Vita didn't know how to answer Grindelwald's question. In fact, she was equally confused. After the blood alliance was broken, Grindelwald and Dumbledore had fought against each other for years, yet they always seemed evenly matched. Their confrontations had never yielded a decisive victor.
However, that night, Grindelwald's failure had been shockingly abrupt. If the Elder Wand had not been confiscated by Dumbledore, Vita might have even suspected that Grindelwald had lost on purpose out of nostalgia.
"Vita, my life has been like walking on thin ice. Do you think... I can make it to the other side?" Grindelwald asked dejectedly.
Vita looked at him in astonishment. "Sir?"
Grindelwald sighed deeply. "We already... can't possibly win..."
"No! We will definitely win!"
"So many of our people have been captured, and the news of my defeat by Dumbledore has spread... Vita, from now on, the offensive and defensive positions will be reversed."
"Sir! This is just a temporary setback! You must not lose your fighting spirit!"
"You... please step back. I want to be alone for a while," Grindelwald said, dejectedly.
"Yes..." Vita obeyed, her eyes full of worry. Grindelwald now seemed to have completely lost confidence. Even though she was his most trusted assistant, she didn't know what to do.
Ever since the news of Grindelwald's brutal attack on Hogwarts spread, the wizarding world had been in an uproar. To everyone's delight, that same night, Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore, and his most elite witches were captured by the Aurors. Grindelwald's power was severely reduced.
Although many of his supporters carried out retaliatory actions, the Aurors were prepared. Their desperate and radical actions yielded little success. Meanwhile, Grindelwald and his direct followers had disappeared completely.
Months passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was June. At Hogwarts, students were busy preparing for final exams. There was little time to talk about how Robert and his two companions had outsmarted several members of Grindelwald's party and won the Special Contribution Award.
Dumbledore announced that the three had captured a few wizards. Though it wasn't a particularly outstanding achievement compared to the other events of that night, it was enough to merit recognition. This made Robert and his companions quite popular at school. The envious looks from Gryffindors made it clear how much attention they were receiving.
While Robert and Tom basked in their newfound fame, Anne was troubled. She blamed herself for Grindelwald's defeat. Even though she had secretly taken a bit of magical power before, she still respected him deeply. After a secret communication with her aunt, she learned that Grindelwald was extremely depressed. Anne thought, if she had successfully recruited Robert and Tom earlier, that fateful night might have turned out differently. But now, after his defeat, they were even less likely to join Grindelwald's cause.
Anne spent her days in anxiety and self-blame.
After the final exams, students had a week to wait for their results. Without the stress of classes or tests, this was a time for fun—unless you were a seventh-year student, in which case, this was the last week of your school life.
On the last day of this happy week, Robert and Tom were in the Room of Requirement, excitedly looking at a map.
"I declare the Marauder's Map complete!" Robert announced proudly. "Yes, I named it the Marauder's Map!"
"Haha, with this map, sneaking into the restricted section to read books will be much easier!" Tom said happily.
Seeing how excited they were, Anne clapped along symbolically.
"Anne, be cheerful! You played a huge role in creating this map! Without your months of investigations, we wouldn't know so many secret passages!" Robert grinned.
"Well... but all I did was provide a piece of paper, and you turned it into something magical. You're amazing, Robert."
Despite her bad mood, Anne had to admire Robert's abilities. The Marauder's Map could even show the whereabouts of Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet—an extraordinary feat.
"Anne, you seem worried these days. Has something happened?" Tom asked suddenly.
"Ah? No... no! Really not!" Anne stammered, clearly flustered.
Her reaction was too obvious. Tom raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
Before Anne could come up with an excuse, Robert suddenly said, "Is it because of your aunt?"
"Ah? You..." Anne looked panicked.
"I remember you mentioning that you have an aunt who has been exploring the world for a long time and lost contact with your family... And I saw a name on a wanted list in the Daily Prophet—Vita Rozier..." Robert smiled. "Is this your aunt?"
"I..." Anne hesitated, but realizing Robert had already drawn his own conclusions, she quickly nodded. "Yes... She's been away for many years. I didn't expect her to join Grindelwald's group. I... I don't know what to do. What if people think my family is involved?"
Tom smirked silently. What do you mean 'what if'? Of course, they're involved!
But Robert smiled reassuringly. "One Rozier falling into darkness doesn't mean all Roziers have. As long as you behave properly, no one will doubt you. Besides, look—none of your classmates do, right? After all, we helped capture several of Grindelwald's followers."
"Um... that's true..." Anne forced a smile, but her heart felt even heavier.
Fortunately, her aunt was taken away by Grindelwald. Otherwise, she might already be in Azkaban. The Ministry of Magic's truth serum was no joke. Only Grindelwald and her aunt knew her real identity.
Looking at Robert, who was examining the map with satisfaction, Anne couldn't help but ask, "Robert, do you think Grindelwald can rise again?"
"What? Are you afraid he'll seek revenge?" Robert asked, amused.
"Well... that's part of it..." Anne followed his lead.
"Then don't worry, he can't win," Robert said. "Even at his peak, it was difficult for him to succeed—let alone now."
"Uh... but why? Before he lost, he was incredibly powerful. His chances should have been high, right?" Anne argued.
She believed his defeat was merely an accident. Without that accident, Grindelwald's victory would have been inevitable.
"He wouldn't have lost?" Robert laughed. "The wizarding world itself isn't united. I can't see how he could have won."
"You're right..." Anne fell silent for a moment, then asked, "But... his ideas attracted so many followers. Doesn't that mean there's some truth to them? Then why are so many people against him?"
"Are his ideas reasonable?" Robert chuckled. "He doesn't have any real philosophy—just a few catchy slogans. Slogans alone can't be an ideological program. A revolution without an ideological program cannot succeed."
"Ideological program? What do you mean?" Anne asked.
"Tell me—Grindelwald's slogans are powerful, but has he ever written a book about his philosophy?"
"No... no."
"Then how could he not fail? Even that mustache guy at least had Mein Kampf... but Grindelwald doesn't even have an autobiography."
(End of Chapter)
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