"This was due to the infamous witch-hunter movement of the fifteenth century, in which cruel and ignorant Muggles took the miracle of magic as a sign of evil, wantonly murdering underage wizards and witches who had not mastered their spells, demoting them to demon servitude, and burning them alive at the stake…"
"It is to protect our fellow wizards and witches that the wizarding community is known today!" Grindelwald said bitterly, looking around at the crowd. "My brothers and sisters, this is a disgrace!"
"Powerful wizards are forced to give in to Muggles, to give up their living space, to surrender control of the world!"
"But it also allowed us to band together and create unprecedented prosperity, creating countless powerful charms, which were selflessly passed on to every one of our brethren by eleven magical academies around the world!"
"Wizards…are becoming great again! We have broken through the seal of space and travelled the world with Apparition, and the long river of time is no longer an obstacle."
"Some clever wizards even developed magic to manipulate and enslave Muggles — when we could have easily taken back what we had lost."
"Yet those who are high up in power think they should be forgiven for the bloody sins that Muggles have committed," Grindelwald sneered.
"These people forgot their fellow witches and wizards who had been burned at the stake and drowned by Muggles under the Devil's Curse, and used a ridiculous law to imprison all wizards and witches in this cage that had once been used for refuge, ending your future and mine… and giving up the whole world!"
Grindelwald made an impassioned speech. "It was because of these people that wizards were forced to curl up in the small wizarding world and compete for resources that were so pathetic they were almost laughable. Some of our fellow wizards and witches, those who hold magical miracles in their hands, have been reduced to living on the streets without food…"
"This is not a wizard! Friends, this is not supposed to be a wizard… let alone our future!" Grindelwald declared solemnly, looking around at the audience.
Grindelwald's words struck a chord with many of the wizards present, and some of them even clamoured about killing the Muggles and putting wizards back in charge.
Ivan, who was also in the memory, felt the feverish atmosphere and realised why Grindelwald had chosen so many poor wizards to listen to his speech.
These wizards did not have a good life and were at the bottom of the wizarding world. They accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction in their hearts but had nowhere to vent.
Grindelwald's clever swapping of concepts, which blamed the misfortunes of the higher-ups and the passing of the Statute of Secrecy, gave them something to vent their frustration on, and was naturally easy for them to relate to.
Connor, who was standing at the side, was deeply worried. Although he had watched this memory before, he still felt a chill down his spine when he relived it.
Grindelwald allowed his fellow wizards to vent their frustration for several minutes before raising his hand to silence them.
The noisy and chaotic Great Hall fell silent in an instant.
Ivan's brow furrowed, a sure sign Grindelwald had won the approval of the five hundred or so wizards and was beginning to gain ground.
This is a very bad sign…
Grindelwald paced slowly across the dais, speaking in a voice of great determination. "My brothers and sisters, I was as angry as you were, and over the course of my long career I have seen firsthand how Muggles treat a good wizard harshly, denying the wonders of magic with their ignorance … and that is why, fifty years ago, I was determined to change this."
"The Muggle government of that time was hostile to each other, and it was the perfect opportunity for wizards to take over the world again, but unfortunately the old-fashioned rulers turned on those of us who were fighting for the wizarding future…"
"Yes, I was defeated, not by Muggles, but by a disgraceful betrayal by my own countrymen," Grindelwald said with a sneer. "These high-and-mighty men of power, with their ignorance, cost us the chance to take back everything…"
"Fifty years, more than fifty years later… Muggles became more powerful than we ever imagined, using the power of technology to conquer the earth and the sky, reaching into the deepest reaches of the ocean. It can be said that Muggles now have complete control of the world, confining wizards to dark corners!"
Grindelwald's sharp words angered the wizards, who did not think much of Muggles, and believed that wizards could take back control of the world if they wanted to.
Grindelwald did not elaborate, but continued speaking. "I thought there was no future for the wizarding community, and that I would spend the rest of my life in prison in Newmungard, but in the days before my death, I saw a vision of the future…"
Grindelwald raised his Elder Wand and flicked it. A blinding golden light shot out and exploded in midair.
As everyone watched, a clear magical image appeared. It looked like the wizarding world of France, but the difference was that there were beautiful magical spires in the image. The huge floating city shocked every wizard who saw it.
The tamed dragon flew freely in the sky, and the wizards, helped by their alchemical creations, were able to escape from the mundane affairs of life and live in comfortable spires to explore the mysteries of magic.
Grindelwald looked out over the audience and said loudly, "In the future that I see, fellow wizards all over the world are united once again, and we have created a vast magical network through which we can communicate face-to-face with our friends from thousands of miles away through a magical image magic."
"There is no poverty there, everyone is able to hold a decent job, wizards are able to walk openly through every corner of the world, Muggles who cannot do magic are desperate to be one of us, proud that their children have magical talent!"
"I believe that this future was created by you and me, in a time when magic truly belonged!" Grindelwald gently waved his wand, and the magical image in mid-air shattered and scattered into countless points of light that fell from the sky, but the images were deeply engraved in the minds of every wizard.