Fatir looked at the man standing before him, then glanced at Aglaia's silver hair. He said softly, "Step outside for a moment, Aglaia. I need to speak with Jacob alone."
Aglaia nodded. After tying off the bandages, she rose and left the wooden cabin. But just before closing the door, she caught a glimpse of her father's expression—complicated and inscrutable.
Once the door shut, Aglaia wandered to an oak tree nearby and sat down.
For some reason, she felt uneasy, though she couldn't pinpoint why.
She had never seen her uncle tame a dragon. Truth be told, his reputation within the family wasn't great. Her mother and other relatives often dismissed him as a flamboyant playboy. But now, it seemed there was more to him than that.
Her curiosity gnawed at her like a restless cat. She stared at the dilapidated cabin in the snowy clearing for a while, unable to resist her growing interest.
Quietly, she crept closer, crouched by the door, and pressed her ear against it, hoping to catch the conversation between her father and uncle.
Yet no sound came from inside.
Peeking through a crack in the door, she saw the two men—one sitting, one standing—separated by the fire pit. A deep silence lingered between them.
Just as Aglaia began to wonder what was happening, Fatir broke the silence, speaking softly:
"Are you here to kill me?"
Outside, Aglaia's body tensed, her hair standing on end. She hadn't expected her father's first question to be so blunt. Did some unresolved grudge exist between him and her uncle?
Jacob chuckled lightly. "What are you saying? We're family."
As he spoke, he leaned down, lifting the bandages on Fatir's chest with gloved fingers. He sighed softly. "Injured again, I see."
Fatir looked at the man before him and sighed.
"Drop the act. I know it's you. I taught you for over a decade—don't think a Polyjuice Potion can fool me. I'd recognize you even if you were reduced to ashes."
The man's hand froze mid-motion. He looked up.
"What gave me away?"
"You and Jacob are nothing alike, Grindelwald."
Outside, the snowstorm intensified, flakes falling thick and fast like goose feathers.
Aglaia's pupils dilated in shock. Her first instinct was to rush in and rescue Fatir, but an overwhelming sense of fear rooted her in place.
Wind and snow slipped through the cabin's wooden cracks, coating the man's hair in white.
Grindelwald seated himself by the fire and asked, "How long has it been, Professor Drassus?"
"I haven't kept count."
"I have—twenty-seven years."
Fatir's voice was heavy. "Where is Jacob? Is he dead?"
"Indeed, I killed him," Grindelwald replied calmly.
Fatir exhaled deeply, leaning his head heavily against the wooden wall behind him. After a long pause, he sighed. "Are you still angry about that?"
"Which 'that' are you referring to?"
Fatir's voice was faint. "I wish it had been me who fell from the cliff back then. At least then, I wouldn't have to watch my only student descend into becoming a monster, Grindelwald."
"You think I act out of personal grudges?" Grindelwald's tone was eerily serene. "No, Professor Drassus. I am merely fulfilling the vision you instilled in me."
Fatir's breathing quickened. "I never taught you to kill or manipulate minds."
Grindelwald shook his head. "Do you really think my followers are with me because I've bewitched them? No, Professor. People never accept those who are different from themselves.
"They chose me. Just as you chose me as your student all those years ago."
"I…"
Fatir struggled to stand, his body trembling.
Grindelwald watched him with a hint of pity. "Once, we were alike—both seeking to stop wars, to change the world. Did those ideals vanish as soon as you passed them on to me?"
"I haven't forgotten," Fatir gasped, his voice strained. "I've spent all these years working toward that goal."
"Yes, running around collecting fire dragons, peddling your outdated theories, clinging to order to maintain stability. When did you become the very person you despised most?"
Inside, the two men fell silent, but the intensity of their emotions was so palpable that Aglaia could hardly breathe.
The snowstorm in the woods grew fiercer. In less than three minutes, the thick, slanted snow had buried Aglaia up to her knees, obscuring everything from view.
Fatir suddenly asked, "Grindelwald, do you have children?"
"No," Grindelwald replied indifferently.
"When my daughter was born," Fatir said softly, "I held her in my hands. She was no bigger than my palm. In that moment, something in me changed.
"It's embarrassing to admit, but my youthful ideals suddenly seemed laughable. The world can't be changed. Forcing change only breeds unimaginable tragedy—just like the tragedies we faced in our youth.
