Chapter 708
Black Wizards and Black Wizards
Chapter 708 Black Wizards and Black Wizards
“Mr. Weatherby,” Fudge’s voice was choked as he grabbed Percy’s sleeve and whispered urgently:
"Once you get back, immediately draft a document—in the most formal format—proposing that Dumbledore take over the ministerial position... It has to be quick... I need to call an emergency meeting tonight..."
Percy's glasses slid down to the tip of his nose with a "click," his wide eyes resembling those of an owl stretching its neck. His mouth opened and closed, but only produced a few short, breathy "uh... ah..." sounds.
Fudge gave his slow-witted subordinate a disapproving look and urged, "Get moving, Weatherby! Go and finish the first draft right now, don't delay Dumbledore's appointment!"
While everyone assumed that the suffocating sense of oppression stemmed from the falsely accused Dumbledore, the headmaster made no attempt to explain.
His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on an inconspicuous corner, on a middle-aged wizard whose hair moved without wind. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the corners of his mouth tightened into a straight line.
Just then, the "middle-aged wizard" suddenly turned around, and their eyes met briefly.
"Crack!"
In the stands, centered on a certain area, a ring of radial cracks appeared around the surrounding seats, and the vines hanging on the armrests seemed to have been cut by invisible sharp blades, falling like snowflakes.
The crowd grew quieter, and some of those who had previously denigrated Dumbledore's abilities and mocked him as an old madman lowered their heads, appearing more docile than quails.
The view on the screen suddenly spun around—
Voldemort tossed the badge to a Death Eater, who frantically caught it, nearly getting his face caught on camera, and still looked terrified when he regained his balance.
Of course, because his face was covered, the people around him could not see his expression, but could hear his breathing suddenly become rapid.
Voldemort sneered:
“Dumbledore, you went so far as to personally intervene just to convince everyone, including me, that this little boy was born to defeat me.”
"But now, right here and now, I'm going to kill him in front of everyone! That way you'll all know how ridiculous the idea that he can defeat me is!"
"Of course, I will give him a chance to fight me fairly, so that you will not doubt who is stronger."
When the audience heard that Voldemort wanted to kill Harry Potter, their fear, worry, and anger reached a fever pitch, except for Grindelwald, whose anger subsided and who even found it absurd.
"This is... the 'Dark Lord'..."
He tilted his head slightly, and the curve of his lips was not a smile, but a condescending pity and very obvious disgust.
"Forcing a fourteen-year-old boy into a 'fair duel' in front of wizards all over the world?" Derain frowned and said with disgust, "What right does this kind of person have to be compared to you?"
Ever since Voldemort proclaimed himself the "Dark Lord," many people have said that Grindelwald was the first Dark Lord, and Voldemort should be the second.
Being given a new title by younger people is the first humiliation.
To be compared to Grindelwald by someone so foolish and naive is an even greater humiliation.
But this time, Grindelwald wasn't angry. He just sneered and said, "I've seen plenty of idiots, but this is the first time I've seen one who's this... creatively stupid."
Antoine laughed and said, "I really suspect that he lost his brain during the process of being resurrected again and again, otherwise how could he do something so stupid?"
After a pause, he looked at the boy in the corner of the screen and said, "But... I hope little Wade isn't scared? After all, he's just a tiny little kid." He gestured with his hand to indicate a height of less than half a meter.
"Don't worry," Derain said. "No one would be willing to harm a skilled alchemist, let alone a genius who can create puppets from nothing. Even if Voldemort is brainless, he wouldn't do something so stupid."
“That’s not necessarily true,” Antoine muttered. “Looking at what he’s done, are you really sure he won’t suddenly do something stupid?”
Derain: "..."
He really couldn't say he could predict Voldemort's actions—just like a few minutes earlier, he had no idea that Voldemort would duel Harry Potter in public.
When the surviving boy fell into Voldemort's hands, D'Aryan thought he would be cruelly tortured in front of the cameras and finally executed in public, in order to completely intimidate ordinary people and make them lose the desire to resist.
Or, to put it more despicably, Voldemort indirectly humiliated Dumbledore behind him by humiliating the boy, causing Harry Potter to kneel and beg for mercy, thus undermining the hopes people placed on the child. Although Derain found this approach shameful, he also felt it was understandable.
But in the end... a duel?
Putting aside the consequences of losing to him, even if we win... what then?
That child is only fourteen years old; he has a lot of room for growth in the future.
Even if Voldemort kills him immediately after the duel, the courage, tenacity, and fighting spirit displayed by the boy in the battle will undoubtedly greatly inspire all viewers who witness it.
He will become a banner, a benchmark that will never fall, inspiring those who harbor discontent to fight on relentlessly.
Derain's eyes flashed with disdain; he found the "Dark Lord" on the screen utterly incomprehensible as to their foolishness. Such considerations should clearly be...
His thoughts paused slightly when he thought of this.
Would he have taken this consideration for granted a little over a year ago?
will not.
He was able to come up with this idea because he had read a lot of Muggle books, and also because of the letters he kept exchanging with Wade Grey.
Two years ago, he could only see two possible futures:
One is a task that is right in front of us and needs to be completed diligently;
The other is the ideal world he believes in, which will be constructed by the UMNO party.
As for how to fill the gaps in this situation, he hadn't considered it. He simply felt that as long as Mr. Grindelwald left Nurmengard, everything would naturally fall into place.
Was he really any smarter back then than Voldemort is now?
De Laine's gaze fell on the little boy in the camera lens, and she remained speechless for a long time.
When Deleine remained silent, Grindelwald suddenly spoke up.
"Don't worry, Antoine."
A slight smile played on his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes:
"Being able to experience the power of magic again from scratch is a rare experience for him."
"Moreover, although his body has returned to his childhood, the essence of his soul has not changed. The magic he has learned and the spells he has mastered are still dormant in that young body."
"When he finally makes his move, he will definitely surprise everyone!"
(End of this chapter)