"Because Dumbledore stood in my way," Drayne paused, then added, "and because so many foolish people couldn't comprehend your grand strategy and foresight."
"Dumbledore?"
Grindelwald slowly said, "The moment Dumbledore started avoiding me, my cause already showed signs of failure."
"The whole world thought my power was unstoppable, but only I knew that everything had deviated from our… from my initial ideal…"
He closed his eyes, as if he were back in that narrow, cold prison, feeding on his failures again and again, chewed over and regretted—
If, in that duel, he hadn't overly relied on the Elder Wand's power… neglecting to hone his skills… perhaps he wouldn't have lost to Dumbledore.
If he had been a little more lenient with the Muggles, perhaps his subordinates wouldn't have quietly betrayed him.
If he had killed all the Qilin back then, instead of entrusting the election to creatures he couldn't control…
If he had truly won over Credence, making that simple-minded boy willingly fight for him…
If he hadn't dropped his guard because Scamander seemed foolish, but had killed him early on…
And even earlier… if he had been more patient with Aberforth and Ariana, realizing how important those two little burdens were to Dumbledore…
Perhaps everything would have been different.
But counting them up, Grindelwald found that there were simply too many points in fate he would have needed to change.
The collapse of his empire wasn't sudden; countless mistakes led to his ultimate downfall. Looking back, it seemed that every time he stood at a crossroads, he chose the wrong direction.
Through his long reflections, Grindelwald finally understood that it wasn't Dumbledore who defeated him, but himself.
He made the wrong decisions from the start, using brutal and extreme rule to make himself an enemy of the world, so much so that no matter how flourishing a situation seemed, it was like oil on fire – burning fiercely at first, only to realize after it died out that there was no fuel left underneath.
Because he wasn't challenging Muggles, nor the cowardly avoidance ingrained in wizards over centuries of complacent existence, but the inherent order of the world and the basic interests and morals of all people.
"I didn't lose to Dumbledore; I lost to myself… I lost to the arrogance and ignorance of my youth."
Grindelwald emphasized it again, looking at his loyal subordinate with a peaceful smile, stating the truth he had only finally been willing to admit after long consideration.
"Brutal rule cannot last, Günther; no matter how promising the future, it can't outweigh immediate suffering."
"Fifty years ago, we made enemies everywhere, were isolated and helpless. We seemed powerful, but even internally, there were deep contradictions, with countless people questioning and resisting."
"To silence the opposition, we eliminated everyone who spoke out—even those who were once our comrades, our kin… even if they were actually right…"
"This is wrong."
Grindelwald sighed deeply and said, "Contradictions and problems always exist. Silencing others and forbidding them from speaking is the most dangerous thing of all."
"Those who share our ideals are comrades, but are those with different ideas necessarily enemies?"
"You see, the understanding I never gained by killing so many people, I've easily gained now by killing just a few."
He extended a finger and tapped the newspapers on the table. There was a thick stack of newspapers, written in different languages, and smelling of ink.
These were the Wizarding World news articles his subordinates had collected from various countries.
Before these newspapers reached Grindelwald, Drayne himself had quickly reviewed them to ensure there was no insulting language.
At the same time, he was surprised to find that many articles were praising the Alliance's recent actions, reiterating the threat Muggles posed to wizards—something rarely said by anyone outside the Alliance in the past.
Of course, some people also wrote lengthy analyses of Grindelwald's schemes, intending to awaken wizards' memories of the Alliance's bloody history.
However, wizards who had lived through those dark times were now a minority. Most people held an optimistic, supportive attitude, and many even believed that Grindelwald had received sufficient punishment in prison and had repented and changed his ways.
"A person who has made mistakes is more suitable to be a ruler than one who has always been right, because he knows which choices are wrong"—this was a popular saying recently.
The Alliance hadn't held back when killing, but their public image had unexpectedly improved.
"Think about the people around you, Günther. Do they now feel pain or glory from the killing? After the operation, did they feel empty and confused from having vented their dissatisfaction with life, or did they gain a stronger sense of identity and pride?"
"Seemingly similar actions, because of that tiny difference, can produce such a vast difference in outcome. This is the key to victory or defeat."
Grindelwald spoke somewhat disjointedly, and Drayne felt like he understood, yet also felt a bit lost.
