Gellert Grindelwald stared at the chessboard. He always played chess on his own. Sometimes, when Albus visited his prison, they would play against each other. His prison wasn't so bad: a comfortable bed, a writing desk, a shelf with Muggle poetry books to pass the time, and a couch. There was a new addition to this prison—a rocking chair Albus had gifted him. The lights brightened the room.
He was no longer youthful. He had wrinkles, but he was still attractive. Even in prison, Gellert took care of his appearance. Then again, Albus did fulfill some of his requests. His old friend knew how much Gellert cared about his beauty.
All those years ago, when he lost against him, the bitterness and rage he felt from being trapped in his own prison had disappeared. He had failed in his conquest. He accepted his defeat.
Now? Gellert felt hope. A week ago, he had seen a vision—a young girl. At first, he was confused. The child wore a Hogwarts uniform; she bore a resemblance to him. He knew he had never slept with any woman to begin with. That left one option: his half-sister, Martha Grindelwald. This child belonged to her.
He had never had any real connection with her, as he had always cared more for his ambitions than family matters. Still, that didn't mean he hadn't kept an eye on her. He remembered clearly when he received the report of her death. She had been married, yes, but she hadn't had any children. And yet, here in his vision, he saw a child who resembled his late half-sister, Martha.
What fate was planning?
Gellert glanced at the doorway. He heard familiar footsteps and smiled. He knew who it was. Still, he was surprised he was here today—he usually visited only every three months. Again, Gellert knew. He knew why he was here.
The door unlocked from the outside and opened. Albus Dumbledore walked into the room, holding something in his hand. Gellert noticed it but looked away, staring at the chess piece. "Is this about the girl?" Because why else would he be here?
"You know?" Albus's voice was calm, oddly enough. "I suppose I don't have to ask questions…" He sat on the couch and sighed. "My knees still hurt from climbing stairs…"
"Well, we are at that age, Albus. Sooner or later, one of us will kick the bucket."
"Fair enough… You had a vision of her?"
"Barely," Gellert grunted. "I only caught glimpses of her appearance."
Albus leaned forward and held out the letter to him. "Take a look."
Gellert turned his gaze from the chessboard. He took the letter and read it.
Bella Grindelwald
Basement room number 6
Wool Orphanage
Gellert blinked. "Wool Orphanage…" He looked at Albus with amusement. "Isn't that where your ex-student came from? What a coincidence. And she lives in the basement… Reminds me of how I spent my childhood in the basement doing experiments. Heh, definitely my relative."
He set the letter on the table. "What do you want me to do? Because…" He gestured around the room. "The space is too small, and I don't have the materials to raise a child."
"I wasn't here for that matter." Albus took the letter and tucked it back into his robes. "What I want to know… is your thoughts on this matter."
Gellert shrugged. "I never met her… A week ago, I had a vision. I was confused, but it's clear from your words and that letter… But I can tell you this—I had my people keeping an eye on my half-sister, and she was reported dead. She had no children."
Albus furrowed his brow. "That doesn't help much…"
"Sorry, old friend, that's all I can tell you." Gellert leaned back in his seat. "You're meeting her now?"
"Yes, I was going to head there. I thought I would come here and tell you…"
"Mmh."
Albus stood and clapped his hands. "Well! It was nice meeting you, Gellert. See you on Halloween." He turned away and walked.
"Yes, see you on Halloween, Albus. Do send me more chocolate frogs. I'm almost close to finishing my collection."
"Of course, Gellert. Good day."
"Good day, Albus."
Gellert's attention shifted back to the chessboard before him on the table. The door shut tight, and the footsteps faded away. For an hour, he stared at the board, making no move. His gaze fixed on the white knight and the black pawn. "He did that on purpose…" He closed his eyes. "You little…"
Family matters.
Albus had purposely come here, shown him the letter so he would know of the child's existence, and made his move. Albus was the white lord. Everyone admired—and even feared—their headmaster. But they didn't know who Albus truly was. Only he did.
