Summary: Grindelwald lost the duel against his old lover. But that doesn't mean he died. With the Elder Wand and a strange mark, he will repent for his sins from his former world by saving this one.

HP Notes: Grindelwald won't be as dark/evil. Although, it won't stop him from using protego diabolica.

DA: I Notes:

Notes: This chapter is going to sit for a while. I need to gather reviews and PMs. I need to know what people think about it. Think of this as a test run. Some of the spelling and grammar errors are to satisfy Grammarly.


Chapter 1:

Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore fought against each other in one of the most destructive battles in history. The mountain they fought on was a lot shorter than it was before. Grindelwald fought for the freedom of wizards. He wanted them to live amongst muggles without fear. He felt he needed to subjugate them to make that happen. It is never wrong to wish for freedom. But you cannot sacrifice the freedom of others so you can have yours. Thus Albus Dumbledore and his faction rose to stop him. Such as Newt Scamander, Arcturus Black, and Charlus Potter. They were invaluable in the time leading up to the duel. They kept the Knight of Walpurgus off him so he could focus on his old lover.

Dumbledore was victorious, but it did not come without cost. Over 60 million people died in this war, including some close friends of his. The duel lasted three hours but ended in less than one second. Grindelwald used the flesh-rotting curse, and Dumbledore responded with the reflector shield. Grindelwald did not expect this and failed to block it. He died a few seconds later. Dumbledore knelt next to his former lover. "I'm so sorry, my love. I will remember the man you were before all this." Dumbledore looked for the Elder Wand but couldn't find it. 'I don't have it. And I know I didn't destroy it.' He took a deep breath. A wand like that will show itself eventually. He'll just take it from that person.

Purgatory

Grindelwald awoke to blue flames and endless desert hills. He was in purgatory, the place between heaven and hell. No other magical fire took on that shade of blue. "Interesting. The Master of the Flames of Purgatory goes to purgatory. Ironic."

A humanoid figure made of blue flames appeared in front of him. "Ironic, indeed." The voice was deep and demanded respect.

"Good afternoon, sir. What brings you to my humble eternal torment?"

"A few things. You are a most impressive human."

Grindelwald bowed theatrically. "I'm glad you're impressed by my skills."

The "man" put his hand on his chin. "Countless creatures and humans have attempted world domination. But none of them came as close as you did. You were so close. But your last-minute arrogance cost you."

The Master of the Elder Wand scowled. "Did you come here to tell me something or to remind me of my failures?"

"Relax. I have better things to do than bug a human. No matter how entertaining he is. I am giving you a second chance."

"A second chance? Even the gods hesitate when fiddling with time."

"But I am not fiddling with time. You will go to a different dimension."

Grindelwald's eyes widened. He knew about the multiverse theory. But only because of an idiot with a time-runer. "How?"

"Irrelevant. The world of Thedas is dying. You need to save it."

"Interesting. And what if I don't?"

The temperature skyrocketed. "Then the Flames of Purgatory will devour your mind, body, and soul."

Grindelwald hastily nodded. "Right, my apologies. When do I leave?"

"Glad you can see things my way. You leave now."

There was no warning. The Flames of Purgatory sent Grindelwald into another dimension.

Haven, Prison Cell

Gellert scanned his surroundings. 'Quite spacious for a prison cell. Seven guards with swords. Muggles, maybe?' He felt the Ender Wand in his clothes. 'Good. I still have a wand.' But it felt different. He was wearing a nice suit when he "died." Now he was wearing heavy cold weather gear with small steel plating. He could summon the Elder Wand with but a thought. But he wanted to wait before doing anything drastic. Two women entered his cell. He used legilimency to read their minds. The results were surprising. They thought he killed their "Devine." Most likely a high priestess of some sort. This woman was loved by many, and the sky was torn open. Even worse, they think he did it all. 'I've done many things in life, but soul magic is not one of them.'' Soul magic was something even he was hesitant to touch. The Greengrasses dabbled in it, but that's all he knew.

