It was already night, and we were sneaking around the castle's abandoned corridors. Unlike in Hogwarts, there were no ghosts here, at least, not like there. I already argued this with Dimitris, clarifying that he was not talking about regular ghosts but about a weird apparition. In his words, the spirit of Grindelwald was damaged and evil.
"I already told you," He whispered as we were hiding in an empty classroom, listening to the sounds of a walking suit of armor getting farther and farther away from us. It was what patrolled the grounds after dark, and if they caught you, they would continue to try and beat you mercilessly. "The spirit of Grindelwald was probably destroyed in his last battle, and what remains here is only a piece of it!"
"And I told you, he was imprisoned in Nurmengard and not killed."
"Propaganda."
That was his one and only answer when he didn't want to believe me, and I was getting frustrated because I could not go and tell him, 'You idiot, he is teaching right here, right now! You have already met him!' So, what remained for me was to gulp back my thoughts and curiously tag along to see this wicked spirit.
"So..." I asked, slowly opening the door and confirming that the corridor was safe to continue our slow trek to the supposed dungeon below the castle. By his words, its entrance was hidden under an ancient, human-sized cauldron that had been left collecting dust in one of the abandoned chambers. "How did you discover him? Or the entrance to this dungeon?"
"Um..." After a brief hesitation, he stopped to think but answered in a quiet voice, continuing to lead me to the correct spot, "I was thrown into the cauldron and locked in there. They said it was a prank..."
"Ah. I see."
"Yeah... and as I was trying to get out, I used magic to finally flip it and force the top open so I could climb out. It was then that I noticed the thing was atop a locked trapdoor leading down to somewhere."
"And you decided to go down?"
"Well, yes! It was interesting, and I was curious about what would be hidden down there, so I opened it and went to look. They always said the castle holds secrets of old and if I could get lucky..." He trailed off, but I could guess some of his ideas. Because I had the same ones against Umbridge.
"You are weird... Heh, and? It was there where you saw the spirit of Grindelwald?"
"You still don't believe me..." He grumbled, sighing a little, but he wasn't angry, wholly sure he would be able to prove it in just a few minutes.
"Sorry, but I am 100% sure that Grindelwald's spirit is not what you saw."
"But you believe I saw something?" He asked, stopping once again and looking at me with surprise.
"I won't deny that you could have seen something. But as I said, not what you think."
"You are also weird..."
"Err, okay, Dimitris... Touché... That was good."
Not long after, we stepped into an old room that was littered with trash and old tools that someone had put there but forgotten about. It was nothing like our room of requirements; these were genuinely just knick-knacks that had been stored here for centuries, out of sight, out of problem. Sorting them out and looking for some artifacts could have been cool, but we didn't come to try to find gold in a trash heap.
But, as Dimitris said, the centerpiece was the big cauldron, immediately drawing my attention to it. I can see how he could fit into it; hell, two of him could be sleeping in that. It was made of blackened, old iron, sitting on its flat bottom, unadorned from top to bottom. What was it used for? Cooking dinner for a whole army? I watched as he pulled out his wand and used it to lift the heavy cauldron off the ground and cram it against the other stuff in there, making a racket.
"Great, now everyone heard we are here!" I grumbled, watching him let go of the thing, making a big thump as its heavy body kicked the dust up into the air from the stone floor.
"They don't come here, so don't worry. I was crying and screaming for help for hours after sundown, but nobody came."
"..." I was beginning to pity him but refused to comment on it this time. "Huh... that is the door, I guess?"
"Yes, it is unlocked!" He continued without pausing, grabbing the rusty circle handle and pulling the door up, revealing a steep stairway leading into darkness. "This way!"
"Are you going to turn around and attack me once we are down there?" I whispered, wearing a small smile, making him stop, one leg already on the stairs. The way he turned around, looking at me, was way too honest, and I never saw someone this dumbfounded by a question.
"W... wh...why would I?" He stuttered, trying to make sense of it, making my grin grow wider.
"It was just a joke. I trust my senses; let's go!"
"What does that even mean...?"
I could see he wasn't getting it, and I wasn't letting him think too far, almost pushing him down so we could get moving. Summoning a bright ball of light at the end of our wands, the old stone walls revealed themselves once again as we got deeper and deeper until they widened out to let us into a spacious wine cellar.
"Do you think there is wine in them?" I asked, looking at the humongous wooden barrels, bigger than both of us put together.
"I don't know, I never thought about it. Maybe? I don't like wine. Or alcohol."
