Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 364 Dumbledore's Defeat

Just as Miranda Goshak said, the Nobiridge students wearing the same red robes as Durmstrang are indeed quite happy right now.

This operation had been rehearsed months in advance—and for safety reasons, the students participating were all elite seniors, possessing combat skills at least equivalent to a professional striker, and priority was given to Durmstrang graduates with exceptional acting abilities. So, while the Death Eaters hadn't yet been assembled, they happily revisited their alma mater, enthusiastically introducing their new school to their non-Durmstrang alumni…

"It's been so long since I've been back!"

Many of them didn't even glance at the fierce battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald playing on the screen. Instead, they were happily looking around at the lake and Durmstrang Castle: "Haha, it seems that nothing has changed at the school since I graduated so long ago. I wonder if this year's students still remember the legends I left behind..."

"Don't act like you've been gone for ages; you've only been out of school for two years."

A Durmstrang professor standing not far from him immediately glared at him with an unfriendly expression: "And I still remember that bag of manure bombs you threw in the corridor before graduation, but if you hadn't run fast back then..."

"Ahem... Professor, don't rush to roll up your sleeves, we still need to go to the castle to set up the scene... Ouch, that hurts—"

Professor Durmstrang, who remained in the same spot, was not at all surprised by the sudden return of a large group of former students. Instead, he cheerfully reminisced with them or scolded those troublemakers from back then. Students selected by Norwich University were naturally the elites of their original schools. Whether they were good students who got along well with the professors or troublemakers who caused trouble every day, they had definitely left a deep impression on the professors here.

Besides, even the other two referees, Mrs. Maxime and Barty Crouch, who had been looking anxious, looked relieved after seeing the college students being teleported over. They began to chat with the university professors, including Belby and Trimble, who had come with them, in a relaxed manner...

That's right. Apart from Barty Crouch Jr., the entire judging panel, along with almost all the professors at Durmstrang, were actors.

He thought he had successfully impersonated Ludo Bagman and fooled everyone, but in reality, he was the one who was kept in the dark all along.

Moreover, they seemed quite relaxed, showing none of the tension one would expect when facing a deadly Dark Lord, nor any concern for what lay ahead or the potential battles, as if they were simply on vacation...

As for Ludo Bagman, who is still kidnapped—at least it's certain he's alive, otherwise he wouldn't be able to continue providing Barty with the raw materials for the compound remedy. However, the actors haven't fully figured out where he's being held or his current health condition, and they don't intend to find out for the time being—not only to avoid disturbing Barty and ruining all their previous preparations, but also because, in a sense, he deserves his current predicament…

……

The underwater space of Durmstrang was originally the final stage of the three-way battle.

In just over ten minutes, the battle, which had been evenly matched, was coming to an end. The blue flames representing Gellert Grindelwald had swept across every corner of the underwater space like a vast ocean, while the once equally surging crimson flames had retreated to a corner of the blue flame sea, teetering like a lone sail in a storm, seemingly about to be swallowed up by the blue flames at any moment.

Dumbledore stood at the center of those few red flames, his face pale, his arm holding the Elder Wand trembling uncontrollably, almost unable to maintain his magic...

"You lost, Albus."

Suddenly, a cold, stern voice reached his ears, piercing through the deafening explosions of colliding magic. He saw the blue flames that had filled his entire field of vision suddenly prostrate themselves respectfully, like soldiers welcoming a king, and retreat to the sides, revealing a wide path.

Along that path, Gellert Grindelwald, wand in hand, strolled leisurely toward Albus Dumbledore, who was struggling to maintain his defenses. The swirling currents of flame caused his hair and robes to billow wildly, but these only served to accentuate his current elegance and composure. He slowly approached Dumbledore, then extended his wand and gently touched the crimson barrier of flames…

Click.

With a dull thud, Dumbledore's last defense crumbled.

He looked up at Grindelwald's wand pointing at him, but his gaze was unexpectedly calm, and even his arms and beard, which had been trembling from exhaustion, had calmed down again.

"Your progress in magic is beyond my expectations."

Dumbledore's voice did not tremble with fatigue or fear: "But in contrast, the ideas and thoughts have not progressed at all—to be honest, I am somewhat disappointed, Gellert."

"Since you've maintained contact with the outside world for the past fifty years, you should know how the magical society has developed during this period without your interference, whether those Muggles, and Muggle-born wizards, have caused the same harm to the magical society as you imagine; and you should also know what kind of people Tom Riddle and his henchmen are..."

"You'd better show some respect to your master, Dumbledore!"

Barty, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, also came over, his wand gleaming dangerously: "If you don't want to suffer any more..."

"It's not your place to speak."

Grindelwald gave him a cold glance, and an invisible pressure immediately made Barty's chest tighten, as if he were being targeted by some extremely dangerous natural enemy: "I can help resurrect your master, but Dumbledore must be dealt with by me personally—don't forget your promise, Death Eaters."

"..."

Barty Crouch Jr.'s fingers tightened their grip on the wand imperceptibly, but he ultimately withdrew them silently—he desperately wanted to leave Dumbledore's life to his master, to let his master end him as the first gift after his resurrection; but to his surprise, his overly proactive companions actually brought out this old devil, who had an even greater grudge against Dumbledore, and stole the glory that should have belonged to his master...

But there was no way around it; Barty Crouch Jr. was, after all, just one of many pawns rescued along the way, one of many in this grand scheme. While his responsibilities were indeed more important than others, he was certainly not in a position to negotiate with Grindelwald…

I wonder if, instead of the "Wormtail" who orchestrated everything and whose intelligence and intelligence capabilities terrified his teammates, there was a chance to negotiate with Grindelwald and try to win him over.

"That's probably unlikely. Although he was indeed the biggest contributor to this operation, Grindelwald wasn't someone he invited..."

(End of this chapter)