Besides, you're a former Dark Lord, and you chose war—are you planning to stir up trouble again?!
As if reading Edward's thoughts, Grindelwald said seriously, "Choosing war doesn't mean I'm going to start one. It means that when faced with war, I will have the power to confront it."
"Yes, yes, of course, you're absolutely right."
Grindelwald leaned back in his rocking chair again, returning to his usual lazy posture.
"Well, I'll be heading back then. See you next time."
Edward waved, "Lilith, we're leaving."
"Ooh!"
Lilith reluctantly tore her gaze away from the television. With a small grumble, she leapt onto Edward's shoulder, and man and cat vanished together.
Grindelwald suddenly sat upright, a look of confusion and surprise on his face. "Just now…was that the cat talking?"
——
As soon as he returned to Hogwarts, Edward slapped his forehead.
"Agh, I forgot to take notes."
He pulled out his notebook and began recalling the architectural style, layout, and historical events that had occurred at Nurmengard Castle. He also took the opportunity to jot down the love-hate entanglements between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, highlighting Grindelwald's despair and self-imprisonment after his defeat, and the emotional turmoil he harbored toward Dumbledore.
A competent scribe was supposed to record everything truthfully and without bias—but let's be honest, Nurmengard's story would be bone-dry if written that way.
So…he decided to spice things up a little.
At the very least, when Audrey got her hands on this segment of the chronicle, she'd be reading it with great relish.
——
"Say, if Professor Dumbledore hadn't chosen to oppose Grindelwald back then, what do you think the world would look like now? Would their 'Greater Good' have been realised?"
Edward thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because it was too 'great'," Edward explained. "If it were just the two of them—these two top-tier wizards—teaming up to stand above the rest, maybe it wouldn't have been so difficult. They could've silently accomplished their goals without anyone knowing. But if you count in the entire wizarding world, then no. It would inevitably lead to direct and total opposition."
"Eventually ending in mutual destruction."
He shrugged. "Of course, that's just my personal opinion. Honestly, I've always thought that if wizards wanted to rule over Muggles, brute force wouldn't be the way to do it."
"If it were up to me, I'd make good use of spells like the Imperius Curse, Confundus Charm, and Memory Charm, plus various potions—to sway some, control others, and achieve the goal indirectly."
Audrey looked contemplative. "So the Church in our world…is that the method they use?"
"Not exactly. The key difference between potions and magic is that anyone can become a Beyonder if they have the potion. There's no threshold. That's why the upper echelons of various countries are more willing to work with the Church."
"But wizards are born that way. You either are one or you're not. For governments, cooperating with wizards usually means putting a powerful master above their own heads—and that rarely benefits them in any real way."
"In fact, even in your world, things are far from the 'Greater Good' Dumbledore and Grindelwald envisioned. Ordinary people are still largely ignorant about Beyonders. The two sides haven't evolved into entirely separate species or social classes where one rules over the other. The highest levels of society still contain both Beyonders and influential non-Beyonders—just like your dad, who's a nobleman without any extraordinary powers."
"On the contrary, organisations like the Nighthawks—official Beyonder forces—aren't meant to dominate or control the masses. They exist to protect them…even at the cost of their own lives."
At this point, Edward scratched his head a little awkwardly. "Ahem. Everything I just said is pure keyboard politics. Take it with a grain of salt."
Audrey tilted her head. "Keyboard politics?"
"Well…it's when people sit around talking politics but never actually do anything. Lots of guys like to sit around and complain about this leader being dumb, that official being clueless—it's just a form of tough talk."
She giggled. "You're just a boy, not even a man."
Edward sighed and shrugged helplessly—he couldn't argue with that.
After finishing their butterbeers, the two stepped out of the Three Broomsticks. The cold wind outside made both of them instinctively shrink back—the pub had been so warm they'd forgotten they were only wearing thin wizard robes.
Edward quickly waved his wand, conjuring thick, warm clothes for both of them.
"Huh?"
Audrey's eyes locked on the Hog's Head down the street. "Is that Mr. Aberforth Dumbledore?"
At the moment, Aberforth was sprawled across his old goat, lying fast asleep in the snow. The goat blinked its innocent eyes, occasionally struggling to get up—but Aberforth was hugging it so tightly it couldn't move, and had to let out an occasional pitiful bleat.
The two exchanged a look. Roughly this time last week, the old man had gotten drunk and lost his goat. This time, he didn't lose it—he passed out with it, asleep in the snow?
Well, they couldn't just leave him there. Edward walked over and patted him. "Mr. Dumbledore, wake up."
Aberforth waved him off and muttered, "Don't mind me. I won't die."
I'm not worried about you dying—I'm worried you'll crush your beloved goat!
Left with no choice, Edward cast the Levitation Charm on Aberforth, causing his limbs and body to float as though suspended by invisible strings, like a human kite. He gently guided him back to the Hog's Head.
