Grindelwald was montarily speechless.
And Dumbledore? He simply remained silent.
Sotis, silence itself was an answer.
"Go on, show him!" Grindelwald urged, still looking rather put out and not because of Ian's sneak attack but because he had been so thoroughly outmaneuvered.
Just as Ian raised his wand—
"I suspect this young man would rather not have you here, Gellert," Dumbledore interjected gently. "It might stir mories best left undisturbed."
His gaze rested on his old friend.
"Alright, alright, the great Dumbledore has spoken," Grindelwald relented, exhaling in mild frustration.
There was sothing almost comical about seeing the once-feared Dark Lord in such a flustered state. It was unlikely that even his forr followers, the Acolytes, had ever witnessed him like this.
"Truly, Albus, heartless and ruthless as ever. rlin's beard, I didn't even cast that bloody charm," He grumbled as he turned toward the door.
"Professor! The underground chamber!" Ian called out. "We haven't dealt with the underground chamber yet!"
Grindelwald paused mid-step.
"The underground chamber?" He repeated, his tone shifting.
For all his grumbling, the departure was montarily forgotten.
And just like that, the ga was back on.
Albus Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly. As expected, he had already received word from Grindelwald long before Ian had even ntioned the hidden depths of Hogwarts to him.
"Right below here, I found a…" Ian began to repeat what he had told Grindelwald earlier, and as he spoke, Dumbledore's expression grew increasingly grave.
Just as Ian was about to ntion the ti loop, the old headmaster spoke first.
"So that's it. This is the source of your peculiarity." Dumbledore's gaze settled on Ian with a flicker of surprise, as though sothing had just clicked into place.
"Be honest with , child. How many tis have you looped?"
Ian was stunned. He had always known that people spoke of Dumbledore as if he were all-knowing, but in this mont, he truly understood why.
"I… I think this is my first loop?"
In truth, Ian wasn't even certain if he was truly looping at all— but the certainty in the headmaster's expression was sohow greater than his own.
"Ti is an elusive force, unseen and untouchable, yet it always leaves traces behind. The air around you carries the scent of another ti."
The voice belonged to Grindelwald, who had just returned, offering an explanation that clarified Ian's confusion.
It also made Ian realize why this particular professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts had not reacted with shock upon hearing his earlier, seemingly outrageous claims. After all, the two n standing before him were the greatest wizards of the age, there was little that could escape their notice.
In hindsight, Grindelwald's earlier insistence on proof, his feigned skepticism, it had all been a diversion. He had rely been waiting for the old headmaster to return.
And, of course, Ian could now see the amusent in his actions. Teasing him had beco sothing of a pasti.
"..."
A realization struck Ian, sudden and unrelenting.
This was what it must feel like to be a second-rate perforr attempting to pass as a leading actor on the wizarding stage.
"I had assud you had rely gotten your hands on a Ti-Turner, but it seems your experience is far more… intriguing." Grindelwald's words offered Ian no comfort.
"This is not rely a matter of ti travel, Gellert."
Dumbledore reached out, his fingers brushing against the back of Ian's raised hand as though examining sothing unseen. His knowledge of ti's mysteries, it seed, surpassed even Grindelwald's.
"What do you an?"
Grindelwald stepped closer, his voice edged with curiosity.
"I believe there is no second Ian Prince currently attending Hogwarts."
Dumbledore raised the Elder Wand, the very wand that once belonged to Grindelwald himself and gave it a slow, deliberate wave. Before them, a map unfurled in the air, woven from threads of light and shadow. It was more intricate than even the Marauder's Map, showing the nas of every student within the castle's walls.
Ian's eyes were imdiately drawn to Quirrell's na.
Overlaying it, intertwined yet distinct, was another na: Tom Riddle.
The two nas seed to blur together, as though bound by sothing unseen, sothing ancient and sinister. To the uninford, it might have appeared as if they were engaged in an eerie dance, tangled in a fate of their own making.
"I want to learn this magic, Professor!"
Ian's voice carried an unmistakable awe as he took in the enchanted map.
Dumbledore turned to him, his eyes twinkling with sothing unreadable. "You will, in ti," He said softly. His voice was calm yet laden with aning.
"Indeed, there isn't another Ian Prince… but the mind of the future returning to its past self is not beyond the realm of possibility."
Perhaps only Grindelwald was truly studying the map, considering the implications. But Ian? He was beginning to grasp just how deep the magic before him truly ran.
Albus Dumbledore gave a slow nod, his expression both contemplative and confirming as he continued speaking.
"But our Mr. Prince is clearly an exception; his thoughts and very being do not belong to this ti or space."
His voice carried a quiet certainty.
Grindelwald, upon hearing this, regarded Ian with a glint of surprise in his sharp eyes.
"I find it rather remarkable that, without delving into my mories, you've managed to perceive so much." In truth, Ian had long suspected sothing was amiss.
When he had checked Marauder's Map in the corridor earlier, he had confird that there was no duplicate of himself anywhere in the school. Aside from the ring he had entrusted to Ariana still existing, everything he had crafted and collected beyond this day in his own tiline remained tucked away safely in his pouch.
This was no ordinary instance of ti travel— neither a traditional ti loop nor a simple temporal displacent.
"You're growing quickly, child. I must say, your height alone is rather telling." Dumbledore smiled kindly, his tone light, but his eyes sharp with deduction.
Just as Ian was about to ask exactly what was happening to him—
"If that's the case…" Grindelwald seed to co to a realization. With an impatient flick of his wand, he aid at the sink before them.
A resounding 'boom' echoed through the chamber.
The sink exploded in a shower of debris, pipes bursting as water gushed out in all directions. Amidst the wreckage, the hidden entrance Ian had discovered earlier was revealed once more.
"Uh…"
Ian found himself at a loss for words. He glanced at Dumbledore with an expression that clearly said, 'Are you seeing this?'
"Our esteed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor has just encountered a reality he cannot abide, which makes this an understandable reaction." Dumbledore chuckled as he watched Grindelwald disappear down the passageway without so much as a backward glance.
"Well then, let us go and et our resurrected Professor Ronnie Ehrlich." With that, Dumbledore gestured for Ian to follow, repairing the shattered sink and pipes with a flick of his wand as they stepped into the hidden corridor. Cleaning up after his old friend had beco second nature by now.
"Would you care to lead the way?"
Dumbledore looked ahead at the winding path.
Grindelwald had already vanished into the darkness.
(To Be Continued…)
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