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Chapter 683: Nocturne
Chapter 683: Nocturne
Felix and Professor Mcgonagall both missed dinner. They were having a heated discussion in the Headmaster's office, but they couldn't reach a decision. The Polyjuice Potion Felix had learned in the Arctic wasn't without its loopholes. His Book of Runic Scripts was the equivalent of his wand, the key to fully unleashing his combat prowess.
If Grindelwald insisted on making Dumbledore's death public, their options were limited.
The original plan was for Dumbledore to gradually fade from the public eye, only occasionally appearing to prove he was still alive. The wizarding world would slowly accept his "retirement", and even if the community was forced to go public years or decades later, his name would still serve as a formidable deterrent.
Indeed, it was a matter of deterrence.
With Felix taking the forefront and displaying his strength, and Dumbledore, who had earned his reputation a century earlier, being widely respected and acknowledged as the greatest white wizard, he would become an inscrutable figure in the eyes of the common people.
No one would want to enrage such an elder and force him into battle.
The brilliance of this plan lay in the fact that even if some wizards had their doubts, they wouldn't dare to question it, let alone publicly "curse" Dumbledore as dead. The backlash would be overwhelming: an elder who had dedicated most of his life to the wizarding world deserved to enjoy his retirement and stay out of public affairs. Felix could also cooperate by having "Dumbledore" make occasional public appearances, offering a few words of encouragement, without affecting the overall plan.
The benefits were numerous, and the cost was virtually zero, with the only one truly affected being Dumbledore himself.
Unfortunately, Grindelwald had intervened.
Felix wasn't arrogant enough to believe his mastery of Transfiguration could match Dumbledore's. If "Dumbledore" appeared and Grindelwald immediately challenged him, their ruse would likely be exposed on the spot.
In the short term, the only solution Felix could think of was to claim that Dumbledore was injured and that he would fight in his place.
However, the insidious nature of Grindelwald's plan was that even if they resolved the immediate crisis, it wouldn't be the end of their troubles. No lie, no matter how clever, could withstand repeated scrutiny.
A magic trick can be mesmerizing the first time you see it, leaving you in awe. But if performed countless times, even if you can't spot the loophole, the audience's subconscious will eventually accept it as a "fake." The magician's efforts will only invite more suspicion and critical eyes, leading to the complete unraveling of the deception.
"Felix, let's each go back and think about this. We'll meet again tomorrow", Professor Mcgonagall said wearily. "I'll send the students to bed." She left, and soon the sounds of the students' reluctant protests echoed through the halls. They all wanted to know the truth, but Professor Mcgonagall firmly stated that it was too late and that everything would be discussed the next day.
She turned back and exchanged a complex glance with Felix, knowing that they couldn't keep this hidden for long and needed a convincing explanation. In a corner, Snape stood like a silent plant in the darkness, his face expressionless. Not far from him, Sprout and Flitwick were standing, with Flitwick's high-pitched voice stammering out something.
Felix felt a mix of sadness and frustration. In this situation, his proud magic was utterly powerless.
He couldn't help but think of Dumbledore. How many times, over his long life, had he truly felt this sense of helplessness?
The castle gradually quieted down. Felix ascended the spiral staircase and made his way to the corridor leading to the Headmaster's office. The stone gargoyles didn't stop him, and he pushed open the door.
The office was almost unchanged from the first time he had visited.
He could almost recall every detail of his interview.
The intricate silver instruments on the long-legged desk made a comical rustling sound, emitting puffs of white smoke in the darkness. Behind the elegant brown headmaster's chair were Dumbledore's private bookshelves. The Sorting Hat lay quietly on a shelf, and the Pensieve was hidden behind a black cabinet door. Gryffindor's Sword was encased in a transparent glass box, and the golden perch behind the door, once occupied by the Phoenix, was now empty.
An additional golden frame adorned the wall, with Dumbledore's portrait sleeping peacefully.
Felix gazed at Dumbledore's portraits.
"He still needs some time to regain consciousness", a short, dark-haired wizard with a yellowish complexion on the wall whispered. "To connect with the entire castle, so we can exist here long-term."
Felix nodded to him and silently turned to leave the Headmaster's office.
