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Chapter 717: The Memory's Awakening
Chapter 717: The Memory's Awakening
After parting ways with Hermione, Felix returned to his office and then reappeared in the Seventh Classroom.
The space in the Seventh Classroom seemed to have expanded once again, where thoughts and reality intersected. A few normal steps here could turn into a street or a beautiful garden... Felix veered off the usual paths students used and passed through layers of mist, revealing a simple little village before his eyes.
Felix stood in front of an ordinary house and knocked on the door.
The memory of Grindelwald opened the door, and to Felix's surprise, the figure before him was not that of a young man but the face of an elderly Grindelwald, yet it was subtly different upon closer inspection.
"I knew you would come, so I chose this appearance to meet you. I've been waiting for you", the old man grinned, his purple robe giving him a calm and composed demeanor, devoid of any trace of malevolence.
They sat down opposite each other. "Do you have something to say to me?" Felix asked, then looked curiously at the old man, "Are you complete now? I mean, your memories—"
"Of course, of course", Grindelwald said. "In this moment, I am more complete than I have ever been. You know, after spending some time here, I actually find it rather unsatisfactory."
"Why?"
"One reason is that it's too boring. In this entire space, only two memory constructs have the characteristics of life, making them half-alive", Grindelwald explained, which surprised Felix. While memory constructs appeared to be alive, they were fundamentally different from real people, especially in their perception of time.
"Your appearance also surprises me. You look no different from a regular person", Felix said, studying Grindelwald's memory construct, who smiled but remained silent.
"Is there another reason? You said you were waiting for me, so it must be related to me?"
Grindelwald nodded slightly and then slowly shook his head.
"At first, that was indeed my intention. After the funeral, I decided to leave essential information and be open with you, but you never came... Later, the ghosts told me what you had been doing, and I felt it wasn't necessary anymore. You seemed to understand my intentions."
"Then today—"
"Is a farewell, perhaps. Or, would you like to hear a story? You know, I've seen them, but they don't remember me. It feels strange, like time has reversed, and everything starts anew, but only I remember what truly happened. My memories have become a burden."
"Are you referring to Dumbledore, or his sister Ariana and nephew Credence?"
"Aurelius", Grindelwald said slowly, "I prefer to call him that. The boy helped me a great deal."
Felix leaned in, ready to listen.
"Aurelius Dumbledore", Grindelwald continued, "I remember clearly... it was seventy years ago. In the underground gathering at Père Lachaise Cemetery, which I carefully planned, he chose to join my ranks. You can't imagine how much I valued him."
"Because of his heritage?" Felix asked.
Credence was Dumbledore's nephew, but for a long time, Dumbledore and Aberforth were unaware of his existence. This was a significant secret, and Grindelwald must have put in considerable effort to discover it.
"Not just that, he was also an Obscurial, a rare Obscurial who survived into adulthood. His potential was unimaginable. Even without formal magical education, he surpassed ninety-nine percent of wizards by instinct alone. I had planned to groom him as my successor."
Felix was taken aback by this revelation. He looked at Grindelwald, who had no reason to lie. Felix began to piece together many loose ends in his mind.
Grindelwald's biggest obstacle was Dumbledore. Even with the Blood Pact between them, as long as Grindelwald did not abandon his dream of ruling wizards and Muggles, they would inevitably become adversaries, and the entire world would force them to do so.
In the end, even the unbreakable Blood Pact was shattered.
"I wouldn't sit and wait for Dumbledore to come to me. Instead, I took the initiative. My plan was to cultivate a wizard who could rival Dumbledore", Grindelwald said slowly.
"To train a great wizard? That's a bold idea", Felix said, taking a deep breath. Even from Grindelwald's position at the time, the plan seemed incredibly difficult.
"Indeed, it was a bit fanciful, but I eventually found a way—perhaps the only feasible way: Obscurials."
