"What did you say?" Asked Dumbledore, stopping in place.
He was pacing inside his study only a moment ago, organizing his thoughts for the night when a buzz within his robe alerted him to a message. Picking out McGonagall's little card, her face soon came into view, and he had to stop when hearing her words.
"Just as I said, Albus." She repeated, telling him where they were and what they had found. "Is this place something... personal, or?"
"Are you sure they went in?" He asked, his voice lowering to a barely audible volume.
"Yes. Charlie says so, and you know how his senses are like a dragon's."
"That is the barrier surrounding Castle Nurmengard!"
"..." The name alone told everything that McGonagall had to know to understand the weight of the situation. "Could he be still alive? It was... such a long time ago."
"Even if not, that place can still harbor dark secrets."
"Weren't you making sure all those were gone?" She asked by reflex, making Dumbledore stroke his long beard, his brows going up and down as his mind raced to think about the possible outcomes.
"Evil always finds a way, and he was a genius of his age. He could have left secrets behind that we couldn't find. Do nothing, stay there; I am coming!"
"B-but..."
"I will apparate after ample preparations! HE won't notice it... Just keep watch and do nothing!"
...
....
......
"We have been surrounded."
"Huh?"
His words came so suddenly, and he delivered them so calmly while we were having dinner that both of our forks stopped mid-air, watching Grindelwald continue his meal unperturbed.
"I felt different powers probing the barrier around the castle, which means that people have arrived. If they had been here for me, their probing wouldn't have stopped just like that. Well, whatever they want, I am not interested in it anyway, but this also tells me we are no longer safe here. We should leave."
I wasn't happy to hear it. I was beginning to like it here; it was calm and peaceful, and it made me feel like we were back in Hogwarts. Leaving would mean returning to the outside world, which... I knew it would happen, but so soon? I was irritated and frustrated.
"What should we do?" Quincy asked as we were no longer feeling hungry, instead becoming highly alert.
"I will deactivate the barrier by destroying Nurmengard; that is the only way. It was meant to contain it, and to get rid of it, the castle has to fall. After that, we will see who has come, and if nothing comes up, I will bring you two along while apparating. You are not yet ready to travel long distances."
"Where are we going?"
"To my home... To Durmstrang."
Both of us thought of Viktor at once, but then Karkaroff came to mind, along with the fact that he was an ally of Voldemort.
"Is this a good idea?" I asked, making him smile, wiping his mouth into a napkin.
"I have many things hidden in there. Just like Hogwarts for you, Durmstrang was my home for a long time before I was expelled. I will need to return and collect what I left behind. Without proper resources, I can't train you."
"But..."
"I know!" He chuckled, raising a hand, waving at us to not worry. "You told me everything, which is why we must visit the school. After we finish there and leave, there will be a bit of chaos that will throw a wrench into Voldemort's plans. For now, he keeps Flamel and the Beauxbatons in check with Durmstrang. A sound strategy but not a well-thought-out one. He may be a strong wizard but not a strategist."
"If we take Durmstrang out of the equation..." I whispered, thinking about it, and Quincy finished my thoughts for me.
"Then it will be Voldemort versus the Order alone. No third party."
"Yes, children." He nodded with a smile, "If you want to take your revenge, you must make it so the two parties are playing nicely. You need to control the stage and foresee their moves. We need to make sure they will face off against each other when we want them, where we want them. Right now, our goal is to make sure Voldemort has to focus on England and prevent him from leaving it by ensuring that he can't afford to lose it. Take away his ally and, through that, force the Order to start pushing."
"If Durmstrang no longer poses a threat to them," I added, standing up, "Then they can focus on fighting Voldemort, and we would be left alone to move!"
