Victor Wick had never been to Nurmengard; this was his first time.
Nurmengard was actually a castle, once the headquarters of the Acolytes.
According to Dumbledore, it was a dilapidated fortress built atop a high mountain.
"So this is Nurmengard..." Victor muttered, wrapped in a thick cloak as he stood at the base of the mountain, looking up toward the peak.
There stood a majestic castle, no less grand than Hogwarts itself.
The fortress was dark and somber, its exterior bricks indeed appearing somewhat weathered.
*Pop!*
A very clean house-elf, draped in a curtain cloth, appeared before Victor.
"Professor Wick, Master sent Bobby to escort you up," the elf said politely.
Victor raised an eyebrow. So, Grindelwald knew he was coming?
*Tsk... these people who can see the future are just too calculating...*
"Lead the way," Victor said calmly.
Bobby the house-elf was barefoot, yet he seemed to feel no cold as he stepped onto the freezing snow.
He led Victor to a tree so massive it would take ten men holding hands to encircle it.
The tree wasn't alive; it was a gargantuan alchemical construct! To the naked eye, however, it was indistinguishable from a real tree.
"This tree is something else," Victor praised.
*Snap!*
Bobby snapped his fingers. A door appeared in the center of the trunk, sliding open to reveal a glowing white passage.
"Please follow me." Bobby walked through the door first, disappearing into the white light.
Victor observed the unique door with interest. It was clear that this entrance was a recent addition.
*In other words, this was built behind Dumbledore's back?*
He knew that old fox Grindelwald wouldn't stay idle.
Stepping through the white light, Victor felt a sensation of weightlessness. In the blink of an eye, the scenery before him completely changed.
He and Bobby stood in a pristine courtyard. Lush greenery met his eyes, and the flowerbeds were filled with blossoms he couldn't name, their fragrance filling the air.
The door behind him slowly closed and vanished, as if it had never existed.
This was a courtyard within the castle, but not a single snowflake from the storm above could reach it.
The temperature had jumped from ten degrees below zero at the foot of the mountain to over twenty degrees Celsius.
With a single step, he had crossed from winter into spring.
At the castle entrance, a well-dressed Grindelwald stood waiting, smiling at Victor like an elegant gentleman who had just finished a formal dinner party.
By all appearances, the current Grindelwald looked nothing like a prisoner.
"Dressed so sharply... are you heading to a banquet or a blind date?" Victor joked.
"I like your sense of humor, Victor," Grindelwald chuckled. "What I want to say is: welcome to the real Nurmengard."
"Oh? The real Nurmengard?" Victor's eyes lit up; there was a lot of information packed into that phrase.
If there was a "real" Nurmengard, did that mean there was a "fake" one?
*Could it be... that the dilapidated castle Dumbledore described to me was the fake one?*
If he could fool Dumbledore's eyes, this old fox Grindelwald was far more formidable than Victor had imagined.
"It is exactly as you imagine," Grindelwald said with a reserved smile.
Behind him, the heavy castle doors swung open automatically, revealing a crimson velvet carpet flanked by two rows of young, beautiful maids.
"Is this how you test a man's resolve?" Victor teased, though his eyes didn't stray from the maids.
While Victor wasn't some naive bumpkin, looking at beautiful women was certainly more pleasant than staring at an old man like Grindelwald.
"If you wish to be tested, I wouldn't mind," Grindelwald said with a light laugh.
"I'll pass."
Victor followed Grindelwald into the main hall, which was as warm as a spring day.
"I bet if Dumbledore knew this was how you spent your imprisonment, his expression would be priceless. What I don't understand is why you're showing all this to me," Victor asked bluntly.
*You wouldn't even show Dumbledore, yet you're showing me?*
"Because while this place can elude Dumbledore's eyes, it cannot hide from your abilities..." Grindelwald said meaningfully.
"I see."
Despite the clever setup of the fake Nurmengard, Grindelwald knew he couldn't hide it from Victor's eyes.
Victor's ability allowed him to see through any hidden magic. To block Victor from seeing the real Nurmengard would require immense effort, so Grindelwald simply chose to reveal it.
"Come sit in my study. I know why you've come," Grindelwald said, leading Victor to his study.
Seeing the endless rows of bookshelves, Victor fell silent for a moment.
*You call this place, which is bigger than the Hogwarts Library, a study?*
Grindelwald sat on a sofa near the desk, and Bobby soon arrived with a teapot.
"I think I get it now... one can only see the real Nurmengard by coming up through that tree at the foot of the mountain. However... that tree looks new. Does that mean this place is also new? It doesn't look like it though."
