A/N: Deep apologies for the loooooooooong silence. I seriously need a time-turner. And Harry Potter. Unfortunately, neither belong to me.
Chapter 14
Herr Cottismore Croyne was already 178 years old, his mind beginning to wander more than it focused, and a bit too frail to be secure and decisive in such an important position. Five times during their meeting, Hadrian was forced to reintroduce him to the topic at hand. It was no wonder Grindelwald and his henchmen were running roughshod all over Europe. Luckily for the ancient wizard, his secretary was an efficient and rather gruff politically brilliant young wizard and deftly kept the conversation flowing and relevant. The many false starts, though, kept him stiff and stilted until he decided to chuck it all and bring Harry Potter out to play.
He quit addressing his concerns entirely to the Supreme Mugwump and began explaining his quandary and his plan to Eberhardt. The young bureaucrat eventually openly wondered why the famous Mr Dumblydoor wasn't here and joining in this appeal. Hadrian politely but firmly pointed out that he was Lord Peverell, the one whose Identity and family crest that Grindelwald had stolen and perverted; he wasn't representing England or Hogwarts or any such, but Clan Peverell and nothing more. Grindelwald had stolen his house crest, his ancestral heirloom wand and his family's rich history and made a mockery out it all. All that he sought, he explained, was to put an end to this farce that had hunted his family to near extinction. He had family magics to help contain the war and stop the needless killing and destruction. He had the means to prevent more innocents being harmed, monuments being destroyed, their history being shredded and the International Statute of Secrecy being so openly mocked and derided. He had the means to put and end to it and it's all that he wished to do, but legally and with permission from a government body he respected. This was a matter family honour and dignity for him, his wife and his nephew, and all the children to come.
What was Dumbledore's business in a family feud? He wasn't and will never be a Peverell so it was frankly none of his business, even if Grindelwald had once been his lover. That man was too tied up in fear and bound by a blood pact he had made decades ago with Grindelwald when they were teenage lovers, but Peverell honor was never to be bound by something that trite and foolish. He explained why the old coot was lying low and how he had no intention of letting someone else fight his battles and enjoy all the glory though. If Hadrian was petty enough to relish the shock and drama of the tidbit of gossip he gave in that chamber, he was savvy enough to not show how much he relished embarrassing the old man who had plagued him so long and through two lifetimes.
Lord Peverell had his wish and formally presented his case against Gellert Grindelwald, on a case of blatant attempt of line-theft of his family name, legacy and crest, before Herr Cottismore Croyne, the supreme mugwump and his secretary Leonardo Eberhardt. All three of them knew that it was only a traditional formality and normally feuds between two wizards or even two clans should normally fall under the purview of the focal governing bodies but Grindelwald's latest on-dits and exploits made it the business of ICW. He was exposing the existence of Magic to the most reckless and dangerous Muggles like Hitler and Mussolini. He was dragging not just the Peverell name and legacy but all of magical world into a muggle war that was putting all of them and the very existence of magic itself in grave danger. And that brought the three of the Peverell Clan here jumping through bureaucratic loops to address the issue properly.
All that was left for Eberhardt to do was guide the half blind Supreme Mugwump through signing off on legal permit to declare a feud and use the feud casting stones to pull the besmircher to the arena of judgement here in Geneva. Eberhardt managed to get him the legal sanction for declaring a honor duel. It turned out to be the shortest meeting at ICW and Hadrian felt very pleased indeed with the outcome. Eberhardt shook his head in bemusement and declared that he didn't know whether to clap his back in pride, chuckle in amusement or throw him in a mental asylum for the mad scheme.
Taking on Grindelwald all by oneself with an audience watching too. Eberhardt couldn't make up his mind whether it was untold bravery or reckless suicidal arrogance. While leading Hadrian off to their next meeting with the justice committee of the ICW, Leonardo Eberhardt had only one advice to give the determined young British Wizard - a sad reminder that all plans crumble at first contact with the enemy. Hadrian thanked him profusely for that, and would remind himself to plan more than one or even three contingencies for the big day.
