Chapter 968: Grindelwald: The Unattractive Gloves
Chapter 968: Grindelwald: The Unattractive Gloves
After a long standoff, Kyle eventually entered the Headmaster's Office with Grindelwald.
Grindelwald was visibly displeased, feeling that this was a personal insult and an affront to his character, but Kyle's determination left him no choice but to follow.
There was no other option; Hogwarts was Dumbledore's most cherished place. If they were to engage in a physical altercation here, their already fragile relationship, which had only just been mended, would undoubtedly shatter once more.
This was something Grindelwald could not accept.
"You're even more detestable than Scamander..." he couldn't help but mutter.
"Thank you for the compliment," Kyle said without turning back, his tone casual as he walked ahead. "Many have said the same, but even more believe I'm a law-abiding, exemplary wizard."
"Perhaps I should ask you for advice on how to better use the Confundus Charm."
"Even Professor Dumbledore has said as much."
"It's no surprise, Albus has always had poor judgment. He even claimed that Scamander was his favorite student."
"In the Hogwarts Trophy Room, I have the most Special Contribution Awards."
"I also received the Durmstrang Best Achievement Medal, and I have nine of them."
"You know how you obtained those honors," Kyle said sternly.
Those gold medals were given to Grindelwald during his heyday by Durmstrang, who wanted to associate themselves with his success. Along with them came the honorary alumni status.
And they were awarded consecutively for nine years... truly shameless. No wonder Karkaroff could become a headmaster... it's all in the family.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I have them, and I definitely have more than you," Grindelwald said nonchalantly.
He had once thought that Durmstrang was being a bit shameless, but he never expected that they would actually be of some use.
...
The two continued their conversation as they climbed the spiral staircase, reaching the top in no time.
Kyle pushed open the oak door and entered first.
"Wait a moment, I'll turn all the portraits around first..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Grindelwald stepped into the room.
"Hey, who are you talking to?"
"How dare you, trying to turn us all around..."
The portraits on the walls opened their eyes, and Finneas, leaning to the side, strained to look out the oak door.
"Let me see, did you bring a fugitive into Hogwarts?"
Kyle stopped in his tracks, looking at Grindelwald, who was casually strolling around the Headmaster's Office, with confusion.
From what the portraits had just said, it seemed they couldn't see Grindelwald...
But how was that possible? He could see Grindelwald clearly.
"What, do you want to learn it?" Grindelwald turned around, a slight smirk on his face.
"If you can show me something impressive, I can teach you."
"Who's there!" In an instant, almost all the portraits turned to look.
Though they couldn't see anyone, they could hear the voice.
Someone had clearly been speaking, and it was right inside the Headmaster's Office.
"Is it Harry Potter? I remember he has an Invisibility Cloak."
"No, the voice sounds like an elderly wizard."
"Who's there!"
The portraits continued their noisy chatter, but Grindelwald paid them no mind, patiently awaiting Kyle's response.
"I don't want to, and I won't learn it," Kyle refused outright. "I'm an honest person, why would I want to learn a spell that can hide me from portraits?"
"What a shame," Grindelwald sighed, a fleeting look of disappointment on his face.
"If it were another spell, I might consider it," Kyle continued. "I still have some in my possession."
"I disagree," Grindelwald said, turning away.
He didn't need to guess what Kyle wanted to learn; unfortunately, he had already promised Dumbledore that he wouldn't teach Kyle those powerful Dark Arts.
"Hey, who are you talking to!" Finneas was so agitated that his entire face was almost pressed against the frame.
"Bringing someone into the Headmaster's Office without permission, boy, do you want me to tell Minerva..."
"So noisy," Grindelwald frowned. "Is this annoying fellow also a headmaster?"
"What did you say?" Finneas froze for a moment, then screamed, "You, you thief, how dare you speak of the great Headmaster Black like that..."
"Silence!" Grindelwald waved his hand, and Finneas's voice abruptly stopped.
Even Finneas himself became motionless, and the other headmasters, along with the decorations in their portraits, froze in place, turning into ordinary paintings.
