Part of the Agreement

"Of course I'm aware of that…" Grindelwald said slowly, his face calm.

"So you must have done some research on how to counteract the Dark Arts' corrosive effects on the body, correct?" Ivan asked, staring at Grindelwald.

"Yes, I did give him some advice, but he was too late. The strange dark magic had taken over his body… and there was nothing I could do about it," Grindelwald replied.

"But the potion-maker told me that Dumbledore would only be able to hold out until the beginning of the school year in his condition, and yet he defied all common sense and managed to hold out until the end of the year, even managing to retain his fighting prowess. I'm sure you had something to do with that," Ivan said confidently.

"You are very sharp…Hales." Grindelwald's deep voice was husky, and he did not answer Ivan's question directly. Instead, he held out his left hand, which was hidden in the shadows. "This is the answer you seek."

Ivan looked down at it, and his pupils contracted. Grindelwald's entire left hand was charred black, and there was a faint black aura around it, making it look exactly like Dumbledore's injuries.

"In other words, you've been taking some of the damage from the Dark Arts in Dumbledore's place these past few days?" After a brief period of surprise, Ivan quickly came to this conclusion, having seen several spells at Hogwarts that had similar effects during his visit to the Forbidden Book.

Grindelwald's expression didn't change as he withdrew his hand and said casually, "You can assume that."

Ivan looked hard at Grindelwald and then asked, "You don't seem to mind answering my question."

Grindelwald slowly slid the last of the steak into his mouth, chewing it carefully before replying, "It was part of the agreement, after all!"

"What agreement?! Did you make an agreement with Dumbledore?" Ivan persisted.

"The agreement was simple. I would answer your questions, and he promised me a little comfort… before I died…" Grindelwald's face broke into a sardonic smile.

"That's all?" Yvonne looked surprised, as the terms of the agreement were not equal.

Grindelwald not only had to answer many of his questions, but he also had to give his life for the slightly more comfortable environment!

After all, Dumbledore had confirmed that if one was hit by this Dark Magic and could not be cured in a short period of time, then… they would definitely die!

Grindelwald did not have a potion brewed by Snape specifically for the purpose of suppressing injuries, so his body corroded away very quickly. Judging by the severity of his left hand injury, Grindelwald probably had less than three months to live…

"I have been imprisoned in this tower for perhaps fifty years. It makes no difference to me whether I die a day earlier or later," Grindelwald said frankly.

"Is that so?" Yvonne looked at Grindelwald critically, her gaze quickly shifting to the papers scattered around the bed. Judging from the headlines, they were the latest editions of the Daily Prophet.

"You read the papers all the time? That doesn't seem like the sort of thing a man waiting to die would do!" Yvonne said teasingly, raising her eyebrows.

"This tower is such a bore, you have to cultivate habits to pass the time, such as… seeing what interesting things are going on." Grindelwald's tone remained calm.

He pushed his cutlery aside and picked up a Daily Prophet. He looked at the headline: "Mysterious Man Strikes Again, Gringotts Suffers Heavy Losses."

"It seems that you used the name of the Dark Lord to teach those goblins a lesson. This is something that I've always wanted to do but failed to do… Ah, right, if I'm not wrong, you should be in control of Britain now, right?"

"They're just little tricks," Ivan replied airily.

He had done a lot of things over the years, but they had all been minor British affairs. If one were to count, the total population of wizards and witches in Britain was probably less than that of a Muggle town.

More to the point, Ivan felt that he had nothing to be proud of in front of Grindelwald, who had tried to single-handedly start a war between wizards and Muggles, and who had even concocted an astonishing plan to do so, which, even if it failed, was still formidable.

"Headmaster Dumbledore told me about you and your many schemes, and I have to say that it was a very practical path, and it inspired me a lot," said Ivan.

"So we share the same ideals…" Grindelwald's lips curled into a knowing smile, confident that Dumbledore had spoken those words with caution, but the young wizard in front of him seemed to think differently.

Ivan, however, shook his head. "No, your ideas are too strong, and while there are lessons to be learned from them, wizards and Muggles need to find ways to coexist."

From Ivan's point of view, even if wizards of a small minority were able to dominate the world for a short period of time, it would be difficult for them to do so for long.

Muggles, on the other hand, are unlikely to exterminate wizards, as there is a chance that two children born to Muggles will have magical talents.

"So you subscribe to Dumbledore's belief that Muggles and wizards should live in harmony?" Grindelwald scoffed.

"What's wrong with that?" Yvonne asked.

"You're going to put a lion with a sheep?" Grindelwald said disdainfully.

"Muggles are not as weak as you think they are… I'm sure you've seen the devastation they caused during the last Muggle-inspired world war," Ivan said noncommittally.

"You mean weapons developed by Muggles specifically for the purpose of massacring their own?" Grindelwald scoffed. "I admit that Muggles are far more efficient at killing than we are, but don't forget that even the most powerful weapon needs to be man-made, and wizard control is enough."

Rather than argue the point with Grindelwald, Ivan said calmly, "You tried to do this decades ago and failed, didn't you?"

Grindelwald's expression soured, then softened. "Yes, I did lose, but not at the hands of Muggles, and not those of the Confederation…"