"Sir, I don't understand."
He knelt down, looking up, and asked, "Are we to be like Dumbledore… protecting Muggles? Protecting those who persecute us? Are we to be a shadowy Ministry of Magic? Like so-called champions of justice?"
Drayne looked at his lord like a lost lamb, asking in a low voice, "Then… establishing a wizard-led global order… the Alliance's ideals… for the greater good… are we to abandon all of this?"
"Abandon? No… We just need to find a new path, winding and circuitous, but one that will surely reach our goal."
Grindelwald stroked Drayne's head and said:
"Don't imitate me, blindly resorting to extreme violence; and don't imitate Dumbledore, fearing sacrifice, imprisoned by so-called morality and law."
"Then… what should we do?" Drayne asked, "What should I do?"
Grindelwald said, "Be the one who brings light to darkness, who brings hope to despair. Learn to benefit the majority of people, not bring death. Learn to solve problems, not create them."
"You cannot put down your Wand, but you must always stand on the side of reason and what is right."
"Günther, go watch those recent videos in the Streaming Mirror… Wade's idea for how to edit and present the footage, isn't it? Although he's young, he's understood these principles for a long time."
"That boy understands both wizards and Muggles. Most importantly, he's clear-headed and good at learning from past experiences, not confined to simple White Magic or Dark Magic. Talk to him more, listen to his opinions; you'll learn a lot."
"Dumbledore really taught him well…"
Grindelwald said wistfully, a deep weariness showing on his face.
Seeing this, Drayne, despite his mind still being a chaotic mess, arranged for Grindelwald to get some proper rest.
Leaving Grindelwald's bedroom, Drayne walked down the empty corridor, suddenly realizing that despite all Grindelwald had said, he never mentioned his true purpose for bringing Wade along.
But no matter how he looked at it, it certainly wasn't to forcibly drag the young Wizard onto the Alliance's ship, nor was it to threaten him not to tamper with those bells.
And he still wants to communicate with that child... Communicate about what? Alchemy? Or video editing techniques?
Drayne was agitated, completely unable to calm his mind and think.
Grindelwald's self-narration almost negated his own life, and also negated Drayne's decades of pursuits and ideals, leaving him momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Unknowingly, Drayne walked into the Great Hall and saw about a dozen people still there—some had gotten drunk and not returned to their bedrooms, while others were still gathered by the fireplace, chatting quietly.
Drayne leaned against the curtain, watching those people, and suddenly realized something.
Compared to when the Alliance first gathered, more people had voluntarily taken off their hoods, and more people had smiles on their faces.
And those few witches who helped everyone prepare clothes—Drayne remembered that they used to always look tense and spoke little.
That subtle look of fear, as if they were surrounded by man-eating monsters.
But now, they were gathered around two Wizards who had participated in the action, busy with needlework while listening to them recount their experiences of breaking through the Muggle soldiers' blockade and rescuing several Muggle children who were almost bled dry. They occasionally gasped in amazement, naturally revealing expressions of sympathy, indignation, and admiration.
The two male Wizards' injuries should have healed according to common sense, but they were still bandaged and proudly boasted about how they had taught those Muggle rich merchants and nobles a lesson, earning cheers from their companions.
Of course, Wizards at other tables also booed and jeered, but they pretended not to hear, becoming even prouder.
This relaxed and natural atmosphere was completely different from the serious, progressive, and passionate mood Drayne had originally envisioned.
It was as if, during a banquet, Mr. Grindelwald hadn't had the Great Hall arranged with long tables where everyone sat properly according to their status, raising their glasses together to emphasize the Alliance's goals and slogans. Instead, it had turned into something like a roadside tavern.
Suddenly, Drayne seemed to understand what Grindelwald had said.
Cruel rule would cause one's own companions to fall apart; but with justice, salvation, honor, and mission added, even without repeatedly reinforcing ideology, it could gather more people's hearts.
Wade Gray... that child is so young, why does Mr. Grindelwald think he can understand these things?
...
Wade didn't know that Grindelwald had been promoting himself to his trusted subordinates; he just found that Drayne started appearing around him frequently, always looking at him with a scrutinizing, observing gaze.
It wasn't malicious, but it made him feel uneasy.