Only one portrait was an exception—the one behind the desk, Dumbledore's portrait.
He looked at the empty space in front of Kyle, his expression complex.
As Grindelwald gazed upon him, he unconsciously reached out, and then...
A figure flashed by, blocking the path between him and the portrait.
"Get out of my way, you annoying thing!" Grindelwald's face darkened.
"Impossible," Kyle leaned against the portrait, staring at Grindelwald.
"I told you before, you can look but don't touch... And as for what you did to the Hogwarts Headmasters, if Professor Dumbledore were here, he would have kicked you out."
"I was just trying to quiet them down a bit," Grindelwald said dismissively.
"Move aside!"
"No way!"
Neither party was willing to budge, and eventually, Dumbledore couldn't bear to watch anymore. He decisively left the portrait and went elsewhere.
Without Dumbledore's portrait, Grindelwald naturally lost interest and went elsewhere as well.
However, Kyle remained vigilant, keeping a close eye on him.
Neither Professor McGonagall, who had served two terms as Headmaster, nor Snape, who had been thrust into the role, had made significant changes to the room's furnishings.
Thus, the Headmaster's office in the present day didn't differ much from when Dumbledore was in charge.
The only difference, perhaps, was the absence of Fawkes' perch.
...
Grindelwald walked over to the shelf, carefully examining the neatly arranged silverware and said, "Albus' work... For a long time, he was obsessed with alchemy."
Then he turned to look at some items behind the shelf, a collection of miscellaneous small objects. Due to Professor McGonagall's lack of knowledge in alchemy, these items had stopped functioning after being neglected and not maintained.
However, Professor McGonagall hadn't removed them; they remained there as decorative items.
In addition, there were some other odds and ends, like a half-knitted woolen scarf and several mismatched woolen gloves.
Grindelwald didn't even glance at these items. He casually swept them aside and picked up something that resembled a teapot.
"How about you give this to me as a souvenir?"
"Of course not..."
"Give it to him."
Before Kyle could refuse, he heard Dumbledore's voice from behind, "And then have him leave this place quickly." In the portrait, Dumbledore's face was stern. "Hogwarts does not welcome him, and it's best if he leaves soon."
"You agreed to my coming here, Albus," Grindelwald said, his voice tinged with a hint of triumph.
"That was only under duress," Dumbledore stated firmly.
"Must we always be at odds like this? Every time we meet, it's like a battle of wills," Grindelwald said after a moment of silence.
"That's how it's always been. I tore the bedsheets into pieces and wrote countless letters to you, but I never received a single reply."
"Don't tell me you didn't receive those letters..."
"Yes, I didn't," Dumbledore replied without changing his tone. "But you can ignore my attitude entirely, after all, I'm already dead."
"You haven't changed a bit, not even in the words you say," Grindelwald suddenly laughed and, without waiting for a response, pocketed the small silver teapot.
Since the teapot's original owner, Dumbledore, had agreed, Kyle couldn't say anything.
Grindelwald then walked to the corner and stopped in front of a large velvet curtain.
Kyle didn't have time to stop him.
Grindelwald casually lifted the curtain, revealing a large mirror covered beneath.
Standing before the Mirror of Erised, Grindelwald reached out and caressed the intricate runes and symbols on the mirror's frame.
"Whatever you see in there is an illusion," Kyle said tensely. "And you definitely can't take this with you."
"Why not?" Grindelwald asked, still gazing at the mirror without turning around.
"This is the school's property."
"This is mine."
"What?"
"I gave this to Dumbledore a long time ago," Grindelwald turned around, once again wearing that enigmatic smile as he looked at Kyle.
"What, you're surprised?"
Kyle nodded subconsciously.
He had always thought that Dumbledore had crafted this mirror using alchemy or that it was a magical artifact passed down from the era of the Four Founders.
He never expected...
"Although Albus has modified this mirror numerous times, the original form was indeed a gift from me."
Grindelwald turned around again, seemingly lost in his memories.
