Mid-afternoon in summer in Europe usually brought mild temperatures of around twenty degrees, sometimes warmer, but here one could hardly even tell the difference between day and night. It's rumored that the light of the sun had never once touched this place. Maverick, of course, called it bullshit. This was not some remote Arctic wasteland, and even there the sun would vanish for only a few months at most. He raised his head, a transparent barrier surrounding him and shielding him from the wind and driving rain while his magical sense probed deep into the storm clouds. Heh... sure enough, Mother Magic was indeed the culprit. The endless storm was merely the outer face, while beneath it lay a powerful concealment ward built not just to hide the fortress’s location, but to ensure that no one could even stumble upon it by accident. For a master alchemist like him, noticing that much was not difficult. But noticing it and fully understanding the principles behind it were two entirely different matters. Worthy of a masterpiece from Nicolas Flamel himself, it was extraordinarily sophisticated. If Maverick wanted to fully understand it, it would take him a very long time. Anyways, when he apparated again, he arrived directly at the prison’s front entrance. The perimeter was crawling with people, some stood guard, others patrolled the grounds, while the rest surveyed the surrounding area. Every one of them bore the insignia of the ICW International Auror Force, in other words, the Interpol of the wizarding world. “Master Caesar...” The moment Maverick appeared, one of the Aurors immediately approached him. It seems his arrival was expected. After giving the man a single nod, he then followed behind. Having a guide was certainly helpful in this case. Earlier, he had tried probing the prison from outside, with little success. And now, from inside also there was not much difference. The wards appeared specifically designed to interfere with magical sense. As for the fortress itself, the corridors were narrow but brighter than he expected, lit by fire lamps mounted along the stone walls. Without the steady presence of Aurors patrolling every corridor, the place would have felt very oppressive. Following the man, he eventually stepped into what looked like an elevator. The man had introduced himself as a John, apparently from Ireland. Probably made up, or an alias. It didn’t really matter. He asked no unnecessary questions and only responded when spoken to. Maverick preferred it that way. During their slow march and sparse conversation, most of Maverick’s attention remained on the wards. The deeper his senses reached, the more impressive the fortress seemed, to the point that he barely noticed the time passing. The enchantments seemed woven into every brick and stone of the structure, with equally impressive complexity. If not for the lack of time, he would have really liked to stop and study them properly. Several moments later, the elevator deposited them at the top of the tower.When the doors opened again, Maverick found himself facing a small bare room with a single door at the far end. Four Aurors stood guard inside. “Speaker Dumbledore will be past this point…” After a brief exchange with the guards, John stopped there and did not follow any further. The guards then opened the door and gestured for Maverick to enter alone. Beyond lay another long corridor, and at the end of it he finally saw who he had come to meet, along with two other old acquaintances. “Oh, Maverick...” Nicolas Flamel took off what appeared to be some kind of magical spectacle and walked toward him, a faint smile on his not so aged face. “I hear you’ve had a rather busy evening.” “Grandmaster...” Maverick returned the smile, taking the old man’s hand in a firm shake.“Yes. But I had plenty of help.” Hardly surprising to find the man here, after all, he was the architect behind the enchantments that made this structure a real fortress. Thankfully, in this universe, he had shown no inclination toward saying goodbye to the living simply because he had been alive for an unreasonable length of time. Thank Merlin for that. He was still an old man, though. Even for a Great Mage, living over seven hundred years was far beyond a normal lifespan, but he looked nothing like the frail, skeletal figure from the original story. And it was not just his appearance. Maverick was certain no ordinary Great Mage should be capable of defeating him. He had no idea how the old alchemist did it, nor did he particularly wish to find out. Everyone has their own secrets. “How are matters in the capital?” asked Dumbledore as he stepped over to