Chapter 283: Electronic Owls and E-Mail
The reunion after a long longing was beautiful.
Parting again after exchanging well-wishes for the future that, too, was beautiful.
Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald were wise old men, both over a hundred, having experienced countless ups and downs. After seeing Ariana one last time, some emotions and issues finally found rest.
Lockhart could sense that after this meeting, some of the estrangement between the two men had vanished. A tangibly more harmonious atmosphere now prevailed.
The silver smoke swirled, and everything rippled like a reflection in water. Soon, the trio reappeared on the grass next to the stone house in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
As the three were about to speak, a figure perched on a nearby treetop drew their attention.
It was a strange formation: tiny white specks of light converged into the shape of an owl.
The owl keenly sensed Lockhart's aura, spread its wings, and flew toward him. After circling once, it rapidly collapsed and then burst open, transforming into a massive letter that floated down.
"What is this..."
Lockhart looked at the huge, letter-shaped package in his hand, slightly stunned. The package was inscribed with two strings of characters his and Audrey Flamel's email addresses.
He then looked at Dumbledore. "This was sent from outside the school; how did it pass through Hogwarts' protective magic?"
Dumbledore was equally curious. He drew his Elder Wand and carefully traced the faint remnants left by the strange owl, then examined the package. He commented, "Magic is called magic because it is full of infinite possibilities, isn't it?"
"It's an Electronic Owl, for delivering mail," Grindelwald knew this spell. "A modern magical development in the field of occult studies. I hear its development is quite advanced in France."
"Electronic Owl..." Lockhart's expression grew even stranger.
So, what he was holding now was some kind of occult e-mail?
Oh, and it wasn't light.
He didn't bother to hide the contents from the two men and promptly tore open the package. Inside were a book and a pile of documents.
And...
A magical photograph of Audrey Flamel.
In the photo, she was beautifully dressed and smiling sweetly, saying, "Gilderoy, you can use this photo to contact me in the future too~"
Lockhart quickly put the photo away, looking up to find, as expected, the knowing, mischievous gazes of old Gellert and old Albus.
Cough, cough...
He cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. "Just a new friend I made recently."
Even after his Transfiguration, he had received countless fan letters containing many magical photographs some quite scandalous but this was the first he'd received that was like a magical portrait, capable of talking and communicating.
"Nicolas Flamel has an album of these; he can contact everyone inside," Dumbledore explained with a smile. "It's not a magical portrait, it doesn't need a message to be delivered. It exists as the person themselves. It's truly marvelous."
"This type of alchemically enchanted photograph can bypass the vast majority of commonly circulated defensive magic and allow direct conversation with the other party."
"To activate it, you only need to make eye contact."
Listening to Dumbledore's explanation, Lockhart realized, "The eyes are the window to the soul, so is this similar to the concepts of the mind and the world you just explained to me?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "The mechanism that governs the effect may be similar, but the magical method and underlying philosophy are different."
Everyone was quite curious about the magic of the Electronic Owl.
Unfortunately, Grindelwald had only read a few pages about it in the intelligence he gathered on the contemporary wizarding world and hadn't studied the spell in detail.
So, further discussion was impossible; they would have to wait for a chance to learn more.
The trio soon moved to Dumbledore's office for tea. As they enjoyed the snacks and tea prepared by the house-elves, Lockhart opened the package Audrey had sent.
The book was "Beauxbatons School History: Magic and Etiquette".
The documents were records of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic's exchanges of classical literature with various Muggle groups around the world, along with related academic papers.
Grindelwald glanced over, chuckled, and said pointedly, "Are you very curious about Beauxbatons?"
Lockhart didn't hide his thoughts. He put the book and documents aside and explained with a smile, "Someone analyzed the future situation for me and suggested that a 'School-Centric System' will replace the 'Ministry-Centric System.' They strongly advised me to consider this future carefully."
Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, holding his teacup, his tone mocking. "That's truly interesting. Will such an approach strengthen the International Statute of Secrecy, or weaken it?"
This was a very intriguing question.
