Gellert
While he engaged in dark deeds, Albus was gaining notoriety. Flamel confirmed Albus as his student, a revelation that left Gellert incredulous. How could he be any less worthy than that bearded old fool? Driven by a desire to acquire Flamel's knowledge, he ventured to France—without a plan, merely trusting his instincts to guide him. This Flamel... He had discovered the Voynich manuscript in the USA, a draft of Flamel's works, yet found nothing of real value within it. He envisioned Albus and Flamel together, but their location eluded him. He recalled the drawing Albus used to transport himself, yet it did not yield the same result for Gellert. His search for Flamel culminated in chaos in Paris. Casualties were minimal—only a couple had lost their souls... Given that the Deathfaldas, the natural relatives of Dementors, were soaring through the streets, it could have been worse.
As he departed, he noticed something peculiar: some Muggle passersby did not seem affected by the infernal presence at all. Then, he was suddenly attacked. He fought valiantly, but what could a weary wizard do against multiple adamant golems, which appeared human only in outward form? He managed to destroy most of the golems, sensing victory within his grasp. However, everything shifted when a phoenix adorned with artifacts dove into his path. He awoke defenseless and wandless, held aloft by several golems, his body embedded in transfigured asphalt.
"You'd best abandon your ambitions, Gellert," one of the golems intoned, channeling someone else's will. "Flamel?" Gellert inquired, regretting he hadn't foreseen this in his visions. "Have you forgotten me? It's Albus," came the reply. "Traitor! Coward! If you won't stand with me, at least don't impede my path!" He pleaded for Albus not to obstruct his vision of the common good.
"I see no good in your actions," the golem countered. "Everything is on my shoulders! The sacrifices I make are immense, and my resources are insufficient! Join me, and you won't have to sacrifice anything! Flamel would share his wealth—wasn't that your intention? Let's go now!"
"What a blunder. Your visions are either misguided or you failed to see the millions who perished," Gellert retorted. "It will all be worth it! Let's ensure there are no more deaths! Your foolish brother halted you before—join me!" The future appeared shrouded in fog; he envisioned countless possibilities. For instance, if he mentioned Ariana, the golem might reflexively sever his head, sensing Albus's emotions. He realized that his immediate goal was to survive this encounter. Or perhaps Albus would hand him over to the authorities...
"I didn't refuse your alliance out of cowardice," Albus stated. "Honor holds me back."
"What honor? Your foolish brother stopped you!" Gellert exclaimed. It was illogical to argue with someone who had him by the throat, but with Albus, it seemed a wise strategy—he only retaliated against those who attacked him first.
"I never said it was my honor that restrained me," Albus clarified. "Gellert... Your dreams... our dreams of the common good... After Ariana's death, I fell into despair, never to emerge again. If you were a decent person, you would have reacted similarly. It became abundantly clear then that aspirations for the common good clash with both conscience and reason. Those who cling to such dreams become oppressors, deluded by utopian fantasies. Your tales of ambition merely serve as propaganda and distraction. The only escape from this deadlock is to retreat. I seized my chance; you did not. For over twenty years, you've ridden into a corner, blinded by your vision."
Gellert envisioned an opportunity for freedom rather than imprisonment. "That is why the world needs you, liberator! An executioner in shining armor! A killer who will pull the stool from beneath me! Only a heartless monster—or one devoid of feeling—could do what you did: first take the life of your sister, emerging from the depths unscathed, and then your closest friend. The fate of a former ally is a trifling matter! I sacrifice myself, while you sacrifice others! Now it is my turn to clear the path for you to become the greatest wizard of our time. You will be hailed as a hero: the one who killed his sister, she was a Dark Creature; the one who killed his friend—he was a Dark Wizard; the one who killed his mentor... But why are you killing me instead of Flamel? Surely he has taken more lives than I! Don't tell me he's teaching you how to brew potions properly!"
Everything associated with Flamel remained mostly obscured from his visions. Perhaps Flamel simply did not interfere, regardless of the circumstances. The golem released Gellert, and the objects and golems transfigured by Albus began to disintegrate. How wasteful—so much adamantium for nothing. Where had this fool procured such wealth? Oh, right, he was Flamel's pupil.
"What do you intend to do with me?" Gellert queried.
"Gellert... I know you. You are capable of shaping the finest education, economy, medicine, or science in the world. However, if you choose to construct an army or security force instead... You will only be able to utilize what you create," Albus concluded.
"They'll handle you without me if you don't come to your senses," the last golem warned before crumbling away.
At that moment, Gellert glimpsed two visions. In one, he saw himself slicing through the wizard's flesh, examining the insides to discern the name of his enemy, which unequivocally read: Albus Dumbledore. In the other vision... the Elder Wand! Gregorovich possessed it! Rumors had circulated, but he could not fathom it was that simple. He had dismissed it as mere myth, clever marketing, stories to amuse the ego. Using an all-powerful wand merely to create replicas for vanity would be foolish!
And so he set off in search of Gregorovich. The rest unfolded with astonishing ease. He located Gregorovich's residence, which was well-guarded—sneaking in was no simple feat. Yet, Gellert had experience in self-transfiguration… Soon, having transformed into smoke, he bypassed the protections. He knew the secure routes and passwords, ultimately finding the prized wand. It fit perfectly in his grasp. He felt an overwhelming sense of power swell within him, the Elder Wand's potency and willingness to serve him becoming apparent as soon as he discarded his old wand.
"Cast the strongest protection around me," he commanded. The wand sprang into action, casting spells—some straightforward, others ingenious. Their combination approached perfection. Alas, his magical energy would run out sooner or later; he needed to act.
