For the Austrian magical community, these past few days have been spent in panic.
Compared to the British wizarding world, which was not greatly influenced by Grindelwald due to the existence of Dumbledore, wizards in the Austrian wizarding world have basically heard of Grindelwald's story even after fifty years.
Most wizards in Austria graduated from Durmstrang. On one of the walls of their school, there is still the Deathly Hallows symbol carved by Grindelwald, and no headmaster has ever been able to remove it from the wall!
The officials of the Austrian Ministry of Magic were in a panic. They knew that Grindelwald had been imprisoned with his magic disabled for decades and his strength should be much weaker than before, but they still did not dare to hastily arrange for Aurors to search for him.
In order to prevent being accused of inaction by the International Confederation of Wizards, the Austrian Minister of Magic acted extremely quickly to send out owls to other countries, contacting the Ministries of Magic in other countries, trying to drag them together to deal with Grindelwald.
This is how the British wizarding world's Daily Prophet got the news.
However, just as the Austrian wizards and even the entire European magical community were in panic, Dracula and Grindelwald were standing on a peak in the Alps not far from Nurmengard.
They were almost standing under the nose of the Austrian Ministry of Magic, and the Austrian Aurors might have discovered them but simply didn't dare to come over.
Grindelwald stood on the snow-capped peak, squinting his eyes, feeling the cold mountain wind blowing in his face.
"Huh... Is this the feeling of freedom?" He raised his hand to tidy up his white hair that was blown by the cold wind, and said softly.
Unlike Dracula's guess of complex emotions such as excitement or anticipation, Grindelwald seemed calm, as if he was going out for a drive after staying at home for a few days.
Although he had just spent a hundred years sleeping in the coffin a few years ago, which was twice as long as Grindelwald's fifty years in prison in Nurmengard, there was still a big difference between the two.
Dracula's sleep was almost a complete hibernation, just like he had taken a short nap in a coffin, and when he opened his eyes again, a hundred years had passed in a hurry.
Grindelwald actually stayed in a small, dim, dirty room for fifty years. There was no one to talk to him, and there was no interesting thing. There was only silence and darkness that lasted for decades.
Compared to this cell in Nurmengard, Azkaban can be considered a paradise.
Put yourself in his shoes and imagine how he felt. Dracula thought that if he couldn't find anything fun to do in five days, he would probably go crazy with boredom, let alone fifty years.
I don't know how Grindelwald managed to hold on.
Dracula also felt a hint of admiration in his heart, and turned to Grindelwald and asked, "So, what does it feel like to be free?"
"What does it feel like to be free..." Grindelwald murmured softly, repeating Dracula's question.
There was still a hint of daze on his face as he stared at the snow-capped mountains, the roads that had been built at some unknown time in the mountains, and a small village that had been formed from a few small wooden houses at the foot of the mountain.
This area was the base where Grindelwald led his followers fifty years ago. He should have been very familiar with this place, but now he only feels unfamiliar with it.
"What's wrong? You can't describe it?" Dracula chuckled.
Grindelwald turned his head and looked at Dracula. The dazed look in his blue eyes gradually disappeared, and a spirit of excitement filled his eyes.
"Actually, I don't have any special feelings. I just think the wind on the top of the mountain is quite noisy," he said with a wild smile, "It's annoying me."
Grindelwald suddenly raised one hand high with his five fingers spread out.
The next moment, five fingers clenched into a fist.
The cold wind on the top of the mountain suddenly stopped, and the few snowflakes that were blown up by the cold wind suddenly lost their power, fell straight down, and melted together with the snow on the mountain peak.
Dracula looked at him, a smile of interest appearing on his lips.
"It seems that decades of imprisonment have not completely destroyed the previous generation of the Dark Lord..." He said with a smile, "So what will you do next? Summon your former 'hundred thousand followers'?"
"I am already an old man who is out of touch with the times. How can I still have followers all over the world?" Grindelwald shook his head in self-mockery. "Rather than fighting and killing, I would rather learn from Albus Dumbledore..."
“I wanted to experience what it was like to be a principal, and it was amazing that he could be immersed in this position for decades.”
…
Europe approached its northernmost point that day.
In a small castle with only four floors, the end-of-school graduation ceremony is being held in the lobby on the first floor.
The style of this hall is quite simple and plain, just like the students sitting in the audience.
A group of students sat upright in their seats as if in military training, all wearing blood-red robes, with standard leather hats neatly placed on the table in front of them.
The seventh-grade student council president was standing at the podium presiding over the meeting.
The student body president was a tall, thin, sallow young man with black hair and eyes and a large, crooked, hooked nose.
The sharp features of his face were those of Viktor Krum, one of the most famous Quidditch players in the world.
"The graduation ceremony is coming to an end, and there is one more thing to announce before the holiday." Krum still had a dull expression on his face and read from the script in a serious tone.
"It has been a year since Ingor Karkaroff escaped. During this year, the position of headmaster of Durmstrang has been vacant. The school is actually run by the vice-headmaster, Professor Monte."
"Adhering to the principles of fairness and justice, Professor Monte proposes that all students of Durmstrang vote together to elect a new president from among all professors."
"Now, the voting begins. Students who support Professor Monte to become the next headmaster, please raise your wands and cast a spark spell on the ceiling..."
Under the stage, Professor Monte, who was over fifty years old and had short gray hair, showed a satisfied look.
This vote is actually just a formality.
As the vice-president who had actually managed Durmstrang for a whole year, Monte's reputation in the school was higher than that of all other professors combined, and the position of Durmstrang's next president was almost a foregone conclusion for him.
