The years of welding at Hogwarts

Just like taking drugs, Grindelwald placed the hose connected to his skull between his mouth and nose and inhaled deeply, then sprayed a cloud of hazy secondhand smoke into the air.

The gradually solidified khaki smoke presented a doomsday-like scene in the air:

The city was reduced to ruins. Tank tracks rolled over the broken bricks and tiles on the ruins. In the sky, old-fashioned propeller fighters roared past the fully armed taxis.

Soldier's head.

As the scene shifted, an enormous mushroom cloud, emitting a heat wave that was enough to destroy everything, slowly rose on the distant horizon...

Even though it was just a virtual illusion, the horrifying scene immediately caused a commotion among the crowd.

Grindelwald seemed to be blind to the panic spreading among the crowd. His powerful voice almost captured everyone's attention.

"That's what we're going to fight!"

"That's our enemy!"

His words were extremely inflammatory, "Their arrogance, their thirst for power, their brutality..."

"It won't be long before they point the finger at us."

Professor McGonagall's voice rang in Noah's ears. "Well, I think that's about it for this part of Mr. Scamander's memory."

As Professor McGonagall gently raised her arm, all the illusions around her that were purely created from memory seemed to be paused, and all froze at the moment when Professor McGonagall raised her hand.

Just like dragging a progress bar, Professor McGonagall's hand kept sliding in the air. Every slide made the surrounding illusion become blurred, as if it was fast forwarding.

When Professor McGonagall stopped fast-forwarding, the eerie catacombs had disappeared.

Instead, a room with a decoration style somewhat similar to the Gryffindor common room appeared, and Dumbledore's tired face appeared in the picture.

"The vision Grindelwald showed in his speech was not just alarmist."

"That was Grindelwald's prophecy about the future."

Just like a holographic message, Dumbledore, who was shaped by memory in the Pensieve, was slowly explaining the content of Grindelwald's speech to Noah and Professor McGonagall.

"In the past few decades, many of the scenes that seemed alarmist or even fantastical to wizards have become reality."

"As sad as the truth is, we have to admit that Muggles have surpassed wizards in many ways..."

Hundreds and thousands of years of isolation, even if there are some "oddballs" like Mr. Weasley among wizards, cannot change the fact that wizards are being abandoned by mainstream human society.

With the development of Muggle technology, the barrier between the magical world and the non-magical world will eventually disappear completely.

It was obvious that Dumbledore had anticipated that day would come.

In fact, Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the close friends, were the first and only two people in the wizarding world to anticipate this scene.

If wizards do not seek change, when that day comes, they will face only three outcomes:

The two coexist, or one is destroyed, or both perish together.

Noah did not believe that without someone's guidance, the magical world and the non-magical world could naturally move towards peaceful coexistence.

Look at the mutants from the universe next door.

What happened to the mutants?

Even though the number of mutants reached tens of millions, they were ostracized by ordinary humans, who were the mainstream group in society, and their final fate was not much better.

In the world where Twilight Wolf died, under the manipulation of a certain company, they added a substance that could change the genes of mutants into food and beverages, causing all mutants to become weak and even die, and no new mutants would be born among humans.

In the world of Reversing the Future, most mutants, including the X-Men, died at the hands of the Sentinel robots developed by humans.

Let’s not talk about whether the population of the magical world is as large as that of mutants.

Take the Ministry employees who couldn't even cast a Shield Charm properly, and the Obliviator who might be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts next year.

Their combat effectiveness level, uh...

How much higher can it be than the Ipsilon and Delta classes among mutants?

They couldn't even cast an armor spell, let alone have to face the Sentinel robots that even the X-Men and other powerful mutants couldn't deal with.

Even if they were facing the Muggles' unethical American Iai Slash, how many of them could successfully survive a volley of AK fire?

In the illusion, Dumbledore sighed.

"The wizarding world has been closed off for too long."

"The current wizarding world lacks the courage to actively break with tradition, and I am not the reformer who can lead the wizarding world to get rid of this chronic disease."

