— — — — — —
About ten minutes later, the doors to the Great Hall opened again, and the entire space had been completely rearranged.
The hall now looked like a massive lecture theater. Dumbledore had even arranged the seating in tiered rows, wrapping around the front so every student would have a clear view of the guest table.
And behind that table hung a huge blackboard. Grindelwald was the only person seated beneath it; all the other professors, Dumbledore included, had moved to the front row of the audience seats.
Heads of Houses led prefects around organizing students. It didn't take long before everyone was seated neatly. Curious eyes were pinned on Grindelwald, each student wondering what exactly the infamous Dark Lord had come to teach them.
"The candles are too bright."
His muttered complaint was loud enough for everyone to hear. Dumbledore sighed, flicked his wand, and hundreds of floating candles instantly dimmed. Half of them went out entirely, and the rest had their flames covered by a faint haze, turning the light soft and misty.
Only then did Grindelwald give him a satisfied smile.
"Thank you, Albus. You've grown more considerate than you used to be."
With that, he stood up and glanced around. Not many dared meet his gaze, and those who did found themselves drawn in by those mismatched eyes.
Finally, Grindelwald began to speak.
"So this is what it feels like to be Headmaster of Hogwarts. I have great respect for the four Founders. They were truly remarkable wizards who earned their place in history."
His praise for Hogwarts startled many, and oddly, filled them with pride.
Flattery depends on who's speaking it, and hearing it from the most feared Dark Lord alive hit differently.
What no one noticed was that Ravenclaw, in the study space, quirked her lips into a pleased little smile.
'Not bad. That man knows what he's talking about.'
"!!!" Tom's eyelid twitched like crazy. Of all the openings he expected, flattery from Grindelwald was not one of them.
Originally, outside of Dumbledore, Grindelwald feared no one. But now... he was using social niceties like a normal person. "Environment" really does change people.
"Today… I'll be giving you a Muggle Studies lecture."
The sudden shift into the actual topic made half the hall mentally drop their jaws. All eyes shot toward him in disbelief.
You? Studying Muggles?
Studying how to kill Muggles?
But no one dared show it on their face, and not a whisper spread. If nothing else, McGonagall seriously envied this level of classroom discipline and focus.
Grindelwald continued calmly, "Or rather, think of this as a debate class. People always say my real specialty isn't dark magic, but persuasion. Your Headmaster—"
He motioned toward Dumbledore. "He thinks the same. So the moment he spots any rhetorical traps, he won't hesitate to stand up and challenge me."
Everyone looked to Dumbledore, who remained perfectly composed. The old wizard dipped his head in agreement.
"Dialogue requires both sides to speak their minds. I look forward to seeing what surprises you have for me." Grindelwald smiled faintly.
He raised his wand and the blackboard filled with two words: "Muggles" and "Wizards," written on opposite sides like opposing camps.
His voice echoed clearly in every ear.
"Children, you should first understand one thing. I am fundamentally different from your local street-thug Voldemort. He's obsessed with so-called blood purity. I once heard a saying: People boast most of what they lack. I suggest you investigate his family tree a few generations back. I guarantee you'll find Muggle blood."
A few students shivered at the blunt mention of Voldemort, though it was far less dramatic than before.
After all, a Dark Lord whose reputation rivaled Voldemort's in the UK had been casually roaming their school for half a month. Anyone would get used to it eventually.
"In my eyes, a wizard is a wizard and a Muggle is a Muggle. Bloodlines only prove your ancestors produced someone exceptional. Your own skill can't be measured by that. You have to show it yourself."
"Oh, and starting next school year, Durmstrang's admissions won't be restricted by blood status. If anyone wants to transfer from Hogwarts, you are very welcome."
"Cough, cough!" Dumbledore gave two pointed coughs. "Gellert, you're getting off topic. This is not a Durmstrang recruitment drive, it's a Muggle Studies class."
Grindelwald gave a small smile. He didn't argue; he simply steered smoothly back to the original subject.
"Thank you for the reminder, Albus. Good. Let's get back to Muggles. Some people believe I hate Muggles, so how could I possibly have studied them."
