Chapter fifteen
Wherein Elisabeth ponders over the machinery of politics
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Joyce turned to be far more talkative than Ethan, in particular that she could talk with Elisabeth under four (three…) eyes.
`Yes, there were four of them,` she nodded, `Abrax, Adelwolf, Aurelius and Abelard Dumbledore. The Dumbs, for short. Brothers, or maybe cousins, I have no idea. They were Scottish, judging from their accent and it was MACUSapes who hired them to fight against us. Why the hell those filthy squibs – the Dumbs, I mean - left Scotland in the first place and were eager to do the dirty job for New York, no clue. There was gossip, though. Some said they got rid of their great-grandpa to pay their gambling debts with his gold. That they had had debts at some nasty wizards, you see… And badly needed money. Some said, on the other hand, that they had got drunk at a wedding and started such a lovely brawl that the bride got an Avada in her chest… So they had to bolt, and bolt fast and far. Whether any of that is true, no idea, maybe you could find it out in your old auror papers. Oh, El, you look so unhealthy,` she changed the subject suddenly, `I hate talking on the Floo.`
`I`m all right. It is the anti-eavesdropping charms that distort the colours,` explained Elisabeth plainly, `But tell me, whether there was a reason for revenge…`
`Whether?` roared Joyce, `Whether`?! Fucking butchers they were, all of them! If they captured one of us alive…`
`I know,` snapped Elisabeth, `I meant whether THEY had any reason to revenge on you.`
`Well,` sighed Joyce, `As you know, we were also quite rough…`
`Could you be more specific, please?` continued Elisabeth patiently.
`Hm… It was long ago,` started Joyce, biting her lip, `Wait. I know. Abrax got stabbed in a gambling den. He was cheating like a squib, you know, and loved to fool non-Majs. And one day he tried his abracadabra on a clever non-Maj, it seems. I mean,` she smiled wickedly, `I wasn`t there. Maybe it was a witch who cursed him to death and pushed the blame on a non-Maj pistolero. No clue. But it wasn`t us. Aurelius… oh, it was us`, she nodded, `But quick and clean. Got killed in a skirmish. We roughened him up later, but he was dead as a doorknob already. And we were not too wild, Porpentine Queen was already with us, and she didn`t like such stuff, she didn`t let us do too much of blood magic… Anyhow, with the dead you cannot…`
`I know,` interrupted Elisabeth, not letting her trail away again, `And the other two?`
`Adelwolf disappeared into the thin air, the squib. They said he went into the forest for some herbs and never ever came back. Whether a gator got him or someone cursed him into dust, or he bolted with their gang`s gold and is now a respectable carrot farmer on Sakhalin, no clue.`
`And the fourth Dumbledore?` Elisabeth continued to ask with a gentle tone, attempting to coax the truth out of Joyce with kindness and patience. No one talked willingly of such a brutal, bloody time, after all; if she pressed too hard, Freeman would snap shut.
`Abelard? Well… I don`t remember. `
Aha. Here it was.
`Joyce, come on`.
`I don`t remember!` retorted the other witch.
`Joyce...` hissed Elisabeth, losing patience.
`But I really don`t remember!` moaned Freeman, `They lured me into a trap. They were five of them. I didn`t notice their snaring curse, I went straight into it, like a blind squib…` she confessed, ashamed.
`And?`
`I had a potion. I don`t know what it exactly was but it boosted you. Made you a second Merlin, really.`
`And?`
`And I was such a squib,` Joyce continued with a low voice, `That I dropped the vial. So I picked a shard up and rammed it into my arm.`
`You are a genius, Joyce.`
`Don`t mock me!` Freeman cocked her head, `I was just fourteen and…`
`I don`t,` retorted Elisabeth sternly, `That was the best thing you could do. Though not every potion would work if introduced directly into the bloodstream… But many do. You acted correctly. But what happened then?`
`Well, it was me who survived, El. But I cannot recall the details. They bled out, more I can`t remember. You know, the Jaguar went a bit berserk…`
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`A death in a brawl is not reason for such a mad vengeance,` connotated Elisabeth, having told the Joyce`s confession to Charlotta and Ludwiga.
