(I'm so sorry for the delay. I was kind of at a loss where to go with this story after watching the new Fantastic Beasts movie, which has a completely different trajectory for Grindelwald's motivations, personality, etc. I ended up having to change my story outline and rework it a bit. If it doesn't seem to mesh we'll go back to what was planned before)
When Harry woke up, she found herself alone in the tent. Panicking, she rushed over to her dress and checked the pockets. The cloak was still there, neatly folded as she had left it. Harry let out a sigh of relief and prepared herself for the day, sliding on her dress and a few cleaning charms. She briefly cast a contraception spell, just in case.
When she exited the tent, she saw Grindelwald pouring another cup of tea and examining the diadem. He turned to her and gave her a grin.
"Here I thought I'd have to use a Wiggenweld Potion on you if you didn't wake up," he greeted.
"Well if you administered it through a kiss, I wouldn't mind," she laughed, thinking of the magical origins behind the tale Muggles called Sleeping Beauty.
He offered her his tea, and she gingerly accepted it. It's not like she could refuse it if it was poisoned. She took a sip. No, it was just Assam.
"Are you planning on using it?" Grindelwald asked.
"I'm not sure," Harry replied. "Ravenclaw died subsequently after it was stolen, I wonder if there was any connection."
"You think it could be sapping the user's magic in exchange for wisdom? That's an interesting theory. Though we can't test it here, but we have the equipment back in Nurmengard." Grindelwald stated. He tapped his wand on the diadem and watched it reverberate. "Hmm, it is absorbing the energy it's exposed to. That's a good start."
"We? You're not suggesting I go back with you?" Harry asked.
"My dear, I think we are well past the point of arguing about this. I do not stand for insubordination and it's no longer charming," his voice was steely and had an air of finality.
Harry's breath was shallow, but she composed herself. "When do we leave?"
"Now."
He extinguished the fire and with one fluid motion turned the transfigured camping materials back into rocks and twigs. The lifted his wand and pulled the tent off the ground, casting the counterspell to turn it back into his jacket, sliding the leather duster onto his arms.
He grabbed her hand and she tried to hide her pain from her injury. "When we get to the village, one of my contacts will be waiting for me. We will take a Portkey back to my castle, and you can get acquainted with the others. I'm sure Aurelius will adore you."
"Aurelius?"
"Aurelius Dumbledore, I'm afraid he wasn't well-known until recently, but he has made a name for himself these past few years."
Aurelius Dumbledore? No one mentioned him before, even with the incident with Ariana. Something must have gone horribly wrong for him to never be spoken of. Harry took Grindelwald's hand and followed him on the cobblestone streets.
They walked down the hill and past the clearing, entering the quiet village. Normally, Harry could tell it would be bustling with activity but it was desolate. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and not a single chimney was active. It was as if every villager was hiding in their house.
Grindelwald and Harry strolled into the town square, which was picturesque- like something out of a travel brochure. The narrow white buildings with the wooden shutters looked like sentinels, merchant stalls were barren and boarded. A man in a trench coat apparated towards them and bowed.
"My Lord, we will depart shortly." He placed a small figurine in Grindelwald's hand, a ballet dancer, and it started to glow. The man gave a salute, evidently traveling back on his own.
Harry felt the tug of the Portkey as they tumbled onto the Persian carpet in the main sitting room of Nurmengard. The massive fireplace roaring behind them. In front of her, Harry could see the large window overlooking the Alps, next to her was a massive oak table covered in maps. Perhaps this was the war room, the inner sanctum.
"Admiring the view? It is singular in its beauty. No other residence is as high up to the summit, I'm afraid you'll be hard pressed to find any neighbors who could withstand the mountain winds," Grindelwald added, grinning as he casually reminded Harry she was his prisoner, not his guest.
A beautiful woman dressed in an immaculate suit strode into the room.
"Ah, Vinda! Good of you to show," Grindelwald greeted the woman, gesturing to Harry, "This is Harry. She is one of our new recruits, I've personally selected her. Please let the House Elves know she will need a new room and a uniform, and perhaps a few dresses. She will be staying near my quarters."
Vinda nodded, but her eyes narrowed as she examined the thin, disheveled girl. Harry glared back, but knew she probably did not look much of a threat. Grindelwald chuckled.
