Yvonne had a vague idea that Dumbledore was hinting at something, but he did not elaborate further, and continued speaking.
"A few decades ago, there was someone who wanted to change the status quo in the wizarding world as much as you did… but he was far more radical in his thinking!"
"You mean Grindelwald?!" Ivan raised his eyebrows. He had guessed almost instantly who she was talking about.
"Well, you seem to know something about him, too?" Dumbledore asked, slightly surprised.
"I read about Grindelwald in The Great Wizarding World. It said he wanted wizards to live openly in the world, and even rule over Muggles… Is that right?" Ivan probed, half-joking.
Dumbledore nodded at first, then shook his head.
"That's one way to put it, but it's not accurate enough.
Grindelwald believed that there was no possibility of harmony between wizards and Muggles, and that the status of a race could not be obtained by negotiation or forbearance, so it was only a matter of time before a war broke out, which could only result in one ruling the other, and that wizards were better served by starting a war than waiting for Muggles to make the first move!"
While we still have the ability…
Dumbledore silently swallowed the last of his words.
"Grindelwald thought he could beat the Muggles? Win the war?" Ivan asked, puzzled.
He expected that wizarding magic, while magical, would never be able to triumph over the Muggle world.
"Grindelwald spent decades travelling, promoting his ideas, gaining the support of many wizards, and having followers almost all over the world…" Dumbledore said with feeling, visibly moved, before regaining his composure and continuing. "Not only that, he chose the best time to carry out his plan…"
"Two world… wars?!" Ivan muttered to himself, suddenly remembering that Grindelwald was most active around the time of World War I and World War II.
Muggles were hostile and war-torn, and it was, in a way, the best time for wizards to take the stage!
"So Grindelwald is trying to start a Muggle war, weaken them, or perhaps join one of them on behalf of the wizarding community and try to manipulate and win over the other's higher-ups?" Yvonne speculated, equally impressed by Grindelwald's generosity.
More importantly, it seemed to work.
Wizards possessed magical abilities, and were a must for both sides of the war.
However, Germany, an up-and-coming power attempting to topple the Old World, was clearly more suited to Grindelwald's requirements than the Allies, who were already in control of the world order.
All that was needed was propaganda, and the wizards would be able to turn the tide of the war by magic, gaining the approval and support of the soldiers and civilians alike.
Finally, of course, there was the stealthy erosion of the Muggle upper classes, the waiting for victory in the war, the granting of titles, the preaching of blood, and the subjugation of the wizarding community into a privileged class, thus fulfilling the dream of wizarding supremacy over Muggles…
"Remarkable idea…" Ivan exclaimed, having sorted out Grindelwald's plans for world domination.
Grindelwald was impressed with the way in which Grindelwald was able to think for the wizarding community, find a plausible route, and work for it.
"Remarkable indeed, but it was all in the air, and he could not even complete the first step of his plan…" Dumbledore whispered.
"Why do you say that?" Ivan looked at Dumbledore in surprise.
"Grimward does not represent all wizards, and there are as many against him as against him!" Dumbledore's face was grim. "For example, the International Confederation of Wizards has been trying to arrest Grindelwald and put an end to his nefarious schemes, and in fact, they have had some success in sending Grindelwald to prison, only to have him escape again due to mismanagement."
Ivan instantly understood that Grindelwald could not resolve the internal conflicts within the wizarding community, and that all of his schemes could not be carried out.
If they joined the Axis, the Allies would have a large number of wizards to help them, and they would end up in a balanced situation…
Also, if he remembered correctly, Grindelwald was killed in 1945, the same time as Germany's surrender.
Ivan rubbed his chin, suddenly thinking that the status quo of wizards at the time might be a bit like the mutants in the films of his previous life, divided into peace-loving doves and war-loving hawks.
The result of the constant fighting between the two sides was to deplete what little strength they had left and cause destruction, causing ordinary people to hate mutants even more.
Ivan's only saving grace was the fact that wizards possessed both Memory Charms and Muggle Banishing Charms, allowing them to remain hidden from Muggle hostility.
"And did Grindelwald think of a way to reverse the situation?" Ivan asked Dumbledore. Grindelwald's methods must have been extraordinary to have come up with such a grand plan, and he would not have been so easily defeated.
"Destroy Paris!" Dumbledore said slowly.
"Huh?!" Yvonne was stunned.
Why did it suddenly have to do with the destruction of Paris?
"What do you think will happen when an important Muggle city is destroyed?" Dumbledore asked, instead of answering immediately.
"Then everyone would know about the existence of wizards, and the Muggles would panic … but … they would never surrender just because a city was destroyed. On the contrary, it would greatly deepen Muggle ill will towards wizards, enrage them completely, and possibly set off a war between the two sides!" Ivan tried to deduce.
Dumbledore nodded. "Grindelwald's deliberate attempt to create this sort of antagonism, to force all neutral wizards to his side … it is a gamble, a bet on the future of the wizarding community!"
"That's crazy…" Ivan said.
"It is clear that he failed, and the Aurors, who arrived in time, joined forces to stop his magic and prevent the tragedy," Dumbledore coldly stated.
Ivan was not surprised, as Paris had historically been perfectly fine and had not been destroyed by a fierce fire.
"By the way, Professor, why do you know so much about it?" Ivan asked suddenly.
According to Dumbledore, Grindelwald's well-thought-out plan did not even go as planned, and he was forced to make many changes that deviated from his original plan.