Hogwarts Kitchen.

"Hic, House-elf, Earl Grey tea—none of that common stuff from the Great Hall."

Grindelwald raised his hand, and a house-elf beside him quickly brought him a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea.

Just as Dumbledore had said, after spending so many years catching cold drafts in Nurmengard Castle, his greatest wish now was to find a lively place to eat, drink, and be merry until the end of his days.

Compared to the dull life in Nurmengard Castle, Hogwarts had so much to offer, whether it was the food, the daily programs, or even the magnificent "Future Dawn"... There were too many things here for him to appreciate.

"In short, for wizards at the level of myself and Albus, if we really want to leave, no one can stop us—"

The old Dark Lord gently blew on the rising steam from the teacup, watching Eileen leisurely as he spoke.

"It seems your Professor Dumbledore isn't planning to keep messing around with you."

"...Unless I find him, or force him to show himself. There's quite a difference between faking death and disappearing."

Eileen glanced at the lazy old Dark Lord, took a small sip of her iced juice, and said thoughtfully.

If Dumbledore really didn't intend to participate in any actions, then the most thorough and decisive way for him would be to "fake his death," rather than this rather ambiguous disappearance.

"Never blocks all the escape routes, I know Albus too well."

Grindelwald grinned, a mocking look appearing on his face, shaking his head and whispering.

"What he likes most is to create hope with something almost impossible. Or do you really have a way to find a hidden wizard in the vast sea of people?"

"How is that possible? Even if Professor Dumbledore hasn't left British territory, given the current situation, it's impossible to carry out a comprehensive Tianwang (Skynet) lockdown—"

Eileen shrugged, spreading her hands and admitting helplessly, "The non-magical world is far larger than the wizarding world. Besides, it's not like it's the witch hunts of the European Middle Ages now."

The United Kingdom alone is divided into England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with dozens of counties and cities, each with millions of people, not to mention the small towns in the suburbs.

In this late twentieth century, when internet technology was just emerging, and there wasn't even a global network, those "Skynet" constructions in her mind hadn't even established the first base station yet.

The most Eileen could do was have Gringotts Wizarding Bank issue a reward, while closely monitoring the movements of Dumbledore's associated accounts, but she didn't have much hope for how effective these methods would be. After several years of understanding, Dumbledore, as one of the "Major Arcana," was no longer the outdated old man who knew nothing about finance.

Dumbledore's position was quite clear: he didn't hinder the emergence of new things, otherwise he could have chosen to turn against her at a crucial moment.

Of course, part of this might be due to the deterrence of war, but Eileen believed that the old man was far more rational and ruthless than anyone else in terms of value assessment and judgment.

However, on the other hand, as the headmaster of Hogwarts, the chief warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards, and the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore carried too much on his shoulders.

In terms of combating the resurgence of dark magic forces and rescuing the non-magical and magical communities in distress, Dumbledore would certainly push forward with determination.

But as Voldemort disappeared and the werewolf problem began to move towards a peaceful resolution, a slight divergence inevitably appeared between Eileen and Dumbledore on the future path:

Unlike Eileen, who had a clear future guide, Dumbledore did not want too rapid or drastic changes from the bottom of his heart.

Compared to being a promoter who led the era, he preferred to be a guardian who observed and protected from the side...

"This is actually a good thing. Anyway, Professor Dumbledore doesn't have any important projects in his hands."

Eileen's fingertip gently slid across the wall of the cup, her lake-blue eyes flickering.

Dumbledore's disappearance could be seen as a silent protest, but it was also a tacit agreement from the old wizard.

From now on, the Destiny Group, Hogwarts, the Tarot Society... the balance was completely broken, and Eileen could promote various projects more freely.

"Do you think he's hiding around Hogwarts to observe our every move, or is he, as he said, going to the non-magical world to understand and absorb Muggle culture?"

"Now? I don't think either—he probably first found a 'magical safe house' to hide in himself."

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, pondered for a few seconds, and then stroked the stubble on his chin, whispering.

"At least in the short term, his disappearance will definitely cause a sensation in the wizarding society. There are more than just us who want to find Dumbledore."

"In this situation, Dumbledore can't show himself in public in a high-profile manner. I even suspect that he won't leave his house for several years, like Nicolas Flamel hiding..."

The non-magical world and the wizarding world have been at peace for many years. Under the constraints of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, even the great war of that year did not expose the wizarding world.

As the Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards, Dumbledore's research on "magical secrecy" would not be inferior to anyone.

In the absence of a life-threatening situation, people have no means of identifying wizards and Muggles, and the words he asked me to convey before leaving were very interesting.

Grindelwald was well aware of Eileen's competitive spirit. Faced with Dumbledore's so direct and childish "challenge," the little Veela hybrid would devote a great deal of energy to it.

