"I've really thought about many, many possibilities, Horace......"

Gellert Grindelwald waved his Elder Wand lightly, then conjured a soft armchair, and sat down in front of Horace Slughorn without hesitation.

Slughorn remained motionless the whole time, continuing to taste his delicious candied pineapple fruit.

The two men didn't look like enemies at all, but like old friends for many years catching up.

Grindelwald continued, "I used to suspect a lot of people at Hogwarts...... Whether it's Frius, Pomona, or even Aurora, they all have reasons and possibilities to betray me...... It's just you, and I never thought about the possibility of you betraying me......"

"Betrayal?" Horace Slughorn sneered, and then he stood up, opened a new bottle of mead, and poured himself a glass.

"The last Headmaster of Hogwarts I worked for so far was Professor Armando Duppert...... He died fifty years ago, and almost all the evidence suggests that you did the murder, Grindelwald...... I should have remained loyal to the next Headmaster chosen by Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore, and then you held him in Newmengard for a full fifty years...... If I choose to swear allegiance to you, it will be a betrayal!"

"So, from my first day at Hogwarts, you became a secret spy for the Order of the Phoenix?" asked Grindelwald, curious.

"Of course!" Slughorn nodded as a matter of course, "from the time I learned of the death of Headmaster Armando Duppert, when I saw Professor Yusuph Shacklele die in front of your people, when I saw that any traces left by Albus Dumbledore were washed away...... Horace Slughorn had already made up his mind!"

"Looks like you don't have a low status in the Order of the Phoenix?" asked Grindelwald with some interest.

"There's no such thing as a high or low status within the Order of the Phoenix," Slughorn spread his hands, "There's only one upline I can contact, don't worry, there's no way you're going to find that person...... At the same time, I'm the only one on Minerva's line, so you don't have to go to the trouble of interrogating her in vain, you can't ask anything......"

"Of course I know ......," Grindelwald nodded.

"Thank you!" Slughorn muttered, then drank the mead from his glass.

......

"Speaking of which, Horace, you've really gotten me into a lot of trouble over the years......"

Grindelwald conjured up another goblet and was about to pour himself a glass of Slughorn's bottle of mead, but was stopped by the Potions teacher......

"Drink this bottle!" Horace Slughorn tossed Grindelwald the unfinished bottle of mead, and poured himself another glass of the bottle of mead, which had just been opened later.

"Alright!" Grindelwald's expression changed slightly, but he didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Pouring himself a glass of mead, he continued, "Now that I think about it, there were a lot of troubles, and you were the black hand behind it, Horace......"

"It's like the whistleblower fifteen years ago, and now that I think about it, you must have done it, Horace...... Remus Lupin came running to tell me about the children's plans. When I ordered all the teachers to block any exits from Hogwarts (mainly the secret passages) and not let anyone leave, I am afraid that you were the first to realize that something was wrong and alert the children!"

"Of course!" said Slughorn with some pride:

"To be honest, I had little hope that they would be able to escape Hogwarts...... But I didn't want them to surprise me, the invisibility cloak inherited by the James Potter family is really a good thing...... It's just that I really can't figure out how there are so many of them, squeezed under a small invisibility suit......"

"A special invisibility cloak indeed!" Grindelwald commented, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm afraid that invisibility cloak has already fallen into your hands, Grindelwald...... Since the last time you arrested James Potter......" Slughorn teased.

Grindelwald didn't speak, but acquiesced.

"Those young, newly developed members of the Order of the Phoenix are probably from your club, Horace...... To be honest, I should have thought when Lily Evans came out against me, young souls are a blank slate, and if they get dirty, someone must have deliberately splashed a stain on it......"

"Of course!" Slughorn still did not deny:

"As you said, Grindelwald...... Young souls are a blank slate, and with just a little guidance, they will go in the direction of justice, they are always full of vigor and never lack of faith...... Just have one right goal......"

His voice was filled with pride again: "It's not just that you didn't find out, even they don't know about it...... Lily Evans would have been surprised to find out that she and I were both members of the Order of the Phoenix!

"Commendable!" Gellert Grindelwald couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"How can you fool your eyes if you don't?" Slughorn complimented politely, "especially the pair of eyes in your heart......

"I do see the future...... Grindelwald shook his head, "but I never believed in it...... The future is just a warning, and if it is used as a guide, it is undoubtedly a fool's act!"

The Headmaster of Hogwarts paused, then continued:

"Dirk Chryswell, also your Order of the Phoenix?"

Slughorn was stunned, and he was a little silent.

"No need to blame yourself, Horace...... Don't think you've exposed him!" Grindelwald reassured, "The Aurors of the Ministry of Magic arrested him a few hours ago, before I could guess your identity...... As the head of the Elven Liaison Office, a subordinate department of the Magical Beasts Control Division and the Alien Office, he guarded and led the elven rebellion instead...... When the goblins of Gringotts fell silent, his identity was unsurprisingly revealed......"

Slughorn asked in a low voice, "Dirk...... He...... What will happen to him?"

