Duel, but Veratia vs. Dumbledore

Gellert felt a mixture of sorrow and joy upon hearing her sister's angry threat.

Sadly, Al probably won't escape being punished by his sister either.

The good thing is that someone is there to share the punishment with him—it's Al, after all. Is there anything happier than that?

"Dumbledore certainly despicable, but you..."

Veratia snorted and raised her wand. The two sofas beside her transformed into armored knights, one on each side, holding Gellert suspended in mid-air.

"Come on, Veratia." Harry reached out and tugged at Veratia's arm. "Gellert... he's too old for your magic..."

"Scarhead!" Gellert suddenly shouted.

"I suggest you burn the soles of his feet with fire," Harry suggested. "That way, he'll feel the pain without actually killing him."

"Good idea." Veratia gave Harry an approving look, and a small flame slowly flew to Gellert's feet.

"What are you doing?" Gellert cried out in terror, "Let me go! Let me go!"

Dumbledore, who had rushed from Hogwarts, was already standing at the gates of Nurmengard Castle.

Ever since Professor McGonagall told him about the name on the Book of Admissions, he hadn't slept well that night; his dreams were filled with those two words—

So he got out of bed late at night, without even changing his clothes, and just threw on a robe before heading to Nurmengard.

As he stood at the door, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

On either side of the entrance were several Austria Auror lying on the ground, some of them not even having taken out their wands, frozen in place and unable to move.

What... happened here?

Several possibilities flashed through his mind.

First, Grindelwald finally couldn't stand being alone anymore and wanted to come out of seclusion again; second, perhaps someone forced their way into Nurmengard just to see Grindelwald.

As for who this person is...

Could it be Tom?

However... if it were Tom, these Auror wouldn't just be petrified.

Dumbledore pulled the Elder Wand from his pocket; he wouldn't let his guard down, no matter what the possibility was.

After entering the castle, Dumbledore finally confirmed that there were no ambushes after using his detection magic several times.

He carried the Fawkes and climbed the steps.

He went up to the third floor, but suddenly heard a sound that sounded like crying and laughing coming from inside.

It's Gellert's, and it sounds like he's begging for mercy, but it doesn't seem like it.

Dumbledore knew his old friend's temperament well, and getting him to back down and beg for mercy was an impossible task— Gellert Grindelwald was a proud and arrogant man, and even after losing to him in duels four or five years ago, he had never uttered a single word of remorse.

Yes, if he had just said one nice word, how could the two of them have ended up like this?

Dumbledore adjusted his crescent-shaped glasses and waved his wand to open the door.

However, the scene before him stunned him.

Gellert Grindelwald was suspended high from the ceiling, with two clusters of violet flames roasting the soles of his feet below.

His legs kept pulling back due to the burning sensation, but he seemed to have been hanging there for too long and was already exhausted.

Two people were sitting on a sofa not far away.

One of them was someone he never expected.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore." Harry nodded politely to him. "You mean me? I'm just here watching the show."

"Shut up, you Scarhead!" Gellert roared.

However, the flames seemed to intensify because of his words, burning even more fiercely than before.

"What exactly is going on?"

Dumbledore did not relax because of Harry's presence; on the contrary, he became even more vigilant.

"If I were you, I'd save myself first," Gellert, hanging from the ceiling, said slyly. "Dumbledore, you can't beat her by yourself..."

At the same time, Veratia also stood up from her seat.

She came to Dumbledore with light and graceful steps.

Upon seeing the star- and moon-adorned sleeping robe beneath Dumbledore robe, she paused for a moment, but then looked at Professor Dumbledore as if nothing had happened.

Dumbledore a slight step back, but Fawkes let out a clear cry, flapped his wings, and landed on Veratia's shoulder, looking like he was licking a bird.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore." Veratia gave an impeccable ladylike bow. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Verathea Elizabeth Amaryllis Grindelwald."

"Hello." Dumbledore nodded hesitantly. "I know your name. Your name appears in the Book of Admissions."

However, Veratia's next words caused Dumbledore's pupils to dilate suddenly.

"And I'm also Gellert Grindelwald's sister... I heard you're my brother's boyfriend?"

Ah, this...

Dumbledore never expected that the Grindelwald before him would actually...

No, he remembered that he had heard about this senior's achievements when he enrolled in school.

