Chapter 7

Emily wasted no time in opening the door. The door opened to a rather simple and bare room. A single bed was at the back of the room with a thin, threadbare blanket resting on it. To the left was a small bookcase, holding a handful of texts. To the right was the window, though calling it such was not a just statement. It was more of a crack in the wall that allowed air through more than anything, barely being two inches wide. Sitting under that crack on the stone floor sat a frail man. His hair was all gone but his piercing blue eyes almost stole Harry's breath away. They reminded him so much of his deceased headmaster.

"So, you've returned. Or have you? You're... different. Who's the child behind you?" The man's words were spoken slowly, but clear. His manner of speech had some allure to it, and Harry was certain that the man had a similar charm that Emily had as a public speaker.

Emily sighed, "Well that answers our question at least. Voldemort has indeed been here. She didn't even bother disguising herself either, apparently."

Harry, whose strict upbringing dictated his actions, stepped from behind Emily and introduced himself properly. "I'm Harry Potter, sir."

Emily swatted him on the back of his head. "We snuck in here for a reason, Harry. This is an incognito outing. Don't just tell the man your name."

Grindlewald let out a dry, rattling laugh. "As though I'd not recognize the boy with a lightning bolt scar. News does not reach me easily here, but even I know this boy's identity."

"Seeing as our cover is blown, this 'child' as you put it, is my husband. What did you tell the other me who came here? The imposter."

With a shaky breath, Grindlewald chose to ignore her question, focusing instead on her last sentence. "Impostor? One who impersonates another. I did not," the old wizard stopped in order to cough. It was closer to a violent fit than the action of clearing his lungs. His entire body was wracked with the tremors. "May I have a glass of water, dear. Speaking is difficult when my mouth is so dry."

Harry watched as his wife's eyes widened with indignation at being called dear. Clearly she felt the man was looking down at her. Stepping in before things escalated, Harry conjured a glass for the man and filled it with the aguamenti charm. "Here you go, sir. Please excuse my wife, her temperament isn't the best."

The man took the the proffered glass with a thankful nod and drained it slowly. With one more cough, he spoke again, his voice regaining much strength and volume. "I am aware. Her last visit here showed me that. I didn't perceive her to be an impostor however. She seemed quite... in character with herself. Rather, it is you, miss, who seems to be an impostor. Why are you being someone other than yourself?"

Emily was not known for her patience. "My reasons and actions don't need to be told to you, old man. I have questions, you have answers. That will be the extent of our conversation."

The old man laughed again. "You seem rather unyielding. I feel sorry for your husband." Turning to Harry, he asked, "Tell me lad, did you go to Hogwarts?"

Emily cut in on the conversation. "No, old man. We don't have time to dawdle here. We'd rather not be approached by your caretaker. Should you answer our questions I will be willing to converse with you shortly about what you wish to know."

Grindlewald shot Emily a look that could only be compared to the look of a person looking at a cockroach. "My caretaker comes once a day. He has already been here. Now, young man, did you study at Hogwarts, or abroad?"

Emily never took kindly to being ignored. Especially when she was the most powerful presence in a room. "What is it with your focus on my husband's schooling? He has taken his NEWTs already and Hogwarts is behind him." With her voice steadily gaining more and more venom, she asked, "What did my other self ask you?"

"Already taken your NEWTs, have you? Impressive, what were your results?"

Harry would have been happy to politely chat with the man for a short time before the man agreed to help them, but Emily clearly did not want him to. There was something about Gellert Grindlewald that Emily wanted to keep from Harry.

"If you ignore me one more time, you daft bast-" Emily was silenced by Harry with a wave of his hand. Grindlewald noticed the wandless magic and praised him again.

"Wandless magic? What a feat for you at your age. Incredible, simply incredible."

Emily did not waste time undoing the charm. "Harry may we speak over here for a moment?" Once Harry joined her, she cast the muffliato charm over them. "What are you doing?"

Harry shrugged. "The man's been pretty much alone for decades, Emily. He wants to talk to someone. So we'll talk to him for a bit. Then get what we want from him, maybe talk to him a bit more afterwards if you feel charitable enough."

