Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling or Timothy Zahn.
Aboard a Ministry broom, surrounded by hinkypunks, Ogden, Grindelwald, and Sanguini fly toward the surface of Horcrux.
Ogden. I'm still not convinced this is really necessary. If this Guardian you're expecting was put on Horcrux by the Dark Lord in the first place, then I don't see why we should have any problems with him.
Grindelwald. Call it a precaution, Captain. It's conceivable we could have trouble convincing him of who we are. Or even that we still serve the Ministry. [to the pilot] Go.
The Ministry broom begins its descent.
Ogden. We might have had an easier time convincing him with a squad of Hit Wizards along.
Grindelwald. We might also have irritated him. A Dark Auror's pride and sensibilities are not to be taken lightly, Captain. Besides, that's what Sanguini is for. Any close associate of the Dark Lord ought to be familiar with the glorious role the vampires have played over the years.
Ogden. You seem certain, sir, that the Guardian will be a Dark Auror.
Grindelwald. Who else would the Dark Lord have chosen to protect his personal storehouse? A legion of Hit Wizards, perhaps, equipped with walkers and the kind of advanced weaponry and technology you could detect from orbit with your eyes closed?
Ogden. [grimaces] I'm just wondering whether the Dark Lord might have pulled him off Horcrux to help against the Army.
Grindelwald. [shrugs] We'll know soon enough.
The Ministry broom lands at Horcrux, near a forbidding cave.
Ogden. [to the pilot] Is that the Horcrux Cave?
Pilot. Yes, sir. The city ought to be visible soon.
Ogden. Right.
Ogden retrieves his rifle, as Grindelwald observes the city.
Grindelwald. Interesting. There are at least three styles of architecture out there: human plus two different magical creatures. It's not often you see such diversity in the same region, let alone side by side in the same city. In fact, that palace thing in front of us has itself incorporated elements from all three styles.
Ogden. Yes. Any idea whether those magical creatures are hostile toward strangers?
Grindelwald. Probably. Most magical creatures are. Shall we go?
Ogden, Grindelwald, and Sanguini dismount the broom and walk through the deserted city.
Ogden. Shy, aren't they?
Grindelwald. Understandably. Let's see if we can persuade them to be hospitable. [in megaphone] I seek the Guardian of the cave. Who will take me to him?
No response.
Ogden. Maybe they don't understand English.
Grindelwald. No, they understand. The humans do, at any rate. Perhaps they need more motivation. [in megaphone] I seek the Guardian of the cave. If no one will take me to him, this entire city will suffer.
An arrow flashes toward them from the right. It strikes Grindelwald in the side, barely missing the hinkypunk tube wrapped around his shoulders and back and bounces harmlessly off the body armor hidden beneath the white uniform.
[to Sanguini] Hold. You have the location?
Sanguini. Yes.
Grindelwald. Good. [in megaphone] One of your people just shot at us. Observe the consequences. [to Sanguini] Now.
As the strangers continue to fire on them, Sanguini easily demolishes the building before them.
[in megaphone] Those are the consequences of defying me. I ask once more: who will take me to the Guardian of the cave?
Enter Bartemiuus Crouch, mad clone of Auror Master Bartemius Crouch.
Crouch. I will. You are strangers, strangers from another region.
Grindelwald. Yes, we are. And you?
Crouch. [to Sanguini] You destroyed one of my buildings. There was no need for that.
Grindelwald. We were attacked. Were you its landlord?
Crouch. I rule. All that is here is mine.
Grindelwald. I am Grand Admiral Grindelwald, warlord of the Ministry, servant of the Dark Lord. I seek the Guardian of the cave.
Crouch. I will take you to him.
Grindelwald. [to Ogden and Sanguini] Stay close together. Be alert for a trap.
Grindelwald, Ogden, and Sanguini cautiously follow Crouch.
I would have thought the Guardian would be living in the cave.
Crouch. He did once. When I began my rule, the people of Horcrux built this for him. [to previously unseen guards] Leave us.
Exit the guards.
Come. The Dark Lord's Guardian awaits you.
Crouch leads Grindelwald, Ogden, and Sanguini to a crypt.
Grindelwald. I see. So he is dead.
Crouch. He is dead. Do you see all the candles, Grand Admiral Grindelwald?
Grindelwald. I see them. The people must have honored him greatly.
Crouch. Honored him? Hardly. Those candles mark the graves of foreigners who have come here since his death.
Ogden draws his rifle.
Ogden. How did they die?
Crouch. I killed them, of course, just as I killed the Guardian . . . just as I now kill you.
Crouch tries to perform the Cruciatus Curse, but it is deflected by the hinkypunks.
Grindelwald. As you can see, Guardian, we are not ordinary offworlders.
Crouch. The Guardian is dead.
Crouch performs the Cruciatus Curse again, but it is again deflected.
Grindelwald. Yes, the old Guardian is dead. You are the Guardian now. It is you who protects the Dark Lord's cave.
