Chapter 13: Fidélité

Matthieu Dugard was a practical man. He valued hard work, he valued friendship, and he especially valued loyalty. When he agreed to sign the document to become a part of The Alliance, he understood everything it entailed. Although he had not actually signed it yet, he had given Lord Potter his word. He wouldn't back down. Matthieu was certain that potential allies backing up was among the things those thugs wanted as a result of their… party crashing. The dark army that attacked them tonight was too dangerous. They dared attack goblin territory while the King and Queen of Goblins were in attendance and at an all-time high. They were either too blood-thirsty or too crazy, and none of those were good qualities to have in an enemy.

This evening's events were ominous and told him that things could only get worse from then on. Dugard felt in his very bones that this attack would start another war and that no one was safe anywhere anymore. If the Potters, who were goblin allies and had alliances with powerful witches and wizards all over and the favor of the DMLE, were not safe… No one was. To make all matters worse, if his eyes had not deceived him… How the hell had Gellert Grindelwald escaped Nurmengard? Merde! It was supposed to be inescapable. The man himself had built it to make sure no one could come in, and it was changed to make sure no one could go out and- Dumbledore! That bâtard must have something to do with it! They were clearly in cahoots. As Supreme Mugwump, Albus had directly overseen the spells, rituals, and runic structures placed on Nurmengard's walls. This sent a chill down his spine. For two such sorcerers to want world domination was terrifying because they had an astonishingly high chance for success.

Dugard would stand with The Alliance and protect his family and allies with his life and all his plentiful resources. His family had been mostly neutral for centuries in France… except for the Industrial Revolution, and cette salope Marie Antoinette. But how could they stay neutral then? Marie Antoinette had been a horrible queen: profligate, promiscuous, and way too chummy with those bloody Austrians. To the Dugard family, her head had been chopped off with good reason. Madame Déficit didn't care if her people starved while she threw lavish parties. One of Matthieu's ancestors had been among the men that guarded the queen in the Conciergerie, and he had been one of those guards that couldn't be bought to help her escape during the famous "Complot de l'œillet." Dugard blood was incorruptible. They stood for fairness and justice. Standing with Lord and Lady Potter was simply the right thing to do.

Matthieu had been popped home by a Greengrass elf as fast as possible, but he still got hurt by a rebound cutting curse. Regardless of this, as soon as he was healed and convinced his wife to stay home where she was relatively safe -of course- he apparated right back to Potter Manor with a few elves and supplies. He was hell-bent on convincing the Potters to come to Maison Dugard until their manor was fixed.

0000000000000000000000000000

There was smoke everywhere. The magnificence of Potter Manor was practically gone. Entire chunks of the building were missing, smoke was coming from different parts of the wrecked structure. Broken glass and debris were everywhere. As he got there, an elf vanished with some people, including who he thought was Professor McGonagall. He couldn't see that well from afar. He had brought blankets, socks, and scarves, and his elves came bearing tea, sandwiches, potions, and bandages.

"Charlus," Matthieu placed his hand on the Potter patriarch's shoulder. He wasn't expecting Lord Potter to almost punch him. He blocked the punch just in time.

"Dugard! Merlin! You startled me!" Charlus placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath. "What are you doing here? Weren't you taken home?"

"Of course I was. I was healed there too, but I came back with my elves to help you and your family." Matthieu said in his subtle French accent. He then pointed at his elves, who were asking Dobby where to set up. "I am aware we haven't signed anything yet, but parchment doesn't hold more weight than my word."

Charlus was genuinely surprised at the complete honesty exuded by this man. "You have no idea what this means to me… to us. Merci."

"Charlus, you can all come to stay at Maison Dugard, while-" Matthieu offered.

"Thank you, but we wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense. The maison is big enough… And quite empty now that our children are working at MACUSA. In any case, I brought a large tent. It is too cold for you all to be outside braving the elements," Matthieu insisted and pointed at the tents that elves were setting up.

"I appreciate this. Thank you," Charlus paced nervously.

"How did you drive them out? Was it the goblins?" Matthieu asked.

"I don't really know. It all happened so fast. They kidnapped Emma and left. That was their goal, I think, to take her away," Lord Potter thanked an elf that handed him a calming potion vial. He drank it in one gulp.

"What?! Surely not the pregnant madame?!" Dugard was shocked.

"Yes. The worst part is that it was Bellatrix Lestrange who took her."

"Elle est malade dans la tête, non?" [A/N: She's sick in the head, no?]

"Completely. Lestrange is a psychopath who loves to see people in pain, and there's no reasoning with her. I am hoping they took Emma to get money from us. Other possibilities are too… grim to contemplate."

"I imagine. Did I catch a glimpse of Grindelwald, or was I confused?" Dugard asked.

