Li Weide: Come On, Tom. You Actually Believed Him?

Although Tom did not want to stay with Li Weide, he was equally unwilling to have some so-called guardian watching over him all the time.

In fact, Tom and Li Weide were the same kind of people.

There would inevitably be many little secrets in the future that they did not want others to know.

His reason for wanting to be alone was, in truth, the same as Li Weide's.

In the end, Li Weide agreed to Tom's proposal. They would join forces and escape Dumbledore's "watchful eye."

Once they got away, they would go their separate ways.

Li Weide had no objections to this. Even if he wanted to earn Merit Points from Tom, there was no need to stay together all day.

They would both be at the same school in the future, perhaps even in the same house. There would be no shortage of opportunities to earn Merit Points from him.

Besides, like Tom, he had many secrets that could not be known by anyone.

Living alone was therefore the best choice.

After reaching an agreement, the two of them went back to doing their own things.

After half an hour of working without disturbing each other, Tom suddenly asked, "Why didn't you accept Grindelwald's recruitment?"

Li Weide set down the Complete Book of Transfiguration in his hands. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought over what Grindelwald said last night again. Don't you think... he actually made a lot of sense?"

Tom took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his wand as he spoke. "Besides, if we'd accepted Grindelwald's offer last night, couldn't we have gained our freedom right away? We wouldn't have to rack our brains trying to move out on our own like we are now..."

Li Weide smiled. "You think he made sense? I think you were drawn in by his promise of so-called 'knowledge and power.' You don't seem like someone who cares about the country and its people."

Having his inner thoughts exposed so directly, Tom could not help but blush.

But he quickly recovered. "Setting aside what he promised us, what he said really did make sense!"

"Look at us. We possess great power, while those Muggles are pathetically weak before us. Why should we have to hide and fear being discovered by them?"

"In my opinion, it is only natural for the strong to rule the weak! We should stand at the top of the entire world!"

"I really don't understand why Dumbledore wants to stop him."

Li Weide looked at Tom in surprise. "Come on, Tom. You actually believed what Grindelwald said?"

Tom frowned. "Doesn't it make sense? Why shouldn't I believe it?"

Li Weide sighed and said helplessly, "The reason you think he made sense is simply because he told you what you wanted to hear."

"What we wanted to hear?" Tom frowned.

"Haven't you always believed that you are special?" Li Weide asked.

"Of course!" Tom said proudly.

Leaning against his pillow, Li Weide said leisurely, "Many wizards think the same way you do. They believe that because they possess magic, they are nobler than Muggles. So Grindelwald seizes on that and starts preaching about your specialness..."

"'Magic blooms only in the souls of a select few.' What stirring words..."

"When you heard that, didn't it feel exhilarating? Didn't you feel that you belonged to the most special group? Didn't you feel that you ought to stand above all ordinary people? Didn't you feel that you were chosen by fate?"

"The moment you start thinking that way, you've fallen into his trap. Because then you will naturally think breaking the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is justified, and to break it, naturally you must join Grindelwald's ranks... That is his true goal."

"When he invited us to join last night, did he mention any of his ideological beliefs? No!"

"What did he say? He told us that as long as we joined his camp, he could provide us with the power we craved!"

"Why did he only tell us we could gain power, instead of telling us anything else? Because he knew you and I are still young. We have no concept of changing the world or anything like that. All we care about is power."

"So he only spoke of power, to tempt us into joining... In other words, none of the viewpoints or ideals that come from Grindelwald's mouth reflect reality. He simply says whatever each person wants to hear."

"His true goal is only to find more supporters, gain more loyal followers, and have them help him reach the top of the world."

"As for what happens to the world, to other wizards, or to the Muggles, he does not care in the slightest."

"In truth, he is not a revolutionary sincerely seeking to change the world. He is merely an ambitious man using revolution as a pretext to achieve his own aims."

Tom felt as though his head were buzzing. "Will there really never be a day when his ideas can be realized?"

As far as Tom was concerned, what happened to the world afterward had nothing to do with him either. He only cared whether what Grindelwald advocated could truly be achieved in the end.

If wizards really could rule the entire world in the end, Tom would not mind, so long as he was among those standing above the clouds.

"It can't be achieved. Even if it were achieved in the end, it could never last."

"As I said just now, he is indifferent to the world and to everyone else. That means his ideals cannot make the world better. They would only make it more chaotic! More terrible!"

"So when people of insight realize this, they will certainly step forward to stop him. For example... Dumbledore."

"And apart from the resistance of those people of insight... do you think Muggles would not fight back if it truly came to war?"

"Never think that Muggles are all pathetically weak, nothing but ants, beneath concern..."

"Do you know how many wizards there are in this world, and how many Muggles?"

"No matter how powerful you are, how many Muggles can you kill? And do you really think the Muggles' forces of violence are just a group of farmers waving pitchforks?"

"Don't forget, the purpose of the International Statute of Secrecy was not to protect Muggles... It was to protect wizards from Muggles!"

"Believe me, if the ambitious people among the Muggles learned that wizards existed, what they would do would be ten thousand times more terrifying than anything Grindelwald intends to do!"

"So Grindelwald's final fate will either be to be stopped by people of insight like Dumbledore, or to drag the entire wizarding world down with him..."

After hearing Li Weide's analysis, Tom fell completely silent.

Even though he looked down on Muggles, he knew that everything Li Weide had said was true.

In reality, no matter how formidable a wizard's individual combat ability was, they were not invulnerable superhumans.

What was more, not every wizard was powerful... Most wizards were not actually good at fighting.

If wizards truly went to war with Muggles, then mutual destruction would already be the best possible outcome.

The most likely outcome was that the wizards would have their wands confiscated, become Muggle test subjects, and then be thrown into laboratories to be dissected and studied...

For most wizards, what was the difference between losing their wands and becoming ordinary people?

It could almost be said that the moment war began, the wizards' tragic fate would already be sealed...