Crouch. I serve no Dark Lord. My power is for myself alone.
Crouch performs the Cruciatus Curse, but it is once more deflected.
You are not Aurors. How do you do this?
Grindelwald. Join us and learn.
Crouch. I am an Auror Master. I join no one.
Grindelwald. I see. In that case, permit us to join you . . . and permit us to show you how you can have more power than you've ever imagined, all the power even an Auror Master could desire.
Crouch. Very well. Come. We will talk.
Grindelwald. Thank you. May I ask who we have the honor of addressing?
Crouch. Of course. I am the Auror Master Bartemiuus Crouch.
Ogden. Bartemius Crouch? But . . .
Crouch glares at Ogden, who falls silent.
Crouch. [to Grindelwald] Come. We will talk.
Crouch leads them through the city, where they are watched by a human male.
You destroyed his home, doubtless he would like to exact vengeance.
The man fires a crossbow, but Crouch stops the bolt in midair.
They are our guests. They will be treated accordingly.
The guard turns to leave, still angry. Grindelwald motions for Sanguini to attack, but Crouch prevents the vampire from doing anything.
Grindelwald. [angry] Crouch . . .
Crouch. These are my people, Grand Admiral Grindelwald. Not yours, mine. If there is punishment to be dealt out, I will do it.
Grindelwald. Of course, Mr. Crouch. Forgive me.
Crouch. Better. Much better. You will now tell me how it was you defeated my attack.
Grindelwald. Let me first explain our offer. I believe you'll find it . . .
Crouch. [cold] You will now tell me how it was you defeated my attack.
Grindelwald. It's quite simple, actually. [indicates the hinkypunks] These creatures you see on our backs are called hinkypunks. They're sessile tree-dwelling creatures from a distant, third-rate planet, and they have an interesting and possibly unique ability to push back the Magic.
Crouch. What do you mean, push it back?
Grindelwald. They push its presence out away from themselves, much the same way a bubble is created by air pushing outward against water. A single hinkypunk can occasionally create a bubble as large as ten meters across. A whole group of them reinforcing one another can create much larger ones.
Crouch. I've never heard of such a thing. How could such a creature have come about?
Grindelwald. I really don't know. I assume the talent has some survival value, but what that would be I can't imagine. Not that it matters. For the moment, the ability itself is sufficient for my purpose.
Crouch. That purpose being to defeat my power?
Grindelwald. We were expecting to find the Dark Lord's Guardian here. I needed to make certain he would allow us to identify ourselves and explain our mission. Though as it happens, protecting us from the Guardian was really only an extra bonus. I have something far more interesting in mind for our little pets.
Crouch. That being . . . ?
Grindelwald. [smiles] All in good time, Mr. Crouch. And only after we've had a chance to examine the Dark Lord's storehouse in the Horcrux Cave.
Crouch. So the cave is all you really want.
Grindelwald. I need the cave, certainly . . . or rather, what I hope to find within it.
Crouch. And that is . . . ?
Grindelwald. There were rumors, just before the Battle of the Forbidden Forest, that the Dark Lord's researchers had finally developed a genuinely practical Cloak of Invisibility. I want it. Also, another small, almost trivial, bit of technology.
Crouch. And you think to find one of these invisibility cloaks in the cave?
Grindelwald. I expect to find either a working model or at least a complete set of schematics. One of the Dark Lord's purposes in setting up this storehouse was to make sure that interesting and potentially useful technology didn't get lost.
Crouch. That and collecting endless mementos of his glorious conquests. There are rooms and rooms of that sort of cackling self-congratulation.
Ogden. You've been inside the mountain?
Crouch. Of course I've been inside. I killed the Guardian, remember? So. You want the Dark Lord's little toys. And now you know you can just walk into the cave, with or without my help. Why are you still here?
Grindelwald. Because the cave is only part of what I need. I also require the partnership of an Auror Master like yourself.
Crouch. [smiles] Ah, we finally get down to it. This, I take it, is where you offer me all the power even an Auror Master could desire?
Grindelwald. It is indeed. Tell me, Mr. Crouch, are you familiar with the Ministry fleet's disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Forbidden Forest five years ago?
Crouch. I've heard rumors. One of the foreigners who came here spoke about it, though only briefly.
Grindelwald. Then you must have wondered how a few dozen DA brooms could possibly rout a Ministry force that outgunned it by at least ten to one.
Crouch. I didn't spend much time with such wonderings. I assumed that the DA members were simply better warriors.
Grindelwald. In a sense, that's true. The DA did indeed fight better, but not because of any special abilities or training. They fought better than the fleet because the Dark Lord was dead. [to Ogden] You were there, Captain. You must have noticed it: the sudden loss of coordination between crew members and ships, the loss of efficiency and discipline . . . the loss, in short, of that elusive quality we call fighting spirit.
Ogden. There was some confusion, yes. But nothing that can't be explained by the normal stresses of battle.