"Yes. Apparently, the DMLE found out about this a while back, but the minister decided not to inform the public to avoid mass panic. Dumbledore and Grindelwald have apparently joined Voldemort," Dugard gasped as Charlus just sighed when Dobby draped a warm blanket around his shoulders. He was about to protest that blankets should go to the injured, children, and women first, but Dobby pointed at his family wrapped in blankets and going inside the tents with steaming mugs.

"Mass panic? As if it isn't warranted? Also, didn't Voldemort die?" Dugard was pale.

"I know. I am going to have some words with our incompetent Minister. It's like the first war all over again... As for Voldemort, not entirely. We are not sure of his current state, but he's alive," Charlus chose to say no more until the alliance was properly signed on.

Pomona Sprout was a brave woman. She was more loyal than brave, as any good Hufflepuff, so as soon as she gathered her wits at home, she prepared a healing kit and gathered a bottomless picnic basket where she put food and drinks. It was a good thing she had been preparing for a family brunch the next day, so she had a full pantry. She grabbed a few thick coats, hats, and gloves and apparated back to Potter Manor.

She found that Dugard had returned and was currently talking to Lord Potter, so she approached Lady Potter instead. The woman held a cup of tea within her shaky hands that almost dropped when she heard a voice call her.

"Dorea?"

The woman jumped and turned towards her. "Oh! Pomona! Didn't you leave, dear? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Of course. A lovely elf took me home, but I decided to come back. Severus sent a patronus saying the fight was over, and I thought you would need help with the injured and the cold. I brought some draughts and potions, as well as a bit of food and drink."

Dorea hugged Pomona. "Thank you, dear. We appreciate this. Come with me."

"Here. Put these on. You are freezing," the professor offered a pair of leather gloves and a knit hat.

"Thank you," fancy party attire was not warm nor comfortable.

Severus kept applying healing ointments and handing potions to those hurt in battle. The tent that Mr. Dugard had brought was very helpful. It wasn't the same as being indoors with heating, but it was much better than being outside, and the heating spells were keeping everyone considerably safer from hypothermia. Now that Pomona had brought food, they could stay there for the next few hours. Maybe Neesy and the others had been able to help Emma. Snape's heart squeezed painfully. He didn't want to think of the what-ifs. Narcissa squeezed the back of his neck.

"If they got to where she is, they will bring her back to us, no matter the cost," she said with a trembling lower lip. Emma had become like a sister to both of them, and neither wanted to lose her. Fucking Bellatrix.

"I know. I just wish I could do something to help," Severus sighed.

"We are doing everything we can; I am sure that's what she would want," Narcissa squeezed his shoulders and took a few potions outside to give to the Potters. They needed to calm down.

Lady Greengrass had talked to Daphne. The teen didn't have any visions about this. Thank Merlin! She saw all her elves working except Jonsy, who seemed a bit sick. This worried her as he was one of her oldest elves. She had to talk to him, but she was momentarily distracted by a sight that warmed the witch's heart. Both of her daughters had sought comfort from Martin. Astoria was straight up cuddling against his side. Daphne's head was resting on his other thigh. He was sipping a pepper up while Narcissa applied Dittany to some of the cuts he had gotten. As Ianthe turned, Jonsy collapsed. She gasped in surprise as she ran to him. Dobby rushed to help them. Jonsy was having what could be described as a seizure. Dobby waved his hands over the older elf, and his eyes widened.

"What is it?! What's wrong with him, Dobby?!" Ianthe asked in desperation as she held Jonsy's head to the side so he wouldn't choke.

"Jonsy followed an order that goes against your and your allies' interests," Dobby said, doubtful. Jonsy was old and wise. He would have never done that voluntarily.

"What?! He would never!" Ianthe caressed Jonsy's head with absolute certainty as to Jonsy's incorruptible ways. "It's okay, darling, I'm here."

"I didn't say it was voluntarily, Lady Greengrass," Dobby waved his hands, muttering elven spells. "He used a lot of magic. His core is almost entirely depleted."

Ianthe inhaled slowly to try to calm herself. Someone had made him do something that put him in this state. "Can we know who forced him?"

"Only if the witch or wizard didn't do a compulsion charm with the order," Dobby tried to trace and succeeded. The caster was sloppy or simply didn't know elves enough.

"The caster was an Arthur Weasley," Dobby said as Jonsy stopped shaking.

That slimy ungrateful bastard! Ianthe had read the agreement Lord Potter drafted, and it was more than generous. Biting the hand that feeds you is a big No-No in alliances. But she would curse his ass later. All that mattered now was her Jonsy. The elf moved a bit, and his eyes watered. He groaned in pain. "Oh! Jonsy! Don't try to get up. It's okay."

