Hey guys, long time no see.

I'm so sorry for the long wait. I'm in my final year of school and work has just hit me hard. I've been super tired and so had no motivation to do anything as well as having no time to do it. So, I hope you forgive me for that as I've finally posted this chapter!

I hope you enjoy it!

Harry could scarcely believe that it had been a year since Grindelwald had popped out of the floor of his cell. Since then, his life at Nurmengard had changed drastically.

No longer did he spend the days staring at the cell wall and the nights freezing as he struggled to sleep. Instead, he spent the time training with the Dark Lord, practising a variety of skills from sword fighting to wandless magic. When Harry asked why the man had chosen to dig an escape tunnel as opposed to using his wandless magic, he discovered that Grindelwald had had his magic bound when he was imprisoned so, while he was still perfectly capable of teaching the theory to Harry and sharing his knowledge with him, he was unable to practise it himself.

However, lessons in magic were not the only thing Grindelwald taught to him. He'd also learnt various practical skills, such as strategic planning and sword-fighting, alongside lessons in history, politics and family magic. These, most of all, were important to Harry as, despite his father having descended from a long line of powerful, pureblooded wizards who were strong in political power, he knew nothing of their achievements, actions or allies. Grindelwald, however, who had played the political game for years, imparted all their history unto him, teaching him about both the past and about what should be done in the future.

In amongst these lessons, the pair discussed their lives, learning more about each other. Although Harry had initially been wary of the Dark Lord, as the two became closer, it became harder and harder for him to see the fearsome wizard in the old man who had become his mentor. When he'd first heard of Grindelwald upon entering the Wizarding World, Harry had pictured a tall, imposing figure with magic rolling off him in waves, sharp eyes and a determined outlook on life. The version he'd met had shrunken from the man he used to be, both physically and magically. The bindings had weakened him, his cheeks hollow and eyes sunken. But his mind was sharp as ever, whirring at 100 miles a minute and imparting his wealth of knowledge with glee. He could be somewhat insane sometimes but Harry ignored this, focusing on learning all he could from the man, who, despite his fragile state and immoral ideologies, had been one of the most powerful wizards in the history of wizardkind.

One of the most interesting discussions they'd had, – at least, as far as Harry was concerned – was the true story of the Deathly Hallows and their abilities. While the story he'd learnt from "Tales of Beedle the Bard" was essentially true, some of the finer details were lost over time. For instance, there was far more to being the 'Master of Death' than Harry had originally assumed.

Grindelwald had become positively giddy when Hary had explained to him that he had had all three of the Hallows in his possession and that he was both the master of the wand and the bloodline descendant of Ignotus Peverell. According to the older man, although Harry did not physically have the Hallows with him, he was still the Master of Death as they would have bonded themselves to him the minute the stone became his. As Master of Death, Harry apparently didn't have any actual power over the entity that was Death but could communicate with them and make certain requests via special rituals that may or may not be granted. Grindelwald had discovered this in his youth whilst researching the Hallows himself and taught Harry the rituals needed, as well as several others.

The daily lessons, along with the periodic tunnel-digging, served as a brilliant distraction from the otherwise abject horror of Harry's situation. At night, however, his thoughts plagued him and the memory of Hermione standing beside Ron at the trial, her eyes brimming with tears and his ring on her finger, filled him with both despair and longing.

They'd fallen in love whilst on the run when Ron had been… absent . If Harry was being honest with himself, he'd probably been in love with her for years before then but had simply been too blind to see it. In the week between Voldemort's death and his arrest, he proposed to her, with his mother's ring - liberated from his Gringotts vault after a deal had been reached with the goblins. She'd said 'yes' without a moment's hesitation and Harry didn't think he'd ever been so happy in all his life.

But, the joy had lasted only a few days before everything had come crashing down.

He often lay awake at night, wondering what it was she might be doing at that moment. Was she still living in Grimmauld Place and, if so, had she renovated it like they'd planned? Had she managed to find her parents and restore their memories? Had they forgiven her?

Did she still love him?

It was the last thought that plagued him. He'd been sentenced to prison for life so, in her eyes, it was unlikely that she'd ever see him again. Would she have waited? Harry simply could not bear the thought of her having found someone else. Often, the memory of Ron standing beside her at the trial, of the predatory, satisfied grin on his face, came unbidden into his mind and he physically shivered at it, before doing his best to forget them both entirely for the moment. It did no good to dwell on what he was missing. Instead, he focused on what he could learn, every day that passed meaning one day closer to freedom.

He worked hard on the tasks Grindelwald set him. His magical ability grew in leaps and bounds without a wand or its movements to restrict him. His theoretical knowledge also increased, as the Dark Lord had a wealth of it, all of which he bestowed upon Harry. His understanding of the Wizarding World, its politics and how it worked also improved so that, by the end of the year, Grindelwald declared him fit for anything the Wizengamot might throw at him.

And, as Grindelwald continued his teachings, Harry knew it was only the beginning.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Things will start picking up from the next chapter, so stay tuned!

As I mentioned at the beginning, work has swamped me this year and, with university applications in, maintaining and improving my marks has become vital, so updates from now until 25 November (the day of my last exam) will be sporadic, as I'll be writing only when I have time and energy. I appreciate your understanding.

Have a great day further!