I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

He did indeed lose; he lost from the moment the Ministries of Magic in various countries collapsed.

"Soon, Britain will try to keep you, because you are their only lifeline. Looking across the world, how many people are qualified to become strategic wizards?"

“I still stand by my opinion, Gellert.” Dumbledore’s eyes shifted slightly. “Magic is magic, and Muggle is Muggle.”

“Then you should completely separate them, instead of getting entangled and annoying.” Grindelwald looked at his old adversary with a complicated expression. “You want to be a sacrifice, but neither wizards nor ordinary people will thank you.”

"You should make a decision quickly, Albus. Before you make a decision, war could break out at any time."

Grindelwald's gaze was distant. "Or perhaps, you'd like to hear my real offer?"

“Real bargaining chips?” Dumbledore said seriously. “Besides war and death, what other means do you have to blackmail me? Well, I’m willing to hear your thoughts, but I think you also don’t want things to come to this.”

"No, no, no."

Gellert Grindelwald smiled mysteriously, a smile so captivating that it made Dumbledore frown.

"What if I were to bring a new ghost to Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore suppressed his emotions, a vague, unrealistic idea swirling within him: "Tell me about it."

"If only I could bring Ariana's soul back to Hogwarts..."

"Enough, Gellert." Dumbledore closed his eyes, knowing that the man before him had a hold on him.

His deepest fears had finally come true—the Gauntlet ring, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and the Resurrection Stone, had fallen into Grindelwald's hands, meaning that Grindelwald now had the ability to control Ariana's soul.

"Tell me, Gellert, what do you want me to do?"

If there is anything in this world that could make Dumbledore abandon some of his principles, it would certainly not be the Elder Wand or the Invisibility Cloak, but only the Resurrection Stone.

His reason for pursuing the Resurrection Stone was simply to see his family one last time and apologize to his innocent sister, Ariana.

"Don't think of me as so bad, Albus." To Dumbledore's surprise, Grindelwald's expression turned cold. "We don't know who fired that deadly spell in that battle that should never have happened, so you, me, and your worthless brother all bear an inescapable responsibility."

“How am I supposed to face her? Have you thought about what you’ll say when you see her again?” Grindelwald tossed the black resurrection stone in his hand with a cold laugh, then caught it in his palm. “Of course, I can already picture that Aberforth, that goat-eater, weeping and wailing.”

"Don't say that..." Dumbledore's expression remained serious, but his tone softened slightly.

Grindelwald got up and stood by the window.

"I have long since given up hope that there will be anyone in this world who can fight me. Albus, we still have plenty of time to start over before our time comes."

"Now, go to the auditorium and spend time with your family."

The Dark Lord turned around, waved his wand, and drew a delicate semicircle in the sky above Hogwarts.

After that, a bluish-green light appeared at the edge of the semicircle.

Gellert Grindelwald pointed his wand at the gap in the sky and the canopy.

Thunder and lightning crashed down under the bright sun, smashing open the secret ritual that shrouded Hogwarts. In the gap between the two layers of sky, golden and purple antlers cleaved a narrow slit, allowing Grindelwald to use Apparition to force his way out.

......

A new ghost had appeared in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Fortunately, there were no other students in the hall at that time.

Dumbledore gazed at the somewhat bewildered and uneasy little girl before him, his eyes softening with a hint of tenderness and confusion.

“Ariana…”

The somewhat ethereal little girl stared at the old man with the white beard, looking a little timid, her eyes full of surprise and curiosity. She instinctively wanted to hide under the table.

Dumbledore's lips trembled slightly as he slowly extended his hand towards the little girl before him:

“Ariana… I found you too late… I am Albus, Albus Dumbledore, your brother…”

The saddest thing in the world is the transformation of the sea into mulberry fields.

Ariana died at the young age of fourteen, and Dumbledore was no longer young, handsome, and spirited. Grindelwald, if he hadn't used magic to conceal his true appearance, would also have been a bald old man.

The little girl took a timid step back: "Where is this... and where is Aberforth?"

Compared to the radiant and spirited Albus of the past, she felt closer to the Albus who had taken care of her.

"This is Hogwarts. We haven't seen each other for over a hundred years." The elderly Dumbledore forced himself to suppress his grief. "You want to see Aberforth, don't you? I'll go and have him come here right away..."

He came back too late, but thankfully it wasn't too late.

140 [Interlude: The Beginning of a Magical Journey]

A new ghost has appeared at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts is missing a professor.

Although the incident at Nicolas Flamel's alchemy workshop was forcibly suppressed, Cho Chang, as a recipient of Lee Lin's financial support, was still informed of the devastating news by Dumbledore.

Li Lin's identity was far too important; he could be said to symbolize the lifeline of British wizards. Once news of his death spread, Britain, already in dire straits, would hardly be able to withstand a second blow.