As for letting Krum, the graduating student union president, preside over the student vote, it was just to save face and to convince other professors with an overwhelming advantage.
However, just as the students were about to start voting, a figure suddenly appeared on the podium in the castle hall.
The figure had light blond hair, a pair of blue eyes, a thin white beard on his chin, and a wild, playful smile on his face - it was Grindelwald who had been restored to his middle-aged appearance under the magic of the Metamorphmagus.
"Can this voting session be postponed for a little while?"
Grindelwald strolled to the center of the podium. Krum barely realized that he was subconsciously moving to the side of the podium, leaving the center of the podium for this uninvited guest.
It was not until he moved to the edge of the podium that Krum finally reacted and asked with a frown:
"Excuse me, who are you...?"
Grindelwald did not answer Krum's question. He just leisurely looked at the simple and plain furnishings around the hall and smacked his lips with emotion: "I really miss it. I haven't been back for about a hundred years."
The students in the audience were still wondering who this impolite wizard was who interrupted the voting at will. Some of those with bad tempers had already begun to protest towards the podium, wanting to drive Grindelwald off the stage.
The hall gradually became noisy, but the students sitting in the front row noticed that the situation was a little strange.
Some young professors wanted to go on stage to take charge of the situation, but they were held back tightly by the older professors, who would not let them make any rash moves.
Their vice-president, the elderly Professor Monte, rarely lost his composure. He stared in amazement at the arrogant figure on the podium and didn't even hear the questions asked by the students next to him.
"Grindelwald, you... why are you here?"
After a long while, Monte finally recovered from his shock and asked slowly in a trembling voice.
He tried several times to raise his wand, but he couldn't muster up the courage.
More than fifty years ago, the first Dark Lord left a deep impression on the wizarding world. Especially in the school that trained Grindelwald, there was no one who had not heard of his name.
Hearing what Professor Monte said, the young professors around and the students near the first row suddenly opened their eyes wide and looked at the man with light blond hair and blue eyes on the podium.
"He is Grindelwald?!"
"Why is Grindelwald here?"
"… "
The noise in the hall suddenly dropped by dozens of decibels, but there were more whispers.
They never expected to see this famous predecessor, the most powerful and notorious Dark Lord before Voldemort appeared, at Durmstrang's graduation ceremony.
The mark of the Deathly Hallows that Grindelwald carved before he was expelled is still clearly left on the wall not far away. Every time the students pass by, they will have a deeper impression of him...
In fact, there are still many students in Durmstrang who admire the most outstanding wizard in the school's history.
Many people secretly drew the Deathly Hallows mark left by Grindelwald on their homework books, thinking that it looked cool - of course, they didn't know the specific meaning of the mark, they just used it as a decoration.
But it is undeniable that Grindelwald's influence in Durmstrang is indeed huge.
Looking at the many expressions of fear, shock, anticipation, and even fanaticism in the audience, Grindelwald laughed happily.
"You don't have to look at me like that. I used to be a student of Durmstrang. I came here just to visit my alma mater." He did not ignore Vice Principal Monte's question and said to the students in the audience with a smile.
A cold sweat broke out on Vice Principal Monte's forehead... Although Grindelwald was indeed a member of Durmstrang, he is an even more dangerous Dark Lord!
When the Dark Lord suddenly claimed that this was his alma mater and wanted to come back to visit, Monte always felt that there was some daunting meaning in it.
Just compare it to what another dark lord, Voldemort, did when he returned to Hogwarts.
As expected, Grindelwald changed the subject.
"It seems like I came here by chance. I heard that you haven't elected the next principal yet?"
He asked the question seemingly casually, but it was like a blow to Monte.
"You... you want to?" Monte asked tremblingly.
"Don't be nervous, Professor...Munte?" Grindelwald easily learned the name of Munt through Legilimency, and said to him with a playful expression, "I don't want to seize the position of the headmaster. You value fairness and justice the most, don't you?"
Then, Grindelwald turned around and faced the many students in the audience, smiled relaxedly, and said:
"Dear outstanding juniors of Durmstrang, I will participate in your headmaster election as a student who once studied at Durmstrang. Everything will be based on the principle of fairness and justice, and the winner will be decided by voting."
Monte stared blankly at Grindelwald's free and easy appearance on the podium, and just wanted to slap himself for setting the rules for voting for the headmaster in the past.
He could have become the principal directly, so why did he have to mobilize students to vote
Now, a dark lord who has disappeared for fifty years suddenly appears at the voting site and says he wants to participate in the principal election.
Monte wanted to refuse his participation in his heart, but he didn't have the courage to confront him - Grindelwald's reputation was too great, and he couldn't even hold his wand tightly now, let alone confront Grindelwald face to face.
Monte recalled a widely circulated saying from the last era:
If you are against Grindelwald's ideas, then go listen to his speech! It only takes less than five minutes, and you will spontaneously become a supporter of this man, believe in his ideas, and be willing to follow him wholeheartedly!
Vice President Monte, who had experienced that era, knew that this statement was true.
Unlike the terrorist Voldemort, Grindelwald has his own unique personal charm. He does not rely on extraordinary force to scare his believers, but directly conquers the hearts of all believers!
Monte sighed and put down his wand.
He knew that if he gave Grindelwald a chance to speak, he would no longer have any chance of winning.
So he completely let it go and simply gave up the opportunity to become the new principal.
"It is an honor for Durmstrang to have a wizard like you participate in the headmaster election." Monte stood up and said solemnly.
…
…