The night winds lingered through the copse of trees surrounding Nuremgard like the breathing of a savage animal. Nuremgard stood, a towering island fastness of stone blackened with shades never as dark as the thirst for power in the heart of the wizard whose magic was enfixed in the bowels and turrets of his precious prison. Gellert Grindelwald. A porticullis, engraved with a symbol more occult than any wizarding sect of power in Europe, the symbol of the Hallows, was opened, letting the gaseous air flow from eave to eave. Cloak, wand and stone, it was the lifeblood of his resistance, his secret empire built for the subvergence of non-magical blood.
In his desire and his ire, Grindelwald had fashioned a mastery of power, channeled through a wand of the strongest elder wood, the hair of a Thestral planted in its heart. Purpose and strength coursed in his veins. It was the same purpose, the same strength, that coursed in all veins. Yet in the spirit of a dark wizard, purpose became poison, and strength became a mask of weakness no stronger than the will of a child desperate to destroy their fears. By Grindelwald, all the colours of life in wizarding Europe had been severed, souls from the body, liquefied in the seat of his judgment, drained into the sieve of this coming moment.
The grounds beneath and around the fortress seemed to come alive, rising in revolt against the price to be paid. Shapes stood at the merlons and behind the levels of walls of Nuremgard, nearly seventy witches and one hundred wizards; the followers of Grindelwald. One could see the shining silver of the Deathly Hallows sigil bright against the darkness of their robes. These were the ones who'd given Grindelwald their lives, their families, their loyalty, in exchange for a promise of power, the Empire they believed they were destined to maintain.
Rooted to the drawbridge of the prison, Grindelwald waited for the face of the wizard who had once loved him. The face of the wizard he could never love.
The world felt hazy, unreal. Was he truly standing here, flesh, bone and blood, at the forest beyond the gates of the island of Nuremgard? Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the energy of his Apparition, his limbs quivering as a blast of freezing air billowed his cloak. Familiar cracks sounded all around him, and suddenly there were witches and wizards appearing, moving between the oak and ash trees like ghosts.
"Elphias," said Dumbledore in the humblest voice, taking his friend by the hand. A smile crinkled across his face, and he embraced Herbert Beery, Silvanus Kettleburn, and other teachers of Hogwarts who'd Apparated into view. Two elderly witches strode towards the little group, arm-in-arm. "Griselda, Galatea?"
Griselda Marchbanks, draped in a regal shawl, raised a hand to quiet him. "Albus, Albus," she whispered, "you sound shocked, my boy. You didn't truly believe we wouldn't come?"
"I..." Dumbledore's eyes fell to his feet, the twinkling blue of them filled with the darkness of the ground they faced. "I don't know what to say."
White-haired Galatea Merrythought watched the Transfiguration master through her golden, pince-nez. "Say nothing, Albus, say nothing. We are here to support you, to the very end."
Silence passed between them. Dumbledore raised his eyes to Nuremgard, to the mission. Sliding into the sleeve of his left arm, Dumbledore's hand withdrew his wand-eleven, oak and dragon heartstring-and flourished it to his throat. "Sonorous!"
He raised his eyes to Nuremgard, to the mission. "Gellert," said Dumbledore in a soft tone, his voice an oddly loud whisper over the stormy valley, "it is over. Come down, and face me, to end this tyranny..."
A smile curled across Grindelwald's lips, so thin and loveless that he resembled a delighted demon in the firelight of his fortress. Wordlessly, he magnified his voice, "nothing will end tonight, Albus, except your life-and the lives of everyone who champion for Muggles under my regime. So, stand down Dumbledore, unless you want to prepare to join your Ariana."
Dumbledore did not flinch. "Your regime is broken, Gellert. I cannot allow you to tear the world apart for your higher glory any longer."
"I knew you'd come. The Ministries have rumored it for months." Grindelwald let out a little snort. "Then, meet me at the gates Dumbledore, Apparate. I've broken that enchantment-just for you. Meet me, and we shall see just how much you shall allow me to seek my higher glory."
Dumbledore felt the peace within him break, harder than a skull against stone, and suddenly he was Disapparated to the front gates. Wand drawn, he watched as Grindelwald's dark and pale form float with inhuman grace down to meet him. The years of loyalty and affection were gone from Grindelwald's eyes; now malice inhabited them. Without a sound, the former friends bowed before each other, raising their wands aloft. A moment died, and in that moment, Grindelwald flicked the Elder Wand.
