Chapter 332: Grindelwald's Invitation
Dudley's pupils narrowed slightly.
That mysterious blond man again?
Back at the station, he had only caught a glimpse: a man with golden hair watching him from a distance. The rest of the details had been lost.
Now that same familiar sense of being watched had returned. It was almost certainly the same man.
He kept his expression smooth and walked on as if nothing were wrong, mind turning over possible responses.
Soon, he passed through the corridor and stepped into a large hall.
The ceiling here was open to the upper floor, a huge crystal chandelier hanging above. A balustrade ran along the second floor, giving a clear view down into the space below.
Here, the feeling of being observed grew even stronger.
"Confinement," Dudley murmured in Hermes, only in his thoughts.
Hum.
Invisible, transparent walls sprang up around the edges of the hall, sealing the entire area off from the rest of the hotel.
"Anti-Apparition Jinx."
He followed at once with a second spell to block Disapparition.
He remembered clearly how fast the man had reacted last time. Dudley had barely turned his head before the stranger vanished by Apparition. This time, he had no intention of giving his opponent that chance.
Swish.
Following the line of the gaze he felt on his back, Dudley looked up towards the second-floor railing.
A middle‑aged man stood there. Golden hair, deep‑set eyes. His face looked gaunt and worn, but the lines of his bones still hinted at striking features. In his youth, he must have been very handsome.
"Who are you?" Dudley asked, eyes cold.
The man did not seem surprised that Dudley had noticed him. He made no move to flee.
"Dudley Dursley," he said instead, lifting his chin slightly as he pronounced the name.
Dudley's eyes narrowed.
From this man, he could sense a faint, real danger.
For the Dudley of today, that was highly unusual.
As a dual‑Sequence Six Beyonder, he held an overwhelming advantage over almost any wizard. He rarely felt a true threat from them.
Yet this stranger set his instincts on edge. At present, only Dumbledore gave him that same feeling. Perhaps Voldemort might as well, but not the half‑dead shadow he had once been. Only a Voldemort who had regained a measure of his former power.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gellert Grindelwald," the man said, a faint smile curving his lips as he spoke calmly.
"So it is you," Dudley said, eyes narrowing.
In an instant, he understood why this man radiated danger.
This was the previous Dark wizard who had shaken the magical world. Even Dumbledore had found him a thorny opponent.
"It seems Albus has mentioned me to you," Grindelwald said lazily.
Something flickered across Dudley's face.
He had noticed that Grindelwald had not used Dumbledore's surname, but his given name. In the modern wizarding world, that was rare.
Out of respect and courtesy, nearly everyone called him Professor Dumbledore or Headmaster Dumbledore. Very few living witches or wizards had the standing to address him by name alone.
Using a first name carried a sense of intimacy, the sort of habit that usually only existed between close friends. Dudley, for example, would never call Hermione by her surname.
Yet standing before him was the dark wizard Dumbledore had defeated decades ago. Hearing "Albus" in that man's mouth told Dudley at once that the relationship between them held more than the history books suggested.
He also remembered the brief, complicated expression that had crossed Dumbledore's face in the Headmaster's office when Grindelwald had come up in conversation.
"Are you very surprised to see me?" Grindelwald asked with an elegant smile.
"Somewhat. May I ask what business brings you to me?" Dudley kept his eyes fixed on him.
Given the man's history of plunging the wizarding world into chaos, Dudley could not afford carelessness.
He was not especially afraid, though. With his current strength, even if he could not defeat Grindelwald, surviving him should not be too difficult.
Then, abruptly, his heart gave a tight, painful beat.
He was not the only one in this hotel. His aunt and uncle were here too. They were ordinary people.
A single uncontrolled spell could snuff out their lives as easily as candles.
"You do not look particularly frightened," Grindelwald observed. "Level‑headed. No wonder Albus speaks so highly of you."
This boy was only thirteen, yet even after seeing him, there was no panic, no terror in his eyes. He simply stood and spoke calmly. Grindelwald found that genuinely intriguing.
"We are under the Ministry's protection. Aurors are stationed not far from here. If you attack me, they will notice very quickly," Dudley said, drawing a slow breath.
It was a warning: do not raise your wand lightly.
"I noticed them," Grindelwald said with a soft chuckle. "But if I wished to kill you, you would already be dead."
"I have heard from Albus that you possess extraordinary magical talent, enough to shock even him," he went on. "So I wanted to see for myself what the boy he praises so highly actually looks like."
He studied Dudley from head to toe.
"Seeing you in person... You are indeed different."
Dudley stayed silent, simply watching him. If his opponent made the slightest wrong move, he would respond at once.
All the while, his Beyonder powers had already begun to work.
Corruption was slowly, steadily gnawing at Grindelwald's being.
"Strictly speaking, this is not our first meeting," Grindelwald continued. "Last time was at King's Cross Station. I only glanced at you, yet you noticed at once. Very sharp senses."
"Tonight is the same. The moment I saw you, you must have felt me. You did not react rashly, but waited until you reached this hall to confront me."
"Let me guess. You have sealed this space to prevent my escape, have you not?"
"Hmm. Let me see. Anti-Apparition Jinx... and another power I do not recognise, locking the space entirely."
"Impressive. Even for me, slipping out of here now would be difficult."
He spoke in an unhurried tone, as if chatting to an old acquaintance.
"What exactly do you want?" Dudley asked.
"I want to invite you to join us," Grindelwald said.
"Together, we will build a world that belongs to wizards. What do you say?" His smile widened, and a mad confidence burned in his eyes.