Gellert Grindelwald

**Gellert Grindelwald** is a Dark Lord who terrorized Europe in the early 20th century.

## Biography

### Early Life

Gellert Grindelwald attended the magical school of Durmstrang in his youth.

In the 1920's a dark witch calling herself Lady Echidna rose to power, and Grindelwald joined her, eventually rising to become her lieutenant. Lady Echidna hoped to create and army of human-creature hybrids that were compelled to obey her will. She was quickly brought down by an ICW task force, though not before she was able to create several hybrids. Lady Echidna was captured at some point before 1924 and sentenced to life in Azkaban thanks to the actions of a young French auror who went undercover in her organisation, though Lady Echidna herself believed her downfall to have come about through a betrayal by Grindelwald. In 1924 the Cryptohedron selected Lady Echidna to go back in time and undo her actions, but the Unspeakables, ignorant of the danger Grindelwald posed and terrified that this would lead her to evade capture, refused.

### Grindelwald War

Grindelwald rose to become a powerful and influential wizard, and eventually sparked the conflict known as the Grindelwald Conflict or Grindelwald War. He was obsessed with finding and controlling the Deathly Hallows, to the point that his armies used them as their sigil.

Grindelwald was known to despise Magical France over their progressive attitudes towards Muggles, referring to the French as "a nation of blood traitors," and tried on two seperate occasion to destroy Paris. In 1927 some sort of encounter between Gellert Grindelwald and Nicolas Flamel in the Lestrange Mausoleum in Paris led to the creation of a small area where no wand-based magic is possible. A French Magical Underground was formed as a resistance against Grindelwald, led in great part by Alphonse and Vivienne Montmorency of the House of Montmorency.

Luxembourg was also hit hard by the war, having it's already small population decimated to less than two dozen wizards by the end of the war, to the point where the Indian Kumar Pasha was able to buy every piece of magical property in the entire country.

Fascist wizards fighting on the Nationalists side of the Spanish Civil War were noted to be among his supporters. The renowned British auror Caractacus Flint died fighting these wizards in 1938. Grindelwald was also supported by Cantankerous Nott and his son Cantankerous Nott Junior, who were only saved from Azkaban by virtue of Nott Senior being a Lord of the Wizengamot, as well as many bribes.

One of his greatest supporters was Gustav Kleinwuchs, who became infamous in his own regard as the "Butcher of Silesia". Kleinwuchs appeared to have died in the Bombing of Dresden in early 1945, but actually faked his death and moved to Britain alongside his son Martin, disguised as refugees from the war.

Grindelwald's Muggle servants would drop leaflets with explosive runes out of planes over Wizarding settlements.

Albus Dumbledore was considered to be the Leader of the Light as Grindelwald's main opponent. Dumbledore took a sabbatical from Hogwarts in the summer of 1943 to join British Wizarding Expeditionary Force and fight him in Germany. Dumbledore would return from his assignment in the fall of 1945, after defeating Grindelwald in single combat. Lord Arcturus Black was also an opponent of Grindelwald, and suffered long term lung damage from a wound taken in the war.

In the 1990s the death toll of the Grindelwald War was estimated to be in the millions.

### Post-War

After his defeat at the hands of Dumbledore Grindelwald was said to have been imprisoned in his own fortress-prison Nurmengard, where he remained until at least the 1970s.

He was considered Voldemort's sole rival for the title of "Worst Dark Lord of the 20th Century", and some like Gupta Baskar considered Grindelwald to be undoubtedly worse.

### Book 1 - The Prince of Slytherin

Grindelwald is mentioned by Ron Weasley, who erroneously states he was sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts.

## Behind the Scenes

TSM once planned for it to be revealed that Argus Filch was a post-Tabula Rasa Grindelwald, who had had his mind wiped and magic bound, only to abandon it after realising the idea had come to him far too late, and hadn't been set up properly.

## Canon Divergence

Gellert Grindelwald is a Dark Wizard who is mentioned thoughout the seven main Harry Potter novels, and is expanded on in the Fantastic Beasts series of films.

As of chapter 150 Grindelwald has mainly appeared in the background, and has yet to make a physical appearance, so it is hard to measure exactly how different he is from his canon counterpart.

## References

Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 5 - Introductions on a Train,

"...and Grindelwald definitely went to Durmstrang.".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 84 - Prelude (Hermione & Blaise),

Blaise mentions Grindelwald in his description of Lady Echidna.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 126 - Speaking of Time,

Saul Croaker explains why the Cryptohedron chose Jocasta Flint..
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 68 - A New Year Begins,

Marcus Flint and Theo Nott explain the Deathly Hallows to Harry.
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Ch. 141 - Speaking of Harry Black,

A brief discourse on Le Quartier Magique and the History of Magical France.
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Ch. 142 - Happy Birthday, Harry and Jim!,

Countess Zabini leads Harry to the Lestrange Mausoleum.
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Ch. 142 - Happy Birthday, Harry and Jim!,

Blaise fills Harry in on the history of the House of Montmorancy.
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Ch. 148 - The Quidditch World Cup (Pt 3),

Draco explains the widespread antipathy towards Luxembourg and its Quidditch teams.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 42 - The Birthday Party (Pt 1),

Caractacus Flint is said to have died in 1938 fighting fascist supporters of Grindelwald in Spain.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 91 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 2),

Eleanor nodded sagely. "Nott's father was a Grindelwald supporter. ".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 138 - The Future All Around Us, Waiting to Be Born (Pt 2),

Theo explains what kind of people his grandfather and great-grandfather were.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 123 - The Hunting of Sirius Black (Pt 2),

Gustav Kleinwuchs's true fate is revealed.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 74 - Endgame (Pt 1),

The Heir of Slytherin blows up Greenhouse #3.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 57 - The Boggart (Pt 2),

Lockharts explains the terms Light, Dark, and Grey, and the various leaders these factions have had over the years.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 68 - A New Year Begins,

Dumbledore explains to Harry why he was absent for Tom Riddle's graduation.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 120 - What's Past is Prologue (Pt 2),

"...the cold harsh gaze of the Defeater of Grindelwald.".
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Ch. 144 - A Series of Tense Conversations (Pt 2),

"And he had long term lung damage due to a curse he took during the Grindelwald War.".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 126 - Speaking of Time,

"...a miscalculation that led to the deaths of millions.".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 120 - What's Past is Prologue (Pt 2),

"...the terrible fortress-prison in which (it was said) the Dark Lord Grindelwald himself was, to this day, the only inmate.".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 85 - Prelude (Jim) (Pt 1),

Gupta Baskar mentions several threats Magical Asia faced in the 1970s.