Albus Dumbledore first met that young man when he was eighteen years old.
Having graduated from Hogwarts with numerous brilliant honors, Dumbledore had planned to embark on the traditional graduation trip with his classmates.
However, while discussing travel arrangements at the Leaky Cauldron, news arrived of his mother Kendra's death, forcing him to return home.
With his mother gone, Dumbledore had no choice but to assume headship of the family—and with it, the obligation to care for his sister.
His sister—Ariana Dumbledore.
His poor, broken-hearted sister.
It all began when she was seen using magic by neighborhood Muggles.
Heartless young Muggle men, driven by fear of magic, assaulted and brutalized the young Ariana.
As a result, Ariana's mind shattered, leaving her unable to even use magic properly.
What father could remain silent after his daughter suffered such a fate?
Dumbledore's father, enraged by his daughter's tragedy, attacked the young men with magic.
He severed their limbs, subjected them to the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly, and mercilessly killed them as they begged for their lives.
That brutal revenge was naturally prosecuted as a crime. His father received a life sentence in Azkaban and died years later.
Dumbledore pitied his sister.
But at the same time, he found her burdensome.
On Dumbledore's path to glory, his sister seemed nothing more than a shackle.
Dumbledore could not accept continuing to care for his broken sister.
He wished to live more freely, unbound by such obligations, making use of his talents.
It was then that Dumbledore met him.
Bathilda Bagshot's distant nephew, whom she had taken into her neighboring home—Gellert Grindelwald.
Bathilda introduced Grindelwald to Dumbledore as they were young men of similar age... and they hit it off instantly.
That meeting was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to Dumbledore.
Due to his exceptional talents, Albus Dumbledore had never had a true friend.
While he had plenty of hangers-on, he'd never had an equal who could converse with him on the same level.
But Gellert Grindelwald was different. Blessed with talent equal to Dumbledore's, he was the only person who could speak with him as an equal.
Though his thinking was somewhat extreme, to Dumbledore—exhausted from caring for his sister—this too seemed attractive.
"Listen, Albus, I've been thinking. We wizards and Muggles live separately in our own worlds. But... don't you think it's time we unified them? Our ruling them would be for the Muggles' own good. Only when the superior stand above can the world truly progress."
A philosophy of domination.
Dumbledore affirmed his belief that those with power should naturally rule over those without.
He'd never had good feelings toward Muggles to begin with.
If Muggles hadn't broken his sister, he wouldn't have been saddled with this burden.
With such thoughts, Dumbledore accepted and affirmed Grindelwald's ideology.
And so the two talented young men, drunk on their dreams, pursued them night after night, debating passionately.
It was a childish dream.
A foolish delusion.
But—
—Those hours spent talking with his friend were unspeakably joyful.
In the Great Hall, a scene unfolded that could only be called a massacre rather than a battle.
Magic flew everywhere, blood sprayed wildly—yet within that battlefield, there existed an unnaturally empty space.
Why would no one approach it?
The answer was simple. They didn't avoid it—they couldn't approach it.
The two wizards standing there possessed such overwhelmingly isolated strength that nothing could come near.
Anyone who approached would be caught up and killed. Understanding this created that mysterious vacant zone.
"Now then, let us continue where we left off that day, my old friend."
Standing in that vacant zone, Gellert Grindelwald drew his wand.
Every movement was refined, without a single wasted motion.
Still looking exactly as he had when he stood alongside Dumbledore, the young man bared his fangs at him.
"There is no continuation. That is already a past long gone, old friend."
Dumbledore also drew his wand with quiet, yet flawless movements.
Not the Elder Wand that had lost its allegiance, but the phoenix wand he'd wielded in his youth.
In his aged form—so far removed from the past—the old man fixed his gaze upon his enemy.
"I shall not let it end. Not while I stand here."
The golden-haired young man smiled and bowed elegantly.
The bow before a duel of honor was an ancient tradition.
Even Voldemort had tried to uphold this formal tradition, demanding, "Bow to each other!"
