Author's Note:- Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the late upload. Some people wanted longer chapters and so it took some to write this. I'm still new to this writing so it takes longer for me to compile chapters and post them. Again sorry for the lateness. Hope you enjoy!
Pain must be endured, Sacrifices have to be made and Secrets should be kept all for the Greater Good.
- Anonymous.
Gellert Grindelwald stared at the youth before him not believing his eyes. For a moment he thought he was dreaming but the boy named Harry Potter seemed too real to be a dream. He closed the cell door and approached Grindelwald.
Grindelwald stared at him before asking,"How did you get in?"
Harry chuckled,"Oh it was easier than I thought. I used my invisibility cloak to sneak to the Warden's office where I found the keys to your cell. I also found a map marked with the patrol routes and also a parchment with the list of shifts. If I'm correct the guards should be switching shifts now and also considering that it's currently night time, it is safe to say we can talk freely for a while. However I was quite surprised that there aren't many guards here". Harry frowned a bit.
Grindelwald held back his laughter, "Those fools never learn. You see this entire castle houses just one prisoner which is me. When I was first captured this place was swarming with guards. Furthermore Aurors were making regular visits. But as the decades passed the security became more loose. Because more criminals appeared over the years and more and more prisons were built to house them. So they needed more guards in those prisons and slowly the guards here were reassigned there. They thought that I had grown old and was not capable to cause harm anymore. It's all just their naiveness and stupidity. They relied more on traps and curses to cover the corridors." He turned to Harry. "I am however curious about how you managed to get past the traps and enchantments in this corridor. They are very complex in nature and I am curious how a teenager such as yourself managed to get past those."
Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about? I didn't notice any traps and enchantments in this corridor. I just walked through there."
Grindelwald was flabbergasted, "How?"
Harry shrugged,"I don't know. I just used my invisibility cloak, see?"
Harry pulled out the silvery invisibility cloak and at once Grindelwald's eyes widened. The cloak looked very old. However it still looked elegant and in fine shape. He had no doubt what the cloak was but he needed to be sure.
"Can I see that?", Grindelwald asked. Harry gave him a suspicious look. Grindelwald raised his hands. "I just want a closer look. You don't need to hand it to me".
Slowly Harry extended his invisibility cloak before Grindelwald's eyes and he observed it from quite a long time. Finally he let out a sigh and slumped.
"What is it?", Harry asked nervously.
Grindelwald looked at him,"Do you not know anything about this cloak. Did Dumbledore ever inform you about his past history with me?".
Harry shook his head. Grindelwald let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his long hair.
"Then it's time to tell you about the Tale of the Three Brothers and me and Dumbledore's shared ambition for the Deathly Hallows."
Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London.
The kitchen was packed with people whispering among themselves. They all have been suddenly summoned to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix by Dumbledore. Sturgis had said the meeting was important but he refused to answer any further questions. They all sat anxiously waiting for Dumbledore to arrive. Suddenly there was the sound of the front door and after a moment Dumbledore entered the kitchen closing the door behind him. On the first floor landing Fred and George Weasley along with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley were using extendable ears to listen in to this urgent meeting. There were sure it was about Harry as Sturgis who was supposed to be on duty was here as well.
Dumbledore took his seat and raised a hand. Once the room was silent he said,"My friends we find ourselves in an unexpected but rather dangerous situation at this moment."
Everyone was hanging onto Dumbledore's every word including the teenagers outside. Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing,"It appears that young Harry Potter has suddenly disappeared from Number 4 Privet Drive. There is no sign of him nearby. As of now I unfortunately have no idea about his whereabouts."
There was a collective gasp around the room before Sirius Black jumped to his feet. "What do you mean disappeared. Was he kidnapped and what was Podmore doing?" Sirius cast a quick glare at Sturgis Podmore who shivered. Outside the room the teens were looking at each other in horror.
"Sirius. Calm down. There was no sign of struggle so that rules out kidnapping because I'm sure Harry would put up one heck of a fight if someone tried to kidnap him", Dumbledore said calmly.
"Then what happened? How did my godson suddenly disappear?", Sirius said angrily.
Before Dumbledore could reply, Severus Snape leaned forward,"Isn't it obvious what happened to him, Black? Potter must have run away from home. Probably to find some glory for himself. That stupid boy must have been bored sitting at home and his arrogance set him off to find some glory on his own. I wouldn't be surprised if-"
Before Snape could finish both Sirius and Molly Weasley shouted at him together, "Harry would never do that?". Sirius then turned to Dumbledore expectantly.
