"Harry Potter- Ravenclaw"Chapter 187: The Commandment—Shackles of Fate
Moonlight slipped through the gaps in the clouds, washing over the castle's silhouette and the inscription, "For the Greater Good," painting it in a stark, mournful white.
The words themselves had grown blurred over time, pitted and scarred by traces of dark magic, lending Nurmengard an even more desolate air.
A white-haired old man lounged on his cot, one leg propped up, back resting against the cold stone wall. Through a narrow slit in the window, he gazed out at the castle grounds bathed in that ghostly moonlight.
He sighed quietly. "The Commandment—a shackle forged by fate itself… Maybe I pushed too hard, back then. Maybe he'd never have been bound by those chains if I hadn't."
Serena Pendragon flipped through a copy of Natural Herbology. "Grindelwald, you only think that because… deep down, you wish you'd been the one to place those shackles on him, don't you?"
"Honestly… I've met Dumbledore myself. Do you really think you could ever bind him with shackles? I get the feeling you're the one who ended up chained."
Gellert Grindelwald lowered his head, blinking slowly, as though lost in memory.
His eyes were strikingly different—his right iris a bright, piercing blue, his left a dull, stormy navy. When he blinked, only the right eyelid moved; the left barely trembled.
"That's an interesting thought," Grindelwald murmured. "Do you really want to talk about this? I could go on for days and nights."
"Absolutely not!" Serena Pendragon set down her magazine and stood up. "I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd check in."
"Oh, and this issue of Natural Herbology brings good news. Hogwarts has started cultivating Mandrakes again. In a few years, they should be plentiful once more."
"Hogwarts did the same thing last century," Grindelwald chuckled.
"If you hadn't set your sights on Mandrakes—dug them all up to deal with the Isaian Society—they'd never have become so scarce."
"Honestly… if it weren't for the Guardian's special status, hidden away in history like the Isaian Society…"
"I suppose if there were a ranking of dark wizards, your name would be near the very top—at least second place."
Serena shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment. Most of it was self-defense… well, maybe my methods were a bit extreme."
"And as for the Mandrakes, of course I used them—they work, don't they? Snapping Cabbage and Devil's Snare are pretty handy, too."
"They certainly are!" Grindelwald nodded. "Funny how all the magical plants you find useful have become rare ingredients these days…"
"It's fine. It'll all be over soon, anyway." Serena handed the magazine to Grindelwald. "Here—want something to pass the time?"
"Why not help me find some old issues of Transfiguration Today instead?" Grindelwald turned back to the moonlight. "I'm looking for anything from 1894 to 1925."
Serena tucked away Natural Herbology, a sly look in her eye. "You want issues that old? I know exactly what you're after."
"Mmm," Grindelwald hummed. "By the way—early next year, sometime around February or March, there's going to be a major incident in Mumbai. You might want to check it out."
Serena glanced at his left eye. "Your Third Eye is back?"
"Not like before…" Grindelwald shook his head. "Now and then, I catch fragments—scattered, fleeting things."
"After all those years asleep, this is the only big event I've pieced together… and I'm not even sure the Isaian Society is behind it."
"No worries!" Serena waved her hand dismissively. "If it's a major incident, odds are it's their handiwork. Hard to go wrong. I'm off!"
Grindelwald nodded. "Right. Don't forget about Transfiguration Today."
"A detection spell, a prophecy, a potion, even an offhand remark… any of these could expose your Commandment contract. You need to remember that, Wyzett…"
"So, even if it's fabricated, you must guard against every possibility. Only by making your Commandment contract truly convincing will your 'fiction' have any meaning. Isn't that right?"
Dumbledore fixed Wyzett with a look full of hidden meaning.
Catching the subtlety in Dumbledore's gaze and the faint smile on his lips, Wyzett nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. I'll have to make a habit of it… Only then can the 'false' become 'real.'"
Dumbledore nodded, satisfied. "Very good. You understand."
Wyzett asked, "Headmaster Dumbledore, how can we use the Commandment contract against Voldemort?"
Dumbledore stroked his beard. "It's a complicated process… uncovering his secrets is still crucial."
"Perhaps Voldemort has already made his choice… In the end, he may reveal his own weakness—destroy himself."
Wyzett frowned. "I don't quite follow."
"That's not your concern," Dumbledore sighed. "Come along. Now that we know your Commandment is safe, you should get some rest."
"You're right—tomorrow's Monday. Classes again!" Wyzett glanced at the Mirror of Erised nearby. "Headmaster, can I leave the mirror here for now?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course—if it helps you."
Dumbledore had barely turned the doorknob when he realized someone else was already waiting in the headmaster's office.
At the sound of footsteps, Snape, cloaked in black, turned his head just slightly.
His voice was low and cool. "So long as you don't stoop to eating expired sweets out of sheer greed, you won't end up poisoned or bloated."
"And as for fishy-smelling tea, that's clearly not your taste either… So, what exactly do you want with that basilisk skin fragment?"
Dumbledore strode to his desk, smiling cheerfully at Snape. "I was investigating something—and I found good news."
Snape arched an eyebrow. "About the Dark Lord? Or… has Lockhart finally signed his last autograph at midnight? Let's hope he doesn't come back as a ghost."
"You guessed right—it's about Voldemort's secrets," Dumbledore said, getting straight to the point. "My earlier suspicions were correct. We can defeat Voldemort with love."
"In fact… it's happened once before. Only today did I piece it together—the last time Voldemort fell, it was the power of love that did it."
"What can I do?" Snape leaned forward, his voice urgent. "How do I use love… to defeat Voldemort?"
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