"It's n-not. Jonsy has b-betrayed m-mistress and her allies. Jonsy must d-die," the elf had summoned a shard of glass and moved his arm fast and angrily to cut his own neck.

"NO!" Ianthe didn't think to give him an order. She just wanted to stop him, so she placed her arm across his neck protectively, and Jonsy stabbed the back of her arm with the glass. "Argh!" she complained.

"M-Mistress! What have I d-done?" Jonsy wailed. Thick tears fell from his eyes. The Potters had come in because of the commotion and seen the scene.

"Nothing. You didn't do anything," Ianthe stared meaningfully at Dobby, who swiftly removed the glass and healed her tricep. "See? I'm perfectly fine, love. You are not to punish yourself ever, let alone this severely, without my express consent. Understood?"

Jonsy cried. He didn't deserve such kindness. "U-Understood."

"What did he do? Weasley?" Ianthe looked at Charlus, who approached alarmed.

"I don't know… H-He waved his wand, and I… I don't know what happened. I did what he w-wanted me to do. I knew I shouldn't.. that it would h-harm mistress and her friends. I tried to f-fight it, but I couldn't. Mistress… I-I have never felt like that. I had no power at all… Elves are only p-powerless against their mistresses and masters. I d-don't understand. Why couldn't I f-fight it? Am I too o-old? Should I s-stop serving mistress?" Jonsy asked, his voice small and defeated.

"That ungrateful, social-climbing piece of shit!" Ianthe's core let out a wave of pure angry energy as she screamed, getting everyone's attention. Daphne and Astoria gasped as they held on to Martin, who wrapped his arms around them protectively. Their mother was rarely that angry. Further away, Harry and Hermione looked scared in their cots. Athena, who had been in the basement sleeping a heavy dinner when the battle broke out, poked her head between them. Raw magical energy always gave her the good chills. Ianthe's hair floated, and her eyes seemed to burn with fire for a second. Neville was crying in his mom's arms.

"Lady Greengrass, reign yourself in. You are scaring the children," Charlus whisper-shouted.

"It's alright. I'm alright. Sorry," Ianthe said to the room as she took shaky breaths. She knelt down and placed Jonsy's head on her lap tenderly. "Jonsy, darling, you are the strongest, most loyal elf. You are part of our family, and I love you. I am so grateful for your service and your care. Lord Greengrass is very proud of you for keeping us safe all these years, I am sure. I never want you to stop serving me, as long as you want to and feel up to it, of course. House of Greengrass has been honored to have you all these years."

"Thank you, m-mistress, but Lord Potter-"

"Lord Potter understands that Arthur Weasley is a stupid, stupid man who used an unforgivable curse against an elf that was not his own, knowing full well what that would cause. Right?" Ianthe turned to Charlus, her face reddened with rage.

"Of course. We believe you, Jonsy. I shall be presenting a formal complaint against Arthur Weasley for going against The Alliance in direct breach of his word and a blood-signed contract," Lord Potter replied diplomatically.

Lady Potter always felt that Ianthe was similar to Lily in her deep love for her elves, so she immediately added, "And we shall, of course, demand retribution for the pain inflicted on Jonsy and your House."

"Thank you. We cannot allow a precedent like this. My Jonsy deserves justice," Ianthe said with certainty. "Now Jonsy, dear, House Greengrass forgives you. We acknowledge you were forced by a wizard with ill intent and with no regard for your well-being or ours."

The elf looked better at this and managed to sit up with Ianthe's help. "Thank you, mistress. I shall endeavor to be worthy."

"You already are, my dear. Now, can you tell me what this Weasley person made you do?" Ianthe asked, caressing Jonsy's balding head.

"I was to deliver an envelope to a mailbox far away."

"How far away?" Lady Greengrass pressed, worried.

"The envelope said Austrian Alps…"

"Morgana! Is that why you weren't serving at the party? I thought you were in the kitchen…"

"Yes, mistress, that is why. Lord Potter asked me to watch Mr. Weasley, and before I knew it, I was popping and popping and popping further away. I was barely able to pop to France and find a lay line. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to come back. I was so tired…"

"I want Arthur Weasley appropriately punished. He imperiused my Jonsy or at the very least put some sort of compulsion on him all the while knowing the damage that would do to him and his core," Ianthe exclaimed, caressing Jonsy's back comfortingly.

"Of course. Once Emma is back, we will deal with this. You shall name the punishment as it is your family that was slighted," Charlus said, squeezing Ianthe's shoulder.

Charlus would not act on Arthur Weasley's betrayal right away. All he and Dorea only cared about now was Emma's return. Lord Potter's response sobered up Ianthe. She realized Emma was still in grave danger, and that was the top priority, as it should be. They wanted to give her the best care money could buy.