She wiped out the Ashwinder Party, suppressed the Goblin Rebellion, and caused poachers in the British Isles to disappear... There are even rumors that the extinction of Grindylow in England was also closely related to this senior.

However, she is actually a very low-key person, and she is more often remembered for her companion who charged ahead – Harry Potter.

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to Harry.

The long-standing doubts have now been answered definitively.

This Harry is the same Harry from a hundred years ago!

In fact, he had thought about it before—but since Harry was only eleven years old, he forcibly suppressed this doubt.

He had never heard of magic that could make people young again; if it did, Voldemort wouldn't have split his soul in pursuit of immortality.

But that's not what he needs to think about most right now. The most pressing issue he faces is how to deal with his boyfriend's sister's anger.

Parentheses, before.

The figure of Gellert hanging from the ceiling wore a sinister smile, a mixture of schadenfreude and a desire to see more trouble.

"Hello, Senior Grindelwald," Dumbledore said calmly. "But that happened many years ago. We were young and naive back then."

"So you toyed with his feelings?" Veratia asked with a smile.

"Would you like to sit down and listen to an old man—perhaps one of your gray-haired descendants—tell me about what happened back then?" Dumbledore didn't rush to refute, but spoke softly.

Veratia sat gracefully in the chair, her hands folded in her lap. "Perhaps I should hear the other party's side of the story, rather than my cunning brother's—come on, tell me, what makes Gellert Grindelwald like you so much?"

"Sister! I'm not cunning!" Gellert mindset had clearly become younger since her sister's return, said, "I just..."

Veratia looked up and gave Gellert a tender look.

Sensing her sister's gaze, Gellert obediently shut her mouth.

"Oh, and your Phoenix," Veratia said to Fawkes the Fawkes. "Mr. Phoenix, Fiona is with Harry. If you'd like to see her, perhaps you could ask him?"

Fawkes chirped twice, his meaning clear—you are Fiona's real mother.

Veratia's gaze turned dangerous.

Your master ruined my brother, and now you, you wicked bird, are eyeing my daughter?

"Fawkes?" Dumbledore knew this was bad, so he quickly called out the name of the Phoenix.

Fawkes then reluctantly flapped his wings and returned to Dumbledore's side.

"I think we should use Pensieve; it would be more intuitive," Harry suddenly said. "I think there should be something like that in Gellert's Nurmengard Castle, right?"

Gellert didn't say anything, but just nodded toward the next room.

Harry stood up and went to the next room, where he saw the Pensieve.

He brought out the Pensieve and placed it next to Professor Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore winked at Harry. "Or perhaps I should say, Potter."

"You're too kind, Professor." Harry smiled politely and sat down next to Veratia.

Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched slightly; he sensed that the relationship between the young man and woman before him was not so simple...

He picked up his wand and touched his temple, and a silver thread of memory was pulled out and fell into the Pensieve.

"These are my memories, Miss Grindelwald," Dumbledore said softly.

Veratia nodded slightly and walked to the Pensieve, intending to carefully observe Dumbledore's memories.

However, she did not bend down, but looked at Dumbledore.

"I don't trust you, Dumbledore... Professor." Veratia finally chose a form of address that she could accept. "I think if you're sincere enough, you should put down your wand for now."

"You should know, Grindelwald, that a proper wizard never relinquishes his wand," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Veratia raised her wand.

"Accio!"

Harry felt a sudden pull, and when he came to his senses, he was already in Veratia's arms.

"Gellert," Veratia without turning around, "You'll be the referee."

Gellert, hanging from the ceiling, looked on with great interest and quickly said, "Alright, now—please both sides bow."

"I don't think Harry should be dragged into this. He's innocent, Grindelwald." Dumbledore looked at Harry, who was being held in Veratia's arms.

Veratia ignored Dumbledore's words and hugged him even tighter.

"My situation is somewhat special, and I hope Headmaster Dumbledore can understand," Veratia said, then gave Dumbledore graceful bow and said, "Prepare to begin, Professor—let me see if the Headmaster of a hundred years from now is truly competent!"

Even though the girl in front of him was sixteen years old, Dumbledore did not underestimate her at all. He had heard the name of the terrifying transfer student since he was a child.

From any perspective, the other party has the ability to challenge me.

Thinking this, he returned the greeting to Veratia.

Upon seeing Dumbledore, Gellert excitedly shouted, "Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Veratia raised her hand and cast a Charms.

