Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 322 The Lock of the Soul

Killing Murphy was certainly a method Dumbledore had considered.

However, this kind of simple and direct violence is not in line with his personality, and Murphy is not so easy to kill.

"He's already on the same level as us," Dumbledore said. "It's going to be very difficult for me to kill him."

"So, you came here, didn't you?" Grindelwald said.

Dumbledore fell silent. Indeed, if Grindelwald were included, the chances of the two of them killing Murphy together would greatly increase.

But this suddenly made him wonder if Grindelwald had said those words in order to escape.

"Oh, Albus," Grindelwald feigned hurt, "you doubt me?"

"Sorry, Gellert, it was beyond my control," Dumbledore said with a wry smile.

Suspicion was deeply ingrained in his character, and in that instant, he began to doubt Grindelwald's motives.

Grindelwald foresaw his arrival, and perhaps he also knew the purpose of his visit.

Therefore, he could very well use this to escape from here.

Given his understanding of Grindelwald, he had ample reason and motivation to do so.

“If you’re really worried, I can stay here for a while longer,” Grindelwald said. “I’ve lived here for fifty years, and although it’s certainly very boring, I’ve started to get used to it. Staying a little longer won’t hurt; I probably only have a few years left anyway.”

Although this might have been Grindelwald's rhetoric, Dumbledore still felt a pang of guilt.

Finally, he drew his wand, murmured a few incantations, and suddenly the surrounding scenery changed. The room took on an illusory color, and a crimson chain appeared from the floor, the other end of which was firmly inserted into Grindelwald's chest.

"The Lock of the Soul".

Grindelwald stared at the chain, his expression complex.

This chain not only imprisoned him at the top of the tower, but also firmly bound his magic, making him like an ordinary Muggle for the past fifty years.

For him, this was almost a humiliation.

He glanced at Dumbledore. "Don't you need me to make a few unbreakable vows?"

"We all know that's useless," Dumbledore said.

Grindelwald shrugged.

Well, at least they tried it back then.

Dumbledore tapped his wand on the chain, finished reciting the last few words of the spell, and with a "crack," the chain snapped in the middle and then rapidly collapsed to both ends.

Moments later, Grindelwald was free.

He slowly straightened his back, and the long-lost magic once again filled his body, making him somewhat unable to control himself. His body shone with magic, and his eyes and facial acupoints emitted dazzling light.

After a while, the magical shock finally subsided, and Grindelwald let out a long breath. He stood in front of Dumbledore, his appearance unchanged, but his whole being seemed completely different.

"Fifty years..." Grindelwald began to walk around the room. He was no longer lame, and his demeanor had become elegant and confident. "Not a moment has I not missed magic."

"Do you know what the cruelest thing you've ever done to me is, Albus?"

"You've taken away my right to use magic, leaving me powerless like a Muggle..."

"I should let you experience that feeling too."

Dumbledore frowned and gripped his wand tighter.

“Of course, you have the Elder Wand now,” Grindelwald glanced at the weapon in the other’s hand, “but you don’t actually think I haven’t made any preparations all these years, do you?”

As he spoke, he pulled a magic wand from his robes. "Only you can open the Soul Lock, so no one can release me from here. But giving me some small gifts is not that difficult."

“I was thinking, perhaps we should have another duel,” Grindelwald said. “Of course, not now. I will reassemble my companions and wait until I regain my strength… Oh, that Murphy Darkholme, I suddenly think it might be possible to recruit him as well. Then, two against one, Albus, even with the Elder Wand, wouldn’t stand a chance.”

He raised his wand, saying, "What do you think of my plan?"

“Very convincing,” Dumbledore said. “To be honest, I’m starting to regret letting you out.”

"Oh, you should at least learn to check if the guy on the other side has a wand."

Dumbledore did not speak.

Grindelwald was silent for a moment, then suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You noticed?"

"Then you still dare to release me?"

Dumbledore neither confirmed nor denied, but said, "I am simply prepared to accept all the consequences of releasing you."

"What if I wanted to kill you?" Grindelwald raised his wand in front of Dumbledore.

"That's certainly something you might do," Dumbledore said calmly, "but for me, it's not such a bad ending."

Grindelwald's face looked as if he had been slapped in the face.

In the next instant, a surge of rage made his wand tremble. "You locked me up here and tortured me for fifty years! Because of your ridiculous sense of responsibility! Because of your cowardice! Because you were afraid to make the same mistake again!"

"Fifty years!" Grindelwald's eyes burned like a raging fire. "I should have killed you! Killed everyone! I should have destroyed everything you wanted to protect! Burned this damned, ridiculous utopia to ashes!"

Dumbledore looked at him calmly. "I know."

"Do you think I'm reluctant to kill you? Or do you think I'm afraid of you and dare not make a move?"

No, I know you can.

Dumbledore's calm expression seemed to enrage Grindelwald, who gripped the wand tightly. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light appeared between the wand's fingers.

"Boom!" The top wall of Nurmengard was suddenly shattered by the immense magical power, and an entire stone wall was blasted away, but the spell was off by two inches, and Dumbledore was unharmed.

The two remained silent for a while.

"Alright." Grindelwald abruptly withdrew his wand, as if everything he had just done was a performance. "This was one of the plans. But it seems it didn't work. I thought you'd be more scared."

"I said I can accept all the consequences of releasing you."

"Oh, never mind," Grindelwald stepped forward. "Weren't you even afraid for a moment?"

"...Perhaps."

"You've become even more boring, Albus."

"Maybe I've always been a boring person."

"I'm starting to regret it. I should have used a bad spell on you earlier. A dancing spell would have been great. I'd love to see you do a silly dance with that straight face; that would be hilarious. Shall we do it again?"

"..."

"Alright, alright," Grindelwald said, walking to the broken hole. "Let's get down to business. There's someone waiting for us to kill."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and plummeted straight down.

Dumbledore was startled and went to the breach, only to hear Grindelwald chanting from below, "Stop the shockwave and slow down!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, but unlike the other person, he didn't exaggerate. Instead, he walked down the stairs as he had come.

Grindelwald was waiting for him outside the spire, but to Dumbledore's dismay, there was more than one person waiting for him.

A man dressed in a black robe with a rope around his waist and a crown of thorns on his head stood barefoot opposite Grindelwald, holding something covered in black cloth in his arms.

"Is this one of your men, Albus?" Grindelwald asked.

Dumbledore shook his head.

Just then, the man raised his head as if he had heard something, then stepped forward and lifted the black cloth in his arms to reveal a blank picture frame.

"The Holy Mother wants to speak with you," the man said.

(End of this chapter)