As Anton ate, he sighed. Forget it, who could possibly fool someone like Dumbledore.
Since he didn't want to take a stance, then so be it.
But one thing was certain, now that old Dumbledore knew, it also meant his life was no longer in danger, which was a huge relief.
He leaned forward, resting his upper body on the desk, and asked quietly in a low voice, "You mentioned this true name-sensing spell, what if I go to the Muggle world and pay a bunch of writers to write stories, putting his name in them, either as the main villain or the protagonist?"
"As long as even one becomes a bestseller, imagine hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people chanting his name. Wouldn't he be driven mad by the noise?"
Dumbledore looked at him in surprise, a strange expression on his face.
Anton shrugged, "My uncle, Lupin, he's quite rich now, enough to fund a large number of writers. It's just a matter of getting the naming rights for a character, it can be done."
"A very clever idea." Dumbledore smiled slightly, "But it won't work. This would touch a sensitive nerve at the Ministry of Magic. They would definitely find a way to deal with anyone who dared to do such a thing."
As he spoke, his expression turned serious, "We know this is a difficult battle. We cannot let the smoke of war spread to the Muggle world. They don't have much resistance against wizards!"
"Anthony." Dumbledore placed his hands on the desk and looked at him gently, "I had a talk with Fiennes. It's clear he's had a bad influence on you, but I can sense that you are not bad at heart."
"!!!" Anton was shocked, "You talked to my teacher?"
Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "He is a very unique wizard. I never expected him to retain his human will in a ghostly state."
"Speaking of his life, he is very regretful. He asked me to retrieve his inheritance from his Gringotts vault to help him compensate those he had harmed."
Anton gasped, "He still has an inheritance?"
Is this still my dear teacher? Good grief, he was holding out on me.
We've been together for two years.
Fiennes, I never knew you were this kind of person!
"I also went to see Lupin. He is indeed living well now and is working hard to help other werewolves." Dumbledore looked at Anton with a smile, "And there's Pedro, the wise goblin. With the help of Andre Rosier, he is negotiating with major factories to improve conditions for goblin workers."
"Clearly, under your influence, many people have found the right path."
!!!
You've been secretly making house calls?
Behind the back of a child who knows nothing?
Anton was once again utterly stunned.
He grabbed a Cockroach Cluster and tossed it into his mouth, but this time it was tasteless. His mind was a mess.
"And so, I came to a very incredible conjecture." Dumbledore also picked up a Cockroach Cluster, his half-moon spectacles glinting, "Perhaps..."
He spread his hands, as if to say, you know what I mean.
"Under your influence, he might also become a little better."
Anton gasped sharply, utterly shocked, "Aren't you overestimating me?"
"I'm still a child!"
He held up his fingers, "Eleven years old!"
He simply couldn't comprehend Dumbledore's train of thought!
Old Dumbledore ate his Cockroach Cluster with a smile, took a sip of honey-lemon water, and then said softly, "In my eyes, he is also just a child. This is my failing. I was busy with other matters back then and had no time to care about his inner feelings."
"On certain issues, he has clearly become a bit paranoid."
A bit?
Dumbledore, there's something wrong with your choice of adjective.
Anton's mouth hung open, completely at a loss for words. The Cockroach Cluster in his mouth crawled out, and he quickly stuffed it back in.
This is shocking me for ten thousand years.
"There are some people," Dumbledore's eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion, "who always feel they desire to change the world, but they don't realize that this is no longer the age of wizards. Wizards have never been the mainstream of humanity, and even less so after the witch hunts."
"Muggles and wizards maintain a delicate balance, and the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards have made tremendous efforts to achieve this."
"Aside from the dwindling number of pure-blood families, wizards are increasingly coming from half-blood or Muggle families."
As Dumbledore spoke of this, his face grew serious.
"Many of their parents and relatives are Muggles!"
"Most people haven't noticed that half-blood and Muggle-born wizards have quietly become the vast majority of the wizarding world. Blindly inciting hatred against the Muggle community, or even planning to enslave Muggles, will cause the greatest rift in the already fragile wizarding world."
He grabbed a large handful of sweets from a huge golden cup on his desk and scattered them on the table.
Then he gently pushed a small portion of them to one side.
"Wizards with no connection to the Muggle world."
Then he pointed to the larger pile of sweets, "This largest group, they have unbreakable bonds of family, love, friendship, and everything else with Muggle society."
"This is the reason for their failure."
Anton nodded in agreement, listening with rapt attention.
This was a perspective he had never heard before. The man before him, as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, definitely had a vision that ordinary wizards lacked.
He also thought of Harry Potter, a child from a pure-blood family who also had Muggle relatives.
"He can no longer feel love, and he only has hatred for me. It's even more impossible for him to listen to an old man like me preach about love and peace." Dumbledore sounded a little helpless, "Interestingly, he has always longed to be a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and now he has a student."
Anton swallowed, "I really can't influence him!"
"An adult's worldview is already set. No matter how reasonable we are, we can't change anyone's mind."
Dumbledore just smiled. His long, aged fingers lightly tapped the bracelet on Anton's wrist.
The bracelet came to life.
The small, mithril-like dragon circled his wrist, eventually sinking completely into his skin, transforming into a dragon-shaped tattoo.
"He can't hurt you, Anthony. Give it a try."
I'm still just a child.
Your idea is too absurd!
Anton still wanted to struggle a bit. This wasn't about whether he should agree, but about whether Dumbledore should even have such a dangerous idea.
He looked at Dumbledore with a serious expression, "Professor Quirrell intends for me to die!"
A gleam of light flashed across Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles. He just smiled faintly, "In my school, he cannot kill anyone!"
His tone was light, yet filled with powerful confidence.
Anton twitched the corner of his mouth, indicating that he felt somewhat comforted.
An idea struck him. He touched his wrist, feeling a bit wistful, "Right now, besides the Shield Charm, I have no other good means to face Quirrell."