BANG.
With one lethal brandish, Grindelwald casted the first curse, a beam of light, bright as a star, roared out of his wand, smacking against Dumbledore's chest and sending him sprawling. Hand still gripped to his wand, in the air Dumbledore repelled a second curse, and once he hit the ground, Grindelwald attacked. Crack. Crack.One curse after the other, they made the dirt burst with heat.
"Silvoslashio!"cried Dumbledore, and suddenly the tip of his wand glowed with a silver flame, and that flame leapt out into the air, becoming a volley of arrows. The arrows changed shape, now daggers, and Grindelwald sent the torrent of them flying towards Dumbledore. Fury bursting in his mind, Dumbledore brought his wand overhead, yelling "Protego Potentes Murus!"
The daggers cracked against the unseen barrier with the force of a corpse hitting a wall, and at the swirling of his wand, Dumbledore sent the daggers spinning around him in a circle, blasting them out of existence.
Grindelwald was gone in a crack of Disapparation, reappearing behind Dumbledore, but the Transfiguration master was too swift, too ready, and flung out his wand-arm, throwing Grindelwald down the rocky hill. Hair wild, face smudged with grime, Grindelwald snarled and jabbed the Elder Wand as though stabbing a victim. A jet of vermillion light struck the outer wall. Rocks and dust tumbling around him, Dumbledore swore and threw himself sideways, straggled to full height and met Grindelwald at the precipice.
Face against face, legs entwining, their wands whirled, slashed, and whirled again. Bolts of light, hot as white fire, sparkling azure and scarlet, soared from their wands, hitting the ground, spawning flames. Every inch of the wizards' burned with an unspoken rage. Flicking his wand at the statue of the winged horse, Dumbledore grimaced as the beast sprang to sudden life, galloping at Grindelwald who cracked it to dust. The might of Grindelwald's Stunning Spells fell against the swiftness of Dumbledore's Shield Charms like gunfire, forcing him to draw his wand back like a whip, conjuring chains that lassoed at Grindelwald, who burned them from the air.
Grindelwald attacked, sending the surge of the Blasting Curse into the ground, knocking Dumbledore off balance, his wand hurtling out of sight. Scrambling through the dirt, Dumbledore's hand reached his fallen wand, relief flooding him, yet he heard Grindelwald hissing the cursed words, "Aweccan Orcinfyre!"
The air erupted with Fiendfyre, a tumultuous noise that moved swifter than birds, blackening the trees beyond the gates, pursuing Dumbledore past the outer wall. Fear and bravery tore through Dumbledore's chest, and he raised his wand high, severing one of the fiery demons into pieces, a great serpent. Its molten eyes fluttering, maw breaking, Dumbledore sent it wheeling into its soaring brother, a winged horse. The flaming equine fell against the wall and perished, engulfing the airspace with the scent of fire and ash.
"NO!"
Grindelwald brought his wand down, and a two-headed eagle, the familiar of Durmstrang soared at Dumbledore, whose own wand had conjured a crackling phoenix, the beast of the pyre itself. The eagle and the phoenix flew at each other with the savagery of demons, their tails and talons lashing against the ground at the command of the wizards who moved them like marionettes on possessed strings. The eagle's wing lifted to strike against the phoenix, and Dumbledore eyed Grindelwald, his face contorted with rage...
The phoenix let out a victorious caw, its torso bursting into a higher, hellish plume. But Grindelwald's resolve shattered, and he sent the power of winds into the passageway. Wand carving an invisible slit, Dumbledore split the wind-blown beasts of Fiendfyre through their chests, backpedaling and uttering counter-curses till the Fiendfyre dissipated, leaving bonfires in its wake. Dumbledore flicked his wand-arm to the side, diverting the energy of Grindelwald's hexes with the strength of a bomb. He roared at the sight of the emerald and silver sparks of the Entrail-Expelling Curse, drawing up the counter-curse so swiftly that Grindelwald gasped. The Elder Wand whirred in Grindelwald's hands, and the might of his curse struck through Dumbledore's wand, shuddering up his arm. Fingers clenched around the Elder Wand, Grindelwald gave Dumbledore chase into the deep of Nuremgard. Up the staircase, they dueled, wand-lights shimmering in the darkness, dancing around each other.
"Expello Totalum Fortis!"
"Finite Incantatem-Incendiares Globus!"
"Aguamenti Maxima! Osso Dispersi-!"
"Protego Duo! Expulso!"