Dumbledore waved his wand and, without even moving a step, easily neutralized the attack with a Transfiguration Charms.

Veratia's first Charms was just a test; immediately following it were two projectiles that had been turned into Explosive Barrel and thrown into the two giant hands that Dumbledore.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

The giant stone hand shattered with a crash, Dumbledore the wind. The next second, he appeared behind Veratia, with two giant stone guards appearing beside him, lunging at Veratia from the left and right.

Before Veratia could make any move, the stone guard on the left shattered with a crash; Veratia waved her wand like a conductor conducting an orchestra, and a violet flame suddenly ignited, whipping towards Dumbledore like a flaming whip.

Dumbledore disappeared again, and Veratia took the opportunity to smash another stone guard. Dumbledore reappeared on the side of her blind spot, and a red spell was cast at her.

"Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"

The two Charms intersected in mid-air, the wand tips flickering with sparks, the two Charms crackling like lightning linked together.

Suddenly, the surroundings seemed to have changed, like Ancient Magic Chamber of Secrets, with a silent blackness all around and black liquid flowing down the walls.

Suddenly, a spring of clear water gushed forth from nowhere, and within seconds, the water transformed into a raging torrent, seemingly carrying immense force, crashing towards Veratia.

Veratia remained calm. She pointed her wand Fang Yi, and just as Moses parted the sea, the waves were split in two.

Then, a ring of violet flames ignited around her body, and soon some of the flames transformed into Phoenix that pounced on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore flicked his wand, sending a Phoenix flying, before disappearing from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Veratia.

"Stupefy (Stunning Spell)!"

A Charms struck Veratia squarely in the spot.

However, there was no reaction. Dumbledore sensed something was wrong in an instant. Without thinking, he cast a Disarming Charm at the person directly behind him.

"I must say, you are indeed the most outstanding wizard I have ever seen. No wonder Gale likes you so much."

Veratia held Harry tightly with one arm, as if afraid he would slip out of her control.

Harry was also worried that if he left Veratia's embrace, it would cause her to exhaust her magic, so he held her slender waist tightly.

"I admit it, Senior Grindelwald, if you weren't carrying this burden, I'm afraid I wouldn't be your match," Dumbledore said, shaking his head.

"Harry is not a burden to me, Professor Dumbledore," Veratia said softly. "Besides, the current evenness doesn't mean you've won—"

As soon as he finished speaking, the space that resembled Ancient Magic barrier shattered, and the three of them returned to Gellert's room.

"Has no one ever taught you not to wear other people's clothes?" Veratia chuckled softly.

After saying that, Gellert immediately understood what his sister meant.

Dumbledore and Harry, however, did not understand what Veratia was saying.

Before he could think any further, Dumbledore's wand suddenly slipped from his hand, spinning and flying into Veratia's grasp.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a binding force coming from his robe, and at the same time, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have lost his sense of magic.

Gellert only felt a blur before his eyes, Dumbledore was hanging next to him.

"Hey, Al," Gellert whistled, "It seems like it's been ages since we've been this close."

"It seems so," Dumbledore sighed languidly.

"Gale, how could you just give away your sister's things to someone else like that?" Veratia's angry voice came from below. "Didn't anyone tell you not to touch other people's things?"

"I understand now, sister," Gellert said in a drawn-out voice.

"What's going on?" Dumbledore asked. "It seems my dressing gown is the culprit that's binding me?"

"Look, you both have burdens," Gellert said lightly. "Your burden is magic, and yours is that robe I gave you back then—I really didn't expect you to still be wearing it after all these years. Is it because you can't forget our friendship, or did you wear this robe specifically to see me, trying to play the sentimental card?"

"You're mistaken, Gellert," Harry said, tilting his head back against Veratia's chest. "Professor Dumbledore often wore this outfit at school. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other students."

"Oh~" Gellert gave a meaningful smile, looking rather sly.

This was the first time he didn't find the Scarhead annoying.

"Let's go take a look," Harry said to Veratia. "I personally still believe in Professor Dumbledore."

At this point, he waved his hand.

Veratia obediently leaned her head closer, and Harry whispered in her ear, "Although he can be a bit crazy sometimes."

"Hmm." Veratia nodded, released Harry, handed him the Elder Wand, went to the Pensieve, bent down and stuck her head inside.

Half an hour later, she looked up with a complicated expression.

