Faced with Roger's invitation, Dumbledore was very hesitant.
Anyone with a sound mind could see that this was the next surging tide of the era.
Should he, himself, help push this wave forward?
What kind of world would this wave create?
Refuse?
No matter what, Dumbledore was a wizard.
For thousands of years, countless pioneers of wizard civilization had stumbled through the wilderness, hitting walls and accumulating experience. Now, a young wizard stood on the shoulders of giants and presented a new possibility. How could he bear to extinguish it?
While struggling with indecision, Albus Dumbledore didn't seek wisdom from the portraits hanging in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, which contained the thoughts of past headmasters.
He thought of another figure.
An old friend he had imprisoned for many years.
A... Seer! "This is no small matter. Please allow me some time to consider." Dumbledore's choice was neither to agree nor to refuse.
He wanted to ask another person who could see the future for some reference information.
It had been many years since he had last seen him.
Whenever Grindelwald was mentioned, Dumbledore always felt a knot in his heart, but this matter involved too much. He felt it was absolutely necessary to go.
"When you've made up your mind, you can come find me anytime." Although Roger was eager for Dumbledore's participation, he wasn't impatient.
The world would continue to turn without anyone. Dumbledore was one of the strongest wizards in the world.
That didn't mean there weren't other powerful wizards besides Dumbledore.
The world was vast, and human history was long. For magic, simply living longer wasn't that difficult... as long as you didn't insist on immortality or agelessness, and didn't try to make yourself as tough as a cockroach.
After their exchange, the two began their return journey.
Of course, before leaving, they tidied up the scene to avoid any complications.
There was nothing noteworthy about the return trip. Roger specifically chose a very remote location and used spells to block any effects beforehand, eliminating radiation. When they returned to the Pacific island nation, the relevant personnel didn't even know what had happened.
If someone investigated carefully afterward, they might find a clue, but it would be difficult to verify what had actually happened at the time.
Unless they used long-range time travel magic, which had already been banned.
Back at Hogwarts, Roger, as usual, spent his time in the library and laboratory, guiding Harry, and discussing magical creature cultivation with Hagrid, without focusing his energy on extraneous matters.
Today was December 26th. The second semester wouldn't start until after January, so Roger didn't have any classes during this period.
...Actually, even if he had classes, it wouldn't have hindered Roger.
Roger's progress in learning magic had far surpassed that of his peers. Yet, he couldn't ask the teachers to lecture on advanced topics in class.
Otherwise, how would the other students learn?
So, during classes, Roger usually spent his time pondering his own problems.
He conceived ideas during class and practiced them afterward, not letting either interfere with the other.
While Roger returned to his daily routine, Dumbledore, having just returned to campus, was about to embark on a new journey to visit an "old friend" he hadn't seen in many years.
The Ministry of Magic officials in charge of immigration were puzzled by Dumbledore's frequent international travel, but under the "all-clear" signal from the Minister, they still signed his exit documents and contacted the relevant Austrian authorities.
Given Dumbledore's international reputation and influence, the Austrian authorities naturally wouldn't obstruct him without reason, and all approvals were quickly processed.
The flames of the Floo Network lit up once more.
...
Nurmengard Castle, the structure built by Grindelwald when he gathered a large number of elite wizards under the banner of "The Greater Good" and stirred up trouble.
It stood majestically amidst the mountains.
This was normal, as its original purpose was to be the center of Grindelwald's power and also a place where he imprisoned his opponents.
Who would have thought that it would eventually become Grindelwald's own prison?
It had a rather absurd feel to it, like a political struggle that failed, resulting in a lifetime of house arrest in the imperial palace, never allowed to step outside.
After many years, seeing this familiar building again, fantasies of the endless past echoed in Dumbledore's mind.
Pausing for a moment, Dumbledore gritted his teeth, forcibly broke through the knot in his heart, and took a step forward.
He walked closer and closer, and as the distance shortened, he could feel a gaze fixed upon him.
He looked up and saw an old man, his hair and beard as white as his own.
Despite being imprisoned, he had kept his clothes neat, as if he had tidied his appearance specifically in anticipation of Dumbledore's arrival.
When they were only a few steps apart, Dumbledore stopped.
After a few seconds of silence, Grindelwald spoke first, "You look much better than before."
"Aren't you the same?" Grindelwald, standing before him, was vastly different from the last time Dumbledore had seen him.
If the Grindelwald of the past was like a hermit, frustrated and forced into seclusion, content to pick chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and gaze at the leisurely southern mountains, then the current Grindelwald gave Dumbledore the illusion that he was gradually returning to his youth.
"Because I've found something interesting, I suddenly feel that this world... Hahahahaha."
"And you?" Grindelwald paused mid-sentence, then turned to ask.
"Nothing, I just don't want to die," Dumbledore replied calmly.
Dumbledore was a powerful wizard, but he was never a happy man.
Losing his father, losing his sister, losing his friends, losing, losing, constantly losing... What pained Dumbledore the most was that many things were actually his fault, that he might have had the ability to change them, but he had missed his chances.
Dumbledore's later life was immersed in guilt. Although his sense of responsibility prevented him from abandoning everything, his inner self was constantly tormenting him.
He yearned for another grand adventure in the afterlife.
Wizards at his level knew that there was an 'Afterlife' in the world.
His deceased family members were all there.
But now, Dumbledore didn't think that way anymore.
Because he truly couldn't rest easy.
Dumbledore feared that if he wasn't paying attention for even a moment, Roger would change everything! He had absolute faith that with Roger's abilities, he would one day step into the 'Afterlife' himself, perhaps even alive.
At that point, he truly wouldn't find peace even in death.
"...You've changed, Dumbledore," Grindelwald said with a hint of melancholy after staring at Dumbledore for a while.
"Compared to how I remember you, you've changed, becoming more and more like that... young Seer!" As he spoke the last words, Grindelwald's gaze sharpened from melancholy.
From a personal perspective, as well as from a magical one, this was no small matter! The next chapter isn't finished yet, it will be a little late, around ten to eleven o'clock_(:з」∠)_
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