And the rest was on Fates being kind to them all; if Grindelwald couldn't be contained with this plan, then the whole world would burn in the man's unbridled ambitions. That was an idea that was less of an idea and more of a nightmare waiting to happen - it wasn't to be born. All they could do was pray to the higher powers that be that they succeed in their venture. Hope was all they had at this point where thousands upon thousands were dying while the world plodded on, willfully ignorant.
They had reached their next avenue, engrossed in their conversation. Hadrian slipped past the nearly innocuous door into a rather well appointed room that looked less like a war council room and more like a social hall with a modestly large table and a few chairs scattered around. But all the activities were centred around the bar counter by the side, and the one Hadrian had envisioned as the next Supreme Mugwump was busy mixing and mastering cocktails. She fairly glowed with barely contained power, even as she looked as commonplace as Madam Rosmerta would have, sleeves rolled up, her rich laughter cheering them all.
Hadrian stood back a minute to admire her elan and control as she juggled delicate crystal-ware and silver shakers and ice bucket and two shot glasses at the same time. Her eyes were firmly fixed on him and yet she never once broke her stride and flow as she conversed with who Hadrian instinctively recognized as Zhao Zhuang, the great battle-mage from the far East. Each of the members present in the chamber fairly vibrated with power, and all of them ten times as impressive as Dumbledore in his prime. How on earth did Dumbledore get to be so arrogant when surrounded by superior beings like these? Hadrian hadn't the foggiest. What a pity Mione couldn't join them - She'd have been thrilled for an introduction and a chance to pick their brains, and Milen twice as much.
None of the others gathered close by were any form of slouches and by the very ancient and war weary look in their eye, Hadrian immediately understood that everyone of them in the room except Everhart had been Death's agents of Balance in their respective parts of the world. They must have recognised him as such too, for the conversation fell flat and each of them exchanged respectful bows to Hadrian who was for all intents and purposes, a rank new nobody. Hadrian returned their bows just as respectfully, even if he never took his eyes off them for a scant second.
Eberhardt waited to catch Mistress Kuznetsova's eyes and formally introduced Lord Hadrian Peverell from West Britannia and the owner of Herald, and the prospective challenger to Grindelwald. As introductions went, that felt more pompous than spectacular and Hadrian was hard pressed not to grimace in distaste. Hadrian was ushered into a seat at the Bar while each of the others quietly excused themselves to return back from their break to the Meeting of Nations that had been going on for a couple of days now.
No sooner than they had all settled with a drink, Hadrian begged indulgence and told them to ignore all those ridiculous titles and labels - He was a businessman from England, and here with a bone to pick with a thief who stole his family's very identity and used it to wreak havoc in the world. More than anything, Hadrian considered himself a family man, and someone had the audacity to steal from his family and was young enough to want a fight to settle the conflict. The politics of it, the drama and the international stage for it all.. it was an unfortunate happenstance, something he could not back off from.
Family was important to every Wizen no matter their blood, status, nationality or gender - it was a trait of their species. Clans, families, blood - it was what drove them, it was what they all fought and lived and killed and died for. Hadrian's little speech, his growing anger at Grindelwald, and his desire to protect his family, above all else, was something they instinctively understood and related with. Both Dumbledore's and Grindelwald's loftier ideas about the greater good, and pitting races against each other, seeking to control no-Majs made no sense to them; the International Statute of Secrecy was there for a reason - some things were not meant to mix. Like Oil and Water.
Listening to them voice their views, Hadrian disagreed at that point there, to everyone's shock. He reminded them that Mundanes still birthed Magical Children, who couldn't be abandoned to their fates. Leaving Mundane born children to grow up in the mundane world was to court exposure in the worst of ways - by endangering their vulnerable young. And besides, Hadrian was of the belief that it was better to blend in like chameleons rather than be cut off from an entire ecosystem - the No-Maj were marvelously inventive and creative in their attempts to achieve miracles without Magic to help them along. There was ever so much to learn from the No-Maj communities. But conquest and War was an utter waste of time, resources and life. Pointless.
