Nurmengard, a prison once used by the Wizards' Purity Party to detain its opponents.
Half a century later, only one prisoner remains inside.
Dumbledore slowly walked toward the door.
No matter how many years have passed, we must meet again eventually.
Harry has a fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him, and Trelawney has uttered another true Prophecy tonight.
Is it an excuse?
Dumbledore stopped in front of the cracked stone door.
He looked up at the slogan he had proposed.
I reminisced for a moment, and felt lost for a moment.
Her deep blue eyes looked back at the door, a door that seemed as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
The hesitation in Dumbledore's eyes disappeared, and he slowly raised the Elder Wand in his hand.
Circles of light blue ripples spread out, freezing one spell after another as if they were ice blocks.
It's not that the Austrian Ministry of Magic is too weak, but rather that Dumbledore, empowered by the Deathly Hallows, is too powerful.
He reached out and gently touched the heavy stone door, entering Nurmengard, which housed only one prisoner.
The light from the tip of the cane reveals the ruins of the Entrance Hall.
Gone is the solemnity and grandeur I remembered; only the lifelessness left by the relentless ravages of time remains.
He's dead, he's definitely dead.
Those two talented young men with lofty ambitions are long dead.
Dumbledore showed little sadness and walked straight toward the broken Marble Staircase.
Second layer, third layer, fourth layer...
Finally, he reached the top floor.
There was still no sign of life, but he knew the person he was looking for was at the end of the corridor.
As he walked past each cell, his expression gradually relaxed.
As if visiting a long-lost friend, Dumbledore smiled and entered Grindelwald's cell.
Completely contrary to the image in my memory, the man who had always had very high taste was sitting on the wooden bed, so old that he had hardly any hair left and almost no teeth left.
Grindelwald laughed. "You're getting old."
Dumbledore's lips twitched, as if he were choked and unable to speak.
After a brief exchange of glances, the dilapidated walls began to peel away bit by bit, and the seemingly lifeless cell "came back to life."
Grindelwald's tattered clothes transformed back into a crisp black coat, his silver-white hair grew back, and his sunken cheeks became fuller.
The wrinkles disappeared, and the teeth came back.
You can still vaguely see their spirited appearance from back then, but the aura that seemed to be about to conquer the world has disappeared.
Although he was two years younger than her, Grindelwald looked much younger and didn't seem like a man over a hundred years old at all.
Dumbledore's lips twitched again. "I almost believed it just now."
The claim that he was on the verge of death was false, and the claim that he couldn't use magic was also false.
Gradually infuse the fortress with magic, turning it into a medium for casting spells.
The current Nurmengard can be seen as a large wand, a wand that belongs only to Grindelwald.
Dumbledore waved the Elder Wand and conjured an ordinary wooden chair out of thin air.
As soon as he sat down, a small round table appeared in front of him.
Grindelwald stood up, walked over and sat down opposite him. "People often only believe what they want to believe, and don't care about the truth."
A pot of black tea and a plate full of delicate candies appeared on the table.
"He said your taste hasn't changed." Grindelwald pushed the plate towards him.
Dumbledore picked up a rainbow-colored candy and smiled with childlike innocence.
"Gellert Grindelwald, I really envy your life now."
Rainbow candies have a complex flavor profile, with each color representing a different taste.
The flavors of life—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, bland, and astringent—are just like his seemingly perfect life.
Grindelwald smiled but remained silent.
Headmaster of Hogwarts, President of the International Wizarding Confederation, recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Archmage, Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot...
These incredibly eye-catching titles are actually all burdens and shackles.
Dumbledore savored the taste of the rainbow candy, as if he were once again lost in memories.
Grindelwald watched him quietly the whole time.
After an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore suddenly said, "My relationship with Aberforth has improved considerably."
"Because of Nagini?"
"That's part of the reason, but I think we actually made up a long time ago."
Dumbledore picked up a star-shaped golden candy and put it in his mouth.
The outer layer of edible gold leaf has no flavor, while the inside has a refreshing minty sweetness.
He closed his eyes and reflected, "I made another mistake."
Grindelwald's tone was unusually gentle. "It's not your fault. Even if you personally taught him, what was going to happen would still happen."
Voldemort was a product of Amortentia, destined to never understand what love is.
Dumbledore opened his eyes and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "You know, I'll never give up unless I actually try."
"You can drop your burden at any time."
"But I can't, at least not now."
Grindelwald's eyes dimmed for a moment. "Albus Dumbledore, let's talk about our heir."
It's not me, it's us.
Dumbledore sighed, his face full of unease. "He's very good, far better than you can imagine."
Mr. Heartthrob, the largest School Board Member Hogwarts, the representative of Britain youth in Wizengamot, the public enemy of Alchemists...
As a prophet of this century, Grindelwald actually knew all this long ago.
But he was very patient and listened to the whole story.
"A true Prophecy appeared tonight, and I think it must belong to him, right?"
"You already know the answer in your heart, don't you?"
Dumbledore looked down at the dish of candy. "Then I can get a good night's sleep tonight."
Grindelwald took a sip of his black tea. "However, what you're really worried about will happen soon."
Dumbledore's hand, which was holding the candy, froze in mid-air.
"Bring that child over, I'll take care of his problems."
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Dumbledore and popped the candy into his mouth.
Grindelwald shook his head. "Because you had no intention of hiding it from me."
The answer to the Prophecy has been found, and there's no need to worry about the fragments of soul within Harry's body.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Dumbledore used Grindelwald's prophetic abilities several times, when they were enemies.
But before the formation of the Wizards' Purity Party, the two had an extremely close relationship in Godric's Hollow.
"I like this flavor, don't you want to try one?"
"Okay, we still have plenty of time."
After 48 years apart, of course we had so much to talk about.
Since the protagonist of the Prophecy is not Voldemort, we might as well stay here and catch up.