Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and the War

Ghost Xiwen and Helena returned to Hogwarts Castle, panting, and immediately collapsed, still shaken, onto the luxurious sofa in their dungeon room, a sofa conjured by Transformation, even though they couldn't actually touch it...

"Did you just use the Time-Turner?" Helena asked weakly, placing Ghost Xiwen's arm behind her neck.

"It's obvious, isn't it? Without the Time-Turner, we might never have been able to come back." Ghost Xiwen casually put his arm around Helena's frail shoulder and said casually.

"But doesn't this violate the Time-Turner Usage Principles?" Helena asked with some concern, resting her head on Xiwen's arm. "Won't this affect the timeline?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Xiwen smiled reassuringly at her and replied.

What Helena didn't know was that after Xiwen arrived in this world, the timeline had already become a complete mess...

After a short rest, the Young Wizard Xiwen went to Hogwarts Castle for his classes, while the Ghost Xiwen and Helena decided to go to Dumbledore to discuss their recent encounter with the Demon God.

However, Dumbledore was neither in his office nor anywhere in the castle.

In the Transfiguration professor's office, Professor McGonagall, who looked very young and beautiful but was actually in her forties or fifties, was meticulously organizing the lesson plans and Transformation materials on her desk. Only after she had put away all the teaching materials did she purse her lips and look at the Ghost Xiwen and Helena floating in mid-air.

"Lady Grey, Doctor Strange, Albus has been dealing with Grindelwald and his army these days and hasn't had time to come back to class." She hugged all her teaching materials to her chest and stood up. "If you need to find him, you can wait in his office; he comes back every day."

Xiwen wanted to ask more details, but Professor McGonagall abruptly interrupted him.

"Doctor Strange, I'm on my way to Transfiguration for the third-year wizards in place of Dumbledore, and I don't want to be late," she said.

Ghost Xiwen then realized that the class Professor McGonagall was about to teach was a combined third-year Slytherin and Ravenclaw class, which was exactly the class that Young Wizard Xiwen was going to attend.

Xiwen was too embarrassed to ask any more questions, so he thanked Professor McGonagall and watched her leave the Transfiguration professor's office.

"So what do we do next? Are we really going to wait for Dumbledore in the Head of Transfiguration's office?" Helena asked softly.

"But we can't delay this," Xiwen said, shaking his head helplessly. "It seems we have no choice but to go ask Flamel about Dumbledore's whereabouts."

"I want to go too!" Helena said, raising her hand expectantly. "Come to think of it, I've never been to France before!"

"Let's go together then. I can ask Flamel how to create Ghost Artifact similar to the Ravenclaw's Diadem." Xiwen nodded with a smile and casually opened a Dimensional Gate leading to Flamel's safe house.

The sudden arrival of the Ghost Xiwen was something the Flamel and his wife had not anticipated, but when they heard Xiwen's account of his encounter with the Demon God, their expressions immediately became serious.

"So... you've already encountered that Demon God you mentioned, and perhaps even fought it, right?" Flamel asked seriously.

"To be precise, what we saw was merely a projection of that Demon God into this world. We don't even know if its strength reached even a tenth of the Demon God's true form," Xiwen said. "The Demon God's true form should still be sealed in another dimension, but it should only be a matter of time before it breaks free."

Flamel nodded slightly, then took small steps to the workshop on the first floor, and took out the Phoenix Relief Book that Xiwen was very familiar with from the cabinet next to it.

He opened the embossed book, quickly found the framed image of Dumbledore, and then touched the emergency contact Runic Circuits next to it.

However, Xiwen frowned when he saw the picture frame and said, "This scene seems to be Dumbledore's office. He may have left the Two-Way Mirror in his office."

"So that's how it is. No wonder I haven't been able to find him lately." Flamel sighed, helplessly putting away the embossed book. "I was also thinking of asking him about the situation over there!"

"So, does this mean we have no chance of finding Dumbledore?" Helena asked, frowning.

"Not entirely." Flamel hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head and led Xiwen and Helena to the workbench next to the cabinet.

On the workbench, a beautiful, smooth Crystal gleamed, its silvery light constantly flowing within.

Flamel stood before the Crystal and muttered some words, causing the light within the Crystal to spin rapidly. When the light dissipated, an image appeared: Dumbledore's figure slowly materialized within the Crystal.

Inside the Crystal, Dumbledore, with his brown hair and brown beard, stood atop a Gothic green-domed tower within a magnificent orange pentagonal complex, facing off against a man with light blond hair.

Every now and then, heavy bombers belonging to the Muggle army would fly overhead, dropping countless bombs on the magnificent building.

