https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-819-The-Plan-to-Dominate-the-World/13454709/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-821-We-Are-Both-Merely-Committing-Atrocities-in-the-Name-of-Justice-/13454713/
Chapter 820: Youthful Ideals and Reality
Chapter 820: Youthful Ideals and Reality
"Because the initial blueprint of this plan was something we came up with together in our youth... many years ago, we were very close friends..." Dumbledore fell silent for a long time before speaking slowly. Under his Half-Moon Glasses, his eyes revealed a hint of regret and nostalgia, his thoughts drifting back to that afternoon over a hundred years ago.
Back then, he and Grindelwald would sit face to face, discussing the future of the Wizarding World.
At that time, he enjoyed playing the role of the Muggles, the antagonists, while Grindelwald represented the Wizards, engaging in strategic battles.
Through countless rounds of these games, they developed a roughly feasible plan, always believing that the Muggles' vast numbers made it impossible for Wizards to come out into the open without a specific strategy.
Their plan was to incite wars among the Muggles, then use magic as a decisive force to control the weak and defeat the strong, thereby significantly reducing the Muggle population and achieving world domination.
He had once naively believed that only this approach could realize their initial vision...
The deaths of Muggles and Wizards alike were considered necessary sacrifices, the growing pains of an era—everything for the greater good!
As Dumbledore spoke, Ivan's gaze grew increasingly strange. He never imagined that the old professor had once been a staunch anti-humanist.
Ivan, of course, knew that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had a deep relationship and had even discussed some evil plans to rule over the Muggles in private, but he hadn't realized just how far they had gone...
Ivan found it hard to fathom that two teenagers in their teens could have thought so far ahead...
"Grindelwald spent decades refining our initial plan. Then one night, he infiltrated Hogwarts and laid everything out, inviting me to join him..." Dumbledore said.
"Did you refuse him?" Ivan asked, his voice tinged with a touch of reflection.
Both Grindelwald and Dumbledore were immensely powerful Wizards, surpassing the ordinary. If they had truly joined forces, working together openly and covertly, they might have achieved their grand schemes.
"No, you may have overestimated me, Hals. That night, I hesitated and didn't give him any clear answer..." Dumbledore shook his head, closing his eyes as memories flooded his mind.
He still vividly remembered that night when Grindelwald suddenly appeared in his Common Room, excitedly telling him that he had found the Deathly Hallows and gathered enough followers. Everything was ready, and they had the strength they had once dreamed of.
All he had to do was nod in agreement, and they could realize their vision together.
His feelings that night were indescribable. After Ariana's death, he and Grindelwald had lost contact.
They hadn't seen each other for decades, yet Grindelwald hadn't forgotten him. He had been working towards their shared vision and presented a highly detailed and practical plan.
A dream that had once seemed out of reach now seemed within grasp...
All they needed was to take that one step forward together!
So, Dumbledore hesitated, and he was tempted, not immediately rejecting Grindelwald's proposal...
"I think anyone, when faced with the persuasion of a close friend and the realization of a youthful dream, might lose their head", Ivan said consolingly. Emotions were Dumbledore's greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness!
Dumbledore nodded noncommittally and continued his tale. That time, he had not given a clear answer, but Grindelwald likely interpreted his silence as a refusal and did not contact him for a long while.
But it was for the best, as Dumbledore was unsure if he could resist such temptation again...
The next time he heard from Grindelwald, the latter had already become the Dark Lord who sent shivers down the spines of the entire European Wizarding World. He commanded a group of Death Eaters and was preparing to wage war between Wizards and Muggles.
"At first, I had no intention of opposing him. We had sworn never to fight each other, and while Grindelwald's ideas were radical, I stubbornly believed they could be a viable path for the Wizarding World", Dumbledore added.
"Why did you change your mind in the end?" Ivan asked, puzzled. Grindelwald had played the emotional card and used their youthful aspirations as a trump card, targeting Dumbledore's weaknesses. If it were him, he would have been fired up and ready to join the cause.
But Dumbledore held back and ultimately turned against his former ally, which Ivan found hard to understand.
"Because Grindelwald's plans were not going well. The resistance he faced was far greater than we had anticipated. Not only did America and the European Wizarding World issue arrest warrants for him, but the International Confederation of Wizards also got involved. He was practically at odds with the entire world!" Dumbledore sighed.
Wizards like them were indeed very powerful, and no amount of ordinary Aurors could pose a mortal threat to them.
But even such power had its limits. Ten Wizards like Mcgonagall, Snape, and Flitwick would be enough to hold them at bay.
Grindelwald's strength was not sufficient to force Wizards who did not agree with his ideas to follow his will.
Dumbledore could foresee that, even with his help, the outcome would likely be a dead end!
"I anticipated his failure. As I had predicted, the situation gradually worsened. Faced with attacks from all sides, Grindelwald's actions became increasingly erratic, and countless lives were lost... He grew increasingly callous, even to the point of wanting to destroy Paris..."
Dumbledore's voice trembled slightly. "At that moment, I realized that the Wizards and Muggles who died in the conflict were not mere pawns to be manipulated. I had experienced the pain of losing a loved one and understood that sorrow... I could not stand by and let him continue to spread such suffering and create more disasters!"
A hint of guilt clouded Dumbledore's eyes. Part of it was for those who had died in the chaos, as he felt a certain responsibility.
The other part of his guilt was for Grindelwald.
Many years ago, when he and Grindelwald played their strategic games, they had repeatedly devised plans for the Wizards they represented to ultimately defeat the Muggles they opposed.
But fate was particularly ironic. After so many years, when they truly held power and faced each other in similar positions, the situation had reversed—Dumbledore himself had taken action to shatter their once-shared ideals.
Because he believed those ideals were unrealistic and would only bring more pain...
(End of Chapter)
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