Chapter 28

Chapter 28

ELIZABETH WHITE

Elizabeth's face paled as she went over the letter once more. Her eyes went over each of the words once more as she tried to wrap her head around it all. She was so lost in her little world that she failed to notice when Amy stepped into the room from her midnight adventures. Something she would normally berate her friend over.

Amy frowned as she saw the state of her friend and her pale as she read a letter and finally spoke out, breaking Elizabeth out of her reverie.

"What happened 'Liz? Why do you seem so worried?" Amy said as she walked up to her friend. Elizabeth immediately looked up, folding up the letter as she shook her head and tried to lie.

"Ohh, It's nothing? You don't need to worry about it. More importantly, what were you doing being out for so long, Amy?" she tried to rubbish Amy's concern, but she knew that her efforts would not work.

Amy simply gave her a look as she sat down on the bed right in front of her.

"Come on, don't try to change the subject. You have been worried for some time. You didn't even go to the Yule Ball!"

And Elizabeth did not know how to tell Amy about this. She had been able to get out of the Yule Ball by using her duties as Headgirl as an excuse. Plus, the reason was closely related to the source of all her distress.

Seeing no response from her friend, Amy tried to snatch the folded letter herself.

"Here, let me have a look!" but Elizabeth was able to react as she picked it up and kept it away from her friend as they both struggled to get a hold of the letter.

"Come on 'Liz! I already know your deepest secrets. This way, we can drum up a solution just like old times," Amy said, making Elizabeth relent in the end.

"OK! OK! I will tell you but stop. OK! STOP!" Elizabeth screamed as she pushed away Amy, shaking her head at the triumphant smile on Amy's face.

"Honestly, you can be so childish," Elizabeth said, finally handing the letter from her father to Amy, who was still smiling at getting her way, like always.

Though Elizabeth saw the smile evaporate as Amy's face paled as her eyes went over the letter before, finally, she screamed out the biggest cause of her dread.

"MARCUS FLINT! HAS YOUR FATHER GONE MAD!" Amy screamed, and Elizabeth rushed to cover her friend's mouth.

"ARE YOU MAD! DON'T SCREAM IT LIKE AN IDIOT!" Though Amy was still trying to speak up, probably a whole plethora of prophanities.

"Mmmmm…..Mmmfmm!" and then she finally forced her hand off, looking at her incredulously.

"This is why you have been so worried!" Amy asked, her voice still louder than necessary but lesser than her previous volume. Elizabeth nodded. Her father had approached the Flints for a possible match and had been pushing her into the arrangement.

This was also why she had excused herself from the Ball, as to avoid this whole issue.

"But everyone knows whom the Flints are associated with! They were death-eaters! Plus, Marcus, he is an idiot! Gods! He barely got any OWLS, and your father wants you to marry him!" and Amy had just highlighted the tip of the problem.

"You should refuse. Absolutely. Gods! he must really have something wrong with his mind to even suggest something like this!" Elizabeth pinched Amy's arm for that. That was quite enough!

"Ouch!" Amy squealed, looking at her and continuing her tirade, "Come on, what does he even see in him?"

And Elizabeth knew the answer to that question. The Flints were one of the old pure-blood families and hence had quite a chunk of money and, due to their proximity to the Malfoys, a significant amount of influence as well.

"You know what he is thinking?" and Amy just gave him a look.

"Money! Bah! How much do they even have? I can bet you can make more than that within a decade 'Liz? But more importantly, why didn't you tell us about this? You hid this from me, Cedric, and even Edward!" and then Elizabeth saw Amy's eyes going wide.

"Edward, we should tell him about this! He will be able to think up a solution!" But Elizabeth immediately cut Amy off.

"NO! You are going to do no such thing!" she said, taking away the letter, ignoring the incredulous look from Amy.

"Why? You have been friends with him for years! How do you think he will react if he hears about it from someone else? Plus, you must remember about his whole spat with Marcus and his brother!"

And Elizabeth remembered it quite clearly. Marcus had tried to bully the new mud-blood and had cornered Edward in their early years. And then Edward had turned the tables and humiliated the senior!

Marcus had then ganged up on Edward with seniors, and a supposedly huge fight had taken place in Slytherin dorms. Even while being outnumbered, Edward had beaten them all, but not without consequences, spending a week in the Hospital Wing. Though, the others had to be in it for a month, some even more than that.

"Edward has too much on his plate! With the competition and his girlfriend, I shouldn't disturb him! I can handle this on my own!" she said, putting down Amy's idea. Amy simply scoffed.

"And what are you going to do? Frick, you don't have time to think up a solution!" Amy said, looking her straight in the eye.

"Plus, Edward would be more hurt if you don't tell him. Even at the Ball, he was worried about you! I don't care what you think, and I am telling him though I will say that it will be better if you tell him yourself!"

Elizabeth looked up as Amy got up from her bed.

"All right! I will tell him, but not now!" she finally relented. Amy stopped and looked at him, and she sighed as she added.

"Let me try and talk to my father again. If it doesn't work, I will tell him after the second task! But not before that!"

She said, looking at Amy, who nodded.

"Alright! Try and talk some sense into your father! Then we involve Edward!"

With that, Elizabeth watched Amy walk towards the bathroom, still shaking her head in disbelief, muttering in a barely audible tone.

'Marcus F*****g Flint! Madness! F*****g madness!'

0000

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Albus walked through the dark and gaunt halls, his heart still as he walked in the corridors of the famous Nurmengard. The castle was built by Gellert to imprison his enemies. A prison that now held Gellert himself.

The irony!

But Dumbledore had walked through these halls once before. He had been there when Gellert had been brought here. Many had advocated for killing the man, yet despite his atrocities and faults, Albus couldn't find it in his heart to let them go ahead with the killing.