Emily's eyed widened. "You will not be having a conversation with Gellert Grindlewald, Harry. The man is as good at manipulating people as I or Dumbledore. And you," she said with a shaky laugh. "You are painfully susceptible to manipulation."

"Perhaps," came the voice of Grindlewald. "you could let the boy decide for himself what he wants to do? If he has already passed his NEWTs, he is a qualified wizard. Don't treat him like a child."

Emily canceled the charm on them and gave the man a severe look. "Coming from the old man who calls him a boy? I'll take your opinion under advisement."

"I am 115 years old. You are both children in my eyes. Though I am certain you, lass, are not as young as you look." Grindlewald once again motioned for Harry to come near. "Conjure up a chair, lad, and speak with me for a while. I've not heard news of my old friend Dumbledore in a decade."

Emily in an attempt to shut down their conversation spoke honestly. "I killed Dumbeldore months ago. There is your news. Now, lets return the conversation to..." Emily's speech trailed off at the look she received from the old man.

"Tell me lad, is what she said true? Is Albus dead. Did he die by her hand?"

Harry was uncertain what he should do. They needed this man's assistance. It was strongly unlikely that this man was a fan of Dumbledore's seeing as it was Dumbledore who thwarted him years ago. However, if the man did feel regret for his actions as time had moved forwards, it was possible the man was appreciative of the old headmaster.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore pass away several months ago. He happened upon an item that my wife had cursed, and the curse eventually claimed his life. My wife doesn't have the same respect that I do for the headmaster."

"Don't bother sugar coating it, Harry. I loathed the man, and take pride that I was the cause of his demise, even if indirectly. I only feel guilty knowing that his passing upset you."

Gellert Grindlewald nodded. "If that is the case, I have no intention of speaking to your wife, Mr. Potter. Albus was a dear friend to me, and I will not assist his killer. Mrs. Potter, you may leave."

Emily scoffed. "Don't even. I know of your past Grindlewald. Maybe not as well as some, but I am aware of your friendship with Dumbledore. I know how it soured. You threw him away when it was convenient to you. Now is far too late a time for you to feel remorse for your actions."

"If you leave here only learning one lesson, Harry Potter, then let it be this. It is never too late to feel remorse and regret. Those two emotions soothe the soul as much as they plague it." Grindlewald's words held mountains of truth to both Emily and Harry. They both knew that to heal a soul one had to regret and feel remorse for the action that caused the tear.

"Do you have one?" Harry didn't bother explaining his question, he knew Grindlewald would understand.

"No. I never had the ability to make one, you see. I enjoyed being stronger than others, certainly. But I never enjoyed the act of killing. It was always only a necessity. It was, pardon the phrase, for the greater good."

It was at this point Harry felt truly comfortable with the most notorious man in the magical world. While Emily may have been more powerful, her name was not as well known across the planet. "Can you tell me how to leave here safely?"

At Grindlewald's nod, Harry turned to Emily. "You can leave, Emily. I'll see you at home." He could clearly see her anger, but Harry kept his gaze level with her and she cooled after a few moments.

"Do not, for even a moment, let him touch your wand, Harry. Come back safely. Should he not return to me, Gellert, I will return for you and when I leave the entire staircase will be red. Are we clear?" Grindlewald only absentmindedly nodded at her comments and she turned to leave. She stopped, turned around and went back to Harry. Pulling him into her arms, she whispered, "Don't let him deceive you, Harry. Come back to me." With a hard kiss to his lips she left again.

When she finally left, Gellert Grindlewald guffawed. "Probably the most impressive thing about you, Harry Potter, is how you have the murderer of your parents completely wrapped around your finger."

Harry felt his lips turn upward. "So you knew." The old man was sharp.

"Such things can't escape my notice, young man. Her body was created through a ritual. My eyes can detect that much."

"Emily mentioned you were a seer. Does that change what your eyes pick up on? I'm not too knowledgeable on what seers can do."