Dumbledore sighed,"I fear Severus maybe correct although partly. There is no denying that Harry ran away. He even wrote a note saying he was leaving. I checked it thoroughly and can confirm that Harry wrote the note himself and willingly at that. However I believe Harry left for an entirely different reason than the one Severus stated". There was a sharp intake of breath around the room. Outside the teens were shocked and stared at each other in disbelief.
Sirius looked bewildered and so was Molly Weasley. They both opened their mouth to argue before Arthur Weasley spoke,"Harry might've mention something to his friends or Sirius about this." He turned to Sirius. "Did Harry mention anything in his letters? Perhaps something unusual?"
Sirius deflated,"It's always the same. Harry keeps begging me to come and take him away from that Muggle house evey letter. I would've grabbed him in a heartbeat if you guys didn't hold me back."
"But how did Harry even get past Sturgis?", Molly Weasley asked.
Dumbledore paled." You see. I didn't tell Sturgis about Harry's Invisibility cloak. He must've used that to sneak out". Molly was about to burst in anger before Dumbledore added, "I never expected Harry to pull such a stunt. No one did. I'm afraid it's no use crying over spilled milk."
Molly somehow held back. Sirius dropped into his chair in defeat. He smiled,"Typical. Of course he would use James's invisibility cloak. I must say that boy has got nerves just like his father".
Dumbledore addressed the room,"We need to find him quickly. Let's assemble teams who'll look for him at various regions within Britain."
With that Dumbledore laid a map and everyone started discussing plans to find the Boy Who Lived.
Numengard Castle.
Harry gripped his hair tightly leaning against the wall of the cell. So many questions rushed through his mind.
He looked at Grindelwald, "So my invisibility cloak is one of the three Deathly Hallows with the other two being the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone and you and Dumbledore sought out these hallows to rule the world. But after the incident with his sister you parted ways. And you guys loved each other. Is that all?"
Grindelwald nodded. Harry learned against the wall. This was all unbelievable. Who would've thought the great Albus Dumbledore was once like Grindelwald and supported him? And there was also the thing about the Deathly Hallows. Grindelwald had said that instead of Death making the Hallows like in the story, the Peverell brothers created them. It was hard to fathom but his invisibility cloak was the proof. And for some reason Harry thought he could trust Grindelwald, at least in this matter.
"This is too much for my brain", Harry shook his head.
Grindelwald cleared his throat. "I think it's about time you tell me the reason of your visit. Usually I would've asked it first but you see it's been a long time since I've had someone to talk to and so I lost hold of myself."
Harry nodded. With a deep breath he said,"Voldemort is back and for some reason Dumbledore is keeping in the dark. I know that Voldemort's after me because I escaped from him four times already. I'll eventually have to face him and I don't want to be a sitting duck when that happens. It clicked to me last June when he was resurrected in front of my eyes that he was very powerful. I would've died of it wasn't for the Twin Core Connection between our wands. Since Dumbledore is so keen on keeping me on the sidelines I had no choice but to come to you. You were powerful enough to go toe to toe with Dumbledore. I want you to train me."
Grindelwald stared at him for a moment before saying,"I am not sure Harry. I know that I can train you to face Voldemort but I don't think you'll be able to handle it. I've never seen you in combat. So I have no idea about your capabilities. While I did have a few apprentices no one was able to fully complete my training."
"But I need to train. I can take it. Please I need your help", Harry pleaded.
" I'm sorry Harry ", Grindelwald sighed. He looked at the window behind Harry and said," The moon shines brightly tonight."
Harry looked through the window behind him and indeed saw a bright full moon in the sky. The moon was just above the mountain peaks and the light from it illuminated the cell. The view was breathtaking.
Suddenly hair at the back of Harry's neck stood up. He couldn't describe what happened next properly. All he knew was that he somehow felt that Grindelwald put his hands inside his pocket and was pulling something out from it. Immediately he spun on his heel drawing his wand out in the process and pointed it straight at Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald was caught mid action, the look of shock eminent on his face. It appeared that he was about to draw a wand. However Grindelwald's face broke into a proud grin. Then he started laughing and took his empty hand out of his pocket.