Felix understood. Grindelwald knew that Obscurials could live past ten years, as evidenced by Dumbledore's sister, Ariana. Initially, he might have intended to find a young Obscurial, nurture him, and help him control his dark magic—silently, but unexpectedly, he found Dumbledore's long-lost nephew, Credence.
"A child with the potential to rival a great wizard and emotionally bound to Dumbledore is the perfect fit for my needs", Grindelwald's memory form said slowly, as if the man himself were sitting across from Felix, calmly discussing his past plans and hidden secrets.
"That gathering also allowed me to exploit a loophole in the Ministry of Magic. An Auror killed a civilian who had come to hear my speech, giving me the perfect pretext. It wasn't that I sought violence; from that moment on, the Saints and the Ministry of Magic's existing order were in full-scale conflict."
"My power grew rapidly. During this time, Aurelius and a woman with the ability to read minds played crucial roles. The former, while receiving my guidance, traveled the world, defeating Aurors from various countries. The latter—her name was Queenie—used her innate talent to uncover many spies planted within our ranks. Her abilities were silent and could be maintained indefinitely."
"Everything was moving in the right direction", Grindelwald said calmly. But Felix knew a turning point was coming, and indeed it did—
"I had always kept the secret of Aurelius's origins hidden, using it as a trump card to be played at the critical moment. However, several unexpected events occurred. On one hand, the Phoenix that accompanied him became well-known as he appeared on the battlefield. A Phoenix—" Grindelwald clicked his tongue, "There's a legend in the Dumbledore family that a Phoenix appears when a member is in dire need. This might be why Dumbledore began to suspect; I had to limit his outings."
"Good times didn't last long. His body began to deteriorate, and his abilities became highly unstable. I tried various methods, but I could only watch as his body crumbled. Perhaps this is the fate of an Obscurial... I was disappointed, and I believe he realized it too. He volunteered to assassinate Dumbledore, but I refused; he was no match for Dumbledore. Later... his young girlfriend came to him. She was a Blood-Cursed Werewolf, and by the time they met again, her condition was severe, spending most of her days in snake form. They spent all their time together until one day, Aurelius disappeared for a while and returned with empty hands..."
"Was that woman Nagini?" Felix asked.
"You know her too?"
"I do, and I even met her once, though in her snake form. I think Aurelius set her free."
"Set her free?" Grindelwald repeated softly, "I thought she was dead."
"Remember the woman with the ability to read minds? She also had issues—oh, not her sister who desperately wanted to bring her back, but for other reasons. She had a Muggle... lover, who hoped they could stand together openly. After so long with no hope, her stance began to waver. I noticed her slackening, especially in the crucial task of assessing Aurelius's mental state. When I realized this, I knew the original plan was no longer viable, and I had to accelerate my timeline."
"I decided to run for the presidency of the International Confederation of Wizards. Regardless of the outcome, I planned to wage war on Muggles, but at that time, many still opposed me. I hoped they would join my cause."
"I discovered a lead on a Qilin, whose unique magic could increase my chances of winning the election. I sent several teams to search for it, and ultimately, Aurelius brought it back. I turned the newborn Qilin into a puppet and used its blood to glimpse the future... I saw Dumbledore, after I warned him. At that moment, I had a premonition. Despite the Blood Pact artifact being in his possession for years, he hadn't found a way to break it, but I had an uneasy feeling."
"As expected, the plan failed. I was elected President of the International Confederation of Wizards using the now-dead Qilin, but the ruse was exposed. Newt Scamander brought another Qilin, which turned out to be its twin. This was all Dumbledore's doing, though he didn't realize what he was doing. He was the one causing the division, not me. At that moment, I made my decision. I drew my wand, and Aurelius stepped in front of me..."
Grindelwald's eyes became unfocused.
"It was like it happened yesterday. I, Dumbledore, and his brother, all three of us acted simultaneously, with an Obscurial standing helplessly nearby. But the outcome was different. Aberforth was irrelevant; my spell and Dumbledore's were intertwined, and the chains binding his hand finally broke."
