Different Paths

Chapter 17: Grindelwald the Blind Spell

"Can you walk?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, no problem," replied Sirius. He tried to take a few steps and had to be caught by Harry before his wobbling legs caused him to fall over. "OK, maybe not."

"Hmph, why must it always come down to me," grumbled Snape. He fished into his robes a pulled a small vial that contained a dark purplish liquid. He tossed it to Sirius and said, " Drink some of that."

"What, you trying to poison me?" said Sirius.

Snape rolled his eyes. "The thought had crossed my mind but given our current battle statistics, I figured that wouldn't be plausible. It's just a first-aid potion I brewed last night, it'll help you recover from your wounds though not completely."

Still looking skeptical, Sirius took a small sip of the potion. He didn't know whether to be pleased or dismayed that the liquid was indeed a first-aid potion. Whichever way, the potion healed some of Sirius's worst bruises and he was soon walking around without a problem.

"All right, all set and clear," said Sirius. He turned to Yasmin and said, "OK lady, lead us on to the next challenge."

Yasmin was about to retort with a nasty comment when Angelus spoke up, "Wait, you must turn back now!"

"What? Why?" asked Sirius.

"The only Elite Ten beyond this point are Grindelwald, Horace Salacion, and Seth Soran," said Angelus. "The remaining have left with an entire legion of Death Eaters and dementors, intending to wipe out the Order of the Phoenix at the Leaky Cauldron while the three of you are here. You must head back there and aid them."

Harry and Sirius were completely horrified. Even Snape looked a little pale though he kept his cool. "Damn you Voldemort!" cursed Sirius. "Damn it! I should've known he'd plan something underhanded as that!"

Yasmin looked furious. "Hey, I must point out that attacking the Leaky Cauldron was Horace's idea! Our Lord originally planned to have you three meet the entire Elite Ten here, as was originally promised!"

"It is still an underhanded, disgusting tactic, fit for dark wizards and witches," growled Snape. "We must head back to the Leaky cauldron now!"

"Oh no you don't," said Yasmin with a smirk. "You have to continue on. Remember? The path leading down here is a labyrinth of caverns. If you try to find your way back without my guidance, you'll get lost and eventually starve to death down there."

"She's right," said Harry. "We don't have a choice, we have to go on. All we can now do is trust the Order and hope that they can repel the Death Eater attack."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Leaky Cauldron was completely surrounded by an entire army of Death Eaters and Dementors. The wizards and witches of the Order were managing to hold them off with a series of well-placed spells, but most of them, were far too injured from the previous battle to face any of the Elite Ten. As a result, three of the Elite Ten, all women, were now standing right in front of the pub, out on Charing Cross Road, as if challenging the remaining few in the Leaky Cauldron. However few remained.

"Let me get this straight, you three are the only ones in enough shape to take on the Elite Ten now?" exclaimed Remus. The three he was referring to were Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.

Hermione frowned. "You make that sound as if it's a bad thing."

"It's not," said Remus. "It's just that, you three are still so young, and you're the only ones who can go up against the Elite ten now, so..."

"Young?" demanded Ron. "Young? Harry's the same age as us and no one comments about him going off to fight You-Know-Who!"

"Have faith in us," said Ginny with a smirk. "You yourself taught me practically everything about DADA I know and I have absolute faith in my brother's and Hermione's abilities as well."

Remus sighed and nodded. "OK, but be careful. Now, Ginny will take care of that black haired witch while Ron and Hermione will go up against those two that look like sisters. Ready? Go!"

* * *

Within minutes Yasmin had led Harry, Sirius, and Snape to the next room. "Here it is, your next challenge," said Yasmin. "You may have been able to pass Angelus but trust me, there is no way any of you will be able to get through Grindelwald with at least one of you perishing."

"Yeah, yeah, enough of the big talk lady. Just open the bloody door!" said Sirius. Yasmin glared at him and pushed the door open.