Ostensibly, it should strengthen the Statute of Secrecy by completely decoupling the wizarding social structure from the Muggle one, creating a solid separation.
But at its core, the school-centric system fundamentally operated on the principle of 'Magic is Power.' Furthermore, the small scale of only eleven magic schools worldwide would inevitably lead to a higher concentration of power.
This seemed to better fit the wizarding ecosystem. The influence of magical masters and the authority of wizarding management bodies would no longer be mismatched.
Given the current social state of Wizards and Muggles, this concentration of power would inevitably lead to a further revision of the Statute of Secrecy. Any revision creates room for negotiation, even the possibility of completely overturning the Statute and retaining only its name.
Dumbledore said nothing, just lowered his head to savor the ice cream cake, seemingly unconcerned.
Grindelwald continued, "In the long history of wizardry, the appearance of the first magic school, Hogwarts, was profoundly significant. I believe that in the environment of the time, Hogwarts intended to do just this."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Slytherin was expelled by his partners, and Hogwarts lost this opportunity for a thousand years."
"So now, with some Muggle powers starting to frequently contact wizards and with the inevitable increase in conflict, will the environment revert to one suitable for this system?"
For him, this wasn't even a question. If the environment didn't exist, he could simply create it.
Old Albus finally couldn't hold back. He rolled his eyes. "I must remind you, Mr. Grindelwald, compared to the Muggle population, the wizard population is not large. One death is one less!"
"Pushing Muggle forces to precipitate change in the wizarding world you may not be able to bear the cost."
"Lighting a fire can indeed serve as a powerful weapon, but when and how it burns, and when it finally goes out, is no longer under your control."
Grindelwald chuckled, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Hard to say."
"Hard to say?" Dumbledore's eyes sharpened.
"The Wizarding Fairy Tale Theory," Grindelwald prompted Lockhart. "Our young Magical Master here believes that by participating more in the magical fairy tale adventures, magic will naturally blossom. He further believes that the birth of Muggles-born wizards occurs during such magical adventures."
"So, could we not hypothesize that even if all the wizards alive now were to die out, a large number of Muggle-born wizards would rapidly emerge from the Muggle population?"
Dumbledore stopped eating his ice cream cake, coldly fixing Grindelwald with a stare. "You know that even if that were true, they would no longer be Wizards. Without wizarding culture, magic would eventually become a tool for slaughter, ultimately leading to the proliferation of Dark Arts and the destruction of the world."
"Wizarding culture" was a broad term, but both men present knew what Dumbledore meant. Magic wasn't inherently benign; violence was always the easiest path for the birth of new sorcery. Wizards' control over this power had been a long journey. From ancient sorcery to the modern magical system, wizards had invested an immense amount of refinement and toil. Once destroyed, re-establishing this culture might be impossible, as the necessary nurturing soil would be gone.
"Therefore, I can compromise."
Grindelwald dragged Lockhart into the conversation again. "Gilderoy mentioned in his Ravenclaw alumni meeting that 'Magic is Power,' and everyone must maintain respect for the greatest and most powerful wizards of the current era."
Lockhart simply chuckled and buried his head in his own portion of ice cream cake.
"More gentle, more gradual, more patient."
Grindelwald didn't bother to hide his intentions. His eyes, which seemed to see through people, stared directly at Dumbledore. "Now, in my capacity as Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, I extend an invitation to Hogwarts to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament."
"The Triwizard Tournament..." Dumbledore leaned back in his high-backed chair, frowning in contemplation.
"I knew you would agree," Grindelwald understood Dumbledore all too well. Half of the strategies he had devised after decades in prison and his subsequent return were, as Lockhart had said, rooted in his respect for Dumbledore.
Focus on Dumbledore!
Following Dumbledore's line of thinking and then veering off to achieve his own goals was not difficult for him.
"What exactly do you intend to do?" Dumbledore sighed, knowing he could no longer stop Grindelwald. He could only ask for the details.
"Make it as spectacular as possible. That is my only request."
Seeing Dumbledore still silent, Grindelwald continued.
"First, the Quidditch World Cup, the most anticipated event for global wizards this year, will unfortunately have to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The Triwizard Tournament will then naturally become the event everyone looks forward to."