"Remove the house's protections," he ordered. The wand moved on its own, casting spells effortlessly. With minimal expenditure of magic, the house's defenses crumbled. A startled Gregorovich rushed in. It would have been simpler to kill him, but Gellert was in a great mood!
"It's time to test his defenses..." he thought. "Stun him with a single spell," he commanded. The Elder Wand struck Gregorovich with an unknown modified stunning spell, rendering him unconscious. Gellert, laughing, leaped from the window, surrendering himself to flight. Soon, he was back at home, conducting an audit of his newfound capabilities. They were remarkable; now he would quickly complete the Obscurus project.
Regrettably, it was not a spell but closer to animagus transformation... The wand, however, was not omnipotent—it couldn't transfigure gold, nor resurrect anyone. It seemed to apologize and refuse, growing cold when given such commands. Gellert pondered; it was time to seize power in Germany with his followers. He had to be cautious and end his affair with Leta Lestrange—he could no longer afford to be unprotected with anyone. Thankfully, brewing the necessary potion to suppress his desires posed no challenge.
Seated in a chair, he twirled the Elder Wand, immersed in visions. He was certain he would dominate the magical realm. He would become, if he so desired, the Minister of Magic in Germany. His visions had never led him astray. Yet, after meeting Albus, one question lingered: how long could he maintain dominance over the magical world? War could be averted; his alliance with the architects of the Versailles system would forge a grand defensive coalition, ultimately imprisoning the Russians within their own borders. There would be no war—this would temper the most heated tempers. One-seventh of the world would inevitably succumb to the rest, even without conflict.
The future wavered. Once more, he envisioned himself as the Minister of Magic in Germany, beloved by all, even foreigners. There stood Albus, shaking his hand at a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards, expressing gladness that Gellert had come to his senses. Upon resigning, Gellert would become the most celebrated Minister of Magic ever, and magical Germany would again rise as one of the wealthiest and most revered nations globally. But he was not Albus. There was no room for doubt. He was a man of principles—he would either assist everyone or no one. He would construct the common good or perish in the attempt.
Once more, the future shifted. Europe was engulfed in a great war. He, partially transformed into an Obscurus, crushed his enemies. He became a swirling mass of black smoke, save for the hand that clutched the Elder Wand, unleashing potent spells from the very center of the storm. Facing an army of wizards alone was madness, even for the wielder of the Elder Wand, but not for him. Enormous creatures, reminiscent of Euglena, yet black, surged through rifts in reality, aiding him in obliterating his foes. Slaying an enemy was simple, but war begets more war. He required prisoners! For what purpose? Another vision visited him, revealing the steep price of his new foreign allies' assistance: he drew a symbol in his blood around a crematorium, igniting it. Every life extinguished there would feed his new servants... Future victims, confined to the camp (life in the Kaiser's camp during the First World War would have seemed a resort), were covered in the ashes of yesterday's victims. Here, a command trailer was exhumed from a museum—the very site where the peace was signed post the First Muggle War—and therein, France capitulated during the Second World War. Yes, this was the world he envisioned—a world where he first clears the land and subsequently constructs the common good.
It was time to act. The subsequent years devolved into hell. Gellert toiled relentlessly. Wizards adorned with the Deathly Hallows insignia ascended to all positions of power. He established his own Order of Wizards. He constructed Nurmengard prison for high-value prisoners and championed revanchist ideals, becoming the most popular wizard in Germany. Restoring territorial integrity, reclaiming historical justice, and eliminating internal threats were the foundations upon which he built his coalition. He allied with outraged Dark Wizards from abroad—the Lestranges and Travers in England, among many others. He rose to an official position within the German Department of Mysteries, overcoming Germany's isolation by garnering support from disgruntled Russians, Italians, and Japanese. It proved difficult, yet the Russians sought a redivision of the world, terrified of engaging in direct conflict. Thus, they sought someone to pave the way for them. Fools. He would offer them a chance to raise a chained dog, only to have that dog break free from its chains and devour everyone, including its former master.
The Russians initiated total mobilization of both wizards and Muggles, divided into three five-year plans, gradually transforming the nation into a colossal weapons factory. They learned lessons from the war, liquidating the peasantry and reducing them to slavery, ensuring everything could be seized at a moment's notice, including their food. They executed all dissenters and separatists en masse, ensuring national unity at the decisive moment. The first two plans concentrated on creating means of production, while the third focused on mass weapon production. To avoid political discord, they consolidated efforts, and to sidestep prisoners, those who surrendered were labeled criminals in absentia. The cost of this... a new demographic collapse occurred as the West experienced a population explosion. Millions perished in peacetime.
Germany faced a single collapse—World War I—while Russia suffered three: World War I, civil war, and the mobilization known as "collectivization." A new oprichnina swept across the country. The Russian realm proved far more brutal for its citizens than World War I. How different they were! He was prepared to kill foreigners to secure victory, while the Russians slaughtered their own. He struggled to comprehend this... It was the potential sacrifice of his people that had deterred him from mobilizing the Muggles. Also, the risk of exposure played a role. That's why he opted for qualitative over quantitative strategies. So what? With the Gift of the Prophet, creating a magical weapon that would have taken fifty years was simple. Everything he witnessed was not only the result of visions; he had seen much firsthand.
Germany was prohibited from maintaining a Muggle army, and magical power structures faced limitations. He trained a Muggle army in Russia, employing wizards as translators on paper. Germany had no access to demonology; the victors had stripped it all away. Yet the Russians, unvanquished, shared their knowledge freely. He visited Russia, where they still yearned for the standard of living they had enjoyed in 1914. The number of casualties from the civil war was three times higher than during the First World War, but that wasn't what struck him. Somehow, Russia persisted, even as the living standards of most had regressed to the era of Genghis Khan. Their mobilization and super-industrialization were evident.
