Chapter Text
“From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity"
At the foot of the ancient staircase lay Albus Dumbledore.
His form sprawled gracelessly, splayed awkwardly, limbs at unnatural angles like a marionette whose strings had been cruelly snipped mid-dance—a stark, harrowing image of the wizard whom the Qilin deemed pure of heart.The resounding thud of his body hitting the cold stone had left the onlookers frozen in place. Waiting for the drop of a joke that never came. Or perhaps the blazing glory of a fight between good and evil—
None of that but a vivid, brutal tableau, as if time itself had been stopped in the midst of a renaissance painting depicting a tragedy to be fully revealed.
And Gellert Grindelwald stood over as victor.
His right hand gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white, eyes wide with a mix of triumph and disbelief. Trying to comprehend what had just happened mere seconds ago.
A curse had done it.
Reverberated among the three of them—between him, Albus, and Aberforth—over the safety of the obscurial.
Oh, the irony of fates playing at them. Its similarity to the past fraught with sorrow was unmistakable: a haunting echo that claimed Ariana years ago.
Now mirrored by the eldest Dumbledore.
One minute he was there, and the next he was gone. His mouth, moments before , had whispered a name—Gellert's—with his last breath—a final invocation, a plea, or perhaps an accusation.
Dead. Gone. Perished was his dear distant love—
“Albus…” he utters as if in a trance by an inherent curiosity to figure out what was wrong with the other's—
Eyes, Sapphires struck by the setting sun—
Struck by a curse never meant for him.
The once vibrant blues, usually brimming with enigma, were now dim and vacant, staring blankly at nothing beyond him. Lingering around Albus' neck like a vicious coil and heavy anchor to the grounds, was the silver chain of the blood troth. Taunting the final man standing in the crossroads.
Unbroken and bright.
What have I done?
“No!” Aberforth’s anguished cries shattered the silence, his voice, broken with raw desperation. He rushed toward the fallen brother, his strides quick and frantic, his hands trembling as they sought a pulse, a sign of life—anything to cling to. "I need a healer! Gods, please, help!"
Albus' head remained limp in his hold, unresponsive to the frantic touches as if to wake him up. Even the younger Scamander, who had knelt beside them to confirm the death, could only stare with wide, disbelieving eyes glancing back at Grindewald.
Nothing.
“No, no, no—don’t leave me here, you bastard. Not you too. Come on,” Aberforth mumbles into the cold skin, rocking back and forth as if to console himself as much as his brother. “Please, brother. Come on—please!”
“You!” he shouts at Grindelwald, eyes etched with anguish as he cradled his brother’s body. “What have you done?! Why take him from me as well!?”
Albus is dead. Taken by a fate that should never have found him.
Grindelwald's mind races, a frantic jumble of thoughts and emotions, It wasn’t me, you fiend! The spell didn’t come from m—
Before he could utter a word, Vicencia Santos had stepped forward, blocking his path.
The newly elected Mugwump looks at Grindelwald, hardened by duty and the violence displayed before them, her wand trained at the dark wizard. About seven more aurors, including the Auror Head Scamander and another witch in Dumbledore's party, have mirrored the gesture of surrounding Grindelwald for the arrest. Slowly cornering him to the edge of the stoned stage.
”Gellert Grindelwald,” her voice clear and loud for all of the present witnesses to hear, ”In the name of the Old Magick vested upon me as Supreme Mugwump. In the name of the Evoked powers of the ICW. I detain you under the present representatives of the Ministries of Magic, for the crimes of mass terrorism, crimes against wizarding kind and suspicions of chaos in the muggle community. Desecration and blatant manipulation of the ICW’s electoral system,”
No. No. nononoNO- This is impossible.
This was not according to his plan.
His Visions.
Albus couldn't be-He is Gellert's equal.
He wasn’t dead. The blood troth remains intact.
He isn't dead.
'Du kannst noch nicht sterben.'
He could still hear something —
'Albus, please wake up.'
He wasn't dea-
".....And for the murder of British warlock, Professor Albus Dumbledore, what say you?" Santos' voice cuts through his thoughts, each word a hammer blow.
Albus Dumbledore was dead.
And He was its maker.
Albus, I’m—
Shouts had erupted, a cacophony of voices and spells, as the Eyrie descended into chaos from the lower stairwells. Wizards clashed with wizards, ideals clashed with ideals, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of magic.
"Liars! The election is a sham!" a voice screamed, straining to be heard over the tumult.
