Gellert didn't know how many days had passed since he'd lost his duel to his brother. He looked the same as he had that day, the cursed youth still to wear off. For all he knew it would be another century before he was finally allowed to pass on. He pulled at his hair with grubby fingers, wishing again for a way to cut it as it fell into his eyes.

He knew that it was summer by the temperature, in winter his cell froze as deeply as the mountain on which his fortress was built. Now though, he could sit on his cot in relative comfort and watch the stars as the drifted across the sky each night. Oh, how he wished that he could spend half his life asleep, rather than puzzling over half forgotten projects.

Momentarily, the scene changed and he saw a dusty, bloody girl running up the stairs. His innate senses told him that this was a vision of the present and he wondered what this visitor could possibly want. The last visitor had made sense, a twisted man that craved power but didn't understand the subtleties of getting it. He'd come looking for the power that Gellert had once wielded.

He stood as he heard the faint sounds of footsteps on the carpets outside, if he hadn't known that she was coming, he would have missed it. She paused before the doorway before bursting in, light glowing from a raised wand. The young witch paused, taking in his cell. He noted her surprise as she saw him but she took it within her stride, clearly recognising his other distinguishing features.

She had clearly just been in battle, stone dust coated her from head to toe, mixing with blood from multiple small wounds to create brownish smears across her skin. Inexplicably, her skirt was missing and the thick blue hose that she wore was smeared in thick green slime.

So she knew him, and she'd come here looking for him.

That was strange, her aura was bright with love and potential, he imagined she would have been one of Albus' favourites if he'd ever taught her. Yet she'd come looking for him. Strange indeed.

'Who are you?' He asked, and she frowned slightly.

'Grindelwald?' She asked in return. She was in the position of power here and she knew it. Most people were cowed by him even when he was in a cell. The cowering American MACUSA had been almost amusing, at least the Brits used dementors.

'I am.' He finally admitted, and she looked relieved. He pondered her odd reaction before asking her to identify herself again.

This time she did, calling herself Hermione and asking for his assistance to defeat the dark wizard that had come to him for information earlier. He almost laughed, wondering how desperate they must be to consider him as a better alternative to this "Voldemort".

'Very well,' He agreed, lounging back against the window as he pondered how far he could push the young witch. 'but I want my freedom.'

She laughed at him, then told him that she was not a fool. She offered him clean clothes, a wash and a bed. He considered negotiating for access to books as part of the deal. Information for some comfort wouldn't be too bad an exchange. He swiped at his long hair again. Then something else occurred to him, something he'd wanted for the past twenty years. Albus had cried as he'd locked him in here, Gellert, consumed by the rush of dark magic, had laughed at his pain.

Maybe, this soldier of the light would be able to organise a second meeting between them, one where Gellert could apologise for those truths that became suddenly clear after years of deprivation from the power that had clouded his moral compass. He knew that Dumbledore would be fighting this new dark wizard, he always had been one to abhor evil and protect the innocent.

He didn't realise that he must have spoken some of that aloud, because the witch was looking at him as if waiting for him to make a point. He searched his memory, recalling something about missing dark magic and missing Albus.

'I will help you, in exchange for an audience with my brother.' He told her, stepping up close to the bars so that he could look into her eyes, trying to convey his sincerity. He knew that this would be his last chance, Albus had not performed the ritual he had. Albus would never dream of doing something so twisted.

Sorrow flooded her features at his words and he knew before she said it what she would say. He stumbled backwards, Albus couldn't die, he was the beacon of light, an incredibly powerful wizard and master of the Elder Wand. It wasn't possible. But this young witch, with her heart and mind too open to possibly lie to him, had told him he was dead.

Fury unfolded as she told him how he'd been protecting his beloved students when he'd been assassinated by Voldemort's minions and he leapt forwards, shaking the bard between them and demanding to be let out. The young witch scrambled backwards out of his reach and he forced himself to calm down. She was young and easily frightened but he needed her now if he was to punish this pretender that dared to kill his brother without even an honourable fight.

