DISCLAIMER

I do not own any of the trademarks, characters, settings or situations that are part of the Harry Potter universe. All copyrights for these are held by J. K. Rowling. All other material contained herein is my own. This material may be copied or reproduced in alternative formats, however I ask you out of courtesy to seek my permission before doing so. Thank you.

Harry Potter and Grindelwald's Rebirth

Chapter 2 – The Merger

It had been about three weeks since Harry Potter, commonly referred to as The-Boy-Who-Lived had returned to the house on Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey where he lived with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. The relationship between them could best be described as one of mutual hate and loathing. Oh yes, his Aunt and uncle would no more wish Harry to live with them any longer than necessary than you or I would wish to live in a rubbish heap. For that is indeed what they considered him to be – scum, filth, lower than that even. However, they very grudgingly put up with him. After all, family was family, no matter how despised, and they certainly would not want a person's death on their conscience. It had been just a few days before the end of term that Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had explained to Harry that the blood wards around his Aunt and Uncle's house protected him from Voldermort and those who would mean him harm.

Since his return, Harry had been suffering from nightly nightmares, nightmares of his Godfather Sirius who had been struck down whilst saving him at the Department of Mysteries not long ago. Harry endured recurring recollections of the battle that had taken place, watching every time with horror and grief as Sirius was hit by that jet of red light and sent hurtling through the Veil, the Veil of Death from which no one had ever returned, either alive or dead.

But this was three weeks later. The days preceding had been stifling hot by day and uncomfortably warm by night. And this night was no exception. Harry had gone to bed as usual, waiting unresistingly for the terrors, which he knew, would come. And they had, except that this time things ended differently. Instead of waking up sweating and shaking as he usually did, he had fallen into a deep sleep once the ritualistic nightmare had concluded.

He stood, frozen to the spot as the battle raged around him. He watched in fascination as his Godfather stood opposite his cousin, the two taunting each other back and forth, as though they were children, except that this taunting had a dark, menacing quality to it. His eyes followed Sirius' body as it arced gracefully, following a curved trajectory towards and then through the Veil. But then the scene changed.

He found himself standing in a field, a field filled with yellow tulips. The sun was shining brightly overhead and the sky was a clear azure blue. It was calm and tranquil. Harry looked around, seeing the flowers stretching off into the distance, mile after mile. Bringing his gaze back closer in to himself, he noticed a man walking towards him. The man was tall, with a slim build that even so looked powerful and graceful at the same time. He had black hair that reached down to his shoulders and brown eyes that shone with passion, or was that determination. He did not seem threatening at all and Harry found himself taking an instinctual liking to him.

The man stopped a few paces short of Harry's position and looked him up and down. He nodded to himself, as though agreeing mentally with some pre-determined thought.

"Hello Harry Potter and welcome."

"Err, Hello." replied Harry. "I'm sorry, but who are you and where is this place?"

The man chuckled, a genuine one filled with humour.

"Ah welcome to my home. Welcome to the Netherlands. You have surely heard about our legendary tulip fields?"

Harry gaped. The Netherlands? He had never travelled abroad before, let alone anywhere in the UK apart from London and to Hogwarts. Whenever the Dursleys went on holiday they would leave him with his cat-obsessed neighbour, Mrs. Figg, an old and slightly forgetful witch who loved showing him photo albums of her litter of cats. To find himself in a completely new place without explanation was frankly a little un-nerving, despite the fact that he was a wizard and therefore familiar with strange happenings going on without any reason.

"Err, Okay." he stammered, "But who are you?"

"My name is Grindelwald. Johann Friedrich Grindelwald."

Harry stiffened. Here he was, somehow transported hundreds of miles to a place where he was alone with one of the most powerful dark wizards of recent time with no means to defend himself. But wait, wasn't Grindelwald dead, killed by Dumbledore in 1945? Harry remembered this fact from his first ever-Chocolate Frog card, which he had on his very first trip to Hogwarts at the age of eleven. Could this be another trick of Voldermort's then, just like the vision of Sirius being held at the Department of Mysteries? But then surely he would have realised that the same ploy would not work a second time?