In 1933, a German colonel visited a Soviet locomotive plant in Kharkov. The colonel discovered that, alongside locomotives, the plant produced a by-product—tanks. To appreciate the significance of this Soviet plant's by-products during peacetime, one must remember that Germany, in 1933, produced no tanks whatsoever. By 1939, Hitler would initiate World War II with just over 3,000 tanks—fewer than the Kharkov Locomotive Plant could produce in six months under peacetime conditions. The same was true in the magical realm. By 1933, the Russians possessed 15,000 Freedom-class walking golems. He recognized these golems, birthed from the mind of the finest artifact maker in the world—a mad Spaniard. Notably, at that time, France only had 5,000 golems of all types.
He envisioned a vast Russian army sweeping across Europe. Yet, that would not come to pass. He would strike first. All Russian weaponry carried a minor flaw: it could not be utilized on Russian soil. For instance, golems were sensitive to the magical environment, functioning flawlessly in Western Europe, but began to malfunction in Poland. Tanks similarly suffered—their designs catered to wheeled travel on roads that did not exist in the USSR. There was not a single autobahn in the entire country! Again, another vision emerged, illustrating how the grand Russian army would disintegrate on their own territory. Timing was crucial...
The military strategy of the new Russia, the USSR, had never been published because it did not focus on defense. Notably, pilots were not trained in aerial combat—their aviation was intended to destroy enemy aircraft on the ground. They even designed aircraft without rear gunners, opting instead for protections only from below! Gellert quickly found himself enamored with a figure he had never met: Russian General Triandafillov. His concept of blitzkrieg was brilliant—"expanding the basis of warfare"! Waging war not against the state, but against the populace!
The notion of "Sovietizing captured territories" captivated him. "We must achieve the Sovietization of entire states within a short timeframe (two to three weeks), or for larger nations, the Sovietization of vast regions within three to four weeks... It would be unwise to divert combat units of the Red Army to Sovietization. It would be prudent to establish special units for this purpose. Let the Red Army defeat the enemy while these specialized units implement true socialism in the rear." The Russians used the NKVD for this task, while he envisioned the Wehrmacht crushing the enemy and the SS ushering in a "new order." It would be advantageous to have compliant leaders and deputies in place even before the capture, ready to govern the newly organized satellites.
As for elections... He was well-versed in the process. "You can't run because you lack the proper credentials. You didn't manage to submit your documents in time. They weren't filled out correctly. And if all else fails... You have a criminal record, right? Under the charges of 'Treason' or 'Panic-mongering and collaborating with foreign agents.'"
The Reich would soon spread its wings, forbidding citizens from defending their political interests through legal means. A change in power at the polls was unthinkable; independent courts were nonexistent. The regime operated outside the law, enacting illegal statutes and behaving outside even those laws. They were adept at substituting genuine state institutions with mere imitations.
The only difference lay in the necessity to eliminate outsiders for the common good, rather than their own. Even stranger events unfolded in Russia. Previously, USSR citizens had killed their fellow countrymen, but now they turned against one another. Everyone was slaying each other—three Muggle and five wizard statisticians had already perished. Gellert understood this was to minimize the number of "those in the know," preventing them from sharing the spoils of victory later. However, with the dawn of political rapprochement with him, the course shifted. The Russians were now openly preparing for war to reclaim "what was rightfully theirs": the Baltics, Finland, Poland... if fortune favored them, all of Europe.
Russia was gearing up for a great conflict. The Russians sought retribution. Germany could serve as their natural ally. France, England, and the other victors wanted to retain their gains—Germany appeared to be a useful barrier against Russia's advance. Japan and Italy bore grievances over the division of spoils post-World War I. Gellert pledged allegiance to all—literally and figuratively—ensuring that any kickbacks from these oaths would flow to others in advance.
"Japan and Italy—let's take revenge together! Let them recognize our value!"
"USSR? I despise the West, I too wave a red flag, and I stand for the common good. Look, they have trained their army on Soviet soil, and they provide us with interest-free loans. They claim to loathe the USSR. It was easy to negotiate the abolition of reparations from the First World War—after all, funds are needed for a war against the USSR! As for territories... they are small and weak... The USSR will attack, seizing half of their territory, while we strike from their other half! Look at the map: they will breach France through us. For a flanking attack, I require this bridgehead. What's left? Czechoslovakia and Austria? Well, you'll cede them to me, or how else will I defend against enemies?
Everyone loved him, and Germany's power grew; they considered him a scoundrel, but their own scoundrel. Now, German magicians trained in Russia, the locals generously shared their knowledge, and the US and England, as a sign of goodwill, returned several artifacts taken from the Department of Mysteries... They would attempt to "fatten" Germany, preparing it to aid in halting the Russians.
However, the world extended beyond Russia, even as it was now dubbed the USSR. Come on, it's the same Russia, the same imprisonment for recounting a letter. It struck him as remarkable—he was not yet sixty years old, and many had already forgotten that the political map had once looked entirely different. He had triggered the stock market crash, which Muggles referred to as the "Great Depression." But how to combat unemployment? He relished the Monroe Doctrine of non-interference in the affairs of the other hemisphere! Not everyone grasped this, yet the gears of war were already turning. Soldiers were being formed. Ritual schematics were being prepared, and Gellert contemplated when he would summon which demons, grateful for the Elder Wand's invaluable memory.
