*Note I have rewritten the first chapter after some confusion over Grindelwald's abilities. Nothing major but should clarify some things!

November 1, 1991

Malfoy Manor

Lucius stepped to the side. "Boys, this is Sirius Black, also the new Lord Black. Harry, he is your godfather, and to you Draco, he is an uncle of sorts."

"It's nice to meet you, sir", said Harry politely.

Sirius looked at his godson, his eyes swelling with emotion. He then ran forward and hugged Harry tightly.

Harry was surprised at first, but he found the hug strangely comforting.

"I'm so sorry, Harry", whispered Sirius.

"It's okay, Lord Black. Gellert explained your situation to me a while ago. I want you to know I don't blame you at all."

Sirius straightened up. "None of that Lord Black stuff. You'll call me Sirius."
Harry nodded, "If you're sure, Sirius."

The four stood there awkwardly, none of them knowing what to say.

Harry broke the ice first. "So, Sirius, how did you go about meeting Gellert? I was unaware that you supported our ideals."

Sirius's cringed when he heard him say "our". He took a breath to calm himself then began to speak.

"Well, I was raised a Black and as a Black I was introduced to the wizard supremacy bit from a rather young age. I won't lie to you Harry; I find the whole muggles and muggleborn are inferior ideology to be a bunch of hippogriff dung. That's why Lucy and I didn't get along in school."

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"We didn't get along, because you were an insufferable twat who sullied the Black name with your actions."

Sirius laughed. "Bugger off, Lucius."

Lucius sniffed and left the room without further comment.

Harry didn't know how to react.

"So, Sirius, if you don't believe in Grindelwald's ideologies, why are you here? How are you here actually?"
Sirius looked Harry dead in the eye.

"It's because of you Harry. It's my fault that you were put with the Dursleys. I should have been there for you, and I wasn't. I won't fail you again. Grindelwald gave me the chance and I took it."

"So, you're going against everything that you believed in, for me?", asked Harry incredulously.

Sirius smiled weakly. "If you put it like that, I guess so."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know what to say. I don't blame you at all for what happened in the past. So, I guess I appreciate the loyalty that you have to me. I will not let you down."

"No Harry, it's me who won't let you down. I will be the best damn godfather I can be for you."

Harry smiled and the two embraced once more.

Draco coughed.

"Sorry to break up this heartfelt moment, but aren't you a wanted criminal Lord Black?"

Sirius grimaced. "Unfortunately. Grindelwald broke me out, but failed to alert the authorities that I am an innocent man. So yes, the world currently believes to be a mass murderer still. And you too Draco, I don't want to hear either of you call me Lord Black. The whole lordship stuff is a bunch of bullshit anyways."

"Okay Sirius.", the two boys said together.

A serpent Patronus entered the room. The voice of Lucius came from its mouth.

"Black, Lord Grindelwald wants to see Harry in his study."

Sirius nodded and turned to Harry.

"Well then Harry, little Draco and I will be waiting for you here. Go see what our esteemed leader wants."

Harry gave Sirius a look, and headed upstairs.

He reached the door of Grindelwald's room, and knocked.

"Enter!", said Grindelwald.

Harry opened the door and walked inside. Gellert Grindelwald sat behind a desk, peering over the many manuscripts that covered it.

Grindelwald looked up at Harry. "Harry, it is good to see you again. I assume you are now acquainted with your Godfather?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir! I want to thank you again for rescuing him. He seems to have recovered well from his time in Azkaban. However, I'm not so sure how you got him on our side…". Harry trailed off.

Grindelwald inclined his head slightly. "The man is on our side, the vow he swore ensures that. However, he did that out of loyalty to you rather than to me or to our ideals. I convinced him that it would be the best course of action to side with you than against."

Harry accepted the answer. "Well thank you again for that. He seems like a good man."

Grindelwald's lip curled. "Of that, I have no doubt. But enough of Lord Black, I called you here to ask you about your time at Hogwarts."

"Take a seat", he said as gestured to the chair in front of the desk.

Harry took a seat, and began speaking excitedly, "Hogwarts was really amazing! The castle is far larger than the one at Dumstrang, and some of the teachers are far more knowledgeable. I have a good group of friends and have created a name for myself in the house of Slytherin. I am also by far the best wizard in my year." Harry then hesitated.

Grindelwald arched his eyebrow. "I expected all those things from you, Harry. After all, you are my heir and most trusted follower. But what is it that makes you hesitate?"
Harry smiled a little at the praise, but looked down. "Sir", he began weakly. "Draco, Blaise, and I killed a couple of older Slytherins during our time at Hogwarts."
Grindelwald's face showed no reaction to the news.