"I was just curious, that's all. Don't look at me like I am an alcoholic! So... is Grindelwald here? Roaming the old bottles, drinking away his sorrows of losing to Dumbledore?"
"Not entirely... but who knows. As I said, I think his spirit is broken. He repeats a kind of weird mantra, ending in a question, and if you fail to answer him, he attacks you!"
"Attacks? What do you mean?"
"Well, I failed to answer his question, and I felt an invisible hand push me away, and whenever I tried to get closer to him, it did it again! I ended up being shoved back so hard that my legs left the ground. But, if you wait a day or two, it will ask you again, and you can try to guess it... But I don't think he knows the answer either. It is a mad spirit!"
That sounds not like a spirit... In my head, I was already thinking that it had to be Grindelwald's second hidden treasure, and something like a spell was guarding it. For sure, it is not his spirit nor a Horcrux going wild. That would be the biggest twist of all.
"Come this way!"
Dimitris led me further, through the empty, dusty shelves, to a doorway where the wooden door had already been dismantled long ago, only pieces of it remaining behind, now littering the stone floor. From there, another space opened up with different, empty cells, ancient suits of armor, or rusted weapons hanging from the walls. It was weird, but then again, I saw something that made my theory become even firmer.
"See that? That's the same symbol that he carved onto the walls of the school!" He whispered, pointing at the battered banner hanging from the opposite wall right above a medium-sized wine casket. "That is why I know; it's his spirit!"
"Yes, I am seeing it." I answered thoughtfully because I was sure that I was right. Of course, Dimitris took my change in tone as I began to believe him, making his voice proud and vindicated.
"See? I told you!"
"How do you summon him?"
"Why would we?" He gasped, going pale, "I don't want to! Don't you know what kind of man he was? It is too dangerous, last time when I realized who he was, I wanted to cry! What if he kills us?"
"You said you will prove to me that his spirit exists." I countered, beginning to grin again and walking closer to his symbol.
Sure enough, a ghostly apparition emerged a moment later, floating around the casket, mumbling and muttering to himself. Looking at it, he was like a young Grindelwald, maybe a year older than me. I couldn't help but twitch my mouth when I heard Dimitris's surprised voice coming from behind.
"He resembles your father."
"We are... related. Did you forget?" I added, not knowing what to say to that... He is observing things way too quickly. "He is indeed mumbling something." I tried inching closer, wanting to listen to what it was without triggering whatever spell it may be, wishing to hear more.
"In twilight's veil where shadows glide,
A shroud of whispers, unseen guide.
Through realms of mist, I softly tread,
Embraced by secrets, all unsaid.
In whispered hush, I'm but a wraith,
A fleeting breath, a hidden faith.
Beyond the grasp of mortal eye,
In echoes soft, I pass on by.
What am I, in twilight's sheen?
A whispered secret, yet unseen."
I could now understand why Dimitris thought he was mad or a fragment of a soul because this did sound like that. I did my best to memorize what it was saying, and when I was about to ask Dimitris if it was the same as before, the 'spirit' turned toward me and just stared at me. Ah... was it waiting for an answer? Well... damned if I know.
"Death?" I asked, but then I felt a hand push me by my chest, out of nowhere, flinging me backward. By the time I caught what happened, I landed on my back and skidded in the dust and grime until I was before Dimitris's feet. "Ouch..."
"Told you!" He grumbled, his eyes filled with fear, helping me up, "We should leave and not trouble the dead!"
"It's not dead. Nor is it a ghost!" I added with a moan, rubbing my waist. I saw ghosts; they can't really do something like this. If it would be a poltergeist, yeah, sure, I can see that happening, but this thing is not one!"
"How can you know?"
"I know Grindelwald; trust me on that."
"But..." But he stopped, looking at me and back at the murmuring spirit before gulping and tilting his head, "Well, you are related, so... I guess? But if it isn't a spirit, what is it?"
"Probably a spell that failed because of time." I lied, not wanting to plant the idea in his head to start exploring the place and dig more into it, "I know of spells that place a spectral presence in areas they don't want others to visit. Think of it as an alarm spell. I guess this cellar was a place where he did some experiments, and this was one of the old things guarding it."
"Oh! I see, I see, that does make sense! He was still a student back then, and he was conducting a lot of weird experiments! They say some of his classmates went missing, too!"
That... could be true. I was not doubting him there. But, for now, I think I saw enough, and it would be best if I told this to the real Grindelwald. Maybe this will refresh his memories a little. More importantly, we had to do something about it fast because when I said we should leave, I saw a newfound excitement in Dimitris's eyes, and I feared he would for sure look into it and come back and try to solve the puzzle...
