CHAPTER 6
In which Dumbledore is sorely tempted.
As Newt carefully descended the stairs, he wondered who (or what) had let loose such an agonized howl. Terror seized at his heart like a cold hand, squeezing the life out of him. His breath was quick, his heartbeat rapid. He could scarcely see the next step; the other two had extinguished their wands to remain hidden in case anyone was looking their direction.
Newt wished he had an invisibility cloak—he made a mental note to trim Dougal's hair and have Madam Malkin make it into a cloak. The thought of Dougal reminded of his case, which was still at the French Ministry. He wished Leta had thought of his creatures when she had broken him out. He would feel much stronger if he knew his beasts were safe.
Finally, they came to the bottom of the stair, which was marked with a door.
"Alohomora," said Newt. He was satisfied to see that the door swung open.
"The Non-Magique made a mine down here many years ago," said Kama. "When one of their mines broke into the ancient Wizengamot, we disused the site and fled, making sure to hide the room very well."
They came into view of a large pile of rubble.
"It seems that the curses guarding it have been broken," said Kama.
Newt, Theseus, and Kama climbed over the rubble then came out into a huge amphitheatre. It was lit by a blazing blue flame which surrounded the circular stage at the center of the room. Large, stone columns shaped like phoenixes held up the dark roof.
Down in the center stood three people, and they were all looking up at the new entrants.
The first was unmistakably Grindelwald, what with his bright white hair and pale face. He stood next to Credence and the Maledictus, who were bound with dark blue chains. Credence's contorted face was full of pain; it seemed that the chains prevented him from taking Obscurus form. Holding the end of the chain was a smartly-dressed woman that Newt knew to be Vinda Rosier, who had impersonated Percival Graves and attempted to help him escape. And next to her was someone Newt would never have suspected—Abernathy.
"Mr. Scamander!" said Grindelwald as Newt, Theseus, and Kama walked down towards the blue flame. "We've been expecting you."
Theseus and Newt stood ahead of Kama, looking down onto the blue fire. In the style of wandwork he had used in the New York subway, Grindelwald flung his wand in a whipping motion and sent a jet of the blue flame shooting at Newt.
Newt jumped out of the way and shot a Stunning Spell at Vinda Rosier. However, his attempt was feeble and all it did was cause her to hesitate for a second.
Newt clambered behind a column and peered around the edge. Kama and Theseus had taken up defensive positions behind the nearest pillar, too. Newt looked down into the blue fire and saw that something was stirring in its depths—an indistinct shape was murkily pulling itself to the surface of the fire.
Newt looked up to the ceiling and saw that there were several loose-looking rocks embedded in the stone roof. Using all of his magical power, Newt forced the rocks apart and let then drop down onto the podium.
He looked down at the center when he heard the rocks clatter to the ground. The rocks brought with them a rain of dust, which formed a dense cloud.
The fire looked even more enraged now. As Newt watched, a shape pulled itself from the flames. Newt recoiled in shock as it formed into an enormous dragon, its body covered in intense bluish fire. It took a deep breath, then doused the columns with blue flames.
Newt felt the column he was hiding behind getting warm, then unbearably hot.
"Aguamenti!" yelled Newt and Theseus. Their shared spell had little effect; this was undoubtedly Fiendfyre.
The Fiendfyre dragon, with a triumphant roar, ceased its fire-breath, diminished in size, and rejoined the flames.
"Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?"
Newt looked weakly over at Theseus and Kama. They both looked exhausted.
Newt glanced back into the podium, and sank back with dread. Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy were walking up the stairs, holding their wands menacingly.
Suddenly, there was a loud crack and someone Apparated in.
Newt whirled around to the other side of the column to see who it was.
Dumbledore stood there in his sweeping deep blue robes, his bright blue eyes glowing like the Fiendfyre that churned around him.
Grindelwald spun around in shock.
"Albus!" he said, "what a pleasant surprise."
"Gellert," said Dumbledore quietly, "our paths cross again."
Grindelwald smiled fondly. "How did it come that we found ourselves on opposite sides of a war, Albus?" he asked.
"It started when you began killing Muggles," said Dumbledore, prowling in a circle. "I sent you that letter—that we should only use force if necessary. You turned to the Dark Arts to achieve your goal."
