Gellert Grindelwald Respect Thread

Opener

Okay so I've finally got over my laziness and have managed to finally complete this Grindelwald Respect Thread. As with my previous HP Respect Threads (Remus and Sirius) I'll split this thread into sections which are Duelling Abilities, Magical Abilities/Academic Achievements, Physical Abilities and Accolades. Again there will be bio but it most likely won't contain anything you don't already know.

Note: Like with my previous HP RT's evidence for everything I say will be posted below in the form of a quote (and gifs as well in this case).

Bio

I hate summarising and no one really bothers to read these so I'll just link his story so far on Pottermore for that one guy that cares.

With that out of the way here is the actual RT.

Duelling Abilities

Grindelwald was a highly skilled and accomplished duellist as noted on Pottermore with many great feats in both the Fantastic Beasts Movie and in the books.

Of course the first duel I am going to bring up is the duel between Dumbedore and Grindelwald. It was said to be an incredible spectacle and the greatest duel ever to take place. Both fighters were incredibly close and it is a great feat for Grindelwald that he managed to duel the Greatest Wizard of modern times (it should also be noted Dumbledore was in his prime unlike in his duel with Voldemort) for a decent while and barely lose.

"(They say, still, that no wizarding duel ever matched that between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 1945. Those who witnessed it have written of the terror and the awe as they watched these two extra-ordinary wizards do battle.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 24

"("The spectacular duel of legend.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 28

"("Until they met for their legendary duel.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 292

"(Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone page 77

Grindelwald also duelled Dumbledore and Aberforth years prior to his final confrontation with Dumbledore and stalemated them.

"("The argument became a fight. Grindelwald lost control. That which I'd always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 574

"(A dramatic three-way duel between Aberforth, Grindelwald and Albus ended in tragedy when Ariana was killed in the crossfire. Albus and Grindelwald's friendship was over. Grindelwald fled, and Aberforth broke Albus's nose at their sister's graveside.)"

Credit: Gellert Grindelwald - the story so far - Pottermore

Grindelwald also one shots Newt Scamander an incredibly skilled magical zoologist without use of a wand.

Note: Wandless magic is hard and it is basically impossible to even duel with it much less one shot which makes the feat much more impressive.

Grindelwald effortlessly blocks spells from Tina a trained Auor while holding back and not really paying attention to her.

Note: I often see people bring this up as a showing for Tina but it really isn't that impressive and doesn't show any parity between Tina and Grindelwald whatsoever. If you look at the gifs you'll see Grindelwald doesn't fire a single spell at Tina besides at the end of the fight which triggers Prior Incantatum which actually has nothing to do with power.

Grindelwald while holding back destroys Newt again.

Grindelwald one shots 5 Aurors with a deadly curse.

And finally his best feat. He duels around 2 dozen Aurors and takes out 2 of them and was most likely about to take out more if not for Newt's intervention.

Physical Abilities

Grindelwald has shown himself to be incredibly physically able and has great combat and reaction speed.

Grindelwald was able to fight 2 dozen aurors and consistantly create a new shield charm for each one that went down showing pretty insane reaction speed.

Grindelwald manages to react to and evade Credence showing his great reaction speed once again.

Grindelwald reacts fast enough to stop Credence from being run over by a train.

Finally Grindelwald showed good pain tolerance as he mananged to resist torture form Voldemort despite having been imprisoned for 43 years and being old and frail at 115 years old.

"("... the emaciated figure stirred beneath its thin blanket and rolled towards him, eyes opening in a skull of a face ... the frail man sat up, great sunken eyes fixed upon him, upon Voldemort, and then he smiled. Most of his teeth were gone ... "So, you have come. I thought you would ... one day. But your journey was pointless. I never had it." "You lie!")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 369

"(As Harry spoke, his scar burned worse than ever, and for a few seconds he looked down, not upon the wandmaker, but on another man who was just as old, just as thin, but laughing scornfully. "Kill me, then, Voldemort, I welcome death. But my death will not bring you what you seek ... there is so much you do not understand ...")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 379

"(At once, Harry's scar felt as though it had split open again. His true surroundings vanished: he was Voldemort, and the skeletal wizard before him was laughing toothlessly at him; he was enraged at the summons he felt - he had warned them to summon him for nothing less than Potter. If they were mistaken ... "Kill me, then!" demanded the old man. "You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours-" And Voldmort's fury broke: a burst of green light filled the prison room and the frail old body was lifted from its hard bed and fell back, lifeless, and Voldemort returned to the window, his wrath barely controllable ... they would suffer his retribution if they had no good reason for calling him back ...)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 382

Accolades

Grindelwald has great accolades from his time as a student to his time as Dark Wizard. As a student he was stated to be as brilliant as Dumbledore.