"I assume that you disposed of the body properly, and have deflected all suspicion or blame?"

Harry looked up surprised. "You're not disappointed?"

Grindelwald tilted his head. "Do you expect me to? Your presence here tells me that you were successful in your endeavor and have gotten away with the deed."

Harry looked abashed. "I could have derailed our plans."
Grindelwald nodded at that. "That is true. You could have been expelled or sent to Azkaban. However, I have enough faith in you to know that this was not a rash mistake. Explain the events that led to this."

Harry then told the story of how he and his friends killed Pucey/Higgs, and obliviated the others.

"Pucey, Higgs, neither surname is familiar. However, I believe that you acted appropriately in that particular situation. My only question now, is how are you and Draco doing?"

Harry shuffled his feet. "I'm not sure what you mean sir?"

Grindelwald sighed and rose from his seat. "Do not play me for a fool Harry. One's first kill always has an impact on a person. What that impact is, depends on the person. Do you feel remorse for what you have done? Or perhaps a feeling of sadness?"

Harry shook his head. "I think that I'm okay. I know that if I didn't do what I did, I would likely have been torture. Draco on the other hand, seems to still be a little shaken. I see him tremble in his sleep."

Grindelwald paced behind his desk. "Young Malfoy's reaction is natural. He has been a pampered boy all his life, and his killing of Higgs likely shook his world. I will have Lucius speak with him."

Grindelwald then turned to Harry and looked straight into his eyes.

"As for you, your reaction is admirable. I am quite proud of you Harry. Not many are so calm after their first kill. Your quick thinking likely saved all of your lives."
Harry smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"Now Harry, is there anything else that you wish to tell me."

Harry looked up, then shook his head. "No sir."

Grindelwald paused then nodded. "Then off you go. I will be speaking with you again later at dinner. I believe we will be moving onto our next phase of training. But for now, send Sirius up here."
Harry nodded and left the room.

Grindelwald sat back down in his chair. The boy had chosen to omit some very important information. The fact that Voldemort was recruiting Harry as well was an interesting development. Obviously, Voldemort had retained the memories of the soul piece that was lodged in Harry. He sighed, he had to have the boy's complete trust. The sound of approaching footsteps alerted him of the presence of Sirius Black.

"You asked for me Grindelwald?", asked Sirius.

Grindelwald inclined his head. "That I did, Lord Black.", he said mockingly.

Sirius snorted with distaste. "What do you want Lord Grindelwald?"
Gellert laughed. "I asked you here, because I have some important news for you. But before we get to that, what is your impression of young Harry?"

Sirius's face softened. "He looks just like James. He seems like a good person." He then paused and his eyes glinted angrily. "But I don't know why he seems to believe your ideals and see you as a role model."

Sirius then drew his wand and pointed it at Grindelwald.

"Why did you brainwash my godson?", he shouted as he brandished his wand threateningly.

Grindelwald looked at him coldly, then made an elaborate gesture with his hand, causing Sirius to fly backwards and his wand to fly onto the desk in front of him.

Grindelwald stood and glared down at the fallen man, his aura flaring briefly in the background. "You will do good to remember Sirius Black, that I am both your superior and master. I grant you more freedom and liberty than some of my other followers, but you will know your place. I will overlook this offence just this once and chalk it up to pent up emotions. But you will do good and never point your wand at me again. As for your godson, if it were not for me, he probably would be either a beaten, mistreated servant, or a mindless entity for Voldemort. Be grateful for what I have done for both you and the boy."

Sirius slowly got up and looked Grindelwald in his eyes. "I apologize for my actions; they were rash and uncalled for."

"Very well", nodded Grindelwald as he sat back down in his chair, his composure restored. He pointed at the chair in front of him.

"Sit."

Sirius dusted himself off and sat down in the chair.

Grindelwald looked at Sirius, and slid a piece of paper towards him.

"What is this?", asked Sirius as he reached for the paper.

Grindelwald said nothing as Sirius read the paper over. He watched as Sirius's eyes began to widen.

"You got a trial date for me! But how?", said Sirius as his eyes read over the paper again.

"Lucius informed me that Dumbledore seemed to be plotting something for the upcoming Wizengamot meeting. So, we decided to accelerate our plans once more. Mind you, that this took a great deal of effort and money. Do not forget Sirius, that as my follower, I will not discard you as a pawn. However, let this be a reminder that you are deeply indebted to me. Had you kept your faith in Albus Dumbledore, Harry would not be the powerful, confident young man that he is now, and you would still be rotting away in your cell in Azkaban. I hope that my faith in you will be rewarded."