"Yes." Grindelwald laughed, emptying his cup, "Giving them a chance to win their war will make them forgo everything else, including their search for us. Knowing my good friend, he will decide to deal with us later as we pose the lesser danger in this situation. Instead, he would go all-in on his current enemy, trying to finally exploit his chance to win. When that happens, he can turn his undivided attention... Back. To. Us. Albus doesn't like it when things don't go according to plan. What he likes even less is when he has to multitask. He is best when his attention can focus on one issue to solve it quickly and efficiently. I know what his choice will be, and it will give us ample time to disappear into the shadows.
"When do we start?" We asked, ready to go. Having a goal in mind was surprisingly refreshing. Destroying Durmstrang... Well, he did not say to destroy them, but I guess some people will have to go to take them out of the fight.
"Right now. Gather your belongings, and then we will leave. The fact that the sudden guests stopped trying to break through tells me that Albus is already on his way..."
....
.....
.......
McGonagall, Moody, Regulus, and Charlie were standing on the ground, looking at the whirling blizzard barrier, staying there in silence. The fact that Dumbledore was coming and that the other side hid Nurmengard, the famous home of one of the worst wizards ever, made even Charlie follow their orders.
"Gellert Grindelwald..." Moody whispered, breaking the hour-long silence. "Who would have thought that after his defeat, not even 50 years later, another, even worse wizard would emerge... Thinking about it is like a bad joke! I remember the news when he was defeated. I was doing my auror training at that time, and I was a bit disappointed I couldn't be there."
"I think it was your luck, Alastor." McGonagall said, not expanding on the topic, as she was still a child when that happened, anxiously waiting on her letter to attend Hogwarts.
"Maybe."
He was about to say more, but then they all noticed something was happening to the barrier. The wind's noise suddenly cut out, and it was slowing down, disappearing. Looking at each other, they knew it wasn't their fault... which had to mean whatever was happening couldn't mean anything good. Pulling out their wands, they stood ready, watching the barrier dissipate, revealing a small cloud rising towards the air as the old castle crumbled to the ground.
"What happened...?" Regulus asked, gulping, but before anyone could answer, they saw three figures emerge from the mix of snow, mist, and dust.
"Are you happy?" McGonagall whispered, watching the old man standing behind the children, wearing a calm, confident smile.
"No." Answered Moody, recognizing the man without ever meeting him. There was no question about his identity.
...
....
......
"Do you know them?" Asked Grindelwald, standing behind us, his wand ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.
"One is my runaway parent..." Quincy answered, looking at Regulus Black without any emotion in her voice, "The other is a fanatic. With the red hair."
"We don't know of the other two."
"I see." He nodded and, without warning, waved his hand, sending four strands of bright, orange fire sneaking through the air toward the other group.
The four reacted at different intervals, and as I watched, the fastest was the man with the cane, followed by the old woman, and lastly, Charlie and Regulus. They all used different methods to counter the flames, be it a shield, a counterspell of water or fire, or Charlie withstanding it with his body.
"I want to exercise a little." Grindelwald explained, cracking his neck. "Young Quincy will duel her father, Young Conrad; you fight with the red-haired man. I will take on the real danger. You have five minutes, then we leave."
I watched as he suddenly apparated, teleporting between the old woman and man, while a ring of blue fire expanded from his body with a flick of his wand. The two managed to dodge at the last moment, yet the fire still managed to burn away the woman's coat, making her take it off before shooting back spells in tandem with her comrade.
I couldn't focus on their fight for more as I was already being pushed back by Charlie, who attacked me like a rabid dog, sending different fire spells at me. He wasn't as quick or precise as Grindelwald or my Father, allowing me to adapt to his speed quickly. His magic was powerful but chaotic, lacking focus, which let me begin reading his hand's movements, predicting his subsequent spells.
In turn, this made it easier to dodge without erecting a shield charm and allowing me to fire my first counterspell. When it hit his fireball, it exploded like fireworks, and utilizing its blinding light, I used the same trick, apparating close to him. I found myself facing his back, still feeling dizzy, but I was trying to ignore it and summon the blue flames that Lockhart taught me. It hit him straight, but he shrugged it off, turning around and wanting to assault me with his bare hands.
