"Grindelwald," Dumbledore said coldly, "After all these years, the first thing you did upon leaving Nurmengard is target a child? I must say, that's beyond even my expectations."
Grindelwald burst into laughter, and his voice echoed across the ruins.
"Dumbledore… Albus! Just how highly do you regard my morals? You know, if it were necessary, even an infant—"
His voice was abruptly cut off, as Dumbledore suddenly stepped forward and pointed the Elder Wand steadily at his heart. The tip of the wand glowed faintly with a golden-red hue.
That hidden yet immense power felt like the edge of a blade—not yet unsheathed, but already bringing with it the pain of being cut.
Grindelwald tilted his head slightly upward, yet there was a smile on his face.
"Why avoid it, Albus? You know what I've done recently—so why haven't you questioned me about the Muggles I've killed? Why haven't you condemned me for destroying the balance and peace between the wizarding and non-wizarding worlds?"
"You've always sided with the weak and foolish. You've always stood against me to protect them… So why not this time?"
Grindelwald's smile widened.
"Is it because you agree with me now? Because deep down, you think they deserve to die? The world is rotting, the Muggles are building their own apocalypse—what I'm doing is salvation!"
"And you, Albus—you've been held up as a saint, hiding your weakness behind pathetic mercy! But we both know… back then, you were just like me."
At the mention of "back then," it was as though Dumbledore had been punched in the face. He flinched, caught off guard, and a look of pain flashed behind the lenses of his half-moon spectacles.
Grindelwald suddenly swallowed the rest of his words. Emotion surged through him, magic stirred violently, and pain blossomed in his chest as dark red blood again trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The two stood in silence for a long moment. The winter wind carried fine ice crystals as it swept across the scarred and broken ground.
Finally, Dumbledore asked coldly, "Where is Wade?"
"Kill me, and you can take the boy."
Grindelwald stepped forward, and the tip of the Elder Wand pressed against his chest, digging into fabric and flesh.
Dumbledore's arm remained motionless. Grindelwald reached out and grasped the other end of the wand, and his eyes burned with a strange mix of fervor and murderous intent.
"Kill me, Albus—just like you've always wanted to. Don't worry about staining your virtue; I was the one who killed Ariana. This is what I deserve."
Dumbledore's eyes widened, and pupils dilated slightly. A flash of pain passed over his face—shock and grief mixed with, surprisingly, a sense of relief and lightness.
Years ago, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Aberforth had gotten into a heated argument. The quarrel quickly escalated into a duel, during which Grindelwald had cast the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth.
Amid Aberforth's anguished screams, their mentally unstable younger sister, Ariana, was severely triggered. The Obscurus within her instantly spiraled out of control.
That terrifying, destructive force erupted without warning beside them. They all had to exert every ounce of strength just to survive. They each used the strongest spells they knew to fight back against the Obscurus… After a period of chaos that no one could clearly recount, the Obscurial vanished—and Ariana was dead.
It was the deepest scar in Dumbledore's heart, and his greatest fear… the fear that he might have been the one who cast the fatal spell at Ariana—that he was the one who killed his own sister.
Now, hearing Grindelwald speak those words aloud, Dumbledore felt as if a mountain that had pressed on his back for a hundred years had finally been lifted. His breath stopped briefly, and for a moment, he was even overcome with the urge to cry.
But he couldn't help thinking of one question—
Grindelwald knows what I fear most. Did he say it on purpose? Was that the real truth of what happened all those years ago?
The two stared at each other in silence. Their similarly blue eyes carried the shadows of time; deep within, it was as though they each held the ruins of a shattered past.
Time itself seemed to halt at that moment.
"Professor."
A soft voice shattered the scene.
Wade, who had Apparated to a safe distance earlier, now approached quietly from behind Dumbledore and spoke gently.
Dumbledore blinked and turned to look at Wade. His eyes flickered slightly, and the tension in his expression eased.
"Are you alright, Wade?"
"I'm fine, Professor," Wade replied. After a short pause, he added, "Is there something you want to ask me?"
Back when Dumbledore had shown Wade the memory illusions involving Grindelwald, Wade had once said the exact same words to him.
That sentence now served two purposes: it confirmed that he was indeed Wade Grey himself, not someone disguised with Polyjuice Potion; and it showed that he was still the same person—that his thoughts, his honesty, and his trust in Dumbledore had not changed.