How should I put it? The actual events weren't exactly the same as what she imagined; in fact, they were quite different.

I originally thought the younger brother was the one who was deceived in this relationship, but I never expected it to be Dumbledore.

This memory of Dumbledore... should be the Dumbledore of that time, with a rather gentle personality and a seemingly mild-mannered appearance.

If the genders were reversed, she would probably be the kind of gentle older sister, which explains why Gale... well, cough cough.

What's that saying? A father in prison, a mother who died young, a sickly sister, and a broken man.

In this relationship, it should be said that Gale was the one who took the initiative, and there was even an element of exploitation involved.

They are all young wizards with outstanding talent, and they all have ideals and ambitions.

For Albus, who felt trapped in a boring village and compelled to fulfill family responsibilities, Grindelwald's ideas attracted and inspired him; for the self-centered Grindelwald, he gained a powerful ally with whom he could have inspiring conversations, and his sense of control remained unchallenged.

Albus in love with his handsome and intelligent friend. This romantic love was unrequited, but they were clearly very close, and their feelings for each other were platonic.

They shaped each other's ideas, rights, and fates thereafter.

Dumbledore was also a pitiful man. He witnessed but was powerless to stop a group of Muggle boys from torturing his sister Ariana, to the point that the innocent girl became mentally unstable and the repressed magic within her became dangerous and unstable.

This led to Dumbledore's father being sent to Azkaban for taking revenge on the Muggle boys, and his mother being killed by Ariana in an accident.

He hopes to use power to protect his loved ones, and further protect the world, opposing the cruelty and xenophobia exhibited by Muggle.

Dumbledore desired the Resurrection Stone because he believed it could bring back his deceased parents and other lost loved ones, while Grindelwald wanted to use it as a tool to create an army of Inferi.

The two men planned to leave Godric's Hollow to seize power and begin their "revolution."

When Dumbledore's brother Abufosi Dumbledore noticed this, he was disgusted by Albus's ambition—and Albus's departure meant that Ariana would be left uncared for, as her Obscurus state was very unstable and that insufficient care and attention could lead to the deterioration of her condition and even death.

Thus, Gellert's fight with Abufosi escalated into a confrontation, and enraged, he used the Cruciatus Curse on Abufosi.

Albus in to protect his brother, sparking a three-way battle.

However, Ariana was unexpectedly killed in this duel—no one knows who cast the Charms that killed Ariana.

Perhaps out of remorse or guilt, Gellert fled Godric's Hollow after that.

The scene abruptly ended at that moment.

Veratia was somewhat unable to accept it—she had thought that the blond guy had tricked her brother away, but Dumbledore's memories told her... that her brother was the blond guy.

It's one thing for him to be blond, but he also killed someone else's sister and ran away. He's a completely irresponsible scoundrel.

To be fair, Veratia is not an unreasonable person; she will not ignore her brother's mistakes.

No matter how you look at it, Gellert seems to be in the right.

Seeing Veratia's expression, Harry curiously joined in and buried his head in the Pensieve.

Veratia sat there, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps waiting for Harry to emerge from the Pensieve.

"He's definitely no good." Harry's first words were a vicious glare at Gellert.

However, Gellert, that old rascal, just grinned maliciously at Harry, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"

"Senior Grindelwald," Dumbledore said softly, "Could you put me down? You know, a centenarian can't withstand this kind of ordeal."

"Although your breakup with Gale is none of your business, there's one more thing," Veratia's gaze was dangerous. "Besides this robe, what else has Gellert given you?"

"Oh," Professor Dumbledore said, recalling for a moment, "There are many, such as several humming little silver gadgets, a pair of Two-way mirror, some magical materials and alchemical materials..."

Veratia's gaze toward Gellert turned dangerous.

Wow, what a guy! You're using my money to pick up girls... and guys?

"I know, you were planning to give that robe to Scarhead Veela, weren't you?"

Gellert's relaxed voice came over; he didn't sound flustered, clearly having found another way to resolve the crisis.

Of course, his method of resolving the crisis was to shift the crisis.

"Then I'd like to ask you on behalf of that Scarhead kid, why did you imbue that Ancient Charm on the robe you gave him?"

Veratia's expression suddenly darkened.

What else could it be?

She knows best why.

But that's... not a very good thing to say, is it?

Instead, Harry suddenly said, "That's not the most important issue right now, Gellert —the most important thing is how you're going to compensate your sister for her losses!"