Two days flew by quickly. After the last batch of Shivangi bells were completed, Wade stretched his body. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to go back to his room and read for a while.
Yesterday, Wade had found a magical notebook on the bookshelf, which contained several advanced Spells, including powerful Magic like Fiendfyre.
He still remembered the spectacular sight of the blue gas stove burning Paris in the movie. In the last event, Wade also saw how Grindelwald, with this one Spell, led the relatively inexperienced new generation of Alliance to suppress the Muggle firepower.
Wade didn't delve into why this book appeared on his bookshelf; he simply memorized every line of text firmly and then pondered it repeatedly in his mind.
If he could "unearth" books of this quality from the bookshelf every day, Wade felt that he really didn't want to go back to school for the time being.
But as soon as he went out, he ran into Drayne again.
"Are you done?" the serious Wizard asked him, looking at him.
"Yes," Wade said.
"Want to walk together?" Drayne tilted his head, motioning.
Wade hesitated for a moment, then accepted the invitation.
"We broke into another Muggle celebrity's private villa today."
After walking for a while, Drayne said, "That fellow didn't participate in those terrible experiments; instead, he imprisoned a dozen young girls and forced them to sell their bodies."
Wade didn't ask about the Muggle's fate; instead, he asked, "What about those girls?"
"We used the Obliviation Charm to erase that memory and sent them to a nearby Muggle hospital," Drayne said. "A small portion of the money from that celebrity's safe was enough to cover all their medical expenses."
Upon hearing this, Wade was surprisingly moved.
The Alliance initially always abandoned all victims, making them part of the Ministry of Magic's problem.
And the Ministry of Magic's way of dealing with it was to send patients with magical injuries for treatment, while all ordinary sick and injured patients were left to the local Muggle government.
As for what happened to those patients afterward, the Ministry of Magic, which claimed to protect Muggles, didn't actually care.
But now, these Alliance members finally understood that for Muggles, treating illness was a long and painful process, and high medical fees could crush many ordinary families. However, for the Alliance, solving this problem was just a minor convenience.
They even learned a new use for the Obliviation Charm—not just to hide the Wizarding World, but also to allow victims to forget painful memories and regain hope for life.
This latter point was not Wade's suggestion, but rather some soft-hearted Wizards who found that victims chose suicide immediately after being rescued, which led to this practice.
Wade said emotionally, "You have changed the destinies of many people—even though they won't remember, this honor will not fade."
"Honor..."
Drayne pondered the word, then suddenly asked, "Is this what you want to see, Wade Gray?"
"...What?" Wade's heart skipped a beat, and he looked up, asking in confusion.
"Recently, I've been wondering if you're cooperating with us out of coercion, or if you're using us to achieve your own goals?"
Drayne said calmly, "You also want those guys to die, don't you?"
"Dirty and ugly human nature is fully displayed in those Muggles, but under the protection of power and money, Muggle law cannot punish them."
"To protect the Wizarding World, neither the Ministry of Magic nor Dumbledore will allow them to receive the punishment they deserve—only us, only we are not afraid to kill."
Drayne looked Wade in the eye and asked bluntly, "So it's not that we chose you, but that you chose the Alliance, is that right?"
Wade took a deep breath, looking helpless and innocent as he said, "Did I force you to kidnap me?"
"I just thought those guys were truly anti-human and immoral, so I put more effort into completing the task."
"Or do you think I should usually slack off, secretly sabotage your efforts, and only cooperate after taking a few Crucios, to appear more righteous?"
Drayne wore an expression that said, "Say whatever you want," and averted his gaze, handing over a piece of parchment.
Wade: "…The Book of Friends?"
"The latest model. It can store information for a long time and only disappears after you've read it."
Drayne said, "Take it… Even if you return to Hogwarts in the future and encounter the same situation, you can still come to me."
"Why?" Wade couldn't help but ask.
It was one thing for Wawerlett and Morrow to offer help, but Drayne usually didn't interact much with him and even seemed to suspect him of being some kind of mastermind. Even now, with no smile on his face, he was suddenly acting so generous.
"Mr. Grindelwald asked me to communicate more with you," Drayne said frankly. "I don't mind being used, but I want to know… what makes a child like you so valued by that man?"
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