The woman in heavy purple armor circled him. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is now rubble. And everyone who attended is dead."

Grindelwald took one more look inside their minds to gather more information. "I am a mage. Disrupting peace talks between us and Templars is the last thing I want." His answer was deemed satisfactory.

"I suppose you're right." She took a deep breath. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Grindelwald couldn't remember anything after his conversation with the Flames of Purgatory. 'Well, shit. Ameisia it is.' "I can't."

The woman's anger returned, and she grabbed his right hand. "Explain this."

His hand chose that moment to glow green and burn like the victims of his protego diabolica. "I have no idea what that is. And I would really like for you to remove it."

She lost her temper and grabbed his shirt. "You're lying!"

The woman with red hair pulled her back. "We need him, Cassandra."

The now ID'd Cassandra stormed out of the cell.

"Sorry about that. Cassandra is a little on edge right now."

Grindelwald's stare could have dried the ocean. "I noticed."

"What is your name?"

"Gillert Grindelwald."

"That's a Trevelyan name. Are you from the Freemarches?"

"No. I'm from somewhere far, far away."

The woman ignored that. "You said you were a mage. How powerful are you?"

"I was once the most feared mage in my country."

"Can you prove it?"

"Gladly."

"My name is Lilliana Nightingale."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Nightingale."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Grindelwald." Lilliana turned to the guards. "Uncuff him. If he killed the Devine, he's doing one hell of a job covering it up."

The former dark wizard rubbed his wrists after the guards removed his handcuffs. "Where are we going?"

"To the nearest rift. It is not far."

Grindelwald noticed two things when he stepped outside. One, the temperature is at least -16C (4F). And two, the massive green hole in the sky. And the killing-curse green did nothing to settle his nerves. "What? Is that?"

Lilliana sighed. "We call it The Breach. It is a massive rift into the world of demons that expands by the hour. It's not the only rift, just the largest. All because the Conclave exploded."

Grindelwald had seen and caused some massive explosions in his time. But nothing in his arsenal could cause that much damage. Not even Grindelwald's darkest of curses could do that. "How could that happen?"

"No one knows. And we will figure that out after we deal with the immediate threat."

Grindelwald put together a hypothesis using his knowledge of magical theory. "This wasn't just an explosion. Even if you could get enough fire magic for something like this, it wouldn't have the "cutting power" to tear a hole in the sky. The explosion at the Conclave was not an accident. And only an artifact of great power could do this. Also, how many people can attempt this without killing themselves while trying?"

Sister Nightingale nodded. "You make an excellent point. But we are not here to debate the intricacies of magic. We must go the rift." The Breach expanded, as did Grindelwald's mark: causing him extreme pain. "Your mark and The Breach seem to grow at the same rate. And it is killing you. We need to seal it before it swallows the world."

"And you need my mark?"

"Correct. Stick with me. The people are less than thrilled with you right now."

Less than thrilled was an understatement. The people were openly glaring and jeering at him. When they got past the camp, Grindelwald asked more questions. "May I have a rundown of the Conclave?"

Lilliana nodded. "It was a chance for peace between mages and Templars. Devine Justinia finally convinced their leaders to meet for peace talks on the mountain near the Temple of Sacred Ashes."

"That is very unfortunate. Let me guess; each side blames the other."

"Correct. Now the fighting is even more out of control than last time."

"That's not surprising. Both the mages and Templars adored the Devine. So they are fighting for vengeance that doesn't exist. Or simply just to kill."

The Left Hand of the Devine nodded. "There won't be a trial. At least, not a legitimate one."

Grindelwald nodded.


Watchtower, A few minutes later

Lilliana raised her voice. "Open the gates! We're heading into the valley!"

Grindelwald looked around. "Why does this place have so much snow?"