"I can smell your stench, snake!" He roared while I dodged by teleporting behind him once again, hitting him with an explosion spell and knocking him forward.
It made my eyes tick. I could feel angry, shouting that I should have used the killing curse. I wasn't supposed to play with the food, just kill him... Burn away his foul-smelling blood. I knew it was the basilisk's influence; should I... give in? While I was thinking, he got back up, continuing to attack me, reminding me of the tale that Grindelwald told me about that wizard couple.
I never heard of Berserkers before, but seeing him fight, now I could imagine. He wasn't dodging, wasn't defending himself, letting his innate strength deflect the spells, withstanding it with his body, even if it did make him falter many times. He was like a dragon... wait. Could it be? Is it why his smell does feel weird and strange? It was beginning to make sense.
"If so..." I whispered, watching his eyes, making me recall how the two dragons looked at me when I attacked Flamel; I was sure he had indeed infused their blood within his body. Then, he would not get off our back, no matter what. He had to go. This time, I no longer felt angry or confused. I knew I had to kill him if I wanted to protect myself... and, more importantly, Quincy.
"Good. This is what it means to control. Make the decisions yourself and not because your blood tells you so..." Echoed Herpo's voice within my brain, but I was already too focused on what I wanted to do to hear him. With another blink, I apparated to Charlie's right side, my hands ready with a spell, casting it mid-way by the time I reappeared.
"You can't hurt me-" He began, but I wasn't interested in his monologue.
"You are not a true dragon. So... goodbye."
With that, a green light rushed from the tip of my wand, hitting Charlie and making him freeze in place. I was momentarily shocked because I saw him blink his eyes and look confused a bit before, finally, the light left his eyes, and he collapsed. He really made me think that he had shrugged it off for a moment... Luckily, he was still a human. It was then when, from the corner of my eye, I could see the green light burst out again, making my heart skip a bit... who used the killing curse and on whom?!
"What did you say?" Asked Dumbledore, stopping in place.
He was pacing inside his study only a moment ago, organizing his thoughts for the night when a buzz within his robe alerted him to a message. Picking out McGonagall's little card, her face soon came into view, and he had to stop when hearing her words.
"Just as I said, Albus." She repeated, telling him where they were and what they had found. "Is this place something... personal, or?"
"Are you sure they went in?" He asked, his voice lowering to a barely audible volume.
"Yes. Charlie says so, and you know how his senses are like a dragon's."
"That is the barrier surrounding Castle Nurmengard!"
"..." The name alone told everything that McGonagall had to know to understand the weight of the situation. "Could he be still alive? It was... such a long time ago."
"Even if not, that place can still harbor dark secrets."
"Weren't you making sure all those were gone?" She asked by reflex, making Dumbledore stroke his long beard, his brows going up and down as his mind raced to think about the possible outcomes.
"Evil always finds a way, and he was a genius of his age. He could have left secrets behind that we couldn't find. Do nothing, stay there; I am coming!"
"B-but..."
"I will apparate after ample preparations! HE won't notice it... Just keep watch and do nothing!"
...
....
......
"We have been surrounded."
"Huh?"
His words came so suddenly, and he delivered them so calmly while we were having dinner that both of our forks stopped mid-air, watching Grindelwald continue his meal unperturbed.
"I felt different powers probing the barrier around the castle, which means that people have arrived. If they had been here for me, their probing wouldn't have stopped just like that. Well, whatever they want, I am not interested in it anyway, but this also tells me we are no longer safe here. We should leave."
I wasn't happy to hear it. I was beginning to like it here; it was calm and peaceful, and it made me feel like we were back in Hogwarts. Leaving would mean returning to the outside world, which... I knew it would happen, but so soon? I was irritated and frustrated.
"What should we do?" Quincy asked as we were no longer feeling hungry, instead becoming highly alert.
