— — — — — —
"Albus.... Riddle."
Babajide greeted them with a weary expression.
Back in early January, when Tom first met Babajide because of the conflict with Robert Graves, the man had still carried himself with authority. Even though Grindelwald had been giving him headaches, his presence and control over the situation were unmistakable.
But now… he looked like nothing more than an ordinary old man on the brink of collapse.
A completely irrelevant thought drifted through Tom's mind: As a Uagadou graduate, did this old man have a lot of magic laborers at home?
The thought had nothing to do with the situation at hand, and Tom found himself spacing out.
Representatives from other countries stepped forward to exchange greetings, all of them extremely polite. They crowded as close to Dumbledore as etiquette allowed.
They were about to face Grindelwald head-on, and right now, Dumbledore was the only thing giving them even a shred of security.
Faced with their enthusiasm and deference, Dumbledore's calm expression didn't change in the slightest.
"Everyone," he said evenly, "there are some things that are better said upfront."
"I can say with certainty that Grindelwald will use the hostages in his hands to make demands you won't be able to accept. That isn't something I can decide for him."
"Whether you accept those demands or not is something you'll have to consider yourselves. Please don't place too much hope on me."
The representatives' faces turned grim, but they knew Dumbledore was telling the truth.
Babajide spoke up hoarsely. "Albus, I understand. But you can't completely wash your hands of this either. Otherwise, Grindelwald will only push further. When it's time to be tough, you still have to be tough."
Dumbledore nodded, and the two of them began discussing finer details.
Meanwhile, Tom was pulled aside by several representatives. Between the lines, they were all asking the same thing: could he invent some kind of device to defend against sound attacks? Grindelwald's performance had scared them badly.
Tom agreed readily and promised to produce a prototype within half a month.
Sound defense was easy enough.
But "Grindelwald's" terrifying scream attacked the soul itself. The two had nothing to do with each other.
Of course, the representatives didn't know that. Seeing how smoothly Tom agreed, they praised him as the most outstanding alchemist since Nicolas Flamel.
Half an hour later, Dumbledore and Babajide finished their discussion. The group traveled via the Floo Network to the nearest fireplace hub to Durmstrang, then mounted broomsticks and flew toward the school.
At that very moment, Grindelwald was receiving an unexpected visitor.
"Mr. Grindelwald." The man bowed slightly, then looked up, revealing a haggard face.
If Tom had been there, he would definitely have laughed and added a friendly greeting: "Mr. Graves, hasn't been that long. How did you end up looking like a stray dog?"
That's right. The one who came to see Grindelwald was Robert Graves.
After slaughtering his own kind, Robert's former power and status vanished overnight. He became a wanted man in North America, the number two fugitive on the ICW's list. Number one, of course, was Grindelwald himself.
But Robert knew Auror methods and habits inside and out. He slipped past pursuit with ease, fled across the ocean, and somehow even tracked down Durmstrang.
"Graves," Grindelwald said with mild curiosity, "what made you think of coming to me?"
From a certain point of view, Robert had delivered himself straight into a trap.
First, Grindelwald's connection to Tom.
Even setting that aside, Grindelwald's past impersonation of Percival had made him mortal enemies of the Graves family.
Robert shook his head with a bitter smile. "In the entire wizarding world, aside from turning to you, I have nowhere else to go."
"I don't see any reason to take you in." Grindelwald toyed with his fingers, sounding utterly casual. "Former head of security for the International Confederation of Wizards, a leading advocate of hardline resistance against me. Do you really think I'd trust you?"
"Sir, I understand your concerns. Please hear me out."
Robert's expression didn't change. "Yes, I was one of the most determined voices opposing you. But it wasn't because of lofty ideals. It was purely a matter of benefits."
"Your appearance disrupted the balance of the world."
"And now, turning to you is also about benefits. Only you can protect me. Only you can help me get my revenge. Isn't that exactly the creed you follow? Everything for the greater good."
He met Grindelwald's increasingly amused gaze without flinching. "All I want is a place to survive. My final goal is only to kill Tom Riddle. He's the one who destroyed my family and my life. Sir, I can give you the secrets of the American Magical Congress and intelligence from the International Confederation of Wizards."
"I'm also well-versed in Auror training and assessments. I can help train the Acolytes with targeted methods."
"Those are decent terms," Grindelwald said at last.
He stopped fidgeting with his fingers and smiled. "But the value you're showing me doesn't come close to Tom Riddle's. His talent alone, let alone the artifacts he makes, is far beyond what a homeless cur like you can compare to."
Robert clenched his fists.
Humiliation surged through him like a tidal wave. How glorious had his past been?
First a respected professor at Ilvermorny, then a collaborator with the North American Magical Congress, a representative in the International Confederation of Wizards, holding real power in his hands.
All of it had been destroyed by a kid.
Now he was nothing more than a 'homeless dog' in Grindelwald's mouth, not even worth accepting when he came begging.
"I can wait…" Robert took a deep breath. "Riddle is, in the end, Dumbledore's student. Dumbledore is your greatest enemy. Even if there's cooperation now, sooner or later they'll stand opposed."
"When that time comes, I'll be the sharpest, most vicious blade in your hand, stabbing straight at that lawless little wizard."
"Good. Very good!"
Grindelwald applauded loudly. He genuinely thought Robert was quite a talent: clear-headed, patient, ambitious, capable. He had everything except luck.
