A/N: So THIS is the second update for the day, and it's the short one I was expecting.
Disclaimer: Still don't own it.
In the basement of an empty brothel, they found the entrance they had been looking for. How like Gellert to use a Muggle's downfall as the gateway to his supposed triumph. The tunnel seemed unending, but the Aurors were not deterred. Despite the steep drop, the joint army trudged deeper and deeper. Finally, they discovered the tunnel leveled out, and they were at the same depth as Minerva's tracing charm.
According to the rest of the army, first priority was getting Grindelwald into a prison cell. Privately, Albus knew his first focus would be Minerva's safety. Until she was secure, nothing else would get in his way. Swiftly, their forces navigated the tunnels. Smoothly, at each junction they broke off neatly down a separate tunnel. So far, aside from a few barracks, they encountered little. There was a cavernous dining hall, a massive training arena. The first things that truly tested their resolve were the labs. Grindelwald had groups of muggles herded down to test the effects of new spells. Dolohov and Apollo found the vast pit of muggle corpses. The brave fighters pale faces spoke volumes of the horrors they had seen.
They continued to press forward. Minerva's signal was stronger and stronger.
Albus and the entire strategic planning force knew they were more than likely being lured into a trap. But this was their best hope. Having quietly disabled the guard at the door, they heard one scream rend the air:
"ALBUS! ALBUS HELP ME! ALBUS!" There was no mistaking the Scottish brogue. Albus charged at the door. Instantly, he knew the method of Grindelwalds's maze. The entire impressive remnant of his force filled the chamber. But Grindelwald himself was perched on a far, carefully shielded dias. The blond, blue-eyed wizard looked not a day older than 40. He held a glass jar in his hands, and once it shattered, Minerva's screaming stopped. The Albus' wife had never been there at all. As a battle came to uproarious pitch at one end of the cavern, Albus apparated to Grindelwald's end. He quickly disarmed the guards and set to work destroying Gellert's shields. And then Grindelwald shocked Albus. He lunged for him, spinning. Next thing Albus knew, they had apparted to Merlin knew where. He and Grindelwald were alone in a lavish underground palace. The sounds of battle were undetectable.
"Ah, Albus," Grindelwald cackled. Albus could see, while he had kept his outer form from ageing, it came at great cost to his overall health. "I knew you would come to see me again. You could not keep away. And now, we had all the time in the world to be together, just you and me."