• Meeting Chamber No. 3, ICW Headquarters, Switzerland •
• October 16th, 2:00 PM •
[Albus Dumbledore]
'What did I do to deserve this?' I asked myself, struggling to keep my expression neutral as I hid the physical pain I was starting to feel out of sheer boredom.
Whoever said divinity is a good thing was either drunk, or lying through their teeth. Divine and primordial status, while beneficial for me in my overall worldly predicament and mission, have proved to be quite the disservice to my current situation.
This was something I had not accounted for in my plans. The way my traits, personality quirks, and such qualities would mesh with divinity.
I am not at risk of losing my humanity—I am at risk of becoming too human of a god.
This doesn't mean I would go Greek, or Old Testament, but I need to find a way to balance my divinity, my emotions, and my humanity…
'Otherwise I would not be able to stomach politics in any way or form.'
I nodded mentally as I noted down a few points to analyze and figure out later. It was a good thing I caught this early, before I went and did something regrettable.
Finding out that my dislike for political nonsense had transcended humanity was a new experience, but I honestly can't say I did not see that coming.
I hated politicians in my previous life, and the old Dumbledore was already sick and tired of playing politics and was planning on retiring, so is it ever a wonder that the new Dumbledore—aka me—hates it too?
Though if I was being completely honest with myself, I know the reason was not fully out of hate. No, it's because I am, by nature, a control freak, and I have even less tolerance for the fragile, inflated egos of those pompous idiots.
Taking a deep breath, I focused back on the conversation that was currently happening.
'I can't believe they are still talking about this.' I thought as I felt my already thinning self-control beginning to snap.
"We still need to vote on whether or not we should try and wipe out the memories of the muggles that were on the scene…"
"And what would that accomplish, huh? The story should have spread enough to make any countermeasures we make now highly ineffective."
"But we didn't even try. How could you possibly know it's ineffective?"
"Because there was a fucking angel in the two cities where Christianity is the most widespread religion in their respective countries. Am I the only one who can see how the sight of an angel would spread so fast?"
"Enough!" I snapped and hit my desk softly with a palm full of magic; the sound bounced off the walls of the chamber, silencing everyone. "I have heard enough of this inane bickering. As I said three hours ago, there will be no effort made toward trying to keep the gates' existence a secret."
"But Supreme Mugwump…"
I silenced the witch with a look. Then let my gaze wander and watch everyone for a few seconds before shaking my head.
'There's no use.'
"I already decided on a course of action," I said with a firm tone, my cold, expressionless face making it clear that this was not up for debate anymore. Still, I wanted to explain why I was doing this, just in case there was any confusion, so I did.
"Believe it or not, I was ready to throw away my plans if you had actually come together, discussed, and presented something that resembled a strategy. Even if it was the bare bones of one, I was ready to forgo everything I had thought of until this point and sit down to help make what you came up with into a viable strategy. But guess what? You did not." I continued after a brief bout of silence. "Instead, you wasted valuable time fighting together in so many convoluted ways to try and gain the upper hand and most benefit while taking the least risk, not once thinking about the safety of the world…"
"But sir…" a voice tried to interrupt me, making me let loose a small amount of my fear aura, letting his words stick in his throat.
"But nothing." I snapped. "It has been more than four hours. We used no longer than forty-five minutes to discuss the dangers of the gates and the angel, and then all of you started to bicker like children, shouting and going in circles about the same thing, over and over again… So no, good sirs and madams. The time for democracy and politics has come to an end." I said as I stood up from my seat.
"Effective immediately. The Elder Council of the ICW and its accompanying governing body is abolished henceforth, and a new system will be created in its place. 'The Council of the Ten Saints.' Said council will be composed of the top ten ranks in the Archive, with a pool of fifteen wizards or witches to choose from. Minimum requirement to take the seat is being of rank B‑ or up." I announced, feeling fed up with everything.
"You can't do that…"
"We never agreed to…"
"Silence!" I raised my voice, my aura going full blast for a split second, petrifying and silencing everyone in the room. "This is not up for debate. You have proved yourselves incompetent and thus lost the right to voice your opinion. You want a seat? Get stronger and take it."
"That's enough, Albus!" Nicholas interrupted, and I blinked a few times and took a deep breath.
Still, I continued. "As of this moment, there are four people in the world who are qualified, or barely so: me, Sir Nicholas, Madam Perenelle, and Gellert Grindelwald."
"You cannot, Albus." Madam Perenelle said. "Gellert is a Dark Lord."
"And yet he is the only one aside from us who has enough power and knowledge to make a difference in the face of the upcoming turbulence."
"Albus… surely you know that this is not the only path…"
"But that's the thing, Nicholas. It is the only path." I pointedly said. "I gave them a chance to let go of their greed, their lust for imaginary power and benefits that will be obsolete by this time next year, yet almost none of them even thought of thinking of the big picture…"
"I know you are angry, Albus." Madam Perenelle sighed softly and said, "but—"
"That's the thing, Madam Perenelle. I am not." I corrected. "I am just so deeply and thoroughly disappointed."
"Even so, this path would surely lead to discord."
I stopped talking for a second, letting them believe I was considering what she said, but then shook my head.
"Sixty percent," I slowly said. "That's the most optimistic percentage I could come up with if we united and tried our hardest to go through whatever the new world throws at us…"
"Surely not, Albus…" the couple gasped. "There has to be another way…"
"If there is, I can't find it." I simply shook my head, a solemn expression on my face. "And since I can't find another way, I have to try my hardest to preserve what I could…"
"But Albus, surely we can come together and think of another way…"
"We can. After the new system is in place," I agreed with her.