"("Grindelwald showed himself quite as precociously brilliant as Dumbledore")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 290

"("Both such brilliant young boys.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 291

"("Two clever, arrogant boys with a shared obsession.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 572

"(Dumbledore saw in Grindelwald an equal and the two became inseparable.)"

Credit: Gellert Grindelwald - the story so far - Pottermore

As a dark wizard Grindelwald was also stated by Dumbledore himself to be comparable to him.

"("I knew that we were evenly matched, perhaps that I was a shade more skilful.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 575

In his time as a Dark Wizard he represented a dark time for the wizarding world and was stated to be a huge threat who caused hell in the wizarding world (particularly Europe) and is compared to Voldemort in the amount of destruction he unleashed.

"(Before Lord Voldemort, it was Gellert Grindelwald who caused hell in the wizarding world.)"

Credit: Who is Gellert Grindelwald? - Pottermore

"(Grindelwald caused chaos across Europe.)"

Credit: Fantastic Beasts film title revealed - Crimes of Grindelwald - Pottermore

"(Grindelwald’s ascent represented a dark time for the wizarding world.)"

Credit: Everything we know about The Crimes of Grindelwald so far - Pottermore

In fact the threat he posed was so large he was stated to risk all out war with the No-Majs.

His destruction became so bad No-Majs actually became aware of his threat and began an anti-wizard sentiment.

His power was so great that he spread fear worldwide and The New York Ghosts Newspaper began to question whether anyone was safe.

He was also stated to be unstoppable and that the only person who could defeat him was Dumbledore.

"("People were dying and he seemed unstoppable.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 575

"(And at the height of his power, when Dumbledore knew he was the only one who could stop him, he duelled Grindelwald, and beat him, and he took the Elder Wand.)"

Credit: Winning the wand - Pottermore

He is also stated to be an extra-ordinary wizard.

"("They say, still, that no wizarding duel ever matched that between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 1945. Those who witnessed it have written of the terror and the awe as they watched these two extra-ordinary wizards do battle.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 24

He was stated to be one of the most dangerous wizards of the twentieth century.

"(Gellert Grindelwald, one of the most dangerous wizards of the twentieth century.)"

Credit: Durmstrang Institute - Pottermore

Finally he was stated to be the second most powerful dark wizard of all time.

"(The name of Grindelwald is justly famous: in a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, he would miss out on the top spot only because You-Know-Who arrived, a generation later, to steal his crown. As Grindelwald never extended his campaign of terror to Britain, however, the details of his rise to power are not widely known here.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 290

Note: This is a British list and considering Grindelwald never set foot on Britain this list's objectivity of puting Voldemort first is called into question especially considering it was written as Voldemort was beginning his takeover of the country. So this list does not directly prove Voldemort is above Grindelwald which only furthers the accolades impressiveness.

Academic Achivements/Magical Abilities

Grindelwald was incredibly academically gifted and had a talent for the Dark Arts. Grindelwald was so powerful in fact that even when he was a teenager he was kicked out of school for using the Dark Arts in a school devoted to them.

"(At sixteen years old, even Dumbstrang felt it could no longer turn a blind eye to the twisted experiments of Gellert Grindelwald, and he was expelled.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 290

"(Grindelwald was born around 1883 but his place of birth is a mystery. As a young wizard he attended Durmstrang - a European wizarding school with a reputation for dark magic. The school expelled Grindelwald for twisted experiments and near-fatal attacks on his fellow students. He was only 16.)"

Credit: Gellert Grindelwald - the story so far - Pottermore

A testament to how much Durmstrang tolerated the Dark Arts is shown below.

"(Educated at Durmstrang, a school famous even then for its unfortunate tolerance of the Dark Arts.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 290

"(Durmstrang once had the darkest reputation of all eleven wizarding schools.)"

Credit: Durmstrang Institute - Pottermore

In fact Grindelwald's impact on Durmstrang was so great that even years later Krum comments on knowing Grindelwald's sign and shows utter contempt for Grindelwald's actions and expresses anger towards him.

