Chapter 839: The Blood Alliance in the Granary
Chapter 839: The Blood Alliance in the Granary
Dumbledore and Grindelwald's relationship was becoming increasingly well-known in Godric's Hollow, to the point where it was common knowledge.
In just a few days, the two had become inseparable, constantly researching magic and discussing their ideals together. If you saw one of them on the road, you could be sure the other was nearby, just out of sight for the moment.
The reason they were often outside was likely due to Aberforth. He and Dumbledore had been arguing more frequently, and even passersby could hear the shouting coming from Dumbledore's home at night.
Dumbledore seemed to feel guilty and rarely argued with his younger brother, choosing to remain silent and not retaliate.
Grindelwald, however, had a shorter temper. On several occasions, he had almost gotten into a fight with Aberforth.
But each time, Dumbledore would intervene and defuse the tension.
Kyle had learned all this from the pub, where he spent most of his time. He rarely ventured outside, and all his information came from others.
Recently, those who visited the pub had come to know that Kyle enjoyed listening to stories, or rather, any wizard interested in magical history did. Just like Bathilda Bagshot, who, as a child, would go to great lengths to hear tales of the past from adults.
However, unlike Bathilda, Kyle wasn't picky about the type of story. Whether it was an ancient legend, an unfounded tale from a picture book, or a recent local gossip, he would listen eagerly. If a story pleased him, he would generously offer the storyteller a drink of the finest Firewhisky.
Three Sickles was no small amount, and these people would rarely spend so much on a drink. But with someone else paying, they were more than happy to oblige, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings for any interesting tidbits.
Their happiness made Kyle happy too.
Recently, Grindelwald and Dumbledore had become more cautious, and Kyle had almost been discovered several times. Now, with just a small investment, he could obtain the information he wanted without exposing himself. It was a win-win situation.
It would only cost a few Sickles, and even if he treated everyone in the pub, it wouldn't amount to three Galleons. The sponsorship from Horken alone was enough to last him two months.
"If you ask me, they'll eventually come to blows," Cody said, sitting in his usual spot, sipping his drink. "This afternoon, Albus almost couldn't hold them back. It was Bathilda who finally resolved the conflict."
"Are you worried about Aberforth?" Kyle asked.
"Of course not. Every young wizard has had their share of disagreements. When I was at Hogwarts, I got into plenty of fights myself."
"Back then, Gryffindor and Slytherin even had a brawl on the Quidditch pitch. When our wands were knocked out of our hands, we grabbed our broomsticks and started swinging them like clubs.
"You wouldn't believe how effective they were, especially the Silver Arrow broomsticks. They were as thick as our wrists, and when swung with force, they were more powerful than spells."
Perhaps it was the drink talking, but Cody began reminiscing about his glory days, most of which involved fighting with Slytherin. After a while, he shook his head and continued.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that... I'm more concerned about Albus. He's caught between his brother and his friend, and that's the toughest position to be in.
"Sometimes I think it would be better if they just had a fight and got it out of their systems. It would be good for all three of them. But we can't exactly encourage them to fight, can we?"
Cody sighed and took another sip of his brandy.
"Bang!"
At that moment, the pub door was pushed open from the outside.
Kyle instinctively turned his head to look, then quickly turned back around.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald entered the pub, one after the other.
Grindelwald's face was flushed with anger, while Dumbledore was trying to console him.
"Oh, this is a rare sight," Cody said, noticing the two. "Albus rarely comes here, and I always thought he didn't like drinking. Looks like their argument was pretty intense."
Kyle remained silent, lowering his head and pretending to be passed out drunk on the table, minimizing his presence.
The two approached, stopping just one seat away from Kyle. Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice him.
"Who does he think he is, talking to me like that?" Grindelwald shouted angrily. "If it weren't for you, I would have made him pay by now!"
"Yes, yes, thank you for your patience," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Just bear with him a little longer, for my sake."
"What can I get for you, gentlemen?" the pub owner asked, approaching them.
"Honey Wine," Grindelwald said.
"Wine," Dumbledore said.
The pub owner raised an eyebrow, as if he wanted to say something. He glanced at Kyle, who was still passed out on the table, and decided against saying anything.