"But that idea makes two mistakes." Grindelwald raised two fingers. "First, I don't hate Muggles. I merely believe they've taken over the living space that once belonged to wizards."
"Second, it's precisely because I conducted detailed research and investigation into Muggles that I became certain they pose a threat to wizard survival."
A low ripple of whispers moved through the hall. Following Grindelwald's logic, many students found themselves thinking that he… wasn't entirely wrong.
Dumbledore's frown deepened. "Grindelwald, stop fearmongering. It's been fifty years since your defeat and the wizarding world still stands. We've never even come into open conflict with Muggle society."
The man was frightening. Convincing others came as naturally to him as breathing. Two sentences and he already had people walking in circles behind him.
This time, Grindelwald ignored Dumbledore and continued at his own pace.
"Children, I was born in 1883. More than ten years before my birth, the Franco-Prussian War had just ended, and the name 'Germany' appeared on the world stage for the first time. The year I was born, Romania joined the Triple Alliance. Twenty years later, the Boer War ended. Thirty years later, the Balkans ignited the world, and World War I involving dozens of nations erupted…"
Grindelwald recited events with ease. Many of these historical details weren't even known by Muggles, yet he listed names, dates, and death tolls without hesitation.
Vinda Rosier rose at the right moment and began enlarging photographs and sticking them to the blackboard. They were hellish scenes from wartime: roaring fire, fields of corpses, whole cities reduced to ashes. Even though the images were static, the air seemed to drop in temperature. Many girls, and even some boys, squeezed their eyes shut in fear.
Aside from Grindelwald's voice, the hall had fallen into a deathly silence.
Pure-blood or Muggle-born, it didn't matter. This was the first time any of them had received a proper history lesson.
"You could say that in my era, the entire world was a volcano in mid-eruption, destroying sky and earth alike. Muggle wars caused countless accidental wizard casualties."
Grindelwald suddenly sighed, voice turning hoarse. "Machine guns and artillery were locked in a race over... who could slaughter more of their own kind faster. Compared to them, what is the Killing Curse that wizards fear so much?"
"A single Muggle war can kill roughly the same number of people as the entire wizarding population. And wars of that intensity, they managed to wage twice, even three times, in just the span of twenty years."
"Dumbledore, tell me, have I spoken even a single false word?"
The question left Dumbledore quiet. Grindelwald had spoken only the truth, and the photographs even had sources attached. They weren't taken by wizards but borrowed from various Muggle libraries and museums.
That was why Dumbledore once shared Grindelwald's concerns.
The era they lived through had been too volatile. Everyone lived in constant fear, never knowing when disaster from the sky would strike them down.
It was a time when ignorance & innovation danced together and technology & religion clashed without restraint.
But Dumbledore could not let Grindelwald continue. If he kept speaking, Dumbledore was certain eighty percent of the hall would walk out with hostility toward Muggles.
"Gellert, we cannot always fix our gaze on the past. Does a bright future truly fail to hold your attention?"
Dumbledore took a slow breath. "The same year you fell from power, the Muggles' world war also finally ended. The fifty years since have seen only minor conflicts. The world at large has been peaceful. You shouldn't continue viewing Muggles with hostility."
"Children, think of your current lives. How long has it been since you heard news of a war?"
His words woke some of the students from their daze. Muggle-borns nodded at once. Their world did feel safe. Other than being cautious of human traffickers, robbers, gangs and the occasional shooting… there really wasn't much else.
Yes. Very safe.
"I've never denied that things are better now." Grindelwald smiled lightly at Dumbledore's rebuttal. "Understanding history correctly doesn't mean copy-pasting it into the present. I simply hope you understand that everything I did was a helpless choice under the pressure of that era."
"For example, have I once declared war on Muggles today?"
Dumbledore gave a faint nod. Grindelwald had improved in that regard. He caused storms only within the wizarding world now, without more radical ideas.
"But…"
Grindelwald shifted tone. "Peace and stability are never gifts granted by others. Even if wizards hide with all their might, who can promise the day will never come when we are exposed?"
"So never pin your hopes on anyone else. Before crisis arrives, the magical world must have the power to make would-be threats think twice."
.
.
.