While Angelus's room was lighted up by stain glass windows and candles, Grindelwald's room was completely dark, the only source of illumination came from the Lumos spells on their wand. The walls, ceiling, even the floor of the perfectly cubicle room was covered in painted eyes, all grotesquely starring at the three wizards whom had dared to intrude into the room. And there standing in the middle of the room, was Grindelwald himself.

"One...two...three. Aw, did Angelus fail to kill even one of you? That's too bad. Or maybe not, since there's more for me to kill," chuckled Grindelwald.

"Why you're a little ray of sunshine aren't you?" said Sirius. "Come on everyone, lets just take care of this guy and move on!"

"Leave that to me," said Snape. "You and Potter go on ahead."

"What?" said Harry and Sirius at the same time. "Are you sure about this? He took out 50 aurors in one night remember? You can't underestimate him," said Harry.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Since when have you ever worried about me?"

"I worry about a lot of people," said Harry. "Even you."

"Come on Harry, he'll be fine," said Sirius. Harry reluctantly nodded.

"Stop! That is not allowed!" snapped Yasmin. "You can not proceed past this point, leaving only one to fight! My Lord will not accept it!"

"Oh quit your yammering lady!" snapped Sirius. Then, much to Yasmin's horror, Sirius picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Lets go!" he yelled. Then, amid Yasmin's protests ("Put me down! Only My Lord can touch me!"), he and Harry took off through the room and down the next corridor.

"Oh, setting us up for only a one on one? You've got a lot of nerve thinking you can take me alone without a back up," said Grindelwald.

Snape smirked. "True, but they would ultimately be a hindrance, in my killing you."

Grindelwald laughed. "Spoken like a Death Eater!" Snape raised an eyebrow. "A raised eyebrow? You find something ironic? Of course, you are the traitor! The one who turned spy for Dumbledore against Riddle. You have a lot of nerve showing up here again."

Snape looked unphased. "Can we get on with this please? You're the challenged here, so what are the rules?"

"No particular rules, just an all or nothing duel to the death," said Grindelwald.

"Very well then, if that's the case, I will fight primarily with these." Snape opened his cloak to reveal at least two-dozen small bottles containing potions of various colors, all hanging from various hooks within the inside of his cloak.

Since Grindelwald was blind, he shouldn't have known what Snape had just brought out. Yet, strangely enough the next thing he asked was, "Potions? Hmm exactly how do you plan on using those in a duel?"

Snape didn't say anything. Grindelwald chuckled. " It appears that you're perplexed at my being able to sense those potions hanging along the inside of your cloak. It so happens that it is because of a certain type of magic I use, a six sense if you will. It's pretty much the source of my power. It allowed me to survive all these years and it was also what helped me slaughter those 50 aurors the other day."

Snape stiffened a little. Grindelwald laughed. "Struck a nerve did I? Well, no worries, I'm about to make you my 51^st auror this week!"

Saying that, Grindelwald, fired a Cruciatus Curse straight at Snape. Snape managed to side step out of the way. However, Grindelwald was suddenly right in front of Snape and fired a curse at Snape near point blank range. Snape managed to fall back but the curse still grazed his nose a little. Grindelwald grinned maliciously and was about to move in for the kill when Snape grabbed one of his potions and smashed it on the floor. The potion did nothing more than make a loud exploding noise, but Grindelwald was momentarily stunned. Snape didn't miss his chance and blasted Grindelwald away.

"Well how about that?" said Snape. It really is curious isn't it? You were able to read all of my movements and feelings perfectly, and yet a potion that makes nothing more than a lot of noise completely phases you. Now that makes me wonder what your so called, sixth sense really is. Perhaps, it has something to do with say, oh I don't know, your ears?"

For a second, Grindelwald said absolutely nothing. Then he grinned maligiously. "You think correct, I must congratulate you. That is right, the secret of my 'sixth sense' is a series of highly advanced hearing charms. With these charms I can decipher your emotions by listening to the slightest changes in your heartbeat. I can anticipate your next move by listening to the slightest creaks in you muscles.