"But, but you're dead! Dumbledore killed you!"

A look of pain crossed the other wizard's face for a brief moment before his initial expression returned.

"My dear boy. Please do not be so quick to jump to conclusions. Do you not think it possible for history to have deceived you? Do they not say that history is written by the victors? Is it not entirely possible that the people were told what they wanted to be told? Do you think the people would be anything but comfortable if they were not told that a Dark Lord had been killed and peace restored? Please, I ask you to think. I ask you to use the Gryffindor nobility that I can see in your eyes. I ask you to hear my story and to hold your judgement until after it has been told."

Harry stood there, stunned. It was not that Grindelwald was being civil; it was more the fact that, now he came to think of it, what he had said made sense. There was so very little that was known about the war with Grindelwald. That whole era was wrapped in mystique and intrigue. All people ever talked about were the two wars with Voldermort, the first that Harry had brought to an end with his defeat of the dark wizard when he was just one year old, and the second, which had been started when his blood had been forcibly taken for Voldermort's resurrection at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He grudgingly decided to let the other wizard have his say.

"Fine, say your piece."

"Very well, but this may take some time. Do permit me to be seated, and do join me. I swear on my magic that no harm will befall you whilst I tell my story."

With that, a streak of white light shot from Grindelwald's chest and into Harry's. He could feel the magic of the oath solidifying within him with his acceptance of the terms.

Grindelwald approached and sat down on the grass next to Harry, brushing a few of the tulips out of the way. He waited until Harry had joined him on the ground before continuing.

"First of all, you should know that this is not real. It is a dream projection. Your body is, in fact, still lying back at your home. But there was no other way in which I could talk to you face to face. When you wake, you will be in the same place as when you went to sleep."

"Now to get to the main part of what I wanted to explain to you. Yes, I am Grindelwald. Yes, everyone thinks I was killed back in 1945. But no, I was not killed, and no, I did not perform any dark or dangerous rituals to bring my soul back from the dead."

Harry gave a short laugh at that. The way it had been said just sounded so odd. Grindelwald ignored the interruption and continued.

"What the people do not know is that I had a brother. Sebastian was always the more aggressive one. Much like the Voldermort of your time, he had visions of becoming the supreme ruler of the world, but not just the magical world. He wanted to rule the Muggles as well. Unlike voldermort, he thought the Muggles could be put to some use. He intended to wait until Hitler had captured Europe, until World War II had come to an end and then depose him to take his place."

Harry gasped. Had this come to pass it would have been truly terrifying.

"Not many know that I was friends with Albus Dumbledore. Those who did are now dead. When Albus was younger, teaching Transfiguration, and I was still free, he had come to the Netherlands seeking knowledge. He was always interested in new ways to use magic, magic that would make things easier for everyday tasks. I worked with him, and we built up a friendship. He ended up becoming my apprentice."

"When you were free? Were you captured?" asked Harry.

"In a manner of speaking. My brother had spent the time travelling as well, but instead of learning, he had been forming alliances with other powerful witches and wizards, promising power and prestige. Who could resist that? It was a time where the Muggle world was still recovering from the effects of the First World War There was the potential to exploit this weakness. For Sebastian it was an easy opportunity to start building his power base."

"It was not until 1941 when he struck. I was stronger magically, and in his opinion killing me would be a waste of time and resources. Once the war was over it was his hope that he could use my power, either by coercion or by force, to further his own gains. Therefore, he needed me alive, but my connection to Albus whom by this time had started to raise opposition to his movements was a liability. He bound both me and my mate using a combination of what is known in your time as the Fidelus Charm and a binding charm. The charm meant that I would be unable to leave my home, and that no one would be able to find me. My home was stocked up with food and drink, and he would deliver anything that I needed; books, parchment, anything. I could not contact anyone and no one could contact me. I was not a risk, as I could not do anything that would affect the outside world. He took on my identity and left me there"

By this time Harry's jaw had dropped and he was just sitting there, speechless, staring at Grindelwald, listening to this story that seemed so fantastic, but yet that he somehow knew was the truth.