A subtle smile flickered in Dumbledore's eyes. "Once we're back, I'd like to hear whatever you're willing to tell me."
"Alright," Wade nodded and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't until the headmaster arrived that he realized—although he hadn't been treated unfairly, he'd been bearing an indescribable weight inside.
But as his gaze shifted, Wade noticed that Grindelwald was staring at him intently with dark eyes and mouth turned slightly downward in displeasure.
Wade's gaze flickered as he looked away, inwardly bursting with a thousand complaints he wanted to shout.
Dumbledore raised his left arm, gesturing for Wade to take hold of it, and at the same time slowly lowered his wand.
"I won't kill you, Grindelwald. Violence cannot solve this. Killing has never been my answer—not even for you. I will not end things through death."
Dumbledore's gaze was profound as he sighed and said:
"If you truly believe you're right, then walk your path—perhaps the world does need someone like you…"
His gaze swept over the remnants of the surrounding buildings, and scenes of devastation he had once witnessed flashed through his mind.
"But I hope… I hope you can understand…"
Dumbledore said, "True strength lies in restraint—in choosing not to harm others even when we have the power to do so… and in choosing to protect others from being harmed. That is the responsibility that comes with having power."
Grindelwald sneered, "Don't try to bind me with your laughable morality! My beliefs… my ideals have never changed from the beginning!"
"Sincere or not, it doesn't matter. Right now, what you're doing is indeed benefiting others—not just acts of brutal slaughter."
Dumbledore spoke calmly and firmly:
"I've never thought your ideals were entirely wrong—only your methods."
"So many years have passed; you should understand by now that the way we used to follow only leads to destruction. Changing the world certainly requires power, but even more so, it requires wisdom and compassion."
There was a faint trace of regret in Dumbledore's eyes as he looked at Grindelwald:
"Even for the sake of a greater good, patience, compromise, and mercy are necessary."
"Grindelwald, if all you want now is to deceive the world, but in the end still choose to rule and oppress with violence, then no matter how many times you try, you will inevitably fail."
"I hope you can understand that."
Grindelwald's brow twitched when he heard that. He raised his voice and said, "So this is what you're teaching that child now? If you had told me this back then, wouldn't I have—"
Pop!
Dumbledore had no intention of arguing. After saying what he wanted to say, he took Wade and Disapparated on the spot.
That loud crack was like a slap to Grindelwald's face, twisting his expression in an instant.
The wind swirled with dust and frost, spinning mockingly in front of Grindelwald and seeming to sneer at him.
Grindelwald: "…"
The Alliance members, seeing the battle was over and that their leader was still alive, were overjoyed and rushed to his side—only to see Grindelwald let out a cold laugh.
A flash of cold light appeared in his eyes as he raised his wand and pointed it toward the ruins of the manor.
"Destroy it!"
"For the Greater Good!"
The Alliance members shouted their slogans and charged into the manor. Following the cracks in the ground, they descended into the underground chambers. Soon, the sounds of fighting echoed out from within.
The soldiers of the organization, still shaken by the overwhelming display of destructive magic earlier, had lost all morale. The Alliance members quickly gained the upper hand and advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Delaine came up to Grindelwald, handed him a potion, and asked worriedly, "Sir, how are you feeling now?"
"Me? I feel fantastic!"
Grindelwald downed the potion in one gulp and replied through gritted teeth.
Delaine stayed by his side uneasily, but he saw that a surge of invisible energy seemed to flow into Grindelwald's thin frame—or perhaps it was simply his seething rage becoming his new strength. He even seemed to forget his physical discomfort, and the light in his eyes reignited.
—That definitely isn't the effect of the potion.
Delaine muttered silently to himself and sighed inwardly, thinking back to the despair he had just felt, as if the sky had collapsed.
…
The few remaining surveillance cameras held their posts stubbornly, and slowly rotated to capture the scenes over the ruins.
Despite all the chaos, the moment the wizards successfully entered the manor, the head of the operation was moved to the point of tears, almost ready to kneel and thank God.
His colleagues around him were already cheering, slapping their desks excitedly and shouting, "This is great!"
The more composed members were still cautioning, "Wait a moment… wait until most of them have gone in."
"Of course, I understand."
The person in charge wiped the sweat from his palms, pressed his hand on the activation button, and stared intently at the image on the screen.
