— — — — — —
Once Aberforth finally lashed out, his fate was sealed.
He was strong, no doubt, but Grindelwald wasn't playing around this time. The moment Aberforth tore free and grabbed for his wand, Grindelwald stepped back and the room rippled like water. The air thickened in an instant, its density multiplying until every movement felt like fighting through sludge.
Aberforth felt like he'd been dumped into a vat of wet concrete. Lifting his arm, even breathing, became a struggle.
"In the past, I showed mercy. Mostly for your brother's sake," Grindelwald said, wand-tip pressed against Aberforth's brow. "Maybe partly for Ariana's. But I've always hated you. Only Scamander annoys me more. I lost track of how many times you two wrecked my plans."
"But Scamander's learned his lesson. You haven't. You're still the same idiot, bouncing around in front of me like you're bulletproof. You think I don't hear how you talk about me?"
Grindelwald's jaw tightened as he remembered Tom deliberately baiting Aberforth into ranting about him. He hadn't forgotten.
Can't lay a hand on Tom, so I'll deal with you instead.
A brilliant flash burst from Aberforth's wand point. Violent magic surged like a tidal wave, blasting him out of the Hog's Head and breaking the binding on his body.
Aberforth didn't hesitate. He prepared to Apparate on the spot, but Grindelwald was already there, shadowing him. A whip of condensed magic cracked across Aberforth's back.
White-hot pain cut through him, interrupting the spell. Strange magic flooded his limbs, leaving him limp and useless, like someone had hit him with a Boneless Spell.
But Aberforth bit down and refused to scream. Grindelwald struck him several more times. Blood sprayed and spattered through the air, and Grindelwald calmly collected some of it.
A few locals rushed over to see what was happening. The moment they saw Grindelwald whipping Aberforth, they screamed and bolted. Anyone with a survival instinct knew better than to interfere with the Dark Lord. Britain didn't have many wizards reckless enough to try.
"Don't worry. I'm not killing you," Grindelwald said, voice almost casual. "When you recover, I'll come back. The Dumbledores have no future, Aberforth. You and your brother better live a little longer."
He left after throwing out that parting threat. And he had to go quickly—Tom and Ariana had been watching the entire thing from the study space, and the little witch was already swearing at him.
"Grindelwald! Tom only asked you to get some blood. Why did you insult Aberforth and then beat him half to death!"
Ariana was so furious she slipped into Obscurial form. A black storm raged around Grindelwald, snapping at him like a pack of wolves.
Grindelwald could only defend himself while trying to justify his behavior. "Ariana, it had to look real. And I can't strike first with the blood pact in place. I had to provoke him."
"I'll let you see the real thing," the little witch fired back from inside the whirling darkness.
If her older brother had been the one taking the beating, Ariana wouldn't have been half as mad. Honestly, she would've probably enjoyed it. Albus back then had been obsessed with glory and greatness, dreaming of becoming a "great wizard," and his family barely made his priority list.
But Aberforth was the one who cared for her, especially after she became an Obscurial—he treated her like something fragile and precious.
And today, Aberforth got hurt because of her. No wonder she was furious.
Faced with Ariana's accusation, Grindelwald actually nodded. "Yes. It was revenge. He can't beat me. You can't beat me either."
That pushed Ariana over the edge. The storm sped up violently.
Andros watched with visible disgust. "Gellert just gets more shameless by the day. When he first showed up, I thought he was a classy dark wizard with real charm."
"There's a saying," Ravenclaw said with a smile, "Keep company with the virtuous and you'll be virtuous; keep company with the wicked and you'll be wicked. Do you understand now, Andros?"
Andros glanced at a certain boy and nodded subtly.
He understood.
Tom's face darkened. He glared at Rowena. She stared back innocently. She'd only quoted a proverb—what was the problem?
"I'm done arguing," Grindelwald suddenly said. His expression shifted. "Your brother's coming for me. Ariana, train more. Don't expect Tom to handle everything."