The place was empty, with no patrons inside. A few tables were covered in empty bottles, and the floor was a total mess.
Edward transfigured one of the tables into a sofa, laid Aberforth down, and tied the goat to the leg of the couch with a rope.
"Alright, let's head back."
But Audrey didn't move. She tilted her head back and stared intently at the painting hanging on the wall behind the bar.
"I know why that woman we saw in Godric's Hollow last week looked so familiar," she murmured.
"What?"
Audrey pointed at the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore on the wall.
"Look."
Edward froze for a second and followed her gaze.
In a moment of daze, the image of Miss Cecilia appeared in his mind—and began to slowly overlap with Ariana's face in the painting.
Side by side, the resemblance became striking.
Miss Cecilia looked exactly like a grown-up version of Ariana.
One was only thirteen or fourteen when she died (Ariana had passed at age 14), and the other seemed around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. The age difference made their appearances clearly distinct—but the eyes, the expressions…they were unmistakably alike.
Edward stood there stunned.
"That's impossible…Ariana died years ago—we even saw her grave."
"Even if she hadn't died," he added, "she'd be over a hundred by now. That Miss Cecilia couldn't be more than thirty."
The problem was, Ariana's death was canon. It had truly happened in the original timeline.
Edward drew out a coin and flicked it.
It spun in the air, flipped a few times, then landed flat and stood on its edge.
Divination: failed.
Edward frowned.
"Maybe it really is just a coincidence. Maybe Miss Cecilia just happens to resemble Ariana. Perhaps she's distantly related to the Dumbledores?"
"Could be," Audrey mused. "Why don't we just go back and check? Ariana's grave is right there in the churchyard at Godric's Hollow."
"Good idea."
The two exchanged a glance and, almost instinctively, clasped hands.
With a sharp crack, they Apparated and vanished.
——
A week later, they found themselves once again in Godric's Hollow.
Night had already fallen, and soft yellow lights shone from the cottages dotting the valley. Thin plumes of blue smoke curled lazily from chimneys, painting a picture of peace and warmth.
But neither of them had time to admire the scene—they made their way straight to the graveyard behind the chapel, to the tombstones of Dumbledore's mother and sister.
Edward tossed the coin.
"Ariana is buried in this grave?"
Heads up.
Yes.
Edward let out a quiet breath.
"So it was just a coincidence…?"
"See?" Audrey grinned. "This was actually super easy for you to verify."
She paused, then added with a hint of mischief, "Wanna go see that lady again, just to double-check?"
He thought for a second and quoted a classic saying: "Well, we're already here."
He transfigured a nearby stone into a walking stick, intending to use it for dowsing.
Unfortunately, the attempt failed.
Edward wasn't surprised—dowsing often required an object personally connected to the target.
"Let's ask around the pub?" Audrey suggested.
Donning the Invisibility Cloak once more, the pair Apparated near the bar. After confirming the street was empty, they took off the cloak and stepped inside.
"Welcome—"
The barkeep paused mid-greeting. "Oh hey, weren't you two the lovebirds from last week Haven't seen you around—thought you'd left town."
"Two fruit juices, please," Edward said as they took seats at the bar.
"Boss, do you happen to know the woman who brought us here last week—Miss Cecilia?"
"Of course!" the bartender laughed.
"She's Old Gault's granddaughter. Used to come here with him all the time when she was little. Gault wasn't the most responsible guy—let that little girl drink alcohol, can you believe it?"
"Do you know where the Gault family lives? Miss Cecilia helped us out the other day—we'd like to thank her properly."
"The house on the edge of the village. Can't miss it."
——
A few minutes later, the two arrived outside a house draped in thick green vines.
Unlike the rest of the warmly-lit homes, this one was completely dark, silent, and unwelcoming.
"Hello?" Edward called out. "Is Miss Cecilia here?"
No response.
Edward flipped the coin again.
"Is there anyone inside this house?"
Heads up.
No.
He hesitated for a moment, then made a decision.
"Let's check inside."
The house's layout resembled the Dumbledores' home. Everything was old but meticulously clean.
Just inside the entryway hung a framed photograph of an elderly couple sitting close together with affection in their eyes.
There were two bedrooms. One was locked and seemed untouched for years. The other showed signs of recent use.
At the bedside, Edward soon found a single strand of blonde hair.
Just as he was preparing to use it for divination, he heard Audrey muttering behind him, "We're good people, we're good people, we're good people…"
"…What are you whispering?"
Audrey looked sheepish.
"Breaking into someone's house…feels kinda wrong."
Edward raised an eyebrow.
"What about when we snuck into Professor Dumbledore's house?"
"That was different!" she huffed, scrunching her nose.
Edward chuckled, just as he was about to begin the divination—
A clicking sound came from downstairs.
The front door opened.
Footsteps.
A figure stepped into the house. A woman with blonde hair—
But it wasn't Miss Cecilia.
———
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