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Grindelwald might not have deceived Dumbledore too much, but he had certainly misled a few young witches and wizards, judging by their horrified expressions, as though they had just witnessed sothing utterly vile.
What a Grindelwald!
What secret thod of communication could exist between him and Dumbledore? After all, this was Dumbledore's school. He had rely been inford just now, this entire display was nothing more than a fabrication to pacify the students with well-placed falsehoods!
This first-generation Dark Lord was even less truthful than the current soul-divided Dark Lord!
"No wonder you ambushed in the girls' bathroom in the dead of night! Turns out you wanted to capture and curry favor with Dumbledore!" Ian suddenly realized he had been thoroughly played by the current professor of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class.
He couldn't fathom it.
How could soone be so insidiously cunning?
"No, this is simply an opportunity for our dear headmaster to seek redemption," Grindelwald countered, though his carefully chosen words did little to disguise his true intentions.
As if this wasn't about earning favor.
Ian would bet his last Galleon that if Grindelwald had a tail right now, it would be wagging furiously— like an overexcited Crup, eager to please. Even the most ambitious Ministry officials wouldn't be this shaless!
Having glimpsed the mories of their past, Ian could make an educated guess at the reason. After all, everything between Dumbledore and Grindelwald had unraveled after Ariana's death.
It wasn't just Dumbledore's burden to bear, it was a wound that Grindelwald himself had never quite managed to let go of.
"What Gellert said... is it true?"
Albus Dumbledore's voice was quiet yet heavy with suspicion. His usually sharp blue eyes, sowhat red-rimd now, held a rare mont of uncertainty.
"It's the Patronus Charm, Professor. I found a special way to cast it." As Ian spoke, he withdrew his wand. He had never seen the headmaster's gaze waver quite so violently before.
"I thought you had already given enough surprises... Mr. Prince." Dumbledore's raised hand trembled slightly, causing Fawkes to shift unsteadily upon his perch.
Naturally, Ian's hair was soon transford into sothing resembling a bird's nest once more or, given the circumstances, a full-fledged Phoenix roost. He briefly considered whether now would be an appropriate ti to retrieve his Phoenix egg and test if Fawkes would sit on it.
"Why do I get the feeling that there's so secret between you two that I'm not privy to?"
Now it was Grindelwald's turn to look perplexed, his sharp gaze flickering between Ian and Dumbledore.
His brow furrowed completely.
"It seems you truly have so grand secrets I wasn't even aware of," He mused, scrutinizing Ian with an expression of mild intrigue.
"Levicorpus!"
Ian wasn't the type to bottle up his emotions. If he was annoyed, he dealt with it head-on. Having just been outmaneuvered by Grindelwald, the young wizard wasted no ti in raising his wand and casting a spell at his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
"Tsk, tsk. Not only are there secrets, but it seems your courage has grown as well."
Although Grindelwald hadn't expected Ian's sudden retaliation, he still managed to sidestep the spell at the last mont, his tone laced with amusent.
"If I were to say that the emotional toll of tonight has left a bit... unstable, Professor, would you consider forgiving my little outburst?"
Ian imdiately adopted an expression of regret, his head bowed in supposed remorse.
However, even as his wand was lowered and he feigned submission, his sharp gaze remained locked on the scene behind Grindelwald, where the dodged spell had not simply dissipated. Instead, it curved midair, circling back toward its target, poised to strike Grindelwald squarely in the back just before colliding with the wall.
To minimize sound and disturbance, the spell moved like a silent assassin in the shadows. The Killing Curse Lightning Chain might still be an unfinished piece of magic, but the techniques Ian had developed during his research were nurous, like the previously ricocheting Killing Curse and the current spell curving midair.
"Quite the clever little trick."
Grindelwald was not a wizard easily fooled. Though he had been utterly silent, he sohow sensed the disturbance behind him. Without hesitation, he turned sharply, raising his wand to counter Ian's spell.
However—
Just as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's wand lit up, prepared to dispel the incoming magic, sothing occurred that neither he nor Ian had anticipated.
"I believe we shouldn't be too harsh on a child," Ca a calm voice.
Grindelwald's wand arm was suddenly pressed down by another hand, one that had lifted at precisely the right mont. With his movent unexpectedly disrupted, Grindelwald was struck squarely by the spell.
In the very next second—
Ian found himself achieving an absurd milestone: he has just taken down the legendary Dark Lord. Even he was stunned, blinking in disbelief at the scene before him.
Of course, no one was more shocked than Grindelwald himself. His body flipped as though yanked by an invisible force, and in a most undignified fashion, he was left dangling upside down, robes billowing downward in complete disarray.
"Albus, you… Well, I should have seen this coming," Grindelwald muttered, kicking his legs slightly in the air as he locked eyes with the beaming old headmaster, who showed no intention of undoing the spell just yet.
"This should be enough to settle your frustration," Dumbledore remarked, glancing toward the watching students. "You must forgive our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, he does have a habit of being rather… infuriating at tis."
From the exchange between Ian and Grindelwald earlier, Dumbledore had already deduced the situation.
"I think so, too," Ian muttered.
He had already pulled out his cara, intending to capture this mont for posterity. But as he was about to snap the picture, he hesitated. A photograph like this would prove only that he had bested Gilderoy Lockhart, not that he had outdueled the infamous Grindelwald.
That was hardly a tale worth boasting about; who would be impressed by a victory over a famous author? If anything, he might end up drawing the ire of Lockhart's most devoted fans.
"What a terrible yet amazing luck," Ian sighed, lowering the cara. He knew better than to push his luck and leave Grindelwald hanging for too long. Any fool could see that the only reason Grindelwald remained in that position was out of deference to Dumbledore.
After all, his wand was still firmly in hand.
"This doesn't count," Grindelwald declared as he landed smoothly, straightening his rumpled robes with a smirk. His eyes flickered toward Ian. "Next ti, when you don't have help, we'll settle this properly."
Then, turning his attention to Dumbledore, he added in a tone of grievance, "You do realize I was the one who told you what this boy was hiding, don't you?"
The current professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts spoke as though he had been deeply wronged.
"But you were never in control of this secret," Ian countered, his voice calm. "I was already planning to go to Headmaster Dumbledore myself."
Grindelwald was montarily speechless.
(To Be Continued…)
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