"Newmengard Castle?" Jon couldn't help but shout in surprise.

"Yes...... Neumengard Castle in Austria. Albus Dumbledore's voice was calm: "There is only one prisoner in that castle - and that is Gellert Grindelwald!"

"......" Jon felt a little speechless, and he asked tentatively, "But...... What do you call Grindelwald...... For friends?"

"Yes, Gellert and I had a pretty intimate past, and although it didn't take long for us to go our separate ways, there's nothing to hide!" Dumbledore explained, pouring the silvery-white flocculent of the crystal bottle into the meditation basin:

"Personally, I don't think I have many years to live, and when I die, I'm afraid that someone with good things will reveal this past...... So, don't be too surprised, you'll always know!"

His face looked a little older again.

The silvery-white flocculent slowly deformed in the meditation basin, turning into a young and handsome face.

"Don't waste any more time. Dumbledore urged, "Let's go in!"

As he spoke, he lowered his head, his body disappearing little by little, until he was in the meditation basin, and Jon hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head...... He only felt an icy chill in his face, and then he also entered the meditation basin.

......

Jon found himself and Dumbledore in a snowy field, and in front of them was an endless, bottomless lake.

There was a thick layer of ice on the surface of the lake, but a hole had been opened in the ice near the shore.

On the right side of the cave there was a large group of people gathered together and seemed to be talking about something.

They all looked very large, wearing thick black fur cloaks and bearskin hats on their heads...... That's exactly what Durmstrang students decorate.

"This is Durmstran!" Dumbledore explained, "south of Scandinavia, north of Lake Venarn, around Grums......"

As he spoke, Dumbledore blinked a little mischievously, "Durmstrang has always prided themselves on hiding their location, and they even cast the Oblivion Charm on every visitor to make sure of that...... It's a pity that these measures alone are not enough to conceal it!"

Suddenly there was a burst of bubbles from the cave in the ice...... The Durmstrang students gathered around, and Dumbledore's eyes turned to that side.

As the bubbles disappeared, a sturdy figure emerged from under the ice.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, and his muscles were red from the icy water......

The students of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry around them let out a burst of excited cheers.

Several boys draped fur cloaks over the student who had just emerged from the icy water, and one girl handed over a wand.

"The bathing ritual ......," Dumbledore gently explained, "Durmstrand's thousand-year-old tradition takes place on Lucia's Day on December 13 every year...... All students participating in the 'bathing ritual' must jump naked and without wands into the icy Lake Venan!"

“...... They will have to fend off the cold while fighting off the attacks of unknown creatures under the ice with their bare hands, and the students who can survive the longest in the icy waters of the lake will be given the title of 'Freyr' if they are male, and 'Freya' if they are female...... Their status is equivalent to that of the President of the Hogwarts Boys and Girls' Council!"

Jon finally understood why the Durmstrang senior boys, led by Krum, all looked like muscular brothers......

Jon took a closer look at the young man who had just emerged from underwater, and he looked delicate, at least more than a muscular guy like Krum...... And he's very young, maybe a year or two older than himself.

That's what it looks like in four or fifth grades at most.

His face was familiar, the same face that had appeared on the meditation basin earlier.

The Durmstrang students who surrounded him began to chant a name.

Although they appear to be shouted in Danish, the pronunciation is largely the same.

The "name" they shouted was-

"Gellert Grindelwald!"

......

Jon saw the young Grindelwald put on a headband made of green twigs surrounded by the rest of the students.

This should be the symbol of becoming the "President of the Durmstrang Student Council"?

In pairs, they walked along the ice, towards the middle of the lake.

Grindelwald walked right at the front of the line, wearing a headband made of twigs.

The ice was becoming more and more fragile, and the big men could even hear the creaking sound when they stepped on it.

When the lakeside was barely visible, Jon heard a loud thud.

A large crack opened in the ice...... But the Durmstrang students, as if they weren't aware of it, continued on their way.

The cracks in the ice grew bigger and bigger, until there was a "flutter", and the piece of ice that carried the students cracked and sank into the lake......

A breeze blew, the water on the surface of the lake condensed again, and the ice returned to its original shape...... There was no figure in sight, as if nothing had just happened.

"That is......" Jon blinked in surprise.

"Durmstrang's campus is ...... under Lake Venan," Dumbledore said a little lazily, "and you should have guessed that when you saw that somewhat funny boat, it would have been an effective way to avoid the Muggles' eyes...... Hold me by the arm, Jon!"

......

I only felt a moment of darkness...... After more than ten seconds, the scene in front of me gradually returned to normal.

A castle, an underwater castle...... It is surrounded by a large bubble, and you can even see a variety of fish swimming outside the bubble.

However, it is clear that this underwater castle is much smaller than Hogwarts.

The Durmstrang students, led by Gellert Grindelwald, were still in the same formation as before.

They passed through a round-arched gate with the school coat of arms depicting a double-headed eagle and a deer's head...... At the same time, the word "Durmstrang" is written in Rune script all around.

They continued on their way, eventually stopping in front of a wall.

On the wall, there is a large sign painted - a triangle, a circle, and a vertical line together.

"Please stop, my brothers and sisters!" said Grindelwald, who had a wreath of branches made into a garland of virtue, and shouted in a loud voice, a slightly childish voice, but with a majesty that did not belong to his age.

。 m.