Leaving the room, Dumbledore didn't immediately reach for the door key. Instead he led Lucien down the stairs.
They had gone down a stretch when Lucien spoke up without warning.
"Headmaster, is this Nurmengard?"
Dumbledore, walking ahead, missed a step. His stride faltered for a heartbeat before he caught himself.
He understood. Lucien wasn't really asking about the place. He was asking about the man.
With his back to the boy, Dumbledore's expression stayed hidden.
"Why do you ask?" he said quietly.
Lucien's fingers brushed the roughly wrapped little booklet in his pocket—the one the old wizard had tossed him on the way out, pages crammed with dense notes on Fiendfyre technique.
"That man taught me a few things about controlling Fiendfyre."
"The way he handled it earlier was impressive. Total command. And at the very end, that deep blue light blooming inside the black flames… My eyes are decent. I caught it."
Lucien's tone stayed even, almost casual. "That particular shade of blue… Nicolas mentioned it once. Said there was a wizard whose blue Fiendfyre nearly burned Paris to the ground."
Dumbledore didn't confirm or deny. Lucien kept going.
"I've also heard Newt and Tina talk about how a certain wizard once used magic to change his face, slipped past a whole team of American Aurors, and got inside their organization."
"Of course, I didn't see any Transfiguration residue on him. Maybe he used something else—some darker method that warps bone and flesh. Natural Metamorphmagi aren't exactly common."
He paused, then added one last piece.
"Also—Newt told me once that Gellert Grindelwald has a very distinctive pair of eyes. Gem-like. The kind you remember the second you see them. That man's eyes looked ordinary enough on the surface, but there was still something in them that made it hard to look away. Like they had their own gravity."
Lucien had his own theory. Grindelwald was supposed to possess a pair of "Heavenly Eyes" that could glimpse the future. Even if he'd altered his appearance with magic, that particular quality might be harder to hide.
Dumbledore walked in silence for a few steps. When he finally spoke, there was a trace of wry amusement in his voice.
"Newt didn't say that in front of Tina, I hope."
Lucien's mouth curved. He didn't answer.
Praising another woman's eyes as gem-like probably wasn't the smartest move when your wife was in the room—even if Newt had meant it in the most Newt way possible, comparing Tina's eyes to a fire salamander glowing like fireworks in the dark.
Dumbledore continued down the stairs, his steps a little lighter now.
Since Lucien had already put the pieces together, there was no point pretending anymore.
He didn't pull out the key. He simply led Lucien all the way out of the tower.
The heavy castle doors stood open. Beyond them stretched a gray sky and jagged cliffs.
An old Muggle guard sat on a wooden bench by the entrance, cloudy eyes fixed on nothing in particular. He didn't so much as glance at them as they passed.
Lucien looked back. His gaze caught on the faded inscription carved above the doorframe.
"For the Greater Good."
The words sat there, quiet and heavy.
Dumbledore followed his line of sight. Something weary and wistful moved behind his eyes.
This place had once been a shrine. Commands that shook Europe—and the world—had gone out from these walls. Saints and followers had made pilgrimages here.
After the final battle between him and Grindelwald, it had become nothing more than a prison. One man's prison.
Cold sea wind climbed the cliffs and tugged at their robes.
"Lucien," Dumbledore said after a moment, "I've found a few new leads on the Horcruxes. Once I pin down the next location, would you like to come along?"
"An adventure with the great Albus Dumbledore?" Lucien's mouth tilted into a small smile. "I'm looking forward to it."
…
Some time later.
Inside the tower room, Grindelwald sat tapping idly at the Instant Language sheet.
The thin little book only had one name saved in it—Dumbledore. All the extra blank communication pages felt almost pointless.
A soft chime sounded.
Grindelwald paused. His fingers hovered above the page for a beat, then began to move.
"Recognized… Have Lucien help me visit someone. If he agrees, I'll give him some books to read. How about it?"