Sydney almost smiled at the professor’s response, almost but not quite. That description of the portrait was a huge understatement! She listened intently, jotting down a few notes on the Sacred Twenty-eight, still unsure whether to be intrigued or appalled by the topic. Her ears perked up at the mention of the 1930s. Hmm… not one of the better things to come from her favorite era in history!

She considered the next set of questions carefully. The second half of the question was relatively easy. In addition to the points her older housemate (Gilly) made, historical precedent showed that anti-muggle ideology led to atrocities such as war and subjugation. Just look at Grindelwald, Voldemort, and Grindelwald 2.0 (no, she would not dignify a pathetic fanboy like Lucien Rosier by using his actual name!) That made her think… The Sacred Twenty-Eight was published before the full extent of those atrocities was known. That was forty-odd years before Voldemort’s rise to power and long before Grindelwald 2.0 existed. The OG Grindelwald was around at that time. Perhaps the list was written before his rise to power? For that matter, she wondered if Grindelwald’s rise to power might have inspired the list’s creation.

Lost in thought, Sydney remained silent for now. She listened, considering the next question. Did that mean another family on the Sacred Twenty-Eight or any family in the wizarding world that made a positive impact? If it was the latter, her thoughts immediately turned to a family that both satisfied her curiosity for dark secrets and wasn’t made up of pro-pureblood fanatics: the Dumbledores. Of course, there was former Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbeldore, but there were other members of that family she felt deserved credit. Like Aberforth, for his contributions to the Second Wizarding War.