Sometimes he thought it was because of the embers of friendship they once shared, but that was a delusion, for the true reason was guilt. Guilt for Gellert's dreams wasn't completely of his own making. There were hints of his own ambition in them. Ambition from the idiocies of youth, but still his ambition.

He walked up to the final pair of Guards guarding a lone corridor. A single narrow lane leads up to a thick door. One of them stepped forward, a girl quite young, and gave him a look over.

"You are Albus Dumbledore, here to meet Gellert Grindelwald," she said, her voice filled with both awe and surprise. Dumbledore smiled as he nodded.

"Indeed, and I believe you will have received the papers already…."

"Let him through!" came the voice from what appeared to be a superior who walked towards her.

This one, much older than the girl, came up to him and faced him.

"Albert Nietzsche, head jailer," the man said, offering him a handshake. Dumbledore shook the man's hand.

"I don't know how you got the permission, but you have twenty minutes, so go on ahead!" and then he began they began to walk through the corridor.

"You are the first person to visit him in all this time! Hasn't ever caused trouble, though, but we can never know. Should I have someone accompany you into the cell?" he questioned, and Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, I will be fine, and thank you for accommodating me on such short notice," and the head jailer simply scoffed.

"Well, you got the permission, so there is no need to thank you," he muttered as he opened up the door and stood aside.

"I am right outside if you …."

"I believe I will be fine," Dumbledore said, and the man shrugged, understanding his point, and left.

Dumbledore's heart beat faster as he stepped through the door. The room was dark, with a single window as the source of light. A small bed was in one corner, along with what seemed to be some muggle books and some newspapers.

"I have been waiting for you!" came a very aged voice. The voice was much different from the one he remembered but still distinctive and recognizable to his ears, even after all these years.

Time slowed its prowess as Albus finally saw Gellert step out of the corner, his eyes smaller than they used to be and without the madness Albus had seen decades ago. His face had wrinkles now, much like his own, as he wore a simple grey gown.

Though, it wasn't only him doing the scrutinizing! Gellert seemed to be giving him a look over himself as he finally stared him straight in the eyes. And Dumbledore recognized the look, as the man's lips quirked up as he finally spoke up once more.

"You've gotten old!" Gellert quipped, and Dumbledore couldn't help but give him a stare as he gave a simple reply.

"And you've gone bald," and he saw those different colored eyes narrow before a small smile came out on his face.

0000

EDWARD WRIGHT

Edward had been quite surprised when he had been contacted by the Beauxbaton's professor of dueling, Professor Delbren, for a chat. He had written a letter and invited him to a place outside Hogwarts, raising Edward's suspicion.

Of course, Edward couldn't refuse. He was to have a job under him next year, so he had joined the man at the mentioned place. The meeting had been quite regular up till this point. He had asked him about his studies, grades, interests, and whatnot. Most of the mundane stuff.

Even so, Edward felt something was off. Something was definitely off.

"So, tell me, have you started working on the second task's clue," suddenly the man asked him as they sat in a private booth of a very famous restaurant. Delbren was old and had quite a status amongst French dueling circuits. A champion himself who had later coached several rising duelists.

"Yes, since the task is quite close, I have begun preparing for it," he replied, and the old man with white hair nodded. His eyes were still sparkling, betraying the aged look given by the wrinkled skin.

"Good, good. I was highly impressed by your performance in the first task." The man said as Edward noticed his eyes gain a certain sparkle.

"Gosh! Casting like that and that spell! It has been years since I saw something like that! Years! Of course, you must be aware the last man to have such a skill…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Gellert Grindelwald!" I completed his sentence, and the man began nodding his head.

"Gellert Grindelwald! Indeed, a genius! Pure Genius! In his youth, he was perhaps the most prolific duelist in all of Europe! But Gods! He went down a bad path! Bad, very unfortunate, I say. He could have done great things. Great Things!" the man finished, and I nodded before he continued almost innocently.

"Though, I am curious. How did you learn it all? Of course, you don't have to share, but I am intrigued, for many people don't talk about him, less so in Britain." The professor questioned me, a question that many people had asked me previously as well.

"Well, I read about him in a book and found his style to be quite intriguing, and well, so I tried to learn it. Thankfully, over the years, I was able to figure it out." Edward answered, and the man nodded. He had avoided answering about the spell, knowing that the professor would probably not push on the subject given that it was considered unethical to ask about such stuff.

"Well, if you achieved so after only reading about it, consider me impressed. Great feet, indeed. Many have failed in trying to do the same over the years. For you to pull this off is indeed special, and is there any truth to the rumors about you being a relative of his? The man was not known to have a family, but there have been greater secrets whenever magic is related?" he questioned.

Edward smiled as he shook his head, "I am afraid the media is wrong about this. For all I know, my parents were simple muggles, or No-Maj as you would say in France," and the professor nodded with a smile.

"Hmm, yes, I thought so as well. The News has a way of writing fictitious pieces here in Britain, I have heard. Well, this has been quite a pleasant evening, but I must apologize, young man, for I had another purpose in calling you out for this meeting."

And Edward stiffened at that. So, his senses were right. There was indeed a hidden purpose of this meeting. And then the man continued in an apologetic voice.

"You see, yesterday I was contacted by a very dear friend of mine who wanted to meet you, so I decided to call you to arrange this meeting. I hope you will forgive me for this," and as the aged duelist finished, the door to our private booth was opened up, and in walked another individual.

His clothing was impeccable, and his spectacle-covered green eyes were solely focused on me, scrutinizing me. A man whom I had been expecting to meet for some time.

Sebastien Delcaour.

0000

Finally, we have another one of my favorite characters make his appearance! Gellert is here!

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