The gloomy atmosphere within Nurmengard's prison was almost suffocating.
The sunless walls held an indescribable, lingering smell.
The space between the iron bars was narrow, barely allowing for any freedom. Only the distant sound of the wind and the casual whisper of an elf broke the deadly silence.
Grindelwald sat in his solitary cell, his graying hair completely untidy, his mottled face showing the marks of time.
He had aged terribly.
Time had made no exceptions for this once-legend. His body was frail, his spirit dispirited, and even the sharpness in his eyes had long since faded, leaving only unconcealed weariness and deep contemplation.
His hands held no magical power, and he looked like an old man nearing the end of his life.
But,
as his eyes scanned the package delivered by the elves and caught sight of the envelope, which could only have appeared if the person had written to him, his gaze lit up.
No trace of vice remained. An intense light and passion filled his eyes, a near-overflowing passion rivaling that of any wizard in his prime. It was as if he had returned to those passionate days of fifty years ago. Grindelwald's eyes trembled.
Lately, he'd been having the same dream all the time.
The Muggles, drawn by his wand, lined up before "It," their bare feet scraping the ground in panic. I smiled grimly and raised "It." A green flame, like the aurora, emanated from the tip of my wand, captivating yet terrifying.
He quietly opened the envelope, feeling the texture of the paper, even putting his nose to it and inhaling deeply.
The air smelled of ashes.
Was Fawkes reborn? Albus was glad to have it guarding him. The superstition that
he'd bit his finger with his teeth, the seal that could only be opened with his blood, was finally broken.
His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the letter, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. He wasn't in a hurry to read through it all.
When Dumbledore mentioned Damon White, a flicker of curiosity and thought flashed in Grindelwald's eyes.
A new name, seemingly connected in some inexplicable way to the former Tom Riddle.
Young, gifted, master of advanced spells, and the creation of powerful spells of his own, and his own ideas.
"Plucking a single hair to benefit the world, wouldn't you do it?"
The old man's lips curled in a hint of disdain.
Hypocritical thoughts.
Fifty years ago, such brazenness would have been met with swift, severe consequences. The offender would quickly discover their composure was misplaced.
But this child...
"Breaking Gamp's Law of Transfiguration at the age of twelve,"
he muttered to himself, his gaze shifting from the letter to the bars of his cell, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Albus's worries were not unfounded.
This young man's ideas were different from his own and from that coward Tom. Most terrifying of all, he possessed an inexhaustible hope. No one could predict where his future would end.
But what did this have to do with him?
Grindelwald didn't rush to reply. Instead, he pondered how he could escape with his lover. Could
this young man named Damon be used?
"Not yet."
He peeled a lemon sherbet candy, placed it in his dry mouth, and chewed it slowly.
Because his mouth was so dry, the candy initially stuck to his mouth, which was not very comfortable.
But soon, his saliva moistened the candy, and the refreshing sweetness penetrated his senses.
Grindelwald leaned against the Deathly Hallows symbol, closed his eyes, and smiled. Harry's scar ached.
The last time it hurt this much was when he saw Professor Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest. The root cause was Voldemort, who had possessed him at the time.
So... what was going on? Was Voldemort back?
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Damon White! Just wait!"
He heard a terrifying voice roar, its laughter raging in the Albanian forest. Why was there even Hogwarts?
"Harry? Harry!"
He vaguely heard the call, jolting awake in a cold sweat.
"What happened, Harry?"
He came to his senses, his roommates gathered around him. It was still the middle of the night,
which made Harry quite embarrassed.
"Oh, sorry, I had a nightmare."
Harry instinctively felt something was wrong, but he was afraid to make a big deal out of it. After all, it was just a dream, wasn't it?
But as daylight approached, his unease intensified.
A group of early risers gathered in the hallway, and the crowd grew larger and larger, forming a long line—impossible for any passing student to ignore.
Damon noticed it too, but he opted to go to breakfast, while Harry and the others opted to watch the excitement unfold.
The incident occurred on the third floor. Many students stood along the corridor walls, anxiously creating a long line.
Harry instinctively sensed something was amiss, and his heartbeat quickened.
Between the two windows, foot-high words were scrawled, gleaming faintly in the light of the burning torches.
"The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened.
Enemies of the Heir, Beware!"
A slogan, etched in blood, adorned the wall, and beneath it floated a motionless, horrifying apparition. It was Nearly Headless Nick.
Something was clearly amiss with him.
He had been petrified.
"How is this possible!"
Harry's lip trembled. Hermione and Ron, privy to the situation, stared at him intently. Neville's face was filled with fear.
"
Opening the Chamber of Secrets requires Parseltongue. Could another Parselmouth exist?
Ron whispered in the ears of several people - Harry couldn't help but be grateful to him in his heart.
Fortunately, Ron did not suggest the possibility that he might be the one to open the Chamber of Secrets, otherwise Harry felt that he would be very uncomfortable.
"This is not right! Obviously, there has been some change in the situation that we don't know about. We must tell Damon immediately! "
Hermione's expression was serious.
Malfoy stood in the crowd, his expression unusually proud.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened! The great heir of Slytherin has returned to school and found his heritage! Slytherin is about to become great again!"
He opened his arms wide, and the topic was quickly led to another level.
"Who will be the heir of Slytherin?"
Read 20+ chapters ahead at
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of this chapter)