Instead, he turned and quickly brought them their drinks.
(End of Chapter 839)
Gellert had intended to offer them free drinks, but Kyle was already drunk and wouldn't be able to listen to the story, so he abandoned the idea.
Unfortunately, they had arrived at an inopportune time and missed out on the opportunity for free drinks.
Of course, neither Gellert nor Albus were aware of the bartender's thoughts, as they were entirely focused on each other, oblivious to anyone else around them.
Gellert took a sip of wine, suppressing the anger within him, and asked, "Before that man came, you mentioned that after graduation, you planned to travel with your classmates, right?"
Kyle, lying on the table, twitched his ears, trying to distinguish their voices in the noisy environment.
"Yes, I'm going on a trip around the world with Efias Doge," Albus replied, taking a sip of his honey wine.
"He wrote me several letters, asking when I'd be leaving. But I think I have to break my promise. I can't leave Godric's Hollow now."
Gellert frowned, appearing somewhat displeased.
"Because of Aberforth?" Gellert said coldly. "He's just a waste, how can he decide what you should do!"
"Don't say that, Gellert. He's my brother," Albus said softly. "And I have other reasons why I must stay here."
There was a hint of struggle in his voice, and Kyle guessed that Albus hadn't told Gellert about Ariana yet, or perhaps didn't know how to bring it up.
In fact, the reason Albus had given up on traveling the world was also because he needed to take care of Ariana.
By September, Aberforth would be starting school, and the responsibility of looking after his sister would fall solely on Albus.
If he left a Silencio User alone at home and returned to find Godric's Hollow gone, it would be too late.
Albus sighed again.
He didn't know if Gellert would distance himself after learning about Ariana, which was why he had hesitated to tell him.
After all, in the wizarding world, Silencio Users were a taboo existence, and they had only known each other for a short time. Albus cherished this friendship and couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
However, Gellert only saw that he was upset about not being able to travel the world. He slammed the cup in his hand onto the bar, making a dull thud.
"You're too easygoing. You have the right to choose what you want to do. You're Albus Dumbledore, and that fool can't hold you back."
Albus shook his head. It wasn't Aberforth who was holding him back, but his sense of responsibility.
"Ha..." Gellert finished the wine in his cup. "Do you remember our decision?"
"Of course," Albus said without hesitation. "To liberate wizards and allow all of us to live freely under the sun."
Kyle twitched his ears again.
"That's right, but you don't think that just by staying in Godric's Hollow, we can achieve this ideal, do you?" Gellert said in a low voice. "We must go out there, to every corner of the world, to fulfill this great ideal."
His tone was filled with fervor.
"I think we should take the first step."
"What do you have in mind?" Albus asked.
"Go to the highlands south of the valley," Gellert said. "I heard from my aunt that wizards once lived there, and it seems to be related to what I've been looking for..."
His voice suddenly became much quieter, so quiet that Kyle couldn't make out what he was saying.
"You mean those three things?" Albus asked.
"Yes... must find... to fulfill... the ideal..."
His voice was intermittent and unclear.
After that, there was another long silence.
"We should leave here," Gellert's voice became clear again. "It won't take long, just consider it a try."
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was because Hogwarts hadn't started yet and he wanted to indulge himself, but after a moment of silence, Albus agreed to Gellert's suggestion.
"Great, let's go now!"
The original is in Book 6, Chapter 9, at the pub!
Gellert said excitedly, "But before that, I think we should do something to commemorate this great first step."
"What?"
"I know a special magical bond that would be perfect to witness our friendship." Gellert's voice was filled with uncontainable excitement. "Come with me..."
He pulled Albus along, and they hurriedly left the pub.
Kyle lifted his head again.
"Are you awake?" Cody looked over. "What's wrong with you today? You passed out after just two drinks."
"Maybe I didn't get enough rest," Kyle said dismissively. "I'll head back first. See you tomorrow."
"No problem, get out of here." Cody waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't interrupt my drinking."
Kyle smiled and got up from the bar.
However, instead of returning to his room upstairs, he circled around and followed them out of the pub.