"It has ended. The moment I stand here."
Dumbledore returned the bow with unchanged expression, flowing movements.
With this, both had conveyed their intent to duel.
Of course, such formality was unnecessary on this battlefield.
Someone like Mirabelle would mercilessly blast them with magic the instant they showed an opening by bowing.
But between these two existed unconditional trust that the other would never do such a thing.
Because they were once friends, they wanted to settle this honorably, face to face.
They pointed their wands at each other, glaring.
Both were powerful wizards whose names would remain in magical history. Each knew the other's capabilities.
Their skills were nearly equal. A careless move would lead directly to death.
But without moving, neither could defeat the other.
Quietly, heavily, only the tension continued to build until sweat beaded on both foreheads.
But the moment of release came suddenly.
Debris from the battle flew between them, hiding each from the other's sight for just an instant.
—In that moment! Both moved simultaneously!
"Ha!"
"Zeah!"
No need to even speak the incantation.
Flashes of light released through silent casting collided at the center, scattering sparks.
Before that collision even ended, Dumbledore had completed his next spell.
"Nun!"
One shot! Two shots! Three, four, five!
With wand movements like cracking a whip, he fired five spells in one second.
But Grindelwald neutralized them all with equally masterful wand work, immediately forming his next spell mentally.
"Fu!"
One sweep!
A sphere of light appeared before Grindelwald, dispersing and transforming into numerous rays.
The dozens of branching flashes surged toward Dumbledore, glowing dully as they sought to devour their enemy.
But when Dumbledore raised his wand, a pillar of flame burst through the ground, rising up and swallowing all the light.
Not stopping there, the flames transformed into the shape of a phoenix and lunged at Grindelwald.
Impact! The flames spread, incinerating where Grindelwald had stood.
But he wasn't there. His robes billowing, he appeared behind Dumbledore.
"I'm relieved! Even in old age, you haven't lost your former strength!"
A chandelier fell, sending countless debris flying at Dumbledore from all directions.
An inescapable attack. Yet Dumbledore showed no panic.
A blue, glowing Shield Charm barrier protected his entire body, deflecting everything.
Floating into the air, he charged at Grindelwald.
"Age allows one to see things youth cannot."
Grindelwald likewise deployed a barrier to meet Dumbledore's assault.
A red barrier protected his entire body as he flew toward Dumbledore.
Voldemort believed the magic of flying without a broom was his alone, but he was wrong.
As Dumbledore assessed him—"deplorably ignorant"—he knew far too little.
It never occurred to him that what he could do, others might also accomplish.
To begin with, making the human body float with magic was hardly a rare phenomenon.
Wingardium Leviosa. Locomotor. Accio. Rictusempra. Levicorpus...
Though their purposes and directions differed, numerous spells existed that could make human bodies float.
Then using their applications to make oneself float was a trivial matter for these two.
Yes, these two geniuses had already surpassed the stage of flying without brooms in their youth.
"What did you see? What did those eyes clouded with guilt perceive?"
Collision, collision, collision!
They collided repeatedly above the Great Hall, neither giving an inch.
Clashing head-on, scattering waves of magical power as they flew, they eventually burst out of the Great Hall entirely.
They glided through corridors, continuing their battle while trading spells.
"That this world is not so bad as to be abandoned."
Dumbledore fired a series of Stunning Spells at Grindelwald.
But Grindelwald smashed through a window, evading the attack by flying outside.
Dumbledore leaped into the open sky in pursuit.
For these two, the school was far too cramped. Only this vast field could accommodate them.
"Such saintly words! That's not like you at all, Albus!"
They fired flashes of light at each other in mutual feints.
But nothing hit.
They dodged by circling, as if drawing a circle together.
Their spells crossed and passed each other countless times.
It was as if their very hearts were doing the same.
"You're just afraid! You fear sacrificing someone as you once did, afraid of becoming a villain again!"
Grindelwald ignited a blade on his wand and slashed.
Simultaneously, Dumbledore created his own blade and blocked his old friend's strike.