“Vogel deceived us all!”
"Victorious!" "Down with Santos!"
"Santos is the true Mugwump! The Qilin says so!"
"It bowed to Grindelwald first!" "It was rigged!"
"A sham!"
“Apprehend the acolytes!” an auror barked, "Seize them all!"
"Victorious!"
“Defend Grindelwald! Keep them away from him!” another voice shouted.
“He’s innocent of the crimes!”
"Is it Grindelwald? Dumbledore? Santos?!"
“He murdered the professor!”
"It was self-defense! You saw it!"
"No way! A No-Maj is responsible!”
"Seize Grindelwald!"
Victorious. Grindelwald.
That is what they chant as they bare their wands against the authorities. Against loyalists to Santos and Liu Tao who clashed with the remaining fanatics, each side fighting with a desperate shout.Confusion reigned as Aurors and supporters collided. Some, too frenzied to cast spells, resorted to fists and physical blows. The thousands of witches and wizards present turned the Eyrie into a battleground.
"Retreat!" Vinda Rosier shouted, commanding their men back to their senses. Wands raised and armed, they sprang into action planned for a strategic withdrawal. “Scatter and flee!”
Those who heard the order had immediately disapparated, vanishing in plumes of smoke, retreating to hidden safe house. Even Abernathy’s men slipped through quietly, evading capture. Others weren’t so fortunate, seized by aurors and bounded away.
“Why flee!? Didn't we win!?” one of the witches wonders out loud as she vanishes into thin air, leaving an echo of cheer at the death of the professor—The air crackled with spells and shouts, the scene turning into a whirling maelstrom of battle.
What a mess.
A bolt of red light shot past Vinda’s head, narrowly missing her. She retaliated with a fierce hex, striking down the Auror in her path. She has no time for child's duels.Her priority lay with her superior. The wizard kept himself on defense with a herd of aurors taking him head on.
“Monsieur!” She speaks with urgency as she apparates beside Grindelwald to assist. Two more of their men had fallen to the Santos. So she replies in kind to take two aurors on her own and they froze from her hex. “ Nous devons y aller maintenant! Il y aura bientôt des émeutes-”
“Je ne peux pas laisser son corps ici! ” he exclaims.
“Le professeur est mort maintenant!” She swears as she pulls him back with one hand and the other, her wand swinging frantically to cast another hex.
Merde!
She is efficient to defend own her own merits but with more aurors swarming them by the minute—Ignoring Vinda’s urgent pull, Grindelwald raises the powerful wand in his grasp with a flourished swing. “Depulso.”
Amplified by the Elder wand’s magic, it had summoned an strong banishing charm that pushed all twenty something wizards far from its epicenter. Leaving them both in the middle of the ruins. It would suffice for his remaining acolytes to disperse including his second in command.
“Fuyez avec les autres. Je serai juste derrière vous tous,” he had calmly ordered the French witch,“ Allez, Madame .”
Without another word, Vinda takes hold of their injured and vanishes into smoke.
The aurors of the various ministries of Magic were left alone with Grindelwald.
Facing the doubled count of wizards and witches closing in on him, Grindelwald recognized the precarious balance he had to maintain. The memory of the Paris rally lingered in his mind—he knew better than to stoke the anger and fear simmering in his opposition.
But his own fury begs to differ, lurking just beneath the surface. They thought they could detain him, subdue him? Fools. He was no mere wizard to be shackled and caged. He was a force of nature, an architect of destiny, and his wrath would be their undoing.
Not when about a few staircases from him lay Albus’ body, both Aberforth and Newt struggling to pry him off the ground as if it was held down by an invisible force. Standing near them, casting her own defenses, was that witch he saw in the evening gala dinner who thwarted the poisoning of Santos’s drink. Even the defected Credence Barebone stood in front of them with intent of protection despite the paling conditions of his features.
Not that all of that matters now to the cold corpse.
“I was never your enemy. Then or now,” He speaks once more to the remaining crowd of audience, believers, cynics and the law. Faceless bodies that were still reeling from the banishment charm. “It pains me to have forced my hands with this..But I see you have decided where you all stand. Against me. Against our Kind. Our Future,"
"And now, I must show what foolish men suffer under my anger.”
The Elder Wand, guided by its master’s grief and anger, carves His own symphony of spell and time slows down as Theseus reached out to stop it.
“ Pestis Incendium Maximo .”
Fiendyfre.
Great Fire of the Plague.
—Hellfire on Earth. Devourer of Life.