`You would have done it quick and clean,` replied Ludwiga, `But a girl of fourteen, scared out of her wits, would not.`
`I bet it was not quick and clean,` nodded Elisabeth, `It was clumsy, bloody, dirty. But it was also free of deliberate cruelty. Joyce fought for her life, fought desperately. She did not torture them for pleasure. And it was them who attacked, remember. Thus, there is no solid reason for a magical revenge. `
`Someone did not agree with your opinion, it seems, ` Charlotta shook her head, `Someone wanted this revenge badly.`
`If you see your son or your lover with his head ripped off, of course you want it!` Elisabeth hit the table with her open hand, `No matter why he ended this way. But for magic, for the power of the vengeance, it matters. If Joyce had tormented an innocent wizard to death it would not be that easy to burn the oaths away. `
`So you think some idiot made the Dumbledore lady swear five oaths out of a whim?` Charlotta raised her eyebrows.
`No, not of a whim. Four men died, after all,` replied Elisabeth, `And it was reasonable to think it was Joyce`s people who killed them and that it was done a cruel way. Just whoever the avengers were, they did not understand much of the basis of the oaths. They just skid on the surface of magic without really knowing how and why it works.`
`Like most of us.`
`Indeed,` nodded Elisabeth, `And the Dumbledore girl was young and naïve enough to be persuaded to cooperate.`
`And they seemed to be such a good family…` snorted Charlotta.
`No old wizarding family is innocent,` retorted Elisabeth, `Some are just good at sweeping their dirt under the carpet. And now, I must explain it to the boys…`
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And so she did.
`But why?` asked Albus, `I mean why revenge right now? Gellert just wanted to help!`
`It wasn`t about me, but about my grandma Joyce,` replied Gellert.
`But why…`
`Albus,` Elisabeth interrupted him, `I know Charlotta, that is Mrs Lovelace-Grindelwald told you that general Freeman run a war and your family was on the other side. I suppose you understand why she fought.`
Albus nodded. `It`s horrible how they were treated.`
`But the reasons for the involvement of your family are not know to me,` continued Elisabeth, `General Freeman claims they were mercenaries. This is plausible. But whether they just earned a living this way or whether there was also a personal reason to fight against her, we don`t know.`
`We could ask Gran then. Who made her swear and why.`
`If only it were that simple, Albus, ` sighed Elisabeth, `But vows are a very powerful kind of magic, penetrating the wizard to the bone. By dissolving the oaths I also damaged her memories linked to them. I am deeply sorry about that but there was no other way to save her. We will never know who was the brain behind this scheme. This is why I want to warn you: whoever it was he… or she didn`t care that it meant a mortal peril to your grandmother. If we did not manage to burn the oaths down, she would have died… or she would have died trying to keep her word. I stun if it`s possible. But sometimes it is not,` she state plainly.
Albus gulped.
`But this person could not know my Gran would face you, general,` he whispered. He felt confused. Surely no one of the family would make Gran face someone like Batory! It would be… illogical. Gran would never defeat this fierce war witch, this was clear, so that she would not be able to revenge, she would just get hurt for nothing.
`But it was sure she would face general Freeman, with her entourage to boot, Albus,` she retorted sternly, `And by making someone swear a deadly oath, you always gamble with life of this person. Always. Anyhow, whoever it was, they have used advanced magic. So I assume this person must have been much older than your grandmother and is probably dead by now, then. Still, beware of the portraits, diaries and similar things. Someone that vindictive could have prepared further surprises. `
`There are no dark wizards in my family!` protested Albus.
`Oh, none of the vows used were dark as such, indeed` agreed Elisabeth, `And you have seen what they produced in the end. I bet the avenger didn`t want it this way, Albus. But the oaths were combined the wrong way. This person was quite powerful and badly determined but clearly had not studied the structure of the oaths in depth or such a grave mistake wouldn`t have happened. This is more common that you think. It is like potion making. If you have a good memory and agile fingers, you can make even advanced concoctions without understanding how the ingredients react with one another. And if you stick to the recipe, it goes well, as a rule. But if you come to the genius idea to pour several potions together, hoping to get a more potent mixture, the cauldron explodes in your face.`
`I see,` nodded Albus, `But why she… general Freeman… was so brutal? I mean, if someone curses you, you know it hurts! So you shouldn`t curse others!`
`Of course she knew,` shrugged Elisabeth, `She knew a thousand and one shades of pain. But the mind doesn`t work this way. Suffering doesn`t make you gentle and forgiving. You know, some objects break into dust if you hit them hard. Others break into shards, sharper than a goblin knife. In plain words, pain can make you submissive. This is what stupid squibs take for gentleness while it is just a broken backbone and a burnt-out soul. Or it makes you bitter and vindictive, full of hatred.`
`So this is why Dracula… They say, when he was in prison, he was… Aua!` moaned Albus.
