"Smart girl."
Tom chuckled helplessly, reaching out to ruffle Ariana's hair.
"I was just testing you. If you'd shown even a trace of hesitation, I wouldn't have agreed."
He smiled faintly. "But since you've thought this through… I won't stop you."
He extended his hand. Ariana placed her small one in his palm, her grip tight.
Together, they stepped out of the villa. At the same time, Tom sent word to Grindelwald and Andros.
The meditation chamber burst open with a bang, Andros striding out.
Far away, in the shadowed spire of Nurmengard, Grindelwald's eyes snapped open. He stood, and in an instant, stepped into the dueling space.
By the time he arrived, the center of the study world had already reshaped itself into a proper dueling arena.
Grindelwald's gaze fell on Ariana.
It was the first time the two had truly faced one another since her summoning.
And for all her brave words earlier, Ariana's face went pale the moment she saw him. Instinctively, she darted behind Tom, clutching at his sleeve.
Then—realizing how cowardly that looked—she forced herself to peek out again, her lips pressed tight with determination.
"Ariana, it's alright." Tom spoke softly, calm and steady. "He's no different from us. Just a man. Older, a little mean-looking, maybe—but still just a man. If anyone should be afraid, it's him. He's the one who owes you."
Grindelwald's face darkened. Andros roared with laughter.
"Tom's right! Ariana, you're my student. Grindelwald may be strong, but he's no match for me. What's there to fear?"
Grindelwald's expression grew even blacker—but he didn't deny it.
Tom tilted his head, intrigued. "You two never answer when I ask who's stronger. Finally, an admission. So… when did you actually fight?"
Andros waved a hand, still grinning. "I let him save face, but for Ariana's sake, I'll be honest today. If we fight at full strength—I win."
Grindelwald let out a sharp, annoyed grunt. "That wasn't magic, it was talent! If I had your abominable Patronus gift, I'd never have lost! And you know it—you don't even use it!"
"Ha! Old Gellert, don't sulk," Andros shot back. "If I'd been born in your time, with your access to knowledge, you'd have lost even worse."
Tom pieced it together quickly.
Without Andros's Patronus, they were evenly matched—Grindelwald might even have the edge. But once that monstrous Patronus came into play, Grindelwald had no ground to stand on.
I'll have to spy on them next time, Tom thought with a thrill. To see what a duel between two "Kings of the Century" really looks like.
Still, seeing Grindelwald humbled made Ariana braver. She stepped out from behind Tom, chin lifted.
"You can do it, Ariana!" Andros shouted.
Tom nodded encouragement. "Win or lose doesn't matter. What matters is you're no longer afraid of him."
Grindelwald's eyes grew serious. "Ariana… I, too, want you to defeat me. To defeat the nightmare in your heart."
The moment was almost comical: of the four people present, every single one was cheering for Ariana—even her supposed opponent.
"I'll give everything I have!" Ariana declared fiercely.
"I look forward to it." Grindelwald allowed himself a brief smile, then sobered.
"But first… allow me a proper apology." His voice was heavy now, stripped of arrogance. "Ariana, for your death, I bear responsibility. I was too young—too consumed with my vision of a new world with Albus. I ignored the people around us. Ignored you."
"If I could return to that summer… I would not abandon my ideals. But I would never try to claim Albus for myself. I would have stood with him. And we would have cared for you together."
It was sincere. Not because Ariana was a sweet little girl, but because she was Albus's sister—and Aberforth's. Her death had been the turning point of it all. With her alive, with her own pain against Muggles as fuel, she could have been molded into their ally. Albus and Aberforth both.
But Ariana only shook her head.
"I don't accept your apology." Her voice was sharp, unwavering. "Tom told me—an apology that comes too late, no matter how sincere, is meaningless. It changes nothing. The past can't be undone."
"I don't need your remorse. I only need to defeat you. For myself."
Grindelwald's lips curved, satisfied.
"Well said. Apologies change nothing. Only victory matters. That is true power."
This girl has the spirit of a saint, he thought.
"But—"
His tone shifted, and a wand appeared in his hand.
"I will not hold back. Guilt has no place in a duel. And you, Ariana, deserve better than pity."
"I'll fight you with all the strength I had at fourteen. Are you ready?"
Ariana leveled her wand, her eyes blazing. "Come."
A spell leapt from her wand—light flaring across the arena.
The duel… had begun.