A/N: This is my first story so there might be some mistakes here and there. My writing is sort of an AU and I've messed around with magical combat a bit so it will feel quite different to the books. Updates might be spontaneous and irregular as it depends on how much time I have on my hands.
Grindelwald's Return
When Grindelwald opened his eyes all he saw was an unidentified mark in the sky. Where am I? Disorientated, He pulled himself up to his feet before a body fell out of the sky and smashed the ground with sickening force. He looked up and saw the Astronomy tower looming mockingly above him. This is Hogwarts.
The realisation struck him hard. How had he gotten from his impenetrable fortress to here? Except it wasn't as impenetrable as he had thought. Pushing the memories out of his head, he turned around surveying the landscape. The majestic castle was fully alight and beckoned welcomingly to Grindelwald's weary body. In the corner of his mind, something was tingling, struggling to be heard. His instincts. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and using his mind felt the area around him. Dark magic was used here.
His followers? No. He had warned them to stay away from England and never cross the British Channel. There was also the feeling something bad had happened here. His keen eyes suddenly caught something. It was a dark shadow almost blending in the trees behind it. He walked closer to it realising that it was on the floor; a body. Grindelwald had seen hundreds of bodies in the past six years especially in the bloody battles on the eastern front so wasn't too surprised to see yet another one. As soon as Grindelwald could clearly see the body, his senses were screaming at him. The man on the ground looked small and old; broken. His body crumpling inwards as if something inhumane had stuck him in the chest. Probably the killing curse, Grindelwald mused. But why would a killing curse be used at a school? Kneeling over him, Grindelwald's breath was snatched away from him as he recognised the body. Albus Dumbledore.
Thousands of miles away, in a remote area in the forests of Germany, two towers jutted out in the night sky. It was an impressive, formidable building that had repelled an entire generation of Aurors until that fateful day when it was bought to his knees in 1945. Spreading almost ten thousand square metres, the building was used as a fortress, headquarters and a prison. The building was completely made out of Actonius invented by the famed alchemist Nicholas Flamel. Sadly, the secret recipe was stolen the night Flamel was supposed to announce it to the world. What he didn't know was that it was stolen under his very nose by the soon to be Dark Wizard, Gellert Grindelwald.
Nurmengard was a mess as the dementors that guarded it swarmed over the fortress searching in vain hope to find the solitary prisoner that lived here. Within minutes of the disappearance of the prisoner, there were loud cracks at the gates of Nurmengard. Aurors with their wands pointed entered the famed building, their nerves on edge expecting the Dark prisoner to jump out any second and kill them as he had killed their fathers and mothers. Leading them was the German Chancellor of Magic who had lost his mother and both uncles during the reign of terror of the single prisoner. Suddenly, there was a movement behind him. He spun around quickly firing off multiple detection spells. But Gellert Grindelwald was nowhere near.
Grindelwald eyes widened and he backed away as he stared at the body. He wasn't sure what he should feel. Happiness now that his enemy was dead? Regret at the passing of a great intellectual and one Grindelwald could truly call his equal? Looking a bit more closely at the body, he realised that while the body still had the crooked nose and the bright, blue glazed eyes, he realised that it belonged to an old man. Why did Albus look so old?
And then another thought struck him: How and who had killed him? Albus Dumbledore was a being of immense power. It was almost impossible to kill him and if he Dumbledore's equal couldn't kill him then who had? Grindelwald contemplated waiting to find the wizard or witch that killed Albus. He could then finish them off with a couple of well-constructed curses. No! That was the mistake that had led to his defeat at Albus's hands. The same Albus who was now lying at his feet.
Getting to his feet, Grindelwald turned over the bizarre situation his head. His army had been cut off just as the final days of the war in Europe were drawing to a close. Knowing that the end was perhaps near, he retreated to Nurmengard as allies deserted him and new enemies sprung up like heads on a Hydra. The fortress had held for a remarkable six hours considering the few loyal men he had with him. Grindelwald had then decided to seek out Albus and destroy him once and for all instead of apparating away and being hunted to the ends of the earth. And he had lost. At that very moment, he had been knocked out like a common Muggle with a blow to the head. When he had regained consciousness, he was hundreds of miles away in a country he hadn't gone to in two decades. To top it all off, he was standing beside the corpse of his former best friend and adversary Albus Dumbledore.
Giving a dark chuckle, Grindelwald mulled his options. He couldn't stay here somebody was bound to come here and wandless he would be no match if a teacher found him. If a student came, their wand would be in his hand in an instant. He had to get a wand. Searching Albus for a wand would obviously be a waste of time; Albus would have never died with a wand in his hand. Shocking him from his thoughts there was a loud giggle as a group of students entered the astronomy tower two hundred metres away.
