When passing the Entrance hall next dat, Harry noticed a huge crowd gathered at the notice board. No surprise, another announcement.
The Gryffindor instinct to shove into crowded spaces kicked in. Harry and Ron fought their way forward, pushing past student after student. By the time they reached the front, already heard most of it.
On March 1st, the schools and competitors for the Underage Wizard Dueling Tournament would arrive at Hogwarts. The matches would start on the second weekend of March and last seven weeks, ending in May.
----Castelobruxo was confirmed to participate.
The competition was divided by year; 'first-years' were excluded entirely since they barely knew any spells. Second-years could only duel within their grade itself, so the categories were from third to seventh year, with no separate boys' or girls' brackets.
For the 'first' six weeks, each Saturday would host one year group's tournament to determine that year's strongest duelist.
The last week would be the Grand finals, no year divisions, challenge anyone you want. But each contestant only got two losses. Lose twice and you're out.
And then came the reward:
Second year--- 250 Galleons.
Overall Champion --- 1000 Galleons.
"One thousand?!" Ron's voice cracked, eyes gleaming red with greed, "I'm signing up!" his sad mood due to Scabbers diet change forgotten.
Harry gave his money-struck best friend a look of deep pity. He didn't say anything discouraging, but he knew perfectly well---With Lucifer around, that prize money might as well be given to him now.
It wasn't just Harry who thought the champion had already been decided. Most people felt the same way.
No one really saw Lucifer as a "student" anymore. Professors, classmates, everyone, his presence was closer to a force of nature than a boy in school robes. And there were no rules banning him from entering the tournament. Unless Greengrasses or Granger pulled some kind of 'honey trap', Harry honestly couldn't imagine how the boy could possibly lose.
But if even students could figure that out, how could the visiting professors and Headmasters not see it? And since they'd clearly thought it through, how could they not take precautions? Otherwise they might as well show up and fight for second place.
Because of Professor Binns, 'History of the Wizarding world', most of the talk ended up revolving around Hogwarts
No one really knew much about Castelobruxo, so there wasn't much to say about it anyway.
"How many students do you think will come? Their total number I heard's like two times ours."
"It's just a normal Dueling program, right? Probably not many will come."
"Castelobruxo? Do people in South America even speak English? How are we supposed to talk to them?"
"Use hand signs, I guess. Worst case, we just don't talk. Who even knows what kind of bloodlines they've got?"
"That makes sense."
"Buuut I heard Castelobruxo has the best girls~ hehe~"
"Oh, say more."
Lucifer didn't join in the gossip, he was currently under a hard stare by from his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, who also had a similar train of thoughts Harry previously had, her brain was currently busy if she could get him to tutor her instead of participating.
It was totally unlike herself, she mused, if she hadn't gotten buttocks whacked purple, and subdued past three years, she would have definitely pumped her fighting spirit to fight this boy head-on.
xxxxxx
Ever since word spread Castelobruxo was coming, students had no heart for lessons and Professors weren't faring much better, they were tossing out assignments like confetti.
Transfiguration turned into a Seminar on proper conduct, with Professor McGonagall spending the entire period warning the young witches and wizards to behave. If anyone embarrassed Hogwarts, she would see to it that the smile vanished from their face.
Rumor said she kept Fred and George after 'fifth year's class' and the twins slunk out much later, noticeably defeated balloons, staying very quiet for the rest of the day.
"My older brother Bill had a pen-friend at a school in Brazil once. He wanted Bill to go on a student exchange trip, but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it... So, the pen friend got all offended, and sent him a cursed hat."
"What happened?"
That senior from RavenClaw passed Ron Weasely a galleon to continue.
"It made his ears shrivel up!"
.....
In Charms, Professor Flitwick went completely off topic, excitedly speaking about friends he knew in his youth of South America, "They tell me Castelobruxo stands atop ancient ruins. A few Muggle archaeological teams once tried to study the site, but were driven off by 'Repelling Charms.' The grounds are guarded by spirits called Caipora. I have not seen them myself, but they are said to be rather cute..."
He hopped up onto his desk for emphasis, eyes gleaming, "Wizards from there excel at magic tied to nature, since school sits in a vast rainforest... They are also skilled in transformation and can change into different animals."
"Animagi?" Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Similar, but not the same," Flitwick shook his head, smiling at the memory, "Animagi can transform wandlessly and very quickly. Castelobruxo's method uses a special potion and a wand as focus. It is easier for less advanced students, but pricier on the wallet. In one Dueling tournament, I once faced a wizard from there who turned into a bear and still lost. He left the stage looking as if his heart had been cut out."
"Wait, you can really use potions in a duel? Professor Snape wasn't kidding," Seamus Finnigan asked, wide eyed.
"So long as you brewed it yourself," Flitwick said, hint heavy as a hammer, "Professor Snape knows quite a few useful recipes. I'm sure he would teach you one or two---if you 'asked nicely."
"...."
In Herbology, everyone became gardeners under Professor Sprout's direction, pruning and tidying into the greenhouses. Terry Boot misjudged a cut and took too much of a patch of Mandrake leaf, Sprout's glare could have killed him on the spot, and he was immediately reassigned to shovel dirt for the rest of the period as punishment.
It was plain the professors were more nervous than students. Heads of House were giants in their fields. Their one weakness was this hive of children, who could ruin a reputation in education with one careless spectacle.
And Filch? He'd gone completely manic. For two straight days, he could be heard stomping up and down the castle corridors, polishing every inch of flagstone until it gleamed. He wanted the floor tiles to reflect faces and the portraits to hang straighter than rulers.
Most students didn't like Filch, but no one could deny how much he loved the castle.
Hogwarts was literally being polished like a jewel for the visiting schools.
Old decorations were removed, new stonework repaired from ignored Basilisk damage, and Flitwick personally enchanted the brick to age properly so it matched castle's style.
At night, house-elves even flew on broomsticks, scrubbing the exterior walls until they gleamed like wet obsidian, Afterall, Hogwarts would be hosting Dueling Tournament from three other Wizarding schools.
It was the 'first' time in decades Hogwarts had opened its doors like this, and even the Headmaster Dumbledore was nervous, hoping Sirius would calm down, and that news he wanted to share, should he leave it to Minerva or Severus?
Everyone wanted the school to look its best.
xxxxxx
Later it was declared, Hogwarts had just straight up banned Lucifer.
"Where is justice? Where is the law?!"
Snape's desk was taking a brutal beating. If anyone else-literally anyone, even another Head of House had slammed his desk like that, he would've already exploded.
But with this furious teenager standing in front of him, he could only endure it, silently cursing Dumbledore to hell. Of course the old man dumped this mess on him, but not Minerva. And he couldn't even be bothered to tell Lucifer himself.
Snape would bet all his prize ingredients that Dumbledore expected the brat to react like this, which was exactly why he'd pushed the task onto poor him. And he'd even said, "Lucifer is your student 'first', after all."
'And you're his headmaster, you old fraud!'
"Ahem. Morningstar," The Professor finally spoke once the boy had mercy on his desk and the room was quiet again, "What meaning does this kind of tournament have for you? Is competing with a bunch of incompetent children supposed to give you something? Even if you win, what exactly do you gain?"
"Professor, you don't get it. It's called honor." Lucifer crossed his arms, expression righteous as Godric himself, "I'm a Slytherin. Ambition and honor are in my blood."
Snape's temple twitched hard.
"Even Slytherins don't chase every kind of honor, would a serpent compete with monkey for a banana?"
