"You tricked us last time, and now you expect us to follow your command?" Grindelwald scoffed disdainfully.
"That wasn't deception, just adaptability," the black-robed priest countered. "I pointed out his location to you, but I hadn't anticipated your failure to kill him. When I found another opportunity, I moved on to other battlefields. Murphy Darkholme isn't my only enemy."
"Who are you, exactly?" Dumbledore inquired. "If you seek cooperation, we should at least know the identity of our collaborator."
"I'm not your collaborator," the priest clarified. "I'm merely offering a warning."
"Then, at the very least, we should know who your enemies are," Grindelwald insisted. "If we help you stop Murphy, what then? How can we be sure you'll stand with the wizards?"
"In this world, I have three enemies. They are all capable of breaking the oath and must be eliminated," the priest explained. "My interests align perfectly with the highest good of the wizarding world; I exist for this purpose."
"How can we trust you without evidence? What proof do we have?" Grindelwald pressed.
"Trust isn't the foundation of this matter. We share a common goal. If the path to eliminate Murphy Darkholme proves ineffective, I'll pursue other methods. Stopping the oath from being broken is my sole mission."
"Other methods, like the witch hunts from hundreds of years ago?" Dumbledore asked.
"If necessary, reducing the number of wizards is also a form of protection," the priest said.
"You mentioned there are three individuals capable of breaking the oath's power, Murphy being one. Who are the other two?" Dumbledore inquired.
"The Oathbreaker Myriam, the Transgressor Riddle, and the Anomaly Murphy," the priest listed, looking at the two men. "All wizards reaching this level are under surveillance. Gellert Grindelwald was once among the most dangerous subjects of our watch, but the wizarding world corrected this mistake internally."
"The errors of Riddle and Myriam would have been internally corrected as well. However, the appearance of the Anomaly disrupted everything. He is the source of it all, leading the wizarding world to the brink of destruction."
"One last warning," the priest announced. "Destroy the antenna."
"This is the wizarding world's last chance for internal correction."
---
After leaving an address, the priest departed.
"Albus, you're not seriously planning to do as he says?" Grindelwald asked, looking at the thoughtful Dumbledore.
"What better options do we have?" Dumbledore responded. "We were already planning this; he merely provided some clues."
"I don't trust that guy," Grindelwald stated. "What appeared before us was just a puppet, its true form hidden somewhere unreachable. We don't know his real intentions."
"Regarding that, I have some speculations," Dumbledore said. "The witch hunts of centuries ago, which led to the establishment of the Secrecy Act, weren't solely the work of Muggle zealots. Wizards have too many ways to avoid being killed by Muggles."
"Minor actions wouldn't have united all wizards to pass such a law—especially since it cut off many of their sources of income."
"I've seen hints in various documents: the witch hunts did indeed inflict a significant toll on wizard society."
"At that time, the church had 'knights' of considerable power, able to identify wizards and resist most spells. Some clergy also possessed special abilities, even using a form of magic called 'divine magic,' stronger than wizard magic."
"Their relentless hunts once reduced the number of British wizards to fewer than two thousand."
"The priest we just met is one of those figures. You must have felt the danger emanating from him."
"So, our former enemies are now our allies in fighting a wizard?" Grindelwald pondered. "And we're supposed to unite with our enemy to target a fellow wizard?"
"You're right," Dumbledore admitted with a bitter smile. "That's exactly what we're about to do. We must ensure wizards adhere to the oath. The consequences of exposing our secrets are unbearable for all of us."
"For the greater good," Grindelwald mockingly smiled. "So, what's your plan? Murphy won't just let us destroy his 'antenna.'"
"I'll distract him, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix can handle the destruction of the antenna," Dumbledore said.
"You, alone?"
"Just to distract him, I should be sufficient. Gellert, I know you're reluctant to act against Murphy. This isn't your responsibility. You've already wasted much time. Go and do what you wish."
"That sounds like a farewell."
Dumbledore remained silent, having already prepared himself for death.
"If it were forty, no, even twenty years ago, I would have walked away. But now... it's too late, Albus. Time no longer allows us to do much. The little future we have, I want to leave for the most important people and causes, even if it means dying together."
---
At Grimmauld Place.
Sirius was cleaning the house, using magic to send the bed sheets and other linens flying out the window to hang on the clothesline outside.
It was late May, and Hogwarts was about to close for the summer. He was preparing for Harry's return home.
It was the early summer of 1994, and Harry was finishing his third year, about to enter his fourth.
Since Lucas's death, Harry had changed significantly. He became much quieter and even showed a certain interest in dark magic.
Sirius often found advanced dark magic content in the books Harry read, far beyond what a normal third-year should encounter.
Although this concerned Sirius, he wasn't overly worried. After all, who hadn't dabbled in a bit of dark magic in their youth? And Harry was almost at the age of rebellion.
As he continued his chores, Sirius suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.
Startled, he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out an orange feather.
The feather vibrated, then burst into flames, forming words in the air.
"Twilight, battle, extremely dangerous." The message appeared momentarily before vanishing, and the feather transformed into a door key.
This was an emergency notice from the Order of the Phoenix, indicating the time and general task type. To maintain secrecy, specific details like the mission target or location weren't included. Participants could use the Phoenix feather key to reach the site directly.
Sirius frowned. Since Kingsley's visit, he occasionally passed messages to the Order, somewhat rejoining its ranks.
But this was the first time he received a combat mission through such an urgent method.
He hadn't participated in a battle for a long time. At the moment he saw the mission, his adventurous spirit almost stirred.
But upon seeing "extremely dangerous," he sighed.
Perhaps it's better to leave this task to someone else. He didn't want Harry to come home to find him missing limbs or worse.
___________________
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