This was wonderfully heart-breaking to read.

Honestly a Slughorn POV story sounded a bit off putting to me at first (I'm not too keen on his character). But I was completely absorbed from start to finish, and I thought more of Slughorn seeing his selflessness and sympathy at the end.

I love your development of reasons why Albus doesn't trust the Ministry, it really fits and I could see things playing out exactly as you describe. Of course they'd want to make an example of Grindelwald, and while I can understand their logic from their point of view, I'm also devastated for the Gellert you have created, who is a lot more sympathetic and nuanced than I would have imagined just from HP cannon.

The famous duel is something I find it hard to picture in my head. (I just think of something similar to the fight between Albus and Voldemort in book 5). Your version of it was so much better and real, I'm left breathless imagining the skill of both wizards, and the turmoil they must have been enduring.

And poor Dieter! It must have been so hard to kill him off, but I think it really strengthen the story and fueled Albus's fury.

I cannot wait to read the next story in the series, but I need to prepare myself emotionally first! Thank you for another fantastic read :)

PS: Very clever use of the deluminator!

I think the true reason Albus as well as wizarding organisations are so passive when it comes to Voldemort is as follows: if they did their job, there would be nothing left for Harry to do and no books could be published. This is the weak point of young-hero-against-the-evil-lord worlds. They are soo goood to read yet so illogical.
But if one tries to makes sense of them anyhow... Well, after all, Gellert defended Albus after so many years of imprisonment. He could not be yet another Voldemort, then, though the movies show another picture.
Was he then a mislead idealist? Well, why not, that could be, though I prefer a bit another version of him.

This ficlet detailing the aftermath of the confrontation between Grindelwald and Dumbeldore is most certainly interesting given your take on it and based on the events of "Drowning Souls". However, I cannot help but feel now that Dumbeldore and Grindelwald have became too OOC.

Think on it; they've spent decades apart during which much has happened. Grindelwald rose to power and murdered many and in the magical world, murder has consequences that run deep on a personal note. Albus, on the other hand, spent his life teaching at Hogwarts and came to despise Tom Riddle and the reek of Dark Magic which stuck to him, yet was forgiving to the point that he'd sweep Gellert's actions under the carpet and even flee with him. Then there's the question of his followers; while I'm sure they may have dissented with certain actions of his, I doubt they'd have been rebellious and uncontrollable to such dangerous lengths, to the point that Grindelwald would have hesitated to investigate who exactly murdered poor Dieter and to punish the culprits. Furthermore, his acolytes fled the field after Dumbeldore struck one of them down, something that I find it difficult to digest. These were the witches and wizards who had banded together to take all of magical Europe by storm and even when they were up against one of the most skilled wizards of the age, they decided to abandon their leader, in spite of having the numerical advantage. Not realistic, in my opinion.

Nonetheless, this would be quite an amazing character sketch of Slughorn, peeking into his mindset beyond his Slug-Club parties, his fondness for luxury and his contacts, essentially highlighting that despite all his failings, he was still human with a guilty conscience. Moreover, it also serves as a foreshadowing of troubles to come, for it prophesies the rise of Voldemort, the one who would overshadow Grindelwald himself in the years to come.

It's great to know almanera worked with you on this fic; I love how you team up to put out consistently good pieces! Keep the good stuff coming and I hope that my feedback is enlightening, even if it's a bit critical.

My turn to leave a review now.

It's very haunting. We discover the story from a completely different perspective. Through Horace's eyes, who - unlike the origins of his name would suggest - is not all-seing at all. On the contrary, he misjudges people, blinded by his own gain. Young Voldemort charmed him and duped him into revealing a secret of the darkest kind of magic, whereas another wizard whom Horace believed to be the reincarnation of the evil itself turned out to be a hero from the other side. A tragic misunderstood figure - albeit also someone like Tom in the sense of taking many innocent lives. It is beautifully written. A small taste of tragedy through the uncaring and curious eyes of Horace who takes it all a piece of juicy gossip. But that's life, isn't it - your pain is someone else's entertainment and valuable information.

I must thank you for this wonderful story.
Horace through your hand (or rather hands?) became a truly entrancing narrator. I believe I was hooked by the first few sentences and have not stopped reading until the end.
The sequence of events was well thought-out, the characters fleeting and not so much readily came to life in my imagination, and the feelings of our narrator were expressed so fully I have sympathized completely.
I always saw the character of Albus as very appealing: with his gentle and polite manner of speech he seemed like someone who will listen and hear what others had to say. To put him into a situation where the sides were reversed was a fantastic way to develop him further. And without a doubt you did him justice.
And Riddle, of course. How slyly you tease the reader through Horace's eyes. I can easily understand where professor's shame and disappointment came from.
I shall take lessons from this story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Thank you for posting it! Saw it when I was in school but I havn’t slept in 36h so it was better to read this instead of working (Swedish school are beyond relaxed).

I have an idea for the duel that maybe JK and the gang uses when FB5 comes out and everyone has lost interest:

Right in the beginning of the duel Albus gets disarmed immediately by Gellert and from then on Albus has to rely entirely on wandless magic and possibly get physical in the fight while Gellert has the elder wand. In the midst of the fight Gellert gets disarmed too by Albus expelliarmus from his bare hands and the elder wand is lost in a river so both goes wandless for the rest of the duel. Then they must get sneakier, get more physical. In the end Gellert has Albus incapacitated by conjured chains and then Al says ”Accio Sword” and a sword from Nurmengards decorations sneaks up Gellert from behind and impales him. Gellert loses his Magic grip on the Dumbledore and falls unconcious. Al then harald Gellert back to health and saves him.

In the end when Gellert is imprisoned, Al makes last a visit and they share a last kiss