"Grindelwald?" Dudley's gaze sharpened slightly.
He'd just heard this name recently. Earlier in the girls' bathroom, Borgin had told Dudley that something had happened at Nurmengard Prison, and Dumbledore had gone there to help handle it. The most famous prisoner in that prison was Gellert Grindelwald.
At the time, they'd wondered if Dumbledore had gone there because of this dark wizard, but they didn't expect it to be true.
"What kind of person is this Grindelwald?" Dudley asked thoughtfully.
"He..." Dumbledore opened his mouth but seemed to fall into reminiscence, silent for a long moment.
Harry's trio exchanged glances nervously, not daring to make a sound.
Only Dudley noticed that Dumbledore's expression seemed complex.
Does Dumbledore know Grindelwald personally?
Dudley keenly perceived something. Considering the timeline, Grindelwald's rise coincided with Dumbledore becoming famous in the wizarding world. The two must have intersected.
Additionally, Dudley clearly remembered that the Chocolate Frog Card about Dumbledore mentioned one very important achievement: defeating Grindelwald.
Grindelwald's relationship with Dumbledore isn't simple, Dudley thought.
However, Dudley didn't dwell on it and quietly waited for Dumbledore to continue.
"My apologies," Dumbledore returned from his memories, speaking somewhat apologetically.
After deliberating, Dumbledore said, "Grindelwald, to be precise, is a revolutionary."
Dudley's eyebrows raised slightly. This evaluation was vastly different from Voldemort.
Moreover, Dudley sensed that when Dumbledore said this, it wasn't derogatory. There was actually praise in his tone.
"Grindelwald once attempted to overturn the International Statute of Secrecy and establish a world where wizards ruled Muggles. He sparked a wave of wizard revolution and founded a powerful organization composed of wizards. To achieve his goals, he was ruthless. He and his wizard-supremacist party committed countless crimes, including multiple murders," Dumbledore explained simply.
Dudley frowned. He felt this Grindelwald seemed different from the thoroughly evil dark wizard he'd imagined.
Compared to Voldemort, who only knew Avada Kedavra, he truly deserved to be called a revolutionary.
Of course, Dudley didn't approve of his methods. Only ideologically could Grindelwald be called a revolutionary. Breaking that secrecy statute, for instance, had merit as a concept.
As Dudley pondered, Dumbledore's penetrating gaze pierced through his half-moon spectacles, watching Dudley intently.
"You seem to approve of him?" Dumbledore suddenly spoke.
Harry's trio looked at Dudley in astonishment.
In their eyes, dark wizards were undoubtedly evil, especially Grindelwald, who had committed murders and sought to rule the Muggles. Yet they didn't expect Dudley to actually agree with him.
Did Dudley also want to rule Muggles?
Seeing Dumbledore's probing gaze, Dudley thought for a moment. "I think some of his ideals aren't fundamentally flawed. It's his methods that are too cruel."
"Oh? Then what would you do?" Dumbledore interlaced his fingers, resting them on his chin, asking with interest.
Dudley knew Dumbledore was testing him, but he no longer cared much about Dumbledore's opinion. Perhaps that was the confidence Dudley's actual strength provided.
"I think there's no need to rule Muggles. Wouldn't integration be better?" Dudley said, thinking of that world where steam and strangeness coexisted. "Magic can help Muggles improve their lives, and Muggle technology can help wizards improve theirs. Progressing together, combining strengths and compensating for weaknesses. Wouldn't that be better?"
"With all due respect, wizards give me the impression of still living several centuries in the past. For now, wizards can use magic to maintain an advantage over Muggles. But in time, perhaps a hundred or two hundred years from now, wizards still immersed in magic's superiority might find that Muggle technology has advanced enough to overturn the entire magical world. At that point, it won't be wizards ruling Muggles, but wizards having to adapt to technologically advanced Muggles."
Dudley spoke calmly.
Harry's trio stared at Dudley in shock. These were things they'd never considered.
Dumbledore gazed at Dudley. After a long while, he blinked.
"Very interesting thoughts," Dumbledore evaluated.
Dudley showed a faint smile and said nothing more.
Both Black Emperor and Judge involved the utilization and twisting of order and rules. Perhaps one day, Dudley would need to establish his own order. Maybe the fusion of magic and technology was a good direction.
However, Dudley might not need to actually do it. If he'd already accomplished this in that strange world, there was no need to repeat it in the magical world. He could simply focus on digesting his extraordinary characteristics and improving his strength.
"Ahem, Professor Dumbledore, did Grindelwald escape?" Harry gave a light cough, breaking the atmosphere in the office.
"Yes, he escaped. We exhausted many methods but couldn't capture him," Dumbledore said.
"Will the magical world be very dangerous then?" Hermione asked nervously.
One Voldemort already had the magical world on high alert. Now, with another previous Dark Lord, if these two simultaneously plagued the magical world, could they even live safely?
"Could Voldemort and Grindelwald team up against us?" Ron asked, his face pale.
Imagining such a scenario terrified him.
"There's no need to worry too much for now," Dumbledore said. "Grindelwald and Voldemort have completely different ideologies. From what I know of Grindelwald, he looks down on Voldemort's methods. These two fighting each other would be better than cooperating. Cooperation is virtually impossible."
Dumbledore spoke with certainty.
Hearing this, Harry's trio let out a sigh of relief. At least they didn't have to face two powerful dark wizards simultaneously.
"However, the magical world will truly change. We must prepare ourselves," Dumbledore said gravely.
He looked at his blackened left hand and fell into contemplation again. The dim yellow light of the office fell on their faces, casting a heavy shadow over the joy of defeating the basilisk.