Sirius looked up from the paper and looked at Grindelwald with a small amount of respect in his eyes.

"Thank you, Grindelwald", he said sincerely.

Grindelwald waved it off.

"You are of greater value to our cause as a figure in politics and power, rather than as an unbalanced man imprisoned in his own home. I trust that you have the necessary knowledge to act properly in the Wizengamot?"

Sirius glanced down at his feet rather sheepishly. "I, uh, kinda ran away from home before I became of age. So, my family really didn't teach me all that much. I know the basics and some of the Black family traditions, but I'm really not fit to be a Lord."

Grindelwald looked at Sirius with disappointment etched in his face. He let out a deep sigh before rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

"I will give you a quick crash course now, but I expect you to ask either Vinda or Abraxas for more extensive information later on."

Sirius nodded quickly.

Grindelwald took a deep breath before beginning. "The Wizengamot is quite similar to the muggle government of Great Britain. It like its muggle counterpart, has two houses. The House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons, as its name suggests is a group of wizards that are elected to their seats by the wizarding people. However, the other house is quite different. The House of Lords in the muggle world is composed of elected officials, and only 90 hereditary members. The House of Lords in the Wizengamot is composed of only hereditary seats, except for the seat held by the Chief Warlock. Each seat is tied to a family name, rather than a piece of land. All the "Sacred-28" families hold a seat, sans the Weasleys who lost their seat to the Malfoys in a past dispute, and there are twenty-two other pureblood families that hold a seat as well. This totals to fifty families in the House of Lords. You should know all of this, correct?"

Sirius took nodded slowly, but then asked a question. "How do you know all of this, aren't you from Germany or something."

Grindelwald sighed exasperatedly. "To be a good leader, it is wise to know how your enemies operate. I took the liberty of learning about the Wizengamot during the last war. However, I never got the chance to actually act on my knowledge. But this time, one of our focal attack points will be Britain." Grindelwald then slapped the desk noisily, causing Sirius to jerk up from his seat in surprise.

"So, it will do you good Lord Black, to actually pay attention."

Sirius scowled at Grindelwald, but gave him his full attention.

Grindelwald rose from his seat and began pacing. He then continued his "lesson".

"Now as I was saying, certain wizarding families hold a seat in the House of Lords of the Wizengamot. Your family was of those families. Now, certain families are deemed "noble", if their family has done something notable for the wizarding world. On top of being "noble", certain families are deemed "ancient" if their lineage can be traced back a certain amount of years. It just happens that your family was deemed both Ancient and Noble, granting you eight more votes than the average seat holder. Currently we only have two families dedicated to our cause in the House of Lords, and fifteen out of the one hundred members of the House of Commons. Your mission will obviously be to make sure that the laws passed are to our liking, and to recruit members of both houses to our cause."

Sirius raised his hand.

"Aren't the two sides in the Wizengamot called dark and light?"

Grindelwald shook his head. "That's how the papers paint certain members of the Wizengamot. The two main political factions in the Wizengamot are the conservatives and progressives. The conservatives are labeled as "dark" by clueless fools like yourself, and the progressives are called "light". The conservatives seek to preserve wizarding traditions such as betrothals, family magic, and the like, and usually hold certain views that are deemed as prejudiced by the progressives. This for some one reason and another has them deemed dark. There is a good chance that this is probably just another machination of Dumbledore. Progressives on the other hand, seek to move on from said wizarding traditions, and to indoctrinate more muggle beliefs and movements into the wizarding world. You will be presenting yourself as a conservative, publicly allying yourself with the Malfoys."

Sirius frowned, but before he could speak, Grindelwald cut him off.

"This is not up for debate. Abraxas and I have thought about this for some time, and we have decided that it will be best if you discredit Dumbledore and his progressive party. Keep in mind that there are factions within the factions. Not all progressives believe in the slaughter of muggles or the notion of blood-purity. You will be doing your absolute best to sway certain families to our cause, without tipping our hand. Am I clear on this?"

Sirius sighed before nodding once more. "Yes sir."
Grindelwald leaned back in his chair with a satisfied air. "Good. Well then, I expect you to go and learn up the finer details with Vinda or Abraxas. You will be taking your hereditary seat right after your trial. You are dismissed."

Sirius gave him a panicked look.

"That's it? You just give me a rudimentary rundown of the Wizengamot and expect me to become a wizarding Lord just like that?"

Sirius began running his fingers through his hair nervously.

Grindelwald looked at Sirius exasperatedly. "Obviously it would be impossible for you to become a political machine overnight. You are not expected to do so. All I need from you, is some composure and that famous Sirius Black charm. That is all that is expected from you. Lucius will be doing the maneuvering and dealing while you just follow his lead."

