Chapter 266: Grindelwald Wants to Be a Headmaster
Lockhart and Dumbledore had an unstated agreement. The reason he dared to keep Corban was because he knew Dumbledore would accept it. This agreement was about the ownership of the honor of capturing Voldemort and the ownership of Voldemort's custody.
Dumbledore seemed to take everything over quite naturally, but in this battle, while Dumbledore and Grindelwald had contributed a lot, Lockhart was the one who played the crucial role.
Dumbledore had never cared about who became the hero who defeated the Dark Lord. In his past decades, he had been elevated to a solitary pedestal precisely because he had defeated and imprisoned Grindelwald. He felt the loneliness at the top.
Lockhart could see that in the past, Dumbledore had tried to give this honor to Harry Potter, building up the so-called "Savior" for more than a decade. The reason for this was partly because this honor was won by Harry's mother, and partly because Dumbledore had high hopes for the new generation. He was old, and this world was destined for the new generation, and he was willing to let them have it.
But the situation was different now. "Voldemort" had set a very bad precedent by having wizards and Muggles cooperate, which had a terrible impact. Dumbledore clearly realized that the conflicts between wizards and Muggles, and between pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, had not arisen because of Voldemort. Thus, they would not end with his defeat. They had always existed.
It was to be expected that these conflicts would follow Voldemort's path of Muggle collusion, because everyone had seen the results. At this point, Dumbledore could no longer deceive himself. There was no one capable of taking charge, neither in the middle generation nor in the new generation. Not a single one!
Harry Potter, the Savior? Ha, don't be ridiculous. Let alone Harry, even Minerva McGonagall, who had always been by his side, couldn't take charge! He looked around and saw that there was truly no one capable. How could he rest easy?
Oh... in fact, there was one person. Gilderoy Lockhart!
But Dumbledore didn't trust Lockhart. No, he didn't trust him at all. He always suspected that while Lockhart longed for a good life, he wouldn't mind if a terrible war were to break out. A war between the Ministries of Magic of different countries, a war between wizards and Muggles, a war between pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, or even a war that would sweep the entire world, involving wizards, Muggles, goblins, giants, centaurs, and everything else...
Lockhart probably wouldn't care at all! This was the reason Dumbledore had to decide to once again shoulder everything. He was old. His heart was already riddled with holes, and he only wanted a moment of peace. Yet, he had to force himself to do this.
He had already gotten one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—the one made from the family heirloom Gaunt ring. He easily figured out that the stone embedded in the ring was the Resurrection Stone, one of the three Deathly Hallows. He was so eager to put it on and see his sister, Ariana.
But... he couldn't. He couldn't die yet.
A determined Dumbledore was a terrifying force, and Grindelwald understood this the most. That's why when Dumbledore decided to take Voldemort away, neither Grindelwald nor Lockhart said a word.
But saying nothing didn't mean nothing happened. They were all willing to give the "greatest wizard of this century" the utmost respect. Naturally, Dumbledore had to give Grindelwald and Lockhart, these two Magic Masters, the corresponding respect. This was not a matter of personal feelings. It didn't matter if Grindelwald was a prisoner or if Lockhart was working for him. This respect had to be given.
And so... Lockhart brazenly brought Corban Yaxley to the meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards! Yes! He brought him openly and without any pretense! He wanted everyone to know that Corban was his man, and he wanted everyone to hold their noses and reluctantly accept and praise Corban Yaxley as a great hero who helped defeat Voldemort! A spy who had made great sacrifices!
There was a subtle point here. Corban Yaxley was an old hand at politics. In his past service to Voldemort, he had handled all the official business. Unlike Lucius, who was also politically inclined, he didn't need to be on the front lines of the war. In other words, Corban Yaxley had never directly fought with members of the Order of the Phoenix. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to show up in front of everyone for more than a decade and not be targeted by people like Arthur Weasley.
Of course, the most important point was that these so-called "Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families" had great influence in the European wizarding world, in the Ministries of Magic, in the Wizarding Council, and even in the American wizarding world and Muggle society. Lockhart could see the drastic changes happening in the jurisdiction of the American wizarding community. The integration of wizards and Muggles here was so deep that unless Dumbledore decided to enforce the Statute of Secrecy completely and purge this country, this place would eventually be the first to have a major event involving the blending of wizards and Muggles.
Change would happen here. A war would happen here. This place would inevitably undergo a terrible destruction, but it would also usher in a new future that would accommodate the coexistence of wizards and Muggles. This would be the best experimental ground for human society.
Corban's use in this regard was far greater than as a simple thug. So Corban was not entirely like Snape to Dumbledore. Corban also served the functions of Lucius, Arthur, and Fudge.