From the wand’s tip, the dark flames, unable to be quenched by mere water nor any counter spell, spews and swallows everything in its wake with ember and smoke like a greedy beast.
It grows in ten folds, the bright flames runs through the earth and pulls the unsuspecting aurors into its death as if sentience was placed in it by its master.
First to be caught were those nearest to Grindelwald— Ministry officials and their aides. Their screams pierced the air as the firestorm engulf their skins, a harrowing sound that was quickly muffled by the roar of the fire.
The altered Fiendfyre did not merely burn; it consumed, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. The flames, dark and malevolent, twisted and writhed like living serpents, coiling around their victims with an insatiable hunger. Those who were unable to cast a protective charm in time were enveloped by the inferno, their screams of agony piercing through the smoke.
"Protect yourselves!" Minister Liu Tao shouted, his voice hoarse with desperation. He raised his wand, casting a Shield Charm just in time to deflect a tendril of the cursed fire. "Fall back, everyone!"
But not everyone was as fortunate. The horrific sight of these officials, once robed in the dignified dress of their ministries, now flailing helplessly in the flames, was etched into the memories of all who could still bear to watch.
Amidst the chaos, Theseus had fought to maintain his own shield while witnessing the carnage around him. He saw a colleague, a respected Auror, trying to save a fellow wizard, only to be overtaken by the flames.
"We need to get out of here!" Hicks had shouted at him.
Theseus, his face streaked with soot and sweat, glances back at the professor. "Go, 'Lally! Get as many out as you can!"
The officials and Aurors, once a formidable force of order and protection, were reduced to frenzied, desperate figures, their dignity stripped away by the unyielding fire.
Each time it struck, it takes two more aurors, grabbing hold of them before they can try to escape through disapparating. Deaf to the screams and pleads.
Its fire cascades to take four souls more.
And then another eight.
Then sixteen lives of Tao's personal envoy.
The entire Brazilian campaign party of Santos of twenty men disappears instantaneously.
Forty more—
"Fall back!" Theseus commanded his remaining men, his voice hoarse over the roar of the flames. Shielding himself and the unconscious Mugwump in Hicks' arms. She was alive but the thick potent smokes was soon going to make it impossible to breath. "Escape when you can!!"
His order was barely audible above the chaos, and his heart sank with the realization as the blue inferno enveloped the skies.The Fiendfyre spread with unnatural speed, and the ancient ruins of Bhutan, once a place of reverence and peace, became a hellscape of death and destruction.
No one would survive this. No voice would come out to beg and stop this burning of Salem. Grindelwald had made sure of it as he spares a glance to the eldest Scamander.
All around him, red, bronze and green banners fell to the fires as the bodies were to the ground in writhing in pain. Yet Grindelwald walked through it with ease and untouched by his own creation, closing in to the professor.
They couldn’t get out.
They were effectively left to be burned alive.
”Don’t let the fire touch you!. . . New—”
For at the moment, Grindelwald was an embodiment of something primal and untamed, a force of hell unleashed upon the world. His rage was quiet, yet seething.
And as the flames scourged, consuming those who would oppose him, he stood alone.
Unyielding.
Newt Scamander pointed his wand at him while his other arm feebly held his professor's body. The magizoologist was the only left hanging, probably had a help from one of his magical creatures. He was barely conscious and coughing out the fire's smoke as he stared at Gellert.
Huh, He never thought the boy could look like that. As if he could kill a man.
This was Albus’ favored student if he recalls. So Gellert stuns him, letting his body fall on the floor and grip loosen around the body. He kneels in front of them and easily untangles the corpse's limbs off the ground, the chains of the blood troth clinking too loudly for his ears.
“Es tut mir so leid, meine Liebe. Lass mich dich reparieren…”
Grindelwald disapparates with a loud crack in its wake.
Leaving the steps of the Eyrie in ashes and the smell of burning carnage.
THE DRUK HERALDING:
BREAKING NEWS- Fiendfyre Erupts at Ancient Stone Temple of Eyrie
Punakha, Bhutan — In a shocking and alarming event, the ancient site of Eyrie, headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards, became the center of what seems to be a violent, uncontrolled Fiendfyre outbreak. The dark flames, distinctly visible and menacing, spread rapidly, casting an eerie glow that reached even the muggle towns bordering the magical perimeters of Punakha in midday.
Panic and confusion gripped the local populace of the Eyrie village when several wizards and witches apparated into the plaza square, seeking help for third-degree burns and injuries sustained in the stone chambers. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with the once serene environment turned into a hostile cesspool of blood and burnt flesh.