"Azkaban...... Life imprisonment...... No parole!" said Gellert Grindelwald without thinking:

"It's not just him, it's all the participants in this rebellion, it's this ending...... Whether it's Dirk Chryswell, Potter, or Elaine Shafiq......"

......

The two men were silent for a moment, sullenly drinking mead.

"The number of wizards is very small!" Grindelwald suddenly said, "Every wizard is precious...... I've never been willing to take the life of any wizard, no matter what they've done...... In my eyes, they are undoubtedly like relatives and children who have done something wrong......"

"Then you're going to send your relatives and children to Azkaban and to be in the company of the Dementors?" Slughorn couldn't help but sarcastically.

"But you can stop this, Horace!" Grindelwald's expression suddenly became serious.

He was straightforward about the true purpose of his trip.

"Tell me...... Tell me what you've been doing over the past year, and what you're trying to hide?" Grindelwald asked softly.

"You know, that's impossible, Grindelwald......" Slughorn's voice was categorical.

"Of course I do...... Any memories associated with the event have probably been altered by you, and your Occlumency is also very good...... As for the truth potion, it won't mean anything to a potions expert like you......"

Slughorn didn't say anything.

"I can forgive you for everything if you say it......," Grindelwald continued, "whether it's Dirk Chryswell, Elaine Shafiq...... Or you, Minerva, and Potter can all be free...... I can all forgive you for what you have done...... I assure you, I think my words still have a little credibility......"

“...... Horace...... I beg you to ......"

Horace Slughorn shook his head expressionlessly:

"That can't be!"

......

was rejected categorically.

Grindelwald was not annoyed, but calmly poured himself another glass of mead.

"Honestly, I've gotten used to ...... over the years," he said calmly, "you people from the Order of the Phoenix, at least the ones I've come into contact with, are just as stubborn as Albus Dumbled...... Obviously, everything I did was just for the benefit of the wizards......"

“...... Wizards, we are the most powerful creatures in the world...... The bloom of magic can only exist in very few souls like us...... So we deserve to be in control of the world, we deserve to be more equal, we deserve to be more noble......"

"Stop your rhetoric, Grindelwald!" Horace Slughorn sneered, "Don't think you can fool everyone with your words......"

“...... The interests of wizards do not need you to represent...... Before you were born, before you came to England, wizards lived at ease......" Slughorn exclaimed, his voice slightly excited:

“...... The bloom of magic has brought us many, many ...... We don't need to run around for a living, like Muggles, we just need to use magic to enjoy our lives...... It's like drinking mead and eating candied pineapple at the same time, what a wonderful and happy life......"

“...... We don't have to enslave Muggles, they don't have any effect on our wonderful and happy lives...... It's the same with centaurs and house-elves......"

“...... You're the one who really ruined all this peace, Grindelwald!" Slughorn continued to roar:

“...... It was you who brought war to us, and it was you who destroyed everything we had peacefully and cherished......"

"Those are but sacrifices," Gellert Grindelwald replied calmly, "and we need small sacrifices for the greater good...... And rightfully so!"

"Greater interests...... "Slughorn sneered, "it's just your excuse...... The so-called greater good only exists in your fantasies......"

"Perhaps!" Grindelwald did not deny it:

"The greater good is indeed my ideal, and I have been fighting for it all my life......"

"For the greater good...... I sacrificed a lot...... I've been fighting for it since 1897, nearly a hundred years ago...... Because of it, I lost everything I had...... I turned against my best friends, and I watched my loyal subordinates die in front of me...... And, of course, my years, my life......"

"So, Horace......" Gellert Grindelwald shrugged:

"Actually, I can't go back...... I have sacrificed everything I have for the greater good, and if I turn back, it will mean a denial of my life...... Don't think that this will dispel my faith......"

"I think Albus Dumbledore was right about you, Grindelwald!" Slughorn said suddenly.

"Oh?" said Gellert Grindelwald, frowning with some interest.

"He said, you're a madman!"

"That's true...... Grindelwald nodded unexpectedly, and he said with a smile:

"It's not just me, he's ...... Sometimes, we're both crazy!"

......

Both bottles of mead are almost at the bottom.

The conversation between Gellert Grindelwald and Horace Slughorn has also come to an end.

After a moment of silence...... Slughorn suddenly lay down in his chair, his eyes slowly closing as if he were asleep.

looked at the colleague in front of him who had been a colleague with him for nearly fifty years, and then glanced at the mead bottle in his hand......

Grindelwald let out a long sigh, and he shook his head with some regret.

"Farewell, Horace!"

He poured the last bit of mead from his bottle onto the floor in front of him.

Then, he turned and walked out of the Potions teacher's office.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Vita Rozier, was waiting for him in front of Slughorn's office.

"How's it going, Lord Grindelwald?" she quickly asked as she watched Grindelwald walk out.

Grindelwald let out another long sigh.

Then, he shook his head again, and said in a somewhat low voice:

"Head of Slytherin House, Potions teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn...... Just now, I accidentally took poison and passed away!"