A/N Thank you, thank you to my wonderful Beta, Minerva Dumbledore1
Thank you Mavidian, Redwoman06, LinZe, CEA, Laura Kay, Crookykanks, Minerva Lea, VoyICJ, and Dark Lulu for reviewing.
Gyromancy is the practice of walking in circles till dizzy collapse and then interpreting where the person falls.
Sideromancy is divination with a red hot iron!
Spodomancy is divination with ashes
Ceromancy is divination using wax and water
Catoptromancy is divination with mirrors
Ichthyomancy is divination using fish entrails
Oenomancy is divination using wine
Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody waited patiently in Grindelwald's study. It was the wizard's habit, no matter how important the visitors, to keep them waiting. A power game he liked to play, to demonstrate his own importance. Compared to the high level ministry officials and heads of old blood families who usually came to call, a Transfiguration Professor and a young auror were not very important at all. They could expect to wait some time for Grindelwald's presence, and so they had plenty of time to observe the room.
Books lined all of one wall, leaving space only for the door out. Behind the wizard's desk, shelves upon shelves of prophecies were waiting to be picked up by the Department of Mysteries. An enormous aquarium stood five feet tall and ran the entire length of another wall. A door on the last wall led to Grindelwald's private rooms. A large portion of the room was clear of any furniture. The marks on the floor indicated that was the area Grindelwald used to practice his gyromancy. The series of irons by the fireplace were for his sideromancy. A long table held basins for ashes, wax, and wine for spodomancy, ceromancy, and oenomancy, respectively. Space was still left on the table for the mirrors used in catoptromancy. Despite the presence in the room of the large tank of fish, both men refused to speculate on the uses of the large carving knife with cutting board, also on the table.
Tea service for three was set up on Grindelwald's desk. It was well known that Grindelwald always served tea to guests so he could read their leaves afterwards. Across from the desk, two chairs were empty as Dumbledore and Moody stood behind them. Grindelwald had not yet arrived, so the men had not yet been given leave to sit. Grindelwald's peculiarities were well enough known that neither man even considered seating themselves.
Dumbledore commented after he noticed the extra tea cup and chair.
"I see Grindelwald has foreseen me accompanying you here."
The young auror fidgeted.
"I'm not too fond of Seers in general, and Grindelwald can be a little hard to understand when he goes all out. I appreciate you coming. Merlin knows no one at the Ministry was willing to come."
"I must admit, I am surprised Grindelwald is still so sought after these days. I would have assumed after Artemisia's death his Sight would have reverted back to its earlier…"
Alastor shrugged unknowingly.
"What does anyone really know of the way the old blood bonds work anymore?"
"Indeed, you are correct, Alastor. I do believe it has been many centuries since anyone else has used them. I shudder to think of what my brother Aberforth's first three wives would have done to him had they not been able to simply get a decree from the Ministry of Magic nullifying their unions."
"By the way, Artemisia's predictions about the other two professors at dinner that night, did they come true?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact they did."
"I'm sorry to hear that. How did they die?"
Moody found the twinkling of Dumbledore's eyes rather inappropriate before he answered.
"Oh, they didn't. Professor Sigurd followed after Professor Brynhild to comfort her. As she was very distraught and the Astronomy tower is rather high up, he feared leaving her alone in her tower. One thing led to another… They were married two months later and Professor Brynhild resigned at the end of the year to prepare for impending motherhood. You might recall, Artemisia never actually said she would die, merely that her position would need to be filled for the following year."
Moody frowned.
"Somehow, that is not the way I interpreted her words."
"Indeed, I am sure your interpretation was what Artemisia intended you to go away with."
"Artemisia said Professor Sigurd would need to be replaced too?"
"Yes, actually he applied and was accepted for a position at a French wizarding school. They wished to give the unpleasant memory of Artemisia's predictions some distance."
Moody just shook his head at the way in which Artemisia had so deliberately attempted to pervert a happy future.
When the door to Grindelwald's rooms opened, both men went quiet and turned expectantly. At first, it seemed no one was there. Then the tiniest grey and black kitten leapt onto Grindelwald's chair. From there, the kitten leaped to the desk and sat down.
Moody broke the silence.
"Psst, cat. I don't know if anyone told you, but around here it's best to wait until you are asked to be seated."
Both men laughed, when the kitten gave Moody a disdainful look.
"So sorry for keeping you waiting gentlemen. From the sounds of it, you have managed well in my absence."
Grindelwald swept into the room, robes billowing menacingly. Moody sincerely wondered if the man charmed them to do that.
He couldn't help grinning. Somehow, knowing the man owned a kitten, he didn't seem so imposing anymore.
"I never would have pegged you as a cat person, Grindelwald."
Grindelwald gave Moody a piercing look.
" I did not chose for her to be a cat. That was her own doing."
Moody sighed to himself. Now he remembered why he had asked the older wizard, who had stood up so well to Artemisia and Grindelwald at the dinner a few years ago, to accompany him to this meeting.