"A seer is one who has the inner eye. Many, can perceive possible eventualities. The vast majority are stuck with a more mundane perception of insight. And a select few, can see far more than just what lies ahead."

"I take it that you belong to the latter camp?"

The old man smiled at Harry. "Let's ignore my talents, Mr. Potter. Instead, why don't we clear up your wife's questions. Then we may proceed with mine."

Harry felt a cold chill run over his body. "You have questions for me? Like what?"

"As I said, we'll address them soon enough. Lord Voldemort came to see me, asking a rather curious question for someone so... ruthless. She wanted to know several things, actually. The first was how to restore a human heart. I told her it was impossible, but she was rather insistent that I give her something. There is, a way to replace the heart of a mortal, though it is unwise."

Harry could already tell that the words were going to be disturbing. "How?"

Grindlewald smiled. "By transplanting the heart of a unicorn. I'm sure you know of the curse of unicorn blood?"

Harry nodded, "Yes. But the person she wants to save has already consumed unicorn blood to stay alive."

"Of course, that is, after all, the only way to live without a heart. For a short time, anyway. To place the unicorn's heart inside the body, however, makes the curse alter. One who has consumed unicorn's blood can not feel happiness. But one who steals the heart of a unicorn does not know happiness."

"I don't quite understand."

"In essance, it is the only 'cure' to the unicorn's curse. Though the term cure is a misnomer. One can not feel the pain of losing out on the feeling of happiness when they no longer understand what happiness is. They lose what makes them human. They cease to feel emotion, and only operate on knowledge. A unicorn symbolizes purity, Mr. Potter. Do you know why?"

"No, sir. Why?" Harry was so drawn into the old man's words, he inched closer.

"Because they are pure. Impurity is caused by emotion, Mr. Potter. Emotions, feelings, they give way to desire. And desire allows darkness the purchase it needs to enter the heart. Unicorns are the only intelligent life on our planet that do... not... feel."

"I learned about unicorns at Hogwarts. That wasn't a part of the curriculum."

Grindlewald shook his head. "Of course it wasn't. Neither did they tell you about drinking its blood, I'm sure. Somethings are better left unsaid. Back in my day, we were taught that unicorns would only allow virgin women to touch them. The ministry allows certain misinformation to be disseminated to the public. An adult unicorn will allow anyone pure to ride them, but for the majority of humanity this applies only to infants and small children. An occasional muggle with incredible restraint and fortitude might be allowed the opportunity. Generally however, the most contact you can have with one is touch, and even that is restricted to younger people."

"So Voldemort will transplant a unicorn heart into Bellatrix. What else did she ask about?"

Grindlewald shivered. Watching the old man reach for the thin blanket and wrap it around himself slowly caused Harry to feel pity for the old man. He cast a warming charm on the blanket and the man gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you, lad. Her second question was about removing the curse altogether. I told her that without removing the soul to a different body, it was impossible. She pressed me again for more, but on this, I had nothing to give."

Harry nodded, "Okay, what else? Anything, no matter how small, any clue could be helpful."

"She spoke to me of soul mates."

Harry's throat dried up. "What, hrm, what did you say?"

"I told her I knew nothing on the subject. She did not ask again. The final thing she wanted to know about was the source of my magical strength. Such an odd question really. I told her I was magically gifted, not only with my abilities as a seer, but also with the amount of magic I could sucessfully wield. She asked me for anything that could make her stronger, before imparting to me the truth of her existence. Her rather false existence."

"So that's why you brought up remorse. You shouldn't have, I don't think my wife is capable of the emotion. Not for what she did in the past."

"So quick to forget the first lesson, Mr. Potter. Such youthful heedlessness. It is never too late for remorse and regret. Should she be able to feel the emotion now, it is not too late for her to reflect. That is all it will take. Still, I won't bother speaking to you of that. I told your wife's wayward soul fragment that I once was in possession of an artifact that made me even more powerful than I had any right to be. I even told her where it was last, though it seems you've already beaten her to the prize, Mr. Potter."

