Prologue – To Win a War
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
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“Urgh,” grunted a man who heaved a rather heavy box down from an alcove. The dimly lit attic showed a vague shadow of a man, who with a quick glance of an appearance was that of a haggard old man whose life had all but nearly passed. But this was not the case. While he was in his 50s, with his kind, he was nothing more than a man who had just reached his middle aged years.
“Why, oh why, did I have to pick today to clean the attic?” the man muttered to himself.
Looking at the box before him, the man noticed that there was a label in the middle of the right side of the box entitled Articles. Opening up the box, the man noticed piles upon piles of paper scattered aimlessly throughout the box with the only spot of organization in the form of a vanilla folder labeled France.
Grumbling the man sighed in exasperation, “Well shit, no wonder it was so heavy! What kind of wizard am I by not levitating these boxes?”
He paused for a moment before commenting, “I must be going senile since I ain’t using my wand.”
He stared into space for a few seconds before grinning madly, “Bah, I refuse to go senile!”
Shaking his head, he pulled himself back down to the contents of the box. He was curious about the ventures of his past. It had been years since he had thought about his old career and years since he had thought about him.
“Damn those Prophet Editors, telling me that I was washed up!” growled the man at the thought of his old career.
He paused before adding on with a tint of anger, “He was top story material. He should’ve been my ticket to fame!”
He sighed, knowing that it served no use to get angry over the past. The past was the past—nothing could change that. He may have hated his choice of career now, but then journalism was a passion.
He looked down at the box of articles again and pondered if it was worth diving back into his old passion. In a rare moment of throwing caution to the wind, the man peered into the box and grabbed the first item that caught his eye—the vanilla folder.
He shuffled downstairs with the vanilla folder in hand and eased himself into his favorite leather chair in front of his modest fireplace. Taking some tobacco from the small table to his left, the man picked up his pipe and stuffed some of the tobacco into his pipe. Putting the pipe in his mouth, the man lit his pipe and exhaled a few times to get the tobacco burning.
He gave out a sigh at the relaxing feeling of his pipe; the man opened up the vanilla folder and dove into the contents, losing himself in his own past.
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June 4, 1978
Daily Prophet
Page 10
Former Dark Lord Escapes Prison!
By: Marcus Anderson
On the eve of June 3, 1978, former Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald escaped imprisonment from Nurmengard. Grindelwald was, and still is, a powerful wizard who tried taking over the British Isles 33 years ago in a brutal coup d’état. Grindelwald is perhaps most famous, or infamous, for his prowess in the mental magics—a branch of magic that is hard to grasp. And his mastery of the mental magics is what has determined to be the cause of his escape from the top most tower of the German –held prison of Nurmengard.
From what little evidence the German Ministry has been able to gather, Grindelwald waited until one of the guards went to check up on him. Due to an error in scheduling, a man who was not proficient in the mental magics entered the cell of Grindelwald. Grindelwald, sensing this man’s mental weakness, easily subdued him and stripped the man of his wand before casting an illusion of himself as the aforesaid guard—leaving him locked in the cell. In a tremendous display of guile, Grindelwald merely walked out the front door under an illusion of the prison guard, as if it was normal for high security prisoners to be strolling out the front door.
The whereabouts of Grindelwald are unknown but do note that Grindelwald is armed and highly dangerous. It is entirely possible that Grindelwald is now working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If this is the case, Grindelwald must be found quickly for having two wizards of Dark Lord caliber united as one would cause catastrophic events. Please notify the local authorities if you spot Grindelwald in an area near you.
December 2, 1978
Daily Prophet
Page 12
Former Dark Lord Takes Over France!
By: Marcus Anderson
On December 1, 1978, Former Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald remerged himself in the form of a coup d’état of our neighbor and ally, France. How Grindelwald was able to amass such a force to perform this act is unknown, but in a surprise move during the International Wizarding Council (IWC), Grindelwald sent an envoy to inform them of the new government of France and removing the current representative of France. This new face, Francois Simon, bluntly informed the IWC that the old government was out and the new government was in; at its head—the infamous Gellert Grindelwald.
