Two days before Christmas

Rural Maine had been the home of Gellert Grindelwald since 1947. It was 1983 and no one in the Magic world knew that he was still alive. Everyone thought he had died years ago because he hadn't materialized He had learned that trying to control millions of people was impossible. Easier to control a small group of people. Sometimes when he realized how many people he had harmed and killed, he felt sick. But then he justified what he did at the same time.

Aaron Hotchner had just started as a FBI agent and he was assigned to the Bangor Maine Office. He and Special Agent David Rossi who was his supervisor were driving to a town called the Old Wood.

"Since 1950 there has been about 40 incidences of a pack of dogs, all German Shepherds which have threatened and in some cases attacked hikers, hunters and campus in the Northern Woods of Maine. Right before the dogs appearing, people have heard 3 loud whistles. If they were attacked, there would be a 4th whistle that could barely be heard. Most of the time the dogs have barked viciously but don't attack. A few times they have attacked. A couple of people were seriously injured and two people died.

When law enforcement appears on the scene, the dogs appear to be calm and friendly. A couple of times they have tried to attack the officers and one officer was seriously injured. There was a attack yesterday. The victim was Gellert Grindelwald who is 100 years old. The old man went out on his motorized wheelchair and the dogs attacked him in front of the house that he lived in with his 75 year old daughter Helen. One of them nipped him in the arm and the leg. He manged to get back inside his home before they could really attack him. He went to the local hospital and was there overnight for observation. This was very very unusual as the dogs have previously only attacked people in the woods and this was in a residential neighborhood."

Aaron Hotchner just listened and didn't say much. He was being briefed about the dog attacks.

Old Wood was a small town which was at the middle of the Northern Woods. There were going to the Old Wood diner where Gellert Grindelwald was dining with his daughter Helen.

"Every day I go out and get some exercise. When I was more mobile, I would walk the one mile from my home to the diner and then have breakfast. That was if the weather wasn't too cold. I would then walk home. Good exercise. Did this for many years. My family insisted that I moved into town and so I sold my home in the country and bought a home near the downtown area. They were afraid that I was going to be attack by these dogs and then I get attacked in town." said Gellert drinking his coffee.

"Dad is insistence on going out in the morning, so I go with him, especially after what happened. Another time he wasn't paying attention and fell out of his wheelchair. Thankfully he wasn't hurt."

"Mr. Grindelwald, you need to be careful as there are vicious dog out there...said Hotchner.

"I came here in 1947. It was about 3 years after I came here that these dog attacks started. No one really know the who, what and the why of it. I suppose you guys are trying to figure this out."

"We believe that someone is whistling commands to the dogs which causes them to become aggressive and in some cases attack people."

"Agent Rossi, I can't imagine someone wanted to hurt my dad. He's a pillar of the community. Well liked but of course someone could be jealous. I don't know of anyone who would want to hurt my father."

David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner noticed that everyone who came into the diner greeted Mr. Grindelwald and his daughter and asked Gellert how he was. It was hard to do the interview and Heidi agreed to continue the interview at her home.

About 30 minutes later Gellert Grindelwald was sitting in his favorite chair in the living room.

" I was the ROTC drill instructor at Old Wood College for many years and I do remember Carter Green. Very good student. He was one of my best students. When did that happened was in 1972, 1973 that he died in the dog attack, Helen?"

"It was November of 1973 right during hunting season. He was attacked while he was sleeping, I believe. He was by himself. So tragic." said Helen.

"I've heard that you board dogs."

"Yes, we do. Would you like to see them? said Helen.

The downstairs room of the home was Gellert's room and Helen's room was upstairs. The dogs were downstairs in 4 different bedrooms. It looked like a luxury dog hotel. The dogs were well cared for. Nothing looked suspicious or out of place.

Gellert Grindelwald could read minds and he laughed to himself as both he and Helen had deceived Rossi and Hotchner.

Shortly after they left, Heather Grindelwald who had arrived at the house showed him the newspaper. Twenty year old college student dies in accident caused by drunk driver.

"I took care of this. We don't have to worry Papa Gellert."

"That's my girl."

Heidi pretended to be in another room and not hear but she did. She knew her father's powers were not what they were and were declining which caused the dog attack (whistled the wrong command).