"I will deactivate the barrier by destroying Nurmengard; that is the only way. It was meant to contain it, and to get rid of it, the castle has to fall. After that, we will see who has come, and if nothing comes up, I will bring you two along while apparating. You are not yet ready to travel long distances."
"Where are we going?"
"To my home... To Durmstrang."
Both of us thought of Viktor at once, but then Karkaroff came to mind, along with the fact that he was an ally of Voldemort.
"Is this a good idea?" I asked, making him smile, wiping his mouth into a napkin.
"I have many things hidden in there. Just like Hogwarts for you, Durmstrang was my home for a long time before I was expelled. I will need to return and collect what I left behind. Without proper resources, I can't train you."
"But..."
"I know!" He chuckled, raising a hand, waving at us to not worry. "You told me everything, which is why we must visit the school. After we finish there and leave, there will be a bit of chaos that will throw a wrench into Voldemort's plans. For now, he keeps Flamel and the Beauxbatons in check with Durmstrang. A sound strategy but not a well-thought-out one. He may be a strong wizard but not a strategist."
"If we take Durmstrang out of the equation..." I whispered, thinking about it, and Quincy finished my thoughts for me.
"Then it will be Voldemort versus the Order alone. No third party."
"Yes, children." He nodded with a smile, "If you want to take your revenge, you must make it so the two parties are playing nicely. You need to control the stage and foresee their moves. We need to make sure they will face off against each other when we want them, where we want them. Right now, our goal is to make sure Voldemort has to focus on England and prevent him from leaving it by ensuring that he can't afford to lose it. Take away his ally and, through that, force the Order to start pushing."
"If Durmstrang no longer poses a threat to them," I added, standing up, "Then they can focus on fighting Voldemort, and we would be left alone to move!"
"Yes." Grindelwald laughed, emptying his cup, "Giving them a chance to win their war will make them forgo everything else, including their search for us. Knowing my good friend, he will decide to deal with us later as we pose the lesser danger in this situation. Instead, he would go all-in on his current enemy, trying to finally exploit his chance to win. When that happens, he can turn his undivided attention... Back. To. Us. Albus doesn't like it when things don't go according to plan. What he likes even less is when he has to multitask. He is best when his attention can focus on one issue to solve it quickly and efficiently. I know what his choice will be, and it will give us ample time to disappear into the shadows.
"When do we start?" We asked, ready to go. Having a goal in mind was surprisingly refreshing. Destroying Durmstrang... Well, he did not say to destroy them, but I guess some people will have to go to take them out of the fight.
"Right now. Gather your belongings, and then we will leave. The fact that the sudden guests stopped trying to break through tells me that Albus is already on his way..."
....
.....
.......
McGonagall, Moody, Regulus, and Charlie were standing on the ground, looking at the whirling blizzard barrier, staying there in silence. The fact that Dumbledore was coming and that the other side hid Nurmengard, the famous home of one of the worst wizards ever, made even Charlie follow their orders.
"Gellert Grindelwald..." Moody whispered, breaking the hour-long silence. "Who would have thought that after his defeat, not even 50 years later, another, even worse wizard would emerge... Thinking about it is like a bad joke! I remember the news when he was defeated. I was doing my auror training at that time, and I was a bit disappointed I couldn't be there."
"I think it was your luck, Alastor." McGonagall said, not expanding on the topic, as she was still a child when that happened, anxiously waiting on her letter to attend Hogwarts.
"Maybe."
He was about to say more, but then they all noticed something was happening to the barrier. The wind's noise suddenly cut out, and it was slowing down, disappearing. Looking at each other, they knew it wasn't their fault... which had to mean whatever was happening couldn't mean anything good. Pulling out their wands, they stood ready, watching the barrier dissipate, revealing a small cloud rising towards the air as the old castle crumbled to the ground.
"What happened...?" Regulus asked, gulping, but before anyone could answer, they saw three figures emerge from the mix of snow, mist, and dust.