"Vinda will warm up to you soon enough if she finds you useful, and she will I'm sure of it," he replied casually, leaving Harry with a pit of dread in her stomach." He motioned for her to follow him.
As they made their way along the labyrinthine castle, Grindelwald made sure to note the certain steps that would lead to trap doors, and which traps meant certain death, as opposed to general maiming.
"Can't have you die in your first week, though we should test out whether you are a Master eventually," he shouted jovially.
Harry did not like the sound of that.
As they reached the end of a long corridor, Grindelwald took out his wand, carefully sneaking towards the door and gently knocking three times. Harry could hear the sound of screeching, or cracking wood and crumbling stone. Something was destroying the room.
"Aurelius? It's me." Grindelwald murmured gently from the door. Instantly, the commotion stopped and it was still on the other end of the door. With a few powerful footsteps, the door swung open, revealing a younger man with dark hair and sharp features. He glared at Grindelwald.
"Why did you leave me?" Aurelius demanded. It seems he was American, judging by the accent.
"You weren't alone, Aurelius. You have Vinda, and Queenie," Grindelwald replied gently, as if placating a child.
"You know I can't stand either of them," Aurelius mumbled. "And must you still call me Aurelius? I prefer Credence."
"How can you reclaim your place as Aurelius Dumbledore if you can't even bother to answer to the name?" Grindelwald snapped. "Have you been practicing communing the Phoenix?"
It seems they had forgotten Harry. She knew now would be the time to leave, but she wanted to hear this conversation.
"Yes, but he doesn't want to come back to me. I can feel the connection with him, but he's fickle. He comes back to me when I'm upset, but then he goes back to that man again." Aurelius, or was it Credence, answered in frustration.
"I'm surprised Albus hasn't found a way to keep him for good," Grindelwald mused. He noticed Harry was still standing next to him, "Back to business, this young woman is Harry Evans, I found her in Albania, and she's quite promising. I was thinking you could mentor her, train her while we prepare for the final stretch." He had a gleam in his eye, and a menacing grin as he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, gripping it firmly. Harry winced in pain.
"You want me to babysit this girl? Isn't that a bit beneath me as your second in command?" Credence asked peevishly.
"Consider it a refresher on your own training, Aurelius. I remember it was only sixteen years ago when you were practically untrained and I helped you control your Obscurus and hone your power. Why not return the favor to those in need?"
Credence looked at Harry doubtfully. "Have you ever attended any magic school, or had any training?" he asked.
Harry couldn't possibly say she went to Hogwarts, there was no record of her. "No sir, I'm self-taught." She lied.
"I figured as much," Grindelwald interrupted, "Your spellwork was woefully inadequate, and your skill levels are inconsistent at best. No wonder you wanted to find the diadem."
"What diadem?" asked Credence.
Grindelwald briefly filled Credence in on the events in Albania and England, he took great pride in mentioning the Stone and how close they were to their goals. Credence did not seem impressed.
"Will we be using Ravenclaw's diadem in the upcoming battles?" Credence asked.
Grindelwald scowled. "We won't need it, but I suppose it's good to have some backup." He pocketed the diadem, much to Harry's chagrin. How was she going to steal it back?
Grindelwald turned to Credence, "I think I'll will gather our council together and we will discuss our plans for the upcoming battles. I'm feeling bold, maybe we should try England again?"
The other man looked at him in frustration, "As if that worked last time. And you know the pact works just as much against you as it does him."
"But there might not be a pact anymore." Grindelwald replied in excitement. Credence's brows furrowed in confusion, but Grindelwald did not elaborate instead he gave a nod goodbye, and told Harry to be a good girl, whatever that meant. Tosser.
As Grindelwald's steps faded into the distance, Credence brooded, completely ignoring her.
"Why would he want to try England again? Last time was a disaster, even on the Nomaj side," Credence muttered.
Harry knew Grindelwald probably just wanted to face Dumbledore again, but she wasn't sure about the last part.
"What was he talking about, with the pact?" Harry asked.
Credence glowered at her. "That is strictly confidential, and cannot be uttered to anyone else outside of this room. To be honest, I don't think you were supposed to hear that."