"So the war continued. The Muggle Allied Powers started to fight back and the Muggle World War turned in their favour. Sebastian was finding it more and more difficult to keep hold of his followers, who by this time could see that his promises of power would not bear fruit. He decided to make one last stand. He would have to keep the magical world and rule it with an iron fist. And the last place that would be expecting an attack was..."

"Britain.", Harry breathed.

"Britain." Grindelwald continued. It had stayed out of the war so far, at least as far as the magical world was concerned. Whilst Albus was fighting Sebastian in Europe Britain had remained unguarded."

"But then came May 1945. Hitler had lost the Muggle war and was declared dead. Sebastian's muggle puppet was no more. He went mad, going on a killing spree that tore through the heart of Austria and Germany. It was finally brought to an end by Albus Dumbledore in the Black forest in June 1945. And the world celebrated. Grindelwald had been defeated. I had been defeated. And that is also incidentally, where the rumour was founded that I was German. In fact, the Grindelwald line has never had roots in Germany. The Netherlands has been our home for generations, and the Nordic lands before that."

"But now?" questioned Harry.

"As I said, Johann was dead, but I was not dead. I was still alive, gathering knowledge. I knew what was going on in the world around me, for Sebastian took great pleasure in boasting of his achievements. Now usually when a person dies, and there are spells or charms bound to that person, as the charms on my home were, they are destroyed. But Sebastian was powerful. Maybe not as powerful as Dumbledore or myself, but still powerful. The charms were weakened. Not destroyed but weakened. But they were still strong enough to prevent me from leaving, and to prevent anyone from finding me or the home."

"Now let us move forward in time to about a week ago. I had of course kept track of events that were taking placing. I heard about voldermort's defeat, and I was pleased. At least the world was at peace once more. I hoped that the people would see the errors of their ways and take steps to ensure that such a catastrophe would never occur again. Alas, they did not. Corrupt governments were left in power, outdated laws were never scrapped and the people became complacent. I heard about you and your exploits and I was happy. Finally, someone had come who would not stand for the chaos that wrought the wizarding world. I heard when voldemort got his body back and I hoped. I hoped that steps would be taken to see that he did not bring the world to its knees as happened last time, as happened with my brother. But it did not. And now, now I have lost my patience."

The expression on Grindelwald's face had become determined.

"I have lost patience with the people of my country. I have lost patience with my line. I have lost patience with the wizarding world. Those who have the power to bring about change have done nothing. Nothing! They have let things continue as they have done for years. Half the wizarding world's infrastructure is more than thirty years old! Tell me Harry, where is the power that wizards once had to command? Where is the legislature that ensured that order and justice prevailed? Where is the harmony and equality between races that once ruled the land? Where?"

Harry could only shake his head and remain silent.

"It has been squandered, looted and wasted! It has been taken for granted and it has been diluted! And I, Will, Not, Stand, For, It!"

With each of the last five words, the older wizard raised and slapped his hand against his thigh as though to emphasize his point. He took a deep breath and went on.

"Which is where you come in, Harry. I thought to myself, how can I make things right again? How can I restore the glory that was once the wizarding world? And the idea came to me. What if I combined the knowledge and skill of the old with the youth and power of the young? And then I remembered. I remembered about the club you started at Hogwarts last year. Yes," he said, seeing the surprised look on Harry's face, "I heard of that, and how determined you were to see that your classmates and fellow students were prepared for the troubled times to come. And I thought to myself that here was a person that could go on to do great things. Yes, great and powerful things."

Harry was strongly reminded at this point of the old wand maker in Diagon Alley, Olivander, for he had said the exact same things about Harry when his wand had been chosen.

"A person who could do these things if only he were given the necessary help and guidance. And knowledge. Remember, Harry, that no one can ever have too much knowledge. And I have gained a considerable amount during my isolation."