`Gellert, don`t kick Albus in the ankle!` barked Elisabeth, `Yes, he was in prison. Many, many times. And once they asked him a few questions in a way that he nearly died. I worked the whole night to save him. And if you ask why I bothered, `she looked straight at Albus, `The answer is: because, as a rule, I take care of fifteen-years-olds, who are suffocating with their own blood.`
`And this… made him so cruel?` whispered Albus.
`Gellert, stop kicking your friend!` repeated Elisabeth impatiently, `Well, to some extent, you`re correct. He thought that if his enemies fear him, they will not dare hurt him again. But mostly it was the matter of belief.`
`Religion?` wondered Albus.
`Religions are the root of most evils, as a rule` she retorted, `I meant something else. Well, if you are under curses all night long and still don`t betray your friends, why do you keep your mouth shut? What gives you the power to resist?`
`But,` Albus hesitated, `He was evil. He couldn`t be a good friend, then.`
`Wrong,` purred Elisabeth, `Wrong, wrong, wrong. If you have a dangerous enemy and you think he is worthless, stupid, cowardly, weak, squibbish… You`re mistaken. If he were all that, he would not be dangerous in the first place. You would finish him off in one skirmish. Mirko Mayr… that later became Vlad Dracula... was a courageous, loyal and intelligent man. And a talented and knowledgeable wizard,` she added, `But coming back to beliefs… If you are to defend something, your country, family, friends, whatever… You must believe it is worth being defended. Being fought for. Died for. So, Mirko Mayr deeply believed in his ideas, with this fiery zeal only teens are capable of. With no doubts, no limits. And if you consider that your ideology is so perfect, wise and noble, you want others to believe it as well.`
`This sounds logical,` agreed Albus.
`And then you realise your ideas have enemies. No matter they seem noble to you. Imagine, for example, a country of ten million poor, very poor people… where a single millionaire lives. It would be noble to share his gold among them, wouldn`t it?`
`The rich man will resist,` said Gellert, `Maybe he would share a part of it but for sure would not be satisfied with a single ten-millionth of his wealth.`
`For sure. And other people would say that the gold has to be shared but not equally. And so on and so forth. No substantial change will be applauded by all, never,` she stated, `And if you believe in the greatness of your ideas, it is hard to accept that. You think that your opponents must be stupid or evil. So, you decide to wage a war to make them follow you,` Elisabeth stated plainly, pouring a cup of tea for herself.
`I see,` nodded Albus.
`And if you don`t grow up to understand that there will never be unity, you get more and more frustrated and angry. You curse harder and harder. And so, the sweet, lovely pygmy puff slowly turns in a rabid nundu. But you continue, for the greater good, hoping it`s just a transitory phase before paradise comes to Earth. And in the end, you do just anything not to get lynched.` She put the cup back on its saucer, making china clink.
The boys pondered her words in silence.
`So the world cannot be made a better place?` asked Gellert in the end.
Elisabeth forced herself to hide her smile. The right question was asked straight away.
`Of course you can. But whatever has a value has a price as well. If a wolf is to feed her cubs, the hare must orphan hers and they starve. Or the little wolves die and the young hares frolic. You want freedom, you have to break the chains by force. No master will let you go without resistance. The question is: do you want to be free among the free? Or do you want to be a new master?
`Liberté, égalité, fraternité ? Or le roi est mort, vive le roi ?` sighed Albus.
Elisabeth raised her eyebrows.
`It was what my granddad says, my Muggle granddad,` explained Albus, `He means…
`I know what he means,` interrupted Elisabeth, `I have seen it with my very eyes.`
`The French Revolution?` inquired Albus, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
`I prefer to call it the French Abattoir,` she twisted her lips in disgust, `We – aurors, I mean – had lots of trouble getting Muggleborn children out of this slaughter. And this splendid republic didn`t last long. The second did a bit better but failed as well. I`m curious to see how the third manages…` she trailed off.
`It`s the matter of Muggles,` pointed Albus out, `Maybe they learn.`
`Oh, thrones exist to be broken and borders – to be shifted,` she smiled wickedly, as if being up to something. At least it looked like that to Albus, who again couldn`t rein in his curiosity and blurted out:
`Were you really his best general?`
This time she smiled widely, showing her teeth.