Grindelwald. Really? The loss of the Half-Blood Prince, the sudden, last-minute Ministry broom incompetence that brought about the destruction of the Dark Mark, the loss of six other Ministry cruisers in engagements that none of them should have had trouble with? All of that nothing but normal battle stress?
Ogden. The Dark Lord was not directing the battle. Not in any way. I was there, Admiral. I know.
Grindelwald. Yes, Captain, you were there. And it's time you gave up your blindfold and faced the truth, no matter how bitter you find it. You had no real fighting spirit of your own anymore. None of you in the Ministry fleet did. It was the Dark Lord's will that drove you, the Dark Lord's mind that provided you with strength and resolve and efficiency. You were as dependent on that presence as if you were all implanted into a combat computer.
Ogden. That's not true. It can't be. We fought on after his death.
Grindelwald. Yes. You fought on . . . like cadets.
Crouch. So is this what you want me for, Grand Admiral Grindelwald? To turn your ships into puppets for you?
Grindelwald. Not at all, Mr. Crouch. My analogy with combat implants was a carefully considered one. The Dark Lord's fatal error was in seeking to control the entire Ministry fleet personally, as completely and constantly as possible. That, over the long run, is what did the damage. My wish is merely to have you enhance the coordination between ships and task forces, and then only at critical times and in carefully selected combat situations.
Crouch. To what end?
Grindelwald. To the end we've already discussed: power.
Crouch. What sort of power?
Grindelwald. The conquering of regions, of course. The final defeat of Dumbledore's Army. The reestablishment of the glory that was once the New Ministry.
Crouch. You don't understand power, Grand Admiral Grindelwald. Conquering regions you'll never even visit again isn't power. Neither is destroying brooms and people and rebellions you haven't looked at face-to-face. This, Grand Admiral Grindelwald, is power. This city, this region, these people. Every human, imp, and Jarvey who live here are mine . . . mine. I teach them. I command them. I punish them. Their lives, and their deaths, are in my hand.
Grindelwald. Which is precisely what I offer you: millions of lives, billions, if you wish. All those lives to do with as you please.
Crouch. It isn't the same. I have no desire to hold distant power over faceless lives.
Grindelwald. You could have just a single city to rule, then, as large or as small as you wish.
Crouch. I rule a city now.
Grindelwald. I need your assistance, Mr. Crouch. Name your price.
Crouch. My price? The price for my service? I'm an Auror Master, Grand Admiral Grindelwald . . . not a mercenary for hire like your vampires. [to Sanguini] Oh, yes, vampire. I know what you and your people are. The Dark Lord's private Death Commandos, killing and dying at the whim of ambitious men like Severus Snape and the Grand Admiral here.
Sanguini. Lord Snape served the Dark Lord and the Ministry, as do we.
Crouch. Perhaps. [to Grindelwald] I have all I want or need, Grand Admiral Grindelwald. You will leave Horcrux now.
Grindelwald. I need your assistance, Mr. Crouch. And I will have it.
Crouch. Or you'll do what? Have your vampires try to kill me? It would almost be amusing to watch. Or perhaps you'll have your brave Ministry captain try to level my city from orbit. Except that you can't risk damaging the mountain, can you?
Ogden. My gunners could destroy this city without even singeing the grass at the Horcrux Cave. If you need a demonstration . . .
Grindelwald. Peace, Captain. So it's the personal, face-to-face sort of power you prefer, Mr. Crouch? Yes, I can certainly understand that. Not that there can be much challenge left in it, not anymore. Of course, that may be the whole idea. I expect that even Auror Masters eventually get too old to be interested in anything except to sit out in the sun.
Crouch. Have a care, Grand Admiral Grindelwald. Or perhaps I'll seek challenge in your destruction.
Grindelwald. That would hardly be a challenge for a man of your skill and power. But then, you probably already have other Aurors here under your command.
Crouch. Other Aurors?
Grindelwald. Of course. Surely it's only fitting that an Auror Master have lesser Aurors serving beneath him, Aurors whom he may teach and command and punish at will.
Crouch. There are no Aurors left. The Dark Lord and Snape hunted them down and destroyed them.
Grindelwald. Not all of them. Two new Aurors have arisen in the past five years: Harry Potter and his sister, Hermione Granger Weasley.
Crouch. And what is that to me?
Grindelwald. I can deliver them to you.
Crouch. Both of them?
Grindelwald. Both of them. Consider what a man of your skill could do with brand-new Aurors. Mold them, change them, re-create them in any image you chose. And with them would come a very special bonus, because Hermione Granger Weasley is pregnant . . . with twins.
Crouch. Auror twins?
Grindelwald. They have the potential or so my sources tell me. Of course, what they ultimately become would be entirely up to you.
Crouch. Very well, Grand Admiral Grindelwald. In return for the Aurors, I will assist your forces. Take me to your ship.
Grindelwald. In time, Mr. Crouch. First we must go into the Dark Lord's cave. This bargain is dependent on whether I find what I'm looking for there.
Crouch. Of course. Let us both hope that you do.
Exit all.
