Marvel's Hogwarts Professor

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The massive ring of dark blue flames encircled the Skrull village completely, creating an impenetrable barrier. Curiously, despite the ferocious appearance of the cerulean inferno, it radiated no heat—instead, an unnatural cold emanated from the magical fire, chilling the air around them.

"Run! Everyone run!"

"Return to your homes immediately!"

"We're under attack! Defensive positions!"

Chaos erupted throughout the once-peaceful Skrull settlement. Families scattered in panic, children were rushed to shelters, and those with combat training moved to defensive positions with practiced precision—even in their exile, the Skrulls had maintained the discipline that had once made them formidable conquerors.

At the village entrance, Nick Fury, Coulson, Natasha, and Talos—still in the form of the young wizard—stood in tense formation as they faced the black-robed figure before them. Their weapons remained drawn, though they now provided little psychological comfort. The devastating effectiveness of their combined assault had been completely negated by the wizard's casual defense.

"Wizard," Fury addressed the intruder, forcing diplomacy into his tone despite the situation. "What is your relationship with Lockhart? You should know that we maintain a productive alliance with Professor Lockhart."

It was a desperate attempt to defuse the confrontation. Fury understood that anyone witnessing their exploitation of magical tissue samples would recognize it as a violation of whatever trust existed between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the magical community. The intruder's hostile response—trapping the entire village behind a wall of otherworldly fire—suggested he had no intention of allowing this transgression to go unpunished.

"Lockhart?" Grindelwald repeated, regarding Fury with a mixture of amusement and contempt. His expression suggested he was observing a child attempting complex diplomacy.

"I do indeed have a relationship with Lockhart," he continued, his accent carrying traces of European refinement despite his perfect English. "However, if Lockhart were to witness this scene, I suspect his response would be no less severe than my own."

A cold smile played across his aristocratic features. "How fascinating. I truly didn't anticipate that Muggles would be capable of deciphering and replicating the bloodline essence of wizardkind."

Genuine surprise colored Grindelwald's tone as he studied Talos more carefully. The Skrull's transformation was flawless—the magical signature, the blood resonance, even the subtle fluctuations of magical energy that typically identified trained wizards. At first examination, he could detect no inconsistencies or flaws in the replication.

The new world continually surprises, Grindelwald thought. There are wonders here beyond anything we anticipated.

"You misunderstand our intentions," Fury attempted to explain, desperation beginning to edge his voice. "We've engaged with Professor Lockhart purely in the spirit of educational exchange—approaching magic with scholarly interest..."

But Grindelwald had no patience for Muggle justifications. With a casual flick of his wand—so subtle it barely registered as movement—he cast a silent spell that immediately enveloped the group before him.

Fury's explanation died in his throat as his body froze in place. Beside him, Coulson and Natasha experienced the same sudden paralysis. Their muscles locked in perfect stillness, though their eyes remained mobile and aware, registering everything with mounting horror.

"Silent casting. Full-Body Petrification Curse," Talos mentally identified, drawing on the young wizard's borrowed knowledge. But this academic recognition provided no defense—he too found himself completely immobilized, unable even to articulate the identification.

With another effortless gesture from Grindelwald, Talos's rigid form levitated from the ground and floated directly before the dark wizard. Grindelwald ignored the petrified S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, focusing his full attention on the transformed Skrull.

The irony wasn't lost on Grindelwald. He had originally followed Nick Fury hoping to uncover traces of the fallen sorcerers Lockhart had mentioned. The global intelligence network of S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed the ideal resource to track such fugitives in a world populated by billions of Muggles but only a handful of wizards.

Additionally, observing S.H.I.E.L.D. operations offered an opportunity to better understand this new world's power structures and defense capabilities—knowledge essential for wizards seeking to establish themselves in an unfamiliar realm.

But instead of merely gathering intelligence, he had stumbled upon something far more significant—a species capable of perfect magical mimicry. This sanctuary, hidden beneath the most impenetrable security on Earth, housed a threat Lockhart himself likely remained unaware of.