Beside him, another person made a phone call. He suppressed his excitement and voice trembled slightly as he said, "The plan is proceeding normally. You may begin!"
Finally, once the majority of the wizards had entered the manor, the person in charge slammed down the button!
…
"Bzzzz—"
The previously silent machine suddenly let out a buzzing sound, and the indicator lights all lit up. Dobby jumped in fright, but reacted swiftly and cut the cable in front of him with quick hands.
Seeing that the lights on the machine hadn't gone out, Maggie pointed a finger, and with a loud bang, several massive cracks appeared across the machine's surface.
"That was scary… what was it about to say just now?" Dobby asked with lingering fear.
"It wasn't going to say anything. That was just the sound of it powering on," Donovan explained. "Thankfully, you two stopped it in time."
Dobby smiled bashfully.
Maggie frowned and asked, "Are you sure this is the last one?"
"Of course. I heard these things are expensive—there were only a few rushed in temporarily."
As Donovan explained, he also sent a message to Dumbledore as agreed.
Dumbledore replied almost instantly: [Wait a moment.]
Maggie narrowed his eyes at the parchment in Donovan's hands and asked suspiciously:
"Who is Donovan contacting? Is Donovan lying to Maggie?"
"No, no."
Having just witnessed how powerful the two house-elves were, Donovan didn't dare offend them. He quickly waved his hands and said:
"It's Dumbledore! Didn't I say this before? I'm working for Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?!"
Maggie let out a sharp cry and instinctively prepared to Disapparate, but the parchment in Donovan's hand suddenly lit up—followed by a loud pop!
Dumbledore appeared.
Maggie's eyes flickered nervously, and he didn't dare look at the Headmaster. His fingers twisted together uneasily as she fiddled with the hem of her clothes.
Dobby, on the other hand, stared at Dumbledore with admiration and swallowed nervously with his big eyes shimmering.
"Mr. Dumbledore," Donovan stepped forward and said.
"Good work, Donovan." Dumbledore looked at the wounds on the werewolf's body and said, "I'll send you away first. This place is about to be overrun."
"Yes, sir."
Donovan, of course, had no objections. He took the Portkey that Dumbledore handed him and disappeared instantly from where he stood.
After that, Dumbledore turned his gaze toward the two house-elves standing nearby.
"Good morning, Mr. Dumbledore," Dobby said, bowing so deeply his nose nearly touched the ground.
Beside him, Maggie hurried to mimic the gesture, silently praying that Dumbledore wouldn't recognize him—
There were so many house-elves at Hogwarts; wizards usually couldn't tell which one was which, right?
"Good morning, Dobby, Maggie."
Dumbledore said gently, "I want to thank you both for your help. You are very brave and loyal house-elves."
Dobby's eyes lit up instantly, his cheeks flushing with excitement as he waved his arms and legs. "Dobby—Dobby is so happy to be of help!"
Maggie, on the other hand, snuck a glance at the Headmaster's face from beneath his brow and stammered quietly, "Actually… um… Maggie is…"
Dumbledore looked at him with a faint smile and said, "I know you left the school to buy Professor Trelawney some wine… did you manage to get it?"
Maggie shook his head quickly.
"Then go buy it," Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "And remember to return to school afterward… Wade is safely back now, so I don't think you'll need to travel a thousand kilometers just to find some whiskey this time."
—Th-this is it? No punishment?
Maggie stared at the Headmaster in disbelief. Even after Dumbledore reminded them to stay safe and Disapparated, he could hardly believe his luck.
"This is amazing!" Dobby cheered, pumping his fists. "Maggie didn't get punished! And Mr. Grey was rescued too!"
Maggie slowly came back to his senses and finally smiled.
He remembered passing by a room not long ago and seeing a sign that said "Wine Cellar," so with a pop, he vanished—and soon reappeared, his arms full of as much whiskey as he could carry.
"Maggie should go back to school now," he said. "Dobby, do you want to come too? Mr. Dumbledore would probably agree to take in a new house-elf."
Dobby was just about to nod, but then he hesitated.
"Mr. Dumbledore is a very, very good wizard, but… but…"
Dobby's eyes flickered with uncertainty that gradually turned into resolve.
"But Mr. Grey doesn't have a single house-elf… Dobby wants to ask him first. If he's willing to take me in, Dobby… Dobby wants to serve the Grey family…"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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