A Conversation in Nurmengard

The towers of Nurmengard were enveloped in a biting, cold wind.

The door to the top-floor cell was ajar, as if it had been waiting for someone to arrive.

When Dumbledore pushed open the door, the cell's occupant was facing the only narrow window, outside which stretched a leaden sky and endless snow-capped mountains.

A hoarse voice rang out:

"I am truly flattered by the frequency with which you have visited here over the past twelve years."

Grindelwald turned around, wearing his usual grey robe, his figure thin.

"I need your help, Gellert."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Grindelwald's lips curled into a smile.

"So you only think of this place when you want something from it?"

The air suddenly froze.

Only the cold wind howled outside the window.

After a long silence, it was Grindelwald who broke it first.

"Go ahead and ask, I'm curious too, what could possibly be troubling Albus Dumbledore?"

He walked to the simple wooden table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

On the table was a stack of unused parchment.

Dumbledore sat down opposite him, took an object directly from his pocket, and gently pushed it toward Grindelwald.

Grindelwald stared at the old, worn black diary, a glint of light flashing in his heterochromatic eyes. He stretched out his slender fingers and touched the cover of the diary.

Horcrux.

He uttered the word softly, his voice filled with no doubt, only confirmation.

Dumbledore nodded.

Grindelwald's expression turned completely serious.

Even within the realm of Dark Magic, this thing is considered among the most blasphemous and evil taboos.

Wizards who know its existence and principles are extremely rare, and those who are truly willing and able to create it are the most insane of the insane.

Grindelwald frowned.

Back then, he had briefly considered creating Horcrux to ensure his safety, but that thought was as fleeting as a shooting star.

To achieve that "For the Greater Good," Grindelwald needs a clear mind and a calm assessment.

"Splitting the soul" means the distortion of humanity and the collapse of reason. He cannot accept such a price, as it runs counter to his ideals.

Grindelwald's sharp gaze pierced Dumbledore's still-blue eyes, and he spoke in a tone of certainty:

"Is it that person's... Voldemort, or rather, Tom Marvolo Riddle's Horcrux?"

Dumbledore acknowledged this assessment.

Grindelwald's heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze returned to the seemingly harmless diary.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice low and deep:

"That person has gone too far down the path of Dark Magic, Albus. So far that... he's unprecedented."

Grindelwald views Dark Magic as a tool—efficient, powerful, and very useful in certain situations.

However, he did not abandon other forms of magic. He primarily used Dark Magic, supplemented by other forms of magic, while simultaneously using those other forms of magic to suppress the effects of Dark Magic on his mind and body.

Therefore, compared to Voldemort, Grindelwald is more "normal".

Voldemort embraced Dark Magic wholeheartedly. His talent for Dark Magic was already extraordinary, and coupled with his relentless pursuit of knowledge regardless of the consequences, his mastery in this field was unparalleled!

Dumbledore sighed deeply:

Tom's obsession with immortality was so intense that it distorted everything. For him, creating Horcrux was probably not about pursuing ambition or power, but simply about "immortality" itself, for which he was willing to repeatedly split his soul to create such evil creations...

Grindelwald astutely grasped the key point in the words, a knowing glint flashing in his heterochromatic eyes:

"So, he made more than just this one Horcrux, is that right?"

He knows Dumbledore too well.

If it were merely a Horcrux, no matter how sturdy or well-protected it might be, Dumbledore would eventually find a way to destroy it.

However, Grindelwald noticed the worry in Dumbledore's eyes and quickly guessed the problem.

Dumbledore began to recount his speculations and anxieties.

After Lucien's "reminder," Dumbledore felt that Voldemort was highly likely to possess multiple Horcrux!

Dumbledore re-examined the huge gap in Voldemort's personality and behavior patterns between his early years and later years.

The magnitude of that change—the gradual replacement of reason with mania, paranoia, and incomprehensible cruelty—cannot be fully explained by simple power expansion or the erosion of Dark Magic.