Even now, Gellert knew what Albus had just pulled. He opened his eyes, rose from his seat, and walked over to the writing desk. He grimaced at the pain in his back. Well, he'd better start exercising from now on. Albus already knew Gellert's next move. How could Gellert refuse to play with his old friend? This was exciting.
Bella Grindelwald.
Gellert wanted to see his grand-niece in action, and perhaps pass on his gifts to her.
First, he should prepare something—and get out of here.
___________________________
"Blah! I don't even have a cheat system! This is so unfair!!"
Ten-year-old Bella Grindelwald, reborn into the Harry Potter world with no golden spoon and no cheat, had been in Wool's Orphanage for as long as she could remember. The children had a hard time getting along with her at first. However, Bella was good with kids and eventually won their hearts. The staff were kind as well, especially Ayla, the head of the orphanage—she was the nicest, most caring woman Bella had ever met.
How did Bella know she was in Harry Potter? From her earliest memories—of a woman who wasn't her mother, speaking to others while using wands. Bella had seen magic firsthand as a baby. She even remembered the words: "We'll dump her here because she cannot be discovered! When the time is right, we'll bring her with us!" With that, they left her.
The orphanage staff found her and took her in. Her name had been written on the letter with her: Bella Grindelwald.
How the heck did she end up with that name?! Was she his granddaughter? Ahhh!! Whoever dumped her here—couldn't they have given her a simple family name? Not something flashy or ancient! FREAKING GRINDELWALD?!
She was doomed. She just knew it.
Building a reputation in the orphanage was hard. At first, like she said, the children had a hard time with her—mostly because of her mismatched eyes and unnaturally blonde hair. No one wanted to be near her. Even the staff muttered about how strange she looked… everyone except Madam Ayla.
Still, it sucked that she'd been given a room in the basement. The food wasn't great here, but it was enough to get by day to day. Bella often did small jobs outside on the streets. She wore black glasses to hide her mismatched eyes. Ah, she was cursed—she knew it. One eye was blue, the other silver-gray.
That Grindelwald name was a bloody curse!
"Bella!" A seven-year-old boy named Marco opened the door to her room. "Miss Ayla wants to see you in her office!"
"Okay!" Bella closed her book, put it away, and got off the bed. She wore a green shirt and baggy pants, her hair tied up high. Grabbing her glasses, she checked her clothes before heading out. Thank god for donations—Bella wasn't interested in dresses; she was more of a tomboy. Leaving her room, she headed upstairs toward the office, wondering what Ayla wanted with her.
The children were playing outside, leaving the hallway empty. Her footsteps echoed around the building. She reached the office and knocked.
"Come in!" Ayla's kind—and oddly excited—voice called out.
Huh, she's in a good mood, Bella thought, pushing the door open and stepping inside. "You call—" Her words choked in her throat as her eyes landed on the man sitting in the office.
An elderly man she recognized from movies and the descriptions in books from her previous life.
Albus. Fucking. Dumbledore.
She was so damn glad she wore her glasses. Otherwise, it would have been far too suspicious for a ten-year-old to stare at him like they'd met before. And, well—the fact that he could read minds. Good lord. Was this the end of her life?
Aaah! She didn't want to die yet!
"Come in, Bella! Come in!" Ayla, the woman in her fifties, was practically glowing with excitement. She got up from her seat and walked over to her. "Look! Your grandpa is here to take you home!"
Bella choked on her breath. Grandpa?! HUH!? WHAT KIND OF TWIST IS THIS?!
Albus Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "Hello, my dear…"
Help. I'm getting kidnapped.
"G-Grandpa…? Uhh… you… my…?" Bella stammered, completely lost. What kind of story was this? What did he cook up? Did Albus have children or something? Was this a plot to take her under his wing so she wouldn't go down a dark path? Or did he want to adopt his ex-lover's child? What kind of fetish was this supposed to be? SOMEONE EXPLAIN ALREADY!
She was freaking out!
