Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 360 Invitation to Battle

"That person looks like..."

On the lakeshore, the professors, who had been trying their best to maintain order among the students, were now completely captivated by the scene unfolding on the screen. The crowd was eerily quiet, so a soft, trembling gasp sounded incredibly jarring.

"Gellert Grindelwald?!"

"Grindelwald?!"

An elderly professor's trembling voice instantly ignited the crowd: "It's that Grindelwald? The former leader of the sorcerers, Gellert Grindelwald, imprisoned in Nurmengard?!"

"It really seems to be him... I've seen his picture in a book! He looks exactly like him now!"

"Wasn't he imprisoned a long time ago? Why is he here?!"

"Never mind that... the principal has clearly fallen into a trap! We need to go down and help him right away!"

While the crowd was in chaos, the Hogwarts students quickly retreated, putting some distance between themselves and the Durmstrang students and professors, their eyes fixed on them warily—they had seen it for themselves: the one who had attacked their headmaster was none other than Durmstrang's headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!

Although those people also looked surprised, even their superiors had turned against them. Who could guarantee that their current appearance wasn't an act, or that some of them had secretly taken on a mission?

"Mrs. Maxim! Mr. Crouch!"

Amid the chaos, someone shouted to the two remaining referees, "What's going on? Professor Dumbledore needs help!"

"We're trying to figure something out!"

Barty Crouch Sr., equally anxious, boomed a voice that silenced the din: "They're at the end of the tournament, over three thousand feet underwater! And the ghost ship has already been taken by the warriors; we don't have permission to use Durmstrang's ship—it'll take us at least twenty minutes to get there using only our wands!"

"What do we do then? Just watch the principal get surrounded and attacked by those three?!"

"I'm trying to figure something out!"

……

Compared to the bustling lakeside, the underwater world was the complete opposite—aside from the surrounding sound of flowing water and the occasional soft chirping of birds from Dumbledore's arms, there was only silence. And within this silence, two pairs of eyes, unconnected for over fifty years, now met once more…

"So you still came out, didn't you?"

After a long silence, Dumbledore spoke softly, still maintaining the spell that was pulling the three ghost ships: "I thought you could keep our final promise."

"I'm sorry, Albus."

Grindelwald shrugged nonchalantly: "It seems I'm not as honest as you think, nor as driven by personal feelings as you imagine..."

"For the greater good?"

"For the greater good."

Grindelwald chuckled. "I have never betrayed my principles, Albus, not even when you defeated me back then—I admit that the Muggles were stronger than I thought, and you wizards who were loyal to the Muggles were more united than I thought, which is why my plans were ultimately thwarted, and I ended up staying in Nurmengard for over fifty years… But that doesn’t mean I truly admit defeat, Albus."

"If we let Muggles develop unchecked, it will only bring annihilation to the magical society in the end—as long as I am aware of this for even a second, I will never stop my work."

"so what?"

Dumbledore calmly asked, "So you've chosen to cooperate with Voldemort's remnants? To destroy the wizarding world before conquering Muggles?"

"Their ideas are largely correct."

Grindelwald replied, "Muggle-born wizards are extremely prone to confusion about their identity, and therefore do indeed require closer education and supervision—this has been proven hundreds of years ago, otherwise Salazar Slytherin would not have left a basilisk under your nose... You are the one who is wishful thinking, Albus."

Ludo Bagman, standing behind him, chuckled softly, then his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he silently withdrew his words after being glanced at by Karkarov.

"and……"

Seeing that Dumbledore didn't reply, Grindelwald continued talking to himself, a smug smile playing on his lips: "Do you really think I haven't done anything in these past fifty years?"

"Although I lost my power and influence at that time, my ideals remained in the hearts of many people, and the knowledge in my mind attracted countless ambitious wizards to gather under my command again... Using this, I not only secretly gathered my former subordinates, but also absorbed a considerable amount of fresh blood, and spread throughout Europe over the decades... and you were completely unaware."

"...I shouldn't have trusted you like that in the first place."

Dumbledore's voice seemed to turn cold. His eyes sharpened like an eagle's, fixed intently on Grindelwald.

"You're too trusting—have you forgotten? You trusted me just the same way back then, which led to your enormous contributions to my career... Guess how much of the high-end knowledge I use to attract young people is the result of our joint research back then?"

"..."

A hint of anger finally flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, but the magic he was forced to maintain was preventing him from moving—without Karkaroff's assistance, the progress of the magic had slowed down considerably, and it still hadn't been able to completely drag the three ghost ships out.

"And as my alma mater, Durmstrang was naturally acquired by me long ago, and this Mr. Karkaroff is actually my representative... Otherwise, do you think a fugitive, no-background British Death Eater could rise to become the headmaster of one of the three largest schools in Europe? Of course, he is still loyal to his former master, and my relationship with him is only half subordinate and half cooperative. After Voldemort is resurrected, I will have to take the headmaster's seat..."

Seeing Dumbledore's furious yet helpless expression, Grindelwald's smile widened: "So, after one of my men connected me with those wizards who obey Voldemort, I thought cooperating with them to eliminate you, their biggest obstacle, might be a good option. In exchange, they helped me deal with you and provided me with some resources and training to restore my power, while I promised to resurrect their master after I dealt with you. And that's how this long-planned Triwizard Tournament came about... Are you satisfied with this trap?"

Suddenly, Grindelwald raised his wand, but instead of pointing it at Dumbledore, he aimed it at the three ghost ships that were faintly visible in mid-air.

Just as Dumbledore was belatedly startled and tried to do something to retaliate, he was surprised to see that Grindelwald's wand was also rippling with that blue ripple—with the sudden addition of that magic, the speed at which the three ghost ships appeared increased countless times, and they were completely freed from the space in just a few seconds...

"Alright, there's nothing to distract you now."

Grindelwald casually waved his wand, teleporting the three ghost ships to an unknown location, then pointed the tip of his wand at Dumbledore, who was exhausted and looked pale from taking poison.

"Then let's fight one more time, Albus..."

"Just like fifty years ago."

(End of this chapter)