Gripping Snape and Madam Rosier, Grindelwald didn't pause. He adjusted his trajectory slightly in mid-air and swooped down towards the battered, smoke-billowing magical ark below.
The Founders' Ship quickly grew larger in their sight. As they drew closer, the figures running frantically on the deck became clearly visible. They had obviously noticed these three uninvited guests descending from the sky at an astonishing speed. Someone pointed in terror towards the sky, mouths agape, shouting something, while others frantically sought cover. But separated by the ship's protective charm and the howling wind from high altitude, Snape couldn't hear a thing, only witnessing a silent chaos.
Grindelwald's speed didn't slacken. Just as they were about to hit the faintly shimmering transparent protective shield above the ship, the silver token badge flew out of Snape's pocket and positioned itself in front of them. There was a faint impact, like a bubble popping. Under the badge's influence, they effortlessly passed through the shield, feeling as if they had gone through a warm, extremely elastic film of water.
In an instant, the surroundings shifted. The howling wind from high above suddenly vanished, replaced by the clamor and commotion on the deck. Gasps, spell-casting sounds, and house-elves' shrieks intertwined.
"Enemy attack!"
"Protect the students!"
---
### Unwelcome Welcome
Several of the quickest responders, including a few adult wizards who looked travel-worn and were in plain clothes but had sharp eyes, had reflexively raised their wands. In their panic, several red Stunning Spells and Disarming Charms instantly flared, hissing mercilessly towards the trio.
"Stop!" A voice incredibly familiar to Snape cut through the chaos, shrieking, "It's Severus! Don't attack!"
Lily was the first to rush out of the crowd. Her face was pale, her emerald eyes filled with worry and fear, her red hair wildly splayed behind her, her robes still smudged with dark grey marks. She completely disregarded the spells flying past, making a beeline for Snape.
"Get out of the way!" another voice shouted, trying to push aside those aiming. Someone urgently lifted their wand tip by an inch. However, several spells had already shot out, flying towards Grindelwald and Snape's group.
Amidst a few distorted screams, Grindelwald didn't even deign to look at the incoming spells. He merely set Snape and Madam Rosier down and, with an utterly casual flick of his wand, sent out an invisible magical force field that instantly expanded from him. The incoming spells were like hitting a resilient barrier, flickering a few times about ten feet in front of Grindelwald before silently dissipating. However, Lily, who tried to rush past, and a few others who were closer, were gently brushed by the residual force of this field, pushed back a few steps before managing to steady themselves.
It was then that Snape's trio's feet landed firmly on the deck with a soft thud. In a flash, Lily had rushed to Snape. She ignored the powerfully imposing Grindelwald and the silent Madam Rosier, grabbing Snape's arm.
"Are you alright?"
"Are you okay?"
Their voices sounded almost simultaneously, overlapping.
Snape clasped Lily's cold hand, surveying her up and down to confirm she had no obvious injuries other than being disheveled and frightened. Lily, too, nervously checked him over. Their eyes quickly scanned each other's bodies until they confirmed no harm, and their tensed nerves finally relaxed slightly, a wordless joy of reunion after danger passing between them.
"Youth is wonderful," Grindelwald's voice, tinged with amusement, sounded beside them, breaking the brief reunion.
Lily immediately snapped back to reality, letting go of Snape's hand. She seemed to only now realize she had been gripping his hand tightly, a quick blush flushing her face.
---
### Unsettling Reports
"Lily, where's Pandora? How are the others? Any serious casualties? What happened?" Snape quickly scanned the chaotic deck, asking in rapid succession. He saw shattered ship railings, charred spell marks, and several house-elves frantically trying to repair cracks in the hull with magic.
"Everything's fine, no one died!" Lily said, steadying herself. "Pandora's fine! She's in the cabin packing things—" When she mentioned Pandora, her voice noticeably hesitated, with a strange reluctance, and she even shivered involuntarily.
Snape's hanging heart dropped by more than half, but Lily's odd tone still wouldn't let him fully relax.
