The iron door groaned open. Tom Riddle stepped into the dim cell, his crisp black robes trailing behind him in the raging white storm. The cell immediately returned to darkness as the door closed behind him, leaving only an illuminated circle where the round windowâs light fell.
Grindelwald didn't rise to greet him.
âI wondered how long it would take,â he said.
He didn't look up until the young man stepped into the center of the room, the light from the small window crossing his face.
âI had no questions worth asking,â Riddle said. Grindelwald wondered if that was true, or if the boy had been circling Europe all along, waiting for a reason to step through Nurmengardâs gates.
âBut you seek answers now?â
âTell me, Grindelwald, how does a man endure knowing he will never kill the only opponent who could have made his victory complete?â
He watched Riddle carefully, saw the faint twitch of interest, and chuckled as he felt a cool, deliberate pressure prying into his mind.
âAlbus never used Legilimency on me,â Grindelwald added. âHe didnât need to.â
The younger man said nothing, but the thought was there as Riddle withdrew, neither do I.
âYou think he won because he was soft,â Grindelwald murmured. âYouâd be wrong. He won because he saw the shape of the end long before I did. Even when we were boys, in his house of denial.â
A flicker of irritation crossed the young manâs face.
Grindelwald tilted his head. âThe Potter boy. Heâs the shape of your end, isnât he?â
Riddleâs gaze sharpened, but he did not answer at once. His fingers brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve with slow precision, as if dismissing the thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
âNeither was I.â Grindelwaldâs gaze drifted.
History is cruel, he thought. The way it looped. One dies the right way, another loves the wrong way.
âYouâre here,â he said, âto see if I regret it, or if you should.â
Riddle said nothing. He turned to leave, cloak sweeping against the stone. The iron door opened and the same white storm seeped in once again, curling through the dark like it knew the way.
Grindelwald leaned back into shadow.
âLet me know,â he called after him, âif he hesitates.â
Alone again, Grindelwald almost laughed.
In the end, Albus hadnât hesitated, he remembered.
When the time comes, Potter wouldnât either.
Regret â Albus & Harry here
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