Ivan interrupted Grindelwald impatiently. "Are you going to say that you only lost to Dumbledore? But I heard from the Headmaster that you were doomed before he could do anything."
"Not necessarily. If he had chosen to side with me, things would have gone exactly as I planned," Grindelwald said gloomily. "It was only because the rebels knew there were other wizards in the world who could match me that they had the courage to stand against me."
"It only shows that the majority of wizards still expect to be treated equally by Muggles," said Ivan.
"Equity?" Grindelwald burst out laughing. "There never was such a thing, it's just a Muggle lie!"
"Even without wizards, Muggles have always tried to use their power and wealth to separate themselves from the rest of the world, enjoying the feeling of having their fellow Muggles under their feet in a vain attempt to remain superior!"
"In the past, they were known as hereditary nobles, but now they are the sons of politicians and plutocrats… in a different way."
"If there's always going to be someone high and mighty, why not send someone better suited and better?"
"No matter how much power and wealth those Muggle elites may have, they are essentially no different from any other Muggle…"
"But wizards are different!"
Grindelwald increased the pitch of his voice, and it rang like a bell at the top of the tower. "We are born with the magical power to fool and dominate Muggles at will, as God decreed!"
"We are born rulers, and wizards are born noble!" Grindelwald said, enunciating each word.
Yvonne wanted to clap her hands at Grindelwald's words. "Impressive. I'm sure you'd get a lot of believers if you went out now and held a large rally in Britain…"
Yvonne now understood why Grindelwald was able to win over large numbers of believers in Europe decades ago.
This line alone was enough to make the blood of inexperienced young wizards boil.
"They chose to follow me because I spoke their minds and did what they always wanted to do, that's all," Grindelwald said flatly.
"So you believe that wizards are born superior to others and should continue their rule by passing on their magic?" Ivan shook his head. "But even two wizards have a chance of producing Squibs."
"A Squib who can't cast spells is equivalent to a Muggle, and by the same token, if two Muggles give birth to a wizard, then I gladly accept him as one of us!" Grindelwald explained.
Grindelwald was far crueler than Ivan had expected, regarding the ability to cast spells as the only standard of hierarchy. He sneered. "You divide wizards and Muggles into layers for nothing more than your own ambition, to rule the world from above…"
"For my own selfish purposes as well as for the future of wizarding and wizarding society, I don't think the two conflict, do you?" Grindelwald asked, not denying it. "I did not create the so-called class, it has always been there, and whether you like to admit it or not, I only keep the better fit where they should be."
"Perhaps…" Ivan said noncommittally, drawing a line between himself and Grindelwald.
He originally thought that the other party's act of fighting the entire wizarding world alone for change was tragic.
However, this did not seem to be the case, as Grindelwald was a highly dangerous-minded and ambitious man who deserved to be called the Dark Lord.
If Grindelwald had not been living in this tower for decades and had not been under the influence of the Dark Arts, Ivan would have considered getting rid of him there and then.
"That's all for today, and thank you for answering my questions," Ivan said, waving his wand gently to put away the tray. "As of tonight, I'll have Winky the house-elf bring you food, and if you need anything, you can tell her, and Winky will do her best to meet your reasonable needs…"
Without waiting for Grindelwald's permission, Ivan headed for the door.
As Ivan stepped out of the room, Grindelwald's voice came from behind him. "You will either stand with your own people and fight for their interests, or you will abandon them. There is no third option."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that… Some people think it's impractical until something is done," Ivan replied casually, without looking back, and disappeared in a puff of flame.
… .
The first thing Ivan did upon returning to Hogwarts from Newmengard was to summon Winky and assign her the task of delivering food, leaving the house-elf to watch Grindelwald's every move.
This was undoubtedly a dangerous man, and more importantly, Dumbledore did not seem to have placed too many restrictions on Grindelwald, who did not even have a pair of magical shackles on his hands.
For more than fifty years, Grindelwald had remained in Newmengard in an honest manner. Was it all about self-consciousness?
Yvonne would never have believed it, given Grindelwald's reputation as a loose cannon, and his long captivity had not worn down his ambition, or he would not have attempted to charm her with words.
Or was Grindelwald bound there by the power of a magical contract because he had made an oath to never leave Newmengard?
Unbeknownst to Ivan, the trip to Nurmengard went well, and he was able to understand why Dumbledore was able to hold on until the end of the year without fighting Grindelwald.
With Winky's task in hand, Ivan set it aside and turned his attention to the study of Horcruxes.
With that in mind, Yvonne hurried back to the Gryffindor Lounge, where she was going to rummage through the books she had taken from the Restricted Section.
However, as they passed through the foyer, Ivan ran into Harry, who was in a hurry.
Harry's eyes lit up at the sight of Ivan, and he grabbed his arm, panting. "Quick…Ivan, I was just looking for you, I was just dreaming again…"
"What was the dream about?" Ivan asked, frowning as he recovered. "You were inside Voldemort's head again?"