A/N: This is my first story so there might be some mistakes here and there. My writing is sort of an AU and I've messed around with magical combat a bit so it will feel quite different to the books. Updates might be spontaneous and irregular as it depends on how much time I have on my hands.

Grindelwald's Return

Grindelwald's POV

Grindelwald opened his eyes. Soft grass covered his body. Far above him, an unidentified mark hung in the sky. Where am I? The stormy sky revealed nothing. The night was alive with sounds and when he turned around he came face to face to with a stone wall. His usually calm mind churned viciously searching for an answer. He looked up, tracing the wall with his eyes until he realised he was at the bottom of a tower. Behind the tower, a majestic castle unfolded, all lit up, its grounds empty and deserted. It troubled Grindelwald. Where was he? He had never been here before but he had somehow seen it before. He staggered towards the wall and traced it with his fingertips sensing the ancient magic guarding it. How many castles like this existed in the Wizarding World? Not many contained ancient magic in their walls. And not many were occupied by hundreds of young wizards and witches. His brain confirmed what his heart already knew: This is Hogwarts.

The realisation struck him hard. How had he gotten from Nurmengard, his impenetrable fortress, to here? Except it wasn't as impenetrable as he had thought. Pushing the memories out of his head, he turned around surveying the landscape. The castle was fully alight and beckoned welcomingly to Grindelwald's weary body. Why was he so tired? He could scarcely remember a time he had felt so... broken. In the corner of his mind, something was tingling, struggling to be heard. His instincts. Shaking off his tiredness, he closed his eyes and felt the area around him. With the absence of his wand, he would have to improvise. Dark magic was used here.

Something bad had happened here. Something that should not be possible. His keen eyes suddenly caught something. It was a dark shadow almost blending in the trees behind it. Grindelwald crept up to it, his bare feet scarcely making a noise. It was a body.

Grindelwald had seen hundreds of bodies in the past six years especially in the bloody battles on the eastern front so wasn't too surprised to see yet another one. Although not all bodies seemed familiar: his senses were screaming at him. The man on the ground looked small and old; broken. His body crumpling inwards as if something inhumane had stuck him in the chest. Probably the killing curse, Grindelwald mused. But why would the killing curse be used at a school? Kneeling over him, Grindelwald's breath was snatched away from him as he finally recognised the body. Albus Dumbledore.

Thousands of miles away, in the forests of Germany, two towers jutted out in the night sky. It was an impressive, formidable building that had repelled an entire generation of aurors. The building had in the past been used as a fortress, headquarters and now a prison, one after the other. It was entirely made of Actonious and a great deal of powerful magic. The famed alchemist Nicholas Flamel was said to have created the legendary substance that would go on to defend it. Sadly, the secret recipe to Actonious was stolen the night Flamel was supposed to announce it to the world. And to no one's surprise, it happened to appear on the headquarters of the Most Dangerous Dark Wizard of all time.

Nurmengard was currently a mess. Dementors swarmed over the fortress searching in the vain hope of finding the solitary prisoner that lived there. Within minutes of the disappearance of the prisoner, there were loud cracks at the gates of Nurmengard. Aurors with their wands pointed entered the famed building, their nerves on edge expecting the Dark prisoner to jump out any second and kill them, as he had killed their fathers and mothers. Leading them was the German Chancellor of Magic who had lost his mother and both uncles during the reign of terror of the single prisoner. Sweat fell off his brow as he motioned for his guards to advance. There was a noise, like the patter of feet. He spun around quickly firing off multiple detection spells. But Gellert Grindelwald was not there.

Grindelwald's eyes widened and he backed away from the body. He wasn't sure what he should feel. Happiness now that his enemy was dead? Regret at the passing of a great intellectual? There was something really wrong with the body: Albus was an old man.

There could only be one explanation: Grindelwald was in the future. How could this be possible?

And then another thought struck him like a truck: Who had killed Albus? Albus Dumbledore was a being of immense power. It was almost impossible to kill him and if Grindelwald— Dumbledore's equal— couldn't kill him, then who had? Grindelwald gritted his teeth, contemplating waiting to find the wizard or witch that killed Albus. He could then finish them off like a vulture descending at the end of a long hunt...

No!

That was the mistake that had led to his defeat at Albus's hands. The same Albus who was now lying at his feet.

Getting to his feet, Grindelwald turned over the bizarre situation in his head. His army had been cut off just as the final days of the war in Europe were drawing to a close. Knowing that the end was perhaps near, he retreated to Nurmengard as allies were too far to help him and new enemies sprung up like heads on a Hydra. The fortress had held for a remarkable six hours considering the few loyal men he had with him. Grindelwald always knew that he could simply apparate when the war turned sour, and emerge a decade later with his strength conserved. But there was something different in the air that day. It turned out to be Albus Dumbledore. Albus had strode out to meet him after all those years. All those crucial battles fought and enemies killed and ministries toppled and Albus had done nothing. Until now.

Grindelwald had raised his wand and duelled well... and he had lost. It was one of the most damning moments of his life: being at the mercy of another wizard. Albus had rested his wand at Grindelwald's forehead for a long moment. The two men were silent: each knew what the other would have said. And then the world turned black.