"Grindelwald's not the type to be careless with information, he wanted me to hear about it, or else he would have incapacitated me." Harry deduced.
Credence didn't bother arguing with her, deciding to change the subject. "Let's get this over with. For the record, I think it's a terrible idea, but I'm not going to have Gellert think I shirked my responsibilities to you by not teaching you. Get out your wand, let's duel."
He led Harry into his room which was sparse compared to the rest of the opulent castle. A four-poster bed, a chair, a book shelf and a desk. No pictures, no windows. It was evident all the furniture had been destroyed and repaired multiple times.
Credence didn't give much of a warning before he started his attack. It seemed he enjoyed pelting Harry with spells. As Harry dodged, she had to give him credit, he was using a variety of types of spells- not just Dark curses, but jinxes, hexes, and even a few creative uses of Transfiguration and Conjuring. As Harry dodged a floating wave of needles, a sentient desk walking around trying to bludgeon her (suddenly transforming into a hungry tiger), and that familiar Purple spell she had seen Dolohov use on Hermione at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Likewise, Harry turned the needles into feathers, conjured the tiger back into a desk, and cast the familiar Avis to send birds to attack him. Casually, Credence sent a nonverbal spell, and the birds fell to the ground, dead.
"Not bad for a start, but I see you were reluctant to use Dark magic." Credence observed.
"I don't see the point in it when it comes to dueling. One can win without it." Harry replied flippantly.
Credence frowned. "A bit late for that, isn't it? You can't refuse Dark Magic while throwing yourself at the Dark Lord."
"And what do you mean by that?" Harry snapped.
"Oh don't try to be coy with me. I know Gellert likes to collect pretty young things," Credence laughed bitterly. "I bet you think you have the upper hand, don't you? Getting him into bed. He's done that before with all of us. Eventually he'll get tired of you. But let's see what he really sees in you."
Harry saw flashes from the night before, and knew that he was trying to use Legimency on her. She tried to block it, but even after her pitiful lessons, her Occulmency hadn't improved. The most she could do was slightly push back, try to protect herself as he saw flashes of her life. Incoherent images.
Going backwards, first Albania, then the Guants. Flashes of her time with the Riddles, working on the farm, then further back to the Red Cross, the Ministry, and then the Final Battle.
Harry tried to block him from her mind, but she could only do so much, and it seems he was not sure what he wanted to see, using brute force to pry his way into her mind. Harry screamed from the pain, feeling the intense pressure almost tearing her skull open. Under no circumstances could she let him know about that, who knows what ramifications it could have.
He saw her die, he saw her loved ones die. It was like living it all over again.
"Neville, kill the snake."
Harry relived the moment when Voldemort's last horcrux was destroyed, and felt her concious snap back, reeling from the sudden and violent disconnection, causing them both to fall onto the floor.
Credence shook in horror, leaning against the stone wall and sliding down to the floor, curling himself into a ball. "Nagini…" he whispered. He tightly closed his eyes as tears ran down his face. Quickly, he wiped them and aggressively pointed his wand at Harry, casting a Body Bind.
"Why? Why would you kill her?" He demanded.
Harry looked at him angrily, he didn't understand and couldn't understand the sacrifices she went through.
"As you saw, I didn't. Anyway, it was for the best. The state she was in wasn't a peaceful exisistence. She was a host for a horcrux for a Dark wizard." Harry answered venomously.
"That's impossible. No living being could be a horcrux," Credence replied angrily.
"I was one for sixteen years, it's possible, but certainly not ideal," Harry muttered wryly.
Credence's hand wavered as he kept his wand pointed at her. They silently stared at each other for a moment, his eyes shining in fury until he let out a sob and destroyed the bedpost – the canopy falling on top of her. Luckily, it missed, but Harry could see the dark specter forming. Still in a Body Bind, Harry was helpless as it destroyed the room – breaking the bed, wood splintering, feathers flying in the air. Harry wanted to scream as pieces of wood embedded in her skin, but she could not.
She could feel the destructive specter on her, ready to strike. Its dark energy hot and oppressive, a pure force of rage. Its black tendrils reaching her, ready to touch her.