'On my magic, my wand is yours if it means destroying the man that killed my brother.' He swore without hesitation. He had nothing to lose and if at the end of all this, she tore away his magic, maybe it would finally end his cursed life.

Fortunately, the witch seemed to understand the implications of the oath and tapped her wand to the locks. Magic rushed back to welcome him as the wards came down for the first time in a century and he revelled in its warm embrace. He didn't get to enjoy his reunion for long though as the witch stepped into the open doorway, holding out her wrist for him to take the oath, her wand pointed at him.

He reached out his hand, taking her wrist and did the same with his magic, noting how her magic shield away from his. She really was as light and innocent as they came. He repeated his oath, grimacing as a bright shackle manifested around his wrist before the glow sank into his skin.

She jumped away from him, and hurried off down the corridor, calling out about there not being much time. He paused and flexed his fingers, magic rushed through him, hinting at potential and teasing him with the whisper it took to produce such a tiny spell. He followed after her, guiding her down several shorter routes and down to the front door. She used the time to tell him about how they were engaged in a battle for Hogwarts, (Albus's school!) and how they had discovered the Voldemort had used a piece of dark magic to make himself invincible. He quickly established that today he would be the distraction until they could figure out this dark magic and kill the pretender for good.

The girl apparated them straight into the middle of a duel. He cursed and threw them both behind a fallen slab of stone for cover, taking in the two duellists from his shelter. One was a willowy, blonde haired girl, possibly even younger than Hermione. Her opponent was a big wizard in black robes with a pumpkin over his head. Hermione then jumped out of their cover to stun and disarm the cloaked wizard.

The blonde haired witch looked them both over with wide blue eyes, making some strange remark about how she'd never hoped to meet him and directing them to "Harry" in the courtyard. She then flounced off to help a boy in school robes as he duelled a messily dressed man with hygiene almost as bad as Gellert felt. With fury, Gellert realised that Voldemort had attacked the school without allowing the students to escape. Something so foolish would almost certainly doom the wizarding world to extinction.

He snatched up the fallen wizard's wand, feeling it fighting against his magic. He swore and grimaced, hammering it into submission with considerable effort as he chased after Hermione through devastated corridors.

She emerged into a courtyard and hid behind a massive metal disk as she took in the situation. Two young wizards duelled a fearsome dark witch, another young witch and her friend were holding their own against a family that Gellert assumed were Malfoys. An older witch that looked slightly familiar was struggling slightly against two masked wizards; he flicked two killing curses in their direction to test his control over the wand. It was little better than average, but it would do for now. He'd have to get a better one at the first opportunity.

He amplified his voice and stepped straight out into the middle of the battle, calling for the younger dark wizard to face him. He was unsurprised when there was no answer, the man had struck him as someone who didn't like to meet his match. White splashed against his shield and he sent a disintegration curse at the offending death eater. He wondered if that curse had gone out of fashion because the death eater didn't even seem to recognise it as it hit him.

He cast several more curses, feeling the magic beginning to flow back through him. It was slightly painful, almost like having pins and needles and it felt sluggish trying to cast. He realised gratefully that it was probably a good thing Voldemort hadn't answered his call as he re-familiarised himself with his own body.

Slowly, with each body disintegrated, burned or banished, it became easier but he was tiring far faster than usual. He felt more that heard his young rescuer coming up behind him and he quickly ordered her to take the left of the bridge. For several minutes it worked well, then he realised that the light witch was using little jinxes – jelly legs, stunners and pumpkin heads. The forest of flailing death eaters funnelled those behind to his side, those that Hermione had defeated were quickly given counter-curses to rejoin the fight.

A ghostly silver animal appeared just as he was forced to let his shield go, Hermione relayed a message to it, which it then carried off as her shield took a barrage of hits. She refocused on her shield charm, letting Grindelwald use his weakening magic to slow their enemies.

A much larger silver animal returned a couple of seconds later, it began to talk to them, but he couldn't spare the messenger a thought as a killing curse blasted it to mist. He dragged the witch out of the barrage of fire, ordering her to apparate them to their safe house. She grabbed his hand and they disappeared from the castle.