"Bingo!"
William snapped his fingers, "So, we don't need to use violence to coerce them at all. We just need to create a 'condition' they can't refuse. These guys will dismantle the old rules that hinder progress for obvious and easy gains. This is much more efficient than delivering Killing Curses door to door."
He paused and continued to paint the blueprint in his mind, "As for the Secrecy Law... it will become a relic of the past. Many examples in reality are telling us that 'isolation' itself has no way out. The ark to the new world has already set sail——"
The office fell into a brief silence, with the fire in the fireplace crackling and Fawkes gently flapping his wings on the shelf.
Dumbledore slowly exhaled, "Alright, William, sometimes you really surprise me... You've succeeded in convincing me, I'm willing to support your plan, but," yes, there must be a 'but' at times like this, "if some folks are unwilling to cooperate, I hope you can... be a little gentle?"
"Rest assured, I have always been fond of cute little animals."
William plucked a few quill feathers from Fawkes, who was perched on his leg during its molting period. The golden-red phoenix let out a pleasant song.
"The method doesn't matter, only the result does, Albus."
Grindelwald's voice carried a calmness born of experience, "This path might be more likely to lead to the future we once desired—a stronger and more open world, even if the initial intentions might differ, our destination is the same."
"Look, even our dear former Dark Lord agrees with my business blueprint."
William cheerfully picked up the last candy on the table and tossed it into Fawkes' mouth before Dumbledore could stop him, "So, don't worry, resistance will dissolve in the face of benefits. What we need to do now is to make this 'magic network' perfect enough, so that its potential is irresistible to all who see it."
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door of the Headmaster's Office.
"Come in."
Dumbledore withdrew his hand and said gently.
The door opened, and Professor McGonagall stood at the entrance. She looked better than she had in recent days. After entering the room, her eyes first scanned the desk free of 'forbidden sweets' (Dumbledore gave William a grateful glance) before she greeted everyone.
"Albus, regarding..."
Her voice was fairly steady, but before she finished speaking, William and Grindelwald stood up simultaneously, "Then I won't disturb you." William brushed off non-existent cookie crumbs, placing Fawkes on his shoulder, "I still need to help my friends prepare Christmas gifts——"
After bidding farewell, William and Grindelwald left the Headmaster's Office one after the other.
On the revolving staircase, Grindelwald looked at William's back and suddenly spoke, "What you just said doesn't quite match what you told me before?"
William didn't turn around, his voice filled with amusement, "Oh, you're talking about the cake-sharing thing, right? I can't exactly repeat what I told you to Dumbledore, can I? After all, making myself seem like the sole 'winner' sounds a bit too cruel, but you should understand, a family that's only bound by blood ties..."
Grindelwald was silent for a moment, his bald head nodding in the gradually darkening corridor, "I thought you'd changed your mind."
"That's all in the future; your upcoming task is heavier than you imagined."
William scratched Fawkes' chin, and the phoenix, having been cooped up in the Headmaster's Office, affectionately pecked at his fingers.
"I know... so, what are you planning?"
"Ah, of course, preparing that damn Christmas gift for our dear 'Celestial Empress'."
...
...
In the Map Chamber, far from the central area with the floating Secret Vault Sphere emitting gentle white light.
Here lies a specially isolated confinement zone, with cold and stagnant air. The walls are engraved with ancient runes that suppress magic power and soul fluctuations. The eerie blue glow pulses like the breath of a living being, casting an ominous hue over everything.
And in two adjacent cages formed by a semi-transparent magical force field, two 'Gods' from Olympus are imprisoned.
Hephaestus leaned against the cold wall. He had lost his iconic giant hammer, and his craftsman's robe had faded and worn. His face, never a handsome one, was now marked by exhaustion and weary, his gaze drifting as if in thought.
In another cage, the Wisdom Goddess Athena hung on a cross, like a suffering Jesus—wait, these two don't belong to the same mythological system at all.
The woman seemed to be in a deep sleep, her golden braids now disheveled, her luxurious short robe stained with the remnants of battle and scorch marks. The cut made by Gryffindor's Sword revealed what was once flawless skin, now looking like a piece of rotten wood—
Yet, in this bleak silence, Athena's long, butterfly-like golden eyelashes suddenly fluttered lightly.
A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes.
Then, a faint, almost imperceptible glow flickered in her eyes.
The woman didn't try to struggle or waste energy on futile efforts. She just slightly tilted her head towards Hephaestus' direction, her lips unmoved, but a mosquito-like voice penetrated all obstacles and reached the fire god's ears, "Hephaestus..."
This voice carried a strange magic, like a whisper that acted directly on the soul, with a hint of... imperceptible enticement.
And the Fire God's body stiffened suddenly. He lowered his head in silence for a moment, then turned in astonishment, looking at Athena in the adjacent cage, who had awoken without his notice.
"...You."
He opened his mouth but realized his voice couldn't penetrate the magical field between them.
"Don't bother."
Athena's voice resounded directly in his mind once again, carrying a trace of mockery, "This confinement magic is quite sophisticated, sealing our power... but its protective measures have loopholes that I've found. So, from now on, you just listen—"
Hephaestus remained silent, expressing doubt and vigilance with his eyes. He knew well enough what kind of person Athena was. Far from the justice of mythology, her 'wisdom' often walked hand in hand with 'schemes.'