He had a hunch that something big might happen tonight, and even if he was caught, he had to witness it with his own eyes, or he might regret it for the rest of his life.
After leaving the pub, Kyle strode down a small path and put on an Invisibility Cloak, a prop even more discreet and undetectable than magic itself.
Five minutes later, he finally saw Dumbledore and Grindelwald ahead, approaching an abandoned granary and entering through its open door.
Kyle looked around.
It was impossible to follow them inside, even with the protection of the Invisibility Cloak, he would surely be discovered. But if he didn't go in, the granary was surrounded by closed spaces, and he couldn't see what was happening inside.
Wait... there might be a place.
Kyle turned his gaze to the Dumbledore residence, specifically the highest attic of the house.
The granary window faced that direction, and looking back, he could see the situation inside the granary, where Ariana lived. If she was disturbed, she might wake up.
Voices could be heard from inside the granary, like some sort of incantation...
"Never mind." Kyle clenched his teeth and used a flying broom to reach the top of the attic. He tried to move quietly, tiptoeing and crouching down, peering into the granary through the Invisibility Cloak.
Good, although the window was small, Dumbledore and Grindelwald were standing in the center, and he could just see them. The only issue was that it was a bit blurry.
Kyle quickly took out a panoramic telescope, something he had bought at the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago, and it came in handy now.
Through the telescope, the situation inside the granary became much clearer.
After some time, they had finished their incantation. Inside the granary, the two young men stood facing each other, their faces filled with a piety they had never shown before.
Faint magical runes rotated and flickered around them, adding a sense of solemnity and mystery to the dilapidated granary.
Grindelwald conjured a knife and cut his palm, letting the blood drip onto the tip of the knife, which then hovered in the air, enveloped by the runes.
Then it was Dumbledore's turn.
Some of the runes penetrated the wounds on their palms, and the trembling hands clasped together, with more runes appearing and dancing wildly around them like a frenzy.
The number of runes increased, and their speed grew faster, forming a long silver chain that wrapped around their intertwined wrists.
The other end of the chain connected to the blood that had just dripped, and as the light faded, the runes transformed into a silver amulet, while the original drop of blood was preserved in the center, glowing with an eerie light.
The silver amulet, containing Grindelwald's blood, was connected to the chain on Dumbledore's wrist, and the other end naturally fell into Grindelwald's hand.
Thus, the blood pact was complete.
This magical bond, formed with the blood of wizards, was highly binding. From this point on, they were essentially sharing the same body, unable to harm each other... even the thought of doing so would be captured by the pact and punished accordingly.
Inside the granary, the two young men hugged tightly, and after a moment, they whispered something to each other before leaving the granary together, disappearing into the night, presumably heading to the so-called southern highlands.
Meanwhile, on top of the attic, Kyle was content and put away his camera.
He had originally bought this device to record Fred and George, and it was the latest magical item, unlike the cheap market versions with additional flashlights, this one had excellent stealth capabilities.
It turned out to be a worthwhile purchase, as the two men focused on forming the blood pact, neither of them noticed someone recording them from a distance.
Once he returned, developed the photos, and soaked them in the Developing Solution, Kyle would have a complete set of precious photographs.
Kyle happily put away his camera and prepared to descend from the attic.
"Who are you?"
A voice came from behind, startling Kyle.
At some point, the attic window had been opened, and a young girl was leaning out, looking in his direction.
It had to be said that her action was dangerous, as she could fall at any moment, but Kyle didn't dare to remind her.
Kyle didn't know how he had disturbed Ariana, but he tried to remain as quiet as possible, hoping that Ariana wouldn't see him and he could leave.
He was wearing an Invisibility Cloak, so she shouldn't be able to see him... right?
"Why aren't you talking, and why are you on my family's attic... and what are you wearing, such a magical outfit."
"Can you see me?" Kyle asked, lifting the edge of the Invisibility Cloak.
Since she had pointed it out, there was no point in pretending anymore, and it would be dangerous to leave a young girl hanging in mid-air.
"I can't see you," Ariana shook her head, "but I know someone is here."
Kyle guessed that this situation was most likely due to the Silencio spell... although he didn't understand the principle, it was the only explanation that made sense.
...
(End of Chapter)
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