"It is a bit weird trying to sleep down here when there is an old, dark wizard in his cell upstairs..." I murmured as we both were lying on a past-century bed, watching the stars from the small window on the wall.


    "Yeah..." Quincy agreed, waving her wand and raising the flames in the fireplace, warming us up.


    Luckily, after a few cleaning spells, the room was no longer dusty or filthy, and we could use the bed to sleep on. The problem was that no sleep came to us, even if we were tired.


    "What do you think we should do with him?" I asked, turning towards her.


    "No idea. Release him?"


    "Ugh... maybe? Would that be good? What if he was lying?"


    "Dunno... What do your instincts tell you? Both yours and the blood in you?"


    "Hmmm... I think he wasn''t lying. That was my first thought." I answered honestly and tried asking Herpo within me, too, but he didn''t speak to me at all. I don''t even know if he is awake or not.


    "Let''s look at it this way!" She chuckled, snuggling up to me, hugging my body, "He was the enemy of Dumbledore. Even if he is a menace and a source of trouble, releasing him would do us only good, as I doubt the two would reconcile. Dumbledore left him here to rot! Then there is the other side... Would the two join forces? He and Voldemort? I don''t think the Dark Lord would dare to and instead look at someone like Grindelwald as a risk factor. Someone who could usurp his rule."


    "And he doesn''t know our powers... He doesn''t have a wand, or he would have been out already. So if we let him out, we can still have the upper hand if he attacks us."


    "IF he attacks us."


    "Yes." I nodded, "I like the idea of setting him free, hehe. We would see if he is serious about what he said or not. Will he go for revenge or show his so-called clarity and return the favor of letting him out. Maybe teaching us something."


    "So? Are we getting him out of the cell?"


    "Tomorrow~!" I whispered, kissing her once, "For now, let''s rest... I am tired..."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    When morning came, the castle was surprisingly cold, so it took some time for us to climb out of bed. After a brief breakfast and a quick wash, we decided to set one of the most infamous wizards of this century free. We already have Voldemort, so I don''t think it would matter much in the grand scheme of things. When we walked up to the top floor, he was still sitting just like yesterday, eyes closed, unmoving. Was he dead? I couldn''t tell, but he did look like a corpse.


    "Excuse me?" I raised my voice, scratching my throat, and after a long second, he opened his blue eyes, watching the wall opposite him before turning towards us.


    "Good morning, kids. What can I help you with?"


    "We... wanted to ask some questions."


    "I thought so." He nodded, fixing his position a little, blinking very slowly. I thought that he might be slowed down because of the cold, but... who knows? Perhaps he is just crazy or close to death. Or both. "Ask away."


    "What would you do if we let you out?"


    "..." I expected some reaction from him, but there was nothing. He didn''t respond at first; his eyes remained calm and focused as he moved his eyelids up and down before finally answering. "Pursue pure magic."


    "What does that mean?" Quincy asked, drawing a smile onto Grindelwald''s face.


    "Pursuing Magic. It is as I say it. I no longer care about power, control, the Hallows, or about right or wrong. None of that is what matters. Those are human constructs. The real importance is Magic."


    "What does that mean?" I asked him, finding his words interesting.


    "Have you ever asked the question, why does Magic exist?"


    "No?" We replied after exchanging a quick look. "Why?"


    "I don''t know." He answered with a chuckle, standing up and walking in front of his bars. "Nobody knows. Why does Magic exist? Why do some have the gift of interacting with it while others are deemed to be magicless? We don''t know. Isn''t it interesting? Isn''t that fascinating? That is what I would pursue... everything else... is mundane."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "So... you wouldn''t want to go and take revenge?"


    "No." His reply was quick and sharp and arrived before I finished asking. "I lost. What I did was deplorable and horrible. I came to terms with my old self, and I know that my punishment was just. The blood on my hands is still there, even if you can''t see it. It is I who others should come and find for revenge."


    "Would you let them take it?" Quincy blurted out the same question I was thinking of.


    "No. I am no saint, young Quincy, Conrad. If you return my freedom, I will help you with whatever you want. I believe that nature, and through it, Magic is a world of balance. The equations of equal forces. My crimes brought forth my equal punishment. If a force of evil rises, a force of goodwill spawns to oppose it. If a force of good dominates the world... there will be a great evil to level the playing field. Balance is always there, or else nature, Magic, and the universe itself would collapse. That is what I believe."


    "So you would help us... to repay the fact we freed you?" I murmured, concluding his words and prompting him to nod.