He was such a useful person. And Lockhart had completely controlled him with his magic. Lockhart naturally had to keep Corban. A new era was about to begin. By keeping such a person, he would occupy a more proactive niche and participate in the tide of the times, welcoming his own fairy tale. After all, this so-called new era was only brought about by the arrival of him, the Transmigrator.
Who else but me!
And so, Corban Yaxley found it all very absurd. The officials and Aurors from various Ministries of Magic, and even the big shots from all walks of life who attended the meeting, all found it very absurd. They watched as the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, representing the Order of Merlin, personally pinned a First-Class medal on Corban Yaxley.
A First-Class medal! The highest award for upholding peace between Muggles and wizards and the principle of not abusing magic on Muggles, was pinned on Corban.
Yes, this world was that absurd. What made them feel even more absurd was that Gellert Grindelwald also received a First-Class medal along with Dumbledore and Lockhart. Grindelwald, a Dark wizard who had once tried to lead wizards to rule the world during the Muggle World Wars, also received one. This was because he, too, had opposed the Dark Lord Voldemort and had made a great contribution to capturing the terrifying and dangerous Dark Lord.
Anyone who opposed Voldemort could be whitewashed. This was how this world worked. From then on, people had to forget why Grindelwald was imprisoned in Nurmengard. No one was allowed to hold his past against him anymore, because he was now a positive figure. At the very least, he could now appear on the political stage openly again, and not even Dumbledore could completely restrict him.
It had to be said that Voldemort was really useful.
P.S. Cedric, Luna, and Crabbe, the three who participated in the battle, would also be awarded Second-Class medals, but they would not be presented at this highly political event.
Perhaps this was the true nature of this world. The biggest difference between wizards and Muggles was that because of the existence of magic, politics could only come in second place. Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and the others, who could unleash their full power, were capable of easily destroying the entire world. Such people deserved the utmost respect from everyone. It was that simple.
Of course, most wizards would never think of this. They would only celebrate the capture of Voldemort, and they would only celebrate the heroes who had captured him. Wizards used emotions as a source of power, but most wizards had long become slaves to their emotions.
Most of the wizards in the hall were more excited and fanatical than Muggles, cheering wildly for Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Lockhart. There were even cheers for Corban, which made him feel awkward. He kept looking at Dumbledore, afraid of upsetting the big shot.
The entire International Confederation of Wizards meeting was extremely lively. It was so lively that even those who knew what was really going on had to join in and pretend to be excited, proud, and happy.
Then, the noise reached a climax when Voldemort was brought onto the stage! He was in a very delicate birdcage, three meters high and two meters in diameter, with a golden frame. It was an extremely powerful magical containment device. It was a magical artifact that ordinary wizards had no chance of seeing. Lockhart could only vaguely feel that the birdcage was just a shape; the inside and outside of the cage seemed to be in two different spaces.
He had never seen this thing before, and it wasn't in Corban's memories, nor was it in the memories of the other dozen wizarding powerhouses in his mind. The long history of the wizarding world had created too many magical artifacts. For example, the Mirror of Erised at Hogwarts was a one-of-a-kind artifact, and modern wizards didn't even know how it was made or why it could show dead people.
Lockhart was a little curious as he observed the birdcage. He noticed that it seemed to be stimulating Voldemort's emotions but suppressing the expression of his magic. Oh, no, not suppressing. It seemed to have a vent for his magic. This made Voldemort in the cage look very angry and deranged. He was yelling and screaming, but he couldn't release any magic, even though his heart was filled with so much emotion.
The birdcage was quickly brought onto the stage. Voldemort looked at Lockhart, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and finally at Corban Yaxley.
"Traitor!" he snarled in fury. "You traitor, it was you, wasn't it? You deliberately offered up that farm, so I'd be trapped there and couldn't escape. I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"
A bird in a cage, a beast trapped, was brought onto the stage as a trophy for people to see. If the anger in Voldemort's heart could turn into flames, it would have burned the entire continent of North America to ashes.
He could no longer maintain his graceful Dark Lord demeanor. The defeated man yelled and screamed like a lunatic, shaking the cage in anger, his eyes glowing with a terrible red light as he stared at Corban.
In a corner, Lockhart and Grindelwald gracefully retreated, not trying to steal Dumbledore's spotlight, and talked in low voices.
"Will he really be imprisoned in Nurmengard?" Lockhart was curious.
Grindelwald's mouth curved slightly. He glanced at Lockhart and sneered. "Dumbledore can't fix that castle, and I won't fix it again!"
Fix Nurmengard? What a joke! Fix it so he could be locked in it again one day? Grindelwald could proudly say that in this day and age, he was the only one in the entire wizarding world who had the ability to build a prison that could hold a top-tier Magic Master. Not even Dumbledore could!
Lockhart understood and chuckled, looking as if he was watching a play. "Then can we expect some people with ulterior motives to try to get into Nurmengard?"
Grindelwald didn't say anything, but he raised an eyebrow as if to say, "You know what I mean."