Harry gave the man a curious stare and saw his eyes flicker down to his wand. To his wand and to his denim pants where another, more powerful wand resided. "You had the elder wand once?"

"Yes, long ago a dear friend of mine and I decided we would change the world together, Mr. Potter. We would do it for the 'Greater Good'. We would seek out what were known as the three deathly hallows. Death's cloak, the elder wand, and the resurrection stone. With those three powerful artifacts we would be unstoppable. But, reality came crashing down, and Albus and I were forced to separate."

"What? Dumbledore? You both wanted to... change the world?"

"Of course. I met Albus when I was your age. He was brilliant, Harry. He was magnificent. Every single part of him was exemplary. I was enamored by his ability. But he was humble. Oh, he knew of his power, he was never unaware of it. But he had no intentions of putting it to use. I, on the other hand, as soon as I met him, I had already considered him mine."

"What did you do?"

"I did everything I needed to. I used every ounce of charm I had. I was witty, I made him laugh. I complemented him, showed him magic he hadn't come across in school. He saw me as his better, such was his inexperience, but my eye could see the true difference. Albus Dumbledore's greatness was overwhelming, no one has ever come close to it, save one. But you're wife is gone now, so let's not bring her back up."

"So Dumbledore joined you?"

Grindlewald laughed. "Joined me? Nonsense, this was before I had even realized my plans for the future. No, it was with Albus that we formed our plans for the future. We decided we would control the muggle world, and guide the muggles through their lives. They were too destructive to be left alone. I can tell that you agree with me, at least on that much."

Harry nodded. Grindlewald continued. "Soon, Albus had fallen for my charms. He confessed his love for me. A man with even a shred of dignity would have been honest at that point. But I was young, powerful, and was being offered a large measure of control over the one individual who was stronger than I was. I reasoned to myself that he wanted what I could offer and that in the end, power is control. I told him I cherished him as well. We only spent a few short months together, but when his brother returned home, it all ceased."

"Dumbledore cared for his younger sister after his mother died. She... was dependent on him. She had been attacked as a child by a group of muggles and began to deny her own magic. She became what is known as an obscurial. An obscurial possesses incredible power, though extremely short life spans as their magic will destroy them. I had plans then, for Arianna, but she passed away during a fight between myself and her two brothers. I, already wanted for crimes in my native country, fled and left Albus alone to bury his sister."

Grindlewald sighed. "I abandoned Albus, just as your wife said. And he never sought me out. I always believed he blamed me for the death of his sister. With that belief in mind I began searching for a power to rival him, knowing that I alone could not be his match should he oppose me in the future. In my search I came across the location of the elder wand and I stole it for myself. I never did manage to control the true power I found to fight against Dumbeldore, and so I was left to fight him alone. I lost, obviously, and I was imprisoned here."

Harry sat silently, taking in all that Grindlewald had shared with him. This was why Emily only saw the worst in Dumbledore. She knew the kind of person he had been when he was younger. Emily who had never grown as a person, however, assumed that Dumbledore had also remained the same just as she had. "Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance?"

"I have many regrets Mr. Potter, but I still believe that my cause was righteous. If anything, I wish I had acted sooner. Only days after my defeat by Albus, did the Americans drop the bombs on Japan. Once I heard the news I knew that the muggles had grown too strong to be placed under the heel of magic. All of my ambitions were started too late. In regards to Albus, I wish I hadn't stayed away. If I had returned, told him the truth about his sister and consoled him, I would've been able to realize my goals with his strength at my side."

Harry nodded. He understood the man perfectly. How could he not, when his wife had the exact same personality. "I suppose Dumbledore and I had a lot in common. Both he and I were manipulated into falling in love with powerful people. Both of those people were enamored with us. I was the lucky one in the end. When things got tough and Emily had to choose between escape and me, she chose me. Emily has always chosen me. In return, I have always chosen her. In all honesty, Mr. Grindlewald. I believe Dumbledore would have made the same choice for you, should you have chosen him."

Harry watch as the man closed his eyes and chuckled. "In this, Mr. Potter, your sight is better than my own. I believe you are correct, and that brings me peace of mind. Do you know if he ever found the rest of the Hallows?"