Dumbledore, still looking at the kitten, addressed her owner.
"The kitten is awfully young, Grindelwald. She should be with her mother."
Grindelwald stroked the kitten lovingly a few times before responding in a deadened tone.
"The mother was not fit. She had to be destroyed."
"What is the kitten's name?"
"That does not concern you, Dumbledore. Did you come here to discuss my kitten or was there more to this visit?"
As the official Ministry representative, it was Moody's duty to respond.
"The new Minister of Magic wishes a consultation with you."
Oh yes, Charles was it?"
Moody looked awkward. "No, actually. The newer Minister of Magic, Augustus."
"Hmm. We do seem to be going through Ministers rather quickly these days. What is this five in two years?"
"Six actually." Corrected Dumbledore.
"Really? My, my. So many, who can keep count?" Grindelwald smiled. "I enjoyed Asgard the most. Which was your favorite?"
Moody started again. "Yes, well, given the recent series of assassinations, Augustus wishes a consultation with you. He thought you might be able to offer some insight into recent events or at least, give some suggestions on how he could avoid a similar fate."
"Well, I shall certainly do all that I can to help. If the Minister would care to stop by tomorrow, I can offer him a reading then."
"The Minister was actually hoping you could come to his offices. He is a rather busy man these days."
Grindelwald finally motioned for the others to be seated. Moving over to the aquarium, he opened the flap on the top and dropped in food from a nearby canister. Facing them again, he spoke.
"I am afraid that will not work. I too am a busy man. If he wishes a reading, he will need to come here."
Moody looked extremely uncomfortable. How exactly to explain that since his unwanted appointment four days ago, Augustus had barricaded himself in his office and refused food or drink? Given how quickly Ministers were dying and the fact that no one was willing to run anymore, elections for the position hadn't been held in almost a year. The deaths of his six predecessors were still nowhere near being solved. In fact, the aurors investigating still had no idea how they had been poisoned. The last three had been constantly surrounded by aurors, day and night. Every bit of food and drink they received was taste tested by another first.
That was a precaution that many of the other poisoning victims had never been given. All of the wizarding world was in chaos at the moment. In the past two years, scores of people had been poisoned from all walks of life. Ministry workers, delivery men, wizarding aristocracy, healers, dressmakers; the victims seemed to have no real connection to each other. They all hadn't eaten at the same restaurant, or drunk the same kind of beverage. Even the kinds of poisons used and their effects had differed, some fast reacting, others slow to take effect, some painless, others excruciating. With no pattern to be discerned, all the restaurants and pubs in Wizarding England had closed down from lack of business. People wouldn't even sit down with a neighbor for a cup of tea.
Moody looked to Dumbledore for help, but the other man's attention was still on the kitten.
"Sir, for security reasons, the Minister can not be traveling."
Grindelwald returned to his chair and poured out tea.
"Mr. Moody, you of all people should know that since my wife's death, I no longer leave the estate."
Moody shuddered involuntarily at the mention of Artemisia's murder. He still had nightmares about the woman's violent death over seven years ago at the hands of the centaurs. Not that the woman hadn't deserved punishment for harming a unicorn, but still, the way she had been dismembered… Moody took a sip of his tea to settle his stomach.
Turning to Dumbledore, he saw the older wizard trying to hide a smile. Wondering what exactly the man could find so amusing at a time like this, Moody followed his gaze.
Unbeknownst to Grindelwald, his kitten had managed to get on top of the aquarium. Grindelwald had never closed the flap, so the kitten was sitting on the edge, swatting at the fish below. As Moody watched, the kitten made contact with one of the slower fish and losing her balance, tumbled into the water.
"Grindelwald-" Dumbledore began.
Grindelwald repeated. "If the Minister wishes a reading, he will have to come-"
"It's your kitten." Dumbledore interrupted.
Grindelwald looked at the aquarium in awe and horror. The small kitten had her fish, but was struggling to get out of the water. The distance between the water and the ledge was too great and the kitten too young to be a good swimmer.
Seeing Grindelwald was too mesmerized to do anything, Dumbledore went over to the tank. The hard tone of Grindelwald's voice stopped him.
"Do not intervene."
Grindelwald crossed over to the tank and put his hand against the glass, near the drowning kitten. His voice was gentle now.
"If she dies now, by her own doing, will none of it come to pass? Can it be? Does it really end like this? If she dies now, will it all end with her?"
Dumbledore reached into the tank. Ignoring the water soaking him to the elbow, he plucked the kitten out. Crossing back to the desk, he set the sputtering kitten down. He pulled out his wand and conjured a towel to dry the kitten, but the kitten saved him the effort by shaking her fur dry, and everything else in the room wet.
Dumbledore smiled and stroked the kitten. "Yes, I guess that works too."
Moody took another polite sip of his tea, but almost dropped the cup at the change in the taste. He wanted to ask Grindelwald about it, but stopped at the look on Grindelwald's face.
"You have no idea what you have done! You can not even begin to comprehend the consequences of your actions!"
