The visit from Blaise had been interesting, but ultimately quite short.

He admitted that the real reason he had fled Hogwarts was because his mother had found herself interested in a dark wizard from back home, in northern Africa. He had wished to flee combat, describing himself as more of a lover than a duelist, but could still be persuaded to run the occasional errand. In this case, he was assisting with the stakeout outside the prison, delivering a shrunken crate of food, and sharing information with them, after which he would report to Snape, one of the closer Death Eaters to their position. Their old Potions master had spoken at a conference with academics from various places in the Visegard States, encouraging them to support the Dark Lord, only under whose rule can the dream of the dark arts ever be realized.

Zabini asked what had become of Evan, though he seemed personally disinterested in the question.

"Evan has amassed his own following at Durmstrang by virtue of his great works of dark magic under the tutelage of the Lord Voldemort. He impresses us more with the passing hour." Goyle looked on with a confused expression, but Draco reached out to him with Legilimency. Anything being passed to Snape or any other Death Eater should be sanitized. Only what they expect us to believe may we let slip.

"I see. The last Headmaster rather expected you to take him under your wing, but it appears he has wings of his own, like the winged serpents of the Yucatan."

According to their old friend, the countries that had been infiltrated by servants of the Dark Lord were also under international pressure to move to a more authoritarian regime to get rid of blood purism. With Britain already having been lost, it was easy to see why the world perceived Crouch and his supporters as the victors. We were saying for decades that our home would be the battleground, the tipping point, and even with the point well and truly tipped, our master will not permit us to reclaim it. Yaxley had rather lost his composure by arguing until he was blue that no amount of their own lives was worth losing Britain, because the entire world would follow, and it appeared with increasing, frightening certainty that his prediction was correct. Already his father, according to Zabini, was facing mounting discontent in France, and it always had been a country inclined to revolution.

For some reason, the Lord Voldemort had yet to provide the men of the Mark with any orders other than the ones he had given.

Questioning the wisdom of his lord for the first time in years was possible in Austria, far from his mental control, but it still had its time and place. Freeing Grindelwald was not an opportunity to be passed up lightly, and if Snape or any other Death Eater had seen fit to tell them to defy the Dark Lord, they would have passed the message on. As it was, the incentives remained the same.

With Zabini gone, the plan was in motion.

Goyle, who had gone in before, would go in again. It was better that the limited prison staff from the nearest magical government saw as few of them as possible, and two Durmstrang students of the same age would be more suspicious than the same one coming twice. The Beaters were in the sky, where he could safely reach them with the mind arts, and with a little luck they would tell him everything he needed to know, but there was a limit to how much they could see in a half moon. The main force of the invasion, he and Nott would be removing wards and tunneling into the compound. From what his henchman had said on the last visit, the central tower had no sentries on the inside, and it was entirely cut off from any kind of light, sound, or change in temperature. Getting there underground would require the same skill in ward removal, but put them in the way of fewer guards. Derrick and Bole had their course memorized and the responsibility of monitoring the positions of the guards with the human revealing charm, relaying it to them whenever a sentry neared their position.

"The wards should be just as effective on the floor of the prison," Nott reiterated. Draco answered with only a look. Above them, Goyle was almost certainly asking the staff all sorts of questions about the prison and how the solitary prisoner was secured, the kind of thing he would be asking if he were doing a project, though if they suspected him at all, they most likely suspected he was planning a break-in for the future. His memory had been carefully modified after each time they changed the plan; apparently there had been a Russian book on the subject.

"Vermiculous," incanted the Malfoy heir, turning another mass of earth into worms. It would be slow going for excavation, but his partner was scaring them forward with a flame in a bottle, reducing the amount he had to transfigure. There were charms that could keep objects from being transfigured, he knew, but it was more likely that the brilliant dark wizard had invented a much simpler defense or set of defenses. He wished he could have brought the witches along, but Bulstrode was studying and gathering intelligence, and he hardly wanted Davis to leave Evan's side, lest he develop a sense of suspicion. Draco sighed internally. I did wonder why she insisted on using the color change charm on my hair. I never did like it in black.

"Above us rests the first stone," Nott muttered, indicating a piece of masonry. He cast some kind of charm revealing spell on it, but only shook his head.

"Deeper yet lies the center." He transfigured another mass of earth, harboring a suspicion that there had to be some kind of general case theory for the subject, and that Uagadou had yet to share it with the greater magical world. If we fall it will be for lack of unity. Petty differences like culture and old conflicts will be used against us until the side fighting for muggle supremacy is half wizard.

When at last the pattern of the stone had changed, there was a circle of black masonry, lighting up briefly as they passed under it. Human detection ward- would have been placed after the imprisonment. Draco scowled as his partner waved his wand at the circle, seeing no response.

"With each trial, another charm, and with each charm, another void of magic it reveals. Is there truly no shielding in place?" He attempted to move the stones, but they did not budge. Draco remembered a report that Derrick and Bole had made after scouting the place out the first time. There were the standard anti-apparation jinxes applied outside the prison, as well as warding Dumbledore most likely borrowed from Hogwarts specifically, but they noticed their broomsticks were slower about a hundred years away from the castle in any direction. Upon review, we determined there was some charm in place to prevent displacement or possibly movement. He took out his own wand and tried to reveal charms, dark magic, jinxes... and we may well be in the epicenter of that.