"As mentioned above, I think we must keep this news a secret until... the next shift in the world order."

Dumbledore said, "I'm sorry, child."

Qiu Zhang Binbin politely stood up, indicating that he was alright, and then went out.

In a corner where no one could see, the smile on her face gradually turned indifferent.

Yes, of course you can keep this a secret, Dumbledore... because you already have what you wanted, and you have already protected what you wanted to protect. The crown of glory of the White Wizard will be reserved for you.

But who will vindicate the professor who died quietly?

I know you will scavenger like animals, sucking the blood from everything he has created.

These things, though disgusting, are perfectly justified.

She crumpled the box of chocolate frogs into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

At the corner of the stairs, someone stopped her. It was a tall, handsome, and sunny boy who was almost the embodiment of all the best qualities of a man. When he stood there, almost all the students stopped in their tracks to observe the outcome of this confession.

“Oh, that’s Godric Cedric.”

"I didn't expect Cedric to want to pursue her too. Damn it, we've lost our chance."

Just when everyone thought Cedric was about to confess his feelings successfully, Cho Chang quickly left, leaving a stunned Cedric standing there. He hadn't even finished his confession when Cho Chang lost all interest in listening.

On the path of pursuing knowledge, emotion is unnecessary. Perhaps a partner can offer solace to those who fail, but there is no place for lovers in the radiance.

The two people who might have ended up together were on different sides from the very beginning.

In this atmosphere, it was announced that all of Voldemort's Horcruxes had been found, and the era of this Dark Lord came to a complete end. Only a certain scarred boy who had miraculously survived was occasionally awakened in the middle of the night by the lightning bolt scar on his head.

The following year arrived, and it was time for the legendary savior to enroll in school.

......

"This is King's Cross Station."

The events outside the story did not affect Harry Potter. After being abandoned at King's Cross Station by his Uncle Vernon, he ran with the Weasleys to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

They successfully passed through the wall outside Platform 9¾ and boarded the deep red locomotive parked outside the crowded platform.

Thick smoke from the steam locomotive swirled above the chattering crowd, while cats of various colors darted about at their feet. Amid the buzzing of conversation and the clatter of dragging heavy luggage, owls hooted shrilly, their calls echoing each other.

With the help of the Weasley twins, Harry Potter finally managed to load his luggage into the car.

“It’s heavy, isn’t it?” George winked at Harry until he saw the Nadow lightning scar beneath Harry’s shaggy hair.

"My God, you're the boy who survived, the savior who defeated Voldemort!" The Weasley twins circled Harry, clicking their tongues in delight. "Professor Aatrox would be so happy to see Harry, it's a shame he hasn't been back for so long."

“Professor Aatrox? What does he teach?” Harry asked instinctively.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, he's a very interesting, very powerful, and very wealthy wizard..."

"Diagon Alley and Knockdown Alley are his assets."

The Weasley twins, one speaking at a time, sketched out a mysterious, wealthy, and witty wizard image for Harry, further igniting the young boy's interest in the magical world.

The train started moving, and in the blink of an eye, we were already leaving London. Looking up, the lush green fields and cattle and sheep rushed past.

Harry hadn't eaten breakfast, so when the train attendant selling snacks passed by, he bought a bunch of chocolate frogs.

"Could this thing really be a frog?"

“Of course not, they’re just enchanted candies…” Ron Weasley, the youngest of the Weasleys, shrugged, opened a bag of Chocolate Frogs, and expertly poured out the wizard cards inside. “Sigh, Dumbledore again.”

"What Dumbledore?"

"The famous wizard cards that come with Chocolate Frog... Dumbledore is the easiest one to get." Ron said with a hint of disdain, but he still carefully put the Dumbledore card into his pocket. "I really want an Aatrox card, but I don't have one."

“Aatrox?” Harry Potter heard a familiar name. “He’s that powerful and wealthy wizard?”

“To be precise, he’s the savior of all British wizards, and my mother idolizes him,” Ron said confidently. “Why don’t you open it and take a look?”

“Oh.” Harry Potter opened his bag of Chocolate Frogs and saw a silver card fall out.

The picture shows a handsome man with a silk top hat, long silver-grey hair, and light-colored eyes. He sits in a chair, playing with a gold coin in his hand, and gives Harry a half-smile.

He turned the picture over:

Aatrox, the current Hogwarts Board of Governors and Vice-Headmaster, owner of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, a renowned alchemist and financial tycoon.

His great contributions include: promoting the cooperation between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, providing relief to wizards throughout the British wizarding world, researching and innovating strategic magic, promoting currency reform, and searching for and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes.

Because of the great Mr. Aatrox, both generations of Dark Lords no longer exist.

“My God.” Harry Potter read the story of the silver-haired man over and over, especially the last line, “He was a true hero.”