"We're on top of the Frostback Mountains. This place gets snow year-round. It got a lot worse when The Breach appeared."

"Interesting. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. Your mark needs testing. The rift up ahead will do nicely."

Grindelwald felt like his body was on fire. He knelt while breathing heavily. "Merlin, that hurts!"

Lilliana observed him. The mark on his hand grew, and The Breach with it. "Interesting. The mark on your hand and The Breach seem to expand at similar rates. But it is killing you." They started walking. "The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."

"I see. You said there was a massive explosion. Do you know how I survived?"

"People say you stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious."

"Do you believe that?"

"I am…not sure. Either way, you are here now. They also said a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was. Everything farther in the valley was turned to rubble. Including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. You'll see soon enough."

Lilliana saw a green meteor headed in their direction. "Run!" They weren't fast enough, and they tumbled down. Thankfully, they recovered quickly. "Find cover!"

Grindelwald wandlessly summoned the Elder Wand and used a simple protego to shield himself from stray arrows and explosions. The Dark Lord watched his escort fight using hit-and-run tactics. However, four demons were more than likely too much. 'I wonder how this world would react to a curse that kills instantly?' "AVADA KADVERA!" The killing curse stuck one of the demons but did not kill it. However, it knocked the demon flat on its ass. 'Interesting.' The killing curse expells the soul from the body. So the killing curse failing on a demon isn't that farfetched. 'Okay, what about a bone shredder?' "Os aluminis!" This spell was very effective. The demon fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Unfortunately, it was still alive. 'Still alive? What about an organ shredder?' "Organum concidit!" The demon dissolved into green crystals. 'One down, three to go.' "Diffindo!" Another life, however evil, was claimed by the Elder Wand. 'Common spells work too. Good to know.'

Lilliana killed the last one. "Thank you." She noticed Grindelwald's wand. "What is that? I've never seen a staff like that."

"That's because it isn't. It's a wand."

"Does it have a name?"

Even in this world, he didn't want information about the Elder Wand getting out. "No, it doesn't. I don't even know what tree this came from."

They started walking again. "I see. What were those spells?"

"The first one is designed to expel the soul from the body. It works best on things that have a soul, but I wanted to test it on a demon. The second one was a bone shredder. It was very effective. And the last one was a simple severing spell."

"Interesting. You'll have to tell us more later."

Grindelwald and Lilliana continued their journey to the Fade Rift. Demons seemed to follow them every step of the way, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. He learned that the killing curse works on wraiths. He didn't know why, but it is what is. He knew they were getting close when he heard the sounds of combat. "Is this the rift?"

Lilliana pulled out her bow. "Yes. We need to help them."

Grindelwald threw a darker cutting curse at a demon. Like the cutting hex/charm, it killed the demon without issue or delay. But unlike Diffindo, this spell was a lot messier. The evil creature from the Fade bled a lot and practically exploded. Still, very effective. He cast the gouging curse at a demon that was attacking a dwarf. Watching its insides fall to the floor was therapeutic for everyone involved.

An elf grabbed his hand. "Quickly, before more come through!"

A green double helix connected with the rift for a few seconds, and the Fade Rift disappeared after a small shockwave. Grindelwald had no idea what happened. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. The credit is yours."

"You mean the mark."

"You have the mark, so it makes little difference." He turned to the rest of the group. "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also gave you that mark. I theorized that if that magic can open rifts, it can also close them. It seems I was correct."

The angry woman from earlier approached them. "Meaning, it could also close the Breach itself."

"It seems our prisoner is also our salvation."

Grindelwald smirked. 'If I can't be their salvation in my world, it might as well be this world.'

The dwarf adjusted his gloves and outfit. "Good to know. And here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demon forever." He walked up to Grindelwald. "Verric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." He winked at Cassandra, who snorted in disgust.

The former Dark Lord shook Varric's hand. "Please to meet you, Varric."

The elf chuckled. "You may reconsider that stance."