The two colliding wands crackled with purple lightning, sending shockwaves that swept the surroundings.
"You fear your past sins, standing frozen, refusing to move forward! And the result is this corruption! This disgrace of the wizarding world! If you truly cared about the magical world's future, you should have become Minister of Magic!"
"—!"
Though the clash seemed equal, Grindelwald pushed forward just slightly.
While their magical power was equal, their physical youth differed.
Moreover, Grindelwald was a vampire. In contests of strength, he had the advantage.
Knocked flying, Dumbledore crashed into the castle, bursting through the opposite side.
Without missing a beat, Grindelwald slashed at him.
"Understand, Albus! Those who fear progress cannot weave the future! Your fear, your negligence in witnessing the wizarding world's corruption—you created that demon!"
Dodging the blade, Dumbledore swept his wand.
From it emerged hundreds of birds.
Then Transfiguration! He transformed all the birds into arrows, sending them at Grindelwald.
Finally, blasting magic! He detonated all the arrows as they swarmed!
Chain explosions!
Hundreds of explosions erupted simultaneously, shaking the earth and dyeing the sky crimson.
But cutting through the blast smoke, Grindelwald emerged as if nothing had happened.
The reason was air. He'd instantly created a layer of oxygen-free air around himself, completely blocking the flames.
"Indeed, I am a foolish old man... I do not deny my sins. However...!"
The blades collided again, but this time Dumbledore deliberately relaxed his strength to deflect the attack.
Then Apparition. Moving behind the off-balance Grindelwald, he fired Expelliarmus.
But Grindelwald also Apparated, appearing above Dumbledore.
Then frost magic! A vortex of cold that instantly froze even the air engulfed Dumbledore.
"However, what?! How will you change this world?! Empty words change nothing, Albus!"
The cold vortex ended, yet Dumbledore bore no wounds.
Just as Grindelwald had done, he'd created a vacuum layer to defend himself.
Then manipulating the wind itself, he blew Grindelwald away.
Swept by the wind, he plunged into the nearby lake where the Durmstrang ship once appeared.
Following him, Dumbledore dove into the lake as well.
Even with water all around, it made no difference to these two who could create air barriers.
Repelling water from their surroundings, they waved their wands at each other.
The lake water rose as a vortex into the sky, and the two burst out from within.
"Perhaps change is truly necessary... but her methods are far too hasty. She relies too much on violence!"
Both manipulated the water they'd raised.
Grindelwald solidified water to create a water dragon, while Dumbledore froze water to form an ice bird.
The two collided at the center!
With overwhelming water pressure and mass, they resonated thunderously, canceling each other out.
"That part of you hasn't changed at all! You were always like this—constantly nagging me not to use magic so much! Yet you conveniently used magic yourself quite cleverly, which makes you all the worse!"
Dumbledore switched to low-altitude flight and entered the forest.
Grindelwald pursued, shifting the battlefield to the woods.
Countless trees obscured their view of each other, creating natural fortresses that impeded battle.
Whoever better utilized this battlefield would gain the advantage; whoever failed would be at a disadvantage.
A simple yet complex battle indeed.
"Yes indeed! You never heeded my warnings! You have no idea how much trouble you gave me!"
Leaves scattered, all simultaneously transforming into various materials.
Forests were ideal battlegrounds for Transfiguration masters.
Here, they never lacked objects to transform.
Silver blades flew countless through the air, while tree branches became writhing tentacles seeking to capture both combatants.
Yet both maintained their flight speed through the forest, unleashing their next spells.
"Look who's talking! I know you secretly profited with magic! And you stayed silent while everyone thought it was my doing!"
"Guh... but you blamed me for magical pranks you performed more than once or twice!"
Grindelwald's wand flashed, transforming surrounding trees.
With massive build, tough hide, and sharp fangs—it was a creature extinct since ancient times.
Tyrannosaurus Rex. Among carnivorous dinosaurs, it ranked among the largest ever.
In response, Dumbledore also transformed trees.
It was a four-legged creature with a sturdy build and three horns.