Offending Tom was bad enough. That kid had already forgotten about this poor bastard entirely.
And yet Robert had delivered himself right to his doorstep anyway. Did he really have a death wish?
Grindelwald suppressed the urge to laugh and said to Robert, "I can take you in for now. If you manage to prove that you're worth more than Tom Riddle, you'll get everything you want. For now, go. Find Vinda. She'll arrange things for you."
"Yes." Robert could barely contain his excitement as he left the room.
Grindelwald took a moment to steady himself. He had been planning to share this little bit of amusement with Tom, but before Robert had even gone far, Vogel came in with a report. Dumbledore and the others had entered the surveillance perimeter and would arrive soon.
Robert's matter had to be set aside for now. It was time to cooperate with Tom and see his plan through.
...
Half an hour later, Grindelwald met the negotiation delegation outside the conference room.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald stood ten meters apart, staring at each other. Time seemed to freeze. Just the two of them standing there was enough to turn the room into a clash of absolute light and shadow.
In the end, Grindelwald was the one who broke the stalemate. He chuckled softly and stepped aside. "Please, come in."
Dumbledore said nothing. Calm as ever, he walked in first. The other representatives hurried after him, each one doing their best to keep as much distance from Grindelwald as possible, not daring to look at him.
Only when Tom entered did he smile at Grindelwald.
Grindelwald returned the smile. But when his gaze shifted to Dumbledore's back, a trace of pity crept into his eyes.
Tom's plan didn't really conflict with Dumbledore. He just didn't want the old man getting in the way. Still, being kept completely in the dark was rather pitiful.
At his age, running around endlessly for nothing. Maybe after today, things would finally ease up for him.
With that thought, Grindelwald took his seat across from Dumbledore, his eyes gradually sharpening.
Dumbledore sensed the change and spoke coolly. "Grindelwald, why must Mr. Riddle be present before you're willing to talk to us?"
"Do I need a reason?" Grindelwald replied.
Dumbledore countered, "Do you ever do anything meaningless?"
"All right," Grindelwald said lazily, leaning back. "If you insist on an explanation. Negotiations between you and me require a witness. Someone qualified. There aren't many in the wizarding world."
"Besides you, Aberforth barely counts. That old alchemist counts. And then there's Scamander."
"…If I asked them to come, would you bring them?" he continued. "Didn't think so."
"So it's better to have this kid here. He's the future of the wizarding world. He should witness what the former peak looked like."
Tom smiled modestly at just the right moment. "You flatter me, Mr. Grindelwald."
Babajide and the other representatives looked baffled. They hadn't even started talking terms yet, and Grindelwald was already mocking them sideways.
So what, aside from the handful of people you personally named, the rest of the wizarding world is just trash?
And yet Dumbledore… actually accepted this explanation.
He knew Grindelwald's arrogance well. In fact, he strongly suspected that the people Grindelwald had listed weren't ones he respected at all. He probably just wanted Dumbledore to bring them along so he could kill them with a single spell.
"Very well," Dumbledore said at last. "Then let Mr. Riddle serve as the witness."
He looked to Tom for confirmation, and only after Tom nodded did he continue. "Grindelwald, state your terms. What will it take for you to hand the captives over to me?"
The delegation instantly tensed, palms slick with sweat.
"Simple," Grindelwald said casually. "The International Confederation of Wizards disbands. The Ministries of Magic from these countries swear loyalty to me. Then those Aurors go home safe and sound."
"You… you've got to be joking."
Babajide had wanted to say you're dreaming, but in the end he didn't dare go that far. Even his protest sounded weak.
"Don't push it too far."
Dumbledore frowned. This wasn't a negotiation at all. It was a demand for outright surrender.
"I'm not here to listen to fantasies, and I don't have time to argue," Dumbledore said flatly. "If we can talk, we talk. If not, then I'm done."
For once, a sharp edge flashed through his blue eyes. "I don't believe you dare kill all three hundred Aurors. Do you have any idea how many wizarding families stand behind them, how many connections are involved?"
"If you really do it, no one in the world will ever want to join your side again."
"Albus…"
Babajide had never seen him like this before and was genuinely frightened. He was afraid that pushing Grindelwald too far would drive him into a frenzy and get everyone killed.
Tom, enjoying the chaos, blinked at Dumbledore in open support.
That's more like it. The so-called White King wasn't made of dough. Being calm all the time was boring.
Yes. Push back. Hit him head-on.
"Yeah, maybe... I'm afraid of you?" Grindelwald raised a hand. He said he was afraid, but he was smiling. This was the Dumbledore he wanted to see. That lifeless old man from before was nothing like the one in his memories.
"Ok. You're right. I don't dare kill them all," Grindelwald continued. "But I can follow the trail."
He leaned forward slightly. "If I assimilate these three hundred Aurors, won't their families and friends become potential Acolytes as well?"
Dumbledore's expression changed.
This was exactly what he feared most. The longer they were imprisoned, the more variables crept in. If they were released after half a year, chances were a large portion of them would come back as sleeper agents.
Seeing Dumbledore's unease, Grindelwald was finally satisfied. He bared his fangs.
"My demand is very simple," he said slowly. "As long as you, Albus Dumbledore, sign a blood pact with me, I'll release them today."
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T/N: The update time will be fixed from now on (the same as today). Sorry for the earlier inconsistency. Hope you're still enjoying the story!