Dumbledore looked up in alarm at the other man.
"Grindelwald, calm yourself."
"Leave her alone! Stop touching her!"
Dumbledore stopped stroking the kitten and just stared at the man before him. The kitten looked up, displeased at the interruption in affection, but soon contented herself by picking at the fish she had refused to let go of in the aquarium.
"Leave now! Leave now and never come back!" Grindelwald was in an absolute panic. "No, wait. Come back tomorrow. Yes, come back tomorrow - both of you. That is very important."
Grindelwald nodded to himself.
"Grindelwald, are you quite alright?"
Dumbledore's concern was obvious, but he relaxed when Grindelwald picked up the kitten and cradled her in his arms. The tiny creature seemed rather aggravated to have her little feast interrupted, but stopped struggling once he began to stroke her fur. Grindelwald walked to the door of his private rooms, whispering reassuringly to the kitten the whole time.
The two remaining men stared after him in wonder. Soon a house elf appeared to show them out of the labyrinth like house. Before they left from the other door, Moody paused.
"You know, I think he finally has surpassed Artemisia in something. Shame it had to be madness. Do you know, he has unicorn water in his fish tank?"
The older wizard waved his hand dismissively. "Grindelwald has always been all flash and no substance."
********************************
The next day, the two did return as requested. Again they were left alone in the study by a house elf. The room had changed dramatically. The aquarium that had filled an entire wall the day before was now replaced by a large standing mirror, turned to face the wall.
Moody found another peculiarity to comment on.
"We must have been earlier than expected or perhaps the house elves are running late. Tea has not yet been set up."
As if on cue, a very frightened house elf entered the room with tea service for three people. She seemed shocked that people were already in the room. When Dumbledore smiled at her reassuringly, she covered her eyes and started to sob. Only Moody's quick auror reflexes stopped the tray from hitting the ground. After deliberately running into the closed door several times, she opened it and ran out of the room.
"You don't think whatever Grindelwald has is contagious, do you?"
Dumbledore sighed, ignoring the question.
"It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some wizards treat their house elves. Mark my words, one day house elves will have had enough and…"
He brightened considerably when the door opened and in walked the little kitten from yesterday. The kitten didn't seem to notice them at first. She was too occupied trying to figure out where all the fish went.
"So back at the Ministry yesterday, I told my superiors that maybe Grindelwald wasn't the best Seer to be trying to consult, given his apparent…deterioration. Turns out the reason I was specifically sent to Grindelwald is that he warned the third and fourth Ministers. Bones and Malfoy took it as the usual Seer mumbo jumbo, but Augustus was Senior Undersecretary to both. He thinks with the help of Grindelwald's visions, he can..."
Moody trailed off as the kitten captured his attention.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with that cat?"
His companion couldn't help but chuckle. Unable to find the aquarium, the kitten had begun a thorough search of the rest of the room. The teapot had gained the favor of her attentions. The house elf, in her haste, never put the top on the teapot. The little kitten kept putting her paw inside the pot, swatting for fish. When she put her whole head in the pot and brought it back out with a tea bag, even Moody laughed.
"How the hell can he read our tea leaves if he uses tea bags?"
Dumbledore just laughed and took the tea bag from the angry kitten. He popped it back into the pot and set the top on it. With a quick wave of his wand, the small mess was gone. The kitten scowled and rewarded him by scratching his hand.
"Sorry my dear, but after yesterday, I think it would be best if you kept a low profile."
Moody shook his head.
"I am not drinking that tea now."
The kitten, unable to find anything else interesting to do, jumped off of the desk and went to the gyromancy circle.
Now, Dumbledore scowled at Moody.
"You will drink it and you will like it or at least pretend you do. I am more than a little apprehensive about leaving a defenseless creature like that with Grindelwald after yesterday's display. I would greatly prefer not to give him cause to be angry with her."
Moody snorted, but smiled.
"Might want to clean the blood off of your hand, before you call that thing defenseless."
Grindelwald entered the room with his usual flourish, seemingly recovered from yesterday's ordeal.
"Please, gentlemen, be seated. Have some tea."
As Grindelwald poured out two cups and set them before his visitors, Moody couldn't help but laugh at the kitten, chasing her tail in the gyromancy circle.
"Looks like you have another Visionary in the family, Grindelwald."
Grindelwald was not impressed. He brought the kitten back to his desk, before responding.
"She is merely imitating what she has seen me do. Her abilities lie elsewhere."
Moody sighed to himself. Yes, Grindelwald certainly did seem back to his old self.
Both men took a tea cup. Dumbledore took a deep drink from his cup. Moody just held his until Dumbledore caught his eye. With a look at the kitten, now cleaning herself on the desk, he took a tentative sip. Apparently, the kitten hadn't yet cleaned off all of the unicorn water from yesterday's mishap.
"Good. Drink up."
After another sip, Moody began to speak.
"Sir, about coming with me to the Ministry-"
"Ah, Mr. Moody, you really need not concern yourself with such matters any longer."
