Hogwarts: The Wizarding World's First Capitalist

While Voldemort was in that dark and damp underground chamber, envisioning his evil plan, in a small Scottish village 400 kilometers away from Hogwarts.

But it was a completely different scene. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the ancient stone house, where preparations were being made for a wedding.

Built of rough stone and warm wood, the stone house exudes a strong historical atmosphere.

The surrounding fields are covered with golden wheat waves and the mountains in the distance are stacked up, as if sending the most sincere blessings to the newlyweds.

This village is too remote and is one of the most economically backward regions in Scotland, which is already economically backward.

Most of the young people in the village have gone to big cities like London to work. Except for some gray-haired old people who are unwilling to leave their hometown, the whole village is terribly desolate.

So when a wedding is to be held here, those old men who usually have white hair and look lifeless seem particularly excited.

They enthusiastically decorate the house for the newlyweds, even though the existence of this couple is completely against God's will in traditional culture.

But the changing times have taken away their black hair, and along with it, the beliefs that they once thought were unshakable.

For this group of old people, the only thing they want to do now is to add a sudden touch of color to their few remaining days.

Even the only old priest in the village thought so. The old men wore traditional Scottish skirts with exquisite plaid patterns hanging around their waists.

The old ladies, dressed in traditional floral dresses and wearing garlands on their heads, use their not-so-dextrous hands to make all kinds of bread that symbolize happiness and perfection.

Most of the onlookers were gray-haired elderly people who could no longer move on their own. They had happy smiles on their faces as they quietly watched the group of working old fellows.

They chatted quietly from time to time, reminiscing about their weddings when they were young. The innocence and beauty seemed to be just yesterday. Of course, there were also some dirty jokes that are often told at weddings.

Inside the room, sunlight shines through the lattice windows onto the wooden floor.

A man in a neatly tailored black suit is concentrating on making traditional Scottish cakes.

First, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, then gradually add the eggs and flour, each step with precision.

Then, he poured the batter into the pan and baked it in the preheated oven.

During this time, he checked the heat from time to time to ensure that the cake was golden and crispy on the outside while remaining moist on the inside.

Finally, when the cake comes out of the oven, he carefully turns it upside down on a rack to cool, and the whole process shows his respect and love for this craft.

After the cake had cooled down, the old man stretched out a finger in a mean manner and gently pressed down on the smooth and tender surface of the cake.

A deep pit of moderate size immediately appeared on the surface of the originally perfect cake, but soon, the fluffy cake used its own strength to completely erase the slight flaw on the surface.

Looking at such a delicate and elastic surface, Grindelwald couldn't help but sigh.

"Perfect, such a perfect surface, apart from that brat's face, only Al's face when he was young can be compared to it, but now his face is just a piece of dry bark.

"What a pity! Why didn't I figure it out earlier?"

"I am sorry and regretful that I couldn't give you a good feel."

Just as Grindelwald finished his sigh, a sour voice came from behind him.

Hearing this, Grindelwald's face twitched for a second, then he immediately put on a warm and sweet smile and turned to look at Dumbledore standing behind him.

Looking at the brown suit that the other person often wore, he showed a disappointed expression.

"It seems my gift still doesn't impress you."

Grindelwald said heartbrokenly.

"Shut up!"

Dumbledore's expression was extremely ugly, his eyes like a hawk, staring at the handsome old man in front of him.

He spoke in a cold tone.

"Don't mention that ridiculous dress you picked. Shouldn't we go back to Hogwarts and take a look at it now?"

"You may look down on Voldemort, but you have to admit that Tom is a man who will never give up until he achieves his goal. He even dares to split his own soul."

"Nothing in this world can stop him from achieving his goal."

"Who said that?" Grindelwald sneered, pointed a finger and said slowly.

"Death will do that."

Hearing this answer, Dumbledore frowned even more tightly, and he said angrily.

"If death could really do that, Tom should not have appeared in this world long ago. He created Horcruxes. If those evil creations are not destroyed, he will be resurrected again and again."

"And in the current situation, if we kill Tom, we will definitely end the life of that poor child, which is absolutely not allowed."

Hearing this, Grindelwald was stunned for a few seconds, then looked at Dumbledore helplessly, their two pairs of eyes staring at each other until Dumbledore began to avoid his gaze.

Grindelwald said jealously.

"Tom, every time you mention that damn bastard, you don't call him Voldemort like everyone else. You remember the names of all your students."

"Even if he kicked you out of your favorite school, don't rush to deny it. He is one of the most knowledgeable wizards in the magical world."

"You can clearly calculate that when the incident that caused you to leave Hogwarts occurred, the soul of that red-haired kid should still be in control of that body."

"The reason why he didn't come out to stop all this from happening, besides the fact that he was bewitched by that ugly thing without a nose, wasn't it because he hated you in his heart?"

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Dumbledore's old heart. He, who had been quite aggressive just now, now silently lowered his head.

Grindelwald looked at the scene in front of him. He felt heartbroken and helpless. He took a deep breath, strengthened his heart, and spoke again.

"Don't run away anymore, Al. I admit that love is a great force. The two of us are the best proof of it."

"But you also have to admit that no one can bear a heavy responsibility forever, and at the same time, not everyone wants you to bear that heavy responsibility forever."

"There's no need to say much about the rubbish in the Ministry of Magic. How many of your students have always dreamed of becoming the headmaster of Hogwarts?"

"But, with the great Dumbledore around, that dream will always remain just a dream. Will they really not hate you?"

As he spoke, Grindelwald slowly walked up to Dumbledore, smiled, put his forehead against the other's, and then whispered.

"Do you feel it? The bastard who just teased you has become as old as a piece of bacon. We are already old."

"It's time to take a break."

"But Carl......"