Then, Lily leaned closer, purposely lowering her voice to ensure only he could hear: "Just a little while ago, some people from the Order of the Phoenix came aboard, seeking refuge. We took them in—" Her voice carried a hint of trembling fear. "One of them, Sturgis Podmore, when everyone's guard was down, suddenly threw something on the floor, and it became pitch black instantly; no one could see anything. It must have been a powerful invisibility smoke bomb. Luckily, in the chaos, Professor McGonagall reacted incredibly fast and stunned the traitor. But immediately after that, there was an even greater commotion on deck."
"The protective shield was breached somehow, and several masked Death Eaters rushed in. They took two younger students hostage and charged deeper into the cabin; the scene was very chaotic." Recalling this, Lily's face paled even more. "Thankfully, Pandora and Barty and Abbott reacted quickly and organized a counter-attack with the older students. With the professors, we won, captured a few, and rescued the students. But the ship—" She looked worriedly at the smoking main sail and the gashes on the hull.
---
### Grindelwald's Arrival
Just then, after calming down the older students and Order of the Phoenix members on deck, Professor Flitwick squeezed out from the shaken crowd. His small face was weary, and his sharp eyes immediately fell upon the distinguished-looking man standing beside Snape, whose appearance strikingly resembled a middle-aged Dumbledore.
Professor Flitwick's gaze held a hint of tension, and he quickly shot Snape a meaningful look. Snape gave him a firm, affirmative nod. Professor Flitwick's small eyes widened instantly, then were replaced by a knowing solemnity. He took a deep breath, and facing Grindelwald, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, his demeanor a mix of caution and gravity.
"Ahem," Grindelwald coughed pointedly, his voice not loud but clearly audible across the deck. All eyes focused on him, filled with awe and bewilderment, and the clamor subsided. Grindelwald's gaze swept over the crowd, as if piercing through the deck and looking directly into the depths of the ship's cabin.
With his hoarse, authoritative voice, he commanded, leaving no room for argument:
"Now, take me to him."
Snape immediately understood. He quietly told Professor Flitwick, "Professor, I'll leave things here to you," and gave Lily a reassuring look that said, "Don't worry, I've got everything covered." Though Lily looked at him worriedly, she still nodded. Then, he walked to Grindelwald's side, made a "please" gesture, and led him and Madam Rosier, who remained silent as a shadow, directly into the ship's interior.
The crowd blocking their way, whether older Hogwarts students or Order of the Phoenix members familiar with Snape, instinctively and quickly moved aside, clearing a wide path. The invisible yet powerful aura Grindelwald exuded, along with his seemingly effortless and miraculous way of neutralizing the attacks just moments ago, instilled a primal awe in these wizards.
---
### Blood and Secrets
Stepping inside the ship's cabin, the sight was even more startling. The corridor was filled with the strong scent of blood mixed with potions. Although Lily had told him there were no serious injuries, Snape's heart sank again. He saw large splatters of dark red, not yet fully dried blood on the cabin walls and carpets.
"Minky!" Snape called out to the house-elf who was vigorously cleaning large reddish-brown stains from the carpet with magic, asking with a hint of tension, "How many of us are injured? How serious are the injuries?"
Seeing it was Snape, Minky's tennis-ball-sized eyes immediately filled with respect and a touch of relief. She bowed deeply: "Respected Mr. Snape, welcome back! Only one or two injured! Professors McGonagall and Prince are already handling it."
"Then why is there so much blood?" Snape frowned, pointing to the large dark red stains in the corridor.
"These," the house-elf's large eyes blinked, her voice lowered, with a hint of undetectable fear and awe, "These are... the enemy's blood, sir."
"Who did this?" Snape couldn't help but ask. "Who was so—?" He couldn't imagine anyone on the ship having such a violent fighting style.
Minky didn't answer the question, only bowing lower, her large ears twitching uneasily.
"Severus." Grindelwald's calm but urgent voice came from ahead. Since the bloodstains didn't belong to their own people, Snape suppressed the doubts in his heart, nodded to Minky, and then quickly caught up with Grindelwald, continuing to lead the way.
