The sharp click of my boots echoed through the cold mountain air as I approached Nurmengard.
The prison stood like a monument to failure—built to contain one of the greatest dark wizards in history, and yet, to me, it was nothing more than a puzzle waiting to be solved.
I paused just outside its perimeter, my crimson eyes scanning the intricate web of wards, runes, and layered defensive enchantments.
Impressive… for their time.
Kneeling slightly, I traced invisible lines in the air, my mind working at a speed no ordinary wizard could comprehend. Ancient magic, Salazar's teachings, Rowena's logic, and my own overwhelming talent intertwined.
Five minutes.
That was all it took.
A loophole formed—subtle, elegant, flawless.
A door where none existed.
I stepped forward and passed through the wards as if they were nothing more than mist.
Inside, I frowned slightly.
"One guard?" I muttered under my breath. "For him?"
Pathetic.
With a mere glance, I reached into the guard's mind. No wand movement. No incantation. Just pure will.
His eyes glazed over before he collapsed silently to the ground, fast asleep.
I didn't spare him another thought.
Step by step, I ascended the spiraling tower, the air growing colder, heavier—thick with the remnants of a once-great presence.
And then… I saw him.
Seated within his cell, aged yet unmistakably powerful, was Gellert Grindelwald.
Even in defeat, he radiated something… dangerous.
"Hello, Grindelwald," I said calmly.
His eyes lifted to meet mine—and for a moment, silence stretched between us.
Then, slowly… he smiled.
"Well," he said, voice dry yet amused, "this is unexpected."
I stepped closer, hands behind my back. "I imagine many things are, when one possesses the vision to reshape the world."
His gaze sharpened instantly.
"Ah…" he murmured. "So you are not here out of curiosity."
"No," I replied. "I am here because you failed."
A lesser man would have reacted with anger.
Grindelwald only chuckled.
"Then sit," he said, gesturing lazily. "Let us discuss how you intend to succeed where I did not."
And so, I did.
We spoke for hours.
Not as enemies. Not as allies.
But as two minds standing far above the rest of the wizarding world.
I explained my vision—calmly, clearly, without hesitation.
"No more hiding," I said. "No more pretending to be lesser beings. The Statute of Secrecy is a cage. I intend to break it."
Grindelwald's eyes gleamed.
"Good," he said softly. "Very good."
"I will bring about a golden age of magic," I continued. "A world where magicals stand openly, where power dictates position—not blood alone. Purebloods, half-bloods, even muggle-borns… all united under strength and purpose."
That made him pause.
Interesting.
"You diverge from me there," he noted.
"I improve upon you," I corrected.
A grin spread across his face.
"Yes… I see that now."
We spoke of politics—true politics, not the childish games played in the Ministry.
"How will you control them?" he asked.
"I already do," I replied simply. "The Minister is a puppet."
That earned a genuine laugh.
"Well done," Grindelwald said. "Most impressive for someone so young."
We discussed fear, control, influence.
"Fear is useful," he said, "but it is not enough."
"I know," I replied. "Fear builds obedience. Vision builds loyalty. I intend to use both."
His eyes gleamed with approval.
"Yes… yes, that is where I went wrong."
Eventually, the conversation turned to magic.
True magic.
He handed me his notes without hesitation.
Dark magic, transfiguration, experimental spells—decades of knowledge, refined and perfected.
"I have no use for them here," he said. "But you…"
"I will use them well," I assured him.
"I know," he replied.
He even demonstrated concepts—his approach to transfiguration, fluid and aggressive, designed for combat rather than theory.
I absorbed everything.
Every word. Every idea. Every flaw.
Improving upon it all instantly in my mind.
As I turned to leave, Grindelwald spoke once more.
"You remind me of myself," he said.
I paused.
"But better," he added, smiling faintly. "Far better."
I glanced back at him.
"You lost," I said calmly. "I will not."
His smile widened.
"I believe you."
I walked out of Nurmengard as easily as I had entered.
The wards did nothing. The guards never stirred.
And in my possession now…
Was the knowledge of another Dark Lord.
As the wind howled across the mountains, I allowed myself a small smile.
Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald.
But me?
I was something far beyond what either of them had ever imagined.
And soon…
The world would understand that.