Grinning to himself, he crept up to them before sticking his hand out. There were a couple of shrieks as a wand shot out of a boy's pocket and – Grindelwald waved his wand over his face disguising it before disarming the three other members of the group. He moved the wand diagonally slashing it and the group were lifted off their feet and thrown a dozen metres. Grindelwald with a wand in his hand immediately began sending out messages to his most loyal followers. Using intricate hand gestures while striding purposefully towards the gates of Hogwarts meant that he was there within minutes.
However, just at that second, there were bright flashes as a boy was shouting and cursing in the night at a group of individuals. Grindelwald immediately disillusioned himself to watch the spectacle as the boy cursed and the man with the flapping robe easily deflecting. The women with the curly hair blasted the boy illuminating his forehead for a second. Grindelwald's eyes caught the scar and he frowned. A clear sign of dark magic being performed on him. The boy clearly being furious shouted Sectumsempra, a spell which despite all of his expansive spell knowledge Grindelwald had never heard off, which the man with the flapping robe deflected easily.
"Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward-" the boy spat out.
"Don't call me a coward!"
Grindelwald pondered on this for a second as the man cast a particularly impressive whipping spell. He was holding back though, Grindelwald sensed. Why hold back- Suddenly there was a flash of green light and a detection spell came at him. Cursing himself for having blown his cover, he quickly disguised his face and charged into battle with his wand held high.
The thick-muscled blond man who had cast the detection spell had sensed something but wasn't paying attention to the results. Grindelwald found it all too easy to stupefy him into his companion. The group quickly formed into a V shape with their Charms specialist presumably in the middle of the V working furiously in creating defences and wards.
Grindelwald grinned at the possibility of an interesting fight and waved his left hand causing the boy to fly into the man he had been shouting at. Casting intricate gestures with his wand he gave them no room to attack pressing them further and further. They were very good he had to say as sweat began to fall from his brow and they were still standing. Avada Ked- Grindelwald blasted the man so hard that he simply disintegrated. It never stopped amazing Grindelwald how wizards would stop in the middle of a fight and say a tongue twister such as Avada Kedavra. His companion stared at the space his comrade had once been and in that moment Grindelwald had roasted him alive. Grindelwald laughed, this was easier than he had expected. Halfway through his terrifying laugh, a curse smashed his backside.
Who the hell did that, was Grindelwald's thoughts as he was flung off his feet and into the woman with the curly hair. She responded quickly slashing her wand at Grindelwald who was just staggering to his feet. Crying out in pain at the two dark curses that had just decorated his backside, he slashed his wand in rage spitting out multiple curses and charms to keep them back. Enraged, his magic seemed to be an extension of him and his wand almost seemed to obey him, just like the Elder Wand. Two more men were blasted aside as Grindelwald began advancing. He smiled. The feeling of the familiar power flooded into his veins as he disarmed another opponent before a smart diagonal cut ended the life of another.
But as quickly as that power had come the faster it flooded away. And suddenly Grindelwald was drained of his power. His curses seemed to lose their energy and his charms weren't efficient. You idiot. Look what you have done. You've wasted all your magical energy in an unfamiliar environment. The man with the flapping robe and the woman with the curly hair were the only ones left by now. They seemed to be very competent wizards, observed Grindelwald. If he remained calm, as he'd done for the last half of a century, they would end up like their companions: dead. Inch by inch they pushed him back towards the castle; they're combined magic seeming to overcome his. Hacking at his defences, the two seemed to be working in synchronised order with the man appearing composed as if this was of no interest to him. The woman however was maniacally firing Unforgivable Curses at Grindelwald.
At the corner of his mind, a slight tingling sensation was felt again. Grindelwald frowned at this and without faltering searched his mind for what was bothering him. Dark Magic. It was heading towards him at full speed. A decaying ball of something worse than death was rocketing towards him faster than a speeding broomstick. No, no, no. what is this world? I wake up in Hogwarts the last place I would have wanted to go. I find the corpse of Albus. Meet a group of fanatical Dark Wizards who have no business at a school. And now something that reeks of death is coming for me. Having summarised his current situation, Grindelwald decided that the only viable solution was to run. And far.
How the hell was he going to get away from this despicable duo? The question was shortly answered when the scarred boy slowly got up and threw himself into the fight firing numerous basic jinxes of his own at the two Dark Wizard. In their momentary confusion, he Dashed through them and past the barrier, apparating before the three wizards even noticed he was gone.
A/N: What did you think of that? Next chapter will be in the POV of an OC who fought with Grindelwald in Europe.