"Harry, I ask you now to listen to my proposal. By doing what I suggest we can both work together to improve the wizarding world. Yes, I can feel you wanting to ask the question, what do I gain from all this? It's quite simple. I gain the satisfaction of knowing that my people, my line has returned to the old ways of magic before they torn asunder. I gain the satisfaction of knowing that something good has come from all that I have learned. I gain the satisfaction of knowing that people will be prepared for the next darkness, the next crisis. For believe me, there will always be someone willing to fill the mantle of Dark Lord. It is something that nature calls, that has to be, that keeps the balance. And what do you gain? You gain the knowledge, the power and the confidence to fulfil the burden that has been placed upon you. You gain the ability to put the fame you have earned, albeit rightly or wrongly depending on your opinion to some use, to shape the wizarding world to do good for that world. You gain the ability to do things that you want to do, to do things that you can be recognised for having done yourself, instead of having had done for you."

Harry had been thinking whilst the other wizard was speaking. Unlike in the past, he did not feel as though he was being manipulated. He did not feel as though things were running outside his control. He actually felt that he had the opportunity to have a say in what was happening. And he agreed with the other wizard's views. He agreed that things had to done, drastic things, and they had to be done soon. And, he thought as his Slytherin side came to the front, he would be crazy to turn down this wizard's freely offered help.

"Fine," he said, a smile lighting upon his face. "Go ahead. Tell me your plan."

Grindelwald smiled as well.

"Once again, it is simple. I have done some of the work already. Obviously, I cannot simply waltz into London and start destroying Death Eaters left, right and centre. It would simply cause too much chaos. And therefore, if I cannot be there in body, I can be with you in spirit instead. I can merge my spirit with yours."

Harry gaped. Merging spirits? Visions of dual personalities and changing attitude at the drop of a hat ran through his mind.

"So would I become you then?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Oh, lord no!" the other wizard replied emphatically.

"What will happen is that you will gain all of my knowledge, power skills and experience and some of my characteristics. You will also have all of my memories. It will take a little while to sort through them all, but by the time you're finished you should have gained all the knowledge of Occlumency, Legillimency, duelling, and etiquette. And as for the characteristics, you will have gained the ability to infuse magic into your voice and movements. You'll be able to command an entire room to silence simply by speaking – I always loved that one." he chuckled.

"But what about you? Will transferring your spirit just leaves your body as a shell or something?"

"Ah, well actually yes, but don't worry. I will technically be dead, I suppose, but I don't mind. I'm rather looking forward to it. I've done what I could, and whereas it hasn't really been fun, the knowledge that my life will have helped to bring good to the world is enough for me."

"But…"

"Anyway," he interrupted before Harry could finish his sentence. "We should be moving on now. We have been talking for some time and it will soon be time for you to wake up. You will know everything in the morning, I promise. Now just relax. As I said half the work has already been done, all I need to do is the merger."

Lord Grindelwald raised himself to his feet, and turned around until he was facing Harry.

"Thank you for listening to me Harry. Thank you for helping me, and I am honoured to be able to help you. Carry the mantle with pride, my son."

He started moving his hands in various patterns, chanting under his breath as he went. Harry started to feel drowsy, and the world around him seemed to blur.

"Take care of Natalie, and have fun!", was the last thing he heard, said in a jolly, almost excited voice as his eyes closed and he knew no more.

Phew! That was a long one, probably the longest I have ever written. This is some of the historical content I mentioned at the start of chapter one, and even though there's hardly any action in here, do keep it in mind as it's important to set the scene. Any guesses who Natalie is. You'll like her.

Does anyone else agree with me that the most tedious part of writing is the proof reading and spell-checking that comes afterwards?

Do take a moment to leave a review. Can't tell you when the next chapter will be out, I really should be doing my coursework, but blame the plot bunnies for sidetracking me!

Last Edited: Sunday 23 April 2006 (and as I forgot, Chapter 1 was last edited yesterday, Saturday 22 April 2006).