Dumbledore was using this conversation to scope out the room. He saw Newt, Theseus, and another person he couldn't fully make out hiding behind the phoenix-shaped pillars at the top of the ampitheatre. He sensed a strong Dark force nearby, probably coming from the Fiendfyre that encircled the podium.
"Our goal," corrected Grindelwald.
Dumbledore could feel Grindelwald spreading his manipulative tendrils throughout the room. He had always been particularly good at convincing people and making them question their own views.
"You remember, don't you, Albus," said Grindelwald, his mismatched eyes boring into Dumbledore's. "Oh, not only do you remember, but you still believe! Merlin's beard, you still believe that Muggles are inferior!"
Abernathy and Rosier came up on either side of Grindelwald, sneering.
"Dumbledore, the Muggles' champion," said Rosier snarkily. "Imagine what would happen if news of your past alliance with Grindelwald was to leak out."
"Quiet, Vinda," warned Grindelwald. Dumbledore sensed that Grindelwald was testing the water between them, trying to discern whether or not he could be persuaded to join his side.
"I care neither for shame nor ignominy," responded Dumbledore cooly. "All I care for is the welfare of my friends."
Grindelwald stood still and reached his wand into his pocket, where he was certainly holding the handle of his wand. "And," said Grindelwald darkly, "do you consider me your friend?"
Dumbledore looked up at Grindelwald, his heart beating fast as a hummingbird's wingbeat. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he was very tempted to join Grindelwald's side again. This is why Dumbledore had sent Newt after Grindelwald in the first place: He knew that he would be tempted with the prospect of joining Grindelwald and taking over the world.
Very firmly, he raised his voice and said, "Not unless you stop this now."
Grindelwald turned away from Dumbledore with a slight swagger. Rosier and Abernathy moved off to the side; they both knew what was coming. Grindelwald bent down and feigned interest in Credence and the Maledictus, who had toppled onto the floor, while meanwhile drawing his wand from his robes.
When Grindelwald turned around, Dumbledore met his stance, his wand drawn in the wink of an eye.
The room seemed to magically grow quiet; even the crackling Fiendfyre died down.
"Then," said Grindelwald softly, almost at a whisper, "we are at a parting of ways."
He smiled slightly, then a manic look grew in his eyes and he whipped his wand through the air. The duel between the two greatest wizards of the time had begun.
Leta looked both ways before starting down the next hallway, deep in the bowels of the French Ministry of Magic. Somewhere, she knew, was Newt's case. The Chief Auror, Courtois, had her office on this floor, and Leta had seen Theseus give the case to her.
Leta ran through the hall, checking the names written on the doors.
"Canard, Vernier, Delacour, Provence…," said Leta, anxiously reading them off as she sped by. "There! Courtois!"
Leta flung open the door, so eager about her find that she neglected to knock.
"Who—?" asked Courtois, getting up from her desk.
"Oh!" said Leta, taken aback. She had Transfigured her face to be slightly different, as she was still wanted for breaking Newt out and would be promptly thrown into jail if she was found out.
"Oh," said Courtois, a smile growing on her face. "You must be the new Auror recruit! Ravenelle, was it? I heard such great things from Madam Maxime and the other Beauxbatons teachers about you."
Leta couldn't believe her luck. As she moved towards Courtois' desk to shake her hand, Leta spied Newt's case out of the side of her eye. It was perched on a chair diagonal from Courtois' desk.
"Zank you, Madam Courtois," said Leta, faking a southern French accent with ease. "It will be a pleasure to serve under you. And I do apologize for ze intrusion, I was pushed into ze door by a most unpleasant—"
"Not to worry, ne vous en faites pas," said Courtois welcomingly. "I was just about to go up and help with the interrogations. We've got three people today; an old warlock from Versailles who flew his broom below regulation height, a witch who we're interrogating for Non-Magique baiting, and that American witch who's been snooping around Rue de Goguillon for the past few days."
Leta moved between Courtois and the case, blocking her line of sight. Using her wand behind her back, Leta shrank the case until it was the size of a deck of cards. Then, she Summoned it into her hand.
"Zey will be needing me back upstairs," said Leta, her brain working overtime. The American witch the French wizards were holding was probably Tina Goldstein, and if Leta was going to go through with her plan, she would need all the help she could get.
Leta started shifting towards the door. "I just wanted to meet you before ze interrogations; I have heard many wonderful things about your work."
Leta's skills at flattery were rewarded by a simpering smile from Madame Courtois.
