Advice gratefully accepted
({.})
It began on the 10th of May, 1940.
By the 14th of June Paris was undefended.
She fights in the French resistance. Her parents are gone. During Case Yellow, early in the war although only Germans called it that, her father, a doctor, was recruited to help the injured on the front line. Finally his superior officers gave him a gun and sent him to the front where he died as the officers made their escape.
His death tore apart her mother. She ran in front of Germans as they drove into Paris. She did not survive.
Hermione was out of Paris when this happened. She would learn the truth later from a neighbor who had saved some pictures from their apartment before the well mannered Germans marched down their street.
She did not return to school come September first. France was not safe for muggleborns. He had taken over magical Paris soon after the fall of muggle Paris. First Grindelwald cut off the magical's food supplies from the country and muggles. His contacts among the Germans left the magical city at his mercy even before muggle France waved their white flag. Magical France surrendered before the rich could starve.
She joined the Resistance. She joined the muggle one for a while, allowing her hatred of Germans overwhelm her hatred for the muggles that ordered her father to the front line. Once the muggle resistance grew more organized, and the officers who had sent her father to die returned did she left.
({.})
He is fascinated by the mouse. He assumes that the name came from the rats nest upon her head, but he leaves that question. She looks thirteen. She stays close, a prison which, coincidentally, doubles as his base of operations.
"You would have been better to send in your tactical team to target the warehouses, then send in the general army at the battle of Prague." she says, telling him that he has made her uncomfortable with his silence and stares.
He continues to stare, unwilling to offer her the comfort of deciding when they shall speak. Grindelwald leaves, amused at the immaturity of someone whose eyes are so old.
({.})
He returns the next day, pleased that she seems to expect him. Perhaps she is more intelligent than her age, or her control. Once again, he makes her begin the conversation, refusing to acknowledge her first. As if she has sought him out when she cannot leave her prison.
"Henrich had not betrayed you" she informs him after a moment observing how he stood.
"I know, but one of your resistance members wished for his head. A head which bought me several supply lines."
"That explains why Micheal allowed himself to be captured" she mused, tilting her head as she examines him further.
"Indeed, he expected to be rewarded when we picked him up"
"What was his punishment for such presumption?"
His laugh is booming and echoes down the hall. "You might have heard him already. His cell is only a few down from yours."
"Should I expect the same reward if I asked for a head? Although I think I should be content with a smaller organ"
"My dear I believe my men should be willing to give you their whole body should you just ask for it. You are really quite lovelier than that ridiculous code name suggests."
({.})
The poor magical population of France never starved. They are so well integrated into the muggle works Grindelwald could never blockade their food supplies.
({.})
Thor is an excellent public speaker. He always knew his audience, always knew which member of the resistance was happy to be laughed at, and who not to target. He always keeps his speeches short, assigning people to groups to talk out their specific assignments afterwards.
To friends Thor's humor is cruel and biting. He knows how to cut boundaries down. On a stage his humor is quick and witty. Hecklers are cut down in a good humored way.
The Mouse was awful at public speaking. She had trouble speaking to anyone, but crowds especially terrified her. Too many unknown variables.
({.})
Sometimes the soldiers working at Grindelwald's prison liked to share stories. Most of the mouse's favorites included the different ways they had seen their peers die. Most of the guards favorites were how a prisoner had died.
({.})
"Forced relocation will only drive men into my Resistance's arms."
Grindelwald knows that the obligatory work service is hated by almost all, but it gives the muggles a good taste of their position in his regimen after the war.
"My darling, I know you have been here for a few months, but I relocate few wizards. Those are drafted, much cleaner than asking aristocrats to be serfs, they would much rather be knights."
"You forget how integrated the magicals in France are with the muggles. We had the benefit of a working government far before magical Germany, you may remember in your youth." She does love to pick at his age, either at not acting it or being over the hill as the English are fond of saying.
"My dear, much like how I do not forget you, I rarely forget irritations."