Chapter 681: Joy and Sanctuary - (2) |
"I did think so."
"I discovered early on: the Chamber extends several kilometers deep into the school's underground, serving as a natural refuge. In times of danger, students can seek shelter there. I also concealed a fireplace within the Salazar Slytherin statue's inner space — it's always good to be prepared. Even if it's not needed against Grindelwald now, stretching the timeline for decades, even centuries, there's always the possibility it may be used."
Felix nodded in Professor McGonagall's office.
The mirror, rippling like water, disappeared into thin air. McGonagall stared absentmindedly into the space. "He has discovered — perhaps Aberforth is right; Potter indeed has potential."
"He defeated Voldemort. Even though Voldemort was severely weakened at the time, he did achieve it. That's an undeniable fact," Felix said. "Plus, he's quite popular in school, with the editor of The Quibbler in his team, founder of several school clubs... I believe news of the underground amusement park will spread throughout the school in no time."
"Very foresighted, Felix. I'll have the heads of the male and female student unions cooperate," McGonagall said, sighing. "The situation has become murky again. The words of that saint this morning made me worry that Grindelwald might target the school. With just a few days left before the holidays, we must ensure the safety of the students." She emphasized her last sentence firmly.
"Well, I've handed that person over to Amelia. She should be in discussion with Babajide Akingbade now, hoping for a favorable outcome," Felix said. "At the last meeting, twelve Ministries of Magic agreed to send personnel, with the Aurors being under Akingbade's command. Now, with Amelia presenting new compelling evidence, I believe more Ministries will join the coalition."
"How many Aurors and operatives is Bones planning to send out?" McGonagall asked curiously.
"One-third."
Felix rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There's no choice. To prevent the scenario you mentioned, Ministries of Magic from various countries must also retain enough personnel and response time. For the International Confederation of Wizards, establishing smooth and stable communication channels is currently paramount. Some of Dumbledore's previous methods are quite instructive, and..."
He stopped abruptly as the fireplace suddenly flared up, and Ms. Bones emerged, looking weary.
"How's it going?" McGonagall asked solemnly.
"It's had some effect," Bones said wearily. "But Akingbade refuses the proposal to station Aurors from various countries in Britain. Instead, he hopes to persuade you to join the coalition and become his deputy." She glanced at Felix.
"At present, no one is certain of the extent of Grindelwald's strength. If we follow the test results given by the international healers, Grindelwald is at most slightly stronger than elite Aurors, but his strength is still limited. However, if he fully recovers to his former level..."
Her eyes glinted with profound meaning.
In that case, Felix Harp absolutely cannot leave easily. It's only during the most turbulent times that people realize what having a wizard like Dumbledore, or Felix, means.
"I won't leave the school at this time," Felix frowned. "Grindelwald's true intentions are still unclear, but you can tell Akingbade that I'll take action once the semester ends. Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in leading a diverse army of wizards. I believe political wrangling within would consume most of our energy. I'll try to confront Grindelwald directly, find an opportunity to talk to him. The best outcome, of course, would be to persuade him. The secondary goal is to understand his intentions — or perhaps engage in a fight, assess his strength. I've always felt he's too impatient; he shouldn't be in such a hurry."
"Alright, I'll convey the message," Bones sighed. "To be honest, I only now realize that the pressure brought by Grindelwald is... well, compared to Voldemort at that time, at least you and Dumbledore could completely suppress Voldemort. The Ministry's Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix also had an absolute advantage over the Death Eaters. But now, Grindelwald's power in Britain exceeds that of the Ministry threefold, and these are just his most loyal core forces. Any one of them could easily rally dozens, even hundreds, of followers... If all these people were used against a single country, it would be a huge disaster." She seemed to imagine that scene and couldn't help but shiver. "Still no contact with Dumbledore?" she asked hopefully.
Felix and McGonagall exchanged a slow glance, then shook their heads.
"No need to be so pessimistic, Amelia," Felix said. "Have you considered why Grindelwald prioritized gathering this core group of forces? According to that saint, Grindelwald even took the form of a flame contract... he didn't do that sort of thing in his earlier days."
"You mean he lacks confidence?" Mrs. Bones said immediately, alert.
Felix nodded solemnly.
"Grindelwald has two paths: violent confrontation and persuasive speech. If he chooses the former, he'll immediately be labeled a dark wizard by the various magical ministries, and his past crimes will be dug up and exaggerated tenfold. Remember, there's no sign of the current order collapsing. As long as we hold tight for a few months, the situation will be very different."
"If he chooses the latter—half a century has passed, even if his speeches were once charismatic, and his slogans deeply resonated, how many people today remain staunchly loyal to him? His era has passed. We'll see, there won't be too many young people willing to follow him—those youngsters probably haven't even heard his name, and if they have, it's likely synonymous with infamy. The only thing to worry about is if he goes all-in!"
...
Grindelwald and Vita Rosier stood on the elegant steps, knocking on the door. As they waited, he remarked casually, "I don't need too many people to pledge allegiance to me, just enough to gather sufficient authority to intimidate those enforcers. Do you think Akingbade has enough prestige to unite these people's powers? I'm not the same as I was back then, but neither is Akingbade Dumbledore."
"Trust me, Vita, as long as we don't strike first, no one will dare to take on the responsibility of initiating a wizarding war."
Grindelwald smirked.
"But his identity is indeed somewhat useful, enough to intimidate people at least, so here we are."
Footsteps approached, and a maid opened the door. Leaning against the doorframe, she eyed the two curiously. "Hello, whom are you looking for?"
"We're looking for Mr. Babajide Akingbade," Vita Rosier said.
"But—Mr. Akingbade said he's not seeing visitors. Do you have an appointment?" the maid asked.
"It's urgent official business, related to Mr. Akingbade's current biggest concerns," Grindelwald said. "I've already spoken with the guard here, Groff, right? A very diligent lad."
The maid's gaze shifted past them to the opposite side of the street, where a young man nodded towards them.
"Oh," she stepped back, "please come in. I'll fetch him—Mr. Akingbade hasn't slept for several dozen hours—he's been in meetings and only just laid down not long ago."
Grindelwald and Vita Rosier were ushered into the living room. Grindelwald sat in a comfortable chair, calmly retrieving a book from his pocket and began reading attentively.
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" The maid scrutinized the worn cover, noticing that several letters had peeled off. Though it was strange, her wariness diminished somewhat.
People who enjoy reading fairy tales couldn't possibly be bad, right? And this person seems quite polite...
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