Lucifer let out a cold snort and leaned forward slightly, "Professor, do you really believe that's same thing? If I didn't want to join, it would be my choice... Here, not about me refusing, but about them crying to not let me compete. Someone has to give me a damn explanation."
"....The other schools all said, 'You're simply not on level as other competitors.' If you enter, tournament will lose its purpose. Their students won't even try. Morningstar, no one is forcing you to quit. It's just that if you enter, the event collapses. They can only do this," he sighed heavily trying to sweet talk, which for reasons, Snape couldn't comprehend was coming out as scorn.
"And by the way, visiting headmasters practically praised you to heavens. Said you'd surpass Dumbledore, plus they can't help it."
Rubbing his forehead, Lucifer hated being strong-armed. And he couldn't exactly force his way into a competition just for a measly prize.
He had pride too, after all. In the end, after thinking until his brain hurt, he finally came up with a way to compensate for his loss.
"Each school will provide me hundred books from their Restricted section, no duplicates or there will be hell to pay... Then I'll accept."
The Seven major wizarding schools all had deep foundations, well, except 'Ilvermorny'. They wouldn't hand over their most prized secrets, not even assured of entry into the Dueling.
From what he knew, in total four schools (Hogwarts included) would be participating.
When Lucifer finally relented, Snape nearly sagged in his chair. He'd been terrified the boy would lose his temper and blow up the entire tournament. 'Dumbledore would absolutely blame me for it.'
Because that old man didn't want to provoke Lucifer either, no one wanted a third "Dark Lord" right now.
As long as it wasn't a matter of principle, they'd all bend over backwards for Morningstar And his condition wasn't unreasonable. Without checking with Dumbledore or the other schools, Snape simply approved it on the spot.
Only then did Lucifer calm down a little. He said goodbye and left the office, silently comforting himself, "Fine, it's just a single battle of using light sticks. The world doesn't revolve around me, I didn't even care about the tournament in the 'first' place."
xxxxxxx
When Lucifer entered the Great Hall, the air was buzzing with talk about Dueling tournament. For the last several days, he had been getting uneasy looks, and sure of it, right now when he walked in, half discussions died instantly and countless eyes turned toward him. 'Well, perfect time to make you quiet, saves me the trouble of repeating it all night....'
"Don't look at me, I won't be entering the tournament, just talked it over with Professor Snape and, even Professor McGonagall supports the decision. Do your best and keep Championship here at Hogwarts."
"Wha-?!"
The Hall exploded, for days everyone had been saying the result was already set in stone. And now Lucifer was dropping out?
"Mate, why?" Neville asked anxiously, baffled as he held Trevor, "This is a free championship. Why hand it to someone else?"
"Yeah," Gryffindor's Head Boy, Percy also chimed in, as he turned over, "Didn't you say you'd participate?"
Lucifer raised his hands helplessly, "What can I do? If I enter, the other schools' participants refuse to sign up. The tournament would collapse before it began. So, I can only step back and give you all the chance. But I know even without me, Champion will still belong to Hogwarts."
He rarely minded losing out, yet this time he would be compensated with Wizarding school hidden books? But it's not like, they would be getting away unscathed.'If they won't let me compete, I can still make sure they choke on it.'
Sure enough, the smart kids already understood what he was implying. Looks of disdain spread across the room. So, Lucifer dropped out because the other schools were afraid of him. They didn't dare let him compete...?
"How shameless!" Hermione was spitting venom on the table, rightly furious, "Even worse than Graham and his tag-a-longs."
"Right? So they think without Lucifer, Hogwarts has no one worth anything?"
Upper-year students across all four houses felt their blood boil. So that was it? Without Morningstar, Hogwarts students were useless?
The Championship would be snatched away? For once, all four houses shared the same attitude: beat the shit out of them. That night, every Head of House received a flood of tournament registrations. The enthusiasm that had evaporated after Dueling class was canceled now surged back with a vengeance.
In the Gryffindor common room, Lucifer even helped expand the space again, opening up a 'full' battle area.
The news spread quickly. Within days, newspapers were plastered with articles about the Tournament. The rules and schedule were mentioned, but the real highlight was 'The Daily Prophet's' mockery of the foreign schools' cowardice. Rita Skeeter had written it, so of course it was vicious.
After publishing, she even contacted international colleagues to spread the report abroad. Vinda Rosier quietly fanned the flames too. Soon, it reached the other schools. Their headmasters trembled with fury, yet couldn't find a single angle to refute.
Ilvermorny made it clear of refusing to visit Hogwarts, while Hermione on the other hand shot her boyfriend a dazzling sideways glance. She really couldn't stand losing, and wanted him still to play teacher. "Learn? Why wouldn't I?" She said, suddenly slipping into a wounded tone.
"Professor Morningstar, please take care of me. I'm a slow student, don't get annoyed with me."
Lucifer sucked in a sharp breath. The space even cooperated by dropping the temperature. She was getting way too good at role playing.
This girl's mind was impossible to predict, sometimes she was cold enough to treat living creatures in Potions like lab tools, diving into research with even more madness than probably RavenClaw herself.
Somedays Granger's personality would pop out a gentle, intellectual older sister, Daphne unknowingly had even called her version "Mommy" more than once.
And now she could act like a shy schoolgirl? Calling herself a slow student? If Hermione was slow, then what exactly were the current Hogwarts kids? Amoebas?
If winning over her completely meant getting all her different moods along with her... wasn't that basically a whole roster of girlfriends in one?
"Come on, come on. I'll educate you properly, Miss Granger," Lucifer said, tugging her back towards the bed.
xxxxxx
It was a week later, Hogwarts students had all 'finished' signing up for the selection rounds. Across all years, more than 150 people had registered, almost twenty per year.
But each year could only send one duelist to official tournament, Lupin was currently drowning in work organizing the preliminaries. As 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' professor, it naturally fell on him.
Lucifer's side was simple. Ginny, Hermione, Susan had signed up, he had tried to convince the Hufflepuff of dropping her name if she wasn't feeling well, cause it would be her eighth month by the time of finals, going would just be pointless.
Bones' heiress was stern though, she promised not to overdo, and be satisfied with negligible bouncing, giving herself a major setback. The worse she used his own lecture, stated be coming after 11th, and 'full' of energy right now to participate.
And while Hogwarts was buzzing with excitement, no one noticed Dumbledore slipping out of the school repeatedly, bunking on his duties.
The Wizarding world looked calm on the surface, ever since Christmas, there had been no clashes with the Acolytes, the situation was stabilizing.
But beneath calm, tensions were churning, most governments didn't want Grindelwald roaming free. He was a live grenade rolling around the globe, a sword hanging over the heads of politicians, who could strike.
What was the point of scheming and plotting if someone like him could just kick down the door and kill you?
"Oh?"
In Berlin, Grindelwald held a parchment letter from the 'Bulgarian Minister of Magic'. The wording was humble, almost groveling. It was a letter of giving his allegiance.
Once, Bulgaria had been one of Berlin's staunchest allies, stronger even than Italy. After the war, they'd been punished heavily. But Gellert read the letter with skepticism.
A trap, maybe? And if it was... even better, a slow smile curved across his face. He glanced at Vinda, who stood quietly at his side, "Make the arrangements. In a week, we'll take over the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic."
Grindelwald had once been a proud man arrogant, yes, but deeply sentimental. He believed his followers would never betray him, and own charisma was enough to convert even those who joined him with ulterior motives. And truthfully, he'd succeeded many times. Quite a few Ministry spies planted among the Acolytes ended up becoming fervent believers.
But still, the Grindelwald of today was much like Lucifer: aside from his own power, he trusted nothing.
