His coldness and rationality did not stem from a lack of emotion, but from the fact that he harbored an even grander ambition within his heart!
That ambition was so vast that his feelings could only extend to those around him. He had only "small love," with neither the energy nor the desire to spare any thought for "great love."
"What he has in mind reaches far beyond us, perhaps stretching on for many, many years on the scale of time—"
Dumbledore's voice was as faint as a dreamer's murmur.
But Grindelwald had already understood what he meant. The old wizard's eyes widened. "Magic?"
"Yes, magic—"
Dumbledore seemed to pull himself free from his memories. He glanced at the astonished Grindelwald and forced a smile. "Or, in Muggle terms, truth—the laws governing how things operate, their inner driving forces, the laws of magic, and so on. He wants to unravel the mysteries of magic and find the ultimate answer!"
Grindelwald was shaken.
But soon, he showed a disdainful expression. "Hmph. A child's way of thinking!"
It was like Muggle children saying they dreamed of becoming doctors, lawyers, or scientists. That was merely the fearlessness born of childish ignorance.
Many wizards had once entertained such dreams as children too, wanting to find the source of magic and uncover what magic truly was.
Having lived for over a century, Grindelwald had seen far too much.
Yet fewer than one in a hundred could persist—including himself.
"Yes, it sounds naive. But Vaughn is different!"
Dumbledore emphasized it once more. Facing Grindelwald's increasingly impatient expression, he slowly said, "I do not mean that I think he can accomplish it. Rather, he understands very clearly just how difficult the path of pursuing truth is—Gellert, why do you think he founded WAC?"
The answer to that