The Ring

"Oh, I have a small question. I wonder if you could help me answer it."

"Ask away."

"Why did you come back alone? Where is Mr. Ominis?" Grindelwald chuckled maliciously.

-- In the matter of poking each other's sore spots, he and Cyberlina had always been good at it.

The smile in Cyberlina's eyes deepened. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Grindelwald for a few seconds, then let out a soft laugh. Shaking her head gently, she turned towards the stairs, her whole demeanor conveying the helplessness of indulging a mischievous child.

Grindelwald's malicious grin vanished instantly. He followed Cyberlina down the stairs with a blank expression, looking at her, who appeared even younger than when he first met her, and slowly said, "You should learn to respect your elders, little one."

"Elders? If my information is correct—" Cyberlina surveyed her surroundings, "Our great Mr. Grindelwald seems to have been stuck here for nearly fifty years, doesn't it? It's quite a feat that you still count these years of no progress towards your age, where only the numbers increase."

"..." Grindelwald looked at Cyberlina with a strange expression. "Where did you learn to speak like that?"

"From a child," Cyberlina turned and smiled at him, nodding. "A child Albus trusts very much."

"Trust?" Grindelwald snorted dismissively. "Exploitation, at best."

"You know quite clearly, Mr. Grindelwald, who is in prison." Cyberlina walked down the stairs with her hands behind her back. "But you're right, how could Albus possibly trust someone full of dark magic now? — Wouldn't you agree?"

"... You're in no position to say that about others." Grindelwald let out a scoff.

"Indeed, but no matter how much dark magic I use, it can't harm the soul, unlike you—" Cyberlina stopped, tilted her head, and looked Grindelwald up and down, a hint of disdain in her smile. "Even after repenting for so many years, your soul is still like this... No wonder Albus doesn't talk to you."

"..." Grindelwald felt that Cyberlina was even more infuriating than she was decades ago!

Cyberlina stopped on the third floor and walked directly towards the empty floor.

Grindelwald was somewhat surprised. If he remembered correctly, Cyberlina used to live in this area on the third floor when she was in Central Europe. But—although Nurmengard hadn't been completely abandoned, it had indeed been cleared out decades ago and never repaired. It was impossible for her to have left anything here.

"What are you looking for?" Grindelwald stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at Cyberlina, who stood amidst the ruins.

"Do you remember, when I was trying to better integrate Ancient Magic into Omi's soul, I separated a part of my power?"

Grindelwald, who had participated in Cyberlina's experiment, nodded, then froze abruptly. As he slowly raised his head, he stared at Cyberlina with suspicion. "You... you didn't hide a part of it here, did you?"

Cyberlina tilted her head and gave him a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Mr. Grindelwald, for guarding it for me all these years."

Grindelwald: "..." He wanted to curse.

Grindelwald took a deep breath and sighed. "So you still had some sense back then..."

Cyberlina didn't reply. She let out a soft laugh and raised her wand.

Grindelwald stared intently at Cyberlina as she waved her wand. White flames suddenly ignited in his field of vision. Cyberlina, along with her phantom image, waved her wand—it was a different kind of movement than her usual, large and slow swings. The real Cyberlina calmly lowered her wand, but the phantom image smiled and dissipated in the flames.

Grindelwald took a step back, leaning against the rusty railing of the stairs. He crossed his arms over his chest and calmly watched Cyberlina wave her wand, directing magical traces he couldn't see.

A strange wind, which he hadn't felt in decades, brushed past him. The faintly perceived powerful magical energy made his eyes gleam with nostalgia, reminding him of many youthful memories. However, he no longer possessed the yearning and desire for the unknown and powerful that he had in his youth.

"Cyberlina..." Grindelwald suddenly spoke. "I saw it."

Cyberlina paused in her motion of putting away her wand and looked at Grindelwald, asking with a smile, "What was the result?"

"You will still fail."

"Is that so? Thank you for your prophecy."

Cyberlina smiled, seemingly unconcerned by Grindelwald's words. She put away her wand and, after confirming there were no more traces of her power in the vicinity, walked towards the stairs. Grindelwald followed, but as soon as he straightened up, Cyberlina grabbed his arm and spun him around.

Grindelwald: "?"

"Mr. Grindelwald, I told you your age only increases, and you didn't believe me."