Whether Bulgaria was scheming or not didn't matter. If they weren't, he'd gain more tools. If yes, then it was a perfect chance to deal a heavy blow to the ICW and force Dumbledore to the negotiating table.
Vinda sounded hesitant, she knew him well enough to understand he hadn't overlooked the risks, meaning he was fishing, "Sir... If Dumbledore uses this as an opportunity... would you be in danger?"
Toying with the bone crafted ornament looted from an enemy family, Grindelwald gave an amused smile, an eerie green light flickering over its surface, "Vinda," he said softly, "you know me, but you don't know Dumbledore."
Miss Rosier's humble expression froze. 'Why the hell would I know him? I'm not his lover.'
Grindelwald didn't notice her momentary lapse, and continued, almost talking to himself, "Haven't you realized? Every time Dumbledore and I fight in public, we always stop short---just a token exchange and nothing more. I don't care about going all out, but he does. He worries about the consequences. Either other witches and wizards would get hurt," he went on, "Or we'd risk exposing the entire magical world. So, he will never set a trap for me, knows I won't fall for petty tricks. But..."
"But Babajide will take the risk," Vinda finished for him, getting the point he wanted to insinuate, "And the Ministry officials who oppose you will try as well. The longer they wait, stronger your influence becomes. It'll spark an unstoppable wave and cause your power to expand rapidly."
That was Grindelwald's real terror, he had a clear vision, coherent principles, and the ability to rally individuals who shared them. And his audience... 'was extremely broad.'
Pure-bloods, half-bloods, even Muggle-borns in his rhetoric, they were all comrades. His ultimate goal wasn't to help one faction at the expense of another. It was to create a magical world where wizards wouldn't need to tiptoe around, living in the shadows.
Outside regions directly controlled by him, Poland and Germany, the debate over his ideology was still raging. His supporters were becoming impossible to ignore, and that was one of the reasons so many Ministries were panicking. Even at great cost, they had to snuff out Grindelwald before the tension turned into open chaos.
Voldemort, on the other hand, was hopeless, moment he declared pure- blood supremacy, he cut himself off from half the Wizarding population. His entire approach was brute force and terror, hardly style of someone capable of building a lasting movement.
So those who gathered around him were either old pure-blood conservatives or cowards trying to survive by doing the bare minimum. Unless Voldemort marched an army into a country, almost no Ministry would willingly surrender to him.
Grindelwald nodded, clearly pleased. Speaking with intelligent people was truly effortless. Vinda recalled the message she'd received before coming and reported, "Sir, Mr. Morningstar just informed me, he's finished preparing goods for the exchange."
"Oh?" His two different coloured eyes lit up, "Finally? Then go to Hogwarts at once, bring everything back."
He didn't particularly care about the alchemical items, it was more delivering his own treasure.
"And Vinda, pick out a gift for him first, Artistic. The prettier the bloodshed cause of it, the better."
This wasn't just giving Lucifer a present, it was poking Dumbledore in the eye. A reminder that Grindelwald was always thinking about the boy, keeping him just anxious enough.
Vinda nodded. She'd browsed the Rosier family's private collection with him before;still remembered his tastes, not difficult at all.
"And, one more thing."
She paused at the door, turning back.
"The meeting with Bulgaria must be scheduled for a weekend."
"A... weekend?" Vinda couldn't guess what significance that held.
"I want Lucifer to attend, of course. He's only free on weekends, the boy goes to school after all."
It was almost absurd to think the shifts in global magical politics could be influenced by a student's class schedule, but here they were.
Vinda acted fast. She sent an official notice to the British Ministry that very day. When no reply came the next morning, she departed regardless.
No one dared block her path, not even when she traveled with only a handful of guards. There wasn't a single country left that could withstand Grindelwald's fury alone.
Hurting Vinda might deal a severe blow to the Acolytes, but retaliation would be catastrophic. She walked straight into Hogwarts Castle.
McGonagall and Snape accompanied her from the gates all the way to the Headmaster's office, it was the polite way of expressing, supervised was probably more accurate.
Dumbledore already knew why she was here. He couldn't stop the exchange, so he simply informed the person in demand, who got the message while he was in Forbidden Forest, bathing the two pandas, and Milo who were rubbing their belies, staring at each other curiously. Those creatures had gotten "quite chubby."
"Mr. Morningstar, it's been some time. Your presence grows more striking every time I see you." Vinda's voice was as pleasant as ever, he enjoyed dealing with people like her, who were efficient and knew how to talk.
Not like Gellert or Davis who argued with him every other day.
"This is a gift from Lord Grindelwald. He hopes it suits your taste."
After the greetings, Vinda began taking out The Dark Lord's gifts one by one, just as he instructed. At first, Dumbledore's expression stayed neutral, but the longer he watched, the more off it became.
It had been several minutes. Why was she still pulling things out?
~The Fall of the Morning Star~
(16th-Century Baroque Painting)
'The Midnight Siege of Sofia', it was a Moving Wizarding Canvas.
[A hauntingly beautiful landscape painting of a Bulgarian fortress under siege. Enchanted silver fire raining down on a gothic citadel, reflecting a brilliant devastating violet glow across the room]
'The Weeping Gorgon!'
[A 'flawless', minimalist bust carved from a single piece of volcanic glass. The gorgon's eyes were hollowed out, but the stone was enchanted so that a faint crimson luminescence gleamed from depths of the sockets, shifting under different angles of light.]
~The Ivory Seraph~
Defiled Clerical Art, A delicate foot-tall sculpture of a multi-winged angel carved from mammoth ivory. Close inspection revealed that runes of dark magic have been meticulously etched into the 'feathers' of the wings, subtly warping the holy imagery into something deeply sinister.
'Thestral-Bone Cane', it's handle was molded into the shape of a screaming European dragon, with two tiny raw-cut rubies acting as its eyes.
The "Blood-Drop" Spinel
A massive pear-shaped, unmodified red gemstone hanging from a delicate platinum chain. 'Living fluid' charm making the deep red core appear to swirl and pulse like a 'freshly' spilled drop of heartbeat-warm blood.
Ring of the Night-Walker
'Memento Mori Pendulum'
'Crystal Goblet of Thorns'
All kinds of art pieces, and not a single inferior one in the Displayed Museum on his table. Even by his seasoned standards, each item was a rare treasure. This was supposed to be a simple meeting gift?
If Grindelwald had given him this many things, Dumbledore could 'understand', but to Lucifer, after thinking for a long moment, he could only convince himself Gellert simply refused to give up on winning the boy.
After a full quarter hour, the gifts 'finally' stopped, Lucifer happily packed everything away and handed Vinda the promised stock in exchange. She placed several more large orders, then left Hogwarts without lingering.
Grindelwald had been the biggest contributor, playing the perfect agent of chaos. His presence alone scared Ministries into throwing massive orders at Lucifer who was about to miss Hagrid's class, then Dumbledore inconveniently stopping him.
"Lucifer, what kind of person do you think Grindelwald is?"
The boy was about to touch the door, he thought for a moment and answered honestly, "A powerful wizard, who is hard to deal with. But probably a decent friend, definitely not the raving kind of Dark Lord..."
It was a fair judgment, neither hostile nor naive. Dumbledore nodded slightly, "But there's one thing you didn't mention," he said with worry, "I won't deny being friends with Gellert can be... pleasant. Back then, well, never mind. Our relationship wasn't always the way it is now. His biggest problem is his dangerous ideas, you grew up in the Muggle world. Surely you don't want the two turning on each other and going to war?"