"Well, sir, I'm afraid my employers feel a little differently."
Grindelwald waved his hand dismissively.
"Your employer's concerns are no longer your own. In fact, quite shortly, you will have no concerns at all. You see Mr. Moody, I have had a vision about you and Professor Dumbledore. I'm afraid the news is not good."
Moody shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Dumbledore raised a hand to his mouth. Seeing the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes and the hand attempting to hide a smile, Moody felt a little better. Grindelwald mistook the gesture, as Dumbledore had hoped.
"Yes, Dumbledore. I'm sure the news will be most upsetting to hear. I know I was quite disturbed to See it. If you would be so kind as to finish your tea and hand me your cup, I will elaborate."
After exchanging an amused look, both men drank the remainder of their tea. Grindelwald picked up both cups.
"I think your house elf used tea bags by mistake. There aren't any leaves left in the cup." Said Moody.
"Clearly, you lack the Inner Eye, Mr. Moody. My elf made the tea exactly to my specifications. I have discovered one does not need to have leaves to see the future. Ah, here I see the falcon - you have a deadly enemy. Oh, and here is the Grim. So unfortunate."
Grindelwald's voice was tinged with fake disappointment.
Having often sat near the Hogwarts Divination instructor during meals, Moody knew Dumbledore was accustomed to daily death visions and was rather unimpressed.
"Grindelwald, Moody was asked to come here and bring you to Minister Augustus for a consultation. It is the Minister who wishes a reading, not us. If you are unwilling to come, please let us dispense with the visions and depart."
Grindelwald gave an exaggerated sigh. "You disappoint me, Professor Dumbledore. Such skepticism, but not for much longer. I am greatly saddened to reveal, you are both about to die a most painful and horrible death."
Now it was Dumbledore's turn to sigh.
"Grindelwald, really I have had enough, thank you. Would you be so kind as to call someone to escort us out?"
Grindelwald shook his head.
"Then how much longer do we have to endure this? I would certainly call this horrible, bordering on painful, but when do we get to the dead?"
Moody fought a smile at the usually calm, older man's loss of temper.
Grindelwald smiled wickedly. He removed a watch from his pocket and checked the time.
"How about, right…now?"
He looked expectantly at the two men across from him. After a few minutes of silence, when a crestfallen look appeared on the other man's face, Moody couldn't help letting a small laugh escape at the theatrics. Say what you would about Grindelwald's abilities as a Seer, he put on a good show. All the color left Grindelwald's face. He looked around the room wildly. His gaze settled on the little kitten. His face went red.
"You did this! How dare you! After all I have done for you!"
Grindelwald began bellowing at the kitten. The kitten seemed to have heard all this before, because she wasn't at all startled. She simply stretched and watched Grindelwald with an unmistakably bored expression.
"Why must you constantly thwart my every effort to help you?"
After throwing the entire tea set against the wall, barely missing the mirror, Grindelwald shouted for his elf.
"Dibby! Get rid of this mess!"
The elf that came running into the room was the same elf that had delivered the tea. She entered the room still sobbing. Seeing the two men standing, she brightened visibly.
"Get them out of here now!"
"Yes, Master!" squealed the elf in delight as she led Dumbledore and Moody out of the office.
Before they reached the final door, Dumbledore attempted a conversation with the elf.
"So, Dibby is your name. That is a very nice name."
The elf blushed.
"Thank you, sir. It was my mother's name before me and her father's before her."
"You were all named Dibby?" asked Moody. "Doesn't that get confusing?"
"Not at all, sir. We each change one letter."
"Oh, how silly of me." Said Moody, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Sirs are very nice. Dibby is very happy yous are leaving now."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you, Dibby." Keeping his voice neutral, he asked, "Speaking of names, what is Grindelwald's cat's name?"
"Cat, sir? Master doesn't have a cat. Master doesn't like cats, sir."
"Who does the little gray and black kitten belong to then?"
"That's not Master's cat, sir. That's Master's daught-"
The house elf's eyes widened as she realized what she had started to say. The house elf began to whimper and bend her fingers backwards. Moody and Dumbledore's eyes widened as well.
"Dibby, how old is Master's daughter?"
"Not supposed to talk about her, sir. Please, sir."
"Dibby, where is the girl's mother?"
"It was the devil woman, sir. But Master had her destroyed."
Suddenly, the elf began to slam herself into the walls of the corridor. Moody tried to grab hold of her, but she kept pinging off of the walls. When he looked to Dumbledore for help, Dumbledore found his voice again.
"Dibby, your Master asked you to show us out. You must stop punishing yourself and show us out."
As soon as they were outside, Dumbledore turned to Moody.
"Moody, who else but a Seer claiming to want to read tea leaves could get people to drink something he offered to them given the hysteria people are in these days? You said Grindelwald gave readings for two of the late Ministers. How sure are you it was just two? How many other Ministry workers has he given readings for? You know what this means, don't you?"
Moody nodded. "I am never drinking from anything but my flask again."