Named Triceratops, it was as famous a dinosaur as Tyrannosaurus.
The two roared and collided, shaking the surrounding trees.
"You've always been underhanded! Always trying to take all the credit!"
"That's you! Whenever we ate Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, you always made me pick the bad ones!"
The Tyrannosaurus bit down while the Triceratops gored.
After a spectacular struggle, both monsters achieved mutual destruction, returning to ordinary trees.
But it wasn't over yet. Countless trees remained to transform.
With Dumbledore's sweep, trees became giant fists, while with Grindelwald's gesture, they became countless shields.
"You drank the entire Butterbeer that woman gave us!"
"You made me pay at restaurants three times!"
"You tore one card in my Wizard Card collection you borrowed!"
"You never returned the two Galleons I lent you!"
The increasingly petty argument continued as both wielded magic.
This was something the two rarely could do.
Only because they possessed perfectly equal skill could they both go all out.
The two were, somehow, enjoying it.
As if returned to their youth, they found themselves even smiling as they fought.
"Your owl woke me six times in the middle of the night!"
"Your owl pooped on my bedding!"
"Your magical experiment turned my nose into an elephant's and wouldn't fix it for a whole day—I was humiliated!"
"Your curse made my neck long like a giraffe's so I couldn't fit inside the house!"
Anyone listening would despair that this was the argument of two of the most powerful beings in the wizarding world.
Fortunately, no one was there to hear.
Their hearts had returned to their youth.
Memories of time spent with the friend before them surfaced one after another, even the trivial things.
All of it was treasure.
All of it was irreplaceable, precious memories.
"...Ku, kukuku..."
"Kukuku..."
Laughter spilled out unbidden.
What's this—he thought he'd changed, but hadn't this guy stayed exactly the same?
It was laughter mixed with exasperation, relief, and joy.
Despite the circumstances, their hearts danced uncontrollably.
"Ah... this is fun, Albus."
"Indeed... it's just like the old days, Gellert."
If only they could stay like this forever.
Like that day, laughing and talking with a friend, ending this battle with smiles.
But that was impossible.
No matter how their paths seemed to intersect, they would never return.
And both had the duty to settle this and return to the battlefield.
Therefore—their return to youth ended here.
"But we cannot return to those days... as adults, we must settle this."
"Yes... to return to the past, both you and I have aged too much."
Emerging from the forest onto the ground, the two wizards faced each other.
Igniting blades on their wands, they heightened their killing intent to slay the other.
Without averting their eyes, they glared at each other with gazes holding a cunning light different from those days.
"Here I come, Gellert. Let us end our dream here."
"Try to end it... if you can, Albus."
Let us bid farewell to our youthful dreams.
And run toward new dreams.
What's needed for that is now!
Dumbledore flew forth with determination, and Grindelwald rose to meet him.
A momentary intersection.
Two shadows crossed, and one shadow split in two.
***
(´ω`) Good evening, everyone. This was Chapter 77 featuring Dumbledore vs Grindelwald. Battles between the strongest-level characters in the story are really fun to write. Especially Dumbledore has that "nothing would be surprising coming from him" feel, so I let him go pretty wild. See you again tomorrow!
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Muggle Officer: "Blast it, what are you doing?! Can't you get into Hogwarts yet?!" Muggle Soldier: "W-well, sir..." Romando: "Wingardium Leviosa (physical)!" HURL Muggle Soldier A: "Gyaaaah! He threw a tank?!" Trevor: "Tongue-Slash Strike!" Muggle Soldier B: "Ahhh?! A human-sized frog's sword just cut a tank in half?!" Romando: "Locomotor Malfoy (physical)!" HURL Malfoy: "FOOOOOY!!?" Muggle Soldier B: "Ahhh?! That thrown young man just pierced through a helicopter?!" Muggle Soldier C: "What are those guys?! They're insanely strong?!" Muggle Officer: "W-with just one wizard and one frog... a thousand soldiers held back...?! I-is this... is this the power of wizards...?!"
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