His consciousness snapped out of the Study space.
Those last words weren't sarcasm. Recently, Ariana had become a bit lazy. She'd realized how quickly Tom was growing and how far behind she was falling. No matter how she pushed, she couldn't catch up. She'd started giving up.
Grindelwald considered her his first and last disciple. He couldn't let her throw herself away.
So in a twisted way, Aberforth's beating was meant to motivate her. All things considered, Aberforth didn't come out too badly. If getting roughed up buys a resurrected sister and a brighter future, it's a bargain.
...
Meanwhile, Dumbledore's meeting had just ended. The Durmstrang representative was Vinda Rosier, and Albus didn't find that strange. He knew Grindelwald hated trivial administrative work.
Back in his office, Dumbledore froze.
Aberforth had sent a distress alert?
His expression changed. He rushed toward Hogsmeade without another thought.
He found Aberforth sitting outside the Hog's Head, soaked in blood, staring up at the sky with hollow eyes. He didn't even acknowledge Albus' arrival.
"Aberforth… where is Gel... Grindelwald? How are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked, trying to sound calm. One quick glance over the wounds told him they were mostly superficial. He let out a quiet breath.
Aberforth turned his head mechanically. His voice was rough, almost gone. "Albus… have I failed at everything in my life? I didn't protect Ariana. I wasn't a father to Credence. I watched him die in my arms."
"Aberforth, it wasn't your fault." Dumbledore's voice softened. "We did all we could. No life can be perfect from beginning to end. You must learn to look forward."
"Look forward?" Aberforth gave a twisted laugh. "Forward to what? Tell me, Albus. What's ahead?"
"The Dumbledores are finished. Grindelwald was right. We have no future. I killed Ariana with my own hands. I made the Dumbledores the end of their own line."
Dumbledore's face shifted; he could no longer stay calm.
Aberforth's grief-soaked self-recrimination jabbed straight into his heart, needle after needle, until it felt like it was punctured beyond repair.
Aberforth had been wrong, yes, but wasn't all of it set in motion by him?
If he hadn't let fame and ambition blind him back then, none of the tragedy that followed would have happened.
At the same time, Dumbledore felt a wave of anger flare up.
Gellert Grindelwald!
What the hell is wrong with you? Bored out of your mind so you have to go poke at my brother? He wasn't that bright to begin with and now you've sent him into full existential crisis!
"Aberforth. What exactly did that bastard Grindelwald say to you?" Dumbledore forced his voice gentle despite the simmering rage.
Hearing him call Grindelwald a bastard, Aberforth relaxed a little and repeated the gist of what Grindelwald told him.
Once he finished, Dumbledore looked at him with faint pity.
Good lord… has your brain really rusted from lack of use? You fell for such an obvious provocation?
"Aberforth… you honestly believe him?"
"He's got no reason to lie, Albus."
"He's literally lying so you throw the first punch. Did you forget that Grindelwald and I are bound by a blood pact?" Dumbledore said, exhausted.
Aberforth's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about that tiny little detail.
"Besides…" Dumbledore sighed. "You remember how chaotic things were that day. By the time we found Ariana… quite some time had already passed. You really think Grindelwald could remember every detail so clearly?"
"We're all equally responsible. The three of us. No difference."
After soothing Aberforth, Dumbledore stormed back to defend his brother's honor. Grindelwald had already predicted exactly that and slipped away before he arrived.
He was still in a weakened state. Purifying his soul had opened a path forward, but his dark magic's power had dropped sharply. He needed to retrain his will.
Fighting Dumbledore without a dark magic buff while the man had the Elder Wand was asking to get flattened. Maybe even captured alive. Better to hide for a while.
Finding Grindelwald gone only made Dumbledore even angrier. He stopped by Tom's place to reclaim his phoenix, then took off in pursuit.
.
.
.