"Gellert's ideas are too extreme, and he is not suitable to lead the wizarding world. His extreme actions will only lead to the mutual destruction of the two worlds."

Having said this, Dumbledore suddenly stopped talking.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, this isn't your fault..."

There was some apology in the old wizard's voice. "But it is because of my retreat that you have to bear this heavy burden."

"Mr. Shaflin is the wizard who has the most thorough understanding of the development of both the magical and non-magical worlds among all the wizards I have ever met in my life."

Even Noah didn't

Thinking about it, Dumbledore was just speaking nicely as if he was entrusting his son to someone before his death, but in the blink of an eye he started praising himself.

This made the shameless Lord Shafulin feel a little embarrassed.

Thank you. Thank you.

"At the same time, he also has enough potential to grow to a level that surpasses Gellert and I, and even rivals the four founders of Hogwarts."

"He may be the key to the peaceful coexistence of the two worlds. Of course, he may also be the culprit that causes the two worlds to be destroyed together."

When Dumbledore said this, Professor McGonagall also cast a concerned look at Noah.

"I hope you can influence and guide him in your own way as you promised before."

“When the wizarding world and the Muggle world collide and merge, he can become what you and I expect, the savior who saves the wizarding civilization, rather than the destroyer of both worlds.

As Dumbledore uttered his last words, the surrounding scene began to collapse, and the warmly decorated room disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only darkness.

However, Noah and Professor McGonagall did not leave the Pensieve as the image faded, but remained in this illusory space with nothing but darkness.

Logically speaking, Professor McGonagall should not have presented Dumbledore's final words to him so directly.

For Professor McGonagall, the most appropriate approach would be to keep the last few words in her heart, and then, in Noah's future Hogwarts campus life, as Dumbledore instructed, to guide Noah onto the right path through indirect methods.

However, Professor McGonagall did not do so, but pointed it out directly.

Looking at Professor McGonagall, Noah had a vague guess in his heart.

Given Noah's mind, his mature thoughts that are exactly the same as those of an adult, and the complete understanding of the world that he has already built up in his mind, is he really so easily influenced by others?

Instead of doing useless work and wasting energy, it is simpler and more effective to point it out directly.

"So, what is your answer?" Professor McGonagall's expression was very serious and solemn, "Noah?"

"hehe."

Faced with the soul-searching question from the older cat girl, Noah initially just chuckled in disdain, and then the chuckle turned into an unbridled laugh towards the sky.

"Hahahahaha!"

Professor McGonagall exuded an emotion of confusion from head to toe. She didn't know what was wrong with this child. He suddenly turned into one of the three Slytherin laughers.

Seeing that the child in front of her seemed unable to stop laughing, the older cat girl had to interrupt him.

"Why is Noah laughing?"

After a long time, Noah finally held his stomach and tried to suppress his laughter.

"I laugh at Gellert's lack of wisdom and Albus's lack of strategy."

Chapter 244 So, what is the price?

Compared to Voldemort, who only knows how to kill everywhere and brings a group of Death Eaters to kill anyone who doesn't obey his orders, he is called the Dark Lord, but in fact he is just a village-level terrorist.

Gellert Grindelwald, who once ruled most of the wizarding world at his peak, and his followers, the so-called "Saints", did what they did.

Rather than being a ruler who pursued terrorism, he was a great leader who led the wizarding world towards change.

It was only because of the failure of the struggle that he was given the title of "the first dark devil lord" in the history of magic written by the victors and passed down by people. This title seems cool but is actually a disparaging title.

The biggest difference between him and Voldemort is that the saints under his command are not like the Death Eaters who gather together out of fear and life-saving, or simply for the sake of profit.

No matter what the wizarding world thinks of Grindelwald, no matter what his goals and intentions were, one thing is undeniable.

Those are the followers who gathered around him, most of whom fought for freedom, truth and love.