Sirius did not look reassured, but nodded warily. "Fine. I'll do my best."

Grindelwald nodded, "That is all I ask of you."

Sirius got up and walked out of the room.

Grindelwald let out a sigh, working with others was quite difficult sometimes. He rose from his chair and apparated down to the main floor of the Malfoy Manor. He took a turn, and reached the door that lead down to the cellar. After several muttered passwords and spells, the door swung open.

The room was lit dimly with a lantern that sat in the middle of the room. In front of it sat a man and a woman both magically bound to a chair with gags in their mouths.

Grindelwald flicked his wand and the door shut behind him. The couple glared at him defiantly, as they struggled against their bonds.

"Hello my friends. I apologize for having you brought down here in this fashion, but it was in the best interest for all of us. Now, Lucius tells me that both of you refuse to join my cause?"

He made a motion with his free hand, and the gag in the woman's mouth disappeared.

"You monster! Of course, we will never join you! Why would we after you kidnap us from our homes! I have no idea what Narcissa was thinking! I don't know how you're still alive Grindelwald! You twisted son of a-."

A wave of his hand caused the gag to reapply itself.

"What about you, my good sir? Do you have anything to say?"

The man began pleading as the gag disappeared from his mouth. "Please let us go! I beg you, please, don't harm my wife or-."

The gag reapplied itself, as Grindelwald waved his hand.

Grindelwald sighed mockingly. "Well I suppose this was to be expected. I am truly sorry for what I have to do. I wish you had simply done as I had asked. Well, for what it's worth, I really had hoped that my vision was wrong, but this is for the Greater Good."
With that, he pointed the wand at the woman. The woman glared back at him, with nothing but defiance in her eyes.

"CRUCIO!"

Her screams echoed through the room for quite some time.

~~o0o~~

November 22, 1991

Malfoy Manor

It had been a full three weeks since Hogwarts had shut down, and he had met his godfather. Said godfather stood across from him in a dueling stance.

"You ready Harry?'

Harry shouted back at him cheerfully. "Always old man!"

The two began to duel. Harry had spent the past three weeks spending time with his godfather, and it had probably been the best three weeks of his life. His entire life, he had never had anyone look after him like that man did. Sure, Grindelwald was someone he admired and looked up to, but he was a Dark Lord, and wasn't exactly the father figure type. Vinda was the closest thing he had to a mother, but she was extremely busy as Grindelwald's chief lieutenant and was never around as much as he would have liked. But Sirius, was different.

Harry dodged as a jet of red flew towards him, and he responded with several jinxes of his own.

Sirius, Harry thought, was the father/brother figure that he had always secretly wanted. In the last three weeks he had spent time actually having fun. He had always been either training or studying in the past, so the concept was something almost foreign to him. He had talked to Sirius extensively everyday about all sorts of things, ranging from Hogwarts stories, to the best dueler. The dueling conversation was why Harry and Sirius were duking it out at the moment.

A mysterious black spell that whizzed just inches from Harry's face broke him out of his thoughts.

"You gotta keep your head in the game, Harry!", taunted Sirius as he continued to launch spells at Harry.

Harry gritted his teeth in determination as a stinging hex slipped past his shield, and crashed against his arm.

Harry rolled across the ground as Sirius continued his onslaught and several spells soared over his head. He then whipped his wand diagonally and shouted, "INCARCEROUS!", but in parseltongue. Sirius's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he found himself in the hold of a massive python.

Harry laughed happily at the sight. Parseltongue casting was one of the few tricks he had picked up from the book he had gotten from Borgin and Burkes.

"It's okay Sirius, maybe you'll beat me next time!", laughed Harry as he walked towards Sirius.

Sirius then winked, and suddenly a large dog appeared in his place and escaped the grasp of the python. The dog then proceeded to tackle Harry, and lick his face repeatedly.

"That's disgusting Sirius! Get off of me you mutt!"

Sirius transformed back and chuckled at the sight of his godson.

"Three weeks, and you don't mention that you're an animagus?", accused Harry in mock anger.

Sirius laughed at his expression. "I'm sorry Harry, but I wanted to surprise you!"
"Consider me surprised", grumbled Harry.

"It's okay Harry, maybe you'll beat me next time!", said Sirius as the two walked out of the dueling room.

Harry punched Sirius in the arm.

"Hey! I'm serious! You were really good for a first year! I have no doubt that in a few years you'll be able to beat me easily."

Harry nodded. "I know I will."

The duo then both began laughing and joking as they made their way to the dining room.

Draco was sitting at the table and looked up when he saw the pair make their way in.