Cyberlina's voice was full of disdain. Grindelwald slowly turned his head and saw her performing a silent, wandless Reparo behind him. Glancing at the railing with a missing patch of rust, Grindelwald silently turned his head back.

The moment they stepped out of Nurmengard, Grindelwald was about to utter some parting words, but Cyberlina grabbed the lapel of his coat and they vanished from the spot.

"That wasn't Apparition," Grindelwald said immediately after regaining his footing.

"Then what was it?" Cyberlina retorted, then let go of his arm and blinked innocently at Grindelwald.

Grindelwald knew this was her way of refusing to answer, or rather, of giving a fabricated answer. So he stopped asking, pouted impatiently, adjusted his collar, and gave Cyberlina a look of urgency.

Cyberlina chuckled softly, turned, and walked onto the dirt road covered in snow.

The snow was thick, and the dirt road beneath it was full of potholes, making walking quite difficult. Yet, the two of them moved as if walking on marble floors, slowly and calmly.

Dead branches and thorns covered in snow surrounded them. Grindelwald scanned them briefly, confirming they had been cut while still leafy. It seemed Cyberlina had scouted the path at least a month ago, or rather, had attempted something, but for some reason, she hadn't accomplished what she intended and had dragged him here to help.

Grindelwald hadn't asked Cyberlina what she needed his help with, and Cyberlina hadn't asked him why he had so easily left Nurmengard—because he indeed needed a "reasonable" excuse for his "escape" to avoid angering a certain White Wizard too much.

However, Grindelwald was curious about what kind of difficulty could prompt Cyberlina to "help" him, giving him a reason to leave Nurmengard. After all, this teacher, who had taught him some things, and later became a research partner in mutual assistance—in reality, had only shown him a good face for just over a month.

He still remembered the first time he saw her after leaving Godric's Hollow; he was beaten without even uttering a word. Then, after he obediently called her "Teacher," the astute witch realized she had been used—he had deliberately shown his powerful "backer" in front of the wizard who was obstructing him. The result was—he was dragged to a secluded spot and beaten again.

The reason he was certain Cyberlina would come to beat him after receiving his message was that Grindelwald knew that even if he had a falling out with Dumbledore, Cyberlina wouldn't completely ignore him. After all, she favored his magical talent—just as she favored Dumbledore's talent, though Dumbledore also possessed more kindness and goodness than him.

Cyberlina was indeed easily moved by kind people, like Dumbledore, like Ominis.

But Grindelwald would only acknowledge Albus's kindness. As for Mr. Ominis—he could only say that he was indeed kind, but not pure, because ultimately, he was a—

"Gaunt."

Looking at the snake-like body hanging on the almost dilapidated door before him, Grindelwald softly said, "Is this the home of the last head of the Gaunt family?"

"Rather, it's Marvolo's hiding place," Cyberlina said sarcastically, her whole body bristling with thorns as she let out a few cold laughs. Grindelwald was not surprised by her sudden change.

"So, what do I need to do?" Grindelwald asked kindly.

Cyberlina knew without looking that his eyes, though old, were still sharp and full of amusement.

So she didn't look at Grindelwald, only saying, "First, you need to know why I chose you to help."

"Please, go on."

"Of all the people I know, trust, and who are familiar with dark magic, you have the least desire to resurrect the dead," Cyberlina said calmly, a faint smile on her lips as she looked at the dark void beyond the broken door.

Grindelwald turned to Cyberlina. "I don't believe I'm your only option."

"Unfortunately, you are," Cyberlina shook her head. "Actually, Riddle would have been the most suitable, after all, he created this mess himself... but unfortunately, he doesn't have a true physical form yet."

"You found him?" Grindelwald raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Only one that cannot exist independently—I originally thought it could," Cyberlina sighed slightly, her tone full of regret.

"What about that young child? I remember he should also be very familiar with dark magic, and his talent isn't bad."

Cyberlina laughed speechlessly and turned to Grindelwald. "Mr. Grindelwald, aren't you Albus's stalker? How do you not know who he desperately wants to bring back?"

"But you wouldn't care about that," Grindelwald said with a smile, looking at Cyberlina. "You just want to find an experimental subject who can help you get what you want smoothly."

Cyberlina paused, then laughed. "But he's just a child."

"Only in terms of age."

