loved one and knew the pain of it…I could not allow him to continue to spread that pain and cause more catastrophe!"
There was some guilt in Dumbledore's eyes, partly because of the people who had died in the chaos, and partly because he felt responsible.
Another part of the guilt was directed at Grindelwald.
Many years ago, when he was playing chess against Grindelwald, he made countless predictions in order to ensure that the wizarding community represented by Grindelwald would eventually defeat the Muggle power he represented.
However, fate was particularly laughable. After so many years, when they finally took control of their powers and stood against each other with similar identities, the tables were turned — and he personally crushed their former ideals…
This was because he felt that it was unrealistic and would only cause more pain…
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