"Understand, girl, perhaps you should listen to the views of an elder..."

The old Dark Lord put down his teacup, seriously considered for a moment, and then let out a breath, saying in a deep voice.

"Don't bother with Dumbledore, do what you want to do—that guy is trying to distract you in order to slow you down."

"This world is very big. Even if he really goes to live in a non-magical city, in the face of such a vast and immense crowd and world, he has too many ways to hide himself."

"If he occasionally uses a little magic secretly, then what you are fighting against is actually the Statute of Secrecy and magical concealment; if he doesn't use magic, then even if he is reading a newspaper on the streets of London right now, you won't be able to find him. It's like birds flying through the sky, fish swimming through the sea, no one can search every piece of sky, every sea area, not even God can do it..."

God? Delay... Time?

Eileen was stunned, and then understood Grindelwald's meaning.

Obviously, Dumbledore's words before his disappearance were clearly aimed at her alone.

In the absence of any constraints, the old wizard was obviously a little worried that she would fly too fast, so he deliberately set a small goal for her to spend her energy on.

But...

A clever smile flashed in Eileen's lake-blue eyes.

"Well, it's a bit difficult in the next year or two. But, the future is hard to say."

"The essence of magic is to turn illusory wishes into reality, isn't it? Since something can be imagined, there must be a way to achieve it—"

Eileen glanced at the old Dark Lord who wanted to say something but stopped, propped herself up with both hands, jumped off the kitchen workbench, and said indifferently.

"You don't have to worry about these things. Even without Professor Dumbledore's challenge, a 'Skynet' will appear in the future world."

"And the conditions proposed by Professor Dumbledore are just slightly increasing the priority of a 'magical Skynet'. Whether it's magic, science, or everything that human civilization is trying, in the eyes of people in ancient times, isn't it just comparable to the so-called gods? When the Hogwarts 'LAN' is established, you will understand what I am talking about..."

Eileen didn't intend to explain too much about the concept of the magical Skynet and the Hogwarts Eye at the moment.

The birth of the internet is era-defining. Before experiencing it, even if she tried hard to explain, it would be difficult to form a solid impression in people's minds now.

It was a good thing that Dumbledore had left. In Hogwarts Castle, without Dumbledore's protection and checks, she had too many "pilot projects" to try and change.

Perhaps Professor McGonagall wouldn't be much worse than Dumbledore in terms of conservativeness and caution, but that older cat woman was only a "Deputy Headmistress" after all.

After subduing Lucius Malfoy and stirring up the waves in the wizarding world, the power Eileen could mobilize could not be directly rejected by the "Deputy Headmistress."

Accompanying Professor McGonagall as a "partner of justice" and guiding the heroes to the right path was something she was too familiar with—from the moment Dumbledore let go of Hogwarts, this castle had completely become the Dark Lord's backyard. The only thing Eileen had to consider was whether there would be a student uprising when a certain scientific Hogwarts really became a reality.

Of course, before that, she had to first stabilize the parents and students, and make everything smoothly transition to the "post-Dumbledore" era.

Eileen raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly, and the biscuits next to Grindelwald instantly disappeared.

"Let's go, Professor Apocalis, the parents are still waiting for you—this afternoon's parent-teacher conference is a very important home-school interaction."

"...What about you?"

"Me? Of course, I'm going to sit in the classroom and wait for the parent-teacher conference to start."

Eileen said with a matter-of-course expression, patted her little chest, and replied obediently.

"It's the first time Granger and them's parents are coming to school. I can't leave a bad impression on them."

"Eileen Kaslana is a good student who abides by school rules, is polite and generous, and is an excellent student cadre. Even if she is a poor little orphan, it is obviously not okay to be late or absent at the first parent-teacher conference... Huh, wait, what are you laughing at?"

Before Eileen could finish her narcissistic monologue, the girl suddenly narrowed her eyes vigilantly, staring at the old Dark Lord with a strange expression not far away.

"Um—"

Grindelwald took out his pocket watch and looked at it, then shrugged calmly.

"Sorry, I might not be able to go to the classroom first."

"My 'son' is almost off work, and I promised to pick him up and bring him to school for the parent-teacher conference—"

"?!"

The ahoge on Eileen's head stood up abruptly like a startled prairie dog.

"Oh, this was instructed by the Headmaster—"

Grindelwald glanced at Eileen, who looked shocked, and slowly took out a small note and handed it to Eileen, saying softly.

"He found that when you notified the parents, you seemed to have accidentally missed sending an invitation letter, so he specially wrote a letter to explain. This is the letterhead. I am only responsible for picking up and dropping off... If you have any questions, you can 'thank' the careful and conscientious Headmaster in person later."

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Hooray!