Responding swiftly to the crisis, the Wardens of the Eastern Magical Himalayas arrived to aid local shamans in their efforts to quell the dark magic's remnants. Their combined expertise managed to subdue and prevent further potential devastation to the local magical flora-fauna, and the village itself.
Unfortunate for the stone chambers, Fiendfyre had totaled the temple into further decay and ruins. It is now permanently closed to the public until local DATPMI (Department of Ancient Temple Preservation and Magical Infrastructure) can assess and clear it for use once more.
Healers from the capital were dispatched to assist in the lower village of the Eyrie which is ground zero for casualties and the ICW's temporary quarters.
Reports indicate that over eighty wixens have been hurt, though the full extent of fatalities has yet to be determined.
According from on site wardens, some of the bodies retrieved from the scene were so charred it is difficult to identify them, even with magic. The intense heat and dark nature of the Fiendfyre have left many victims unrecognizable, adding to the heartbreak and horror of this incident.
The cause of the tragedy remains unknown at this moment. Authorities are investigating the origins of the great fire but the priority lies with mending the internacional relations of the Kingdom of Bhutan for letting such lost of lives occur in its territories.
Local ministry urges calm and caution, assuring residents that all measures are being taken to ensure their safety and to uncover the truth behind this unprecedented incident.
The ICW and newly elected Supreme Mugwump Santos, and the office of Bhutan's Ministry of Magic, has yet to release an official statement.
The Durk Heralding will provide updates as more information becomes available.
THE NEW YORK GHOST'S HEADLINE:
Live Broadcasting of the ICW Supreme Mugwump Elections Delayed. Broadcast stopped due to fluxing weather.Grindelwald Declared Supreme Mugwump: Supporters Outraged of the Results.
The ICW elections, meant to be a beacon of fair practice and unity, descended into chaos as Gellert Grindelwald, a last-minute entrant and controversial figure,
was revealed to have manipulated the sacred Qilin walk to secure his electionwas proclaimed as Supreme Mugwump through the virtue of the Qilin Walk & Bow.A time old tradition in choosing the new head of the wizarding world.Unfortunately due to discrepancies, the Bow wasn't recognized and a second Qilin Walk was deemed by majority of the representatives present. The magical creature bows a second and final time to Brazilian Minister of Magic Vicência Santos and deemed fit for the role.
This has caused an uproar between the supporters of Grindelwald and Santos which supposedly started the tragedy that took the hundred wixen lives.
MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery has yet to comment on the developing story.
CONTINENTAL'S BOARD SPECIAL EDITION: TRAGEDY AT ICW ELECTION '32
Supreme Mugwump Catastrophe: 100 wizards and witches dead,
Grindelwald Unleashes Fiendfyre HorrorSantos Ascends as New Supreme Mugwump in
SecondQilin Bow.
Corruption at the core of the ICW SystemIn a devastating turn of events, the International Confederation of Wizards & Witches (ICW) Election held in the ancient Magisterial Chamber of Eyrie, Bhutan has resulted in a catastrophic loss of life.
The sacred grounds of the ancient ruins, revered for its connection to old magic, bore witness to a scene of unspeakable horror. The Fiendfyre flames, notoriously uncontrollable and without a known counter spell, have left behind several yet to be unidentified corpses in its wake.
An active investigation is ongoing in ground zero of the Fiendfyre tragedy. Headed by the DMLEs joined forces of the Bhutan, British and Brazil's ministries. No information on the suspect who ignited the dark fires as of now but with the endeavors of all ministries of magic, the public expects a name soon before blood runs on the streets.
The wizarding community now mourns its losses and looks toward a future under the guidance of Supreme Mugwump Vicência Santos, who is expected to rebuild trust and strengthen the bonds shakened.Itwill undoubtedly cast a long shadow, with calls for justice and reformation ringing louder than ever in the halls of power across the magical world.
Santos, vows to avenge the fallen
and has called upon the wizarding community and its ministries of magic to unite against the threat posed by Grindelwald. The dark wizard was to be considered as a threat to the safety and secrecy of the entire wizarding world.and usher in a more united frontier against the forces at play which has the entire wizarding world on the edge.
Grindelwald's brief reign as Supreme Mugwump, achieved through manipulation and dark magic, exposes the vulnerability of magical institutions to corruption and external influence. The revelation of Vogel Anton's deceitful term as previous head of the ICW, further erodes trust in the integrity of leadership and the fairness of the system.