Harry nodded, pulling all three out for Grindlewald to see. He always kept the ring around the wand in his pocket and the cloak was always within a fold of his robe. "He found them all, and gave them to me. Should I ever have to stop Emily in the future."

Gazing at all three in an almost longing way, he asked a simple question. "May I borrow the stone? Just for a time?"

Harry did not need to ask what the man needed it for. It was all too clear. He nodded. "Yes, I will step outside." Had the man asked to touch either the wand or the cloak, Harry would have denied his request, but there was only one single purpose of the stone. And after hearing the man's tale, he could not begrudge him the one favor.

Sitting himself on the stairs outside Harry waited patiently. He did not move when he heard the gasp of surprise. He did not move when he heard the sobs. He remained still even when the sorrowful cries were impossible to ignore. He sat rigidly for what seemed like hours until he heard a soft knock on the other side of the door.

The sight of Gellert Grindlewald was completely different than before. When he had first seen the man, it was clear that he was a prisoner. He was the very definition of defeated. Now the man had power in his steps and though his eyes were clearly red, his voice didn't hold a trace of sadness when he placed the ring back into Harry's hand.

"Thank you, Harry Potter. The gift you gave me, I won't forget it." The man retreated to his bed and sat down on it. "Is there perchance, anything else you wished to know?"

Harry took a moment to wrack his brain. This was Gellert Grindlewald, after all, and he was given license to ask anything he wanted of the man.

"You said Voldemort asked you about power. To be honest with you, despite the unbalanced relationship, I love my wife. She is my everything. But I lack the strength to keep her safe, and some days she is intent on risking everything on some crazy plan of hers. So, I'm sorry that my last question is the same as your last visitor's, but what can I do to be stronger?"

Grindlewald smiled at him. "I did not expect that from you, Mr. Potter. If you truly possess the elder wand, you already possess plenty of strength. However, I can impart to you a small gift, though I would require your trust for me to pass it along. It would be a power that you would be able to use to protect your wife from the dangers that riddle the path the two of you walk."

Harry was on guard hearing that. "What kind of trust would this entail?"

"You would have to allow me the use of the elder wand."

"Not happening." Harry's response was immediate and Grindlewald laughed.

"I thought as much. Then, no, I am afraid there is nothing I can do to help you."

Harry nodded and rose to leave, but paused and looked on the old wizard's calm face. "What would you do with it? The wand?"

"I would use it to help you see, Mr. Potter. The wand recognizes you as its master, it will not act against you, but it will act for your betterment. And I, as a previous wielder of the wand, am capable of using it to its full potential."

"How would this help me?"

"You would be able to peer into your wife's destiny. A true seer can not only see someone's destiny, but they can see how to alter the journey to it. The end result is the same, death does come for us all at some point, but you will be able to influence the path she takes."

"Why not change your own destiny, then?"

Grindlewald smiled shrewdly. "One who meddles in the affairs of others is restrained from meddling with their own. Should you accept this, you're future will be set in stone."

"But Emily's future and mine are the same. How can I change one but not the other?!"

With a simple shrug, the old man replied, "That is for you to figure out."

Everything about this screamed manipulation. This what Emily had warned him about. He knew in his heart that this was a trade. He knew that if he handed over the wand, Grindlewald would most certainly escape, but he also knew that the man would still give him this power that he now wanted. No, it was a power that he needed. After all, there was already a path in Emily's future that he wanted to change, but was incapable. If Grindlewald was correct, maybe that horrible future could be avoided. His decision was made with Grindlewald's next words.

"I long to see the sky again, Mr. Potter. Should you refuse my offer now, I will not be here if you reconsider in the future."

Some how, some way, Gellert Grindlewald had already secured his escape from this prison. Harry did not know if it was through a physical means, or if it would, morbidly speaking, entail a spiritual escape. In either case, Harry knew instinctually that the man was not lying. He pulled out the elder wand, and handed it to the man. "Do what you need to."

Moments later, Harry's consciousness left him and everything faded to black.