Hadrian explained how he wasn't simply shooting off idealistic concepts but talking from experience, and how he was gradually working a system back home in England where the next generation were being taught to blend in both worlds, keep their beloved traditions and magic safe and secure, and continue to prosper in magic, in knowledge, in economy as well. Naturally, he had plenty of magical photographs and sketches to show all that he had achieved. Thank god for Everhardt, who brought the talk back to the more urgent issue - the Duel of Honour between Peverell and Grindelwald.
Hadrian presented his strategy, and his plans to a group now more willing to take him seriously. His work back in England, the proof of it all, had won him the chance to be heard, considered and now, offered sincere assistance. In the back of his head, he had to wonder how Dumbledore had managed in the last timeline, having done nothing more spectacular than being the apprentice of the very elusive Nicholas Flamel. But then Dumbledore had always been brilliant at talking for hours and still saying nothing.
As the group talked for hours, his rather flimsy plan fledged out, details were added, loopholes and weak chinks carefully closed and ideas fine-tuned. It was beginning to look like he might be able to pull it off after all - Hadrian had been banking rather heavily on the fact that Hadrian would be protected by Death himself. But he was not immune to injuries or agony. It had been a few years since the last time he had actually fought with any amount of fierceness.
Practice fights with the Potters, Blacks and Longbottoms were fun but were they in the league of the likes of Grindelwald? He honestly had no idea. Grindelwald was an unknown with an aura of mystic, incredible skills and a ruthlessness Hadrian had no idea if he could ever match. He left Mistress Kuznetsova to work out the details, eager to take a walk and calm his nerves. Staying cooped up indoors this long was hardly conducive to his well being or his jittery nerves. Thankful for Everhardt's company, they took a quick trip to a muggle cafe close by, practically inhaled the thick, heady, and bitter coffee and the flaky, delicious pastries before they hurried back to the next meeting. Hadrian knew that he would have to get a lot more involved in the ICW, but these endless meetings and discussions were already wearing him out, and he was yet to formally join the lot. Unbidden came to mind the old muggle saying of a committee to make an elephant, and he swallowed the nervous chuckle, following Everhardt to the next chamber. They had arrived early though.
Next meeting was with the ICW delegates but Hadrian arrived early and another strategic re-shuffle was happening behind sealed chambers. The majority representatives of 18 out of 21 member nations of the ICW were present and voting for the future of ICW and the progress of Grindelwald's war against everyone, as the strangely insightful Herr Croyne had remarked to no one - Hadrian wondered if he was the only one who had heard the old man speak, given how much of chaos reigned, with everyone shouting over the others in Sonorus, all wanting to be heard, and no one wishing to hear the others out. Hadrian resisted the urged to rub his throbbing forehead, determined to remain composed and poised as Hermione always insisted, rather than slouch freely and bury his head in his arms.
It had been a 72 hour long session and votes were being called when Hadrian arrived into the seats he had been ushered into. Another four hours passed and sometime after the first hour, Hadrian had lost track of all conversation. When a semblance of silence, order and calm resumed, startling him, he was a bit surprised to realize that Herr Croyne had been voted out of office in the closed session he had been er.. privileged to witness, and the ancient wizard had been actually happy to be replaced with the next in line and future supreme mugwump, Mistress Kuznetsova, was sworn in to her new office, just as Hadrian had predicted and hoped for.