He ignored that. "So, I closed the rift. What now?"

Cassandra answered. "Now we keep marching to the Breach."

Varric's sarcasm was obvious. "What a great idea!"

"Absolutely not! Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."

His smirk made Cassandra groan in disgust.

Grindewald chose this moment to step in. "Like it or not, Verric is right. The valley is a shitshow, and we need to keep moving.

The elf introduced himself. "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live."

Verric chuckled. "He means I kept that mark from killing you while you slept."

Grindelwald smiled. "Well, I can't close the Breach if I'm dead."

Solas nodded. "Indeed." He turned to Cassandra. "Cassandra, the magic involved here is unlike any I've seen. Your prisoner is a mage, but I find it hard to believe any mage has such a power. And his form of magic is foreign to me."

She nodded. "Understood. We must get the forward camp quickly."

Varric sighed. "Well, Bianca's excited."

Bottom of the Valley

The number of demons in the valley increased rapidly. Grindelwald almost used protego diabolica a few times. Cassandra made comments about his form of magic. Like how it was different and possibly darker than most magic. While true, Grindelwald didn't appreciate his skills being dogged on. He cast several warming charms on himself. "How do you people deal with this cold?"

Varric laughed. "Humans. So fragile. To dwarves, this is only slightly chilly. And elves are built for all kinds of weather. You humans either deal with it or not go out in it."

"Not helping, Varric."

They kept walking until they reached the gates of the forward camp. There was a rift blocking the door. As Grindelwald was killing demons, an idea came to him. 'This mark has the power to seal rifts. What happens when I channel magic through it and cast a spell?' He channeled magic into the mark and cast the blood-boiling curse. "FERVENTI SANGUINE!" He almost passed out from the energy drain, but the effects on the demon were instant. The ugly creature bled green, boiling goo from its eyes, ears, and mouth. It also died much quicker. 'I'll have to practice with that later.' He killed the rest of the demons using organ shredders and blood-to-poison curses. Grindelwald made sure to use that last one more often. Watching a lesser shade convulse on the ground was a new guilty pleasure.

Cassandra sighed. "The rift is gone. Open the gates!"

The guard nodded. "Right away, Lady Cassandra." The gates opened, and they walked through.

Makeshift war table

Commander Cullen and a man in Chantry robes were in a shouting match. They were trying to decide what to do next. While the man in Chantry robes felt entitled and arrogant, Cullen's size and massive sword made him hesitant.

The man glared at Grindelwald. "Ah, here they come…"

Cullen stepped in front of him. "You made it. Thank the Maker. Chancellor Rodrick, this is-"

"I know who he is! As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to-"

Grindelwald hit him with a silencing charm. "His voice makes me want to cut my ears off."

Cassandra suppressed her laugh. "The feeling is mutual. He's a glorified clerk and a bureaucrat. He has no real power over me." She watched his mouth move, but no sound came out. "Do you think he realizes he's been silenced?"

"Unlikely. And I have no desire to remove the spell. It will wear off in about two hours."

Cullen looked like a part of him died and went to Heaven. "That'll be the best two hours of my life." He took another deep breath. "We must get the prisoner to the Breach at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Our best option is to charge through the valley. It's longer but safer."

Lilliana made herself known again. "But we don't have time for safe. Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."

Grindelwald shook his head. "The mountain path is close enough to ground zero to be a lost cause. Guard the exit, but do not enter. We can charge with the soldiers and still save lives."

Cassandra thought about it. "It's not a bad idea. Until the Breach is sealed, that mountain will be crawling with demons."

Temple of Sacred Ashes, four hours later.

The journey to the Temple was quiet. Too quiet. No one complained about the opportunity to rest, but those demons must go somewhere. And they may not like that somewhere. Grindelwald didn't know much about the temple. So he asked. "What is the Temple of Sacred Ashes?"

