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Chapter 857: Gellert Grindelwald
Chapter 857: Gellert Grindelwald
At noon, after asking a few house-elves for the spatial coordinates of Nurmengard, Ivan took his meal and vanished from Hogwarts in a spatial teleportation.
When he regained his senses, he found himself in a desolate wasteland, far from any sign of civilization.
The nearly half-continent teleportation left Ivan slightly disoriented, but he quickly adjusted and focused his gaze ahead. A formidable, fortress-like structure stood on the hillside, with the most prominent feature being the central, towering spire.
Ivan scanned the area and quickly confirmed that this was indeed Nurmengard Prison!
It had once been as infamous as Azkaban, holding hundreds of wizards at its peak, a testament to Grindelwald's brutality. The entrance still bore Grindelwald's famous inscription: "For the Greater Good."
However, the place had been abandoned for years, with parts of the sturdy walls collapsed and the guard posts at the entrance empty.
After Grindelwald's downfall, a large number of righteous wizards stormed the prison, and the remnants of their battle were still visible.
Ivan stepped inside, looking around with the curiosity of a tourist. To his surprise, some of the protective arrays within the prison were still functional, even after fifty years.
Especially when he entered the central tower, Ivan distinctly felt the space around him tighten, clearly an anti-Apparition ward.
However, he had recently fused with the Phoenix Bloodline and mastered another method of teleportation. Such protective arrays were no longer effective against him. After a brief moment of perception, Ivan ascended the stairs and reached the top of the tower about ten minutes later.
Compared to the dilapidated lower levels, the top of the tower had a more lived-in feel. It had been converted into a small room with all the necessary living amenities, though it appeared to be poorly maintained.
The fireplace and a few seldom-used chairs were covered in thick layers of dust, and the only window offering a view of the outside world was hazy, making the tower's top floor feel particularly oppressive under the midday sun.
The master of this tower, the sole prisoner of Nurmengard, Gellert Grindelwald, was lying on the only hard bed in the room.
Due to his advanced age and long-term imprisonment, Grindelwald looked in poor condition. His hair was matted and gray, his eyes sunken, and his face pale and devoid of color. Ivan even wondered if he might die in this room at any moment.
The sound of footsteps at the door naturally caught Gellert Grindelwald's attention. His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, swept over Ivan, making the latter feel a long-forgotten pressure.
Ivan went on high alert, subtly placing his hand on his wand. He sensed that this renowned Dark Wizard, despite his current state, was similar to Dumbledore—a powerful but dying figure.
So even though Grindelwald had no wand, Ivan did not let his guard down.
However, Gellert Grindelwald showed no intention of attacking. As Ivan approached step by step, he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and low.
“Ivan Hals... You've arrived much later than I expected...”
“You know me? And that I would come to find you?” Ivan stopped a meter away from the Bedroom, his tone tinged with surprise.
“Albus believed you would find your way here, sooner or later...” Grindelwald explained slowly.
“So it seems Headmaster Dumbledore had quite a bit of faith in me...” Ivan raised an eyebrow, jokingly. Dumbledore hadn’t left him any clues or hints before his death. If not for the information he got from Winky, he might not have remembered this dilapidated prison.
“Albus told me a lot about you...” Grindelwald said, then coughed heavily, covering his mouth for a moment before continuing. “He believed you are the most likely person in centuries to change the Wizarding World.”
Ivan rubbed his nose. Dumbledore had mentioned this to him before, but he was curious about Grindelwald’s take on it.
“And what do you think?” Ivan asked.
“At first, I didn’t believe it, but now it seems there’s some basis for it...” Grindelwald scrutinized Ivan. “No wizard has ever reached such heights at your age.”
Ivan wasn’t moved by Grindelwald’s praise and replied casually, “Is that so? Professor Dumbledore also spoke of you to me.”
As he spoke, Ivan placed the meal he was holding in his left hand in front of Grindelwald, remembering his task of delivering the food.
Grindelwald didn’t hesitate, picking up the knife and fork and cutting a piece of steak with slow, deliberate movements, as graceful as a noble gentleman.
However, Ivan noticed that Grindelwald’s left hand, hidden in the shadow, seemed unsteady, and the steak he cut was uneven, not the neat slice it should have been.
Before Ivan could examine it further, Grindelwald’s voice interrupted, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask now.”
Ivan waved his wand to summon a chair and sat down beside the bed, not waiting for Grindelwald to finish his meal. He asked straightforwardly, “I want to know what Headmaster Dumbledore talked to you about.”
Grindelwald continued cutting his steak, his tone indifferent. “Partly about you, and the rest you don’t need to know.”
Ivan narrowed his eyes but didn’t press the issue, knowing that Grindelwald and Dumbledore had a unique relationship, and some things were indeed better left unsaid.
It was better that Grindelwald was upfront about withholding information rather than keeping it hidden.
With that in mind, Ivan set aside the parts that couldn’t be discussed and patiently probed Grindelwald for information about Dumbledore’s purpose in coming here.
However, Ivan was disappointed to find that, despite the lengthy meal, Grindelwald shared little useful information. Most of it was about Dumbledore’s evaluations of him or stories of his past deeds.
Ivan couldn’t understand why the headmaster had spoken so detailedly about him to Grindelwald. Losing interest in continuing the conversation, he interrupted, “When Dumbledore’s headmaster came to see you, did you know he was under the influence of Dark Magic and was close to death?”
(End of Chapter)
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