Raising his wand with deliberate grace, Grindelwald touched its tip gently to the space between Talos's frozen eyebrows. Under the horrified gazes of the immobilized S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, magical energy flowed from the wand into Talos's mind, then withdrew, pulling with it a luminous strand of glowing white memory.

Interrogation would be tedious and unreliable. Direct memory extraction was far more efficient.

The wand moved in a complex pattern, spinning delicately along arcane trajectories. In response, the extracted memory thread expanded rapidly into a misty cloud before Grindelwald, coalescing into vivid images.

The void of deep space materialized first—an endless sea of stars stretching into infinity. Then came massive warships of impossible design, alien civilizations of bewildering diversity...

Grindelwald proceeded cautiously, unwilling to fully immerse himself in the Skrull's memories. This strange race possessed capabilities beyond his experience; complete memory absorption might carry unforeseen dangers. This more controlled extraction provided necessary protection.

The images accelerated, flooding Grindelwald's consciousness with a comprehensive overview of cosmic history, interstellar politics, and Earth's place within a vast, populated universe. Through Talos's memories, he gained profound insights into this new world—far more than he had anticipated.

Magnificent, Grindelwald thought. Truly overwhelming in its scale.

The universe teemed with thousands of civilizations, each with their own extraordinary capabilities and technologies. The sheer diversity dwarfed Earth's limited scope.

For a fleeting moment, ambition flared within him—perhaps the true stage for wizardkind lay not on this single planet but among the stars! Why limit oneself to Earth when galaxies awaited?

But wisdom quickly tempered this impulse. Venturing alone into the cosmic unknown, without foundation or allies, would be suicidal folly—like sailing a tiny craft into a hurricane-ravaged ocean. Particularly after glimpsing the star-shattering weapons wielded by advanced civilizations like the Kree Empire, Grindelwald felt genuine unease. Even the most powerful wizards might find themselves outmatched by such forces.

The memory extraction continued at tremendous speed, too rapid for Fury and his agents to discern anything beyond blurred light. Fury had regained his internal composure, recognizing that their fate now rested entirely in the wizard's hands. Still, he took cold comfort in knowing that his ultimate contingency remained viable, should the worst occur.

With another precise movement, Grindelwald dispersed the memory cloud, ending the extraction. He closed his eyes briefly, processing the vast information he had acquired.

While the memories contained countless revelations, one particular element commanded his attention—the Skrull's experiences on Earth, specifically regarding a single individual.

Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel.

Through Talos's memories, Grindelwald had witnessed the awesome power of the Cosmic Cube and observed a younger Nick Fury. But more significantly, he had seen footage of a single human woman who had single-handedly destroyed battleships and repelled an entire Kree invasion fleet.

Star-breaking power, Grindelwald thought with a mixture of awe and wariness.

Captain Marvel's abilities, while different from magic in their manifestation, represented power on a scale that defied conventional understanding. Raw force that transcended natural law—perhaps the most succinct description of her capabilities.

A woman who could overturn interstellar warships with her bare hands.

More troubling were the connections revealed in Talos's memories—the complex relationship between this cosmic-powered human, Earth's defense initiatives, the Skrull refugees, and Nick Fury personally. This web of alliances gave Grindelwald serious pause.

Initiating unnecessary conflict with such formidable powers would be strategically unsound. His initial impulse to eliminate these witnesses to preserve magical secrecy gradually receded.

Nevertheless, simply retreating without action felt equally wrong. The violation of magical boundaries demanded some response.

Why concern myself with this dilemma? he finally decided. I'll leave this matter to Lockhart.

After all, Lockhart had navigated this new world far longer and would better understand its complex power dynamics. And as a fellow wizard, he would share Grindelwald's concern about Muggles exploiting magical essence.

Some problems were best delegated to those with appropriate local expertise.

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