When he had regained consciousness, he was hundreds of miles away in a country he had despised because of one man. And that one man was lying dead at his feet.

Giving a dark chuckle, Grindelwald mulled his options. He couldn't stay here; somebody was bound to come here and wandless he would be no match if a teacher found him. He needed a wand. Searching Albus for a wand would obviously be a waste of time; Albus would have never died with a wand in his hand. Or would he? Grindelwald closed his eyes searching for a wand, any wand that was close by. Surely there would be nothin-

Grindelwald gasped. It couldn't be. Dropping down to the ground, his frantic hands searched the grass desperately. Surely, it was not here. The wand that he lost only hours ago could not be here. But it was. Lying in the grass alongside arguably the most powerful wizard in the world was the most powerful wand in existence. Grindelwald's hands slowly closed over the Elder Wand.

It was cold to the touch but Grindelwald did not care. The Elder Wand had served hundreds of powerful wizards and witches over the course of its lifetime but rarely did it come under the control of the same wizard twice.

A slow smile spread across the face of Grindelwald. He rolled his shoulders back, the wand firmly in his hand and immediately moved his hand in a long, sweeping motion. The wand obeyed the master. A thin piece of cloth materialised out of the air. It floated gently on the wind and came to rest over Albus Dumbledore's body. Grindelwald laughed aloud and pointed the wand at the sky. Green light shot from the end of the wand and rocketed up into the sky. It split in mid-air and carried on moving at speed towards its many destinations. Grindelwald stared at it hopefully, it was unlikely any of his followers would still exist to receive his message.

Grindelwald's shoulders stiffened in the cool night. I need to get out of here.

Just at that second, there were bright flashes as a boy appeared far out in the fields of Hogwarts. Grindelwald strode towards him, immediately disillusioning himself to watch the spectacle. He was shouting and cursing in the night at a group of individuals.

The boy stepped forward, his body trembling from anger. He fired off a bunch off jinxes that the man with the flapping robe easily deflected.

A woman with curly hair gave a mirthless laugh. Casually, she twitched her hand and the boy was blasted backwards in a flash of light. The light illuminated his forehead for just a second. Grindelwald frowned. A jagged scar was visible on his forehead. A clear sign of dark magic being performed on him, probably at a very early age.

The boy bounced off the floor, his eyes burning with hatred. He shrugged off the pain and followed the group.

Sectumsempra!

Grindelwald frowned for a second time. It was a spell which despite his extensive knowledge Grindelwald had never come across.

The man with the flapping robe deflected it easily once more. He stalked towards the boy.

"Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward-" the boy spat out.

"DON'T- CALL ME A COWARD!"

Grindelwald pondered on this for a second as the man cast a particularly impressive whipping spell. The boy was thrown backwards as if his legs had been snatched from underneath him. The man was holding back though, Grindelwald sensed. Why was he-

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light and a detection spell came at him.

You imbecile! Pay attention to your surroundings!

Grindelwald quickly disguised his face with an annoyed gesture. He was committed; there was no way he could leave without causing a mess.

The thick-muscled blond man had cast the spell and it was he who Grindelwald turned his attention to first. His wand rested in his hand with an easiness that few possessed. This group of wizards and witches were not ordinary. Clearly, they were mercenaries.

Grindelwald quickly brought his wand down, his wand slicing through the air and hopefully, flesh. But the blond man was too fast. He stumbled backwards and cried out:

"There's someone here!"

His companions stared at Grindelwald curiously.

"Didn't realise Hogwarts had such nutcase Professors? Hiding from Death Eaters? Must have a death wish," the curly-haired witch remarked to the amusement of her companions.

Grindelwald's reply was swift. In one motion, two of the group were on the floor. Grindelwald, however, was taken aback. All of them should be on the floor.

One of the 'Death Eaters', perhaps much stupider than the others cried out: "Avada Ked-

Grindelwald blasted the man so hard that he simply disintegrated. It never stopped amazing Grindelwald how wizards would stop in the middle of a fight and say a tongue twister such as Avada Kedavra. His companion stared at the space his comrade had once been and at that moment he was screaming as fires crept up his robes, and more importantly his wand.

Their smiles died quickly and the witch snarled, quickly pulling the group into the traditional V that was assumed in battle.

The wizard with the flapping robe, presumably the most powerful of the Death Eaters had taken the important role of being behind the V, while the witch spear-headed the V.

Grindelwald grinned at the possibility of an interesting fight. He waved his left hand. The boy was lifted off his feet and into the centre of the group. The woman grunted and pushed him aside with her wand.

Grindelwald's hands began moving at lightning speed. Duelling was an ancient art and speed was often critical. Equally important was the choice of spells and their quality.

Grindelwald's fluid motions blended into one, his hands carving in the air. Casting intricate gestures with his wand, he gave them no room to attack pressing them further and further back.

The group buckled as one and the witch gave a surprised shriek at the intensity of magic forced upon her. The sound quickly turned into a snarl as one of her bumbling companions was blasted aside like a child.