How far has the roots taken the machinations of the state of international politics? Who are the others that have the same beliefs and extremist ideologies that sets the stage for further conflict and upheaval?Meanwhile, candidates Chinese Minister Liu Tao and last minute wild card candidate and German Minister Anton Vogel's favored, the recently acquitted Gellert Grindelwald have yet to comment on the tragedy of the ICW elections. Both wizards were fortunately spared and are receiving care in their own respective headquarters.
Gellert Grindelwald remains to be missing in public. No remarks.Tragic Discovery: DMLE Investigation Unveils Coreless Wand at Crime Scene
In a recent development, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) has completed its full investigation into the incident that occurred during the ICW Supreme Mugwump election in Eyrie, Punakha, Bhutan.
Among the devastation, investigating aurors discovered a coreless wand at the scene, which has been identified as belonging to the Muggle assailant who, prior to the election day, had attempted to assassinate wildcard candidate Gellert Grindelwald.
The wand, traced and confirmed by DMLE experts, was found to be the same one that unleashed the catastrophic Fiendfyre, leading to the untimely deaths of twenty Aurors and sixty international attendees, including dozens of local wixens. The destructive flames, which spread rapidly and were visible even in nearby Muggle towns, have brought the total death toll to over one hundred.
The unnamed Muggle, who somehow procured the wand and penetrated the magical barriers set up in the Eyrie, is currently detained by the Bhutan Ministry of Magic. Authorities are conducting further questioning to uncover the full extent of the circ*mstances leading to this devastating event.
As the community mourns the loss of so many, the DMLE continues its efforts to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.
DAILY PROPHET
British Prime Minister of Magic - Hector Fawley Addresses the Nation: 'A dark day for us all'
In the wake of the calamity, the Ministry of Magic - British- Minister Hector Fawley addressed the nation, describing the event as "one of the darkest days in our history."
He states in his emergency allocution that the events that had occurred in ICW is a wake up call to Ministry officials, Wizengamot magistrates and law scribes about the threat of muggle interference
Gellert Grindelwald's campaignand its implications to the public masses.Fawley announced the establishment of the Merlin Memorial Fund to support the families of the fallen and pledged substantial aid for the reconstruction of the devastated Magisterial Chamber.
"We stand united in our grief and resolve to bring justice to those responsible."
Daily Prophet's Necrolouge section, page 18:
We Mourn for the lost of the following Souls, fellow Wizards and Witches in the ICW Election Fiendfyre Tragedy:
Amore, Faustina (32)
Anathema, Frances Sather (52)
Argyros, Calliope (47)
Barlos, Agamonth (45)
Bartholomew, Bruce III (39)
Beilschmidt, Elizavetha (53)
Carriedo, Juanita (42)
Cirillo, Leonidas Grace (45)
Corrêa, Bruno Garcia (50)
Dumbledore, Albus (51)
Dometicia, Angelito Ruiz (46)
Domingo, Quixote Publacion (33)
.....
Reyes, Tirso Dela Fuentes (34)
Rirao, Alverez (45)
Rivera, Ingrid Madgrigal (52)
Santissima, Florencia Ibarra (31)
Sanyasi, Yedan Dawa (32)
Scamander, Theseus Apollo Cedric (38)
Seccade, Marianne Isabell (40)
Soccoro, Lucinta de Lima (51)
Souza, Neves Pia Moreno (42)
....
Beyond the Earths, Far from Pain, Rest unto the Gods abode.
TRANSFIGURATION TODAY
"Renowned Scholar and Beloved Professor Dumbledore Passes Away"
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Albus Dumbledore, an esteemed Hogwarts professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts and beloved contributor to Transfiguration Today.
Professor Dumbledore, whose profound insights and scholarly articles have graced our pages for years, has left an indelible mark on the world of magical academia. His legacy as a brilliant man and his works to our journal will be cherished and remembered by the entire magical community.
What should have been a peaceful passing of leadership has brought about the unfortunate death of one Professor Albus Dumbledore. The Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor leaves a void in the ranks of those who championed academic keenness, peaceful and harmonious relations between magical and non-magical communities.Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was also a former British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot and affiliated with the British Ministry of Magic. He was fifty one years old.
“Autumn passed thus. I saw, with surprise and grief, the leaves decay and fall, and nature again assume the barren and bleak appearance it had worn.”
Frankenstein, Chapter 15.
The path diverges.