"A split soul... and likely multiple splits," Dumbledore's voice was deep. "That would explain why he became the way he was later, but the problem is, we can't be sure exactly how many he created, let alone identify them all."

"Fortunately, we now have a intact sample, which may provide us with clues and guidance... We have Lucien that kid, Lucien."

Mentioning this name naturally led the conversation to the various events that had occurred at Hogwarts this semester.

When the Basilisk was mentioned, Grindelwald's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.

Years ago, in an effort to bolster his "persuasiveness," Grindelwald also attempted to breed that Magical Creatures.

But before the Basilisk eggs could hatch, they were accidentally broken by a curly-haired boy who always wandered around with a suitcase and had an excessive enthusiasm for Magical Creatures.

After a fierce struggle, all the eggs were caught in the chaos and shattered completely.

"If you're going to search for Horcrux, are you planning to use the connections between soul fragments? This diary is a good starting point."

Grindelwald tapped the diary lightly with his finger, inquiring about Dumbledore.

"Yes, it is indeed a perfectly intact Horcrux. And..."

Dumbledore's blue eyes narrowed slightly behind his half-moon glasses.

"This Horcrux must be very special. It can bewitch others, communicate with them like a living person, carry Tom's memories from his student days, and even attempt to reshape his physical body. Perhaps the soul fragments it contains are of greater importance?"

After discussing the events with Lucien, Dumbledore was somewhat frightened. There was already a Voldemort in hiding, like a venomous snake, accumulating power. If another young Voldemort were to appear in the world, it would be a real headache.

Dumbledore couldn't even imagine what kind of mess two Voldemort could make of the world!

It was the strange behavior of the soul fragments in the diary that led Dumbledore to think that this diary must be quite special among Voldemort's Horcrux.

Grindelwald pondered for a long time in response to Dumbledore's doubts.

"This is Horcrux that Voldemort made during his student days. It's very likely the first Horcrux he ever created. The prerequisite for making Horcrux is committing evil deeds such as murder, causing one's soul to split..."

"Perhaps it was the first time doing something like that. No matter how cold-hearted or twisted a boy may be, he is still a boy. He went a little too far and separated too many fragments of his soul, so much so that these fragments carried a lot of memories, and could even be used to reshape his body and resurrect him?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Very likely, but the soul fragments in this diary have sealed the Horcrux's core. Aside from direct destruction, I currently have no way to penetrate it further, Gellert, you..."

"I haven't touched a wand in decades, let alone cast a proper spell. Under these circumstances, it's really difficult for me to help you research Horcrux."

After saying this, Grindelwald looked at Dumbledore with a half-smile, eagerly awaiting his response.

He wanted to see if this old "acquaintance" would risk reigniting the old crises in his efforts to address the new ones in the Wizarding World Wizarding World.

However, Dumbledore's blue eyes remained bright and calm, like lake water looking through his lenses at those magnificent heterochromatic eyes.

Before the atmosphere fell silent, Dumbledore drew a wand.

The moment Grindelwald's gaze swept over the wand, his eyes froze.

Fifteen inches long, with distinct segments, made of Elder Wood, and with a core of Thestral Tail Feather...

The Elder Wand

It wasn't until Dumbledore handed the Elder Wand to Grindelwald that he snapped out of his daze, his complex gaze shifting between the wand and Dumbledore.

Grindelwald raised his hand and touched the Elder Wand with his fingertips. The wand, which had been with him for many years, seemed to be resisting him.

With a soft chuckle, Grindelwald didn't pick up the Elder Wand; instead, he pushed it back in front of Dumbledore.

"Have you forgotten the properties of this wand? Give me any wand, it would be more convenient than this one that followed the victor."

The Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows.

Other wands will have a certain degree of loyalty to the wizard and will not easily abandon their wielder.

But the Elder Wand is the most emotionless, the most indifferent, and the most cruel wand; it only considers the wielder's abilities.

If the holder is defeated, the Elder Wand loses its recognition.

The Elder Wand only ever follows the victor.

After Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, the new owner of this wand naturally became Dumbledore.

Seeing Dumbledore pull out an unremarkable wand from his pocket, Grindelwald propped his head up with one hand and asked in a flippant tone:

"Al, you gave me the Elder Wand, was it as a test, to see if I still had 'ambitions,' or did you truly trust me and believe I wouldn't do anything again, or perhaps it was because..."

Dumbledore simply put away the Elder Wand and handed the ordinary wand to Grindelwald.

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Grindelwald subtly pursed his lips, picked up his wand, and began to examine the diary.

I've always believed that love is the greatest magic in the world.

Dumbledore spoke these words in a very calm tone, as if it were ordinary conversation, but to Grindelwald they sounded heavy and resonant.

like.

It is undoubtedly the greatest magic in the world.

Dumbledore used it only once to trap the world's most powerful wizard.

Two people.

The dilapidated prison of Nurmengard couldn't stop Grindelwald, nor could the complex and sturdy magical barriers outside. The Auror of this era were even less able to Grindelwald Grindelwald...

Only Dumbledore could stop Grindelwald.

Both of them knew very well that as soon as Grindelwald left Nurmengard, the Wizarding World would be thrown into panic, and Dumbledore would be the one pushed in front of him.

Grindelwald continued examining the Horcrux, not looking up at Dumbledore, but muttering curses under his breath:

"That cunning old man..."

While Grindelwald was studying the Horcrux, Dumbledore was also considering his next steps.

To collect all those Horcrux, tracing their origins is an unavoidable step.

Investigate Voldemort's entire past, try to figure out the key points of his creation of Horcrux, and follow the clues to find the source.

The investigation begins with Voldemort's past, starting with his mother's family, the Gaunt family...

We also need to know where Voldemort went and what he experienced after graduating from Hogwarts...

This was a massive undertaking, but Dumbledore had to do it.

Voldemort's powerful Dark Magic was already enough to stir up trouble, and now he possesses multiple Horcrux. If we don't find those Horcrux first, there's no way we can talk about defeating Voldemort.

Dumbledore planned to tell Snape about the Horcrux and discuss strategies for dealing with them.

Snape once infiltrated Voldemort's ranks and was highly valued by Voldemort, so he must have known a great deal of information...

"Speaking of which, that student at your school, Lucien, was the one who solved the crisis at Hogwarts. Hmm, and what was the name of that kid who was supposedly the Chosen One in the Prophecy?"

Grindelwald's words interrupted Dumbledore's thoughts, and he instinctively replied:

"Harry, Harry Potter."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore froze.

Yes, the crisis has been resolved, but Dumbledore clearly wanted to train Harry, to cultivate the boy's courage and responsibility. What to do this year...?

Seeing Dumbledore's expression, Grindelwald couldn't help but smirk.

"That Divination teller who Prophecy that Harry Potter was the Chosen One, Divination at your school, right? That person never made any Prophecy about Lucien?"

Since his last failed Divination attempt on Lucien, Grindelwald had become curious about the child.

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon glasses, knowing that Sybill Trelawney, who had made Prophecy over the years, had actually made one real Prophecy, which concerned the entanglement and fate of the Chosen One and Voldemort.

The Prophecy indicated when and where Voldemort's adversary would be born, from which family, and that neither of them could survive; one would inevitably cause the other's death.

Dumbledore believed that, based on Lucien's performance so far, he would inevitably change the landscape of the Wizarding World and occupy a significant place in History of Magic, but the Prophecy...

Dumbledore was also puzzled by the result Grindelwald had obtained from Lucien's divination last time.

"Hogwarts has Divination in the third year, so Lucien might come across Divination then, and then..."

Dumbledore spoke softly, a hint of curiosity in his voice: could someone "unable to Divination" learn to Divination?

Grindelwald returned the diary and wand to Dumbledore, then closed his eyes wearily.

"This single study will not yield all the results."

The implication is that Dumbledore will have to make several more trips.