"Not just age—" Cyberlina looked at Grindelwald seriously. "I cannot harm an undamaged soul."

Thinking of Cyberlina's habit of judging people by their souls from time to time, Grindelwald was silent for a few seconds, asking in disbelief, "Didn't he follow that arrogant kid who called himself the Dark Lord?"

"That's why I was so shocked at first," Cyberlina spread her hands. "But the fact is, that child's soul is almost intact."

Grindelwald paused, then frowned and asked seriously, "Does Albus know about this? Is that why he trusts him?"

Cyberlina: "..."

Cyberlina took out her wand and, with a decisive horizontal sweep—

"Boom!"

The dilapidated house, which had already suffered an attack in late October, was hit again, collapsing halfway.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Grindelwald sat up from the rubble, looking at Cyberlina angrily. "Cyberlina! Be reasonable! I'm an old man without a wand right now, can you at least give me a heads-up before you act!"

Cyberlina didn't respond. She just stared blankly at the ruins, hands behind her back, body slightly tense, looking vigilant.

Grindelwald was stunned for a moment and followed her gaze—in the messy rubble, a ring lay peacefully among a few broken stones, its black gem shimmering faintly in the setting sun.

Grindelwald stood up and walked closer. Through the light, he saw the Peverell Family crest on the gem—it was a Deathly Hallow.

It was the Resurrection Stone.

He understood Cyberlina's words.

Did he have someone he wanted to resurrect?

Grindelwald wasn't sure. Although he had repented for decades, there didn't seem to be any specific, independent target for his repentance. If he really had to name someone he wanted to resurrect—it would probably be that young blonde girl.

He had never thought she was important, or rather, among that family, he only thought Albus was important—he believed they were the most important people to each other.

But it turned out that the little girl and the goat boy were far more important to Albus than he was.

So he ran away because he was very angry—he thought he was very angry.

But in reality.

He fled because he was scared—scared that he had cast that curse, scared of Albus's disappointed and pained eyes, scared of Albus breaking ties with him.

So he ran.

And this, he only understood when his and Albus's curses, along with Albus's brother's, met again.

But with that sliver of realization came the breaking of his Blood Pact with Albus.

In their incredulous gazes, he and Albus both understood—everything was over.

Perhaps they still had feelings for each other, but there was no going back.

So, in these decades of endless, lonely repentance, Grindelwald often thought, if only that little girl were still alive.

The ancient ring floated in the air, held by a silent levitation charm. Grindelwald turned to Cyberlina, a wild and arrogant smile on his face. "No way, you can't resist even this little temptation?"

"Because I've used it..." Cyberlina relaxed, but the smile returned to her face a few seconds later. "I believe Mr. Grindelwald can also break the curse on it, right?"

"Used it... So you knew where the Resurrection Stone was all along, and you didn't tell me or Albus at all." Grindelwald snorted displeasedly, examining the ring closely. "No problem, but it will take time... Tsk, Riddle really had some skill here."

"Let's put it away for now," Cyberlina floated a black bag towards Grindelwald.

Grindelwald accepted the bag with a complex expression, opened it, and let the ring fall freely into it. Then, as he walked towards Cyberlina, he said in a strange tone, "What happened when you used it that made you so afraid?"

"You're giving it to me so easily, aren't you pursuing the Deathly Hallows anymore?" Cyberlina took the bag and tied another knot on the tightened opening.

Good, she changed the subject.

"What do you think?" Grindelwald chose to respond to Cyberlina in her own way.

Cyberlina: "..."

Cyberlina smiled and put away the bag, then looked at Grindelwald with a grin. "I think you should change your look."

"?" Grindelwald looked down at his dirty clothes. "You're the one who did this to me, so don't blame me."

"It's not because of this." Cyberlina waved her wand, and Grindelwald, to his shock, transformed into a white cat with heterochromia. "It's because Albus is too smart and arrived a bit too quickly."

Grindelwald the cat: "???"

Cyberlina waved her wand again, and the cat in her arms had its eyes changed to a uniform deep blue. She thought for a moment, then waved her wand once more, changing both cat eyes to a clear sky blue.

"Cyber--"

Dumbledore's voice rang out from behind her. Cyberlina calmly turned around, smiling as she held up the cat in her arms. "Albus, look, I found a cat that looks a lot like you."