Chapter 7: Grindelwald [1945, Summer]

Minerva was back at Nurmengard for the third time. She knew that the danger compounded every time she returned, but she could not help it. She had to make sure that the route marked out for her professor was the safest one. She had been to the dungeons which served as Grindelwald's personal prison for his most hated enemies, and when she saw how the prisoners were treated there – whipped, abused and starved, she knew that she could not afford to risk any bit of her professor's safety.

She scampered along the corridors as a cat and was thankful for her eyes as they allowed her to see much better in the dark. She stopped when she saw a few smashed lamps in a corner. They were not here the last time she came. Did someone get into a scuffle here? If so, it meant that people actually walked through here and she had better find another route.

As she inched forward to take a closer look, she heard a 'swoosh!' and something came falling from the ceiling. Before she knew it, she was trapped in a bag! She squealed and thrashed, refusing to use any spell, hoping that her captor would believe that she was just a cat and nothing more. The bag must have been enchanted by a sound barrier charm for she could hear nothing when she was inside. She felt herself being lifted and transported to another place.

When they let her out of the bag, she nearly suffered a heart attack for the one who greeted her was none other than the legendary dark wizard, Grindelwald himself. She recognised him as the older version of the person whom she saw in her professor's Pensieve. He sat lazily on a throne in front of her with a wicked smile playing on his lips.

She squealed and thrashed even harder, but could not get out of her predicament. It seemed that she was held down by invisible cords which cut into her flesh the more she thrashed around. Knowing that her injuries would only become more serious and her efforts would be to nought, she finally decided to stop. She lay still and whimpered.

"Finally came to your senses, eh?" Grindelwald drawled. "Now, let's see who this little kitten really is."

Three of his followers drew their wands and shot spells which manifested as bright blue lights at her. Minerva screamed in pain as she was forced to show her true form. When she became herself again, she was forced to kneel in front of Grindelwald. She glared at him and he looked at her with interest.

"I knew something was amiss when it was reported that a cat had been slinking along the corridors. But I was not expecting such a beautiful young lady. Tell me, who sent you?"

She refused to speak, choosing to observe him silently. And to her surprise, she could actually see why her professor had fallen for him. Anyone would have fallen for him, had they not known how truly evil and twisted his ambitions were. He exuded charisma and was exceedingly good-looking. He had a powerful aura - the type which people generally looked for in a leader, and in this respect, he was very similar to her professor.

"Well, even if you choose to say nothing, I can guess. How's my dear old friend, Albus? I do hear things now and then, you know, even if I seem aloof. He's teaching at Hogwarts, so you could either be his colleague or his student," Grindelwald gave her a winsome smile.

Minerva remained silent.

"If Albus saw fit to send you here, then you must be close. Did he not share with you his – our ambition?" Grindelwald paused for a moment and closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing the good times. When he opened his eyes again, they were unusually bright. At first, Minerva thought that he had teared from his sentiments. But she quickly realised, to her horror, that they harboured a mad glint.

"Did we want this for ourselves?" He sounded completely self-sacrificial. "It was always meant to be for the greater good, my dear. For the greater good. The weak and the ignorant don't always know what's best for themselves. They need to be guided by the wise and the benevolent. Just stop and think! A world ruled by Albus and I! You know how kind and gentle he is, don't you? Won't it be marvellous? We'll be great, revered by all!"

He bent down to lift her chin, and he looked straight into her eyes, attempting to convince her of his sincerity.

"And you can help us, my dear. I can tell that you are a talented witch. Won't you consider?" he asked invitingly, seductively.

As Grindelwald spoke, Minerva felt as if she was falling into a trance. His voice was so soothing and his words... his words... but no! She snapped out of her trance and shot daggers at him with her eyes. She was appalled. After all the atrocities he had carried out, how dared he spew such balderdash?

"You are deluded," she concluded. "Professor Dumbledore was under your influence."

"Oh, was he?" Grindelwald seemed thrilled that she finally spoke. "Did he not tell you how excited he was when we were conspiring together? He told me that it was the best time of his life!" Grindelwald beamed, as if it brought back wonderful memories.

"Your deep affection for Albus Dumbledore blinds you, young lady. Why don't you go back and tell him to come? Tell him that I will be waiting for him right here, tomorrow night. You'll see how he's unable to resist being with me, and we will live out our dreams together. Now, go!" With a last demented grin, Grindelwald waved his wand and dropped a portkey in front of her. Not daring to stay any longer, Minerva grabbed it, and was instantly transported away.

xxxxx

"Professor!" Minerva cried as she burst into Albus' office. Albus was shocked to see her in such a dishevelled state. She had suffered multiple cuts and bruises from being manhandled at Nurmengard. He rose to his feet and went to her quickly to give her some first-aid. She could scarcely catch her breath as the words describing her close encounter with Grindelwald came tumbling out. She was praying very hard that speaking about him would not negatively affect her professor's emotions in any way.

Albus was surprisingly calm about the situation. He did not turn squeamish when Minerva spoke about her encounter with Gellert, even though he thought that he would. Till then, he remained very uncomfortable whenever anything about Gellert was raised during their discussions.

Perhaps, the sorry sight of Minerva had reminded him of Gellert's true nature and what he had done to his siblings. For the first time after Minerva had confronted him about his past, Albus felt ashamed of himself. He should have gone directly to deal with Gellert, and yet, he allowed his student to do most of the dirty work for him, preferring to remain comfortably hidden in his closet of self-pity, nursing his still-broken heart. Even if Minerva did not mind the work, given her personal vengeance against Grindelwald, he, as the powerful teacher, should have pulled himself together much earlier on to put an end to this catastrophe.

Albus knew he could stay wishy-washy no longer. It was high time for him to face the ghost of his past and this time, he was prepared to do so.