As suddenly as it emerged, the black cloud retreated, moving back into Credence. He held his hands to his temples, the specter moving back inside his body. When it disappeared, he curled back into a ball, shaking. He took a few deep breaths, eyes closed. He stood up and undid Harry's Body Bind, examining her for injuries. Harry moved her stiff limbs, trying to bring back their circulation.
"Nothing permanent, unfortunately," he said tartly.
"What was that?" Harry asked, barely masking her terror
"That," Credence replied as he cast healing charms for her cuts, "Is an Obscurus. Mine specifically. They happen to wizards and witches who have to repress their magic, hide who they are. Their magic can be manifested as a physical force and destroy anything it sees as a threat, in this case, you. You know, I haven't had an episode in years and I have two in one day, what are the odds?" He waved his wand and the splinters pulled themselves out of Harry, she bit her lip as she tried not to scream in pain. Credence seemed to grudgingly respect that. He helped her down onto the stone floor and they sat side by side, catching their breath. He seemed to have calmed down but Harry didn't want to antagonise him.
"My aunt and uncle hated magic," Harry replied gently. "They'd call me a freak and punish me when mine would manifest accidentally, I couldn't imagine what it must have been like having to hide it."
Credence paused and tried to hide his look of sympathy towards her. "Beatings?"
"Nothing too severe, my aunt once tried to hit a frying pan at my head," Harry said dryly. "Mostly it was going to my cupboard without supper."
"Cupboard?"
"I slept in a cupboard under the stairs until I was eleven."
Credence laughed. "You're joking."
"I wish I was," Harry replied sadly. She really didn't want to talk about her past, and it seemed he didn't want to either.
"So you can control it?" Harry asked. She remembered Ariana Dumbledore, and the ill-fated accident. Is that why Grindelwald wanted him, because of his past? And what about the Phoenix?
"Partially. Even after all this time it's still difficult. Gellert has trained me in Occulmency, but that isn't one of his stronger skills. Queenie helps me, but since she's a natural Legimens its hard for her to explain how she does it. I guess it would be like explaining how to breathe." Credence explained. "I guess you'll meet Queenie later, she's…different. Nice enough I guess. Not sure how she ended up with us, doesn't really fit the mold. Did you know she's in love with a Nomaj?"
"Nomaj? Is that a Muggle?" Harry asked.
He nodded. "You do have a lot to learn," he replied sympathetically, patting her shoulder. Harry didn't like that she was being condescended for not knowing what she assumed was an American term, but would take it over attempted murder. "It was all pretty new to me when I started too. I must have been around your age when Gellert told me I was a wizard."
"Grindelwald told you that you were a wizard?" Harry asked skeptically.
Credence shrugged. "He found me, he found you. Gellert tends to find lost souls." He was lost in thought, and Harry was about to interrupt when he grabbed her hand. "Did you know Nagini well, before she died?"
"Not that well. I'd was able to connect to her in my dreams, for a time I saw through her eyes, lived as her when she attacked the father of my best friend. He almost died. I hated it." Harry replied bitterly.
Credence frowned. "Nagini doesn't like to kill if she can help it. Did this man provoke her?"
"No, he was fighting against the wizard who used her as a Horcrux. He ordered her to kill him. I guess that is how I was able to briefly see through her perspective, because of our shared bond." Harry concluded. Now that she had time, for once, she could see the connections.
"That bastard," Credence growled. "To make her do that, to force her into something so awful. Nagini loved her freedom more than anything else, I can't imagine how it must have been for her to have to be an assassin for this…worm."
"Well, I'd say she was more of a familiar, they were close," Harry added reassuringly. Harry didn't want to tell him about how she would eat Voldemort's victims. It seemed too much even for her.
"Familiar? Did she even turn into her human form when you knew her?" Credence asked.
Harry paled. "Nagini was human?" she asked.
Had she asked Neville to murder a person?
"Probably not by the point you knew her then. She was a maladictus. It's a blood curse that turns a witch into an animal over time. But if you knew her as a snake, that means her permanent transformation has happened."
He banged his head against the wall. "I thought I could find a cure, that I could get a chance to say goodbye."
Harry wavered. Should she?
"It's still not too late. There's time." Harry replied emphatically.
"But I saw, in your mind…"
"It hasn't happened yet. Not for a long while off." Harry answered.
"How?"
"I'm from the future."