Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his glasses resting on an open letter while he was pinching the ridge of his nose. Luckily, he was alone, nobody witnessing his grimace as the paintings of old headmasters were yet to be put back to their hanging spots. As with everything else, every painting was thoroughly investigated, looking for remaining hidden traps and providing Dumbledore with a place where he could be alone with his thoughts.

"You little bastard." he grunted, muttering under his beard, unable to decide whether he was scolding Conrad, Quincy, or Grindelwald for this plan.

At first, he received a private letter from Flamel and Zevron, the new Headmaster of Durmstrang, congratulating him on restoring peace and suggesting they should meet officially to tell every wizard and witch that peace is finally restored amongst a wizarding kind. Yet, before he could answer, both the Daily Prophet and that busybody Quibbler published their big 'scoop' about it, saying there are rumors of the return of the Triumvirate—meaning the glory of the three schools...

"It is your doing, isn't it?" He mumbled, thinking of his old friend, linking him with Durmstrang and with the news of what happened there.

He was also put in a spot because his connection with Flamel has been little to none since returning to Great Britain. Were they still allies? He couldn't tell, not after they came to an agreement with Durmstrang. They were supposed to be their guards, the school that protects his back and deals with Durmstrang. Instead, they settled. He no longer knew what to believe, mainly because Flamel was old. If anyone, he could be the one alone who would be able to outplay him, something he was always mindful and afraid of.

There was no way to get out of this, not with how everything stood at the moment. He already knew that his supporters would, at best, land ministry positions but not become the Prime Minister. He could work with that... He could work with him if Neville became the new head of the Ministry. Yet, he stepped back for Minerva's sake, which made Dumbledore confident that all would be well in the future. Yet, as soon as one worry of his was dispelled, another reared its head right after.

"Hmph! Sure! Let's play it rough then." He scoffed, put his glass up, summoned an automatic, enhanced quill, and began to pen his answers simultaneously.

He began writing multiple letters at once to regain control over the events. A pair would head out, going to the other two headmasters and inviting them to Hogwarts. Then, there were letters going to Minerva and the muggle-born youngster, Hermione Granger. When those invitations were finished, new ones began to be written, aimed at the Anguine household and, lastly, a dozen or so for the press.

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"You were right." I chuckled, reading the Daily Prophet, looking at Grindelwald with a smile. "He did all the things you predicted he would do."

"I know him well." he answered with a nod while spreading jam over his toast. "Hosting it at Hogwarts would be a questionable move only if it would be us inviting him to the summit. However, we can't fault him for setting the stage because we made the first move. It will be dangerous."

"As everything else." Quincy answered, sipping on her tea. "It will be something that many people will attend because of his latest open invitation in the papers. What I am afraid of is if he manages to come to some kind of agreement with the two others and cements his position."

"He will try." Grindelwald and I agreed just as the sleepy Lockhart entered the room. He was pulling another all-nighter to edit his book, which was going to be released next week, adding last-minute changes to its cover and backside.

"Returning to that school is not something I am a fan of." He mumbled, forcing his eyes open.

"Take it as an adventure!" I joked, making him shrug as seemingly, after everything, Lockhart enjoyed the best when he could be staying in the villa and writing his books.

"I had so many adventures, I could fill a library with my recollections."

"Half of it would be made up." My wife joked before looking at me, "Will we make our move?" She asked, looking at me while I nodded my head.

"Um. Durmstrang will bring it up. Of course, we will be just... there to observe. But they will push to make Dumbledore accountable to the Elder Wand. From what we know, he promised that he would relinquish it after Voldemort had been defeated, yet he never brought it up again. We will ask him about it out in the open."

"People could take it as Durmstrang wanting to interfere with Hogwart's business—to get the wand." Lockhart warned us, but Quincy quickly answered him while smiling.

"Hogwarts did nurture Voldemort, so the fear is reasonable. Plus, we will also speak up and give a solution: Destroy it."

