Duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald

The duel between Albus Dumbledore and Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald took place in 1945, before Dumbledore's ascension to the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and ended the Global wizarding war.

Background
Decades before the legendary duel, Gellert Grindelwald had come to Godric's Hollow to stay with his great aunt Bathilda Bagshot. He became friends with the seventeen year old Albus Dumbledore, and they both became obsessed with the powerful objects known as the Deathly Hallows. This trio comprised the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Cloak of Invisibility.

The plans became more and more far-fetched. Albus's younger brother, Aberforth, intervened and pointed out the impossibilities of the scheme. Gellert quickly became enraged and the three began to duel. Ariana Dumbledore was killed in the process. This caused the end of Dumbledore and Grindelwald's friendship, and forced Grindelwald to flee, going on later to raise an army in an attempt to continue his plan of wizarding domination.

Grindelwald soon tracked down the Elder Wand, stole it from Gregorovitch, and began to amass power. As his machinations played out over the next 45 years, he became one of the most powerful Dark Wizards in history, and a serious threat to the wizarding world. Meanwhile, Dumbledore had become the Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, gaining a considerable reputation for his wisdom and achievements along the way.



The duel
As Grindelwald gained power, public opinion grew that Albus Dumbledore would be the only one able to stop him. Dumbledore, still haunted by his history with the dark wizard, procrastinated. Eventually, the outcry became too vocal and Grindelwald's actions too horrible for Dumbledore to put off the confrontation any longer.

The resulting three-hour long battle was one of the most well known duels in the world, and one of Dumbledore's most famous moments, with Dumbledore winning the duel and the Elder Wand's allegiance. According to Elphias Doge, eye-witnesses proclaimed it the greatest wizarding duel of all time.

Aftermath
Gellert Grindelwald was captured and detained in the top-most cell of Nurmengard, a prison that he himself had constructed to hold his enemies.

Albus Dumbledore returned to his place in Hogwarts, eventually becoming Headmaster until his death in 1997. His victory in this battle would be published on his Chocolate Frog Card.

Behind the scenes
1945 was also the year Tom Riddle graduated from Hogwarts. If the duel happened in May (coinciding with the fall of the Axis powers in Europe), Riddle would've been sitting his seventh-year N.E.W.T. exams at the time.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)