Lucifer stared at him, baffled, he understood what Dumbledore feared that he would be swayed by Grindelwald's honeyed words. Unfortunately for him, well, excuse the phrasing, but Gellert's soul was already his.
"Professor..." He thumped his chest confidently, with a closed first over the heart, "Don't worry. I'd never swear loyalty to Grindelwald, and obey his orders. A real man doesn't spend his life under someone else."
Dumbledore gave a relieved smile. It made sense, the boy's pride was unmistakable, especially in how he treated Voldemort. Someone like him would never bow to Grindelwald.
With his worries soothed, he let go. By the time Lucifer was given to excuse out of the office, it was already time for last class of the day.
xxxxxxx
Next day, 'History of Magic' ended with a bore, Lucifer headed up to the rooftop. Usagi swooped down from clouds and rubbed affectionately against his cheek.
He played with her for a bit before giving her a task, delivering the bloodline fusion potions he'd prepared to Grindelwald.
He'd originally planned to hand them to Rosier yesterday, but Dumbledore had kept pulling him aside to chat. He couldn't just leave Vinda waiting the whole time, so today became a dedicated delivery run.
"Fly slower," Lucifer said as he tied the dragon-hide pouch onto Usaki's body, "It took forever to perfect these. If you spill a drop, I won't play with you for a month."
Usagi bobbed her huge head quickly, promising compliance, "Wuu wuu wuu~"
He had prepared three types of magical creature bloodlines: Fire Dragon, Basilisk, and Kelpie. These weren't for Grindelwald himself but for his subordinates as rewards.
Considering using bloodlines as a kind of currency to motivate followers of Acolytes while also boosting their strength. And like any currency, there needed to be different tiers. These diluted potions were nowhere near the full version in effect... Worse, if the user didn't take them consistently over a long period, the bloodline would fade.
In other words, limited time cards.
If they wanted true growth, wanted to permanently fuse, they'd have to keep earning, keep drinking, until the concentration reached threshold where it solidified and no longer needed potion support.
Lucifer had burned through a lot of brain cells to create these "castrated" versions. But there were two full-version, Basilisk 'fusion' potions in the batch, reserved for Vinda Rosier and Gunnar Grimmson. They were Grindelwald's left and right hands.
Once they took the potion, lifespans would extend dramatically and bodies would recover enough to take more pressure off Grindelwald.
After sending off Usagi, he walked down to the first floor and arrived just in time to witness Harry and Draco arguing again.
"Potter, with your skills you dare sign up for the competition? Do us all a favor and stay home. Everyone knows the 'third-year champion' will be me."
"Oh really? Is Daddy going to donate to the school again? Or are you planning to cry for Mommy if they don't let you through?"
"At least I have a mother to cry for. What about you? The only one you can scream for is your 'criminal godfather.' And even then, he's technically my uncle."
The two of them were shoving insults straight into each other's lungs. Their faces were red, necks stiff with fury, but neither dared throw a punch. McGonagall had warned if she caught them fighting again, they'd spend entire term in detention, every night.
Lucifer's arrival cut their exchange short. Draco shot Harry a triumphant look, trotted toward him like a boot-licking puppy, and put on his best flattering smile.
"Could you tutor me for a bit? I know I won't win the overall championship, but I should at least have a shot at taking the year title, right?"
Harry snorted loudly at the hypocrisy of a Snake begging a Gryffindor for help, "Malfoy, did you forget Hermione signed up too?"
Draco's smile died on the spot, he really had forgotten about Granger. In his head, Potter was the only rival.
But one of Lucifer's notebooks had already pushed Harry, Draco, and Zabini ahead of their classmates. Hermione, on the other hand, had special 'girlfriend priveleges,' direct instruction. Real, hands-on teaching. How was that a 'fair' comparison?
Draco suddenly felt he didn't stand a chance at all. For a long moment, the shine on his platinum hair seemed to dim, whole body radiated despair.
"Alright, keep arguing if you want. Just don't drag me into it," Lucifer had Tracey Davis breathing down his neck to continue "honey-moon phase" of the wedding, he didn't have time for these two, waved them aside and squeezed between to get to the bedroom.
xxxxxx
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office
Even though it was already late at night, Dumbledore still sat behind his desk, expression grim, quill flying across parchment as he engaged in a fierce correspondence with Babajide Akingbade, President of 'International Confederation of Wizards.'
『Albus Dumbledore』: Babajide, don't be impulsive. Grindelwald is too intelligent, Bulgaria's secret maneuvering won't escape him.
『Babajide Akingbade』: Albus, I'm certain he suspects nothing. This afternoon, Oblansk received a personal reply. Grindelwald agreed to travel to Bulgaria before the weekend to take over their Ministry.
Oblansk was the 'Bulgarian Minister for Magic,' the one who proposed surrendering to Grindelwald.
The truth was he genuinely wanted to join the Acolytes, Bulgaria was in a bad spot. Most young witches and wizards left the country after graduation to live and work elsewhere. Their magical community was dead water. Give it another few decades and the Ministry might not even be necessary.
So why not gamble? Choose a new boss, get better resources, maybe even revitalize the country through war and conquest.
So yes, Oblansk wanted to defect, but many Ministry officials refused. A lot of them were families who came to power after the Acolytes fell. If they bent the knee to Grindelwald, what good end would they meet? This new faction secretly contacted Akingbade and several other Ministries.
Together, they decided to seize this chance to eliminate Grindelwald once and for all. Today Babajide was basically trying to lock Dumbledore's weekend's plane for Couple's date.
Gellert would never bring many followers outside his territory. With hundreds of elite Aurors plus Albus, they could keep him in Bulgaria forever, if Merlin allowed, provide him into a good night's sleep.
『Albus Dumbledore』: I have a bad
feeling, he must have sensed your plan, and going along with it.
『Babajide Akingbade』: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dumbledore, we need you. You're the strongest wizard in the world. If you don't stand up now, all the Aurors risking their lives will die for nothing.
That was blatant moral blackmail. Hundreds of Aurors' lives, were at stake to fight your nemesis and Dumbledore wouldn't help? This kind of threat would mean nothing to Lucifer or Grindelwald, but for him, it struck straight home.
The two argued for a long time, until dawn began to break. Dumbledore finally gave in, helplessly. If he couldn't stop these madmen, he could only join to calm people down, using his favourite Lemon drops.
Across the ocean, Babajide practically erupted with joy as he laid out the plan he'd prepared.
Dumbledore had to appear publicly that day, and not anywhere near Bulgaria, in case Grindelwald caught wind of it. Then he would use Fawkes and a prepared Portkey to rush to the battlefield.
During that time gap, which might be thirty minutes to an hour, Aurors in ambush would have to keep Gellert occupied.
Casualties were expected, but neither Babajide nor other 'Ministers for Magic'' believed a century-year old Grindelwald could defeat hundreds of Aurors in under an hour. Even a fool would know, the advantage was simply not given, it was rigged from the very beginning.
"Tsk... so this is what the 'first' Dark Lord meant when he said he really understood Dumbledore."
A new day brought rare good weather to Hogwarts, soft breeze and mild temperatures drew students out of the castle. Groups of young witches and wizards were lounged on the lawns, chatting and relaxing.
Lucifer too was out on the grass with the girls, keeping part of his attention on making them smile while the rest of his mind was busy roasting Grindelwald in the pocket space.
"This is what you meant when you said Dumbledore would never work with Babajide? He agreed so fast you could practically hear the twirl in his voice..."
"D-Devil... 'can you stop?" Grindelwald muttered in a sour tone, his wand dangling between his fingers idly, while hairs were a mess.