He had finally mastered the transfiguration into an Obscurus, thanks to the Elder Wand, but there was a limitation—should he transform completely, he would remain an Obscurus forever, trapped in that form until death. Artifacts could not be transformed, only non-magical items. Then it struck him in visions: German wizards would soon come to overthrow him. Fools. He hadn't yet committed any unpardonable acts. Yet... Such was the nature of Muggles—to depose a ruler. In the Wizarding World, it was somewhat different: a sufficiently powerful wizard could eliminate all his subjects. Yet then, there would be no one left to construct a better world; thus, he would not kill them all.
He prepared, dispatching all his guards, disabling surveillance systems. Never had the German Ministry of Magic been so desolate as it was that night. Wizards burst into his office, brandishing weapons. Fools. To think they could overwhelm him with mere numbers! Gellert held the Elder Wand concealed in his left pocket, for no one knew he possessed it. They read him his sentence, offering him the chance to surrender without resistance, promising only to relieve him of his position, rather than imprison him.
He envisioned their betrayal—it was true. Traitors! He had labored tirelessly for them! When he triumphed, everyone would benefit! Why bring problems into the future? Better to eliminate them at their roots!
"And how do you intend to stop me?" he asked. "There are only fifty-four of you!"
"Herr Grindelwald, you possess an excellent sense of humor," one of them retorted. "I concede you could defeat ten wizards. Perhaps twenty. But not fifty! The Elder Wand is a treasure. Its master cannot be vanquished as long as there is a drop of magic within him. And he is a prophet. He won't even need to resort to applied demonology. Why didn't you consult the Minister of Magic?"
"He is merely your puppet," Gellert replied.
"Why the rudeness? He is simply my secretary, fulfilling representative duties."
"How are Muggles? Bill of Rights: 'When a long train of abuses and usurpations, always aiming at the same end, reveals a design to reduce the people to absolute despotism, it becomes the right and duty of the people to overthrow such government and establish new guarantees of security for the future.'"
"Well, well. Give him a decade, and he could single-handedly annihilate the entire magical population of Germany. Not quite alone—he'd have the undead and demons—but without the aid of other wizards."
"And this... this isn't even a warm-up; he could manage it in a single encounter. Fifty strong magicians isn't much. Traps are unnecessary. Here and now, the Elder Wand and its arsenal will be put to the test, and I can already foresee how this will conclude."
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a black blur, his "pseudo-legs" extending toward the wizards, instantly dispatching a few. He maintained his human shape until the end. Amidst the swirling, opaque black smoke, his hand gripped the Elder Wand tightly. From the heart of this cloud, spells erupted, including unforgivable ones. He had conjured a magical shield to protect against the scant few spells capable of harming him. His foes had not anticipated such a bold and powerful assault. They were aware their enemy was a prophet, yet Gellert had ensured that most of his visions warned them only to "beware of redheads."
Most of their counter-spells simply dissipated into the parting magical fog. Those capable of inflicting harm were thwarted by his conjured defenses. His adversaries were not weaklings; they withstood all area attacks. However, the moment Gellert focused on someone, that individual met their demise. Several opponents lay mortally wounded—though, what were they?—he utilized them as sacrifices, summoning forth a colossal centipede of smoke into reality. Soon, only he, the demon, and three defeated mages remained. He offered one living mage to the demon, which vanished, radiating satisfaction and a desire to return when more sustenance was available.
Why did he need a familiar? Demons were his allies. Gellert began to arrange the dismembered body parts and corpses around his office, inscribing symbols with his blood and the blood of his victims. At the center of the figure lay two lifeless wizards. He feared no victims; in his visions, he had personally slain thousands of wizards and hundreds of thousands of Muggles. That should suffice for a spontaneous Horcrux. Although he had devised a theoretical method to prevent spontaneous Horcrux creation through regular sacrifices, he knew he would never be the same due to the ereghu. He was no coward, but even heroes fear the darkness. Yet if sacrificing one wizard's sanity could ensure the creation of a better world, even his own, he would accept that price.
The pivotal question remained: would his plan succeed? In his visions, he glimpsed a possibility. But he feared the cost. By the most optimistic estimates, the world's toll would surpass fifty million lives. Enough running from his fate. His name, in Anglo-French-German slang, means "Green of the Forest." However, this is a misinterpretation; it requires translation into the native tongue. Two interpretations arise: "land cleared of forest for cultivation" or, in Old German, "enslaving force."
You cannot escape your destiny... Within predictions exists a practice called haruspicy—foretelling the future from entrails. Typically, animals are used, yet humans are superior, particularly wizards. He possessed not just any wizard, but one gifted with family prophecy! That was whom he would test. Within a figure crafted from the lifeless and dying bodies of wizards, Gellert plunged a ritual knife into a wizard's abdomen, peering into his intestines.
"What are you doing? You madman!" cried the last survivor. Gellert delved into the depths of his mind, viewing himself from an outside perspective: a murderer, a Dark Wizard, a demonologist who had forsaken his humanity, now reveling in the act of disemboweling a man. Moreover, he entered the mind of the woman whose stomach he had dissected, observing her intestines through her own eyes. She witnessed the same sights he did. The wizard who had accused him... so primitive! He perceived, yet could not truly see! To him, they were merely entrails, but Gellert and the woman discerned unmistakable signs of fate: Gellert Grindelwald would achieve his goal, yet he would ultimately descend into the abyss. This was marvelous! He would triumph! He had seen this in some of his visions! And that he would find himself in the abyss... Whatever that entailed, he would readily pay the price.
"Why are you doing this?" the last wizard implored. The sheer idiocy of the question astonished him.
"For the Common Good," Gellert replied.
"What good can come of this?" they asked him.
