Waiting in silence for Grindelwald to relate all the details, Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled bitterly.
"I see. It seems that I have an inevitable and significant responsibility in this matter," he said.
For Dumbledore, although there are still some details missing, the information that Grindelwald has shown is sufficient for him to construct a complete historical framework. Obviously, Grindelwald is alive and well. Reasons to vent his dissatisfaction and anger.
"Gellert, this is completely my fault. I am accustomed to the power and convenience of magic, but selectively have forgotten the fact that we are all aging. But fortunately, Miss Caslana is here; her admirable noble behaviors in the face of the crisis do not make the whole incident irreparable."
Albus Dumbledore's tone was filled with self-reproach, his blue eyes sincerely looking at Grindelwald, with deep fear in his gaze. He couldn't imagine how, if not for Elena's response, what kind of mood he should face the cold body of Grindelwald a day later.
"Noble people are always people, not your decisions and arrangements, Albus," Gellert Grindelwald said with folded arms, unmoved.
"In these last decades, every time you have thought of something like this once, this would not have happened today. I know you too well. You always seek to fix the mess after making a blunder."
"No one can completely control the future. Someone has to clean up the mess, and you didn't think ahead, did you? Knowing how to deal with the demolition is always the key to winning the ultimate victory."
Dumbledore withdrew his hands, with no intention of delving further into this matter.
At this point, he and Grindelwald have argued too many times in the last decades, and neither can convince the other.
However, there was another issue that Dumbledore could not avoid speaking about at that moment. The old wizard gazed steady at Elena's chest, and his face turned serious.
There, a small and exquisite Deathly Hallows necklace lay silently on the girl's collarbone. The wood and iron pendants intertwined with the thrilling skin of a snowy white. The significance of that necklace to Grindelwald, once was a gift that Grindelwald intended to give her at the end of that summer.
Dumbledore frowned and averted his gaze from the girl's collarbone, looking at the elder standing before him.
"Grindelwald, she is just an under eleven-year-old girl. She is destined to belong to Hogwarts. So she cannot, should not, and will not be your follower."
"It's just a necklace. It means nothing. You are too sensitive, Dumbledore," said Grindelwald shaking his head.
"But this is a very dangerous sign that she is not a pawn you can control. Neither the saint nor you should appear again in this world, which does not fit with the plan we said before."
"I'm sorry, that's what I wanted to tell you," said Grindelwald. "She is not your pawn, Dumbledore. You can always control it, only you."
"Of course, she will not be a chess piece, she is destined to be on the chessboard. Both you and I know this very well."
Dumbledore waved his hand in annoyance.
"We are all getting old, this world will not leave us too much time. Before that, I must leave enough seeds to ensure that the future continues to develop as we think. When necessary, she will take my place and continue to move forward in that long and subtle process."
"To be the other you?"
Grindelwald raised his eyebrows and said in a mocking tone, "Give it up, she will never be like you, she is not cold enough."
Perhaps, in the eyes of most people, Albus Dumbledore is a sentimental, kind, and considerate old man. But Gellert Grindelwald knew very well that Dumbledore's character in some aspects was exactly as uncompassionate and dedicated to him, and under the gentle tolerance hid a bitter indifference.
"Do you think you know her well? No, you don't know the girl at all. She's colder and more terrible than you think. Grindelwald, you in Newmontgard Castle, you don't even know what a terrible monster lives in the girl's mind."
Dumbledore's eyes gradually became sharper and his face grew more serious.
"This very morning, the Guling Pavilion, which has lasted thousands of years, has split, and the figure of the Magical Congress of the United States has also appeared in it. Faced with this increasingly complicated goblin war, I can feel that the officials of the British Ministry of Magic are ready to move. Fortunately, my current prestige still works, so I was able to hold them back a bit and prevent the situation from getting out of control."
Speaking of this, Dumbledore felt a piercing tingling in his temple.
There is no doubt that fairy lobbying is particularly powerful and sincere. If only the Magical Congress of the United States had intervened in the battle between the goblins, Albus Dumbledore still relied on persuading Connelly Fudge not to easily lead the entire British Ministry of Magic into the chaotic maelstrom of the Guling Pavilion.
Then, the Ministry of Magic reached a private agreement with the goblins and agreed to use the strategic reserve to exchange rubies. Almost the entire British Ministry of Magic was hitched to the goblins' wagons in London. Even an old wizard like Dumbledore, with a wealth of life experience, was completely blind in the face of the completely unknown financial battlefield. So far, he vaguely understood how terrible the world that was unfolding in the Slytherin Public Hall was.
"So, is that why you arrived late this morning? The reason is quite sufficient."
There was a strong irony in Grindelwald's tone, "but it doesn't mean that I am confused enough to attribute all the events to an under eleven-year-old girl."
"Of course, it would be terrible if that were the case. All I want to say is a connection."
Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
.....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my p@treon Right Now.
Link: p*atreon.com/BookReaderBoy (Remove the *)
Also Free members get 2 advanced chapters for Free as well.