"Albus, the consequences of this might be more severe than you think…"
I stopped talking and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes for a second before opening them and looking directly into Nicholas's eyes.
"Answer me this one question, Nicholas. Just one honest answer, and I will retract everything I just said and apologize to everyone here individually."
He looked at me, his youthful face marred by a small frown, and inclined his head in agreement.
"Would you trust these people here with our future? Can you honestly say that you trust our lives and the future of magical children into their hands?"
Nicholas looked at me, then closed his eyes. His body slumped back into his seat as he let out a long and tired exhale.
"No," he answered. "No, I would not."
And that was it. That was the final blow every attendee here needed to finally grasp the finality of the situation. The chaotic mixture of emotions I sensed in that moment said it all.
Shock, fear, hurt, exasperation, grief, anger, resignation. So many different emotions filled the air, yet not one of these people said anything.
"Now you see my point," I concluded, cementing my argument.
"But Albus. What about all the chaos and discord that the results of this meeting is bound to cause?"
"Well, those who try will be forfeiting their life." I shrugged, showing a thoroughly uncaring expression. "I don't need to remind everyone here that Gellert is free and as of now a new member of the new council of the ICW. He will be the one to deal with infighting."
"That could lead to thousands of deaths, Albus." Madam Perenelle argued, standing up. "Let me be the one to handle this instead…"
I caressed my eyebrows to ease the headache I was starting to feel but conceded to her point all the same.
"As you wish, Madam… but let it be known that should the current peace be disturbed by some wannabe with an overgrown ego, they shall receive no mercy."
"Naturally," Nicholas said, agreeing with me. "We are trying to save our world, so any disturbance will be met with lethal consequences. We have no margin for error or mercy."
"Alright then. Now that we've settled this, let's start talking about how to handle the consequences of the gates, their exploration, etc…"
"Okay, let's do that." Nicholas said as he gestured for me to sit down. "Feel free to participate if you have anything useful to say," he then said, addressing the silent crowd.
'Alright, now we are going somewhere.'
---
Two hours later, a new public announcement shook the wizarding world. The news of a new governing system came abruptly and made people's heads spin in shock.
The fact that the new system still needed six people to fill the posts, as well as the requirements, was surprising. It lit the fire of ambition in almost everyone who read it.
The simplicity of the choice-making process was what got people going. Fifteen candidates. Ten seated and five in reserve. Everyone could be in it. It didn't matter what one's origin was or their political weight. All that mattered was being one of the most powerful wizards or witches alive to get a seat.
This, of course, led to a new sort of frenzy. It forced those not yet connected to the Archive to race for it.
By the evening of October 16th, less than 5% of the wizarding world population were unaware of the news, and by the afternoon of the 17th, the number fell to less than 1%.
Of course, not all reactions were positive, but the threat of fatal consequences for those opposing the change made sure the dissatisfaction stayed verbal and contained—for now.
No one truly knew what or how the future would go, but most people, especially the younger generations, were nothing short of enthusiastic.
Change presented opportunities for them. New, reachable, and far less thorny than ever before. It made them believe that success was inevitable for those who worked hard for it.
And for the first time in a long, long time, the world felt like their oyster.
Literally.
---
• October 16th, 1996. 6:00 PM •
• Bucharest, Romania •
[Gellert Grindelwald]
Gellert groaned in discomfort as he sat down on the uncomfortable, long‑backed, fancy chair. His silver‑white hair was a mess, and his clothes were filled with rips and tears.
It was clear that his negotiations did not go as smoothly as intended, and that was his mistake. He forgot to account for otherworldly influence over the vampire covens, and anomalous beings from the other world.
'Though, now that I think about it, is it really my fault?' he thought, trying to find a way to absolve himself of the mistake, but he couldn't.
He could probably argue that he was incarcerated until recently, but that argument went to hell the moment someone mentioned his returned youth and rising power.
So, yeah. He knew everything there was to know about the changes in the world, thus his failure to account for the possibility of an otherworldly vampire crossing over was, while statistically low, still a possibility. One that he ignored and very much paid for.
"Now then, let's see what this blinking is all about," he muttered, gaining a confused look from the kneeling vampires in the spacious hall, which he chose to ignore for the moment.
It didn't take him more than a few seconds to read through the announcements he missed—a testament to how fast he processed information after his rank promotion.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips, which then turned into fully grown laughter.
He couldn't believe Albus had done that. The man shared the meeting minutes openly and publicly with everyone, leaving only a few redacted lines that required one to be of a certain level of power to read.
"Well, well, Albus. It seems I was not the only one having fun." He shook his head, wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye. Morgana, he needed that laugh…
Turning his attention back to the kneeling vampires, he twirled his wand slightly, making them hiss and writhe on the ground, full of pain.
"Hissss!"
"Ughhh!!!"
"Mercy, please!"
He sighed and stopped his action, finding their reactions to be bland and just not worth it anymore.
"Okay," he slowly said. "The mark is fully functional, and as of now, I own you and your bloodline until further notice…"
"You will not get away with this, Grindelwald." One of the vampires in the front hissed. "Master Tepes will not let you go."
Gellert watched the man with a blank expression, his eyes studying the pale complexion, red eyes, and broody aura. He couldn't help but grin in response.
"That is what I am counting on…" he replied earnestly.
He truly was waiting to see how strong this Tepes person was. A person who had changed the vampires of their world so fundamentally, giving them access to more gifts than they ever had. Yes, he truly was looking forward to it.
Maybe he would get more thorough information about the new world and, for once, by himself, see how different that world was.
'Plus, the man is working hard to get my job done for me, so I should prepare a thank‑you gift for him, shouldn't I?'
Gellert smiled. A wide smile. A terrifying smile.
It was truly good to be young and alive.
X_