Chapter Two: Plans Go Forward!
Voldemort sat in his office thinking over his conversation with Grindelwald. 'Why would Grindelwald let me go like that? He could have kept me there for a long time before I found a way to escape.'
It didn't make sense anyway that Voldemort looked at it. Grindelwald was supposed to be a broken old man, yet he seemed to still be the same age as he was in WWII. Grindelwald was not magically weak ether, as one would expect from a wizard that had not used his magic extensively for decades.
Both of these questions seemed easy enough to answer. Grindelwald must have a plan to escape and resume his conquests and he, Voldemort, was part of those plans. Voldemort had no illusions; Grindelwald's plans where not for his benefit.
As for Grindelwald's magic, Grindelwald must have incorporated, into the wards, a way to use all his magic without a wand. If that was the case, then Grindelwald would have no advantage outside of his stronghold. Furthermore, if the wards were destroyed, Grindelwald's unnatural abilities to control magic would be negated.
Voldemort had no way of knowing how strong Grindelwald's forces are or how close Grindelwald was to freeing himself. Fortunately, Voldemort's plans to kill Dumbledore were very close to fruition. Then he could deal with Grindelwald.
It had been amusing to watch Draco Malfoy's attempts to assassinate Dumbledore but it was time that Draco fixed the cabinet to allow a real servant of the Dark Lord to finish the job.
Voldemort summoned Wormtail. When he arrived Voldemort took a book off the shelves behind his desk and gave it to Wormtail. "Give this book to Severus. Tell him to give it to Draco as soon as he can."
"Yes my Lord!" Wormtail replied. He had seen Voldemort's office many times and recognized the book even though he didn't know the title. Curious, he looked at the title Magicaly Cabinets: Build New and Fix Old. Wormtail walked out without asking why Draco did not get this book sooner. It was never wise to question Voldemort.
Three weeks later…
"Water." Dumbledore requested weakly
Harry looked around for water. The only source was the calm lake. Harry didn't want to disturb the lake so tried Aquamenti. Frustrated that the spell didn't work he decided to get some from the lake. As soon as the cup touched the lakes surface the inferi that were in the water started to move and climb onto the island.
Remembering that Dumbledore said something about inferi being vulnerable against fire Harry tried to fire Incendio. This worked against the inferi in front of him but they were coming from all sides. In a few moments the inferi would be using their cold hands to choke the life out of the two of them.
Suddenly, a huge ring of fire pushed the inferi from the island. "Get in the boat!" Dumbledore said over the roar of the flames. He continued to protect them with his flaming shield until the inferi where again closed in their underground cave.
Exhausted, Dumbledore had to rely on Harry to support him the rest of the way out. When they were out Harry managed to disapparate them both to the village of Hogsmeade.
Taking out two shrunken brooms from his pocket Dumbledore told Harry to enlarge them, they then began the short trip to Hogwarts. Even though the trip was short, it was not easy. Dumbledore had to rely on Harry to keep him from falling off. When they finally reached the
Astronomy Tower Dumbledore dismounted and leaned heavily on a railing.
Hearing footsteps Dumbledore gestured for Harry to stand back. Then, Dumbledore immobilized Harry when he had retreated out of sight.
Franticly Harry tried to break his invisible bonds. Unable to do so Harry could only watch as Dumbledore was disarmed by Draco Malfoy. After trading a few comments, it was obvious that Malfoy couldn't bring himself to kill anyone much less Dumbledore, other death eaters joined them.
"Dumbles is finally powerless!" Cried Alecto Carrow "We can kill him at long last."
"Draco, it is time for you to kill him." Fenrir Greyback told Malfoy. After ten seconds Fenrir told Malfoy again this time with more urgency as he could hear the battle was further up the stairs then before.
Malfoy still didn't move. It was at this point that Severus Snape entered.
"Severus…Please." Moaned Dumbledore.
Ignoring Dumbledore's pleas Snape pointed his wand straight at Dumbledore and killed the greatest wizard of a generation with two words "Avada Kedavra!"
Dumbledore slumped to the ground, dead. It took a moment for the spell that keep Harry immobilized to fade away and in that time the death eaters where already gone and were making their way out of Hogwarts. Harry was too stunned by his mentor's death to chase Dumbledore's killers. All Harry could do was kneel by the warm corpse in a daze.
Finally! After so many years, Grindelwald could break the ward that Dumbledore had placed on him to hold him prisoner. Dumbledore thought that the ward would still hold him after his death. Now the world would feel the full weight of Dumbledore's mistake.
With a tremendous effort Grindelwald gathered his magic and overwhelmed the wards that were not setup by Grindelwald himself. Outside the fortress the guards patrolling the parameter saw the wards start to glow before they shattered in a beautiful array of color. This was defiantly a prison brake they thought as they ran inside to stop the escape.
When they reached the 'cell' as the guards called it, they saw their fellow guards where in heaps on the floor. The sight was not pretty. To be honest they couldn't tell one from another and they had been working with them for the last five weeks.
"Don't move! Put your hands out!" The remaining guards yelled as they prepared the magic suppressant hand cuffs for use. Grindelwald didn't listen to they and they were too scared to see the dark lord towering above them looking very unlike the broken old man they thought Grindelwald was.
"Good of you to join us." Grindelwald replied gesturing to the heaps that were all that were left of their fellow guards "Now I don't have to chase you down."
The screams of the guards could be heard throughout the fortress, but no one was there to hear them. It was time to begin a new Reich, the Fourth Reich!
At the same time the blank portrait in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts came to life and it only had one sentence to say. "Oh dear, this was not the plan at all."