"I have liberated magical Germany from isolation. I have provided it with allies and a future. And this is merely the beginning—when the world unites under my rule, I shall eradicate civil conflict and restore order," he proclaimed.
He perceived not only the wizard's terror-stricken gaze but also his thoughts, filled with the hope that Gellert would soon meet his end. If they did not slay him, he would perish himself. He eliminated the wizard who no longer served a purpose—he required no witnesses, as his newfound powers remained secret. He would feign weakness until the opportune moment, then dismantle his enemies piece by piece. "Avada Kedavra!" he declared, left alone at last.
It was time to commence his work. The initial steps—knowledge, supporters, the Elder Wand—had been accomplished. Now it was time to seize control of the Muggle world. How simple, so remarkably simple... Although, perhaps not everyone possessed foresight.
The wizarding army was prepared. He did not rely on the Muggles, but they required a leader—the army would not initiate war on its own. Not one like Albus. No need for an intellectual. He had found the ideal candidate to lead the Muggle rulers of Germany. Three years of education. A soldier from the Muggle First World War, who had suffered greatly from Germany's defeat. He had been in the hospital when Germany surrendered! They should have fought to the bitter end! Yes, they should have resisted until their mothers were violated by the occupiers. In short, he understood nothing about politics.
"Hello, Adolf," Gellert said, sitting beside him in a pub. "Let's raise a glass to Great Germany!"
No, he did not desire a puppet. Soon, Adolf Hitler would grasp the truth—well, almost all of it. Wizards existed, and so did Muggles. They were divided along territorial lines. The wizards of Germany had lost, as had the Muggles. A rematch was essential. National pride yearned for vengeance! Germany must reclaim its former borders! The colonies in Africa must be restored! The Germans displaced in Poland and Austria must be rescued! Adolf was initially hesitant about the prospect of battling the new Entente.
But Gellert demonstrated a glimpse of his capabilities, promising a series of golden opportunities, and Adolf was swayed. After all, what a foolish Muggle! Yet he possessed valuable qualities—he believed in the superiority of his "nation." Perfect; he would not object to allowing prisoners to participate in the rituals. Adolf's only quirk was his disdain for Jews. However, there were many of them in all countries, and he and his wife merely discussed it in their kitchen.
Now... Adolf's future had been altered. He would become the leader of the Muggle Germans, and Gellert would assist him. As for the Jews... Gellert's plans had a flaw. They needed to feed the demons and supply rituals at the onset of the war, but there were no prisoners yet. Thus, they would need to sacrifice some of their own. For the common good, of course. Yet these barbarians would not comprehend! It saddened him to consider the loss of their own... Something long forgotten stirred within Grindelwald. He recalled that treating his own as expendable was... undesirable.
Gellert seriously contemplated a scheme to sacrifice everyone measuring 180 cm or 168 cm tall, even those with the third blood group... It seemed straightforward. He would begin with those whom no one cherished: criminals, vagrants, national minorities. Yet their numbers were too few. But the Jews... A multi-million ethnic group devoid of its own state, hence lacking an army or police, incapable of declaring war on him. By seizing their property, he could finance Muggle services. Ideally, he would prefer to use a ritual knife, but time and the ereghu dictated otherwise. It would be more efficient to suffocate them with gas—thus avoiding the ereghu.
He devised plans whereby even Muggles could facilitate the process. And then... He would employ concentration camps to recharge his magical energy with only a hundred Muggles at a time, providing protective spells over Germany; the bodies would ostensibly be cremated, while he would utilize the majority to replenish the storage stones, himself, and nourish the demons... a smaller portion would either be raised as the undead or serve as ingredients. This way, he would amass the resources he so desperately required.
No, there would not be millions of undead. However, the energy harvested from thousands of bodies could forge super-undead... And the enemy would remain oblivious—look, the German magicians possess forty corpses in the Department of Mysteries! How few! Oh, and here lies a completely empty space! (A demon dwells there, invisible except in astral vision). Yet forty such corpses would hold immense value! Laurier assured him it would be worth it; regrettably, the aging man he had employed was beginning to falter, necessitating the extension of his life through Dark Magic. After all, he was not yet old when he pilfered Muggle corpses near Waterloo.
What? Muggles had once crafted teeth in this manner—extracting teeth from deceased young soldiers to implant into the elderly. Everything usable would be utilized. But the key was to proceed cautiously, to maximize his situation. He need not confront the new Entente immediately; first, he should restore at least the old Germany. Most importantly, he needed to avoid Muggle mobilization, unlike in Russia. Let the Germans continue to work one shift while the Russians labored three, let them attend rallies instead of working, and not afterward.
Ultimately, the problem facing this world was communism, not Nazism. It was so easy to believe! Russia executed its citizens, while he merely imprisoned them. There were countless more concentration camps in Russia; they openly discussed world conquest, having already clashed unsuccessfully with Poland. In Germany, private property existed, citizens could leave the country, and the USSR had transformed into an enormous prison from which no one could escape. Illegally crossing the border was treason; one either toiled for the state or rotted in prison. In essence, they were creating their own prison.
However, there was something he admired about the Russian Muggles. They had eliminated the last barrier to planning—the law. They lacked any legal framework! As if they had... they ought to adopt the same criminal code! Issue ten thousand guilty verdicts from a single judge each month. That was precisely the kind of court he required to avoid wasting time. Furthermore, he could imprison conspirators before they even became conspirators! Only Russia possessed such a system, he and Mussolini!
He feigned an alliance with the Russians to intimidate the West, and they made concessions. After all, Germany was superior to those unwashed barbarians! The West began to bolster Germany to establish a bulwark against the Russians. They returned the knowledge he had lost from the Department of Mysteries following his defeat in the Wizarding War, even adding a few new insights. They granted him loans he had no intention of repaying.