Cassandra answered. "This was the place where humans discovered the ashes of Andraste herself. This location is sacred, and it breaks many hearts to see it in ruin."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea." He really didn't. In his world, people would raise unholy hell if Jerusalem was destroyed.

"This is also where you stepped out of a rift and fell unconscious."

Eventually, they got a good view of the Breach. Varric whistled. "The Breach is a lo~ong way up."

Grindelwald nodded. He did have spells that could get him up and down safely. However, something like this would create a blastwave of some kind. The kind that would turn him to paste if he was too close. But he didn't want to reveal that yet. "You have a plan to get me up there, right?"

Solas shook his head. "No. This rift is directly connected to the breach in the sky. If we seal this rift, we might seal the Breach."

Cassandra nodded. "Then let's find a way down. And be careful."

As they were walking down, they heard two different voices. One was deep and evil, and one old, yey pure.

"Keep the sacrifice still."

"Someone, help me!" The rift shifted and crackled. "Someone, help me."

"What forbidden magic is this?!" The voice belonged to Grindelwald.

No one was surprised more than Cassandra. "That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you but-"

The rift crackled and popped a few more times, then a large "screen" showed them a gimps of what happened. It started with Grindelwald. "What forbidden magic is this?!"

The Devine was held captive by a red force field. "Run while you can! Warn them!"

The deep voice came back. "We have an intruder. Kill him, now!"

The rift glowed white and blinded everyone for a few seconds.

Cassandra went into panic mode. "You were there! Who was that?! And is the Devine really dead?! Is this vision true!?"

Grindelwald glared at her. "I. Don't. Remember."

Solas gave them a better answer. "Echos of what happened. The Fade bleeds into this place." He turned to the rift. "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed…albeit temporarily. With the mark, this rift can be opened and closed safely. However, opening it will likely attract attention from the other side."

"That means demons. Stay on guard."

Cassandra nodded to Grindelwald, who opened the rift. A 20-foot-tall beast instantly came out of the Rift. It had gray-blue, sharp plating on its body, and its face looked like a mutilated dragon. G

Grindelwald cursed. Protego diabolica would kill it, but a spell like that would put an even bigger target on his back. Worse, he was protected by magical armor provided by the Fade Rift. That gave him an idea. 'A Fade Rift can be sealed. But can it be disrupted?' The answer is yes. And the demon fell flat on its ass. Grindelwald threw everything he hand at the massive demon. This includes blood boilers, bone melters, organ shredders, blood-to-poison curses, and even the mind arts. Legilimency slowed it down, but not by much. He swore when more demons came out of the rift. 'Well, shit. Good thing this spell doesn't burn allies.' "PROTEGO DIABOLICA"

The demons that came out of the rift were burnt to ashes. And the biggest one was pushed back by the Flames of Purgatory. The demon regained its shield, but the flames still burned it…albeit not as much. 'It makes sense that the Flames of Purgatory can hurt a demon when even the darkest curses can't. Those were meant for natural creatures. But the Flames of Purgatory can devour minds, bodies, and souls.'

Grindelwald manipulated the fire using complex and slightly flashy wand movements. When the largest demon was pushed back far enough, he used the animation charm to make small dragons out of the fire. He felt the Flames' anger at being unable to destroy the demon. So he disrupted the rift again. It had the desired result. Grindelwald was not ready to close the Rift. "Since the Fade was kind enough to send us a present, it's only fair that I do the same." He sent a large portion of the spell into the rift where they would have free rein.

Cassandra was in awe of the magic the prisoner used and promised to ask about it later. But the Breach was a more pressing matter. "Do it!"

Grindelwald closed this rift the same way he closed all the others but found that it took more energy than he had. All those curses and controlling protego diabolica for that long was taxing. He poured the rest of his magic into his mark, then it all went black. He didn't know if he sealed the Breach, but at least he gave the demons a going-away gift.


Chapter 1 is complete. Please read Remember Us. It's one of my best stories.