Dumbledore casually deflected all the bombs, causing them to land in uninhabited areas and explode.

"Where is he?" Xiwen looked at the scene of Dumbledore and Grindelwald confronting each other, and the bombers flying overhead from time to time, and felt an extremely unreal feeling.

The Wizarding World and the Muggle World are actually appearing together? Something feels off...

Flamel's expression was also not good. He said to Xiwen and Helena, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Sigismund Tower of the Warsaw Royal Castle, Poland."

"Poland? The country currently at war?" Xiwen nodded slowly, comparing it with the history of his previous life, and roughly judged the current war situation.

"Helena, you stay here, okay?" Xiwen then looked at Helena and said earnestly. "It's also a good opportunity for Flamel to help you research how the Ravenclaw's Diadem, this kind of Ghost Artifact, is made."

Helena's expression changed instantly, and she retorted loudly, "Are you going to risk going to Grindelwald alone to find Dumbledore again?"

"Listen to me, Helena," Xiwen advised helplessly. "We just fought Demon God and expended too much energy. There's really no need for the two of us to risk our lives together again."

"You're the one who expended the most energy, aren't you?" Helena questioned. "Why did you have to put yourself in such a dangerous situation?"

Xiwen stared blankly at Helena's anxious face, momentarily at a loss for words.

But Flamel spoke first, saying, "You two, don't rush. Why don't you listen to my proposal first?"

"My suggestion is that Strange open a portal right next to Albus and tell him he has important information to tell him in person. That way, he will naturally use Fawkes' power to come over on his own!"

"But what if Grindelwald stops him?" Xiwen asked, frowning.

"It's alright. Grindelwald won't be willing to truly duel Dumbledore until the battles on other levels become clear," Flamel laughed. "We've already analyzed it. Only when Grindelwald's followers are at a complete disadvantage will he be willing to make a desperate attack on Dumbledore."

"This battle is, after all, far more than just a fight between two people!"

Hearing Flamel's words, Xiwen nodded in relief.

Yes, right now Dumbledore and Grindelwald are locked in a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand. Even if one wanted to fight, the other could easily disengage using their superior abilities. Therefore, these two top warriors of the Wizarding World are stuck in a stalemate, and it's up to the others to decide who will fight!

This decision to wait and see might be the most appropriate approach in other circumstances. The righteous forces, represented by Dumbledore and the International Confederation of Wizards, and the villainous forces, represented by Grindelwald and his followers, would determine the final victor through battles between wizards on other levels.

If the villains gain the upper hand, Dumbledore will have no choice but to personally engage Grindelwald's high-ranking followers one by one. In such a situation, Grindelwald will have no choice but to engage in a real duel with Dumbledore.

If he didn't do that, Dumbledore might have no choice but to completely accept Grindelwald's theories and stand entirely with him.

If the righteous side gains the advantage, Grindelwald's choice will be exactly the same as Dumbledore's, and the two will inevitably have an epic duel that will be sung for all time.

These days, Dumbledore and Grindelwald are merely maintaining a tacit understanding that their respective factions' top fighters are not personally involved in assassinating the other's high-ranking members, nor do they actually engage in a duel between themselves.

However, this tacit understanding is no longer suitable for maintaining in the present day.

Because the forces in the world now are not two, but three – the Demon God is about to break through the seal and launch an invasion of the world with his army of Dementor and undead creatures!

What choices will Dumbledore and Grindelwald make at that point?

Xiwen slowly shook his head, clearing his mind of his jumbled thoughts.

He silently memorized the coordinates Flamel had given Dumbledore, and opened a Dimensional Gate leading directly to Dumbledore's side.

When the Dimensional Gate opened, it seemed as if Grindelwald was saying something profound to Dumbledore.

"Albus, you don't need to protect the Muggle in this palace. They are not like us, never will be!" Grindelwald said casually, leaning against the blue tip of the tower.

"Who can know what the future holds?" Dumbledore chuckled, turning to Grindelwald and saying, "Just as even you wouldn't have imagined that the future you saw back then was merely a trap I set, would you?"

He casually waved his wand, and another group of bombs dropped by bombers were redirected.

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Grindelwald was not offended at all; instead, he smiled with admiration.

"That's nothing. I've known for a long time that you would be my biggest enemy on the road ahead, and I've also foreseen the final outcome."

"But being able to see the future has become a bad thing. In order to change the future I see, I have become addicted to this painful relationship and can't get out of it." He looked into Dumbledore's eyes and said with a smile.

Dumbledore instinctively looked away, glancing elsewhere.

Just as the atmosphere between the two was becoming increasingly awkward, a golden halo appeared around Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, I have something very important to tell you," the Ghost Xiwen came from behind the halo.