But I Wasn't Doing It for Myself

"But..."

Hermione still could not accept that explanation. "Then Grindelwald..."

Dumbledore smiled faintly. "When an era needs him, he appears. When it does not, he can only fade into obscurity. I think the current era is once again suited for him. Fate will make its choice."

"A new era?" Hermione thought of the book she pondered over every day, Muggles, Werewolves, and Purebloods, and her eyes widened. "Muggle-born Squibs!"

Dumbledore raised his brows, lifted his cup, and took another sip. "Clearly, Anthony Weasley has found the key to this era—a key neither Grindelwald, nor I, nor Voldemort ever discovered."

"Also, Miss Granger, you got one thing wrong. It is not 'Muggle-born Squibs.'"

Stars seemed to fill Dumbledore's wise eyes, glittering as he tilted his head slightly upward and murmured, "Pureblood Wizards, half-blood wizards, Muggle-born wizards, Squibs, Muggle-born Squibs, even Muggles... The key Anton holds is enough to pry loose the world order that has been sustained for centuries by the Statute of Secrecy."

Something extraordinarily complex flickered in his gaze. "Yet Anton's nature destined him not to become the agent of change in this era. Grindelwald keenly discovered this problem long ago, so he levered fate and guided Lockhart's destiny to intersect with his. That was how you came to have Muggles, Werewolves, and Purebloods."

"Otherwise, given Anton's original temperament, he would never have thought of writing any sort of work."

Dumbledore's words were too shocking, leaving Hermione utterly stunned. Her mouth hung open as she stared blankly at him.

He smiled gently and looked at Hermione. "You are a clever child. One day, you will surely go much further. Perhaps in the future, you will encounter an advanced interdisciplinary field. We generally call it mysticism."

"In the realm of mysticism, people like Anton are known as 'the brilliant ones