Mazikeen hid her laugh as she pretended to comfort but delivered the final blow, "Gellert... oh poor Gellert, he really thinks he understands his old friend, Sigh~"
"Just let it go. Next time, don't make promises so casually," She added.
Staying quiet, Makima was enjoying Grindelwald's changing expressions. His face shifted colors faster than a paint palette. Okay, she didn't stay quiet for long and joined in the roasting, they were practically cooking the old man alive.
"You three..." Grindelwald felt a tightness in his chest. But it was all Dumbledore's fault. He had been confident only a few Aurors would be foolish enough to walk into his trap. Also assumed the Headmaster wouldn't dare start a direct fight and certainly wouldn't lead an ambush.
Yet here he was, 'face' stinging from reality's slap.
"He must be worried I'll start killing..." Trying to find a halfway reasonable excuse, Grindelwald even convinced himself to say, "If he didn't show up, those Aurors would definitely die. So of course he had to come."
"Yeah, sure, absolutely," Lucifer said with the kind of lazy perfunctoriness that nearly made Grindelwald explode.
"I'll make him pay for this."
"Yeah, sure, absolutely."
"Can you say something else?"
"No "
Grindelwald was seconds from exploding. Enraged, he bailed out of the space entirely, Mazikeen finally dropped her restraint and burst into laughter, Lucifer and his Secretary joined her after.
Just a moment ago, he told them about the Babajide's plan. He hadn't heard news from Dumbledore, of course, but his own spies.
When the laughter faded, Mazikeen grew a bit worried again, "Lucifer if that old loony's going, would you be risking exposure by joining the fight? He might not recognize you, but that phoenix definitely would."
"It's 'fine." Lucifer shook his head, while feeling happy she was growing to think steps ahead, and not on her impulses, "As long as I stall a bit, I should get some playtime." The chance to be surrounded by hundreds of Aurors wasn't exactly once in a lifetime, but it was rare enough. Perfect for testing some of his spells.
"...Ok."
Seeing how confident he was, Mazikeen didn't push further, Lucifer was smarter than she was. If he'd already considered Fawkes, he must have a plan.
Behind the scenes, ICW and the participating Ministries covertly mobilized their forces. Meanwhile, newspapers in multiple countries reported Dumbledore was heading to America. And his excuse, hilariously enough, was related to Lucifer.
One of his conditions for withdrawing from the tournament was that several schools contribute books from their libraries. Dumbledore claimed he was going to Castelobruxo to inspect the collection for him.
Hearing that, Lucifer didn't mind playing scapegoat at all. No matter how cunning these people were, it didn't matter in the 'face' of someone who could literally------
He even made a request, "Professor, I don't want standard texts but with regional specialties, I trust your taste."
"Exploring different magical cultures is indeed beneficial," Dumbledore said with a nod, "But remember to hold fast to your principles. Absorb the strengths of other traditions, but don't let them shake your will."
"I'll keep that in mind, Professor."
Lucifer was genuinely touched, those words were soft but heartfelt, and they mattered more than how it sounded. For a brief moment he felt guilty about plotting alongside Grindelwald to tease the old man, but the guilt evaporated in about two and a half seconds.
The Dark Lord really hadn't committed any atrocities since escaping. Dumbledore was the one insisting on stepping into mud pit, he had no one to blame but himself.
Over the next 'few' days that week, McGonagall and Lupin finished drafting selection criteria. Starting Sunday, two students from different years would be chosen each week to represent their grade in the Underage Wizards' Dueling Tournament.
The second-year slot was practically guaranteed. Ginny was now stronger than both Hermione and Daphne, Lucifer wasn't worried in the slightest that she'd fail to qualify; in fact, she was almost certainly going to take first place in the second-year bracket during the finals.
Third-year, though... Hermione's spot wasn't actually that secure.
Her magic was fine, she probably knew more spells than all other candidates combined. But her mindset and performance under pressure were terrible. Ordinary exams already made her nervous, let alone a real duel.
She also lacked talent for combat. Her spellcasting was too rigid, too by-the-book, and she genuinely had a chance of crashing and burning.
Susan Bones, she had to defeat.
To be honest, Lucifer kind of hoped his girlfriend would crash. A loss might finally teach her that book knowledge was important, but what you could actually use in the moment was what mattered most.
On Friday night, Grindelwald, who had been avoiding him and hadn't shown up in the pocket space for days, suddenly appeared with news.
"Vinda just received a letter warning me about the Confederation's little plan," Grindelwald said with a dark grinning look, "It even listed the time and approximate number of Aurors."
"That's not surprising," Lucifer was busy practicing wandless Patronus casting, he let the towering Ddraig speak for him. Its voice rumbled like thunder, "Vultures will always circle when tragedy strikes; human nature rarely changes."
"If it were just some random wizard, I wouldn't have bothered telling you?" Gellert was standing with hands behind his back, as he relayed, "Know who the informant was? Barty Crouch, International Magical Co-operation Department,' British Ministry of Magic. If I remember right, he almost became Minister once..."
"...Barty Crouch?" Lucifer was honestly stunned, "How can you be sure it was him?"
"His magical signature was on it, the bastard even signed his name. I was shocked too. He basically handed me the perfect weapon to destroy him. If I leaked this, Crouch would be ruined immediately. Azkaban would be the lightest punishment, I don't understand why he'd do it, trying to gain favor for the Minister position?"
Lucifer didn't answer right away. He dismissed the magic, grabbed a towel, wiped the sweat from his face, then plopped down onto the stands. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Honestly... it's probably not about power. Demiurge had done research, his son was Voldemort's most fanatical follower, he's currently in Azkaban. I think this has something to do with him. Leave it alone for now, once this blows over, I'll 'find' a way to approach."
Crouch was capable, and he loved people like that, elite talent with a skeleton or two in the closet. Easy to control, incredibly useful. People like Bones or Scrimgeour, who were driven by ideals, were much harder to handle. You could only cooperate with them to a limited extent; you couldn't expect loyalty, he had seduced her for such reasons.
If Barty Crouch really wanted to defect, he had no problem letting the Acolytes take him in. And Saturday 'finally' arrived, the day before the selection duels. Second- and third-year candidates were busy making their preparations.
xxxxxx
Meanwhile... Inside, the 'Room of Debauchery', Ginny had once again defeated Hermione.
The little girl had frightening combat instincts. She could make the right decisions without thinking and had spell power that made people stare. In every wand-to-wand power clash, she pushed Hermione back.
After losing, his girlfriend pulled out her notebook. It was already crammed with dozens of reasons for her previous failures, and now she added two more.
"Writing all that down is pointless," Ginny said helplessly, looking down to see images of otter snickering, "You can't run through a checklist in your head before every spell, Bones would crush you, her weight problem aside."
Hermione ignored the complaint. She focused on writing, skimming everything quickly, and only then opened her mouth, "I don't have your natural talent for fighting. I can only use the stupid method, write down every weakness and fix them one by one. It's progress, even if it's slow."
"Honestly, Ginny, it's a pity you're only a second-year. If you were older, you'd win the entire tournament easily. A 'fifth-year' you would take the championship for sure."
Daphne was on a roll today, she was eating snacks with Granger's ego being obliterated to dust by a younger girl, it couldn't be more fun.
"Championships are nothing," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at the Slytherin' girl's table of half-eaten melon bread, "Even ten champions together couldn't last a minute against Lucifer. I want to defeat him."
"Your standards are way too high. Students should compare themselves to their peers, not to a monster!"