"Your observation is as sharp as ever, Victor. That tree is a key I prepared specifically for you. In fact, everyone who comes here has their own unique way... Bobby lost his right to enter through that path the moment he led you in. From now on, that door belongs only to you," Grindelwald said with a smile.
Victor blinked. He understood what Grindelwald meant.
Essentially, the real Nurmengard was like a secret room where every person allowed inside had their own exclusive 'key.' Even if the key were stolen, no one else could use it to enter.
In other words, only those truly recognized by the master of this place—Grindelwald—could enter.
"A brilliant idea! I feel this method is far more advanced than the Fidelius Charm," Victor praised sincerely.
The Fidelius Charm was vulnerable to traitors, but this magic was not.
Even if someone betrayed Grindelwald, they could only enter by themselves and could not bring an intruder along.
If Victor wasn't mistaken, should anyone betray Grindelwald, those 'keys' would likely turn into deadly poisons instantly.
He didn't believe for a second that a calculating man like Grindelwald hadn't considered that.
Grindelwald pushed a thick book toward him with a smile. "This is for you. I know you're interested in this and will have a use for it soon... consider it a gift for doing me a favor."
"When did I ever do anything for you? Don't talk nonsense," Victor denied immediately, though the book on the table vanished out of sight before he even finished speaking.
Grindelwald acted as if he hadn't seen a thing, as if the book had never been brought out in the first place.
Victor's expression remained neutral, but he was far from calm. This old fox Grindelwald probably already knew he was planning to acquire an island for a secret base... that was why he had prepared this book so early.
But he hadn't told anyone about it. Not even Dorcas Meadowes, who was helping him find the deserted island, knew his true purpose.
And yet, Grindelwald knew...
*Has this old man read the script? This is way too calculating!*
How on earth did Dumbledore defeat such a powerful adversary who could see the future?
Or perhaps... Victor's arrival had caused some change that bolstered his prophetic abilities?
*Could it be...*
Merlin's face flashed across Victor's mind...
Since that great being could send Merlin to guide him, it seemed perfectly reasonable that he would provide some 'inspiration' or revelations to a prophet like Grindelwald to further guide Victor...
"Take this. The timing is about right. I think you won't refuse this time." Grindelwald brought out a box. Inside was a small fragment of Ariana's bone.
Grindelwald had told Victor before that he had dug up Ariana's grave...
Back then, Victor had been wary of him and didn't accept it.
And before Victor left Hogwarts, telling Ariana he was going to dig up her grave had obviously been a lie to the girl.
He just didn't want to mention Grindelwald to her.
Having friendships with both Dumbledore and Aberforth, Victor naturally knew how Ariana had died...
Victor placed his hand on the box, looking at Grindelwald suspiciously. "You're giving this to me just like that? You must know what kind of change this will trigger in Dumbledore."
"I've explained myself before; I won't repeat it. Just take it," Grindelwald waved his hand. "If you're worried, take it back and check it thoroughly. Of course, if you truly don't trust me, you don't have to use it. Find another way... it's up to you."
"I really can't see through you. As a grand villain, why would you do something as pointless as strengthening your enemy?"
"'Grand villain'? What an interesting term. However, you're wrong about one thing: Dumbledore is not my enemy... at least not anymore. Besides... a man who lacks for nothing often finds joy in doing pointless things. For people like us, those 'pointless' things can bring a unique kind of pleasure." Grindelwald looked at Victor with a hint of a smile.
Victor rubbed his chin. Case closed. This old fox definitely knew he was training the Dark Lord!
*And you claim you don't have a script?!*
"Rest assured, Victor... after I was locked in Nurmengard and caught a glimpse of the future, having long lost all my goals, my mindset underwent an interesting shift... I will not act against you."
"Is that when you built this 'real' Nurmengard?"
"Indeed... if I hadn't seen that little spark of change in the future, I would have been content to spend the rest of my life in that freezing cell."
Victor rubbed his chin in contemplation. He didn't know much about the original timeline's plot; when he first transmigrated, the name Grindelwald was almost foreign to him.
In other words, Grindelwald's role in the original story must have been minor. Otherwise, he would have recognized the name of such a powerful wizard.
His transmigration seemed to have acted as the flapping of a butterfly's wings, causing a shift in the mindset of a man who had completely surrendered to his life imprisonment, leading to a series of actions that never occurred in the original timeline.
"I won't ask any more, because I know you won't give me a straight answer." Victor stood up and asked one final question. "Will you stand on our side?"
"I will not stand in opposition to you. As for whether I will stand with you..." Grindelwald suddenly laughed. "Are you asking if I'll stand on your side, or Dumbledore's?"
"Heh..." Victor turned and left without staying a moment longer.
*This old geezer is definitely up to no good. Even now, he's trying to drive a wedge between me and Dumbledore!*