First, he reclaimed Austria, then Czechoslovakia—without a single skirmish. With six new significant magical sources, he could easily maintain a magical barrier over Germany and challenge the world. Subsequently, he forged a treaty that no one intended to uphold—the question was merely who would betray whom first. A non-aggression pact with the USSR and a territorial division. They haggled, surely they must have goblins in their lineage... How did their secret documents read? "The question of peace and war is entering a critical phase. Should we conclude a mutual assistance pact with France and Great Britain, Germany will relinquish Poland and seek a modus vivendi with Western nations. War will be averted, yet forthcoming events may assume a dangerous character for us. Should we accept Germany's offer, it will assault Poland, provoking inevitable intervention from England and France. We will make our choice, and it will be clear."
Well, well... I'll reach you too! He simply had no choice. An assault on France? It wasn't solely her who constructed the Versailles system; she would have to confront the West. And the USSR would stab her in the back. An assault on the USSR? The West would also stab her in the back or ensure she reaped no rewards from her victories. That's why she must vanquish everyone. For the common good.
He envisioned his troops landing in England, only to be stabbed in the back by the Russians come July 1941. And while the Russian wizards and Muggles currently held only a three-fold numerical advantage, when nearly his entire army ventured to England, their advantage would grow to more than tenfold. He foresaw his lands ablaze, and columns of prisoners being driven eastward. But the roads were occupied—everything was allocated for the front. The Russians began constructing their concentration camps adjacent to Auschwitz (Auschwitz would later be transformed into a museum of Nazism), filling them with enemies of the working class—traders, shopkeepers, entrepreneurs, clergymen.
The camp administrators joked, "How do you find Germany?" to which the response was, "Like our Kolyma, only with a better climate." He admired the Russians, as though gazing into a mirror. It was unfathomable to win a war before it even commenced. And yet, how simple it seemed! He possessed concentration camps, but the Russians did not: the USSR had renamed all its camps to correctional labor camps back in 1929!
Did they have nothing better to do than invent new names for despised phenomena? Gellert immersed himself in visions. The Russian commanders who had mocked Germany's easy defeat would either perish at the hands of their own countrymen for failure or take their own lives. The Russians had disregarded both the Elder Wand and his prowess. While the Russians conceived the idea of the Second World War only in 1914, Gellert had envisioned it far earlier. Although the Muggle army of Germany was crude, the magical one was not. He had recruited wizards from old families from various countries. He had prepared his preemptive strike against Russia for years, establishing a few caches on their territory during his travels and collaborating with German generals who had assimilated strategies for creating the Panzerwaffe, Luftwaffe, and gas chambers. His assault would be devastating, and the Russian wizards would not withstand it. The Muggles would fall as well, and then...
He envisioned a glorious future. First, he would conquer Europe, one nation at a time. The hand of the prophet would guide the wizards bearing the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and the Muggles wielding the swastika to victory. He would swiftly dismantle France. The Russians would be taken aback by his successes, forcing a premature attack before the planned completion of the third five-year plan—1942. But he would strike even earlier. The First Army would be obliterated at the border, as would all their weaponry.
The Russian Department of Mysteries had long been developing effective area attacks, but due to the peculiarities of the magical environment, they could not be deployed on Russian soil. The Russians would unearth Dark artifacts from their vaults and employ Dark Magic, demons, and the undead, yet they would still find themselves outmatched—on the first day of the conflict, he would sabotage their Department of Mysteries. By that point, the Muggles would have amassed a staggering tally of destroyed divisions—over three hundred—and Gellert would have over two million captives.
Then, the defining moment would arrive—the Battle of Moscow. The Russians would not advance with an overwhelming army sweeping everything aside but rather with a horde of militias. And they would be defeated. Following that... Jackals would descend upon a mortally wounded lion. Japan would seize the Far East, Turkey would take the Caucasus and Central Asia. By renewing the treaty with the Japanese, he would trade the population of China for territory. Such a massive sacrifice would dismantle the protective barriers over England, which had long been upheld by the powers of the Sources from the neutral, damned USA.
Vast resources from territories seized from Russia, millions of deaths, and a stream of victims from China would enable England to be decimated by spells and purported V-rockets by 1943, allowing his reign to extend over the entire Eastern Hemisphere. And the USA... The local merchants would pose no threat; they could only provide resources and weapons to someone who would fight for them without charge.
Then he could commence the construction of the common good across the entire planet. He would never forget the expressions on the faces of the German generals upon discovering that they faced no threat of war on two fronts. On September 1, 1939, he and his followers invaded Poland. He had not intended to showcase all his capabilities immediately, acting half-heartedly. He reserved his trump cards for France and, above all, Russia.
He refrained from using the Obscurus form, the self-conjuring mode of the Elder Wand, demons, or enhanced undead. The Muggle army of Germany performed poorly. After two weeks, their offensive momentum dwindled. They faced challenges with pistol cartridges and aerial bombs. It appeared that Poland might mount a defense, launching counterattacks from the second, unoccupied half of its territory, just as it had repelled Russia in the 1920s. Yet everything unfolded according to plan.
To mislead the enemy, he sought assistance from the Russians, promising them Lithuania and parts of Poland along with the populace. The Russians acquiesced, for a swift German defeat was not in their agenda. They relaxed, believing Grindelwald to be a weakling incapable of conquering Poland alone. Rumors about his "incredibly powerful wand" were likely spread by his lover. While Polish wizards and Muggles held the frontline, a second army, equal in strength to the German one, flanked them from the rear. The result was a rout.