"I fear Grindelwald predicted undermining, Nott. Whatever magical defense he used emanates from the center of this very circle." The other Slytherin nodded as he spoke.

"Suspicion holds he invented a field that canceled all magic. No reason to believe it existed until now." The scion of House Malfoy attempted to envision how the design of the prison would make use of such a field, but he shook his head at the idea. I should start from the beginning. The architect intended to keep wizards in here, meaning some method to prevent magical escape must exist, otherwise prisoners would eventually disapparate wandlessly. He seemed to put some amount of ironic symbolism into the design, so a kind of field that canceled all magic would be tenable, in the sense that his opponents would be imprisoned in their own paradise, a microcosm of the Vienna he knew as a boy. Unable to use magic, not because they were incapable themselves, but kept in check by an outside force-

A thought interrupted his thinking. Reason dictated that it was Bole.

There are a couple guards getting close to the central tower. No idea why they're there.

Do they appear to respond to any kind of sign or warning? Draco knew of a few mechanisms to alert the warden without alerting the invaders; but it seemed magical governments in general would rather scare them away than let them get close enough to be caught.

They're just walking in your direction. Don't seem hurried. I'll let you know if they turn around.

Returning to his work, he revealed his suspicion to Nott that the magical defense was structured to keep the elements of the prison from being moved, while preventing any magic from taking place within the tower. He had absolutely no idea how an anti-magic field could work, but did not share this with his companion, for if anyone could figure it out, it would be Grindelwald or the Dark Lord, and Nott would get it a few minutes later.

"Serpensortia," Draco incanted quietly. He reached out to the animal with Legilimency, doubting he would ever have Evan's control over it. "It's on the inside," he whispered, keeping his wand on it. The field that prevented magic had to prevent it coming from the inside, but if it prevented it coming from the outside, the charm or warding that prevented displacement would be ineffective; a sufficiently dedicated prisoner would eventually wear down the mortar between the stones and push them out.

"What do you see?" the other Slytherin asked quietly.

"The snake describes the same gate to the rest of the prison that Goyle described a few days ago." He suddenly wished for the ability to turn the animal into a portkey, but generally they were not meant to be capable of independent movement, and it was not an easy skill to pick up. Nott suggested getting a message to their ally above them that he should request to visit the prisoner, and whatever mechanism the guards use to open the gate, the snake could replicate to open it again, but Draco shook his head. His henchman had already told him that there was a key, and it rested on a desk in public view.

Goyle. Stand directly in front of the key, then move- go somewhere else entirely and raise your shields. When no one is looking at it, briefly lower your shields.

It was a daring message, but the sentries had almost certainly already scanned the young wizard's brain. They would know that he had no orders, only a desire to find out more about the prison, and they would not leap to the conclusion that he was receiving his orders with the mind arts with no evidence to suggest such a thing. He had given his vassal some rudimentary training in Occlumency, but the idea was not to successfully keep the guards out, since that would only make them more suspicious.

"In a moment, I shall require you to go outside and signal to Derrick and Bole,"

Nott needed not respond in any audible way. Detecting a halt in movement from Goyle, he momentarily looked through his vassal's eyes to get an exact location of the key. Withdrawing from his mind, he waited for the shields to come back up, at which point he notified his partner. Casting the levitation charm without moving the key, he shifted his mental focus to the snake, preparing for a 'fast and loud' breakout in the event that their subtle approach did not work.

The previous day, he had gone over a host of different responses required of the Beaters depending on a signal from either him, Nott, or Goyle. A white light meant that they would need to get away. Red sparks would mean that they would need to fly low over the prison, and green sparks would mean that they would need to attack the sentries. They had learned a handful of dark curses in their classes at Durmstrang, and the staff would definitely not be expecting it, but it was a last resort by all measures. That course of action would force them into a 'fast and loud' approach, from which there would be no return. Worse yet, it would invite immediate international attention.

Getting a return signal from Nott, he moved the key off the table. Goyle's shields were down, meaning no one should have noticed, but it was better to keep it out of sight for the moment. There was one more message to get out.

Goyle. Your part is done. Leave.

Without responding, the wizard above him raised his shields, presumably to cut off the conversation and walk out. Reaching out to Nott, he expressed that Goyle was going to be their first suspect when they saw the key was missing, and they would chase him out. Without receiving a response, he had to trust his partner to aid in the evacuation, perhaps providing further distraction or covering his escape with levitated instant darkness powder. Focusing on the key, which he knew the snake could see, he levitated it from where it was hiding through the gate, into the anti-magic field, where he doubted the charm was having any further effect. Commanding the conjured animal to take the key upstairs; he was not taking too much of a leap in assuming that Grindelwald would take it and use it to escape. According to Goyle, who had heard it from the guards, the key worked for both the gate and each of the cells, but they might have been lying.

Grindelwald.

