Chapter 191: Gellert Grindelwald's three conditions

In front of Nurmengard's gates, the old man and the young girl both stood lost in thought.

Eda stared blankly at that line of words, while Dumbledore was caught up in his memories.

"For the Greater Good!"

This phrase was a memory all of Europe wished to forget. It had sparked that long, drawn-out war—countless parents lost their children, and countless children lost their parents.

This phrase had also witnessed the journey of two young men, from meeting and understanding each other, to falling in love, and finally turning against each other.

Dumbledore stood silently before the castle for a long time, saying nothing, until Eda tugged at his robes. Only then did the greatest wizard of the magical world return to himself.

"This is your final decision?" Eda asked, clutching Dumbledore's sleeve. She didn't believe that Dumbledore had brought her here to imprison her—she wasn't worth that.

"Yes. I believe he is more suited than I am to guide you. You will learn much from him, and it will help you avoid many detours," Dumbledore said, his voice somewhat heavy. He continued, "Go on in. I hope the two of you get along."

His expression was calm, betraying no joy or sorrow. Seeing that he didn't move, Eda asked again, "Aren't you coming in?"

"No. I'll wait right here. If he won't keep you, I'll take you back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, giving Eda a gentle push from behind, nudging her to the door.

Eda turned her head to glance at Dumbledore one more time, then resolutely pushed open the castle's heavy doors and stepped inside.

This castle, built by Grindelwald, had stood here for decades. The moth-eaten carpet, the stained glass windows with holes in them, the scattered rusted suits of armor, and the broken chandelier lying on the ground all spoke of the castle's former glory.

Stepping on the dust-covered carpet, Eda watched the dust swirl and dance in the air. The murals carved on the walls had long since peeled away, leaving nothing of their original form.

Her pale fingers brushed over the dirty long table and the damaged high-backed chairs, and for a moment, Eda seemed to see the time that had long since vanished here:

A spirited, arrogant Grindelwald and his devoted followers sitting around this very table, raising their goblets high, imagining a glorious future. They had followed their powerful king, cutting through thorns "for the Greater Good," shedding blood so that wizards might rule the world.

Now, this castle was decayed and ruined.

The flowers of those grand ideals had long since withered. Those people had become one yellowing name after another in the pages of magical history.

From the spiral staircase above, a frail, shriveled old man slowly descended.

His clothes were tattered, and there was no vitality in his eyes. He looked like a ghost haunting this castle, or perhaps he was the embodiment of the castle itself.

Eda stared at the old man before her in disbelief. Who could have imagined that the once-mighty Gellert Grindelwald would become such an aged, withered figure? But those heterochromatic eyes did not lie. This castle held only one prisoner. And that tall, erect bearing was not something an ordinary old man would have. Eda had no choice but to accept that this skeletal old man really was the first Dark Lord.

Grindelwald leaned on the high-backed chair and looked at the intruder—Eda. Sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up her golden hair until it seemed to glow.

At an age when she should have been in school, she now stood here, deep in the deserted mountains, inside the most dangerous prison.

The Nurmengard Castle was hidden deep in the Austrian mountains. Finding it was no easy task, and finding the path through the protective magic at its gates was even harder. It was only because the magic in front of the castle had been undone that the disturbed Grindelwald had come down from the upper floors to take a look.

He took the girl before him to be the descendant of an old acquaintance, or perhaps an ignorant "pilgrim," or even an avenger.

Grindelwald waved his hand lightly, and a surge of immense magical power shot from his palm, rushing straight at Eda. Grindelwald did not intend to harm her; he simply wanted to drive out this uninvited intruder who had disturbed his peace.

Eda raised her wand and held it horizontally in front of her chest. The surge of power split cleanly in two, passing by her on either side and slamming into the castle walls behind her, stirring up clouds of dust.

Eda pressed her left hand downward, and the floating dust quickly settled back to the ground, restoring calm.

This was not a skill a child her age should have had. Grindelwald did not strike again but instead asked in German, "Stammen Sie aus Durmstrang?"

Seeing the girl did not react, Grindelwald switched to French and asked, "Êtes-vous de Beauxbatons?"

"Hogwarts. I'm from Hogwarts," Eda said. Although she couldn't understand what Grindelwald was asking, she could guess from the pronunciation that he was naming the two European wizarding schools as famous as Hogwarts.

"And him?" The sunken heterochromatic eyes finally showed a glimmer of light, and there was now a hint of fluctuation in his tone.

Eda pointed toward the castle's door and said, "At the door. He didn't come in."

Grindelwald quickly strode toward the entrance, his frailty from before gone. Without sparing Eda another glance, he walked straight for the exit and left the castle.

Left alone in the castle, Eda cleaned off the high-backed chair and the area around the long table. She set her handbag down on the table, sat down properly, and closed her eyes, letting herself feel the power and glory that once filled this place.

Locked up in this castle of his own making, Eda felt that Grindelwald was less like a prisoner and more like an exiled monarch. Just like Carlisle Castle was to Mary, Queen of Scots; Elba Island to Napoleon of the First French Empire; and Doorn Manor to Wilhelm II, Emperor of the German Empire.

Compared to Grindelwald's "exiled monarch" treatment, Voldemort hiding in the Albanian forests was nothing but a pathetic junior!

She didn't know how much time had passed, nor what the two men outside had discussed. Feeling a bit bored, Eda opened her eyes and began conjuring flowers with empty hands. White buds appeared in her palms, and then bloomed beautifully.

With a gentle flick of her hand, the blossoms floated around her, vivid and fresh.

In no time at all, many colorful flowers were drifting around Eda. They transformed into butterflies, fluttering their wings and dancing lightly around her.

Returning from outside, Grindelwald happened to witness Eda amusing herself.

He had seen many geniuses with his own eyes and had already heard from Dumbledore about Eda's exceptional talent, so her little display didn't surprise him at all.

Grindelwald sat down in the high-backed chair at the other end of the long table. The two now sat facing each other across it. Grindelwald spoke first: "You may stay, but there will be three conditions."

Brushing away the butterflies around her, Eda said, "I'm here because I made a mistake — it's basically exile. I didn't come here by choice, so I hope that the esteemed Dark Lord won't set conditions that are too harsh."

"First, you are not allowed to enter the top floor of the castle or disturb my life; second, do not pry into my past — that will only make me dislike you; third, if you think that for his sake I will teach you, then you are gravely mistaken — I have no interest in educating an arrogant child like you." Grindelwald laid out his conditions. "If you can abide by these, you may stay. If you cannot, then leave as soon as possible — don't waste either of our time."

Eda lightly tapped her knuckles on the tabletop and said, "Your conditions are very reasonable. I have no objections — I am nothing but an uninvited guest here to stay temporarily, so of course I should respect the host's wishes as much as possible. However, I also have a few questions of my own."

The no-longer-young Grindelwald looked deeply at the still very young Eda and replied, "Speak. I hope you have enough self-awareness."

"First, there are many empty rooms here — where will I be staying? Second, where can I wash up, and if I want to take a bath, what should I do? Third, may I tidy up the place a little?"

"Except for the top floor, you may stay wherever you like — if you enjoy stargazing, you can even sleep outside the castle," Grindelwald said, gesturing to the right. "There's a washroom over there that still works. If you want to bathe, go to the lake behind the castle. As for cleaning up, do as you please."

Grindelwald continued, "Every week, someone brings food and drinking water. They leave it on the platform at the entrance. Starting today, you will be responsible for collecting it."

Read 12 Chapters ahead:

Patreon: Dragonel