Chapter 301
"Draco!"
With a loud bang, the iron door that had been blasted apart by magic crashed onto the ground like a sheet of paper. A thick cloud of dust rose into the air, obscuring their vision.
Fleur rushed in anxiously the moment she heard the commotion.
Through the dust, she could barely make out the two figures standing in confrontation.
"You brought more helpers?" A cruel glint flashed through Grindelwald's cloudy eyes as he raised his arm, preparing another spell.
"Flash!"
Fleur lifted her wand and cast her spell even faster than Grindelwald.
A blinding burst of light instantly filled the room, like a flare exploding in the darkness. Grindelwald reflexively shut his eyes, and the spell he had been preparing abruptly stopped.
After remaining in darkness for so many years, sudden light was enough to make anyone instinctively close their eyes.
Yet Malfoy did not take the opportunity to subdue him.
Instead, he simply waited calmly for Grindelwald to recover.
"Hiss…" The old man let out a long breath, seemingly from pain, before quietly accepting defeat.
Both of them gradually regained their sight.
"Are you alright, Draco?" Fleur hurried to his side and asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Malfoy shook his head before turning his attention back toward the old man.
Grindelwald carefully examined the two of them. After a long silence, the vigilance on his face slowly faded, and the tense muscles relaxed. Perhaps he had finally accepted reality.
"Go on, then. Convince me." The old man's hoarse voice echoed through the room.
The moment he said those words, it meant he had already yielded.
But Malfoy did not immediately respond.
Grindelwald's sudden change made him suspicious. Only moments earlier, the former Dark Lord had been like a cornered beast prepared to fight to the death. Why had he suddenly become willing to compromise?
Malfoy did not believe he had truly accepted defeat so easily.
He carefully observed the old man again, trying to determine what exactly had changed his mind.
The shift had happened far too abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Fleur whispered softly beside him, confused as to why he had suddenly stopped speaking.
The girl's soft, ethereal voice became the final key that unlocked everything in his mind.
Click.
The answer suddenly became clear.
The corner of Malfoy's mouth twitched slightly.
"That old bee…" he muttered inwardly.
Now he finally understood why Dumbledore had insisted that Fleur accompany him.
The two of them together had simply been too conspicuous a target. Although Fleur was talented, she had not actually contributed much throughout the journey itself.
But at the final moment—
She became the decisive factor.
Malfoy needed a female companion.
One that Grindelwald would not feel jealous toward.
The old man's sudden change in attitude had begun the instant Fleur entered the room. Her obvious concern and anxious actions earlier had likely triggered Grindelwald's "jealousy."
At last, Malfoy understood the complicated emotion hidden in Grindelwald's eyes.
Realizing he had likely been misunderstood, Malfoy's brows twitched slightly.
Dumbledore had truly gone to ridiculous lengths to avoid making his old friend jealous.
"He said you would agree after seeing this." Malfoy no longer hesitated. He casually released the letter in his hand, tossing it toward Grindelwald.
The brown envelope dissolved in midair, leaving behind only a parchment letter.
"He's that confident?" Grindelwald took the parchment with obvious disdain and glanced at it.
Then his expression froze.
The disdain vanished immediately.
A series of emotions flashed across his face in rapid succession—joy, guilt, anger.
Finally, the old man muttered softly,
"How interesting."
"This is an ancient magical contract," Grindelwald said quietly, his lips trembling slightly. "Far more binding than an Unbreakable Vow. Not only must both parties sign it, but it also requires both of their blood as the medium. Once the contract is formed, even death cannot free the soul from its restrictions."
It was unclear whether he was speaking to himself or intentionally explaining it to them.
A faint crimson glow flowed across the surface of the parchment.
If his words were true, then it was likely Dumbledore's blood.
In the end, Grindelwald's expression gradually calmed.
Then, without hesitation, he slammed his hand against a jagged protrusion on the wall, slicing open a long wound across his palm.
His actions alone showed he had accepted.
Dark red blood continuously flowed from the cut and dripped onto the parchment. The contract greedily absorbed it like a bottomless abyss.
A blinding light suddenly erupted from the parchment, illuminating the entire dark prison cell.
"Episkey."
The old man's voice echoed softly.
The wound on Grindelwald's hand healed instantly, though his already pale face became even whiter.
Even without a wand, simple healing magic remained effortless for someone like him.
"This is the potion prepared for you." Seeing the contract completed, Malfoy waved his wand lightly.
A transparent glass vial floated gently before Grindelwald.
It had been brewed personally by Severus Snape.
"And your wand."
A long black wooden box engraved with strange patterns floated quietly to Grindelwald's feet.
Without hesitation, Grindelwald uncorked the potion and drank it in one gulp. At the same time, the wand seemed to sense its master's return and flew into his hand with a sharp whoosh.
"The brewing quality is excellent," Grindelwald praised approvingly.
He could feel long-lost vitality spreading throughout his body. His decaying body slowly regained traces of life.
"You should leave now." Grindelwald sighed softly as he raised his wand and glanced around the cramped prison cell that had stolen decades of his freedom.
At last, he was finally leaving it behind.
"Draco?" Fleur looked toward him questioningly.
"We should go first." Malfoy nodded slightly. "The German Ministry of Magic's Aurors will arrive soon."
"I'll send you out first." Grindelwald sighed once more and casually waved his wand.
The stones at the top of the tower instantly disintegrated before reassembling themselves piece by piece into a massive spiral staircase leading downward from the tower.
The feat was accomplished as casually as breathing.
"Do you still intend to stand here and get drenched in the rain?" Grindelwald asked calmly.
His voice was no longer hoarse.
It had become deep and powerful once again.
The ceiling itself had become the material for the staircase, leaving the three of them completely exposed to the raging storm outside.
"Then we'll leave first." Malfoy nodded before quickly departing down the staircase with Fleur.
They still needed to figure out a way to avoid pursuit by the German Ministry of Magic.
Boom!
A deafening crash of thunder exploded across the heavens. Terrifying lightning surged through the pitch-black clouds, twisting into countless pale-blue electric serpents. A massive current gathered above the tower.
Then—
The countless bolts condensed into a colossal pillar of lightning and crashed directly into the top of the tower as though guided by some invisible force.
The tower summit exploded instantly.
The supposedly indestructible black stone shattered effortlessly beneath the overwhelming power of the lightning. For a brief moment, the entire island was illuminated as brightly as day.
"Freedom regained?" Grindelwald stood amidst the collapsing ruins, inhaling the fresh, rain-soaked air deeply.
"Or merely another prison beyond this one?"
Then, without hesitation, he leapt from the top of the tower.
His body descended along the tower wall as rain and storm winds howled around him. The height of the black tower was enough to terrify anyone.
Yet the wizard did not care at all.
Instead, he laughed wildly into the storm, as though celebrating his freedom.