"Don't be shy, Bella… Greet your grandpa," Alya spoke gently, pushing her toward the elderly man. "She's very shy when meeting strangers…"
Bella wanted to bolt out of there. This was freaking Albus Dumbledore! Enemy of his ex-lover! It never crossed her mind that she would get a Hogwarts letter! Wahh, why is her luck so bad? And what's wrong with Miss Alya!? She couldn't help but feel that something was off—her tone, her posture, even her gaze!
Wait, is she under a spell?
"Miss Grindelwald, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster of a magical school called Hogwarts." Albus pulled out a letter from his pocket and handed it to her. "You will be attending Hogwarts… Also, yes, as Miss Alya said, you are being adopted." He said all of this with a straight, warm, elderly smile.
"W-What…?" She was stunned. "Excuse me… what magic? What's Hogwarts? Who are you? How are we related? Y-you're my grandpa?" Bella wasn't good at acting, but she did her best. Plus, she was wearing her glasses.
Oh, the way he spoke about magic—it seemed she was right; he did put Alya under a spell.
"Take a seat… I didn't mean to make you feel overwhelmed, child."
Bruh, your presence already scared me. What's there to overwhelm when fear's already here?
Bella took a seat in the chair opposite him. "Y-Yes, I am… You really surprised me… uh… This is way too sudden…" She glanced at Miss Alya, who stood there staring at Dumbledore. "What did you do to Miss Alya?"
"I haven't done anything… It's a Confundus Charm. Don't worry, she won't remember our conversation. The truth is, child… I have a friend who shares the same last name as you. He had a half-sister—your grandmother. She passed away. The records stated she didn't have a child, but she did… your father, Timothy Grindelwald. Your mother was a Muggle-born witch whose death is still a mystery. As for your father, he died in battle."
"What… what was my mother's name?"
"That, I'm afraid I have no idea. We're still investigating."
"Oh…" So, that's her background story. "You're adopting me because of your friend…?" She clenched her fists, lowering her head. "Does your friend hate me?"
"No, child. He wasn't aware of your existence. You see, at Hogwarts, there is the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance," Albus explained. "The Quill of Acceptance detects signs of magic in children and writes their names into the Book of Admittance. That's how I came to know about you."
Basically a GPS, she thought. Did wizards have satellites launched into space? Although she already knew about it, she still wasn't expecting it. She nodded. "I see… Why can't that friend of yours adopt me?"
"He…" Albus hesitated. "He has done… something bad. But I assure you, he's a good man."
Wow. Just wow. "Okay…"
"Don't you want to know more?" Albus asked, surprised by how indifferent she sounded. He had expected her to be curious about magic or her family.
She shook her head. "What's the point?"
It's not like she could change anything. Her life was already a mess. Whoever her parents were, she knew them only by name—well, one of them now—and Gellert Grindelwald was rotting in his own prison. All she could do now was study magic and find something that worked out. The Muggle world was still in development; she could make things using references from her past life, maybe invest once she had some Galleons. In short, she had a plan.
As long as Dumbledore didn't treat her like a second Tom Riddle. Argh, Merlin forbid.
Oh, look, she was already speaking witch language.
"When do we leave?"
ChatGPT said:
"Tomorrow. Today, I was here to give you the letter and explain the situation…" Albus sounded concerned. Maybe he shouldn't have overwhelmed her with so much information. "But if you want… I can take you today. You'll have to stay at Hogwarts until I get the house fixed."
Staying at Hogwarts meant getting a look at the library—and maybe buttering up a few professors to make things easier. She wasn't stupid. She carried a cursed name, after all. Still, she doubted anyone would welcome her with open arms. It doesn't hurt to try, she thought. How bad can it be? Maybe they won't look at me with disgust—just pity?
Maybe it would even turn out better. Maybe that cursed name might actually keep her from getting bullied.
"That… doesn't sound bad."
"All right. You can get your bags ready, then. I'll perform a memory charm on the staff here."
She didn't own much—just a few books and some hand-me-down clothes—but she nodded and stood, leaving the room.
Well… it wouldn't be so bad.