When Love Became a Memory
With one candidate personally stepping in to endorse them, the number of yellow fireworks completely dominated.
Ultimately, Grindelwald's followers could not overcome the combined efforts of the two candidates' supporters, and Wissencia Santos won the election.
After seeing the voting results, Santos smiled, turned decisively to the audience, and announced his first political statement.
"Gellert Grindelwald is now on the international wanted list for numerous crimes, including perpetrating multiple terrorist attacks in the Wizarding World, attempting to violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, and plotting to harm the rare Fantastic Beasts, the Qilin. This order must be carried out immediately!" Santos solemnly declared.
As soon as she finished speaking, Grindelwald went from being a near-certain candidate for president of the International Confederation of Wizards to becoming the target of the Ancient Authority of Magic.
Meanwhile, tensions rose between Grindelwald's followers and other voters present.
"In that case, it doesn't matter." Grindelwald waved his hand slightly, gently stroking the Elder Wand with its seven protruding nodes in his hand.
In an instant, he swung his wand, firing a chilling green beam at Aurelius, who was standing to the side of the platform!
Dumbledore, however, had anticipated this, and he and his brother Aberforth cast a spell to protect Aurelius.
Three different colored spells collided.
The instant Dumbledore's curse clashed with Grindelwald's Killing Curse, time seemed to stand still.
The diamond-shaped pendant on Dumbledore's wrist flickered with a blood-red light. The chain connected to it seemed to want to entangle and bind his right hand, but then it loosened as if it couldn't bear the burden, like an overly taut string breaking inch by inch.
Following closely behind was the Blood Pact's diamond-shaped pendant bottle, which suddenly emitted blinding beams of bright white light and fell from Dumbledore's wrist!
Dumbledore and Grindelwald stared in disbelief at the Blood Pact between the two, their expressions a mixture of bewilderment and complexity.
Grindelwald's expression suddenly showed a mixture of panic, astonishment, and pain, while Dumbledore's expression carried a hint of bewilderment, reluctance, and relief...
The bright white beam of light from the Blood Pact Pendant Vial enveloped the two who were once inseparable, taking them into a spiritual space in an attempt to make a final attempt to keep them together.
The two looked at each other with complicated expressions, remaining silent.
Then, they launched an attack simultaneously!
A powerful and ever-changing spell instantly filled the silvery-white space.
The two still wore expressions of resentment. They attacked each other desperately, venting their indescribable emotions with powerful spells. The exchange was fierce, filled with murderous intent and flying incantations!
In the end, the two became entangled, pointing their wands at each other, staring at each other breathlessly.
Having vented most of their pent-up anger, the two men, their tension palpable, gradually calmed down during their tense eye contact. But neither could bring themselves to unleash the final curse upon the other...
The shimmering light at the tip of the wand gradually faded, and the two released their left hands from each other's chests, gazing at each other in silence.
"Albus, you betrayed me, you betrayed our shared ideals!" Grindelwald pursed his lips, but finally spoke first. "You said that everything we did was for For the Greater Good!"
"I think we made things very clear during our last meeting, Gellert." Dumbledore lowered his head, gently rubbing his wrist, where the dents from the chains of the Blood Pact still remained. "I never wanted to rule the world. I said and did those things only to be with you."
"I'll ask you one more time, are you really going to make an enemy of me for the sake of those beasts?" Grindelwald took a deep breath, his voice growing cold.
Dumbledore simply shook his head and walked toward the direction where the Blood Pact was falling.
Even though time passes very slowly here, the cracked rhombus-shaped pendant will eventually fall to the ground—its remaining magic power is almost gone.
The silvery-white space gradually opened up a crack leading to the outside world, and the sunlight from the Himalayas shone through it. The pale yellow sunlight and the dazzling silvery-white light blended together, blurring the scene and making it seem like a dream.
Grindelwald watched Dumbledore's departing figure, opening his mouth several times as if to speak, but finally blurted out a sentence he shouldn't have uttered:
"Who would love you now, Dumbledore?!"
The pendant bottle, having lost all its color, fell to the ground and shattered completely in two!
At the same time, the silvery-white space completely dissipated, revealing the Bhutan temples and the majestic Himalayas outside.
"Then I would rather die alone," Dumbledore said softly.
At this time, people outside did not know what had happened between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. They only knew that Grindelwald had used the Killing Curse on the long-haired young wizard, and that Dumbledore and his brother Aberforth had blocked it together.
Xiwen sensed something more than the others. In the instant the Blood Pact shattered, he noticed a fluctuation from another dimension enveloping Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
This space appeared for only a second, disappearing abruptly as the pendant bottle fell to the ground.
However, no one had time to think about anything else at that moment. The newly appointed president of the International Confederation of Wizards, Wisencia Santos, had already led the crowd and slowly pressed towards Grindelwald.
"You have failed, Grindelwald. Surrender now and we might treat you leniently!" Santos said sternly to Grindelwald.
Grindelwald, however, seemed not to hear her, simply shaking his head and laughing nervously.
"Heh, destined to grow old alone," he scoffed.
Santos, no longer waiting, was the first to chant a spell towards Grindelwald.
The group of people behind her also launched an attack.
Amidst the barrage of spells, Grindelwald suddenly raised his head, erecting a blue-black fire shield that blocked all the spells.
Moreover, this circle of dark blue flames seemed to have completely devoured the previous curse. Instead of being broken, it grew stronger and rose up, transforming into a mountain of flames!
"Everyone be careful! This is Grindelwald's Fire Shield Protection, which can devour all surrounding matter and turn it into its nourishment!" Newt shouted a warning to the others as he saw the blue-black flame.
Theseus recognized the flames as well; ten years ago, his fiancée had perished in them!
"Grindelwald!" he roared, calling out his enemy's name, and charged forward recklessly.
"Calm down, Theseus!" Dumbledore stopped him and handed the agitated Theseus over to Newt to look after.
He then walked to the front of the crowd, pointed his wand at the fiery mountain, and chanted an enhanced version of the General Counter-Spell.
"Finite (Finite Incantatem)!"
Under the suppression of Dumbledore's powerful magic, the dark blue flames gradually died down.
However, behind the flames was nothing but emptiness, with only the Ancient Authority of Magic standing eternally in the same spot.
Grindelwald has long since disappeared without a trace...