— — — — — —
As Dumbledore and the professors entered the Great Hall, a large crowd of ghosts drifted through the walls to join the festivities.
The Headless Band made a dramatic charge across the hall to the students' shrieks, and then immediately followed up with a song so loud and off-key that the young witches and wizards suffered visibly, while the ghosts themselves swayed in delight.
Nearly Headless Nick watched them with longing. Gryffindor's house ghost eyed the Headless Band with envy. He had applied to join before, but because his head wasn't fully off, they rejected him.
Tom stared curiously at the singing Headless Band. He was trying to understand how they were singing without heads. After watching for quite a while, he figured out exactly nothing. So instead, his eyes wandered around the hall, searching for the Ravenclaw house ghost: the Grey Lady, Helena Ravenclaw.
But even on a night made for ghosts, she didn't appear.
At the high table, Dumbledore watched the lively celebration with a cheerful smile.
He had reasons to be happy lately. Everything had been moving in the right direction.
Laos Wilkinson had resigned, yes. But Lupin was performing well.
The Dementors surrounded the castle, yet never overstepped their bounds. It was only a matter of time before the two fugitives were caught.
This had been one of the most peaceful terms in years.
So peaceful, in fact, that Dumbledore found it a little strange.
But wasn't this what he wanted? Watching generation after generation of young witches and wizards grow safely. That was his greatest joy.
A clear phoenix cry cut sharply through the hall, scattering his thoughts. Fawkes appeared on a wave of music. Even the Headless Band's awful singing couldn't drown out that beautiful sound. Every eye in the hall turned toward the sudden burst of flame.
Fawkes held a Codex in his claws. Without caring about the stares directed his way, the phoenix dropped the Codex in front of Dumbledore. It hit the table and began vibrating violently, so fast the entire table seemed to shake with it.
Someone had been sending Dumbledore messages. Repeatedly.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed. An intense feeling of dread rose in his chest. He flipped open the Codex. His blue eyes widened instantly. He stood in shock.
"What happened, Albus?" Professor McGonagall's voice trembled. She could not remember the last time she saw Dumbledore lose composure. The other professors leaned forward too, concern on their faces.
The Dumbledore they knew always faced every crisis calm, steady as stone.
"It's nothing. A private matter."
"Minerva, end the feast early after this. Have the children return to their dormitories. My apologies. I must leave."
Fawkes swooped over him. Flames wrapped around wizard and phoenix. Dumbledore barely finished speaking before he vanished from the hall.
Silence. And then the Great Hall erupted like a cauldron boiling over.
"Wait, I thought you couldn't Apparate inside Hogwarts?!"
"Well, the Headmaster's special, right?"
"You lot are hopeless. That was phoenix travel. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them clearly states phoenixes can appear wherever they wish."
"What could have happened to make Headmaster look like that?"
"No idea. But it must be serious."
The students whispered excitedly. Interest in the feast vanished completely; even the ghosts murmured among themselves.
Daphne bit into a small cake, her brows knit. "Tom… do you think they found Lestrange and Lockhart? Maybe Dumbledore rushed out to capture them?"
"That's possible," Tom said, surprised to find her guess actually reasonable.
Not correct, of course—not even close—but reasonable enough to sound convincing.
Sure enough, the theory spread through Slytherin, then outward to other houses. Students nodded along, discussion slowly calming.
McGonagall overheard as well. She didn't believe it for a second. If it were only that, Dumbledore would not have left so abruptly. He wouldn't have looked shocked.
Worry settled into her chest. She wanted to know the truth. But Dumbledore had told her to look after the students. So she stayed.
---
In the Headmaster's office, his Codex was still shaking violently. Several people were sending messages, too many at once to identify.
But every message said the same thing.
{Nurmengard's tower has fallen. Gellert Grindelwald has escaped.}
Dumbledore closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again. Flames flickered in the blue of his irises, anger taking shape like rising sparks.
Gellert. You broke your promise.
They had agreed. Gellert would remain in the tower, reflect on what he'd done, and never again step outside those walls. Yet he was the one who tore up that vow first.
But the anger only lasted a heartbeat. Dumbledore calmed himself. Emotion would accomplish nothing right now. It would only cloud judgment.
He needed to think clearly. What would Grindelwald's escape set in motion? What consequences would follow? And most importantly… why did he escape? Did someone help him? What were they after?