---
### The Final Approach
Passing by the dining room, the opened door revealed a temporary assembly point, filled with shaken students and some lightly wounded. Professor McGonagall stood guard at the entrance, while Eileen directed house-elves to distribute Calming Draughts and hot chocolate.
When Professor McGonagall saw Snape's group, her gaze immediately fixed on the man who so closely resembled the Dumbledore in her memory. She quickly walked out, blocking Snape's path, her eyes scrutinizing Grindelwald's transfigured face, her tone serious: "Severus, who is this?"
"He is a guest I specifically invited on this journey," Snape replied in a low voice. "Professor McGonagall, we are going to see Professor Dumbledore now. This gentleman has waited many years..." He didn't directly reveal Grindelwald's identity, but the hint was clear enough.
Grindelwald looked at Professor McGonagall's wary and scrutinizing gaze, a half-smile playing on his face. Professor McGonagall's gaze swept back and forth between Snape and Grindelwald, seemingly weighing something. Finally, she nodded: "Alright. I'll go with you."
Grindelwald merely gave her a half-smiling, warning look, as if to say, "Suit yourself," completely unconcerned by an extra person accompanying them. He lifted his chin, signaling Snape to continue leading the way.
---
### A Private Moment
The group silently moved through the cabin corridor, filled with the scent of blood and tension, finally arriving at the door of the infirmary, deep within the ship. Standing at the door were two tense adult wizards gripping their wands, the Prewett brothers. They only relaxed slightly when they saw Professor McGonagall and Snape.
Grindelwald stood at the infirmary door, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped Gideon and Fabian. They looked to Professor McGonagall for help, and only when she motioned for them to move aside did they quickly step to either side of the wooden door. Without a moment's hesitation, Grindelwald pushed open the wooden door.
Inside the infirmary, the light was soft, and a faint, soothing scent of calming herbs permeated the room. On one side of the room, Albus Dumbledore lay quietly on a feather mattress, his face still pale, his long silvery-white hair and beard neatly groomed, softly spread on the white pillow. His breathing was shallow and steady, his chest rising and falling faintly, as if he had merely fallen into a deep, unwilling-to-wake long dream.
Grindelwald stepped forward, walking purposefully towards the sickbed. Madam Rosier followed silently. Professor McGonagall and Snape also followed close behind. By the bedside, Grindelwald stopped, standing still for a long time. He gazed down at the sleeping old man on the bed, as if trying to penetrate the calm exterior and see the state of his soul.
Finally, he spoke to everyone behind him: "You all, leave."
At his words, Madam Rosier immediately bowed slightly, then turned to Snape and Professor McGonagall, extending her palm, signaling them to leave with her. Professor McGonagall's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something. She looked at Snape, who shook his head slightly, his eyes signaling her to trust Grindelwald. She took a deep look at Dumbledore on the bed, then at the "stranger" with his back to them, radiating a powerful, oppressive aura, and nodded very reluctantly and slowly.
The two followed Madam Rosier, silently walking out of the infirmary. Just then, Snape couldn't resist looking back one last time: Grindelwald stood there quietly, his back to the door.
At that very moment, his Transfiguration lifted. His short, dark brown hair quickly lengthened and faded, returning to his original, salt-and-pepper long hair, streaked with silver, falling naturally over his shoulders. In front of Professor Dumbledore, he regained his weathered, sharply defined face, marked by the years yet still showing glimpses of its former glory.
At the same time, Snape's ears caught Grindelwald's fragmented words. He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also gently confiding in the sleeping man:
"Now—who would—you—Dumbledore—you—"
The remaining words were completely cut off as the door closed.
"Click." The lock gently fell into place.
The corridor was silent. Madam Rosier stood by the door like a guardian, expressionless. Leaning against the sturdy cabin wall, Snape couldn't help but shake his head slightly, muttering softly, his voice so low that only Professor McGonagall next to him could barely hear:
"Oh, to be old, and savor the sting of love over and over again—"