`A freckled carrot top doesn`t look like it, right?` she purred. With an elegant, swift movement, she stood up, straightening to her full height and clicked with her heels. She felt the familiar wave of magic and smiled even wider, seeing the face of Albus… And the face of Gellert as well.
`How have you done it, general?` Albus gaped at her with admiration, `Transfiguring clothes while wearing them is extremely difficult!`
`Practice, practice, practice,` she replied, `But tell me, do I look like a general now? Oh, by the way, let me show you another uniform…`
And, just for fun, she transfigured the clothes again and again. Albus stared at her – or rather at the changing robes – like a Muggle at a dragon.
`So, do I look like a general now?` she repeated, having come back to her original clothing.
`No, I mean… I knew who you were…. I read about you… But…` Albus went red, `But you are kind. And he was evil.`
`Oh, really?` she murmured, taking a sip of tea.
`Well, I have heard about you and my Dad! In your place, Dracula would have…`
`In my place, most people would have,` she snapped, `But not me. I don`t punish people for doing what I would do in their place. Most people do, though, we are not a logical species.`
`But you could…`
`Of course I could. And the humanity would be far less numerous if everyone did what they could. You know,` she poured him more tea, `Everyone needs mercy from time to time. No, I am no exception, Albus. I have not always been a powerful general. Anyhow,` she added, `There is nothing more brittle and fickle than the power and might.`
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Henning was annoyed. He had spent the whole evening to built his sister a kite and there was no wind, even the leaves didn`t quiver.
`Well, let`s play something else,` he signed.
`Kite!` protested Bibi loud, `Kite, fly!`
The kite, to Henning`s terror, jerked and slowly rose into the air.
`Oh no, not again,` he thought.
`You, Gott brats, what are you doing in there?` Their neighbour peeked from behind the hedge.
`Kite, kite!` Bibi clapped her hands, delighted.
May she go away, thought Henning frantically, knowing that the neighbour was a busybody and a blabbermouth, Go away, you snoop! Shouldn`t you milk the cow?
And this very moment, he heard an impatient moo.
`I`m coming, I`m coming!` shouted the neighbour, as if Genta could understand her, `Just don`t break the chain again, you lousy animal!` And she trudged across the pasture, swinging her milking bucket.
Genta, kick her the bucket down, when it is full, though Henning vindictively.
It was a close shave. Again.
Meanwhile, Genta, a big, nasty cow, kicked her owner, what anyhow happened regularly. Then, suddenly calm, let her do the milking without further ado. However, when the bucket was full of milk, Genta joyfully put her hoof into it and continued grazing, stoically ignoring the owner`s yells and threats.
Henning couldn`t help smiling.
`It`s your fault, Gott!` roared the furious woman, `A holy name, but no good you are!`
Henning froze.
`You are a big boy, you should help your father, not play like a kid! You scared the cow with this stupid kite and she will not stay still!`
It was a close shave. Again.
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`I`m not sure whether we acted wisely,` said Ludwiga with a heavy sigh.
`And what should I have done? Dumbledore was a victim. Should I have cursed her dead when her grandson was watching?` snarled Elisabeth.
`But the prophecy...`
`You mean, Gellert`s treason?` Elisabeth shrugged, `It happens. Quite often. I will not act till he hurts me. If he hurts me.`
`Joyce told me what her shisha showed her. How Gellert was...`
`Oh, that,` understood Elisabeth, `It won`t be me. I have seen what the shisha showed with my very eye. It won`t be me.`
`But there is something more, Elisabeth.`
`Namely?`
`He told this Albus, when they were saying goodbye, that the next time they meet, blood will flow. Blood, sweat and tears.`
Elisabeth rose her eyebrows.
`Ludwiga, are you thinking about the same thing that I am?`
`You mean... What you have done to Theodor? It was brutal.`
`Your cousin Theodor did it of his free will to save your life,` retorted Elisabeth with a cold tone.
`I know. But Gellert is just a child.`
`Well, who knows when they meet again?`
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Liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity) was one of the mottos of the French Revolution, when monarchy was replaced by a republic.
Le roi est mort, vive le roi (The king is dead, long live the king) is a proclamation that the old king just died and his heir is a new one.
The third French Republic began in 1871 and lasted till 1940, when Hitler brought it to a violent end so it was quite robust. Now there is the fifth one, btw.
"Gott", i.e. "God" is a real and quite common German name (and a reason of many jokes of the sort you have read in this chapter…) It is a short form of "Gottfried" or similar names.