Hearing Miss Know-it-all's sighing, and calling her boyfriend a monster made Ginny burst out laughing, "Funny, I heard someone used to challenge Lucifer all the time back in his first year, you even roped primary muggle school subjects into it."
"How was I supposed to know he was a monster back then? Anyway, my private school doesn't rely on talent the way magic does. Hard work actually matters there."
"I don't buy that, Lucifer told me Muggle academic subjects are harder than the most obscure books at Hogwarts, basically to my eyes, incomprehensible... Even if you two stayed in the Muggle world, you still wouldn't beat him."
"Ginny! Greengrass! Do you want to stay friends or not?!"
The three girls bickered their way back to the Great Hall, where they received a message from Lucifer.
『Hearthrob』: I won't be watching the selection matches tomorrow. I've got something to take care of.
『Hearthrob』: Good Luck
Neither girl thought much of it. They knew he was always busy.
xxxxxx
Sunday
After breakfast, for the first time in half a year, the Dueling platform was set up again in the Great Hall, this time, only a single main stage.
Dumbledore cheerfully announced the start of the selection, then left the school with Fawkes. The moment he was gone, Lucifer became a streak of darkness, went under Hogwarts, and after two jumps, arrived in Berlin.
The 'German Minister of Magic's' office had been temporarily taken over, and the room was now filled with the core members of the Acolytes.Vinda Rosier, Gunnar Grimmson, Vogel and even Rouse Wilkinson sitting were quietly in a corner.
Grindelwald was laying out the next phase of their operation.
"Vinda, you and Grimmson take a team to Durmstrang and secure control." As he spoke, he tapped the arm of his chair. A notebook on the desk floated up on its own and landed in Rosier's hands, "These are the weak points in Durmstrang's defensive wards, bring plenty of people. And no casualties. Not you, not those students."
"Yes, sir." Vinda understood exactly what he meant. Durmstrang's student body was almost entirely pure-blood. If news spread that they'd killed underage wizards, it would gut the Acolytes' reputation. The school wasn't strong, but it was a sensitive political minefield, so they had to tread carefully.
"Vogel," Grindelwald continued, turning to him, "There are probably enemy plants in the country as well. Spread news that I was ambushed, make it look like a panic. Once they crawl out, take them all at once. And don't imitate your father's nonsense with mass purges. Just remove the real culprits and be done."
Vogel accepted the assignment with an awkward look. His father had acted too ruthlessly back in the day and pushed a lot of potential allies straight into the opposition. He had no intention of repeating the same mistake.
Commands were being handed out, if you had to compare it with Tom Riddle, Gellert's was far more competent. He simply couldn't be bothered with day-to-day details most of the time and usually left planning to Vinda.
Then a sudden shadow revealed a human 'figure.' Everyone stood instantly when they saw Lucifer appear beside Grindelwald.
"Mr. Morningstar!"
Waving a hand, he took the seat next to Grindelwald, chair the old man had prepared for him specifically, "Go on."
"There's nothing left to cover." Grindelwald dismissed the ten people who would be accompanying them to Bulgaria and waved the rest out.
"Rouse, stay a moment." Lucifer stopped the man just as he reached the door. He gave him a teasing glance, "Why do you look even fatter than before?"
Forcing a shy smile, Wilkinson tried to return to his previous seat, but the boy who saved his arse once gestured for him to come sit up front. "Since we got to Germany, Madam Rosier hasn't assigned me anything," he admitted, "I'm home, doing nothing every day, it'd be a miracle if I didn't get fat."
"She's showing you mercy." Lucifer sipped his tea, "By the time, Solen should be due soon, right?"
"Half a month, give or take."
"So how are you planning to wrap things up?" He asked, genuinely curious.
Mr. Rouse fell silent, he knew Solen's approaching him had been extremely deliberate a calculated move but she was still the mother of his child.
"The Schneider family can afford to keep an idle person or two." Grindelwald normally didn't bother with these small personal matters, but since Lucifer and Rouse were on amicable terms, he spoke up. "Just keep her, if she can give you an heir, she's useful. Have her give you another and you come out ahead."
Schneider was Rouse's mother's family, an old German pure-blood house, classic Junker landowners. They had provided Grindelwald with significant resources when he first rose to power and hadn't hesitated to back him again this time.
"Gellert is right. A witch who can bear children has a real advantage. Though after the baby's born, Rouse, you could lay the truth out for her. Might even win her over...."
"Thank you, Mr. Grindelwald. Thank you, Mr. Morningstar."
Rouse Wilkinson was really grateful, for everything he had been treated with so kindly past two years.
Lucifer chatted with him through another pot of tea, mostly asking questions.
Dumbledore was still keeping in contact with Rouse and knew he was back in Germany, yet still hadn't invited him into "Order of the Phoenix." a name he had learnt.
Maybe he didn't need to, or still didn't trust him enough.
When Rouse finally left, Lucifer picked up a book and casually asked, "So when are we leaving?"
Grindelwald gave him a playful look. "Do I really need to go? Isn't today your turn for action? You could just lead the team yourself."
"Mm..." Lucifer said in a low, ghostly voice, "If your goal is to make Dumbledore die of rage, then sure, I can go alone. And if he discovers my secret... well, I'll just have to shed a tear, strike him down, and let him rest forever. Dumbledore's going to die, and will be clean for next life."
Grindelwald's smile froze.
He knew the Devil wasn't bluffing, the boy could absolutely do it, Graves murdered his own kin, even worse than 'Imperius,' now AWOL, acting like a man possessed by Demon.
This kid usually acted easygoing, but once someone touched his core interests, he turned ruthless in a heartbeat.
"We'll head out this afternoon." Grindelwald dropped the banter directly, and went serious, "I'll deal with the initial formalities. Oblansk has arranged a public ceremony announcing their allegiance. That's probably when the enemy will strike. At that point, it's your turn."
"Take my pocket world for now. I'm going to nap inside." Lucifer had accepted the plan.
"Hold on, first let me check if your Transfiguration has any flaws."
xxxxxx
'Two hours later', Southeastern Europe, Bulgaria
This country didn't border Germany or even Poland. But still, Grindelwald arrived at the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic with his entourage. Under a mess of wary, complicated stares, he walked through the front entrance as Oblansk greeted him with exaggerated humility and led him into the Minister's office.
Grindelwald never shortchanged people who pledged their loyalty. He agreed to every condition Oblansk put forward. To be fair, all of his requests were reasonable things any responsible Minister would ask.
Compared to Fudge, the man was practically a model official. He wasn't brainwashed, just a gambler with no better options.
But small countries were always stuck like this. If they didn't take risks, being a fence-sitter would end even worse.
"Mr. Grindelwald, we've prepared a public ceremony for you. We'll announce to all of Bulgaria that we are under your command."
Oblansk was in high spirits after receiving Grindelwald's promises, but the Dark Lord only looked at him with pity. The man had no idea his own subordinates had already sold him out, competence was... 'questionable.'
Still, loyalty was enough, he just needed that.
"Go on ahead. The trip tired me out, I'll arrive in about an hour."
"Yes, sir."
Oblansk left to prepare. Once he was gone, Lucifer and Grindelwald swapped places. The ten Acolytes glanced at each other, baffled.
Was this the legendary 'open the front gate while sneaking through the back'? Were they going to lure Dumbledore in so Grindelwald could ambush him with something brutal?
As expected of their Lord, shameless, cunning, completely underhanded.
Standing before the mirror for a bit, Lucifer was tweaking his hairstyle to look even more arrogant. Then he turned to the Acolytes, "Stay here. If you hear fighting, leave immediately and go back to Berlin."