"Have you guys been dueling?"

Sirius laughed, "Yep, and I trounced Harry."

"You did no such thing! You just got lucky", said Harry as he shook his head.

Draco looked at Sirius in semi-awe, "Wow! You actually beat Harry? I can't even get a spell on him."

Sirius puffed out his chest. "I was the best dueler in my year at Hogwarts."

He then suddenly trailed off as he got hit with a wave of memories.

Harry and Draco glanced at each other uneasily as the mood turned quite awkward.

Luckily, Abraxas took that moment to enter the room. "Good evening gentlemen. I haven't seen any of you all day. What have you scoundrels been up to?"

This seemed to break Sirius out of his stupor. "Ah I've just been teaching Harry here, the finer aspects of dueling. Draco here was…"

"I was with my father talking about the family business all day", finished Draco proudly.

Sirius then began teasing Draco about becoming a Lucius clone.

While this was going on, Harry turned to Abraxas.

"Sir", he began quietly, "Is Sirius alright? He's been having weird fits where he stops talking, and gazes out into space."
Abraxas snapped his fingers, and a house elf handed him a glass of wine.

"Sirius, is currently in a delicate state of mind. Lord Grindelwald has done many things and has healed him of much of the insanity that was Sirius's mind. However, you have to see this from Sirius's point of view. Everyone that Sirius held dear to him, have either betrayed him or are dead. I have no doubt that Sirius will be better, but it will take some time."

Harry nodded slowly. "I noticed that he zoned out more, when he talked about his past."

Abraxas sipped delicately. "Yes, that would make since given that he has had a painful past."

Then Lucius entered the room, closely followed by Narcissa.

"I hope you all are ready. It is almost time for Lord Grindelwald's first public rally." He turned to Harry and Sirius. "You two especially."

"What about me father? Why can't I go?", asked Draco whiningly.

Lucius barely spared Draco a glance. "You were not asked for by Lord Grindelwald. You will be staying home with your mother."

Draco pouted as everyone around him began standing.

Harry went over to Draco, "I'll tell you everything when I get back."

"Hurry, the portkey is about to leave!"

Harry went over to where the other men were. Lucius held out a strange triangle pendant, and they all placed a finger on it. It glowed blue, and Harry felt the familiar pull behind his navel. The four men then found themselves in front of a small castle.

"Before we move forward, our Lord has requested that Harry wears this mask to protect his identity", whispered Lucius.

Harry scowled, but put the mask on.

They walked towards the gate, but was stopped by a man bearing the insignia of Grindelwald on his robes.

"Identify yourselves!", said the man from behind the gates.

"I am Abraxas Malfoy, and this is my son Lucius, along with Sirius Black and his godson Harry Potter."

The man cast a charm over them, and in pearly-white smoke, their names appeared over their heads. Without further ado, he waved his wand and the gates swung open.

They walked in and the gates slammed shut behind them. The four walked up the path up to the castle, and went inside. Abraxas led the way, as he clearly had been here before. They followed him down a long corridor, and stopped in front of a large double door.

"Behave yourselves", said Abraxas sternly, then he pushed the doors open. The opening revealed a large auditorium, filled to the brim with a large variety of people. Many were already in their seats, and the stage facing them was empty spare a large chair. The atmosphere was clearly tense and the people murmured among themselves.

Abraxas and Lucius headed off in another direction, leaving just Sirius and Harry together.

"Harry!", said a voice from behind them.

Harry turned and saw Vinda Rosier striding towards him with a smile.

"It's good to see you again!", said Harry as he embraced her. "But how did you know it was me?"

"Lord Grindelwald told me that you'd be wearing that specific mask. Plus, I'd know your magical signature anywhere, I practically raised you after all!", she said with a laugh.

"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. Are you excited for your first rally? These things tend to get quite interesting."

Harry nodded earnestly. "I've never heard Gellert speak in front of a crowd before, except for his occasional appearance at Dumstrang. I'm excited to see what he'll do for his return."
"And what about you Sirius?", said a familiar voice.

They turned and saw a smirking Queenie Goldstein. "Never mind, you're projecting your thoughts quite loudly."

Sirius reddened before composing himself. "And Queenie it's good to see you again as well. I see that you're still doing that annoying thing where you invade people's minds."

Queenie laughed good-naturedly. "You're going to become a Lord in the Wizengamot. You should have some sort of occlumency in place. Even little Harry here has far superior shields than you."

Harry bristled. "I may be eleven, but I'm not little!"

"Of course, you're not sweetie, but to me you will always the little boy whom I trained fiercely in the mind arts."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Abraxas came back over and whispered, "Lord Grindelwald wishes to see you all in the back."