"It really is an amazing power isn't it? I discovered it shortly after Riddle blinded me. There I was, lying on the ground in a near death state for days. The snow around me had completely melted so I was without access to water, yet the temperatures were still freezing. It still surprises me to this day that I wasn't attacked by any wild creatures. Night after night, the thirst that overcame me after that snow had melted was overwhelming. I was about to succumb to death itself when I heard it, the slight trickle of a stream and running water over a mile away. I groggily stood up and walked that entire distance, relying solely on the sound of that faint trickle. I made it to the stream and survived.

"It was then, that I started honing this power. I had discovered that my hearing was highly above the average wizard's so I cultivated it, mastered it. I journeyed to the very gates of hell and came back. Riddle gave me a handicap and I grew it into an advantage for the day I face and kill him." Grindelwald grinned wistfully. "So you see, you are nothing more than a small insignificance, due to be wiped out by me right now."

Grindelwald charged at Snape again. Snape smashed another potion, causing a lot of noise but this time, Grindelwald was not fazed as his curse, hit Snape's cheek. It was only a minor curse so it didn't hurt Snape much. It appeared that Grindelwald was trying to slowly beat Snape to death. "There now, frightened?" he sneered.

"You wish," said Snape. "Now what's that you said about your powers? Something about it being an advanced hearing charm? Funny I have certain powers of my own?"

"Oh? And pray, tell me what those powers are?" said Grindelwald, looking skeptical.

"A simple power called 'observation'. My years as first a spy and later a professor has really made me into a bit of an expert on this subject."

"Oh and what do you plan to observe?"

"Well first of all, you grinned wistfully when you were talking about facing and killing the Dark Lord. So that got me thinking, why would you grin over something you claim to be so obsessed about? Then it hit me, of course, you were grinning because that 'obsession of yours is nothing more than a cover. You have no intention of ever facing the Dark Lord again."

Grindelwald said nothing. Snape continued speaking, "You said yourself that you had journeyed to the very gates hell and come back. Yet, during that time, Tom Riddle had traversed through Hell itself and emerged as Lord Voldemort. Upon meeting him, you realized that you didn't stand a chance against him. So, you joined the Death Eaters on the 'condition' that you could 'try to kill him any time you wished'. That way, you could at least hide from those around you that you have already lost without even fighting."

For a moment, both duelers remained completely quiet. Then, as if they were overtaken by a certain bout of madness, they started chuckling together. Within seconds, their chuckles had turned into full blown malicious sounding laughter, that is until Grindelwald's laugh turned into an angry scream of "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!!!!"

"At you, you coward," sneered Snape. "Do you know why I quit the spying business and became an auror? Risking the chance of exposure to the Death Eaters: because I was sick and tired of the underhanded ways of my double agent role. I wanted to declare once and for all which side I was on, no more hiding anything. And if that meant being chased around by Dark Wizards for the rest of my life, then so be it. But you, you just hide your shame behind a so-called 'condition'. You make me sick, Grindelwald."

Grindelwald had completely lost his cool. For years, he had successfully carried this secret, his one dark secret around with no one figuring out the truth, not even Riddle. Then, along comes this former Death Eater turned traitorous Auror, and what does he do? Figure out his one secret. Grindelwald gripped his wand so hard, his hand started to bleed. "I am going to kill you!" he hissed.

Snape raised his wand again. "Go ahead and try, coward."

Grindelwald charged at Snape again. Snape was ready for him, and fired a rather painful curse straight at Grindelwald. Grindelwald simply shrugged the curse off and leapt into the air. From the air, he conjured up razor sharp blades of magic that he sent flying into Snape's thighs.

Snape grimaced in pain as he pulled out another potion, containing a grayish blue liquid. Snape threw the bottle at Grindelwald, and it shattered on his robes. A blue smoke engulfed Grindelwald and he suddenly couldn't breathe.