join them. "Everything is fine, Headmaster. The restoration of the southern region is all but complete, and Minister Greengrass has the city well under control. It should all be wrapped up before long," said Maverick, then turned to the last person. “Hisashiburi da na, Takamura.” Why was this old fossil here. “Caesar...” "Why?" Maverick asked, fixing the man with a steady, unhurried gaze. "Was he an old friend of yours as well?" For some reason, Takamura found Maverick even more unfathomable now. Before, his instincts would warn him to be cautious around Maverick, but that was normal. They were both of the same rank, after all. But today, what he felt was entirely different. Or more accurately... he felt nothing. His magical senses showed no reaction whatsoever, as if the young man standing before him was no different from the most ordinary human. Of course, none of that showed on his face. Maintaining his usual ancestor persona, he replied, “I am here on behalf of the ICW to investigate Volkov’s death.” “Is that so...” Maverick murmured, his gaze sweeping across the chamber. There was no sign of Volkov, nor any sign that someone had died here. “His body has already been examined and send to his family,” said Dumbledore as if reading his thoughts. “That quickly?” Maverick’s gaze moved from Dumbledore to Takamura. “It was a fairly obvious cause of death,” Takamura said. “And that is?” Maverick couldn’t see nor sense anything immediately obvious, at least nothing that suggested a confrontation between Archmagi. Or perhaps Volkov had been killed after Grindelwald broke through into the Warlock realm. That would make more sense. Takamura answered expressionlessly, “His heart was crushed. I can only assume he fell under an illusion, or simply overestimated himself and underestimated Grindelwald’s cunning—” “—such is the price of arrogance,” said Dumbledore. “I recall he was a rather cautious man, unlike his elder brother.” The group continued their discussion as they walked, passing through a metal-bar gate into a slightly larger chamber. “Cautious or cowardly. Who can say?” said Takamura. “What interests me more is why he came to Grindelwald in the first place.” He turned to Maverick after saying that. “Don’t look at me,” Maverick said with a soft chuckle. “I’m not familiar with either of them. Volkov, I’ve never spoken to him even once. And as for Grindelwald, last night was the first time we ever met.” “But he did come looking for you first after breaking out from here,” Takamura said interrogatively. “Any idea why?” “I’m guessing he sensed the magical disturbance over London and decided to take a look.” “Ah, yes. Curiosity kills the cat... or so the saying goes,” mused Flamel. Maverick chuckled at that before turning to Takamura once more. “What about how Volkov found this place? Wasn’t it supposed to be under a Fidelius?” Dumbledore also nodded slowly, stroking his short beard. “We do not yet have a clear answer to that,” said Takamura after a moment. “The Secret Keeper has disappeared, apparently,” Flamel said without looking, brushing his hand curiously along the wall of the chamber. “Missing?” Maverick asked. “Anton Vogel,” Dumbledore said. “Aside from myself, he was also a Secret Keeper of Nurmengard.” “Fascinating, isn’t it?” Flamel said suddenly, slowly turning within the chamber, his gaze drifting upward before settling on Maverick. “Anton disappearing?” “Ah... well, that too. But I’m talking about the enchantments here.” Maverick let out a wry sigh before glancing around as well. Residual magic still lingered in the air, sharp and overbearing. It had not damaged the structure itself, yet the wards had clearly been affected.Corrupted, like a virus infecting a program and disrupting its code. “The level of control required to do this...” Flamel said, a gleam appearing in his eyes as his gaze moved between Dumbledore and Maverick. “Must be extraordinary. And with such sharpness without causing structural damage...”He left the rest unsaid. Maverick merely curled the corner of his lips but said nothing. It seems the old alchemist had realized somethings. Only Takamura looked puzzled by the inexplicable change of subject. Maverick’s gaze settled on him once more. “Keep me informed of anything else your investigation uncovers. But that aside, since you are already here, Lord Takamura, there is one more matter I wish to discuss.” Dumbledore’s eyes flashed with a faint gleam, while Flamel’s expression turned curious. “About tonight...” ————————— Author’s Note: The next chapter will kick off with the ICW Assembly. Also, I’m on vacation with my kids this week, so updates will be slow. 🙏🙏