He suddenly thought of Classroom 7, where a seventeen-year-old Dumbledore resided. As he walked down the long corridor, he suddenly stopped, and his Mind Chamber released, but it was blocked by an invisible barrier.
Felix couldn't see the person's face, but it didn't matter. In this world, only one person had the ability to do this.
"Grindelwald", he said cheerfully, "I've been looking for you. I didn't expect you to show up at such a critical moment. Aren't the saints worried you might get trapped here?"
A figure in a black coat slowly emerged from the shadows, a white rose pinned to his chest.
"They're not children; they don't have groundless worries. And weren't you waiting for me? So, here I am", Grindelwald said expressionlessly, gazing out the window at the Forbidden Forest bathed in the bright moonlight. "It's only been a few days, and you've already changed the protective charms outside the school—Flitwick's handiwork, no doubt. Were you trying to keep me out? Too bad it didn't work."
"You should be able to deduce the deeper meaning: you're no longer welcome here", Felix said.
"You make me feel a bit sentimental—this place has been where I've stayed the longest, aside from that damp, cold room. Even the house on Privet Drive doesn't count, despite the rent I paid for a few years... Where are you taking me?" Grindelwald asked with sudden interest.
As they spoke, the walls around them began to blur, as if shrouded in a mist. The scenery started to overlap, making it seem like they were both in Hogwarts Castle and in a completely different place. The sound of the night wind howling and the mournful cries of crows filled their ears.
"A cemetery, spacious enough for our conversation", Felix said calmly.
Grindelwald clicked his tongue. "A conversation? Followed by a fight? I didn't come here to fight today." He gently tapped his wand against his withered hand, and the castle came back into focus. Both of their gazes fell on a twig that had appeared silently on the windowsill, as if out of thin air. A line of ants began to climb up the cold wall along the twig.
"If you prefer, we can talk here—though I thought you would come to me first", Felix said.
His heart sank. Grindelwald was no weakling, and further probing would be risky. The school wasn't the place for an all-out battle, especially with the two of them so close, and the charm in his wrist remained completely inactive.
"Oh, I did consider it", Grindelwald said with a smile, rubbing his chin. "But then I changed my mind. While I don't think much of Babaji Agimba, he is, at least on the surface, the one standing at the pinnacle of Wizarding order."
"You value his position?" Felix said shrewdly. "Using him to achieve your goals?"
Grindelwald's eyes gleamed.
"Of course, I could have come out publicly, but why bother? His words are far more convincing than mine. No magical newspaper would refuse to publish his statements, and all I have to do is speak the truth—did you know, Felix? Agimba is an orphan from the last Wizarding war. He has every reason to hate me, yet he compromised and agreed to negotiate for a false peace. I only found out recently."
"That sounds despicable, so you tricked him?" Felix was surprised. Surely Babaji wouldn't fall for Grindelwald's lies so easily?
Grindelwald shook his head, his smile filled with malice. Felix waited for him to stop, and Grindelwald sighed.
"Do you think I only rely on deception to persuade others? I offered him a condition he couldn't refuse, a temptation so great it clouded his judgment—there was no need for me to waste my breath. He convinced himself to act according to my wishes."
"I'm very curious. Can you give me a hint? Maybe I can use it too", Felix said lightly.
Grindelwald studied him for a moment, then grinned and mouthed something silently.
Felix's eyes widened.
"An Unbreakable Vow?" he gasped, utterly shocked. His gaze involuntarily flicked to Grindelwald's wrist, pausing when he saw the blackened patch on his left hand, then moving to the hand holding the wand.
"Of course, it hasn't been signed yet", Grindelwald said, giving him a strange look. "His statement today is the prerequisite for the vow, but—ah, after our chat, I'll go see him. Maybe I'll run into your young Minister too. A bunch of Ministry of Magic officials and representatives as witnesses—I'm sure Agimba will do it. The vow's binding power will be incredible."
Felix pressed his lips together and swallowed hard.
"Oh, I see", Grindelwald said slowly. "People like us aren't used to handing over our fate to others, but it makes it more convincing, don't you think? For example, I've told you, but can you stop it?"
"What vow do you plan to make?" Felix asked, his voice strained.
"Probably something about not killing indiscriminately or starting another Wizarding war", Grindelwald said vaguely, acting nonchalant as if it wasn't worth worrying about.