Hadrian let a small smile slip as he caught up with the events. Lost in his head, he hadn't even noticed the lady come into the chamber, or replace Herr Croyne in the High Seat of the Supreme Mugwump already. He would have bribed that into reality had he been capable of focusing on this bedlam, but Magicals were, for the first time in a long time, conscious of their fragile hold on the statute of Secrecy and she was the only one determined to stand up and do something. He was glad for a chance to get up and stretch his near frozen legs when the chamber finally opened to let the delegates out, and joined the eager crowd spilling out the doors. But Everhardt beckoned him to a side.
Hadrian was pleased to be invited to a working dinner in Mistress Kuznetsova's new office, and yet another closed session meeting; surreptitiously casting a small blood racing charm on himself to bring his body up to speed, he followed Everhardt once again. Hector Podmore, the British Delegate to the ICW and Harry Longbottom's third cousin, bless his soul, had managed to squeeze him in for an hour long meeting with the big guns whom he had briefly met in the break time bar during the brunch break after meeting with Herr Croyne. Momolu Watorson, the Confederatione les Australasias Representative, Heinrich Eberstadt of Switzerland, Ya Zhou Xiu of the Imperial Chinese Territories, Arnold Guzman from MACUSA, Istavan Varga Nagy from Austrio-Hungarian province, Tatiana Kuznetsova the Legislation & Administration Head of the ICW and Dorjan Bayarsaikhan the Mongolian wizard who had recently ascended to head of Law Enforcement Army, after his predecessor and Uncle was poisoned by agents of Grindelwald.
Hadrian had already studied the profiles of each of the wizards in the list. Other than Mr Watorson, and Master Zhou Xiu, each and everyone had suffered a personal loss at the hands of Grindelwald. And the list of Grindelwald's full network supplied by Dobby's network of specialized spies would help the ICW team to clean up their department and keep their plan secure. But the one who Hadrian really wanted to court and then gently influence was the new Supreme Mugwump. Thankfully, she seemed to share his ideals and beliefs and, Hadrian was really surprised and pleased to learn, she had also been avidly following the Herald ever since it came out. Naturally, he credited his amazing Lady Hermione for all of his better ideas and their success.
Zhou Xiu, Varga, and Nagy joined Hadrian and Mistress Kuznetsova in mapping out a plan to root out the last revenants and acolytes. Hadrian proposed an idea that created pandemonium in the conference room initially, but Hadrian managed to talk them round to his side, and they grudgingly approved. Then began the long process of vetting the existing team for moles, informants, doubters and weak links. The next three days, Hadrian knew, would go in hectic preparations, and instead of running himself ragged with training, Hadrian decided to let the experts do their job while he preferred to spend his days in meditation, training and even a few rituals Death had mentioned but he never felt the need for, until now, to boost his core and stamina, and then spend the evenings with his family. All his focus was centered on letting his core breathe, his thoughts centre and settle, and mentally prepare to take a life. It would always be the hardest thing he had been marked to do; by now he was coming to realize how hard it was to even contemplate taking a life - even if it was as evil and dangerous to the world as Grindelwald clearly was.
Thank Mordre for his family! Milen and Mione were full of interesting anecdotes about their exploration adventures and all the wonderful things they had learned, seen, tasted, heard and seen. Looking at a very animated Milen waving his hands about in sheer excitement as he talked of the Oracle of Delphi, who actually disappointed him by telling him his only destiny now was to live well and be kind - Milen bemoaned that he was now bound to live a boring life. Hadrian laughed at his very put out face pouting most adorably. Inwardly, he was thankful that Milen would not have a prophesy hanging around his head, ruining his life.
Prophesies were utter shite things to happen to a person, in Hadrian's personal opinion.
A/N: A whole heaping tonne of apologies for the delay in posting new chapters. Me, my laptop and my life are currently at loggerheads with each other. It was lucky I got a window of time to post this one chapter before things went kaput again. Not sure how often I can post again, or when. But I solemnly swear I am up-to a helluva good. It just so happens that all that good has very little to do with leisure time, or spare pockets of mind-frame to work on the lovely stories I've got going here. So sorry, guys.. please bear with me?