"If nobody can have it, no unnecessary fear would rule the minds of powerful wizards." Grindelwald whispered, raising his cup, and his voice woke up my old grandpa, who was quiet for a long time.

"He is right. The worst enemy of powerful wizards is their own mind."

"Oh? You up? How's it going?"

"I was observing you for the time being. This peace did good for your mental state; your blood has calmed down a lot."

"I do feel great. Better than ever."

"Keep it up because you will need it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a bit cautious now because he had not issued any warnings for no reason in the past.

"I don't know, Conrad. But I have been feeling weird for a while now, making me wonder why. I have yet to figure it out, but something makes me feel I am in danger."

"Meaning... I am in danger...?"

"You are my sole descendant at this point in time. So yes. It means that."

"Nothing new there. Haaah, don't worry; you should be an experienced dark grandpa, aren't ya? Relax!" I answered, trying to comfort him, but now I was also looking into my cup of tea a bit more seriously. Listening to Herpo and learning about Grindelwald's philosophy about magic, I was also convinced that magic itself was something akin to a sentient power. Something that interfered with the world if it felt its balance being out of control. My only hope was that this didn't mean I was turning into something of a threat to this balance.

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When the time for the summit arrived, Hogwarts announced an open week, welcoming many young wizards who may start their first year when September comes. We weren't far away from it, and it was not just an excellent opportunity for the next generation, but it was a fun event for those students who were excited to return to a whole new school in a completely new era.

The last time this many people flooded the grounds of one of the most ancient wizarding schools in history was during the TriWizard Cup, and many couldn't help but recall those events, especially with the three schools that are supposed to meet here once again. Many expected a few sparks, but still, nobody was thinking about a catastrophe, not after the fall of the Dark Lord.

Like many others, we arrived early, two full days before the other two Headmasters would, bringing along our own camping kit and setting it up on the school grounds. It was nice to be back... Whatever happened, there were good experiences to have here, like meeting Quincy. It made everything so much... livelier back then. We couldn't help but walk around, explore the same routes we took in our first years, and enter the castle when the sun slowly started heading towards the horizon. Walking its halls, illuminated by the sunset, the change was tangible... it was different, and anybody who attended school while Voldemort lived could tell it by just passing through the main gates.

"They really removed Slytherin's hourglass." I mumbled, holding Quincy's hand as we walked past the other three, which were filled with red, blue, and gold marbles. Yet the fourth, emerald-colored one was nowhere to be seen, only its empty slot, the telling sign that Slytherin's house was officially disbanded.

"I kind of feel like it is a waste!" Quincy exhaled, shaking her head, and I agreed.

"Yet we can't really speak up against it." I shrugged while pulling her away, deciding to head toward the old divination tower where we had spent so much time before. "Its reputation was damaged beyond reasoning. Anyone campaigning for it to be kept around would be thrown into Azkaban, even if it is us or Slughorn."

"Then add a new fourth! Call it Anguine, and make its color purple~!" She giggled, and although she was joking, I couldn't help but imagine it before bursting into a laugh myself.

"Yeaaaah, that won't happen. We are nowhere close to those four founders. They will have to do with three!"

"Maybe in the future?" she asked, hugging my arm and leaning against me. "Dream big; isn't that what we learned?"

"Geez, you want us to become famous, huh? Aren't we well-known enough?"

"I don't care about my renown, but if you would be that liked..." She grinned, "Or be that notorious..."

"Ha-ha. Very funny."

"Fufufu, well, anyway, if you were that important, your name would get to be the new fourth house... I would be the proudest wife on the planet!"

"And then our kids would come to school and end up in Hufflepuff. To be bullied by everybody else."

"Pft! I could totally see that happening! Except for the bullying part~!"

"No chance for either of that." Answered a third voice, stopping us in our trek. We looked up at the top of the staircase and saw Dumbledore standing there, gazing down at us above his half-moon spectacles.