Harry is very clear-headed. There's no rush to resolve anything between Veratia and me—the first thing we need to deal with is you, this cockatoo!

"Hey! Scarhead! You really don't know what's good for you!" Gellert scolded, exasperated. "I think my sister put a bit on you and saddled you—you've been completely tamed!"

But what awaited Gellert was a red Charms.

Gellert let out a muffled groan.

Veratia waved her wand and put Dumbledore down.

After beating him thirteen times, she had managed to vent her anger a little, so putting Dumbledore down for now wasn't a big deal.

But Gale... let it stay hanging there.

Dumbledore pulled out a candy jar from somewhere. This time, instead of Cockroach Clusters, it contained orange candies—which seemed to have fillings and were probably orange-flavored.

While eating the candy, he casually waved to Gellert, who was hanging from the ceiling, making Gellert glare at him through gritted teeth.

"Want a piece of candy?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. "It's Honeydukes' latest Orange C-Filled Candy —by the way, Gale, how did you know I'm now a major shareholder of Honeydukes!"

"Who asked you!" Gellert said listlessly.

Dumbledore smiled, picked up another piece of candy, and asked, "So, Senior Grindelwald, may I ask you why I didn't discover the Charms hidden on the robe? Oh, please forgive my curiosity."

This time he didn't say "an old man" because it would be unwise to act superior in front of his senior.

"Because those without Ancient Magic talent will never be able to detect traces of Ancient Magic in their entire lives," Veratia said softly.

"I still have a few questions," Dumbledore, looking at Harry. "Is the Harry before me the same Harry from a hundred years ago, or is he Lily and James ' son?"

"He is Harry from a hundred years ago, and also the son of Lily and James." Veratia sighed softly, "Because Lily sacrificed herself and planted a love Charms on Harry, causing him to travel to Hogwarts a hundred years ago—if I remember correctly, he should have started from the first year."

"Is that really true?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.

"Yes, speaking of Harry's mother... Lily Evans, right?" Veratia reached out and ruffled Harry's messy hair, saying with heartache, "She stumbled into the Map Chamber by accident when she was fifteen... Back then, I was just a portrait in the Map Chamber."

"Aren't there three professors in the Map Chamber?" Dumbledore frowned. "They are Headmaster Fitzgerald, Professor Rackham, and Professor Rackham. That's what Lily told me."

"Because my last name Grindelwald, Professor Dumbledore." Veratia said, then gave a subtle snort. "In Lily's eyes, you defeated my brother, which inevitably creates some prejudice against me, Gellert Grindelwald's sister, so she concealed this information."

"I see." Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Lily is a genius witch, but she..." Veratia said, a hint of melancholy in her voice, "Is also a bit pedantic."

"Why do you say that?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No matter how much we tried to persuade her, she refused to learn any Dark Arts —you know, this was the era when Voldemort was rampant, and besides, the inheritors of Ancient Magic wouldn't be affected in any way," Veratia said softly. "However, I still have to acknowledge her noble character."

"So, Lily learned her Charms from you too?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, back then... we had no other choice, and it was too late to learn any more Charms on the spot." Veratia said with some regret, "If only she could have taken responsibility and realized what she was doing... well, it's all in the past now."

She stopped herself from saying bad things about her future mother-in-law behind her back.

"And what about Harry?" Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Oh... perhaps I should call you senior. No wonder Phineas was always so mysterious; you were his student back then..."

"Yes, Harry once used Polyjuice Potion to transform into Phineas and announced in the Great Hall that all the decorations would be permanently replaced with Gryffindor decorations."

As Veratia spoke, she seemed to recall those happy times and couldn't help but smile.

"That really infuriated Phineas, Veratia." Harry laughed too. "Good heavens, he was furious, he even deducted a hundred points from Gryffindor."

Dumbledore tried to imagine the scene, and couldn't help but laugh.

"My God, I really can't imagine how furious Phineas must be." He winked at his seniors and said with a smile, "But I really don't think Phineas is a qualified Headmaster. In fact, I hated him when I was a student."

Veratia and Harry exchanged a glance and both agreed with Dumbledore.

"Then we are friends," they both said together.

If you hate Phineas Black, then you're our friend!

The candy in Dumbledore's hand fell to the ground with a thud.

However, before he could think further, Veratia suddenly said, "Then, we should discuss the matter of compensation, Headmaster."

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