Harry and Sirius nodded farewell to the two ladies, and followed Abraxas back stage. After bypassing several security points, they found themselves face to face with Gellert Grindelwald.

"Ah, it is good to see that you two could make it. Harry my dear boy, I hope you are well?", said Grindelwald.

Harry nodded, "Yes sir!"

Sirius yawned politely. "Pardon me, but why did you need us here tonight? Isn't this a recruitment drive?"

Grindelwald shook his head. "In a matter of speaking. Today's meeting is a collection of like-minded wizards. Many here today had fathers and grandfathers that were united under my banner. I have no doubt that many here are skeptical of my return, but came out of respect for their forefathers. Today is for the skeptics, which is why I invited you Sirius. As for Harry, I will be introducing him as my heir tonight."

Sirius looked surprised at this. "But would that not blow his cover? What was the point of the mask then?"

Grindelwald laughed. "You may not know this, but when you entered through the gates earlier, you unknowingly swore a magical oath that will prevent you from speaking about the rally to anyone that did not attend it."

Harry smirked slightly. Draco wasn't going to be happy about that.

"Anyways it is about time for my appearance, Harry you will walk onto the stage with me, but do not remove your mask until I say so."

Harry nodded and followed Grindelwald onto the stage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abraxas and Vinda show up behind Gellert as well.

The powerful wizard crossed the stage and stopped at the center of it. The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed.

"Greetings my brothers and sisters. It has been such a long time since I have seen you all. After all many of you were not born when I was at the height of my powers."
He paused, and looked over the audience.

He continued, "Tonight, you have all come to see if the rumors are true. The whispers of my return. You all came hoping that your questions would be answered. Well, I am here to answer them. I am Gellert Grindelwald. I escaped the prison that was placed on me and faked my death so that I could lay low for a period of time. It was not out of cowardice, but of strategy. Although I am a powerful wizard, one man can only do so much. I laid low and gathered my strength back. I can now say to you all that I have now truly returned."

A man called out from the crowd, "How do we know that you're actually Grindelwald?"

Harry narrowed his eyes and saw that the man was actually Lucius!

Grindelwald stepped forward and pulled out his wand. "I swear on my life and magic that I am Gellert Grindelwald."

A flash of light emitted from his wand. The audience began chattering excitedly.

Grindelwald waited for a moment, and the crowd quieted down. "My friends, my goals and ideals remain the same, but my approach will be different. I have had almost fifty years to reflect on my mistakes. I was brash and arrogant in my youth and my tactics reflected that. This time however, things will be different. If you all return to my cause, we will be able to free ourselves from the burdens and chains that restrict us. I had hoped that there might be a chance that my imprisonment may have led to change. However, I was sorely disappointed." He paused and the audience looked at him raptly.

"The muggles, the non-magick, the mundane, they still rule over us!", he shouted. "I have said in the past that I do not despise them. That much is still true. Many of them are unaware of what we can do, and who we are! It is our own leaders that keep us in hiding and solitude. Magic is a gift bestowed upon those of a higher calling. We were given power to rule, yet we are forced to stay in the background, hiding like rats. What we must do is lead a revolution! They have hindered our progression as a people and are keeping us from our birthright. I ask that you all think to yourselves. Is it right that we must remain in hiding? Are the muggles fit to rule over us? I ask you all, what do the muggles do best?"

The crowd remained hushed as he swept his gaze over them.

"Destruction. They have mastered the art of destruction. They are a selfish species, one that cares not about the Earth or one another. They have single handedly wiped out many species of both plants and animals. They poison our air and water. The thing they love most? Killing. No other species kills like they do. They are dangerous."

Grindelwald began walking around the stage. "It is most unfortunate that our governments will not cooperate with us. Because of this, we face two enemies. The muggles and our own government. Our current governments are corrupt and inept. The ICW is filled with foolish bureaucrats that cower and wish to appease the muggles. In some ways, they are right in not crossing the muggles. The muggles are dangerous, that much they have shown. Their weapons have become highly advanced and as we have seen in recent years, they are capable of mass destruction. Due to our current system, we are woefully unprepared if the muggles were to attack us. The muggles have technologies that will soon uncover our existence. And when they find us, they will come in droves. Our governments deny this and tell us that muggles would never dare attack us. But we know better. They will try to capture and kill every last wizard and witch. And if you doubt this, remember what drives muggles. Fear and greed. They will fear us for our powers and will seek to end us. Then their greed will drive them to capture us and experiment in hopes of replicating our gift."

Grindelwald made a motion with his hand, and Vinda walked forward with a slightly cracked skull in her hands.

