"That's right. I suspect that little brat is trying to seize Death's power." Grindelwald looked troubled. "And he's taken the most important part, the Resurrection Stone."
"The Resurrection Stone..." Dumbledore's gaze went distant.
"Tsk. You really are impossible not to worry about." Grindelwald caught the shift in Dumbledore's expression. "At your age, getting cursed would serve you right."
Dumbledore came back to himself. "A curse? Did you foresee something?"
"Not me. Someone else told me. If not for him, I'd still be sitting in Nurmengard right now." Grindelwald crossed his arms. "I simply couldn't bear the thought of you dying in such a pathetic way."
"My death? Can you tell me how I die?" Dumbledore asked.
"From stupidity," Grindelwald said mockingly.
Dumbledore: "..."
Only Grindelwald would dare say something like that to him.
"Could you be more specific?" Dumbledore asked.
He was genuinely curious what exactly he had done to qualify as dying foolishly.
"Heh..." Grindelwald gave a cold laugh. "You were so tempted by the Resurrection Stone that you used it without even checking it first. Tell me, isn't that stupid?"
"Well... that does sound rather stupid." Dumbledore looked faintly embarrassed. "Though in fairness, it would also be understandable..."
Much as he wanted to argue, Dumbledore knew himself well. If he had obtained the Resurrection Stone, there really was a good chance he would have tried it without thinking things through.
"So..." Grindelwald had just begun to say something else when he suddenly raised a brow.
"What is it?" Dumbledore, who had been watching him closely, immediately noticed the change in his expression.
"Something's coming."
Grindelwald's eyes darkened, and invisible magic surged out in waves.
Had someone been looking from high above at that moment, they would have seen that unseen magic spread almost instantly across Hogwarts and most of the surrounding forest.
Everything within that range fell into Grindelwald's sight.
Soon, he fixed on the source.
A giant radiating two opposite extremes, bitter cold and searing heat. Its body was cracked like stone, molten lava flowing through the fissures.
But the strangest thing was its face. Pale, empty, lifeless. A face that made it obvious this giant was an Inferius.
"What kind of monster is that?" Grindelwald frowned slightly.
The magical feedback told him the creature was tremendously powerful. In terms of raw force alone, it was no weaker than he was.
"What did you say? Something appeared?" Dumbledore's earlier awkwardness vanished, replaced by immediate gravity.
Hogwarts was where he had poured the greater part of his life's work. He would never allow it to be destroyed.
"A troublesome monster. Stay here. I'll deal with it." Grindelwald waved a hand and turned to leave.
"Wait. I can help..." Dumbledore said quickly.
"You can't." Grindelwald cut him off bluntly. "That thing's power far exceeds yours. It's practically half an Eternal Wizard. What exactly could you do but get in my way?"
"Then take the Elder Wand..." Dumbledore said unwillingly.
"I already told you, that thing is useless to me now. I don't need any wand anymore."
Grindelwald looked at him and said seriously, "The greatest help you can give me is to stay alive."
There seemed to be something more in those words. Or perhaps he simply did not want Dumbledore facing that monster.
Dumbledore was moved. He watched in silence as Grindelwald disappeared.
Inferius Cappadocia advanced slowly toward Hogwarts, lava dripping from his body and setting the forest ablaze behind him in a trail of destruction.
It was not long before students noticed the commotion in the forest. They quickly informed the professors, hoping the faculty would deal with the fire. Some of the bolder ones even wanted to rush in and put it out themselves.
But the professors, having already received Dumbledore's warning, swiftly set up a cordon outside the forest and forbade any students from approaching.
Not all students listened.
Quite a few still slipped into the forest, eager to put out the fire and prove themselves.
Deep in the woods, Voldemort, clad in a phantom-like coarse robe, watched the approaching students with a cold smile.
"I'll start with them. I'll carve a path through Hogwarts itself and take the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak."
Excitement gleamed in Voldemort's eyes. He could already sense the locations of the other Deathly Hallows, and by extraordinary luck, both were at Hogwarts.
Old grudges and new would be settled together. Today would be the day Hogwarts fell.
Just as Voldemort was about to reveal himself and announce his arrival to every teacher and student in Hogwarts, a figure suddenly appeared in front of those reckless students.
"What are you doing here? Didn't you hear the Headmaster say no one was allowed near this place?"
Grindelwald looked at the unruly students and snorted coldly.
"Go back."
His voice carried a terrifying authority, instantly shattering their curiosity and urge for adventure. Before they even realized it, they were already retreating out of the forest.
Still, they could not help becoming curious about Grindelwald.
"Who's that old man?"
"No idea. Is he a new professor?"
"Probably not. We'd have heard if there were a new professor..."
One by one, the students withdrew. Grindelwald turned, his calm gaze passing through the forest and settling on Cappadocia.
Voldemort, controlling Cappadocia from afar, shivered. His spectral body trembled uneasily.
That feeling... there was no mistaking it.
An Eternal Wizard.
Damn it. Why was there an Eternal Wizard at Hogwarts?
Voldemort was both alarmed and terrified, unable to understand where this stranger had come from.
With an Eternal Wizard standing here, did that mean he had to give up on the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak?
"No... no, I can't give up. Cappadocia has already been exposed to this Eternal Wizard. There's no escaping now. If I retreat at this point, I'll have to abandon Cappadocia too. Then I'll be in an even worse position. I'll lose my last means of dealing with Dumbledore."
Voldemort clenched his teeth, and a vicious light flashed in his eyes.
He had already thought of a way.
"Cappadocia, my faithful servant. I never expected the time for your sacrifice to come so soon."
Voldemort said coldly, "Hold him off at any cost."
The order was given.
Inferius Cappadocia let out a furious roar and charged at Grindelwald without hesitation.
No matter how much hatred and resentment the soul trapped within that body held, it had no power to stop itself from hurling itself at an Eternal Wizard who looked dangerous beyond belief.
In fact, the resentment in that soul only became fuel for the Inferius's strength.
Cappadocia leapt high into the air. Titan power erupted within him all at once, and dozens of meteors instantly appeared overhead, each trailing a long tail of flame.
Unable to defy Voldemort's command, he opened with his ultimate attack from the very first move.