Felix raised an eyebrow.
"You've found a way to break the Unbreakable Vow?"
“…” Grindelwald fell silent for a moment, then asked curiously, “Why do you think that?”
Felix also fell silent.
Was this line of thought wrong?
Could it be that Grindelwald really intended to make a vow? Was he out of his mind? A thought flashed through Felix’s mind, and he cautiously reminded, “You want Dumbledore to have a funeral befitting him?”
Grindelwald immediately wrinkled his nose as if he had caught a whiff of something rotten, his face filled with disgust.
“You’ve reminded me,” he said in a harsh tone, his smile hidden in the shadows. “Where did you bury him? I have some words I can only say to his tombstone. Don’t tell me he’s hiding under a fake name, afraid to show his face. I know everything—though it would be nice if he were alive, so I could see the regret on his face.”
A moment of silence. Felix raised his left hand, and the emerald ring on it glowed. Letters flew out, dancing in the air before him.
Grindelwald’s expression froze.
“What is this?” he asked cautiously. Felix could sense the rapid heartbeat from the other side, but Grindelwald’s eyes were like a deep, dark well, showing no emotion.
“If you were still in Nurmengard, you would receive one of these every two to three months, for about twenty years. But it’s not needed now,” Felix said, letting the letters flutter toward Grindelwald like dove feathers. Grindelwald extended his hand, and the letters were instantly snatched away.
Another silence. Felix suddenly asked, “By the way, if I go to Classroom 7 now, will I see—”
“Don’t say it!” Grindelwald interrupted sharply, his nails digging into his flesh, but he quickly regained his composure, as if the momentary lapse had never happened. “Felix, you lack something, and that’s why you can’t stop me. I can teach you a trick,” he said coldly, “you have to burn yourself.”
Grindelwald disappeared.
Felix fell into deep thought and walked back to the office, his steps heavy. He looked up to see a massive shadow leaning against the door.
“Hagrid? What are you doing here?”
Hagrid was startled awake. His face was wet with tears, his eyes red, and he clutched a dirty handkerchief in his hand.
“I... I’ve been waiting for you, Felix,” Hagrid said, his voice faltering with fear. “I saw it in the newspaper... Dumbledore... tell me it’s not true.”
Felix hesitated. How should he respond? Should he lie again? The secret couldn’t be kept once Babaji Agimba and Grindelwald had formed their Unbreakable Vow.
He tiptoed and patted Hagrid’s shoulder.
Hagrid’s expression was blank, and he suddenly let out a wild, animal-like howl, tears streaming down his face and soaking into his bushy beard. He lunged forward and hugged Felix, who grunted and cast a human-form armoring charm on himself, the spell nearly faltering. He also cast a Silencing Charm to prevent Hagrid from waking the entire castle.
When Hagrid’s sobs subsided, Felix felt as if he had been dragged out of water. He led Hagrid into the office and had him lie down on the sofa. The next morning, Valen and Felix, who had been kept awake by Hagrid’s thunderous snoring, left the office and found Professor Mcgonagall to tell her what had happened.
Professor Mcgonagall looked shocked upon hearing the news.
But soon, Madam Bones brought the confirmation: it was all true. Last night, over a hundred Aurors stood ready, and more than ten Ministers of Magic from different countries were present to witness Babaji Agimba and Grindelwald signing the pact.
The next morning, Professor Mcgonagall announced Dumbledore’s death to the entire school, her voice tinged with both sadness and relief.
The students were both shocked and deeply saddened. Professor Mcgonagall quickly announced Dumbledore’s last wishes and began preparing for his funeral with a heavy heart, hoping to have it before the students went on holiday so they could pay their respects.
Hogsmeade was filled with wizards from around the world almost overnight, who had heard the news Babaji Agimba had released and had set out to bid farewell to Dumbledore’s remains.
That night, a heavy rainstorm raged, with thunder and lightning. Everyone felt weighed down, as if the rain had soaked their hearts. The next day, the sky cleared, and the Hogwarts gates opened wide. Wizards from all over the world flooded into the school. Felix’s gaze scanned the crowd, looking for someone. He knew Grindelwald would show up.
All of Grindelwald’s plans would be revealed today.
(End of Chapter)
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