It was already night, and we were sneaking around the castle's abandoned corridors. Unlike in Hogwarts, there were no ghosts here, at least, not like there. I already argued this with Dimitris, clarifying that he was not talking about regular ghosts but about a weird apparition. In his words, the spirit of Grindelwald was damaged and evil.
"I already told you," He whispered as we were hiding in an empty classroom, listening to the sounds of a walking suit of armor getting farther and farther away from us. It was what patrolled the grounds after dark, and if they caught you, they would continue to try and beat you mercilessly. "The spirit of Grindelwald was probably destroyed in his last battle, and what remains here is only a piece of it!"
"And I told you, he was imprisoned in Nurmengard and not killed."
"Propaganda."
That was his one and only answer when he didn't want to believe me, and I was getting frustrated because I could not go and tell him, 'You idiot, he is teaching right here, right now! You have already met him!' So, what remained for me was to gulp back my thoughts and curiously tag along to see this wicked spirit.
"So..." I asked, slowly opening the door and confirming that the corridor was safe to continue our slow trek to the supposed dungeon below the castle. By his words, its entrance was hidden under an ancient, human-sized cauldron that had been left collecting dust in one of the abandoned chambers. "How did you discover him? Or the entrance to this dungeon?"
"Um..." After a brief hesitation, he stopped to think but answered in a quiet voice, continuing to lead me to the correct spot, "I was thrown into the cauldron and locked in there. They said it was a prank..."
"Ah. I see."
"Yeah... and as I was trying to get out, I used magic to finally flip it and force the top open so I could climb out. It was then that I noticed the thing was atop a locked trapdoor leading down to somewhere."
"And you decided to go down?"
"Well, yes! It was interesting, and I was curious about what would be hidden down there, so I opened it and went to look. They always said the castle holds secrets of old and if I could get lucky..." He trailed off, but I could guess some of his ideas. Because I had the same ones against Umbridge.
"You are weird... Heh, and? It was there where you saw the spirit of Grindelwald?"
"You still don't believe me..." He grumbled, sighing a little, but he wasn't angry, wholly sure he would be able to prove it in just a few minutes.
"Sorry, but I am 100% sure that Grindelwald's spirit is not what you saw."
"But you believe I saw something?" He asked, stopping once again and looking at me with surprise.
"I won't deny that you could have seen something. But as I said, not what you think."
"You are also weird..."
"Err, okay, Dimitris... Touché... That was good."
Not long after, we stepped into an old room that was littered with trash and old tools that someone had put there but forgotten about. It was nothing like our room of requirements; these were genuinely just knick-knacks that had been stored here for centuries, out of sight, out of problem. Sorting them out and looking for some artifacts could have been cool, but we didn't come to try to find gold in a trash heap.
But, as Dimitris said, the centerpiece was the big cauldron, immediately drawing my attention to it. I can see how he could fit into it; hell, two of him could be sleeping in that. It was made of blackened, old iron, sitting on its flat bottom, unadorned from top to bottom. What was it used for? Cooking dinner for a whole army? I watched as he pulled out his wand and used it to lift the heavy cauldron off the ground and cram it against the other stuff in there, making a racket.
"Great, now everyone heard we are here!" I grumbled, watching him let go of the thing, making a big thump as its heavy body kicked the dust up into the air from the stone floor.
"They don't come here, so don't worry. I was crying and screaming for help for hours after sundown, but nobody came."
"..." I was beginning to pity him but refused to comment on it this time. "Huh... that is the door, I guess?"
"Yes, it is unlocked!" He continued without pausing, grabbing the rusty circle handle and pulling the door up, revealing a steep stairway leading into darkness. "This way!"
"Are you going to turn around and attack me once we are down there?" I whispered, wearing a small smile, making him stop, one leg already on the stairs. The way he turned around, looking at me, was way too honest, and I never saw someone this dumbfounded by a question.
"W... wh...why would I?" He stuttered, trying to make sense of it, making my grin grow wider.
"It was just a joke. I trust my senses; let's go!"
"What does that even mean...?"
I could see he wasn't getting it, and I wasn't letting him think too far, almost pushing him down so we could get moving. Summoning a bright ball of light at the end of our wands, the old stone walls revealed themselves once again as we got deeper and deeper until they widened out to let us into a spacious wine cellar.
"Do you think there is wine in them?" I asked, looking at the humongous wooden barrels, bigger than both of us put together.
"I don't know, I never thought about it. Maybe? I don't like wine. Or alcohol."