Seeing Dumbledore's disappointed look he added, "We must go to the Ministry at once."
Thank you Mavidian, Redwoman06, LinZe, CEA, Laura Kay, Crookykanks, Minerva Lea, VoyICJ, and Dark Lulu for reviewing.
Gyromancy is the practice of walking in circles till dizzy collapse and then interpreting where the person falls.
Sideromancy is divination with a red hot iron!
Spodomancy is divination with ashes
Ceromancy is divination using wax and water
Catoptromancy is divination with mirrors
Ichthyomancy is divination using fish entrails
Oenomancy is divination using wine
Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody waited patiently in Grindelwald's study. It was the wizard's habit, no matter how important the visitors, to keep them waiting. A power game he liked to play, to demonstrate his own importance. Compared to the high level ministry officials and heads of old blood families who usually came to call, a Transfiguration Professor and a young auror were not very important at all. They could expect to wait some time for Grindelwald's presence, and so they had plenty of time to observe the room.
Books lined all of one wall, leaving space only for the door out. Behind the wizard's desk, shelves upon shelves of prophecies were waiting to be picked up by the Department of Mysteries. An enormous aquarium stood five feet tall and ran the entire length of another wall. A door on the last wall led to Grindelwald's private rooms. A large portion of the room was clear of any furniture. The marks on the floor indicated that was the area Grindelwald used to practice his gyromancy. The series of irons by the fireplace were for his sideromancy. A long table held basins for ashes, wax, and wine for spodomancy, ceromancy, and oenomancy, respectively. Space was still left on the table for the mirrors used in catoptromancy. Despite the presence in the room of the large tank of fish, both men refused to speculate on the uses of the large carving knife with cutting board, also on the table.
Tea service for three was set up on Grindelwald's desk. It was well known that Grindelwald always served tea to guests so he could read their leaves afterwards. Across from the desk, two chairs were empty as Dumbledore and Moody stood behind them. Grindelwald had not yet arrived, so the men had not yet been given leave to sit. Grindelwald's peculiarities were well enough known that neither man even considered seating themselves.
Dumbledore commented after he noticed the extra tea cup and chair.
"I see Grindelwald has foreseen me accompanying you here."
The young auror fidgeted.
"I'm not too fond of Seers in general, and Grindelwald can be a little hard to understand when he goes all out. I appreciate you coming. Merlin knows no one at the Ministry was willing to come."
"I must admit, I am surprised Grindelwald is still so sought after these days. I would have assumed after Artemisia's death his Sight would have reverted back to its earlier…"
Alastor shrugged unknowingly.
"What does anyone really know of the way the old blood bonds work anymore?"
"Indeed, you are correct, Alastor. I do believe it has been many centuries since anyone else has used them. I shudder to think of what my brother Aberforth's first three wives would have done to him had they not been able to simply get a decree from the Ministry of Magic nullifying their unions."
"By the way, Artemisia's predictions about the other two professors at dinner that night, did they come true?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact they did."
"I'm sorry to hear that. How did they die?"
Moody found the twinkling of Dumbledore's eyes rather inappropriate before he answered.
"Oh, they didn't. Professor Sigurd followed after Professor Brynhild to comfort her. As she was very distraught and the Astronomy tower is rather high up, he feared leaving her alone in her tower. One thing led to another… They were married two months later and Professor Brynhild resigned at the end of the year to prepare for impending motherhood. You might recall, Artemisia never actually said she would die, merely that her position would need to be filled for the following year."
Moody frowned.
"Somehow, that is not the way I interpreted her words."
"Indeed, I am sure your interpretation was what Artemisia intended you to go away with."
"Artemisia said Professor Sigurd would need to be replaced too?"
"Yes, actually he applied and was accepted for a position at a French wizarding school. They wished to give the unpleasant memory of Artemisia's predictions some distance."
Moody just shook his head at the way in which Artemisia had so deliberately attempted to pervert a happy future.
When the door to Grindelwald's rooms opened, both men went quiet and turned expectantly. At first, it seemed no one was there. Then the tiniest grey and black kitten leapt onto Grindelwald's chair. From there, the kitten leaped to the desk and sat down.
Moody broke the silence.
"Psst, cat. I don't know if anyone told you, but around here it's best to wait until you are asked to be seated."
Both men laughed, when the kitten gave Moody a disdainful look.
"So sorry for keeping you waiting gentlemen. From the sounds of it, you have managed well in my absence."
Grindelwald swept into the room, robes billowing menacingly. Moody sincerely wondered if the man charmed them to do that.
He couldn't help grinning. Somehow, knowing the man owned a kitten, he didn't seem so imposing anymore.
"I never would have pegged you as a cat person, Grindelwald."
Grindelwald gave Moody a piercing look.
" I did not chose for her to be a cat. That was her own doing."
Moody sighed to himself. Now he remembered why he had asked the older wizard, who had stood up so well to Artemisia and Grindelwald at the dinner a few years ago, to accompany him to this meeting.
Dumbledore, still looking at the kitten, addressed her owner.
