NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Chapter 22
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Chapter 22 Time Passes, Silently
Gellert Grindelwald, the once famous wizard, is now imprisoned in Nurmengard. Grindelwald's declaration back then was to "let wizards truly have their own status." The "International Protection Act" of the wizarding world stipulates that wizards cannot cast spells in front of Muggles and must conceal themselves as much as possible. Grindelwald believed that this law protected Muggles, not wizards. It is true that many wizards were persecuted at that time, but most of these persecutions were not caused by Muggles. After all, there was no large-scale war, and it was impossible for Muggles to defeat wizards on their own. Instead, many wizards used the International Protection Law to persecute their own kind and kill each other for profit.
Grindelwald always believed that wizards should not be afraid and hide like rats in the sewers. They should appear in front of the world and gain benefits and status through their abilities. During that period, Grindelwald and his followers came into contact with the Muggle government and committed numerous crimes. His influence spread across the United States and the European continent, leaving wizards who were unwilling to join him to live in deep fear. Finally, Dumbledore was requested by many wizards to have a final duel with Grindelwald. After defeating him, Grindelwald promised not to leave Nurmengard for the rest of his life. The wizarding world ushered in stability and peace, and the "International Protection Law" continues to stipulate that wizards cannot actively expose themselves to the Muggle world.
In fact, according to Cole's understanding, Grindelwald's approach was a bit rough, but the concept was not wrong. In terms of the strength of wizards, few can bear to be restrained. On the contrary, they cannot gain their status in front of weak Muggles. Many people were beguiled by Grindelwald and believed that wizards should be superior to Muggles. What Grindelwald wanted was to show wizards' abilities in front of Muggles and make them afraid so that wizards could appear openly in front of the world without having to hide themselves too much. But what Grindelwald failed to consider was human nature. Although Muggles did not have the power of wizards, they were still human beings. When Muggles are afraid of wizards, the first thing that comes to mind is not submission but destruction. When Muggles learn about the power of wizards, they will become jealous and try to find ways to obtain this power.
In the past, wizard hunting in the Middle Ages occurred because those in power wanted to obtain this power. But when it was found that it was impossible, Muggles would find ways to eradicate the roots and label wizards as heretics. With the technological strength of Muggles at that time, Grindelwald could definitely have destroyed the world. Don't underestimate the bad nature of humans. When they can't survive and may be enslaved by wizards, Muggles will definitely have the idea of dying together with wizards. What's more, in the wizarding world, Grindelwald did not have a unified ideology. When two forces are fighting, and his own affairs were not in order, failure was inevitable.
The difference between Grindelwald and Voldemort is that Grindelwald is not bloodthirsty, and he still has certain restraints on himself. When a bad guy isn't bad enough, a good guy will be given a chance. Of course, the definition of good guys and bad guys is very complicated. So when Grindelwald imprisoned himself, his men were not hunted down by the Ministry of Magic of various countries. They just disappeared, and some people were monitored. At this point, the events of the first generation of the Dark Lord came to an end. Dumbledore, who defeated the Dark Lord, also began to rise to fame, gaining his own status and occupying a place in the world.
Not talking about the love-hate relationship between the old wizard Dumbledore and his lover Grindelwald, Cole felt that this wizard's mind seemed really different from that of ordinary people.
In the fourth year after Voldemort disappeared, Cole held a birthday party for several children at Black Manor. His second son, Jerome, also had a magical outburst and blew up the garden. The eldest daughter, Darlene, threw the house elf Kreacher into the sky in her second year. The youngest daughter, Alice, destroyed half of Malfoy Castle when she attended Draco's birthday party there. Lucius's face fell at that moment. However, Cole assured him that the Black family would bear all the losses, and the old boy was satisfied.
The outside world made a fuss and analyzed the Black family's children. It was said that the Black family would soon usher in prosperity. After all, the children were not squibs, and there was still a lot of noise about their magical outbursts.
Only Cole's third son, Ben, had a gloomy face all day long, and there was no magical incident for a long time. Until this year, when the children turned ten, there was still no movement. Unscrupulous editors playing devil's advocate began to speculate that the Black family was about to produce a squib.
Cole didn't pay much attention at first. He was busy managing the Black family's business, dealing with officials from the Ministry of Magic, and expanding the family's strength. But when he sensed the magic within his son, Cole realized the situation might be serious.
The magic power in the ten-year-old Ben was immense and increased exponentially over time. It was no longer the amount of magic power a young wizard would typically possess. After a surprise visit from Dumbledore, Cole learned that his son Ben might be developing into an Obscurus.
In ancient times during the Middle Ages, wizards were hunted, and many young wizards, afraid to reveal their magical powers, chose to suppress them. In an attempt to avoid bad luck, the young wizard repressed his magic but, without proper guidance, could not control it.
Under high-pressure circumstances, the young wizard hated their inherent power, leading to the emergence of an Obscurus. When physically or psychologically oppressed, they experienced extremely painful emotions, which significantly increased the dark power of the Obscurus. When it became uncontrollable, the young wizard would lose control of their body and release all the dark energy, causing immense damage.
However, in modern times, Obscuruses rarely appear. Even half-blood wizards do not have to suppress their magic. The wizarding world understood the destructive power of an Obscurus and no one wished to have this kind of uncontrollable magic. Even dark wizards would not artificially create an Obscurus, as the first to die when it breaks out is the creator. Wizards fear such extreme hatred.
So after Dumbledore left, Cole called Ben over for a closer inspection. He discovered that his son was not an Obscurus, but something akin to it. Ben had grown up in the Black family manor, without worries about food or clothing and surrounded by siblings, making the idea of him harboring hatred unlikely. Cole found that his son was simply too talented. This child had better talents than the other children. It seemed a film covered the body surface, suppressing the magic within and refusing to expose it at all.