Duel at Godric's Hollow

Duel at Godric's Hollow
Part of
Date	1899
Location	Dumbledore family home, Godric's Hollow, West Country, England
Combatants
Albus Dumbledore Aberforth Dumbledore
Gellert Grindelwald
Casualties
Ariana Dumbledore

This was a three-way duel that took place in 1899 between brothers Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore and the future Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Godric's Hollow. It resulted in the death of the Dumbledores' fourteen-year-old sister, Ariana. After Ariana's death, Grindelwald fled Britain.

History

Background information

Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald

Gellert Grindelwald, who was a talented student in Durmstrang, had been expelled for his very dangerous experiments in the Dark Arts. He decided to stay with his great-aunt Bathilda Bagshot. Bathilda knew Albus Dumbledore was a talented boy, too so she introduced Grindelwald to Albus Dumbledore. They liked each other, they were intelligent, talented, and they wanted to rule Muggles with their magic. They decided to search for the Deathly Hallows, which could make them invincible. While Albus was getting ready, his brother Aberforth said that he can't leave his little sister Ariana.

The duel

"Gellert and I had plans to go away with each other, but my brother didn't approve and one night confronted us. Voices were raised, threats made, Aberforth drew his wand, which was foolish. I drew my wand which was even more foolish. Gellert just laughed, no one had heard Ariana come down the stairs, can't say it was certain it was my... spell, doesn't really matter, one moment she was there, and the next she was gone."

— Albus Dumbledore recalling the duel to Newt

Ariana Dumbledore

Albus and Gellert made plans during the summer to go away with each other to obtain the Deathly Hallows but his brother, Aberforth, didn't approve leading to him confronted them. Having initially only directed his protests at Albus, as voices were raised and threats were made, Aberforth and Albus both drew their wands, which had made Grindelwald laugh. Before long, however, amusement gave way for anger as Aberforth refused to leave, as he saw it, well enough alone. After the failure of his half-hearted attempt to placate Aberforth by assuring him that their sister would be well looked after following their planned victory, Grindelwald lost his patience when Albus's little brother would not stop pushing the issue and displayed the 'darker side' of his nature that Albus had always attempted to ignore: He attacked Aberforth, using the Cruciatus Curse on him. This resulted in Albus stepping in to defend his younger brother and stop the two fighting. This intervention subsequently turned into a three-way duel between Albus, Aberforth and Gellert.

"...the flashing lights and the bangs set her off, she couldn't stand it... and I think she wanted to help, but she didn't really know what she was doing, and I don't know which of us did it, it could have been any of us — and she was dead."

— Aberforth Dumbledore recalling Ariana's death

As the struggle progressed, it grew ever more fierce, and what is likely to have begun as an attempt of disarming or neutralisation quickly changed into an all-out battle. While they failed to hit each other, Ariana Dumbledore, who came down the stairs to hear what was going on, and was killed by a stray curse. Although Grindelwald fled, fearing retribution, none of the three participants actually knew who had cast the fatal curse.

Aftermath

Grindelwald ran away from Godric's Hollow, fled Britain and started the search for the Deathly Hallows alone. Albus and Aberforth had guilty conscience for their sister's death, especially Albus. Aberforth charged this death to his brother. They had a funeral for her. During the funeral, Aberforth broke Albus's nose. For ninety-eight years afterwards, the results of this duel haunted Albus. He never knew who had in fact uttered the spell that had killed his sister. This had produced fear in Dumbledore, causing him to take forty-six years to finally stop Grindelwald.

In 1932, Albus told Newton Scamander about the duel while explaining to him how Ariana was an Obscurial like her nephew, Credence Barebone. A sympathetic Newt tried and failed to comfort Albus by suggesting that Ariana's death had ultimately spared her from some pain as she was already dying, poisoned by her Obscurial nature. Shortly thereafter, at the walk of the Qilin, Albus, Aberforth and Grindelwald briefly fought again, in this case with Albus and Aberforth combining forces to block Grindelwald's Killing Curse that was aimed at Credence, Aberforth's son. This had the unexpected effect of breaking the blood pact between Albus and Grindelwald, allowing them to fight once again for the first time since the fateful duel. Albus and Gellert's duel was brief, but immensely ferocious and destructive, with Grindelwald firing three Killing Curses. The duel ended in a stalemate.

Decades later, in limbo, Dumbledore explained to Harry Potter what had led up to the duel, and Harry, out of sensitivity, did not ask if he had ever learned the direct cause of Ariana's death.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First mentioned)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - The Complete Screenplay (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (Mentioned only)