Harry was dumbstruck. He had no idea what had happened. Grindelwald eventually controlled his laughter and said,"You have potential Harry. Your awareness and reflexes are extraordinary. You passed my test."
Harry looked at him suspiciously. Grindelwald smiled," C'mon Harry. You know there's no way they would give a wand to a prisoner much less if that prisoner is me."
Harry sighed. Grindelwald was right. So it was staged. Looking at Grindelwald he asked," What just happened?"
Grindelwald grinned," I tested you Harry. As I said your reflexes and awareness are extraordinary. It tells me you can hold your own in a combat situation though you need practice. You will be surprised to see how many wizards and witches can't hold their own in adverse situations. I'm pleased at your reaction. Very well I'll train you Harry. I would've liked to test you more but I'm satisfied with just this one."
Harry sighed with relief. He smiled, " Thank you Mr. Grindelwald."
"It's nothing Harry. Besides by helping you I'm atoning for my mistakes in a way," Grindelwald said. "Now we're not done yet. I need you to tell me everything about Voldemort including all of your encounters. I need you to tell me everything".
Harry nodded. If he wanted Grindelwald's help Harry would have to tell him everything. So with a deep breath Harry began this story.
Number 12 Grimmauld Place
Dumbledore stepped into the room on the upper floor of the old house. The group of teens looked up too see the Headmaster approaching them.
Dumbledore asked, "May I have a private word with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger please?"
Everyone except the two got up and walked out of the room. Dumbledore sat down on a chair and addressed the two teens.
" I'm sorry to inform you two that unfortunately Harry has been missing for the past few hours. It appears that he has run away. Do you two have any idea about this?", Dumbledore asked them both
Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads. "Harry hasn't mentioned anything like that in his letters", Ron informed the Headmaster.
"Besides all Harry writes about is demanding information about the wizarding world and Voldemort. We told him that you restricted us to do so but he was persistent. Still we didn't give away anything on the letters," Hermione added.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. Ron and Hermione looked at each other but none of them could hold back any longer.
"Professor, what happened to Harry that made him run away. Is he okay? Where could he have gone to? Don't you think we should've come clean from the start and tell him everything?", Hermione panted. Tears were gleaming in her eyes
Ron gave her a reassuring nod before adding, "I don't think Harry appreciated what we did to him professor. Maybe that's why he ran away?"
Dumbledore stared dumbstruck at the two teens. He couldn't formulate a reply because deep down he knew that they were right. With a nod Dumbledore left the room. He would find Harry very soon. He had already made the necessary plans and teams for his search mission for Harry. Since most of the Order were busy working and with the Ministry against them the search would be extremely slow. Still the Order will be able to search the entirity of Britain before school starts. Dumbledore was confident that they would find him. But he wondered where in Britain was Harry Potter at?
Numengard Castle
Both Harry and Grindelwald sat in silence. A million thoughts were going through Grindelwald's head. On the other hand Harry was barely keeping himself together after recalling that painful ordeal last June.
After a while, Grindelwald stared at Harry and decided to break the silence,"Well I'm not surprised. Voldemort really is something. I'm sure he's found a way to be immortal. We need to find out how he became immortal."
Harry gave him a slight nod.
Grindelwald spoke again,"Now you need to train, Harry and I know just the place." Grindelwald was smiling to himself as if reminiscing.
That made Harry curious. "Where is it?", Harry asked.
Grindelwald chuckled,"The place is under the Fidelius Charm and I'm the secret keeper. I'll give you the location. Do you have a parchment and quill?"
Harry took out a parchment and quill with ink after rummaging through his bag for some time. He handed them to Grindelwald
"I presume you have an owl?", Grindelwald asked taking the parchment and quill.
"Yes", Harry nodded.
"Good", Grindelwald said before starting to write on the parchment. "The place you are going to is a safehouse I used to lay low for a while. During that time I carried on many researches, invented many spells, travelled around the world to collect rare books and much more. Infact the place has a library full of books. However most of them are about Magical History, Potions, Curses, Magical Plants, Magical Creatures, Cursed Objects and so on. They wouldn't help you in your endeavor. But in my study you will find books on Darks Arts and how to counter them as well as various books on Charms, Transfiguration, Hexes, Jinxes and Spells", Grindelwald spoke without looking up.
"So you want me to learn those", Harry asked feeling overwhelmed.