As soon as Leta was out of the door, she broke into a run. Manipulation was second nature to her; she could always tell when people were susceptible to flattery. She was a Lestrange, after all.
While running, Leta expanded Newt's case to its normal size and galloped up the stairs to the interrogation rooms.
She dashed into the hallway with interrogation rooms on either side and looked through the small, barred windows. The first cell was occupied by a handful of Aurors and a batty-looking wizard with his grey hair all in a flurry. The next held a square-jawed witch who was curling her hair around her finger lazily as her black eyes bored into the wall.
"There!" said Leta in triumph as she reached the next room. She knocked politely on the next door.
When it opened, Leta swung the normal-sized case into the jaw of the person on the other side. With a whirl of her wand, Leta hexed the other Auror. The two interrogators collapsed onto the floor with dull thuds.
Tina stood up from the interrogation chair, completely taken aback. "Who are you?" said Tina.
"Leta Lestrange. Hop in," said Leta, dropping the case onto the floor and opening the latches.
Newt hugged tight to the pillar, barely daring to move for fear of being hit by one of the curses that were ricocheting everywhere.
Newt rolled onto his belly and peeked his head over the ledge so that he could see the duel going on down on the podium.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald were duelling with such incredible ferocity that Newt was worried that the ceiling might fall in. Dumbledore was launching hex after hex at Grindelwald, blocking the curses, then relentlessly commencing with an attack of his own.
Suddenly, their spells met in midair, a few golden beads balancing in the center of the stream of light. The beads quickly advanced towards Dumbledore's side of the beam, and he broke the spell by jerking his wand to the side.
"You've weakened," spat Grindelwald, summoning a wall of Fiendfyre from the circular brazier and sending it at Dumbledore.
"And you've strengthened!" replied Dumbledore, barely dodging the tower of enchanted fire. "Where did you find—ah—where'd you find it? The Elder Wand!"
Newt saw Grindelwald grin evilly. "Still after the Hallows, are you?" said Grindelwald.
Grindelwald shot eight spells at Dumbledore in quick succession, forcing him back until he was right next to the Fiendfyre.
Grindelwald's eyes were full of pure loathing. "The Hallows are mine!" he cried.
With his last word, a shockwave of Dark power emanated from Grindelwald, knocking Dumbledore onto the floor.
Grindelwald summoned all of the Fiendfyre into one enormous chimaera, which raised into the air above him and roared. The magnitude of the roar was so great that chunks of rock fell from the ceiling.
Newt shielded his eyes from the burning chimaera just as a loud pop rang throughout the chamber.
Leta Apparated into the central circle, kneeling next to Newt's case. She opened it and a bright scarlet phoenix shot out and flew straight for the Fiendfyre.
"No!" yelled Newt. He didn't know what the phoenix was doing, but he knew it didn't bode well. The phoenix opened its mouth wide, emitted a glorious, warming cry, and flew straight at the chimaera. As Newt watched, the phoenix dive bombed into the Fiendfyre.
There was a massive explosion, followed by darkness.
Newt heard Dumbledore's deep voice boom, "LUMOS MAXIMA" and the room was once more bathed in light.
Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy were getting to their feet, shaking dust from their robes.
As they were looking up at the dark cloud of smoke that was all that remained of both the phoenix and the Fiendfyre chimaera, they missed a gigantic brown shape pull itself from the case.
"Bash their heads in!" cried Tina, clutching tightly to the Zouwu's neck. The massive catlike beast charged at the three Dark wizards standing on the other side of the podium.
With an acrobatic lunge, the dark creature pounced on the spot where Grindelwald, Rosier, and Abernathy stood.
Rosier and Grindelwald Disapparated just in the nick of time, but Abernathy was not as quick. The Zouwu pinned him to the ground with one huge paw, knocking the breath out of his lungs before he could react.
A set of black chains pulled themselves from Tina's wand tip and wreathed through the air like a cobra before they wound around Abernathy.
The Zouwu lowered its mighty head down next to Abernathy's face and growled very deeply.
Tina looked distastefully down at her former colleague from between Margaret's shoulder bones.
"Don't bother trying to Disapparate," said Tina menacingly. "Those chains are bewitched. If you try to Disapparate, you'll get splinched."
Abernathy cowered in fear, and Tina found that she quite liked the intimidation factor that came with riding on the back of a Zouwu.