"Are you happy?" McGonagall whispered, watching the old man standing behind the children, wearing a calm, confident smile.
"No." Answered Moody, recognizing the man without ever meeting him. There was no question about his identity.
...
....
......
"Do you know them?" Asked Grindelwald, standing behind us, his wand ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.
"One is my runaway parent..." Quincy answered, looking at Regulus Black without any emotion in her voice, "The other is a fanatic. With the red hair."
"We don't know of the other two."
"I see." He nodded and, without warning, waved his hand, sending four strands of bright, orange fire sneaking through the air toward the other group.
The four reacted at different intervals, and as I watched, the fastest was the man with the cane, followed by the old woman, and lastly, Charlie and Regulus. They all used different methods to counter the flames, be it a shield, a counterspell of water or fire, or Charlie withstanding it with his body.
"I want to exercise a little." Grindelwald explained, cracking his neck. "Young Quincy will duel her father, Young Conrad; you fight with the red-haired man. I will take on the real danger. You have five minutes, then we leave."
I watched as he suddenly apparated, teleporting between the old woman and man, while a ring of blue fire expanded from his body with a flick of his wand. The two managed to dodge at the last moment, yet the fire still managed to burn away the woman's coat, making her take it off before shooting back spells in tandem with her comrade.
I couldn't focus on their fight for more as I was already being pushed back by Charlie, who attacked me like a rabid dog, sending different fire spells at me. He wasn't as quick or precise as Grindelwald or my Father, allowing me to adapt to his speed quickly. His magic was powerful but chaotic, lacking focus, which let me begin reading his hand's movements, predicting his subsequent spells.
In turn, this made it easier to dodge without erecting a shield charm and allowing me to fire my first counterspell. When it hit his fireball, it exploded like fireworks, and utilizing its blinding light, I used the same trick, apparating close to him. I found myself facing his back, still feeling dizzy, but I was trying to ignore it and summon the blue flames that Lockhart taught me. It hit him straight, but he shrugged it off, turning around and wanting to assault me with his bare hands.
"I can smell your stench, snake!" He roared while I dodged by teleporting behind him once again, hitting him with an explosion spell and knocking him forward.
It made my eyes tick. I could feel angry, shouting that I should have used the killing curse. I wasn't supposed to play with the food, just kill him... Burn away his foul-smelling blood. I knew it was the basilisk's influence; should I... give in? While I was thinking, he got back up, continuing to attack me, reminding me of the tale that Grindelwald told me about that wizard couple.
I never heard of Berserkers before, but seeing him fight, now I could imagine. He wasn't dodging, wasn't defending himself, letting his innate strength deflect the spells, withstanding it with his body, even if it did make him falter many times. He was like a dragon... wait. Could it be? Is it why his smell does feel weird and strange? It was beginning to make sense.
"If so..." I whispered, watching his eyes, making me recall how the two dragons looked at me when I attacked Flamel; I was sure he had indeed infused their blood within his body. Then, he would not get off our back, no matter what. He had to go. This time, I no longer felt angry or confused. I knew I had to kill him if I wanted to protect myself... and, more importantly, Quincy.
"Good. This is what it means to control. Make the decisions yourself and not because your blood tells you so..." Echoed Herpo's voice within my brain, but I was already too focused on what I wanted to do to hear him. With another blink, I apparated to Charlie's right side, my hands ready with a spell, casting it mid-way by the time I reappeared.
"You can't hurt me-" He began, but I wasn't interested in his monologue.
"You are not a true dragon. So... goodbye."
With that, a green light rushed from the tip of my wand, hitting Charlie and making him freeze in place. I was momentarily shocked because I saw him blink his eyes and look confused a bit before, finally, the light left his eyes, and he collapsed. He really made me think that he had shrugged it off for a moment... Luckily, he was still a human. It was then when, from the corner of my eye, I could see the green light burst out again, making my heart skip a bit... who used the killing curse and on whom?!