"The kitten is awfully young, Grindelwald. She should be with her mother."
Grindelwald stroked the kitten lovingly a few times before responding in a deadened tone.
"The mother was not fit. She had to be destroyed."
"What is the kitten's name?"
"That does not concern you, Dumbledore. Did you come here to discuss my kitten or was there more to this visit?"
As the official Ministry representative, it was Moody's duty to respond.
"The new Minister of Magic wishes a consultation with you."
Oh yes, Charles was it?"
Moody looked awkward. "No, actually. The newer Minister of Magic, Augustus."
"Hmm. We do seem to be going through Ministers rather quickly these days. What is this five in two years?"
"Six actually." Corrected Dumbledore.
"Really? My, my. So many, who can keep count?" Grindelwald smiled. "I enjoyed Asgard the most. Which was your favorite?"
Moody started again. "Yes, well, given the recent series of assassinations, Augustus wishes a consultation with you. He thought you might be able to offer some insight into recent events or at least, give some suggestions on how he could avoid a similar fate."
"Well, I shall certainly do all that I can to help. If the Minister would care to stop by tomorrow, I can offer him a reading then."
"The Minister was actually hoping you could come to his offices. He is a rather busy man these days."
Grindelwald finally motioned for the others to be seated. Moving over to the aquarium, he opened the flap on the top and dropped in food from a nearby canister. Facing them again, he spoke.
"I am afraid that will not work. I too am a busy man. If he wishes a reading, he will need to come here."
Moody looked extremely uncomfortable. How exactly to explain that since his unwanted appointment four days ago, Augustus had barricaded himself in his office and refused food or drink? Given how quickly Ministers were dying and the fact that no one was willing to run anymore, elections for the position hadn't been held in almost a year. The deaths of his six predecessors were still nowhere near being solved. In fact, the aurors investigating still had no idea how they had been poisoned. The last three had been constantly surrounded by aurors, day and night. Every bit of food and drink they received was taste tested by another first.
That was a precaution that many of the other poisoning victims had never been given. All of the wizarding world was in chaos at the moment. In the past two years, scores of people had been poisoned from all walks of life. Ministry workers, delivery men, wizarding aristocracy, healers, dressmakers; the victims seemed to have no real connection to each other. They all hadn't eaten at the same restaurant, or drunk the same kind of beverage. Even the kinds of poisons used and their effects had differed, some fast reacting, others slow to take effect, some painless, others excruciating. With no pattern to be discerned, all the restaurants and pubs in Wizarding England had closed down from lack of business. People wouldn't even sit down with a neighbor for a cup of tea.
Moody looked to Dumbledore for help, but the other man's attention was still on the kitten.
"Sir, for security reasons, the Minister can not be traveling."
Grindelwald returned to his chair and poured out tea.
"Mr. Moody, you of all people should know that since my wife's death, I no longer leave the estate."
Moody shuddered involuntarily at the mention of Artemisia's murder. He still had nightmares about the woman's violent death over seven years ago at the hands of the centaurs. Not that the woman hadn't deserved punishment for harming a unicorn, but still, the way she had been dismembered… Moody took a sip of his tea to settle his stomach.
Turning to Dumbledore, he saw the older wizard trying to hide a smile. Wondering what exactly the man could find so amusing at a time like this, Moody followed his gaze.
Unbeknownst to Grindelwald, his kitten had managed to get on top of the aquarium. Grindelwald had never closed the flap, so the kitten was sitting on the edge, swatting at the fish below. As Moody watched, the kitten made contact with one of the slower fish and losing her balance, tumbled into the water.
"Grindelwald-" Dumbledore began.
Grindelwald repeated. "If the Minister wishes a reading, he will have to come-"
"It's your kitten." Dumbledore interrupted.
Grindelwald looked at the aquarium in awe and horror. The small kitten had her fish, but was struggling to get out of the water. The distance between the water and the ledge was too great and the kitten too young to be a good swimmer.
Seeing Grindelwald was too mesmerized to do anything, Dumbledore went over to the tank. The hard tone of Grindelwald's voice stopped him.
"Do not intervene."
Grindelwald crossed over to the tank and put his hand against the glass, near the drowning kitten. His voice was gentle now.
"If she dies now, by her own doing, will none of it come to pass? Can it be? Does it really end like this? If she dies now, will it all end with her?"
Dumbledore reached into the tank. Ignoring the water soaking him to the elbow, he plucked the kitten out. Crossing back to the desk, he set the sputtering kitten down. He pulled out his wand and conjured a towel to dry the kitten, but the kitten saved him the effort by shaking her fur dry, and everything else in the room wet.
Dumbledore smiled and stroked the kitten. "Yes, I guess that works too."
Moody took another polite sip of his tea, but almost dropped the cup at the change in the taste. He wanted to ask Grindelwald about it, but stopped at the look on Grindelwald's face.
"You have no idea what you have done! You can not even begin to comprehend the consequences of your actions!"
Dumbledore looked up in alarm at the other man.