Dumbledore finally spoke, frowning. "Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it's necessary," Grindelwald swayed his cup. The beverage inside had, at some point, changed to red wine.
He took a sip and explained with a smile, "The Quidditch World Cup is spearheaded by the International Confederation of Wizards, jointly organized by the Ministry of Magic's Departments of Magical Games and Sports. I do not need it."
"I need a competition jointly organized by the Magic Schools!"
"In this lengthy and grand tournament, the Ministries of Magic will have no way to interfere. On the contrary, if we make it big enough, we will have sufficient justification to commandeer the Aurors, employees, and even the resources of the Ministries of Magic to serve us!"
"Our Triwizard Tournament, jointly hosted by three magic schools, has seven hundred years of history. It's known to be held every five years."
"I hope that the three schools will host it sequentially, one after the other, which means fifteen years in total. Each of these three events must be grander than the last, ideally requiring two or three years of preparation for the next one, ensuring that everyone forgets the Ministry of Magic and remembers only the command and jurisdiction of the Magic Schools."
Grindelwald smiled knowingly at Dumbledore. "Well, is that gentle, gradual, and patient enough?"
Dumbledore was silent. He knew the potential for influence such a move held, but he couldn't make a decision on the spot and remained non-committal.
"Second," Grindelwald continued independently, "I said it must be spectacular."
"Therefore, I want to make a small change. Having only one student representative from each of the three schools is not spectacular at all. Ideally, each school should send ten representatives, with both individual and team events."
"Also, regarding the venues, I want a different location for every single task. I've even decided on the location for the final task: North America."
Dumbledore was so exasperated he nearly laughed. "Three European magic schools holding the final task in the jurisdiction of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
Grindelwald's eyes narrowed. "Of course, magic schools must also be ranked. I think they will understand the need to maintain a certain respect for Magical Masters, won't they?"
Hogwarts had Dumbledore, Durmstrang had Grindelwald, and Beauxbatons had Nicolas Flamel. The question was, who did Ilvermorny have?
It could have had Voldemort, but he was currently locked in a little black room and out of the game.
"Third!"
"And the most important point!"
Grindelwald's eyes became sharp. "The Triwizard Tournament must have a clear whitelist of permitted magical usage! I do not accept the vague definitions of Dark Magic and legitimate magic promoted by the various Ministries of Magic!"
"Magic schools are places for teaching and nurturing. I hope that through this competition, we can make all students understand which spells can be used, which spells should only be used when necessary, and which spells must absolutely never be used!"
"This requirement includes all Aurors and employees seconded by the Ministries of Magic to help, establishing clear competition standards!"
What was this? This was a direct grab for the definition of magic. It would profoundly affect the judiciary of various Ministries of Magic. Yet, it carried a perfectly reasonable name: Competition Rules. This was the beauty of it.
"I've finished," Grindelwald smiled at Dumbledore, then looked at Lockhart, who was still eating cake. "Gilderoy, what do you think?"
Lockhart complained, "Just don't use the competition as an excuse to launch an attack on a Muggle nation. I'm genuinely afraid that I'll be participating in this tournament, having a grand time, and suddenly a missile will crash down, and everything will change."
"What?" Grindelwald was stunned. "What do you mean by that? Am I that kind of person?"
Dumbledore burst into hearty laughter, adopting Grindelwald's earlier sarcastic tone. "Hard to say."
"..."
Grindelwald merely scoffed, deciding it wasn't worth arguing.
The discussion ended there. While no certain declarations were made, some matters had been quietly settled.
As he was leaving, Dumbledore pointed with a smile to the book and documents in Lockhart's hand. "You should read this book often, but you must also develop your own thoughts."
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, looking down at the book's cover: Beauxbatons School History: Magic and Etiquette.
"Fairy tales are the bridge between Magic and Etiquette. I think my idea is a good suggestion," Dumbledore said to him. "Of course, perhaps you have more surprises to offer?"
Lockhart shrugged. "You know, no one understands fairy tales better than me!"
Dumbledore laughed heartily.