Chapter 1: The Last Day of 1945
1945, night.
As the winter sun vanished beneath the distant horizon, a middle-aged man in formal robes slowly retracted his gaze. He had short, silver-white hair and a pair of mismatched eyes.
"Lord Grindelwald..." A cool, detached woman standing beside him bowed her head slightly. "He is coming."
At her words, the others present trembled slightly.
"I know, Vinda," Grindelwald spoke. He let out a soft sigh and said, "I will go and face him."
"As for the rest of you..." He paused for a few seconds. "You only need to hold back that Ministry trash."
"Yes, Lord Grindelwald." Grindelwald's loyal right hand, Vinda Rosier, nodded lightly and then looked at the crowd in the hall.
"You all heard Lord Grindelwald's command, yes?"
"Wipe out that Ministry trash," she said, raising her wand high. "And... For the Greater Good!"
Following her command, all the wizards in the hall raised their wands, shouting the slogan. Only one girl, standing in the corner, who shared Grindelwald's silver hair, seemed out of place. She also had a pair of pointed, elf-like ears. She nervously clutched her wand, her blue eyes downcast, daring not to meet anyone's gaze.
As the wizards filed out, Grindelwald spotted the conspicuous silver head in the crowd. He pondered for a few seconds before suddenly speaking: "Miss Hamilton, please stay behind. I have something to discuss with you."
At his command, Vinda was the first to turn her head. She and Grindelwald exchanged a look, her eyes filled with shock.
"We must always leave a contingency," Grindelwald said in a low voice.
"I understand, my Lord." Vinda took a deep breath. If her face had been filled with fighting spirit just moments before, it was now tinged with a tragic resolve.
It was as if she already knew the end of the story. But so what... she would not give up the fight, nor would she abandon the slightest chance for change.
And the wizard called Miss Hamilton was precisely that anxious, silver-haired, pointed-eared girl from before. She moved against the flow of the crowd, her somewhat frail body having to shrink in on itself to avoid bumping into the others.
By the time she finally reached Grindelwald, all the other wizards had left. Only Vinda remained at his side.
"Vinda... I wish to speak with her alone." Grindelwald's mismatched eyes swept lightly over Rosier. "Besides, the others need your help."
"I..." Vinda pressed her lips together and then nodded lightly. She didn't ask any more questions, but instead gripped her wand and walked quickly out of the hall.
Click.
As the great door closed, only Grindelwald and Miss Hamilton remained in the magnificent, opulent hall.
"Miss Hamilton," Grindelwald said softly, calling the girl's name.
"L-L... Lord... Grindelwald..." Miss Hamilton stammered, nervously wringing the hem of her robes, not even daring to look up and meet his eyes.
But this rather rude display only made Grindelwald chuckle. "Do you know why I asked you to stay behind alone?"
"Sorry... I... I don't know..." Miss Hamilton bit her lip and gave her reply.
"I don't think... I... I can do anything..." she said, her grip tightening on her sleeve, her darting blue eyes fixed intently on the tips of her shoes.
"Ah... true enough." Grindelwald smiled faintly. "In the past few years, many people have said the same thing."
"'What can Miss Hamilton do? Miss Hamilton doesn't even dare to fight! Miss Hamilton can't even kill a Niffler! Miss Hamilton isn't even fit to carry Lord Grindelwald's briefcase!'"
Grindelwald's voice grew louder with each sentence, and the girl before him seemed to shrink, curling in on herself until she almost touched the floor.
"However..." Grindelwald's tone suddenly shifted. A smile appeared on his face. "Miss Lyra Hamilton."
"I, for one, do not think so."
"Graduating from Durmstrang early at just fifteen. Mastering non-verbal casting for most spells by fourteen..." Grindelwald paused, reaching out to place a hand on Lyra Hamilton's shoulder.
"You are far more powerful than you imagine."
"B... but..." Lyra carefully raised her head, wanting to say something, but Grindelwald raised an index finger to his lips.
"Miss Hamilton, I have been listening to your self-deprecation for three years," he said, shaking his head. "And now hardly seems the time for it."
"I have a mission for you." He lowered his voice.
"A... a mission?!" Lyra seemed startled. She quickly backed away a few steps, her ears perking up. "I... I can't do it... Lord Grindelwald, you know I..."
"No. On the contrary," Grindelwald's lips curled into a smirk. "This is something only you can do."
"Only you, with your half-Veela blood. Only you, who has mastered non-verbal spells. Only you, who has never appeared before Albus Dumbledore, can do this." Grindelwald's tone was exceptionally firm. "And more importantly, I believe you can do it."
"I..." Lyra looked at Grindelwald in astonishment, seemingly having never expected him to say such a thing. She asked instinctively, "Wh... what is the mission?"
"Simple." Grindelwald shrugged, tapping the Elder Wand lightly on Lyra's shoulder. "Albus Dumbledore is strong."
"Far stronger than anyone imagines." A strange light flashed in his mismatched eyes.
"But... you... you will win." Lyra seemed utterly convinced of this.
"No..." Grindelwald seemed to have lost his earlier confidence. He looked down and said softly, "No one can be confident of victory against Dumbledore."
"Not even Merlin himself."
Wh... what? Lyra hadn't expected Grindelwald to give Dumbledore such a high evaluation. Although she knew Dumbledore was powerful, this... this was terrifying, wasn't it?
If Lord Grindelwald lost to him, wouldn't she be thrown back in prison? She had only just gotten out of there...
"Therefore..." He gave the terrified Lyra no time to think, but continued, "So, if I lose, we will be counting on you."
"M-m-m-m-me?" Lyra's eyes went wide, her earlier terror vanishing in an instant, replaced by pure shock.
"If even you are not his match... how am I supposed to..." she bit her lip and asked.
"Simple." Grindelwald blinked. "Everyone makes mistakes. Even him."
"You just need to find his opening... and then..." Grindelwald lowered his voice, "...take him down."
"But... even so..." Lyra pressed her lips together, looking at Grindelwald. After all, if Grindelwald had already lost, what was the point of Lyra doing...
"He will not kill me." Grindelwald saw through Lyra's thoughts. He seemed exceptionally confident on this point. "Just as I will not kill him."
"Therefore, you only need one chance." Grindelwald said, raising his wand. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
With that, he strode to the center of the hall, his gaze no longer on Lyra behind him.
"Go, Miss Lyra Hamilton." His voice grew solemn. "From here on, this is your path to walk alone."
"And I... must face him alone." As he spoke, a slightly sorrowful smile touched his lips. "It may be undignified... but... For the Greater Good."
This was, perhaps, the only time Lyra had ever seen him say those words with such a sad tone.
"Yes... For the Greater Good."
This was the last time Lyra saw Grindelwald. After all, no one could have expected that this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" would take so long to arrive.