England and France hesitated to declare war on Russia, fearing it would drive Russia into an alliance with Germany. Gellert once again admired the Russians. Germans who had taken parts of Poland were deemed occupiers, while the Russians were not. A German soldier killed in Poland was an aggressor; a Russian killed in Poland was a neutral who perished during peacetime.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Russia reannexed the Baltics in a deadly embrace with the sea serpent. The local forces offered no resistance, receiving orders to surrender—the number of Muggle armies in the USSR exceeded the populations of the republics. The same was true for the wizards. A referendum regarding reunification with Russia mirrored the Anschluss in Austria. In some areas, the turnout exceeded 101.3%! All who did not vote faced repression.
In the annexed territories, a scarcity economy was rapidly established. Notably, the word "buy" vanished, replaced by "get." This provocative shift was particularly amusing; locals claimed they held Red Army soldiers captive, necessitating liberation. They marched in, integrating the countries into the USSR. It would seem they ought to locate the Red Army soldiers as a formality, rescue them, and prosecute the local culprits... But no one remembered the captured Red Army soldiers.
In a twist of irony, on the day of his attack on the USSR, several of his soldiers defected to the "Reds," risking their lives and families to forewarn of the impending assault. Ultimately, they were disbelieved and beaten to death by the following day, only to perish during the attack.
The Internationale, however. Thus, Germany found itself devoid of an Eastern Front. He knew the French were seeking a compromise. A semi-truce prevailed, with the war predominantly fought at sea. The Russians awaited the moment when they would exhaust both the French and the English before striking from behind. The "strange peace" between Russia and Poland had come to an end.
Consequently, he instigated a "strange war" on the Western Front, preparing for a single, overwhelmingly powerful blow there. The USSR began to feel intoxicated by its triumphs. They presumed no one would stand in their way and launched an attack on Finland in the winter of 1939. Yet, the Finns offered fierce resistance. He communicated with the Finns. They were not fools—they knew victory was unattainable, yet they fought valiantly nonetheless.
How to describe the disparity in forces? The USSR deployed 2,000 tanks against the Finns, who possessed merely fifteen. There was also a tenfold advantage in aircraft and a ninefold advantage in submarines... The situation mirrored the magical realm, even considering that only part of the Russian army engaged the Finns. Yet, a miracle unfolded. The Finns somehow held strong.
How to articulate the events? In his youth, he had been labeled sexually liberated, often engaging with multiple women simultaneously. But what transpired here was best summed up in one word—pornography. The kill ratio favored the Finns at seven to one; the Soviets lost 650 tanks. Similar losses were incurred among magical golems and other entities. A German Muggle report noted, "The Red Army displayed utter incompetence. The war dragged on. Qualitatively, the Finnish army surpassed the Russian one. The Red Army soldiers, mere passive and inferior collective farmers yesterday, skied poorly, failed to wrap white rags around their weapons, and shot ineptly. Commanders exhibited stereotypical behavior and lacked initiative. Frontal assaults led to senseless losses. The training of pilots, signalmen, and tank crews was subpar, and the coordination among branches of the armed forces appeared unsatisfactory. In the Karelian snows, the Soviet divisions resembled a massive, sedentary army of Asian despotism, achieving success only through staggering losses and overwhelming numerical superiority."
Gellert smirked. Alas, the Wehrmacht generals were dimwitted. Show me the second army in the world that conducted a successful offensive operation at minus forty-one degrees Celsius, breaching enemy defenses that sometimes featured 47 lines of barbed wire, all while contending with a snow depth of one and a half meters. How many times had this proven an insurmountable challenge? Without snow, frost, swamps, lakes, rivers, and forests, the Mannerheim Line itself would be impregnable. The Red Army performed a miracle during the winter of 1939/40. An unnecessary, senseless miracle, yet a miracle nonetheless.
Few comprehended what transpired and why. In the highest Kremlin offices, a decision was made to sever Germany's access to strategic raw materials in Sweden. Sweden supplied copper, lead, zinc, and, of course, high-grade iron ore. The plan was straightforward—obtain these riches or, at the very least, draw nearer. The most efficient route lay through Finland. Simultaneously, they would incorporate another republic into the unbreakable union. A "government" of NKVD and GRU officers was established. Otto Kuusinen was appointed "president," whose wife worked in the illegal residency of Richard Sorge, while ministers hailed from Soviet communists of Finnish origin, signing agreements on behalf of Finland in Russian.
A "Red Army of Finland" was formed, poised to march victoriously into Helsinki and support the "rebellious proletariat," while the Red Army of the USSR would offer assistance to their "class brothers." The entire Finnish population had already been categorized into whites and reds. The so-called "White Finns" faced isolation and liquidation. The same fate awaited them as Polish officers. However, the Finns' desperate resistance thwarted the plan from reaching fruition. The Russians had naively anticipated an easy victory and were met with unexpected challenges.
Unconditional surrender was expected; a victory parade was planned. Yet they failed to account for the thousands of tanks and magical golems, as well as the millions of slaves marching toward death with minimal punitive detachments—few noticed. As for the price... who cared? And regarding the preparation... The troops fulfilled their duties, and the fact that they dismantled the stationary defenses of wizards and Muggles within three months, without resorting to prohibited weapons, such as demons, was remarkable.
He would require more than eight months to conquer France, utilizing the Elder Wand, demons, and sacrifices. Yet he found amusement in another revelation. The Finns felt aggrieved. Now it was clear how he would ensure the sinking of convoys in the North and the blockade of Leningrad.