"Stop this, Grindelwald. Neither of us is young anymore. You're over fifty—act your age. Whatever you're doing, just stop. Isn't a peaceful life good enough?"
Outside, Aglaia's fear and relief mingled as the blizzard nearly buried her. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't obey.
Grindelwald's overwhelming aura held her firmly in place, leaving her unable to move.
Grindelwald didn't speak. He bent down and picked up the dragon egg that had been confiscated from Norbert Hagrid. After examining it intently for a long time, he muttered, "Rules. Hmph."
He stared at the speckled egg for a moment longer before raising his wand and aiming it at Fatir.
"Tell me, if I killed you, would that little girl outside be heartbroken?"
Fatir asked, "Would you kill her?"
"Who knows?" Grindelwald replied indifferently.
Fatir closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. With lightning speed, he drew his wand and pointed it at the other man.
But Grindelwald's Elder Wand moved faster. With a flick of green light, the wooden cabin exploded into rubble, and Fatir's wand shattered into splinters.
Amidst the raging snowstorm, Aglaia stood at the doorway, gasping for breath. Under Grindelwald's immense psychic pressure, she could barely keep herself upright, let alone hear what was being said. Yet, she held her ground at the threshold.
However, the expected death did not come after the flash of green light. Instead, an intense itch spread across Fatir's abdomen. Looking down, he saw the wound—inflicted earlier by a half-giant—rapidly healing.
Startled, Fatir looked up. Grindelwald lowered his wand, his voice dripping with mockery. "I owe you nothing now."
With that, he tucked the dragon egg securely against his chest and strode toward the door.
As he passed Aglaia, she looked up and caught a fleeting glimpse of pain and struggle on his face. But the expression lasted only an instant before he reverted to his usual godlike arrogance and coldness.
Bending down, he whispered in Aglaia's ear, "Hoffa Bach will die in one week."
Then he disappeared into thin air, vanishing with a sharp crack of apparition.
The crushing psychic pressure lifted. Aglaia, unable to steady her breathing, stumbled into the ruined cabin and grabbed Fatir by the collar.
"What's your relationship with Grindelwald?"
Fatir's wound had healed, but his face remained ashen. Supporting himself against the wall, he shrugged off Aglaia's grip and began pushing her toward the outside.
"Hey! I'm asking you a question! What happened to Jacob? What's the connection between you and Grindelwald?"
"He's my student. Stop asking, will you?"
As he spoke, he dragged Aglaia to the dragons and tried to hoist her onto the back of a Welsh Green.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you home. I'm taking you and your mother to America."
Aglaia was stunned. She broke free from his grip and stubbornly insisted, "No! I have to go back to school!"
"Listen to me, Aglaia!"
Fatir cut her off sharply. "If he dares to show up in front of me like this, it means the school and the British wizarding world are done for. He never acts without certainty."
"And then?" Aglaia asked.
"What do you mean 'and then'? The school is finished. You need to leave now!" Fatir snapped. He jumped onto the dragon's back and extended a hand toward her.
Aglaia stared at him incredulously. "You can't just create a dark wizard like him and then run away!"
Fatir said nothing, merely holding out his hand.
Aglaia swatted his hand aside. "How can you be like this?"
"And what did you think I was?" Fatir's voice rose in anger. "A hero from some story? I'm not his equal! No one is his equal! Do you even know about his wand? About his power?"
"What are you even talking about?" Aglaia yelled, nearly hopping in frustration. "I still have friends at that school!"
"Stop being stupid, will you?" Fatir roared back.
"Friends are like crops in a field. You harvest one season, and another grows in its place. Do you even remember what your friends looked like when you were fourteen? Because I don't!"
Aglaia, furious, shoved Fatir hard. "Enough! If you won't go, I'll go myself!"
With that, she turned and ran off into the snow, not looking back.
Frustrated, Fatir jumped down from the dragon. The shadows at his feet twisted and stretched, chasing after the fleeing girl.
Aglaia was yanked to the ground by an invisible force. Fatir hurried over, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shouted, "Are you out of your mind? You're a fourteen-year-old kid, and you want to take on Grindelwald!?"
Aglaia, dangling in his grip, responded with a faint smirk of disdain.
The look enraged Fatir. Gritting his teeth, he raised a hand and struck her on the head, intending to knock her out and drag her back.
But the moment he made contact, Aglaia dissolved into foam, scattering across the snow.
It was only an illusion.
The real Aglaia had long since disappeared into the blizzard.
(End of Chapter)
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