From what little that was gathered, Grindelwald took over the Government violently as former Minister of France, Toussaint Leroy, body was found impaled on a pike outside the French Ministry of Magic. With such a takeover co-existing during the reign of terror that You-Know-Who has brought down upon us is frightening because You-Know-Who may be nothing more than a convenient distraction for Grindelwald. Details are still sketchy at this time but it looks as if two reigns of terrors are happening simultaneously. Only time will tell if it’s chaos that reigns supreme.
December 13, 1979
Daily Prophet
Page 14
Inaction Causes Strife in France
By: Marcus Anderson
An informant in France spoke of bodies lying everywhere as Grindelwald and his forces stormed the unprepared Ministry of Magic—catching all of the aurors off guard. He spoke with fear trembling all throughout his body, eyes swaying from side to side as if Grindelwald himself would jump out of nowhere and kill him without mercy.
The fear in this man’s eyes makes me wonder why the Ministry has not taken action. Why has the British Ministry not sent aid to the French Resistance and why have we all but ignored the events going on outside this country? While He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is causing havoc all throughout our homeland, a bigger threat is looming on the horizon.
And what of Albus Dumbledore? Why has he not done what he did before and duel this menace into submission? Dumbledore has before defied the Ministry’s indifference to acts outside the world and taken them into his own hands. Why has he not answered this cry of help from France? Only time will tell but this young reporter thinks that this inaction will cost us.
The amount of strife that is being caused by Britain’s inaction to Grindelwald’s takeover is astronomical. What little resistance there is in France is being crushed without mercy by the ruthless and newly formed French Army—headed by Gellert Grindelwald himself. All hope is seemingly lost for restoring a Free France. Sadly, With You-Know-Who at the height of his power, Britain can do nothing but watch as France is slowly engulfed in the control of Grindelwald’s power.
As stated before, this young reporter thinks that this inaction will cost us many lives in the future. There is no telling where Grindelwald will stop. It is all but possible that Grindelwald will set his eyes back on the British Isles and invade. But it is also possible that he will do nothing but rule France. Only time will tell.
September 26, 1984
Daily Prophet
Rumour Column
Grindelwald: Where is He Now?
By: Marcus Anderson
It has been five years since Grindelwald was last heard of. Ever since the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in 1981, the British Wizarding World has been in a state of recovery. And strangely enough, during a period where we are our weakest, Grindelwald is notably absent from any sort of government.
In fact, Grindelwald has not even been seen by the public eye since 1981. Ever since then, Francois Simon has been the face of the French Government. Simon is the one we all see at the IWC and enacting laws in France. Grindelwald has also seemingly disappeared from the French Army, instating former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Adrien Delacour, as the so called General of the French Army.
Since Simon is still in power, it is all but obvious that Grindelwald is still in power—lying low and waiting to strike when it is least expected. As I said five years ago, our inaction with France will cost. It is only a matter of time. The Ministry may not agree and they may totally refute the idea of a French Invasion but I think it is possible.
I think it is the only logical outcome.
Sure, you all will laugh and ridicule me, calling me paranoid or moronic. But one day, one day you will rue the day that you all ignored me. And one day, he will rise again in the British Isles.
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Marcus lazed into his arm chair, smoking a tobacco pipe as he finished reading the articles he once wrote. Each one of them was first page material and yet because of You-Know-Who, they had all been regulated to page fillers—the last one even being regulated to a rumour column!
Marcus grunted in disgrace at such an action.
“Their ignorance will get them killed someday,” muttered Marcus into the dancing fire, his gaze averting as the flames crackled.
Marcus sighed as he stared into the swaying blaze before him. It had been 12 years since that article; 12 years since anyone has even wrote or thought about Grindelwald.
“Maybe I should just leave my crusade in the past?” half-heartedly asked Marcus to himself.
Shaking his head from side to side Marcus muttered to himself, “No, no. That won’t do. I know he’ll be back. They always come back.”
He paused for a moment before gazing unfocused into the fire while adding on, “Dark Lords always comeback.”
And Marcus sat down at his writing desk, picked up a quill, and began to write for the first time in 12 years.