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"I refuse."
Harry slowly shook his head. "I'm not interested in the Philosopher's Stone, nor do I care about immortality or turning stone into gold."
"Professor, I'm very busy right now. As long as Voldemort isn't trying to kill me at this very moment, I don't want to deal with him. Instead of confronting that pitiful creature, my top priority is to improve myself."
"I witnessed a battle between a wizard and the Frost Tyrant in the Soviet Union. This battle left a deep impression on me. I saw my own insignificance, but I also realized the goal I need to pursue in the future."
"If I had the same power as him, even if Voldemort were to resurrect, I would be confident in pinning him down without any flashy tricks."
Harry spoke from the heart. Since arriving in the magical world, he had been most shocked by the towering figure of Ivan, whose unimaginable strength ignited a fiery passion in him—more exhilarating than downing a bottle of vodka in forty-degree below weather.
Nothing is more important than the ultimate romance of being a man. The Philosopher's Stone? Moreover, a stone that has almost exhausted its magical power? Dumbledore was using it as bait, and Grindelwald seemed indifferent about giving it away. Is it really that valuable?
"So, I'm sorry, Professor Grindelwald, but I don't plan to get involved in this matter. Ensuring stability and peace at Hogwarts is the responsibility of Professor Dumbledore and the other teachers. I'm just a first-year student, and as a student, my job is to work hard and continuously improve myself."
"Fantastic!"
Grindelwald clapped his hands with genuine delight.
"What?" Harry, feeling unsure, dug at his ears. "Did you just say—"
"Yes, I think this is fantastic!"
"What's fantastic?" Harry asked, still somewhat confused. At that moment, he wondered if Grindelwald might be seriously ill.
"The feeling of defying prophecy! Didn't I just say I have gathered all the conditions of the prophecy? But you refused, while my prophecy tells me that you would agree."
"Perhaps it's because the future is constantly changing? So, prophecy is not always one hundred percent accurate?" Harry speculated.
"The future is indeed changing continuously. However, prophecy anchors itself to a predetermined future. As long as the conditions of the prophecy are met, the future predicted by the prophecy is the true future."
Grindelwald answered Harry's question without hesitation, but this explanation only deepened Harry's confusion.
"Then, Professor, what are you so happy about?"
Harry racked his brain for answers but still couldn't make sense of it. He truly didn't understand these mysterious matters.
"I'm delighted to see someone preparing to defy prophecy, yet ending up helpless in the end."
Grindelwald chuckled with glee. "You're not the first one to try this, but no one has ever succeeded in escaping it. I'd love to see that helpless expression on your face again."
"What if I don't change my mind?" Harry stubbornly asked, unwilling to accept the idea of a predetermined future.
"I look forward to it. However," after a moment's reflection, Grindelwald shook his head slightly. "I know you're busy, so I won't let things fester slowly and change your mind. You'll surely look for books about the Philosopher's Stone. Even if you don't, news about it will reach your ears through various means."
"Did you know that prophets have another title — The Master of Fate?"
"As those who can see the future, we become conduits of destiny. At the same time, we also possess the ability to toy with the fates of others.
"Even if we cannot change the inevitable outcome, we can manipulate the destinies of others within certain limits."
"For example—if I were the one who made the prophecy about Voldemort, rather than Trelawney, who barely qualifies as a novice, I could guide Voldemort to make different choices within the predetermined fate."
"The one capable of defeating the Dark Lord is approaching, born into a family that has resisted him three times, born at the end of July; the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will possess a power unknown to the Dark Lord; one must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives; the one capable of defeating the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July."
"This is what Al told me about Trelawney's prophecy regarding Voldemort. It includes three necessary conditions and a clear outcome."
"First, he must be born into a family that has resisted him three times; second, he must be born at the end of July; third, he will possess a power unknown to the Dark Lord. The outcome is that the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, and one of them must die at the hands of the other."
"If the three conditions of the prophecy are met, the final result is inevitable. As the Master of Fate, I can artificially ensure that these three conditions are forcibly satisfied and dictate the outcome."
"Trelawney couldn't manipulate the prophecy, so once the conditions are met, the result is determined by the target of the prophecy—Voldemort himself.
If it were me, I could pick any random person—not even a wizard, a Muggle would suffice—and have him resist Voldemort three times, which is easily achievable. Then, I could arrange for him to marry a pregnant woman whose due date is at the end of July. This just requires a little love potion or even a memory modification; the second condition would also be forcibly satisfied. As for the third condition, that's even simpler—there are countless things that Voldemort doesn't know. I could even place a nuclear bomb next to that child, which is also a power unknown to Voldemort. After that, I could dictate the outcome, forcing Voldemort to eliminate this child of prophecy."
"This is what a true prophet can do. A true Master of Fate can perceive the predetermined future and intervene to toy with those anchored by destiny."
"I cannot change the fact that one of the two must die, but I can change who kills whom and who ends up dead."
"I could set it up so that when Voldemort finds that child, the child accidentally presses the button to detonate the bomb, killing Voldemort in a nuclear explosion and fulfilling the conditions of the prophecy, or Voldemort could kill the child, successfully ending the prophecy."
"Now that I've explained everything clearly, it's your turn, Harry."
"Let me see how you will struggle."
Grindelwald beckoned with his finger, and an old notebook fell onto the table.
"Compared to other sources of information, the research notes written by Nicolas Flamel himself will give you a true understanding of the power of the Philosopher's Stone."
"This broken stone is of no use to me or Al. After all, we've come too far down this path; these trivial aids mean nothing to us."
"But for you… I imagine you simply can't refuse it."
"To save you time, I've intervened in your prophecy. I hope you don't mind."
Grindelwald interlocked his fingers and laughed unabashedly.
(End of Chapter)