Trying to get his cool back, Grindelwald managed to place a breathing charm on himself. Snape took that opportunity to charge straight at Grindelwald and try to smash another bottle containing a pink potion over his head. Grindelwald was a bit too fast for him however as he shot a spell that smashed the bottle over Snape's head. Snape barely got out of the way as the potion spilled on the floor, eating a hole into it.

"See?" gloated Grindelwald. "Every attack of yours, I can anticipate. Every move, I can read. You don't stand a chance against me so you're going to die today! You're going to die the most painful and torturous way imaginable to man and then I'll be dancing over your corpse! Because you figured out my secret, you deserve to die! You figured out the one secret not even Riddle has been able to figure out!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "You really are pathetic aren't you? You should give the Dark Lord more credit you know?"

Grindelwald was taken aback. "What?"

"The Dark Lord is far more sharp than you give him credit for," said Snape. "He's probably already figured out your little ploy years ago. In fact, knowing him, he's probably only pretending he hasn't figured out your secret while he milks you for all that it's worth while secretly laughing behind your back at your sheer pathetic-ness."

Grindelwald ws now in a state of complete shock, from the simple realization that what Snape had just said had to be true and that he had been truly "blind" for not realizing the truth. In a burst of simple uncontrolled rage, Grindelwald screamed, "NOOOOO!!!!!" and charged at Snape, the killing curse on his lips.

This was Snape's chance. Delving deep into his cloak, he pulled out a small bottle containing a pure black potion and tossed it right in front of himself. Making a stabbing motion with his right hand, Snape thrust his wand into the bottle, causing it to shatter while at the same sending a burst of magical energy through his wand right into the now released potion.

Grindelwald never knew what had hit him until it was too late. The black potion suddenly formed into a single, exceedingly sharp black blade that stabbed Grindelwald in the chest. Furthermore, the force of the blade was enough to fly Grindelwald across the room and impale him on the wall, some 5 feet over the floor.

Grindelwald gasped and coughed up blood. He tried to catch his breath but realized it was futile as he felt his own life drain away, along with his blood. But he still managed to speak, "That...that...that was..."

"My secret weapon," said Snape. "A potion I invented myself. I haven't thought up any name for it so just call it a Harpoon Potion for now. A burst of well calculated magic into the potion forms it into a powerful harpoon, powerful enough to slay even the most vilest dragons."

Grindelwald coughed up more blood. "Tell...me...What is...the name...of the one whom has slain...me."

"Severus Snape."

"And...are you truly cont...content...Severus Snape? As a Death...Eater...you would've done...great things...Yet you betrayed them...joined the other...side. You...appear to...have a certain...affinity to the ...Dark Side...yet you fight for the light...why?"

"An interesting question," said Snape. "One that I have pondered long over myself. As a child, I was fascinated with the Dark Arts, even to the point where I joined the Death Eaters. Even after leaving them, I coveted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position for years. So, why you ask? Well, lets just say that eventually I realized the my one true passion was, is, and always will be potions."

Hearing Snape's words, Grindelwald laughed one final time. And with that last laugh, he drew his last breath and perished.

"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust," muttered Snape.

* * *

"OK lady! How much longer?" demanded Sirius.

Yasmin glared at Sirius and snapped, "Not too farther and put me down!"

"No can do, faster this way. Isn't that right Harry? Harry?" It was only then that Sirius realized that Harry was no longer behind him. Stopping and looking behind, Sirius noticed that Harry had stopped in front of a large wooden door.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Sirius, putting down Yasmin and walking up to his godson.

"He's here," said Harry. "He's in here."

Yasmin starred at the door. "That is Horace's room. He is with our Lord right now, that room is empty."

"No it's not," said Harry. "Someone's in here and I know who it is."

Sirius looked perplexed. "Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."

To be continued...