"I have used this device to show what will come in the past, and I will do so now again."

With that, he took the pipe that came from the glowing skull and breathed in the smoke within it. A few moments later, he exhaled and the smoke began to drift over the crowd. Suddenly the smoke seemed to ignite, and images began to project from the smoke.

The crowd watched in horror, as they saw soldiers running down the streets, shooting at everything. Bombs exploded and planes crashed into buildings. The audience watched enraptured by the vision they saw.

"THIS is what we face. The muggles outnumber us completely. There are tens of thousands of muggles to each wizard. This is why we cannot wait for them to come to us. We must strike first. In the past I had spoken about non-violence, but the time for true action has come upon us. We must overthrow the governments that keep us in chains. And after that, we will go after the muggles and take them to war."

Grindelwald stepped back and walked over to where Harry was standing, and brought him to the front of the stage.

"I know that many of you are doubting whether or not we can accomplish this feat. I know that many of you fear that we could lose again. After all, I myself fell at the hands of Albus Dumbledore. But allow me to alleviate your fears. Dumbledore has grown old and weak with time. The youth of today no longer come at his beck and call. He no longer is the formidable opponent that he once was. I myself will admit that time has taken some of my powers as well. But fear not, for our future is bright. I have taken on an heir that will surpass both me and Dumbledore."

With that, he flicked his wand and Harry's mask fell off. Some in the audience gasped, while others looked on him with confusion.

Grindelwald began speaking again with a small smile on his face. "For those who do not know, this is Harry Potter, the chosen one. He defeated the dark lord Voldemort when he was only a child. Right now, he is under my tutelage and is acting as our spy right underneath the nose of Dumbledore. With him, we cannot lose the war. He may be young, but his potential is great. For now, he will continue his training and grow as much as possible as a wizard."

He then swiped his wand, and the enchanted smoke vanished.

"I ask you all to now raise your wands and pledge your loyalty to our noble cause. Together we can overthrow the corrupt governments that chain us, and after that put the muggles in their rightful places!"

The crowd responded positively to this and many began to cheer and applaud. Grindelwald nodded to Abraxas and he began leading the crowd in the loyalty oath. Grindelwald grasped Harry by the shoulder, and led him off the stage.

They stopped in front of a skeptical looking Sirius.

He was leaning against the wall gracefully and arched his eyebrow at Grindelwald when he approached.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? I've met muggles, and they aren't half as bad as you paint them."

Grindelwald let out a sigh. "Sirius, Sirius, what is it that you want in life?"

Sirius looked taken aback at the sudden question.

"I mean, I guess, that I just want to live a normal life with my godson", he stuttered.

Grindelwald spoke to Sirius directly. "When I said that the muggles outnumber us, I was not lying. When I said that muggles are destroying our planet, I was not lying then either. When I said that muggles are selfish and greedy creatures, I was not lying then either."

Grindelwald put his finger to his lips and shushed Sirius when he looked like he was about to interrupt.

"Sirius, I'm sure that there are some good muggles out there. But I believe that I am correct when I say that those muggles are in the minority. When the muggles find out about our world, and believe me they will, they will come in droves to put us down. In fact, the leaders of most of the muggle countries are aware of our presence. But when the general public finds out, they will send their armies to take every last witch and wizard down. Look at how they treat each other. They have had wars over the color of their skin! Like I said earlier, they will view us as a threat, and when they do a war will erupt. That is why it is essential that we strike first!"

Sirius looked deeply troubled.

"I-."

"Don't", said Grindelwald. "I want you to think about this long and hard. In the coming days, I cannot have a man of wavering loyalty at my side."

Grindelwald patted Sirius on his back and then turned to Harry.

"Young Harry, I do apologize for not being able to teach you over your hiatus from school. I trust that you have kept up with your studies while I was away?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir! Sirius has been instructing me in some dueling and I have gotten through the 4th year textbooks for school."

Grindelwald gave him a small smile. "Good work Harry. I promise that we will begin your true studies when I see you again in June."

Harry looked at him aghast. "June? That's so far away!"

"Be patient. In time, you will learn the Dark Arts and all that comes along with it. Until then, I expect you to finish your studies. And Sirius, I ask that you find the Black Grimoire and teach Harry the contents within it."
Sirius nodded as Harry pouted slightly.

Grindelwald then handed Harry a small parcel. "This is your Christmas present. I give you this now since there is a good chance that I will not see you again until June."

Harry took the parcel and asked, "Where will you be going?"

Grindelwald replied, "I will be heading over to Don Zabini in Italy, and we will be gathering support in Europe. In the event that you need me, contact Vinda and she will pass on any message that you may have. I hope to see you soon Harry."

