Chapter 193 - 193: Grindelwald and Dumbledore

Words : 1907 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

7:30 P.M. Outside Hogwarts Castle, the cold wind howled through the darkness as thick snowflakes fell like feathers from the sky. The ground was buried under several feet of snow, and the Black Lake had frozen over into a sheet of hard, unyielding ice. Inside, young witches and wizards gathered in the warm, welcoming Great Hall, enjoying the steaming delicacies freshly prepared by the house-elves. Laughter and chatter filled the air. "Hermione, why do you keep looking over at the Slytherin table?" Ron spoke with his mouth full of meat, then turned to Harry. "And you too, Harry. You keep glancing at the Hufflepuffs." "I'm looking for Audrey!" "I'm looking for Edward!" The two answered in unison. Ron swallowed the mouthful with a gulp and washed it down with water. "You two are so weird. Hermione's concerned about a girl, and Harry's focused on a guy. Shouldn't that be the other way around?" The two of them gave him an exasperated look. "What are you thinking?" Just then, the Weasley twins stood up with food and drinks in hand, heading straight for the Hufflepuff table. They sat down on either side of Edward. "Good evening, Edward." "Glad you're back, Edward." They simultaneously plopped a pile of food in front of him. "For you!" "Thanks," Edward said expressionlessly. "Spit it out—what do you want?" "Hehe." The twin on the left rubbed his hands together with a grin. "Just one more reading." The twin on the right held up a single finger. "One last time!" "Another Quidditch match?" The left twin shook his head immediately. "Of course not! We've learned our lesson. Never again shall we gamble!" The right one said seriously, "You've seen our flyers, haven't you? The ones about Professor Dumbledore running for Minister for Magic?" "We want a reading. Will he succeed?" "And if not—what's the problem?" Edward blinked in surprise. "Why are you two so invested in this?" "Hey, come on! Our dad works at the Ministry, and he's been dying for a competent leader. Is there anyone more brilliant in all of wizarding Britain than Dumbledore?" "And let's not forget—if he wins, with how well Dad gets along with the Headmaster, he's bound to get a raise and promotion!" "Charlie might even get a nice Ministry post, instead of being stuck in Romania all year." "And Bill wouldn't have to put up with those goblins at Gringotts anymore! You don't know the half of it—Bill said those goblins have gotten even nastier since they lost the dragon. They used to pretend to respect wizards. Now they don't even bother." "If I ever get into the Ministry, I won't go easy on those greedy bastards!" "Oi, we agreed we were going to open a magic prank shop together." The twins fired off their words like rapid spellfire. Edward rubbed his forehead. Good grief. You two aren't supporting Dumbledore for Minister—you're trying to turn the Ministry into the Weasley family business. He considered for a moment before replying, "The Minister race involves too many people and variables to read in a short time. But I'll keep an eye out. If I see anything, you'll be the first to know." "Deal!" The Weasley twins came and went in a flash, leaving Edward staring at the mountain of food in front of him. Before long, he spotted Susie crouched beside Audrey, eyes narrowed, scanning the surroundings. He waved at her. Susie blinked, but eventually trotted over with her tail wagging. Students around them stared in amazement—it was the first time many had seen someone bring a dog to Hogwarts as a pet. Edward held up two plates the twins had left. "Want some?" "Woof!" She gave a soft bark and nodded. "Alright then, help yourself." He placed the plates on the bench, which was just the right height for her to reach. "Where's Lilith? Didn't she come with you?" Susie shook her head. Just as he spoke, a shadow darted in from the direction of the main doors, scampered up Edward's shoulder in a blink, and nestled there—it was Lilith. Her eyes shimmered with excitement as she leaned in and whispered into Edward's ear: "Edward, Miss Lilith has avenged you and Audrey!" "…What?" "Wow!" Several young wizards dashed into the Great Hall, visibly thrilled. Leading them was Lee Jordan. "George! Fred! You guys won't believe what we just saw!" "The Dementors outside are fighting each other!" "And they're going at it hard! I saw one get ripped apart and devoured by the others." "No joke, it's still happening out there!" "If you don't believe us, come see for yourselves!" Several Gryffindors who had finished eating sprang to their feet, ready to bolt—but just as they reached the doors, Professor McGonagall appeared, her face stern. "Everyone stay right where you are! Do you have any idea how dangerous Dementors are?" "Awww…" The Gryffindors trudged back to their seats, disappointed. Edward turned to Lilith, stunned. "That was your doing?" She raised her chin proudly. "Meow~" "Amazing! Miss Lilith is absolutely amazing!" "Meow~" She held her head even higher in pride. Dementors had always been a problem the wizarding world couldn't solve. Aside from the Patronus Charm, there was no known way to truly destroy them. No one had expected Lilith to incite them into turning on each other—effectively wiping some of them out by proxy. "Here's your reward!" Edward handed her the other plate of food. She instantly lit up with joy. "Hello, Edward." Just then, Harry Potter walked over. "Long time no see." "Hey, Harry. Want to sit with us?" Harry glanced around