This is a good prelude to the Dumbledore-Gellert duel

really good

Wow! Really liked this snapshot of Dumbledore's past, especially for the motivation it provides for him to call out Grindelwald. Great work!

Oo this is good. Especially the canary screaming part.

Excellent, excellent story. This is, without doubt, one of the best portrayals of Dumbledore I've seen. Reading this story was truly a pleasure for me.

I loved your characterization of Dumbledore. The mix of ruthlessness and kindness was spot on. I also appreciate that you left small details throughout the story that hint to Dumbledore's canon personality - his humor, his observance, his politeness, etc. These things made me think that this was an extension of canon Dumbledore, not just a fanfiction portrayal of him.

And of course, badass Dumbledore is such a joy to read. Showing politeness and serenity right after an assassination attempt makes Dumbledore classy as hell (as he should be).

Just one small thing that I noticed:

He continued talking, and his voice was sad as his thin, gnarly fingers caressed her cheek "Why you, my dear child? Why must he toy with the lives of others so?"

I believe there needs to be a period after the word "cheek". I may be wrong (I'm not a native speaker or a good writer), but I thought you may want to look at it.

Anyways, incredible work! I appreciate the time and effort you put into writing this story. Now, I'm going to go ahead and share this on several other sites, since a great story like this deserves more attention. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece of writing.

Oooh, this was great! I love powerful Dumbledore. I really liked the way you incorporated German into the fic as well. (I don't speak any German, so if you made up German-sounding nonsense words, don't judge me for my ignorance please!) I would absolutely love to see more of this characterization of Dumbledore. Very compelling.

Good, short story illustrating just how much of a wizard Dumbledore was, back in the day. I loved the way he foiled her plan.

I liked the decision Albus made, and the way his power is written.

Interesting story.

And the transformation into a bird sounds and looks really painful.

That was, well 'awesome' works.

That was...whoa.

Very cool. Assuming that human transfiguration is very difficult in this story, so she's gonna be stuck like that.

Really great one shot that leaves you wanting more. Love it

Excellent

Interesting. I liked this glimpse of Dumbledore at the top of his game.