    "And because that would be what Magic requires of me to keep up the balance. If I leave this cell, it will be because the roles have reversed."


    "What roles?" We asked, but I think both of us knew the answer. We just wanted to hear it from him.


    "It was I who was looking for the Hallows. It was I who learned of them, their features, their powers, and it was I who got the first one. Already discovered the second one when Albus, my old friend, stopped me. Now, the fact that you two are standing before me told me enough. This time around, he is the one who is now looking for the Hallows... and it is my turn to stop him from getting them all. Which, if I don''t mistake you two, would align with your request... and help with your quest for revenge."


    "..." I had no answer for him. He was right. It would align...


    "Child." He continued speaking to me, making me look into his eyes.


    "I know, revenge is not the answer..." I shrugged, wanting to roll my eyes, but he shook his head.


    "No. Revenge is your given right for what happened to you. What I wanted to say is that revenge alone can''t be your only goal. When you achieve it, you will become aimless. You must aim for something bigger! Something more... something that encompasses your path to revenging your Father, but even after your victory, it will bring you further. For now, just think about it, young Conrad. Your road is still long. You have time."


    I didn''t answer at first, trying to understand his words, but it was hard. I didn''t really get what he was trying to say to me, mostly because I couldn''t think of anything that would matter in the future. Right now, I knew that I just wanted both Voldemort and Dumbledore to lose. That was enough...


    "How do we open this cell?" Quincy asked, and true enough, looking around, I saw no doors, handles, or latches on it. It was just the iron bars, from wall to wall.


    "It is easy." He explained, stepping back from it. "Anyone who wants to set the occupant free has to touch it. They have to mean to set the one inside free. That is all."


    "Then why are you still inside?" I blurted out, but the dots connected at once in my head, "Ah. You can''t touch it... My mouth moved before my brain."


    "Indeed." He smiled, making me click my tongue while Quincy couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Stepping forward, I reached out, holding onto the metal rods, and the moment I thought about letting him free, those bars began vibrating before gradually turning opaque. When I stepped back, we watched as he took a deep breath and walked through, standing before us and letting the bars solidify behind him.


    "I did not think this day would come." He whispered, lowering his head, looking at us, nodding at me, then at Quincy. "Come, Young Conrad, Young Quincy."


    We didn''t know what he wanted, but it was foolish not to follow him as he walked down the stairs, letting his long nails knock on the stone stairs, looking like some kind of caricature of a beggar. Yet... something in his posture and stance was still intimidating. Full of vigor.


    He led us into the ''War Room,'' walking straight toward the map on the opposite wall and began pulling out pins from it. I wanted to ask why but forced some patience on myself. After removing the seventh pin, the wall rumbled, and the map rolled itself up, revealing the stone surface as a lone slab slid forward. When he reached into it, I could see his figure shiver a little and pull out a slightly longer-than-average white wand with a purple handle, looking royal and regal.


    "Long time no see... old friend." He whispered, giving it a swish before pointing it at himself.


    I would lie if I didn''t think about him trying to suicide himself or something like that, but it wasn''t that. I watched as his body got cleaned; those nasty, long nails fell off, as did his beard and messy hair. It didn''t take long for Grindelwald to change from a dying, homeless person into a well-kept old man with a clean shave and swept-back, grey hair. Yes, he was still wearing dregs and looked way too thin, but the change was already visible.


    "Much better." He smiled, and this time, we could see it clearly on his face. "Now, I don''t want to be rude, but let''s not get into the details immediately! I wish to bathe first, have a fine dinner, and then we can get to the nitty-gritty things!"


    "Y-yes?" We answered, looking at each other before Quincy added, "But the kitchen is... pretty empty and-"


    "Oh, yes. It is closed. Let me fix things up." He nodded, flicking his wand, and we felt air rush over us. Now, if you excuse me!"


    With that, he walked past us, heading into one of the luxurious rooms, closing the door behind him, and aiming towards the bathroom. I wanted to ask Quincy something, but then we heard multiple clanks echoing through the castle. Following the noise, we arrived at the kitchen and watched as multiple automatons came out from the now-open hatch, bringing along ingredients and proper food, and beginning to cook a feast for us all. The smell that soon filled the kitchen was mouth-watering... Something that reminded me of Hogwarts...


    "You were right..." Quincy murmured, making me turn to her with question marks in my eyes, "They were stupid enough to imprison the man in his own castle. A big mistake."


    "I just hope we didn''t make a bigger one by releasing him."