On the stage, Dumbledore had already begun his speech. He listed Voldemort's evils, the harm he had caused over the decades, and the terrible effects of various Dark Arts. Lockhart noticed that Dumbledore didn't sensationalize the issue, nor did he excessively demonize the arrested minions of the Dark Lord.
"Those people won't be executed?" Lockhart was a bit confused. This was different from his understanding of Dumbledore. Dumbledore's strategy had always been to establish Voldemort as a banner and then have all the opponents gather under that banner to be eliminated together. But now, he was only targeting Voldemort.
"He's scared," Grindelwald said, his eyes narrowing, his expression unreadable. "The union of the wizarding community and the Muggle community has shown him a different world." A very complex world. The conflict was not between the wizarding and Muggle communities. It was a fusion of the two, which then caused internal divisions with various demands, some of which were extremely exclusive.
If a war were to break out in the future, it would not be a clash between wizarding magic and Muggle technology. It would be a war of one group of wizards and Muggles against another. Even more terrifyingly, it would be a war between countless such blended groups. This was what was most frightening because it could truly lead to total destruction, the destruction of the entire world.
"He's discovered the biggest problem with his past strategy..." Grindelwald sneered. "The strict enforcement of the Statute of Secrecy has caused wizarding society to be divided into various Ministries of Magic, just like Muggle society. Our generation fought for living space for wizards and for the improvement of the Statute of Secrecy. The emergence of more Muggle-born and half-blood wizards has allowed the hatred between Muggles to spread to the wizarding community."
Wizards in the jurisdictions of the British and French Ministries of Magic were once a single entity, but now, the kind of hostility found in Muggle society was starting to spread among them. Grindelwald found this amusing.
"Wizards used to be humans apart from Muggles, outcasts hiding in the corners because of the witch hunts. We were a single, cohesive unit, brought together by the pressure of an external force."
"Now, wizards are an extension of the Muggles of each country..."
Grindelwald stopped there. Lockhart suddenly understood. My goodness! This was so interesting. Old Dumbledore was now caught between a rock and a hard place. If he pushed forward, the divide in the wizarding community would become even more severe. If he backed down, the power of the Muggle-born and half-blood wizards that had been painstakingly built up would become a terrible backlash. And in this dilemma, other forces were finding a place to survive. For example, Grindelwald. For example, Lockhart.
On the surface, they were saying all the right and righteous things, but underneath, a dark current was surging. The future was completely unknown. And Lockhart had already been building his own ship.
Soon, Voldemort's minions were brought onto the stage to face a live trial by the International Wizengamot. Among them, the most eye-catching one was undoubtedly the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, Igor Karkaroff! Yes, even Lockhart didn't know that this guy had returned to old Voldemort's side.
"I heard that after he learned of Voldemort's return, he secretly ran away and hid?" Lockhart didn't understand why this guy would eagerly go back and be Voldemort's dog.
"Yes, but I sent someone to find him and bring him to Voldemort," Grindelwald said casually.
"!!!"
Lockhart said, "Whoa. He should be a salvageable force, right? I know he's not happy about being a Death Eater anymore."
Grindelwald's expression was indifferent. "No one cares whether he wants to continue being a Death Eater. If I need him to be one, he has to be."
Saying that, Grindelwald turned to look at Lockhart. "After this meeting, I will take over Durmstrang Institute. Are you willing to come and be the vice headmaster?"
What? Lockhart blinked and pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes," Grindelwald nodded. "Although Hogwarts has a very special historical status and claims to have the most complete collection of magical books, Durmstrang Institute is not bad either. It has the most complete legacy of war magic, dueling magic, and ancient wizardry in the wizarding world!"
"Ancient wizardry" was a nice way of putting it. In modern terms, most of it was Dark Arts.
Lockhart spread his hands. "You know I can't go. I have so many students I'm teaching..."
Grindelwald looked at Lockhart with a teasing expression. "Then we'll see if Dumbledore can tolerate you continuing to have such a great influence at his school and establishing an organization with his students, or if you can tolerate Dumbledore's change."
Well, that was true. But Lockhart didn't care. If Dumbledore really wanted to disband his Dueling Club, so be it. That didn't mean that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Percy, Crabbe, and the other students would become strangers or enemies with him just because the Dueling Club was gone, right? If that were the case, he would have no need to continue teaching them, would he?
"Teaching at Hogwarts is an interesting magical life experience," Lockhart replied with a smile. "A fairy tale has a beginning and an end. I only enjoy the process, and I only care about the process."
Grindelwald nodded. "You are a very special young man!" But he still didn't give up on the idea of recruiting Lockhart. He just said, "Time will prove everything. After I take over Durmstrang Institute, I plan to restart the Triwizard Tournament. You can wait until after that tournament to answer my question."
Lockhart just smiled.