She pressed the tattoo on her arm and cast a quick shield to buy some time for protective charms. The cloudy sky was starting to clear.

"Quick, Severus!" the witch shrieked

The wizard at the back of the V reacted quickly to Grindelwald's jinxes quickly nullifying most of them immediately. At the witch's command, he slammed his wand into the grass.

Grindelwald threw a counter-charm but it was too late. The ground started shaking and the Earth split apart with a loud crack. From the depths, a shimmery barrier sprang out, forcing Grindelwald back. The witch raised her wand but Grindelwald was faster.

"Stupefy!"

Grindelwald squeezed his wand; testing a magical shield used up a lot of energy.

The red stream passed through the barrier, although it significantly slowed down to such an extent that the witch simply moved out of the way. The witch then pointed her wand at the barrier and unloaded a dozen curses. They passed easily through the barrier.

The witch's face split into a slightly unhinged smile. Grindelwald groaned inwardly.

That one-way barrier was smart. The wizard at the back, Severus, was clearly skilled which is why the boy believed that he had killed Albus. But he was wrong, wasn't he?

Focus on the fight!

Grindelwald turned his attention into splitting the group. As usual, the barrier did not extend underground. Grindelwald had used this to his advantage countless times. And that was what he did now.

The ground split open once more but this time no barrier sprang out. The grass was torn apart and dirt flung up into the air as the gap widened. Birds in the air cried out in alarm at the unnatural event. Squawking, they fled the castle. Severus backed away, horror clear in his eyes but curiously instead of trying to save his companions he looked towards the unconscious boy. Grindelwald tilted his head. Chunks of the field were beginning to collapse into the hole. The sound of moving Earth was unimaginably loud. One of the companions was too slow to react. The wizard tried to back away, his wand pointed at the hole as if it could help. He was swallowed whole before he had time to scream. The rest of the group had seen enough.

The remaining wizards took to the air. Their bodies melted into a mist of black smoke and shot upwards, circling the castle several times before fleeing. Grindelwald was impressed; he had never seen anyone move like that.

"The Dark Lord will be here soon!" the witch shouted maniacally across the widening gulf.

Grindelwald did not reply. Severus knelt down by the boy's side. The void was swiftly expanding. Beads of perspiration rolled down the man's neck. Clearly, the fight had sapped him of all energy.

As it has sapped mine.

Severus gathered the boy in his arms and fled— not away from the castle— but remarkably towards it. The witch was the only one remaining now.

"He will be here any minute now!" She had retreated backwards. The hole stopped expanding, its magical reserves spent. It extended over twenty metres wide and looked no more than a metre deep, but Grindelwald knew the hole was covered with Banishing charms, killing and removing any bodies unlucky enough to fall in.

A dark shadow rose from the tower and like a bat swooped over in the night sky to land by the witch. It was Severus. The pair slowly advanced, testing the waters with a quick spell. Grindelwald suddenly felt something behind him. He turned around but he was too slow. Too sluggish and too tired and too slow.

Two Dark curses decorated the entirety of his backside. The Death Eaters had not fled but materialised behind Grindelwald. Crying out in pain, he was flung off his feet. Grindelwald's wand seemed to act of its own accord defending Grindelwald against the various curses fired at him. Slowly, he got to his feet, his jaw clenched.

Grindelwald slashed his wand in rage, spitting out multiple curses and charms to keep them back. Enraged, his magic was an extension of him. He swung around to face the Death Eaters who had returned. Two more men were blasted aside as Grindelwald began advancing. Their howls could probably be heard in the castle. He smiled. The feeling of familiar power flooded into his veins.

But as quickly as that power had come, it also flooded away. And suddenly Grindelwald was drained of his power. His hand slowed. His curses seemed to lose their energy and his charms weren't efficient.

You idiot! Look what you have done. You've wasted all your magical energy in an unfamiliar environment.

Severus and the witch were the only ones left by now.

They were very good. Almost as good as my lieutenants.

If he remained calm, as he'd done for the last half of a century, they would end up like their companions: dead.

Something was nagging Grindelwald. Grindelwald paused momentarily. Dark Magic. It was heading towards him.

More friends?

No, it was a decaying ball of something repulsive. It was not a wizard; it was far too inhumane for that. Its soul had been torn apart again and again. Grindelwald felt the magic protecting the school distort and deform as it approached.

Where am I? Why is there a group of fanatical wizards at a school? Why is Albus dead? Why is this thing coming for me?

The questions swirled in Grindelwald's head, colliding and breaking apart into smaller pieces. The questions multiplied exponentially and every possible answer seemed to bring more questions. They crowded his brain drowning out his thoughts. Grindelwald growled his frustration, shaking his head.

Focus on the fight!

Gellert Grindelwald never backed out of fights but he could not fight these two and whatever was coming for him. There was a loud bang and a flash, and the Death Eaters backed off their arms covering their face.

When they looked up again, Grindelwald had disappeared.

A/N: Thanks for reading the first chapter! Let me know some of your thoughts. Next chapter will switch POVs to focus on an original character who was Grindelwald's lieutenant.