They hurried to reassure him.
"Mr. Morningstar, we can fight too."
"It's fine. Once it starts, you'll just get in the way," Lucifer waved them off, his voice shifting smoothly into Grindelwald's signature low tone, "Don't stick around just to make things harder for me and Gellert. Trust your Lord's decisions."
The Acolytes exchanged looks, then nodded. Meanwhile, Vinda and Grimmson were already leading a strike force toward Durmstrang.
Today's goal was to secure enough leverage to force Dumbledore to accept his terms.
Durmstrang, despite sharing global prestige with Hogwarts, had slipped badly over the years. They had actually allowed a fleeing Death Eater to become Headmaster. If that was the person running the place, the rest of the staff must be a joke.
It was one of the reasons Grindelwald was furious enough to act against his own alma mater, it was shameful.
Utterly embarrassing.
He wouldn't have been this angry if Voldemort himself were headmaster but a Death Eater? Better he take the position himself and compete with Dumbledore on another level, kindly assuming Lucifer, the walking catastrophe, wasn't in the picture.
xxxxxx
An hour later, Lucifer, still disguised as Grindelwald, stepped out of the office. Oblansk had been waiting and led him to a manor on the outskirts of the city.
Hundreds of people were already gathered, they were Ministry officials, pure-blood heads of family, magazine reporters. A tall platform stood on the wide lawn.
Lucifer didn't hesitate, and strode up to the platform, sweeping his gaze across the crowd, the noise died instantly under his sharp stare.
"I'm glad to see Bulgaria's witches and wizards returning to my side. But I'm not pleased that a few clowns think they can pull something disgraceful on such a joyous day."
A lot of faces stiffened. Many dropped their gaze, terror flickering in their eyes, 'he knows!'
Drawing his wand, Lucifer aimed it at the head of the Bulgarian Auror Office, just a spell, the man's arms hit the ground. And screams echoed as, he smiled evil.
"No more hiding. Shall we move on to the next part?"
Realizing the plan was completely exposed, ICW wizards acted immediately. They fired reddish signal flares into the sky for help.
"Grindelwald! Today is the day you die! This will be your grave!"
The next moment, nearly half the wizards present fired spells at Lucifer. More people Apparated in by the second, joining the terrific assault. Oblansk stared, dumbstruck, as the sky filled with curses raining down on Grindelwald, his mind went blank. What on earth was happening?
This time, 'International Confederation of Wizards' had prepared thoroughly.
They chose to fight in a manor outside the city instead of at Ministry. First, they wanted to keep the damage contained; the Ministry sat in bustling city center, and if Grindelwald went berserk, the battlefield could spill into the Muggle world. Cleaning up afterward would consume absurd manpower and resources.
Second, they simply had too many people. More than twenty countries had contributed fighters, plus the ICW's own Aurors. Altogether, over four hundred experienced were participating in the ambush.
No trainees. No weak links.
Their numbers alone exceeded the entire staff of Bulgarian Ministry. Many of the guests who attacked suddenly weren't talking polite at all but Aurors disguised with Polyjuice.
More and more figures dropped from the sky. The Aurors had divided their roles beforehand: 'fifty' maintained the anti-Apparition field, fifty more protected them and kept the battle contained within manor grounds. Their job also included blocking Grindelwald's large-scale spells, like 'Protego Diabolica.'
"Grindelwald, you're too arrogant! You knew this was a trap but walked in alone. Your pride has doomed you. Dumbledore is already on his way!"
A woman shouted bravely, as she kept retreating, hiding behind the line of Aurors. Lucifer raised a hand. A pale moonlit orb formed above his palm. As it rose higher, it grew brighter, washing the field in soft silver light. It looked delicate, but the glow was as solid as a wall. The curses hitting it bounced away wildly, far better than any 'Shield Charm.'
"Dumbledore?" He asked finding it idiotic, Lucifer released a layer on his shackled human speed, boosting it. One step carried him several yards. He blurred forward and appeared before an Auror almost instantly. His wand traced a lazy line. A thin red slit opened across the man's throat, and blood fountained out.
"By the time he gets here, you'll all be dead."
He vanished again. Dozens of spells slammed into ground where he'd stood, blasting a crater into the lawn. Chaos had broken loose, among the huge crowd were innocent guests and the completely clueless Oblansk.
A band of Aurors broke formation to subdue the bystanders, then hurried back to join the attack on Gellert Grindelwald.
Meanwhile, Deep in the Amazon rainforest, within Castelobruxo.
Dumbledore was selecting books for his best student Lucifer, when Babajide contacted him. The head of the ICW looked panicked and grim.
"Albus, you were right. Grindelwald did see through the plan, but he still came. He's alone. The ten Acolytes who arrived with him have already escaped."
"I'll go at once," Dumbledore said calmly. He'd predicted this exact outcome. Competing with Grindelwald in strategy? These people weren't even close.
Their grandfathers had been played like puppets by him. What chance did today's soft, peace-pampered witches and wizards have? But he had no choice. Hundreds of lives were tied to this disaster, and in the end he had to clean up after Babajide and the reckless Ministries.
He ended the call and summoned Fawkes, fire flared as they vanished.
While Dumbledore focused on traveling, Babajide received another piece of terrible news. Durmstrang was under attack by the Acolytes, no, by the time he heard, the wards had already fallen. No one responded to any message.
He realized the disaster was complete.
Grindelwald had walked straight into the trap knowingly, then used the opportunity to strike Durmstrang at the same time.
Control Hogwarts, and the whole British wizarding world freezes in fear. Take Durmstrang, and half of northern Europe loses sleep.
Send help now?
No way, even assuming they could gather enough people in time, the thousand-plus students inside could be pushed forward as living shields. No Auror would dare lift a wand.
"Albus... everything rests on you."
Babajide knew he was down to wishful thinking. Only Dumbledore and the strike team could possibly eliminate Grindelwald, beyond that, he had no options left.
"Hundreds of Aurors... they should be able to hold him, right?" He tried to comfort himself. And to be more unfair, his prayers weren't even listened to by the Creator, who was trying best in soothing a pouting wife.
The Aurors however weren't scarecrows, aside from dealing with monsters, they were backbone of the Wizarding world, elite of the elite.
Even Hogwarts professors, when facing more than five Aurors at once, would first think of running, not of trying to subdue them.
Being swarmed by over three hundred Aurors, would leave any being, feel tremendous pressure, real life threatening, alas if only they knew, the enemy they were up against wasn't a mortal to begin with.
But how could they? Why would such godly elements come to earth?
"Protego Diabolica!"
Hellish blue flames erupted, twisting into a gigantic 'firebird' that let out a furious roar. It wasn't long before several Aurors combined their strength to cast 'Finite Incantatem' and restrain the blaze.
Lucifer never expected Protego Diabolica to deal real damage here. Its only purpose was to distract part of the enemy force, any spell they aimed at 'flames' was one less aimed at him, but even more so to create the grandeur.
The Aurors on-site were 'firing' one or two spells per second each basically magical machine guns, Lucifer's shield was absorbing hundreds of powerful spells at once, it still couldn't make a visible crack.
With power pouring steadily into the 'Protego Diabolica', Lucifer ignored it entirely. Wand pointed skyward, he weaved and dodged while sweeping his arm in wide arcs.
Dark clouds groaned overhead, Lightning brewed and then lashed downward in wild, unpredictable strikes, drowning the entire manor in a sea of electricity. No one could believe Grindelwald had cast a 'full-scale' weather spell in such a short time. Even more Chaos broke out immediately, the Aurors had to juggle offense, suppression, and the protection of their own bodies.