The power possessed by the saints gathered based on these three beliefs is unimaginable, which is why Grindelwald's ruling territory at his peak almost included the entire wizarding world.

In addition to a leader with great charisma, the UMNO also has a clear program:

Break the shackles of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy on the magical world, so that wizards no longer have to hide like gutter rats.

It's just because Grindelwald's ideas are too extreme. His ultimate goal is to let the advanced humans with magical abilities surpass those who can't cast spells, and establish a dynasty that belongs exclusively to wizards...

In his view, humans who could not do magic were only fit to serve noble wizards as livestock and slaves.

Under the leadership of such extreme ideology, even if Grindelwald could overthrow the International Confederation of Wizards at that time and achieve ultimate success, the rule he established would not last long.

Where there is oppression, there will inevitably be resistance.

Even if Grindelwald and his saints could, like an unnamed artificial intelligence called Skynet, raid Muggle cities based on the strangeness of magic,

The vital points of the country, controlling the world's nuclear bombs.

But didn’t the human resistance army also hold out for decades against Skynet’s ruthless slaughter, and finally managed to turn the tide with the help of the Terminator Schwarzenegger who traveled back to the past?

Taking an unconventional approach will never last long, so Noah scoffed at Grindelwald's idea.

But no matter what, Grindelwald's approach still has its merits.

The war that Grindelwald started in the wizarding world brought not only fear and pain to the wizards.

In the era when the International Statute of Secrecy was strictly enforced, marriage between wizards and Muggles was strictly prohibited, and the American wizarding community was the most strict.

Even though the British wizarding world was a little more lenient in enforcing this rule, it wasn't much better...

Once a wizard chooses to marry a Muggle, he or she must hide his or her magical abilities, and cannot reveal even a little bit to the other person even if the other person is his or her spouse.

This law does not take into account what will happen if wizards and Muggles give birth to offspring and their offspring also possess magical abilities.

Expecting a child who can't even control his own magic to hide his magical abilities is obviously unrealistic and impossible.

Forcibly suppressing the young wizard's magical abilities will only lead to the creation of the Obscurus, causing greater tragedy and more serious consequences.

Then there is no other solution?

Not at all.

Divorced, and the wizard ran away with the children.

Or they could simply cast a forgetfulness spell on their spouse, making them forget the existence of their child, and then send the child to a magic school, never to be seen again.

This is the solution that the big guys who make the laws in the Ministry of Magic came up with. It is simple and crude but very effective.

But they completely overlooked that no matter which approach was adopted, it would be a heart-wrenching torture for the person involved.

One side is your beloved other half of life, and the other side is your dearest child.

Professor McGonagall, like her mother, had both experienced unhappy marriages with Muggles, and this was the pain brought to them by the International Statute of Secrecy.

In addition, there are a large number of wizards from Muggle families who cannot get the magic education they deserve, which leads to tragedies like Credence Barebone, also known as Aurelius Dumbledore...

These disputes in the wizarding world have long existed.

However, within the International Confederation of Wizards, those high-ranking officials cannot see the suffering of the lower-class people.

It was not until Grindelwald led the Saints to start a war and brought these focal disputes that could bury the wizarding world at any time to the surface that the International Confederation of Wizards was forced to revise a large number of legal regulations.

Wizards and Muggles were able to intermarry;

Although children from non-wizard families still suffer from discrimination in secret, they can also receive the magic education they deserve, and their status has been greatly improved compared to before;

Humans and other humanoid magical creatures, such as Veela or the hybrid offspring of giants, have also been taken seriously by orthodox wizards, even if they are just pretending to be taken seriously, they are still discriminated against secretly...

All in all, their situation was much better than before Grindelwald's reign.

In a sense, the reform initiated by Grindelwald was successful.

It just wasn't successful enough.

If Grindelwald's approach still has some merits, then standing on the opposite side, Dumbledore is completely the opposite of him...

Noah really didn't know what contributions this old Bee had made to the wizarding world in the forty years since defeating Grindelwald.