Aaron Hotchner had a 6th sense and believed that the old man had something to do with the dogs attacking people. David Rossi really didn't know what to think.

"Aaron, he's a pillar of the community, no one has anything bad to say about him. He's beloved...

"Well, David, my father was the pillar of the community and he wasn't by any means."

Grindelwald laughed at he looked into the crystal ball and could hear them talking. They were back at a local hotel going over their interviews with Grindelwald and other members of his family. Because of bad weather which was south and coming North, they were forced to stay there.

Grace Lutheran Church had a Christmas Eve Service which was at 10:30 pm. The hotel that Rossi and Hotchner were staying at was very close by. They decided to attend.

The pastor of the church was Gellert Grindelwald the 4th. It was a typical Christmas Eve service. It was similar to the Catholic Christmas Eve service that Rossi attended growing up. His father only went to church during the Christmas holidays and Easter. His mom was a regular attendee but was more of a spiritual person as opposed to a very religious person.

Rossi and Hotchner were given a blessing by the pastor.

Heather Grindelwald was the daughter of the pastor. The dog barked to the song Jingle Bells. All of the dogs were German Shepherds and obeyed her commands. She also had a whistle and whistled her commands. Everyone in the church loved it clapping and cheering loudly.

The storm from Boston had stalled, so in the wee hours of the morning, Hotchner and Rossi left making it back to Bangor. A couple of hours later, the storm hit.

June 1984

Gellert Grindelwald knew that he had little time left on earth and had lived long enough to see his great-granddaughter His granddaughter Heather drove him to the most northern point in the woods of Maine with 5 German shepherds in the van. It was about 2:00 in the morning. They had been stalking a group of campers. They let the German Shepherds out of the van and Gellert whistled three times.

Heidi has cast a spell where everyone in town was fast asleep. Shortly after they got Gellert into his bed, he died. It was 6:00 am.

A couple of days later

Rossi and Hotchner were at the Old Woods Diner getting breakfast when they heard about Gellert Grindelwald's death. They had been to the area several times investigating the dog attacks. The viewing was in the morning and the funeral was that afternoon.

There were hundreds of people at the viewing and the Grace Lutheran Church was packed. Most of the residents of the small town of 3,000 attended his funeral.

Hotchner had always sensed that there was an evilness about the man even though everyone else said he was a kind gentle man. This is what people said about his dad and he knew the truth. Rossi wanted more proof of this but didn't get it as no one they talked to disliked the man or had anything bad to say about him.

The bio on Gellert Grindelwald said that he had served in World War I and was a German POW who spent time in Wyoming. His first wife Maxine was killed during World War I, his second wife Shirley was killed during a bombing raid in Berlin in 1945 and his third wife Ruth that he married in 1948 died in 1975. In 1982 his long time girlfriend Florence Jones died. From his first wife he had a son Gellert Jr. and a daughter Heidi. From his second wife he had two sons, both of whom died in Vietnam. From his third wife he had 3 daughters, Nancy, Barbara and Elizabeth. He had from the 5 living children, 15 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

From 1950 to 1976, Gellert Grindelwald was an ROTC instructor and drill sergeant instructor at Old Woods College. The drill team had won local, state and national drill meets and was considered one of the best drill teams in the US. Many had gone on to have successful careers in the military and business.

Hotchner was the most interested in the fact that Grindelwald had trained police dogs and obedience training for dogs. He also worked as a reserve officer for the Old Wood Police Department during the 1950's and 1960's.

Heidi like her father had the gift to read minds. She cast a spell so that Hotchner would soon lose interest. There were many things that she knew about her father that she wished she didn't know because they were conflicting. A loving parent who never raised a hand to her or anyone in his family but someone who brutalized others outside the family. She knew her father reputation in the magic world as a Hitler who before and during the war, killed, injured and maimed those who challenged him. Many just disappeared never to be seen again. It was hard to believe that a man who rarely showed anger towards his family and never lost his temper with his family often did with others.

She didn't have the evilness, meanness and cruelty that he had nor did any of her siblings. Heather though showed signs of this but like her great-grandfather was able to conceal it from others. Heidi still didn't want to believe that her niece killed her ex-boyfriend Mick Sands who discovered that things Gellert Grindelwald had told people about being in a POW camp in Wyoming were false, He made the mistake of threatening to expose this information to the community which would have ruined his reputation.