"Grindelwald, calm yourself."
"Leave her alone! Stop touching her!"
Dumbledore stopped stroking the kitten and just stared at the man before him. The kitten looked up, displeased at the interruption in affection, but soon contented herself by picking at the fish she had refused to let go of in the aquarium.
"Leave now! Leave now and never come back!" Grindelwald was in an absolute panic. "No, wait. Come back tomorrow. Yes, come back tomorrow - both of you. That is very important."
Grindelwald nodded to himself.
"Grindelwald, are you quite alright?"
Dumbledore's concern was obvious, but he relaxed when Grindelwald picked up the kitten and cradled her in his arms. The tiny creature seemed rather aggravated to have her little feast interrupted, but stopped struggling once he began to stroke her fur. Grindelwald walked to the door of his private rooms, whispering reassuringly to the kitten the whole time.
The two remaining men stared after him in wonder. Soon a house elf appeared to show them out of the labyrinth like house. Before they left from the other door, Moody paused.
"You know, I think he finally has surpassed Artemisia in something. Shame it had to be madness. Do you know, he has unicorn water in his fish tank?"
The older wizard waved his hand dismissively. "Grindelwald has always been all flash and no substance."
********************************
The next day, the two did return as requested. Again they were left alone in the study by a house elf. The room had changed dramatically. The aquarium that had filled an entire wall the day before was now replaced by a large standing mirror, turned to face the wall.
Moody found another peculiarity to comment on.
"We must have been earlier than expected or perhaps the house elves are running late. Tea has not yet been set up."
As if on cue, a very frightened house elf entered the room with tea service for three people. She seemed shocked that people were already in the room. When Dumbledore smiled at her reassuringly, she covered her eyes and started to sob. Only Moody's quick auror reflexes stopped the tray from hitting the ground. After deliberately running into the closed door several times, she opened it and ran out of the room.
"You don't think whatever Grindelwald has is contagious, do you?"
Dumbledore sighed, ignoring the question.
"It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some wizards treat their house elves. Mark my words, one day house elves will have had enough and…"
He brightened considerably when the door opened and in walked the little kitten from yesterday. The kitten didn't seem to notice them at first. She was too occupied trying to figure out where all the fish went.
"So back at the Ministry yesterday, I told my superiors that maybe Grindelwald wasn't the best Seer to be trying to consult, given his apparent…deterioration. Turns out the reason I was specifically sent to Grindelwald is that he warned the third and fourth Ministers. Bones and Malfoy took it as the usual Seer mumbo jumbo, but Augustus was Senior Undersecretary to both. He thinks with the help of Grindelwald's visions, he can..."
Moody trailed off as the kitten captured his attention.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with that cat?"
His companion couldn't help but chuckle. Unable to find the aquarium, the kitten had begun a thorough search of the rest of the room. The teapot had gained the favor of her attentions. The house elf, in her haste, never put the top on the teapot. The little kitten kept putting her paw inside the pot, swatting for fish. When she put her whole head in the pot and brought it back out with a tea bag, even Moody laughed.
"How the hell can he read our tea leaves if he uses tea bags?"
Dumbledore just laughed and took the tea bag from the angry kitten. He popped it back into the pot and set the top on it. With a quick wave of his wand, the small mess was gone. The kitten scowled and rewarded him by scratching his hand.
"Sorry my dear, but after yesterday, I think it would be best if you kept a low profile."
Moody shook his head.
"I am not drinking that tea now."
The kitten, unable to find anything else interesting to do, jumped off of the desk and went to the gyromancy circle.
Now, Dumbledore scowled at Moody.
"You will drink it and you will like it or at least pretend you do. I am more than a little apprehensive about leaving a defenseless creature like that with Grindelwald after yesterday's display. I would greatly prefer not to give him cause to be angry with her."
Moody snorted, but smiled.
"Might want to clean the blood off of your hand, before you call that thing defenseless."
Grindelwald entered the room with his usual flourish, seemingly recovered from yesterday's ordeal.
"Please, gentlemen, be seated. Have some tea."
As Grindelwald poured out two cups and set them before his visitors, Moody couldn't help but laugh at the kitten, chasing her tail in the gyromancy circle.
"Looks like you have another Visionary in the family, Grindelwald."
Grindelwald was not impressed. He brought the kitten back to his desk, before responding.
"She is merely imitating what she has seen me do. Her abilities lie elsewhere."
Moody sighed to himself. Yes, Grindelwald certainly did seem back to his old self.
Both men took a tea cup. Dumbledore took a deep drink from his cup. Moody just held his until Dumbledore caught his eye. With a look at the kitten, now cleaning herself on the desk, he took a tentative sip. Apparently, the kitten hadn't yet cleaned off all of the unicorn water from yesterday's mishap.
"Good. Drink up."
After another sip, Moody began to speak.
"Sir, about coming with me to the Ministry-"
"Ah, Mr. Moody, you really need not concern yourself with such matters any longer."
"Well, sir, I'm afraid my employers feel a little differently."