at the unfamiliar Hufflepuffs and shook his head. At Hogwarts, Gryffindor usually had classes with Slytherin, while Hufflepuff was paired with Ravenclaw, so Harry wasn't familiar with most of the Hufflepuffs. Edward chuckled. "What is it? Can't wait to get your new gun and bullets?" "No!" He quickly denied it. "I just think...we're friends, so I came to say hi. Like how Hermione goes to talk to Audrey." That made Edward freeze for a second. Last time, Harry had casually said, "We're friends," and even offered up his family's heirloom—the Invisibility Cloak—without hesitation. That showed just how earnest and sincere he was. He clearly longed for friendship. But Edward had only acknowledged him because of Audrey and had given him the gun purely as a precaution, knowing that Voldemort would eventually target Harry. Realising this, Edward felt a twinge of guilt. Seeing Edward fall silent, Harry hesitated. "So...are we friends or not?" "Of course!" Edward reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. "Of course we're friends. When Christmas comes—or maybe even sooner—I promise I'll give you a gift you'll really like." Harry let out a breath of relief and grinned. "I will too!" ——— Elsewhere, in the Headmaster's office. It wasn't until two hours later that Dumbledore learned about the Dementors turning on one another. He had anticipated that Edward might clash with the Dementors upon his return, and he'd even prepared a statement for such a possibility. But the Dementors attacking and killing each other, with three dead on the spot...that was far beyond his expectations. Until now, the wizarding world had no known method of killing a Dementor. Even the Patronus Charm merely drove them away. Now, at last, there was a new method—getting them to destroy themselves. "Sigh...but will the Ministry even believe that they died from internal conflict?" Dumbledore removed his glasses and rubbed his temples, sighing. "He's just gotten back, and already he's given me a headache." "Hmm?" An idea struck him. He quickly picked up a piece of parchment and started writing: "Regarding the application for the Order of Merlin on behalf of Hogwarts. It is well known that Dementors have long plagued the wizarding world. Feeding off human happiness, they reproduce ceaselessly. As of today, the Dementor population within the British wizarding community has reached... Although the Ministry made a pact with their kind to guard Azkaban and feed off prisoners, as their numbers grow, how much longer can this agreement last? For years, countless wizards have searched for a way to kill or restrain Dementors. And now, I am proud to declare that Hogwarts has discovered a brand new solution..." Dumbledore's quill flew across the pages as he elaborated at length, inventing stories of Hogwarts staff and students who had experienced failure after failure, but persevered relentlessly. Once he finished, he set down the quill and gently blew on the ink to dry it. Leaning back into his chair, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Gellert was right—once you break out of old ways of thinking, the solutions will always outnumber the problems." He scooped up a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, wrapped them in a bit of parchment. "Fawkes, please deliver this to Gellert. My thanks." Fawkes took the package and vanished in a burst of flames. ——— [Nurmengard Castle] Grindelwald lay in a rocking chair, frowning at the television while chewing one of the Every Flavour Beans. "Damn it. Booger-flavoured again." Despite his twisted expression, he forced himself to chew and swallow it. Then a faint smile crossed his lips as he recalled the time when a young Dumbledore had tasted a vomit-flavoured bean. But the smile quickly vanished. He sat upright, passing the jelly beans to the man across from him. "Want one?" he asked smugly. "These were just sent to me by your brother." The man across from him paused, then replied coldly, "You seem to be doing better than I imagined, Grindelwald." Grindelwald put the beans down and said calmly, "It's only gotten slightly better in recent years." "Do you know," he began, "after Albus personally destroyed all my life's efforts, I locked myself away here, waiting for death. Every day, the only thing I could do was stand by the window and let the icy wind blow over me while I remembered the past." "No one dared come near. Even the house-elves who brought food had to be placed under the Imperius Curse beforehand. I spent decades completely alone." "I once tried writing to Albus, but I couldn't even find a single piece of parchment in here. So I tore up my sheets and shivered through the cold nights...At first, I was still hopeful—waiting for his reply." "But letter after letter went unanswered. I'm certain he received them. Maybe he was just too lazy to write back...or maybe he still hated me." "Later, Riddle appeared and became the new Dark Lord. I'll admit, I was thrilled. I hoped he would defeat Albus—make him taste the pain of losing everything." "Because it was Albus who nurtured Riddle. He knew from the start that boy was cold-hearted and saw himself above all others. But still, he insisted on using love and emotion to redeem him." Grindelwald suddenly laughed. "To me, he showed only coldness and mercilessness, destroying the grand vision we shared. But to a truly twisted soul, he suddenly thought love might work? Tell me—isn't that ridiculous?" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 193 - 193: Grindelwald and Dumbledore

Comments (0)