"(Krum glowered over the top of his drink, watching Xenophilius, who was chatting to several warlocks on the other side of the dance floor. "Because," said Krum, if he vos not a guest of Fleur's I vould duel him, here and now, for vearing that filthy sign upon his chest." "Sign?" said Harry, looking over at Xenophilius too. The strange, triangular eye was gleaming on his chest. "Why? What's wrong with it?" "Grindelvald. That is Grindelvald's sign." "Grindelwald ... the Dark Wizard Dumbledore defeated?" "Exactly." Krum's jaw muscles worked as if he were chewing, then he said, "Grindelvald killed many people, my grandfather, for instance. Of course, he vos never poverful in this country, they said he feared Dumbledore - and rightly, seeing how he vos finished. But this-" He pointed his finger at Xenophilius. "This is his symbol, I recognized it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it on to their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive - until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better." Krum cracked his knuckles menacingly and glowered at Xenophilius. Harry felt perplexed. It seemed incredibly unlikely that Luna's father was a supporter of the Dark Arts, and nobody else in the tent seemed to have recognised the triangular, rune-like shape. "Are you - er - quite sure it's Grindelwald's -?" "I'm not mistaken," said Krum coldly. "I valked past that sign for several years, I know it vell.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pages 123 and 124

In his teenage years at school he was also described as an equal to Dumbledore as previously mentioned.

"("Grindelwald showed himself quite as precociously brilliant as Dumbledore.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 290

"("Both such brilliant young boys.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 291

"("Two clever, arrogant boys with a shared obsession.")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 572

"(Dumbledore saw in Grindelwald an equal and the two became inseparable.)"

Credit: Gellert Grindelwald - the story so far - Pottermore

At school Grindelwald learned lots of different magical techniques and proved himself to be incredibly magically gifted and was obssesed with power. He carried these magical techniques over into his later life. He showed several abilities never seen before in the books and showed proficiency in techniques that have been seen in the books. In short he has shown proficiency in a vast array of different magical techniques.

"(Even as a student Grindelwald was obssesed with power.)"

Credit: Gellert Grindelwald - the story so far - Pottermore

First off he was capable of creating Inferi at the age of 16 as was mentioned in Deathly Hallows.

"("The Resurrection Stone - to him, though I preteneded not to know it, it meant an army of Inferi!")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 574

Note: While the statement does indeed say he needed the Resurrection Stone to accomplish this the fact of the matter is the people who are returned to earth via the Resurrection Stone act completely differently in from the reanimated corpses that were shown in Half-Blood Prince (Inferi) so Grindelwald would still need to transform the people taken from the Resurrection Stone into Inferi which proves he could indeed create Inferi without the Resurrection Stone.

As of 16 Grindelwald could conceal himself as well as The Invincibility Cloak.

"("And the Cloak ... somehow, we never discussed the Cloak much, Harry. Both of us could conceal ourselves well enough without the Cloak, the true magic of which, of course, is that it can be used to protect and shield others as well as its owner.)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 574

He has also shown consistent wandless TK usage which as mentioned previously is incredibly difficult.

He has been shown to be able to blast lightning from the end of his wand.

He also has been shown to incinerate people with a single curse.

Note: This is particularly impressive given that the only one shot killing spell we know of is The Killing Curse. This curse is also impressive because it could take out multiple opponents something the Killing Curse couldn't do.

Second Note: This was most likely a spell of Grindelwald's own invention considering we have never seen it used before in any other Harry Potter related content.

Grindelwald has also shown he is able to apparate in a duelling scenario which is impressive considering not many characters are capable of it.

Finally Grindelwald showed skill with Occlumency when he managed to resist Voldemort and stop Voldemort from gaining information about The Elder Wand.

"("... the emaciated figure stirred beneath its thin blanket and rolled towards him, eyes opening in a skull of a face ... the frail man sat up, great sunken eyes fixed upon him, upon Voldemort, and then he smiled. Most of his teeth were gone ... "So, you have come. I thought you would ... one day. But your journey was pointless. I never had it." "You lie!" )"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 369

"(As Harry spoke, his scar burned worse than ever, and for a few seconds he looked down, not upon the wandmaker, but on another man who was just as old, just as thin, but laughing scornfully. "Kill me, then, Voldemort, I welcome death. But my death will not bring you what you seek ... there is so much you do not understand ...")"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 379

"(At once, Harry's scar felt as though it had split open again. His true surroundings vanished: he was Voldemort, and the skeletal wizard before him was laughing toothlessly at him; he was enraged at the summons he felt - he had warned them to summon him for nothing less than Potter. If they were mistaken ... "Kill me, then!" demanded the old man. "You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours-" And Voldmort's fury broke: a burst of green light filled the prison room and the frail old body was lifted from its hard bed and fell back, lifeless, and Voldemort returned to the window, his wrath barely controllable ... they would suffer his retribution if they had no good reason for calling him back ...)"

Credit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows page 382

Closing Sentences

That's my RT.

Hope you enjoyed and if I missed anything please let me know and I'll add it.

This will be updated for Fantastic Beasts 2.