Petersburg, also known as Leningrad, was a challenging nut to crack. A major source of magic, fortified by both magical and Muggle defenses dating back to the Russian Empire. However, a complete blockade would resolve all issues, now aided by Finland. Alongside war and pestilence, the Russians would also grapple with famine. He envisioned it: snow, parks, monuments of art, and no souls in sight. A perfect illustration of the kingdom of the dead. Everything was white, everything was lifeless.
And so it was in his mind now—a clean slate, but not one upon which anything would be inscribed; rather, a slate buried beneath snow... Thus, the old world would perish; in this single city, the Russians would suffer losses exceeding those of the French during the entirety of the war. Sweden ought to thank him: the USSR would not advance toward them. They would not devolve into an impoverished Russian wasteland. The USSR would have no time for that; two weeks following his invasion, they would be forced to dismantle the metal structures of the Palace of Soviets—the largest, yet unfinished building globally, intended to welcome the last republic into the USSR.
By the summer of 1940, he was prepared to obliterate France. He had meticulously planned and executed it. In the summer of 1940, wizards and Muggles under his command struck France. It would have been far simpler with a phoenix, but with the Elder Wand and sacrifices—he walked into the French Ministry of Magic and other major sources, disabling the protective spells over France from within. A precision strike by demons was akin to a needle prick, yet it struck the heart. France simply succumbed.
Standing in their Ministry of Magic, he accepted the capitulation of the French. It was unfortunate that the same could not be said for England. The Head of the Department of Mysteries there refused to betray his country and breach the defenses. He read the response: "I will ally with you only when the anomaly aligns with you." Gellert recognized the name from Albus's stories. Elyon had once competed with Dumbledore at school for a time, but he realized that Albus was invincible. He had labeled Albus as the "anomaly" and secured a position as the head of the local Department of Mysteries.
Delight filled Muggle Germany, as did the magical community. Fools. There would be no blitzkrieg; a long, drawn-out conflict awaited them... True, the USSR and the USA were slightly taken aback. The USA simply lowered prices to zero for all foes of Germany, confiscated all German properties, and began to maintain a protective shield over magical England, while the USSR, during its military engagement in France, struck its ally Romania.
It could not assist them, dictating concessions. The Romanians lost territories housing over three million inhabitants and suffered 40,000 executed soldiers, who failed to escape the captured territory swiftly enough after capitulation.
In 1940, following the USSR's assault on Romania, Hitler received a revelation. He began preparing a plan to attack the USSR. Germany and Russia... or rather, the USSR. How similar they were... The trauma and national humiliation from the First World War and the demeaning humanitarian aid from the victors in 1918. What followed? Rampant inflation, devastation, and poverty. Then came the realization of their own greatness, the thirst for vengeance, and animosity towards the victors and the aiding West, America, and liberals. Pogroms and the slaying of non-believers. In Germany, these were the gays, pacifists, and Jews, while in Russia, they were the same, alongside "class alien elements."
The establishment of pro-government assault units—Germany had the SS, its magicians had the "Hand," while the Russians had the NKVD and their magicians possessed the "Dawn." The internal enemy justification: national traitors in Germany, traitors to the Motherland or Enemies of the People in Russia. Concentration camps for Jews for him, labor camps for "class alien elements" for them. Germany annexed Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, while Russia claimed the Baltics, parts of Finland, Romania, and sections of Poland.
A society that had gone mad due to easy victories failed to comprehend that it was achieved through long-standing militarization and mobilization. The state was left alone with a rapidly aging stock of morally unfit Muggle weapons. Moreover, the swiftly draining non-detachable storage stones in golems. Why? Because both Russia and Germany had invested resources and the finest personnel exclusively into their armies and security forces for decades. Consequently, they could only rely on these forces to better their conditions. Everything, as Albus had articulated.
But soon, differences began to surface—in his case, the world understood whom they were dealing with and transitioned from economic strangulation to forceful options. In contrast, the Russians remained oblivious. Why? You could incinerate your own home, but not someone else's. The question lay in where to deploy force first—within or outside the perimeter. He chose the exterior, while the Russians remained focused on internal matters. They simply had more territory and people.
As the saying goes, whoever is last is the pope, while whoever is first is the aggressor. It seemed as though all of Europe belonged to him. In 1940 and early 1941, he crushed minor adversaries like Greece and Yugoslavia. He was everywhere, eliminating local magicians from security forces while his Muggles dealt with the Muggles themselves. He envied the Russians. Why was his conflict with Norway labeled an occupation, while the Russian war with the Finns was not? But the USSR, threatened by Germany's successes, urgently prepared for an offensive against Germany.
A massive army of wizards and Muggles approached the borders—not in 1942, but in 1941. The fruits of more than a decade of mobilization and the plundering of their own people exceeded Gellert's forces by nearly threefold, in both wizards and Muggles. Everything progressed according to plan. He understood that he could not defeat such a formidable enemy. Russian territories could be captured over the years. However, the Russians would be vulnerable when they geared up for an attack, at the very last moment.
He would not capture territory—he would eliminate all the local wizards. When? When they reached the border to launch their assault, there was no need for even a glance. And what of the Muggles? Well, it would be much the same. He immersed himself in visions and foresaw the most significant military catastrophe in human history, witnessing how a vast army of his adversaries was annihilated. Even under such circumstances, a blitzkrieg would not suffice, but victory was still attainable!
No, he did not hold the Russians accountable for anything; it was entirely normal to strike at a neighbor. He simply had far less land and troops, meaning he could deploy forces earlier as needed. He had no alternative. There was no point in waiting—he recognized that Muggles were rapidly multiplying and growing wiser; in about forty years, it would be impossible to conceal such a large-scale wizarding war from them.
If a great war were to erupt, it must be now.