"Crucio!"
"Protego Maxima!"
"Incendio!"
A jet of amber light spiraled from Grindelwald's wand, diverted upwards by the quickness of Dumbledore's mind. It hit the topmost tower of Nuremgard, sending the followers of Grindelwald fleeing in panic, Disapparating out of the way, and the tower ramparts were choked with flame.
A boulder from the crumbling tower fell to earth, caught by Dumbledore's Freezing Charm, and he sent it hurtling towards Grindelwald. Grindelwald ducked, directing his wand at the soil around them. An earthwork rammed itself through the ground, thrusting Dumbledore to his knees, and another, nearly impaling him. Arms spread, face drawn up with anger, Dumbledore broke through one of the earthworks with a cry of, "Exodus!", pushed the wave of the rocks to Grindelwald, pelting against the wall of earth he'd summoned out of the ground.
Blood rushed in Grindelwald's face, his stare cold over the wall. "Avada-"
"IMPEDIMENTA!"shouted Dumbledore, collapsing him and silencing Grindelwald's Killing Curse. Roaring, Dumbledore whirled around, leaping out of the way as a fireball whirred into the night air.
"Carnificors Corpum!", Grindelwald screamed, the violet light of his Decapitation Curse missing Dumbledore's neck by a hairsbreadth and struck the statue of a chimaera, beheading the lion. Dumbledore's wand tapped the chimaera, pulling it around as though by invisible strings, and the animated statue ran at Grindelwald, who shattered it into ten thousand pieces. Dumbledore froze the pieces in place, making them crack apart like pinwheels, and Apparated to the second level, Grindelwald following him.
The force of Dumbledore's spell, a pool that spun and shone with the light of stars, took in the blow of Grindelwald's curse; a rush of wind and a gonglike note that echoed deep in the valley. It deafened them, threw them aside as quick as ragdolls, both wizards scrambling for their senses, for life.
Vines snaked out of Grindelwald's wand, Transfigured into serpents by Dumbledore's charm, thrown at Grindelwald, who leaped back and with a blast of white light, the serpents became embers. Dumbledore wheeled on one foot, swishing his wand like a rope, and a shield with the emblem of the Phoenix was conjured. Grindelwald bowed, creating his own emblem and shield, the one of the two-headed eagle.
Dumbledore fired the Killing Curse, emerald energy flying to take Grindelwald's life, but Grindelwald hit it with another spell, destroying the trajectory, and the statue of a Dark witch burst into dust.
The wizards began to circle each other, hunter against hunter.
"It is clear," said Grindelwald, "that this duel shall cost us both something very great, Albus."
Dumbledore's smile did not live in his eyes."And what might that be, my old brilliant colleague?"
Dumbledore saw it before Grindelwald could finish his utterance: a forceful bolt of lightning, beautiful and terrible, hell-hot and swift. It broke the air between them, striking against Dumbledore's shield.
There was a titantic BANG-the walls cracked, the ramparts splintered, the lightning wheeled around them both in electric circles, connected by the spool of Dumbledore's spell, blinding him through his glasses. The rage of Grindelwald seemed to penetrate the sound of the crackling lightning, the heat of it sending the walls to dust, breaking the grout of the blackened stone beneath their feet, searing Dumbledore's arm...He fell with a scream, the conjured shield clattering beside him.
Though every breath he took was as poisonous as the sting of a sword against flesh, Dumbledore drew himself to full height, leaning against a destroyed merlon, his wand-arm flung out defensively. Dumbledore's spell was raised before Grindelwald aimed the Killing Curse his way, striking the jet of green light down. Shield no longer there, Grindelwald stood ramrod straight before Dumbledore, the Elder Wand high, ready to tear the life from the wizard soon to own it. The next Killing Curse blew the top of Albus' head, who weaved and darted around Grindelwald, his power undiminished.
Laughing at the look of his opponent, Grindelwald front-pedaled again and again, the colour of his face lost in the glimmer of curses as Dumbledore Shielded himself through the flurry of Grindelwald's magic; and with the swiftness of a younger wizard, Dumbledore let his Shield Charm break...Grindelwald's laughter froze, he could only watch as the stream of scarlet light blasted from Dumbledore's wand and hit him in the chest with deadly precision. Somersaulting from Grindelwald's hand, the Elder Wand fell with a final clang at Dumbledore's feet, its last master crumpling in a shameful heap.
"It is, as you say Gellert," whispered Dumbledore, "for the greater good."