Fortunately, each wore a Guardian Necklace to buy them some margin for error.
Lucifer suddenly realized he'd sabotaged himself a little-if he'd come to bite own, he could've triggered the hidden backdoor in the guardian necklaces and blown them all instantly. But as Grindelwald, he had no access to that, so he'd have to break through using brute force.
"How about mist?"
He cast another 'field' spell. The surge of power thickened the fog so much that even winds couldn't disperse it. Moving silently through the haze, he relied on his magical sight to track the Aurors' positions.
Lucifer's reaction speed beat everyone's, an advantage not of magic, but of what he was.
Still, the Aurors weren't helpless; they gathered up, standing back-to-back, covering each other's blind spots.
Bursting out of the fog, only to be smothered instantly by a rainstorm of spells, Lucifer had no choice but to drop the ambush and raise his shield, it wasn't to protect but to appear as Grindelwald who wasn't that mighty.
"He can't do anything to us!" The Aurors, thrilled at pushing him back, even shouted, "It's one against hundreds! He's burning his magic on wide-area spells! Forget Dumbledore, we can kill him ourselves!"
"Heh... truly, ignorance is fearless."
Their arrogance left no bounds, Lucifer had intended to handle them like just another group of wizards, no use of his own magic. But if they insisted on turtling up, then he'd answer with something outside their pay grade.
"Embrace the end."
"Raaah-!"
A rotting, ear-splitting shriek tore out of Lucifer's throat. It created solid waves of sound slammed straight into every mind present. For a moment, everyone's thoughts went blank, then 'terror and despair' flooded in, pushing them to brink of madness.
"AAAAAHHH-!"
Dozens of Aurors collapsed screaming, then hit ground unconscious as if relieved to escape.
"My eyes! My brain is on 'fire!" An Auror screamed, his hands clawing at his own face so hard his fingernails drew blood. He collapsed forward, his forehead slamming into the muddy cobblestones, but he kept clawing, trying to dig his way into the earth to escape the sound.
"Make it stop! Merlin's beard, please, make it stop!" Another yelled, dropping his wand. He curled into a tight fetal position, his knees pressed against his chest, weeping violently as the mental onslaught dragged his darkest memories to the surface. "No, not her... please, don't look at me like that... I'm sorry!"
The tight, back-to-back formation disintegrated into absolute butchery.
"Stand fast! Hold the line!" A Senior Auror roared, his voice cracking with panic as he tried to look authoritative, but his eyes were wide, bloodshot, and rolling back into his head. "We are the Ministry's—'cough—we are..."
He choked on his own saliva, vomiting from the reality bending nausea of the attack before dropping like a stone.
"It's inside my head! It's eating my thoughts!" A young witch shrieked, her wand emitting sparks of erratic, wild magic that accidentally blasted her own comrade beside her.
She didn't even notice, just kept screaming, a throat-tearing sound that ended in a wet gasp as she fainted from exhaustion.
Their impenetrable formation shattered instantly. Over a hundred Aurors fell where they stood. The rest, though more strong-willed, clutched their heads in agony, barely able to remain upright.
This was the Lich Mermaid's signature, 'Fear Scream'--a mental and spiritual attack all at once, bypassing the necklaces completely.
Wizards simply had no defense against this sort of thing. It was a pure, one-sided beatdown.
The Aurors stationed farther out were the lucky ones. Distance weakened sound wave's force; they only felt sick for a moment before recovering.
But the battle was already lost.
The three hundred main attackers were crushed. Everywhere Lucifer was walking, he scooped up fallen Aurors, dead or alive, he didn't care, hitting them with a quick 'Petrification Curse,' and stored away.
"Get away from him! Get away!" An Auror from the outer perimeter was severely paled, his hands shaking so violently he couldn't aim his wand, "He's... he's swallowing them whole! Where are they going?!"
The snapped rigid body of the wizard vanished into the dark, swirling cloud at Lucifer's hip."He's eating their souls! He's collecting us!" A panicked voice echoed from the rear.
"Spells aren't working! My Reducto bounced right off! What is he?!"
"He's not human! He's a demon-run! RUN!"
Watching their comrades vanish one after another into a dark cloud finally broke one Auror's mind. He showed no guilt in abandoning his station at Anti-apparition array and bolted. Then like a row of dominoes, the rest scattered in panic.
Right beside him, a seasoned veteran, a man who had survived three separate skirmishes with dark wizards simply began to tear at his own robes. "It's crawling on me! The dark is crawling on me!" he was wailing pathetic, eyes wide and vacant, completely blind to the world around him.
He began to beat his own head against a shattered stone pillar, over and over, preferring the physical agony to horror echoing in his mind.
"Maintain the shield! Aegis—ahhhh!"
A squad leader tried to rally his group, but the moment he opened his mouth, a sound wave hit him like a physical battering ram. His nose erupted in a fountain of dark blood.
He didn't even have the chance to fall; eyes rolled back, showing only white, and he tipped backward into the crowd like a felled tree.
"Mercy! In the name of the Founders, mercy!" A young witch was sobbing, her wand long forgotten. She was on hands and knees, dragging herself backward through dirt, leaving a wet trail of tears and sweat behind her.
"I'll give you the Ministry codes! I'll give you anything! Just shut up! Make it stop screaming!"
The tight disciplined army of the Ministry became a frantic herd of cattle.
"Wait! The Anti-Apparition array! We have to hold the anchor!" A lone commander screamed, grabbing a fleeing subordinate by the shoulder.
"Let go of me! Screw the Ministry! Screw Dumbledore! We're already dead!" The fleeing wizard punched his commander in the face, breaking his nose, and sprinted blindly into the fog, his boots splashing through the blood and vomit of his fallen friends.
Lucifer glided through the wreckage of their minds, a silent reaper in the middle of a screaming harvest. His hand shot out, grabbing a twitching Auror by the throat.
"Please... I have a daughter... she's only five..." The man choked out, his vision blurring as he stared up into the empty, terrifying eyes of the entity above him, "Don't let the cloud take me..."
"Petrificus Totalus," Lucifer whispered in a low voice. The man's plea snapped shut as his jaw locked into stone, his body stiffened, and a dark cloud engulfed him, pulling into void.
"He's parsing us out! He's picking the ones he wants to keep!"
"Look at the fog! The dead are walking in the fog!"
"Don't look back! Just run! If you stop, you're next!"
A stampede of heavy boots trampled over the unconscious and the dying. Wizards knocked down their own colleagues, stepping on faces and breaking fingers in a desperate scramble to reach the edge of the Anti-Apparition line.
"Cowards! Come back! Fight him!"
A lone Commander roared angrily, his wand spitting weak erratic sparks that faded before even reaching five feet, and then he too blanked out, "We are the hand of the la---"
That fleeing Auror didn't even look back as he passed, slamming his shoulder into the commander and sending him crashing into the dirt.
"The law doesn't apply to hell, you idiot! Run!"
Lucifer didn't bother chasing, three hundred captives was more than enough to send the entire Wizarding world into chaos. Then, he froze for a second. Usagi, high above in the atmosphere (eating meteors), had spotted Dumbledore.
"I'll leave the next part to you, old man."
Without hesitation, he blasted the ground, kicking up a wave of dust and switched identities with Grindelwald under its cover, who continued cleaning up the battlefield. When only a dozen Aurors remained, Fawkes appeared in a 'flash' of flame, carrying Dumbledore.
xxxxx
Author's Note
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