"I briefly engaged Dumbledore in combat, the first time in over thirty years. When my hand touched his heart, I could feel his heartbeat, but I could no longer sense his thoughts. This meant the Blood Pact had been completely nullified."
The plan was forced to halt, and the war against Muggles had to be put on hold. Dumbledore stood in the way, despite that being my closest approach to success.
"So the Blood Pact was broken because—?" Felix asked.
"I'm not sure. It was an accident."
"It couldn't have been because of love, right?"
"Ha, perhaps. The Blood Pact is bound by blood, but it requires a strong emotion to solidify the magic. We were bound by that emotion for decades, and no matter what we tried, we couldn't break free. The only explanation might be that Dumbledore used a stronger love to surpass the limits of individual emotion."
Grindelwald's memory form stood up and walked to the door.
"Why are you telling me this?" Felix suddenly asked.
"Perhaps because, after today, this will become a permanent secret."
Silver light began to emanate from Grindelwald's memory form, and his face started to change, becoming younger. His back straightened, and his hair turned a brilliant gold. When he opened his eyes, the pupils were a clear blue.
As he had said, past memories became a burden. If he wanted to start anew, he had to let go of unnecessary things.
...
The next day, when the students went downstairs, they found the courtyard shrouded in a white, cold mist. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed the notice board in the entrance hall, they saw a group of people pointing and whispering. From their expressions, it seemed to be good news.
"Let's go see", Ron said.
"No need", Harry said. "I know what it says. If nothing has changed, it should be the schedule for the first Hogsmeade weekend."
Ron whistled softly.
"That's great. I've heard they've opened a few new shops in Hogsmeade. We should definitely check them out", he said. "But how did you know?"
"I think", Harry smiled, "it's because I was the one who posted it."
"Ron", Hermione said kindly, "if you look closely, you'll notice the handwriting on the notice is similar to the essays you often 'refer' to."
Even though he already knew, Harry still looked forward to the short trip in three days. He simply wanted to get out and clear his mind, even if it was just to have a drink with Ginny at the Three Broomsticks and enjoy a few pleasant hours.
"Hey, Harry", Hermione said, "you could use this opportunity to meet Mr. Diggle. Didn't you say you wanted to talk to him in person?"
Harry stared for a moment, then muttered, "I'll write him a letter."
"Why don't you get a Two-Way Mirror?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"Mr. Diggle isn't used to it", Harry said. "He believes writing letters helps him organize his thoughts."
At that moment, Neville approached them, his face flushed and his frame seemingly a bit wider, whether from the cold or from wearing too many layers. They went to the Great Hall together for breakfast.
Around the same time, Felix appeared at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and shortly after, the president of the American Congress of Magic, Horace Grintstitch, also arrived. As they parted, the expressions on their faces were particularly grave.
"I'll have the Aurors drop everything", Horace Grintstitch said solemnly. "The investigation will be conducted in secret and won't affect the upcoming International Confederation of Wizards conference."
The Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry added, "If young wizards have indeed fallen into official hands, the most practical approach would be to let them grow, rather than imprison them or conduct experiments. Whether to uncover the secrets of magic or to build a force of our own, it's better than mere confinement. Besides, they can gather intelligence for us in various ways..."
They discussed the matter in detail, and then Felix appeared at the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards, waiting for the meeting that afternoon. He had a vague idea, and Grindelwald's words made him realize that he had also, in fact, caused a division among wizards, though this trend was not yet obvious. It was necessary—Grindelwald's identity certainly simplified some issues—but undoubtedly, these two forces would eventually have to reunite.
"A suitable opportunity is needed..."
Felix and Grindelwald definitely needed to meet, but a real-life encounter didn't align with expectations, so it was moved to the Seventh Classroom. Additionally, out of frustration with the movie, I combined the plot of the third movie with my own ideas and inserted it into the book. I've always wanted to do this, but I never found the right opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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