"You… what are you trying to do…" he whispered, though he wasn't sure whether he was speaking to Grindelwald or to himself.
Even after decades of imprisonment, his strength surely worn down, Dumbledore still considered him every bit as dangerous as Voldemort with his multiple Horcruxes. Perhaps more.
Grindelwald's true power was never just in his magic.
It was his words. His charisma. His ability to make people believe.
Death Eaters had brought only terror and scars to the British wizarding world. But the Acolytes… they inspired devotion. People sought them out. Admired them. They snowballed into a movement, into a tide that once swept across continents.
Grindelwald would not have escaped on a whim. There would be follow-up moves. A plan, and one he had prepared for a long time. But with so little information right now, Dumbledore could only guess.
In an instant, Horcruxes and Chosen Ones became distant concerns.
He opened his Codex, selected a name, and initiated a video call. It connected in less than a second. A dark-skinned elderly wizard appeared on the blank page.
"Thank Merlin, Albus, I finally reached you," the man said with obvious relief.
Dumbledore didn't waste time. "Babajide, tell me everything. How did Grindelwald escape? What happened?"
Babajide Akingbade, current Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Dumbledore was also a Supreme Mugwump… the honorary, non-involved sort.
Babajide went straight to the point. "The Austrian Ministry extracted the memory of the Squib guard. Grindelwald appeared before him looking… middle-aged. He used Protego Diabolica. It destroyed the Nurmengard tower. He left the guard alive. No outside interference was detected. He broke through every defense alone, then vanished. We currently have no trace of him."
Dumbledore frowned deeply.
Casting Protego Diabolica without a wand was nothing extraordinary for the Grindelwald of old… but after so many years imprisoned, to still wield such control… Dumbledore had not expected that.
"Albus," Babajide continued, "the Austrian Ministry has contacted eighteen countries. We'll convene in two days at the American Magical Congress headquarters. We need you there to discuss strategy."
"I'm sorry, Babajide." Dumbledore's tone was steady, but firm. "I'll attend remotely, but I can't leave Hogwarts. I don't believe Grindelwald will go to North America. If he comes here and finds me gone, the school will be at risk."
Babajide hesitated, then nodded. "You're right. But if Grindelwald appears anywhere, you must come. You are the only one who can stop him."
"I promise," Dumbledore said. Then added, "Also… consider inviting Newt Scamander. He's currently living in New York. And he has experience dealing with Grindelwald. His insight could help."
"Thank you, Albus. I was planning on it."
The call ended. Babajide had endless fires to put out. Grindelwald's escape was not merely one man slipping free. If news reached the Acolytes… who knew how many loyal followers would surface again.
Surveillance and containment plans had to begin immediately.
Babajide silently thanked the invention of the Codex notebooks. Without them, coordinating this crisis would be ten times slower. And he cursed that so many countries still hadn't adopted them.
---
Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts…
When the feast was over, Tom retreated unnoticed into his private dimension, where he opened a video call.
"Lord Riddle, is it true? Lord Grindelwald really escaped?" Vinda Rosier's voice trembled with excitement. Tom could hear cheering and sobbing behind her.
"Yes. Three hours ago."
He hadn't expected the French Ministry's secrecy to fail this fast, but since Vinda already knew, he nodded. "I watched my teacher tear down the Nurmengard tower. He reclaimed his freedom."
Vinda lit up. "Where is he now? We should bring him home!"
"Yes! The Acolytes will welcome their leader!" Vogel was practically screaming.
"Calm yourselves." Tom's tone went cold. "The Ministries of multiple countries will respond quickly. The Acolytes will be their first targets."
"If you want to help him, you will act like nothing happened. Stay quiet. Stay invisible. When the time is right, he will return."
"But…" Vinda tried.
"No buts."
Tom's voice was sharp enough to cut. "Do not be stupid and ruin everything. The Acolytes exist to serve Grindelwald's plans, not force him to clean up your mistakes."
"After decades of waiting, you cannot endure another few weeks?"
"…Yes. I understand, Lord Riddle." Vinda bowed her head.
"Good." Tom's tone softened slightly. "Pass my instructions down. Do not create trouble."
"Yes."
Tom closed the Codex.
Though he couldn't deny one question gnawing at him:
Since escaping… Grindelwald had not once entered their shared study space.
Where had he gone?
And what was he preparing?
.
.
.
T/N: Yo~ Just wanted to let you know that... there is a mass release tomorrow.