Grindelwald paused and stared at him. "Yes Harry. I want you learn everything on those books. They cover everything from basic to advanced. Infact you will be surprised at how a basic spell can easily be used as a deadly weapon in combat. By the time you can properly cast everything you will surpass almost every Auror and Hit Wizards in the world. But only if you can cast them effortlessly."
"But that's going to take so much time. I won't be able to finish a quarter of those books before terms starts", Harry replied.
Grindelwald grinned. "You are forgetting that I'm Gellert Grindelwald, Harry", he said cheerfully. "I know you won't be able to finish them before term starts and you also don't have a teacher which is why I have a solution. You see I have kept memories of me performing those spells in glass vials in the drawer of my desk. You might wonder why. You see Harry I am a perfectionist. I review my memories of the moment I cast a spell and try to correct any mistakes such as unnecessary wand movement, improper stance, body movement and so on. Fortunately you can view the latest memories to learn each and every spell properly and perfectly. Months of training can be completed within weeks. By the time you know it you'll be fully trained and more powerful than most witches and wizards", Grindelwald finished looking smug.
Harry couldn't believe it. He was finally getting what he wanted. He could finally hold his own against his enemies without relying on help. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. He was finally going to useful not a liability.
Grindelwald's voice broke his thoughts."One more thing Harry. You see during my travels I managed to come across a journal. That journal was written by Merlin himself during his last few days on earth. In that journal he wrote down each and everything in his arsenal. By that I mean not only spells but also tricks that can be used in combat to catch your enemies off guard. I have tried them all and the memories are in the drawer of my desk in my study. However Harry I didn't have the time to master them properly. Perhaps you'll be able to do it", Grindelwald looked at him with expectation.
Harry felt a bit of pressure under his gaze. Taking a deep breath he replied," I'll try my best".
Grindelwald smiled,"I know you will Harry." With that he turned his attention back to the parchment continuing to scribble down something.
Harry sighed. This was not going to be easy. He would have to push himself very hard to achieve this. But when you have a experienced Dark Wizard on your tail you rarely had a choice. He looked back at Grindelwald and saw that he was folding a letter while a small piece of parchment lay beside him.
"Here", Grindelwald handed him the letter and the piece of parchment. "Once you're out of the area, send this letter to the address on the back. And also take this. This piece of parchment contains the secret for the Fidelius Charm. Once you've read it burn it. A guest will be visiting you tonight to help you learn Occlumency. It is a powerful Mind Art that will help you tremendously."
Harry took the letter and the piece of parchment in his hands and stared at the man. "I guess this is goodbye?", Harry asked dreadfully.
Grindelwald chuckled,"Not necessarily. You can visit any day you want. Your Cloak of Invisibility will help you infiltrate this place easily."
Harry nodded. He wanted to say something to the man that helped him so much and allowed him a fighting chance. In the end he went ahead and hugged him. "Thank you Gellert", was all he managed to speak before his voice broke.
Grindelwald smiled while hugging him back. "Now I believe it's time for you to go, Harry. You have a lot to do", he said.
Harry took a breath and gave Grindelwald a nod. Then he doned his invisibility cloak over himself and walked out of the cell locking the door behind him.
Timeskip
Harry sat on the couch in the living room of the old two storied house. It was small but cosy. However the library on the ground floor was humongous. If Hermione saw the collection of books in the library, it was highly likely that she would never step out of it. Luckily Harry didn't need to spend time at the library at all. Instead Harry had to spend his time in Grindelwald's study. He had looked at a couple of books on the shelf and had to admit that some of the spells were very dangerous from the description. He also found a pensive in the desk and the vials of memories in the drawers. He decided to start from tomorrow.
He let out a huge sigh. He had arrived in the afternoon after having lunch at a restaurant. Now it was the evening after sunset. The long journey had taken its toll. He could feel the fatigue in his body as the effects of the potions began to wear off.
Suddenly the flames at the fireplace erupted and turned green. Immediately Harry jumped to his feet and pointed his wand at the fireplace.
And old woman stepped out of the fireplace with Hedwig sitting on her shoulders. She brushed the soot of her robes as she muttered," I'm getting too old for this."
Harry froze. He knew who the woman was. He had seen her in his books but never met her in person.
The woman's eyes landed on him. She smiled at him. "Ah Harry! How nice to see you! It's been a long while. The last time we met you were less than a year old", Bathilda Bagshot said cheerfully.