He then turned to Sirius. "Think carefully over what I told you, and take good care of Harry, he is very important."

With that the dark lord walked away and vanished into the crowd.

"He's so dramatic", quipped Sirius.

Harry started laughing, but stopped when he saw Abraxas come over. The old man walked over to them and stopped rather pompously in front of them.

"Gentlemen, it is time for us to leave."
"Did the recruitment go well?", asked Harry.

Abraxas nodded. "We got every single person to swear a simple oath of loyalty to Lord Grindelwald. However, it is getting late and as soon as Lucius gets back, we'll head back to the manor."

"Where's Lucius?"

Abraxas frowned. "I'm not sure. He said he was going to go speak to some Dark Artifact dealer-"

He trailed off when he saw a slight disheveled Lucius speed walking over to them.

"Let's go", he said rather urgently, as he pocketed a small parcel.

"What's the rush Lucy?", said Sirius jokingly.

"No time to explain. Father, let's go now!", said Lucius.

As he said those words, a group of men with masking charms on their faces pointed to Lucius and began coming over to them.

"Son what did you do?", said Abraxas angrily.

Lucius licked his lips nervously. "I had one of them examine an artifact of mine, and when he gave me the results, I had no choice but to obliviate him. Unfortunately, one of his associates saw me, and I tried to lose them in the crowd.

Abraxas let out a deep sigh as he ushered the group quickly out the front doors, while Sirius began laughing at the predicament of Lucius.

"Hey, those guys are closing in on u-, whoa!", shouted Sirius as a curse whizzed over his head.

Harry ducked and whipped his wand out. The other three men followed suit.

"Stop!", shouted Abraxas. "You are attacking the heir of Grindelwald and 3 of his closest associates.

One of the men shouted back, "Then you should be helping us apprehend that man. He tried to obliviate my friend here, and is holding a dark artifact that is a great threat against our Lord."

Sirius mouthed to Lucius, "Tried?"

Harry interjected. "What artifact is this?"

Lucius shook his head. "Not now Harry, this is not the place or time."

The man who Lucius tried to obliviate snarled and shot a sickly yellow curse at Lucius. Lucius flicked his wand and a part of the ceiling intercepted the curse.

The other masked men raised their wands and they all simultaneously cast a reductor curse at the four. Suddenly a great golden shield circled the four and absorbed them. They all spun around and saw a furious looking Grindelwald storming towards them.

"What is the meaning of this?", he said in a dangerously soft voice.

The masked men cowered as Grindelwald's aura flared, causing a black smoke to begin flowing towards them.

"Enough games", he said and he flicked his wand causing the masking charms to fail.

Grindelwald walked up to them and examined their faces. "Ah Poliakoff. I should've known it would be you and your filthy brothers. Explain why I shouldn't kill you all, and end your line later at Dumstrang."

Petr Poliakoff began stuttering, "Lord Malfoy approached me with an artifact that he wanted me to examine. I did and found it to be a dangerous artifact hosting a part of Lord Voldemort. He then tried to obliviate me."
Grindelwald looked at Lucius, "Is what he said correct?"

Lucius bowed deeply. "My Lord, I had come across a suspiciously evil artifact in my home, and brought it to Poliakoff for further examination. When he gave me the result, I tried to obliviate him knowing that widespread knowledge of this would lose us the element of surprise. I was about to bring this to you when these men jumped me."

Grindelwald glared at them all and stood there for some time. No one dared to move. Finally, after some time Grindelwald nodded and his aura drew back.
"Lucius hand over the artifact and return home now with your father, Harry, and Sirius."

Lucius nodded quickly and handed over the wrapped diary. Abraxas gave Grindelwald a bow, and he held out a portkey to the other three.

"Malfoy Manor", he intoned clearly.

The four of them vanished.

Grindelwald then turned his gaze on Poliakoff and his brothers. "You idiots could have seriously harmed my heir tonight and would have ruined my plans completely."

The men began groveling at his feet. "Please sir, we'll never do it aga-"

"Perficere prae dolore!", cast Grindelwald. A beam of light encased Poliakoff, and then branched off to his brothers. Then suddenly the light changed colors and the brothers began screaming in agony.

Grindelwald put up silencing wards and a notice me not charm on them. "I hate punishing my followers, I truly do, but you lot must learn a lesson from this. It should deactivate in an hour or so."

With that, he left the men writhing on the floor, in complete agony.

Yay I'm finally back, sorry for the hiatus lol. BTW still looking for a beta, please PM me if you're interested. Next chapter will have a social event, Sirius's trial and more!