Grindelwald waved his hand dismissively.
"Your employer's concerns are no longer your own. In fact, quite shortly, you will have no concerns at all. You see Mr. Moody, I have had a vision about you and Professor Dumbledore. I'm afraid the news is not good."
Moody shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Dumbledore raised a hand to his mouth. Seeing the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes and the hand attempting to hide a smile, Moody felt a little better. Grindelwald mistook the gesture, as Dumbledore had hoped.
"Yes, Dumbledore. I'm sure the news will be most upsetting to hear. I know I was quite disturbed to See it. If you would be so kind as to finish your tea and hand me your cup, I will elaborate."
After exchanging an amused look, both men drank the remainder of their tea. Grindelwald picked up both cups.
"I think your house elf used tea bags by mistake. There aren't any leaves left in the cup." Said Moody.
"Clearly, you lack the Inner Eye, Mr. Moody. My elf made the tea exactly to my specifications. I have discovered one does not need to have leaves to see the future. Ah, here I see the falcon - you have a deadly enemy. Oh, and here is the Grim. So unfortunate."
Grindelwald's voice was tinged with fake disappointment.
Having often sat near the Hogwarts Divination instructor during meals, Moody knew Dumbledore was accustomed to daily death visions and was rather unimpressed.
"Grindelwald, Moody was asked to come here and bring you to Minister Augustus for a consultation. It is the Minister who wishes a reading, not us. If you are unwilling to come, please let us dispense with the visions and depart."
Grindelwald gave an exaggerated sigh. "You disappoint me, Professor Dumbledore. Such skepticism, but not for much longer. I am greatly saddened to reveal, you are both about to die a most painful and horrible death."
Now it was Dumbledore's turn to sigh.
"Grindelwald, really I have had enough, thank you. Would you be so kind as to call someone to escort us out?"
Grindelwald shook his head.
"Then how much longer do we have to endure this? I would certainly call this horrible, bordering on painful, but when do we get to the dead?"
Moody fought a smile at the usually calm, older man's loss of temper.
Grindelwald smiled wickedly. He removed a watch from his pocket and checked the time.
"How about, right…now?"
He looked expectantly at the two men across from him. After a few minutes of silence, when a crestfallen look appeared on the other man's face, Moody couldn't help letting a small laugh escape at the theatrics. Say what you would about Grindelwald's abilities as a Seer, he put on a good show. All the color left Grindelwald's face. He looked around the room wildly. His gaze settled on the little kitten. His face went red.
"You did this! How dare you! After all I have done for you!"
Grindelwald began bellowing at the kitten. The kitten seemed to have heard all this before, because she wasn't at all startled. She simply stretched and watched Grindelwald with an unmistakably bored expression.
"Why must you constantly thwart my every effort to help you?"
After throwing the entire tea set against the wall, barely missing the mirror, Grindelwald shouted for his elf.
"Dibby! Get rid of this mess!"
The elf that came running into the room was the same elf that had delivered the tea. She entered the room still sobbing. Seeing the two men standing, she brightened visibly.
"Get them out of here now!"
"Yes, Master!" squealed the elf in delight as she led Dumbledore and Moody out of the office.
Before they reached the final door, Dumbledore attempted a conversation with the elf.
"So, Dibby is your name. That is a very nice name."
The elf blushed.
"Thank you, sir. It was my mother's name before me and her father's before her."
"You were all named Dibby?" asked Moody. "Doesn't that get confusing?"
"Not at all, sir. We each change one letter."
"Oh, how silly of me." Said Moody, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Sirs are very nice. Dibby is very happy yous are leaving now."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you, Dibby." Keeping his voice neutral, he asked, "Speaking of names, what is Grindelwald's cat's name?"
"Cat, sir? Master doesn't have a cat. Master doesn't like cats, sir."
"Who does the little gray and black kitten belong to then?"
"That's not Master's cat, sir. That's Master's daught-"
The house elf's eyes widened as she realized what she had started to say. The house elf began to whimper and bend her fingers backwards. Moody and Dumbledore's eyes widened as well.
"Dibby, how old is Master's daughter?"
"Not supposed to talk about her, sir. Please, sir."
"Dibby, where is the girl's mother?"
"It was the devil woman, sir. But Master had her destroyed."
Suddenly, the elf began to slam herself into the walls of the corridor. Moody tried to grab hold of her, but she kept pinging off of the walls. When he looked to Dumbledore for help, Dumbledore found his voice again.
"Dibby, your Master asked you to show us out. You must stop punishing yourself and show us out."
As soon as they were outside, Dumbledore turned to Moody.
"Moody, who else but a Seer claiming to want to read tea leaves could get people to drink something he offered to them given the hysteria people are in these days? You said Grindelwald gave readings for two of the late Ministers. How sure are you it was just two? How many other Ministry workers has he given readings for? You know what this means, don't you?"
Moody nodded. "I am never drinking from anything but my flask again."
Seeing Dumbledore's disappointed look he added, "We must go to the Ministry at once."