After a long while, he spoke softly, "At that time, I was desperately trying to repair our relationship, so I searched frantically for the Resurrection Stone.
"Although I never found it, I stumbled upon this... magical mirror in the process."
"I saw us reconciled, just like in the Valley of Godric, and I was overjoyed. I couldn't wait to give it to Albus."
"I've given him many things, but he rejected them all, except for this..." Grindelwald extended his hand, reaching for something within the mirror.
His fingers traced a circle on the mirror's surface.
A cluster of blue flames erupted, burning swiftly.
It wasn't Fiendfyre, as Kyle didn't sense the characteristic ferocity of the cursed fire, and the Erised Mirror remained intact, unaffected by the blue flames.
Only the frames on both sides underwent a transformation, melting and reshaping in certain areas.
Or perhaps, it was their original form? Kyle couldn't be sure.
In any case, after the blue flames extinguished, the Erised Mirror remained unchanged, except for the narrower frames on both sides.
Additionally, above the claw-like supports, a letter appeared on each side.
On the left was a 'G,' and on the right, an 'A.'
Kyle was certain these letters were not part of the original runes or symbols but were intentionally engraved.
He could even guess who had done it.
Gellert Grindelwald
Albus Dumbledore
The initials were too obvious.
Dumbledore must have guessed it too, but instead of returning the mirror that allowed him to see Ariana, he chose to cover it up.
This was evident from Dumbledore's expression in the portrait... He looked slightly embarrassed, his gaze somewhat unfocused.
"So, are you going to take it away?" Kyle asked, taking the initiative.
"Are you going to stop me?" Grindelwald turned his head, looking at Kyle with interest.
"I would have before, but not now," Kyle shook his head.
"If this mirror was indeed a gift from you to Professor Dumbledore, it's reasonable for you to take it back now."
"Forget it, I don't need it anymore," Grindelwald unexpectedly refused, lifting his finger to draw the velvet curtain over the mirror once more.
"Let's talk about business," he turned and quickly walked up to Kyle.
"I actually came here to see you; I just happened to stop by to see Albus's workplace."
"Me?" Kyle pointed at himself, "You must be joking. Do I have something that would make you travel all the way from Nurmengard to Hogwarts?"
"Albus said you wanted my help in dealing with those who covet the Horcruxes," Grindelwald examined Kyle up and down, "Is that not true?"
"Horcruxes... Did he really ask you for help?"
Unconsciously, Kyle glanced at the portrait of Dumbledore behind him.
"Not me," the other Dumbledore shook his head, "It must be me outside the portrait. I merely informed him of your plan."
"I see."
While Kyle was talking to the portrait, Grindelwald, bored with idleness, picked up a woolen glove nearby. However, after a quick glance, he tossed it aside in disdain.
"Minerva McGonagall. Tch, your current Headmistress indeed has... diverse interests.
"Her taste is as poor as ever... Even if I were still in Nurmengard, I wouldn't want such an ugly pair of gloves."
The portrait of Dumbledore suddenly closed his mouth, his expression odd.
Kyle couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or anger, or perhaps both.
After all, if someone said Dumbledore lacked strength, he might just smile and brush it off, not caring at all. But if someone criticized the design of his knitted woolen socks, he could get upset for an entire day.
Although the gloves weren't socks, they were similar.
However, Grindelwald was also... It served him right for not even bothering to reply to a letter.
"What's wrong? Is it true?" Grindelwald asked again, perplexed.
"Ah, yes, I do have this idea," Kyle quickly nodded, "Will you help me?"
"Not helping you, but helping Albus," Grindelwald said, turning to look at the portrait of Dumbledore behind him, seemingly seeking praise or a less distant gaze.
Then he saw Dumbledore's cold face.
For a moment, Grindelwald felt as if he had returned to the time when he and Dumbledore first parted ways.
That was the look in his eyes then, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
Hmm?
Grindelwald blinked, a bit dazed.
The portrait of Dumbledore hadn't been like this before; what was going on?
He then turned sharply to Kyle and asked sternly, "What did you do!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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