For a moment he wondered if he had successfully made any mental connection with the dark wizard he presumed to be directly above him. He wondered if there was any requirement of having met the man before if unable to see him; he knew even the Dark Lord could not reach him where he was. The answer surprised him.

Wer bist du? Qui es-tu?

Je suis Draco Malfoy, serviteur de Voldemort. He wondered why the wizard was thinking in languages, since usually he could communicate with anyone without particular effort, but it was certain that he had learned Legilimency from a different teacher. At least I know he's awake. Now I just need to see if-

Ah, you speak English as well. Perhaps you are well-traveled as I. Well met, servant of flight from death; it has been ages since anyone has visited. Draco remembered both that the mental link afforded access to his surface thoughts as well as that his master had fashioned a French name for himself, but neither detail mattered. Time was of the essence.

I have asked a conjured snake to bear a key to your cell, and I would know if the cell and the gate below had the same lock. You would have seen them use the same key both times when they led you in-

I designed the key myself, servant. It opens any lock in the world. What have you done with the guards?

We have distracted them. If you open the lower gate, can you-

Almost certainly, yes. You will see that it was not a mistake to rely on me, if indeed that was part of your plan.

Draco turned his focus to his vassals. He was getting no response from Nott, meaning he was dead or out of range. Derrick and Bole were still trying to distract the guards, but they seemed to have picked up on the fact that they were being distracted. He tried to signal to Goyle to get him to throw green sparks into the sky, but he was as unresponsive as Nott. I can't have them die- not after Crabbe last year.

Using Legilimency to find the human guards in the prison, he cast an explosion charm through the part of the floor that was permeable to magic, causing two signals to go out immediately. Dueling and offensive magic had never been specialties of his, but he was aware that physical barriers did nothing to stop charms that did not travel from the caster to the target; it was an informal property of charms that there was rarely any flash or jet of spellfire, even the Patronus was something that was created rather than issuing forth from the wand, unless the caster had only a functional understanding of the theory.

He attacked a few more targets in the same way, assuming they would not realize from whence the attacks came, but the guards were at least ready for explosive charms. One of them might have been laying wards down on the floor, since he only heard an explosion once with every third incantation. They will surround me before long.

Not to worry, Draco Malfoy. Join me above. I have wanted to visit someone in my prison for many years.

Without thinking about it, he jogged out of his tunnel, still reaching out for his vassals. Grindelwald claimed to have the situation under control, but that did not mean they had not lost a man in the process. With this successful operation, at the very least I should be able to replace some of them. My following will rival that of Evan.

The surface carried the destruction he had imagined. He signaled to the Beaters to see if they could find the other two anywhere. He had been correct in his assumption that the dark wizard they freed would be appropriately grateful and would help them to help him, though it was starting to seem like he would receive a reward. The front door to the prison had been blasted off its hinges and there were bodies all over the ground, though an aged wizard standing in the visitation room, waving his wand, was stacking them neatly.

"They were no match for you, then."

"No, it was immediately following one or two of your explosions that I opened the gate and summoned a wand from one of the bodies. As perhaps you expected, they sent a contingent after your friend, but I brought them back. He should realize they are no longer chasing them, but I would not be surprised if a young wizard kept running if it were his first real battle."

"We have seen some combat before," Draco said, grateful Goyle was most likely unharmed. It seemed the former prisoner had killed all of the guards in a matter of seconds, though he did have decades to plan his attack. Had it been the Dark Lord, there would have been substantially more torture involved, but a cursory inspection of the bodies revealed that they were killed quickly. Grindelwald appeared to have caused the key to fly around the room cutting holes through the heads of the guards. "Though, I confess, we have never seen combat like this."

"Ah. I hold nothing against them, really. Killing them was necessary for my escape, but no more could be gained by killing them slowly. I have allowed a few of them to run off." As he spoke, Derrick was practically kicking down the front door, dragging in an injured Goyle. His arm had nearly been cut off.

"Your confederate?" the dark wizard asked. He waved his wand, healing the wound. Draco looked at him with an expression of moderate surprise, not having guessed such an effective spell were possible. "Please, it is the very least I could do."

"Where's Bole?" the newly healed wizard asked, seeing Nott slink in.

"Dead," the other Beater answered. "Only so many times you can distract the guards before one of them hits you." He sighed. "I'll keep up with his network in Ireland; they mostly answer to Parkinson anyway."

"Alas, there is nothing I can do for that, servant," Grindelwald mused, perhaps still amused someone would identify himself as such. "Albus and I disagree on the subject, but there is truly no way to return from the grave; the dead are gone as though they were never here."

"Dumbledore's dead too," Goyle muttered.

"A pity. I had hoped he would drink the Elixir of Life after his friend Flamel managed to produce for us a substantial amount."

"Flamel's dead."

"Precisely who has been killing every great wizard in the world?" the dark wizard asked, crinkling his nose a little.

"Voldemort." It was Goyle again. "I think he wants you to threaten the continental governments. Can't figure out why."

Draco's face was devoid of expression once more. He foresaw several long explanations of every major development in the magical world for the last fifty years, but with a little luck, there would be something gained from the venture after all.