"I was just curious, that's all. Don't look at me like I am an alcoholic! So... is Grindelwald here? Roaming the old bottles, drinking away his sorrows of losing to Dumbledore?"
"Not entirely... but who knows. As I said, I think his spirit is broken. He repeats a kind of weird mantra, ending in a question, and if you fail to answer him, he attacks you!"
"Attacks? What do you mean?"
"Well, I failed to answer his question, and I felt an invisible hand push me away, and whenever I tried to get closer to him, it did it again! I ended up being shoved back so hard that my legs left the ground. But, if you wait a day or two, it will ask you again, and you can try to guess it... But I don't think he knows the answer either. It is a mad spirit!"
That sounds not like a spirit... In my head, I was already thinking that it had to be Grindelwald's second hidden treasure, and something like a spell was guarding it. For sure, it is not his spirit nor a Horcrux going wild. That would be the biggest twist of all.
"Come this way!"
Dimitris led me further, through the empty, dusty shelves, to a doorway where the wooden door had already been dismantled long ago, only pieces of it remaining behind, now littering the stone floor. From there, another space opened up with different, empty cells, ancient suits of armor, or rusted weapons hanging from the walls. It was weird, but then again, I saw something that made my theory become even firmer.
"See that? That's the same symbol that he carved onto the walls of the school!" He whispered, pointing at the battered banner hanging from the opposite wall right above a medium-sized wine casket. "That is why I know; it's his spirit!"
"Yes, I am seeing it." I answered thoughtfully because I was sure that I was right. Of course, Dimitris took my change in tone as I began to believe him, making his voice proud and vindicated.
"See? I told you!"
"How do you summon him?"
"Why would we?" He gasped, going pale, "I don't want to! Don't you know what kind of man he was? It is too dangerous, last time when I realized who he was, I wanted to cry! What if he kills us?"
"You said you will prove to me that his spirit exists." I countered, beginning to grin again and walking closer to his symbol.
Sure enough, a ghostly apparition emerged a moment later, floating around the casket, mumbling and muttering to himself. Looking at it, he was like a young Grindelwald, maybe a year older than me. I couldn't help but twitch my mouth when I heard Dimitris's surprised voice coming from behind.
"He resembles your father."
"We are... related. Did you forget?" I added, not knowing what to say to that... He is observing things way too quickly. "He is indeed mumbling something." I tried inching closer, wanting to listen to what it was without triggering whatever spell it may be, wishing to hear more.
"In twilight's veil where shadows glide,
A shroud of whispers, unseen guide.
Through realms of mist, I softly tread,
Embraced by secrets, all unsaid.
In whispered hush, I'm but a wraith,
A fleeting breath, a hidden faith.
Beyond the grasp of mortal eye,
In echoes soft, I pass on by.
What am I, in twilight's sheen?
A whispered secret, yet unseen."
I could now understand why Dimitris thought he was mad or a fragment of a soul because this did sound like that. I did my best to memorize what it was saying, and when I was about to ask Dimitris if it was the same as before, the 'spirit' turned toward me and just stared at me. Ah... was it waiting for an answer? Well... damned if I know.
"Death?" I asked, but then I felt a hand push me by my chest, out of nowhere, flinging me backward. By the time I caught what happened, I landed on my back and skidded in the dust and grime until I was before Dimitris's feet. "Ouch..."
"Told you!" He grumbled, his eyes filled with fear, helping me up, "We should leave and not trouble the dead!"
"It's not dead. Nor is it a ghost!" I added with a moan, rubbing my waist. I saw ghosts; they can't really do something like this. If it would be a poltergeist, yeah, sure, I can see that happening, but this thing is not one!"
"How can you know?"
"I know Grindelwald; trust me on that."
"But..." But he stopped, looking at me and back at the murmuring spirit before gulping and tilting his head, "Well, you are related, so... I guess? But if it isn't a spirit, what is it?"
"Probably a spell that failed because of time." I lied, not wanting to plant the idea in his head to start exploring the place and dig more into it, "I know of spells that place a spectral presence in areas they don't want others to visit. Think of it as an alarm spell. I guess this cellar was a place where he did some experiments, and this was one of the old things guarding it."
"Oh! I see, I see, that does make sense! He was still a student back then, and he was conducting a lot of weird experiments! They say some of his classmates went missing, too!"
That... could be true. I was not doubting him there. But, for now, I think I saw enough, and it would be best if I told this to the real Grindelwald. Maybe this will refresh his memories a little. More importantly, we had to do something about it fast because when I said we should leave, I saw a newfound excitement in Dimitris's eyes, and I feared he would for sure look into it and come back and try to solve the puzzle...