Neesy tried to make their landing as soft as possible, but portkeys were portkeys. Daniel and Andromeda were holding Emma's body snugly. Most of her weight was supported by her husband, but Andy was holding her legs. Professor McGonagall was cradling the baby close to her chest. Tonks was standing with one arm behind Daniel and another behind Emma in case either swayed upon landing.

Inside the tent, Harry and Hermione shot up, startling everyone. They could feel someone coming. Without care for their health, they threw off their thick blankets and rushed outside barefoot to see Daniel swaying on his feet, trying not to drop Emma. Tonks immediately wrapped her arms around him. Dobby had popped to hold mistress Minny up.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. The Potters ran to their family and took off their blankets, wrapping Dan and Emma with them. Martin reached them quickly and took Emma in his arms carefully. Daniel was exhausted. His injuries from the battle were still untreated. Tonks grabbed his arm to help him stay up. Harry and Hermione reached them and hugged Daniel for all they were worth. They jumped to see the baby, but aunt Minnie had him covered due to the cold.

Soon enough, Severus and Narcissa drove the Grangers to the hospital. Emma had wanted to go back to the hospital she used to work at. Both Emma and Daniel knew and trusted the doctors and staff there. The elves at the manor didn't like having Lord and Lady Potter's cars in the way, so they always kept them in miniature size in the basement, which was the part of the house that got less damaged. Daniel called ahead to explain with a white lie that they had been camping and Emma had been hiking when her contractions hit. Severus had transfigured their clothes, so this would be more believable. This way, the hospital would understand the c-section. Fortunately, Bellatrix had a very steady hand, and the cut wasn't jagged.

Matthieu had insisted and moved them all, elves and snake included, to his house, which ended up being a petit chateau instead of a house. Genevieve Dugard, Matthieu's wife, was a wonderful hostess and made sure everyone was as comfortable as could be in the present circumstances. Harry and Hermione were restless since Emma left. They were walking back and forth so much, talking in hurried whispers, that they had to take a sleeping potion so they could rest. Harry was still hurt about Hermione's comment, but he knew better than to bring it up when she was so concerned about her mom and baby brother.

Emma was still at the hospital. Daniel wanted to run as many tests as possible. The baby was apparently healthy and well despite his forced, traumatic, early delivery. Emma's fear, Bellatrix's rough handling, and all the stress had brought on contractions had forced her body to want the baby out. Even though Madame Pomfrey and Daniel had done an excellent job at closing her up and cleaning her wound, her scar would not be pretty. Emma didn't care. Leaving that hell hole with her baby, both of them alive and relatively well, was more than she expected.

She asked for Martin to be brought so he could bless her boy and pray with her. This event had shaken her very core. She needed to speak to someone who wasn't so emotionally involved as her husband. The priest came in looking extremely concerned. Priests aren't usually called into hospitals for happy occasions. He was visibly relieved when he saw the baby nestled in his mother's arms.

"Emma, I am so glad to see you well," Martin approached the bed and took Emma's free hand. He kissed her forehead.

"Thank you for coming, Martin. I am much better now that I am clean and cozy with my healthy baby boy."

A nurse came in to take the baby to the preemie unit. Emma requested for the incubator to be brought to her room. Regular patients would not get this perk, but Emma knew the nurse and people in the hospital had very fond memories of her, so she got special treatment. The truth is that she didn't want to have her baby away from her at all. They hadn't decided on a name yet.

King Nagkrat couldn't remember the last time he had been so angry. When Harry and Hermione recovered their strength, with the help of Severus' concoctions, they set out to help the queen immediately. With their healing magic and the help of the elves healing magic, they had managed to stabilize Queen Gankra. Nagkrat was incensed. Gellert Grindelwald had dared to use his wand against them. His mind raced as he remembered the countless hours a then young Gellert had spent in their mines, learning from them, working with them.

FLASHBACK

Reports reached the king that some trainee wizard named Gellert Grindelwald was charming. Not charming enough for the goblins, like Lily Potter and Emma Granger would eventually be, but charming nonetheless. He had apprenticed in Gobbledegook to work with Gringotts internationally but dropped out right before the final test. The wizard argued he decided his talents would be better used in curse-breaking, so he studied that with them and fighting techniques. The goblins didn't know that the reason he didn't take the test was so he could have all the years of knowledge without any record. Only if you passed the exam would you be registered in the Ministry. Gellert knew himself well, and he could never fail a test on purpose. His need to show off, especially back then, was all-consuming. He was extremely talented and wanted everyone to know what he was made of.

And so, Gellert had eaten with the goblins, learned about their ways, acted respectfully, and worked hard without complaint. King Nagkrat took a liking to him. Most humans would leave within the first few weeks of training, whining about the mines' heat, about the hard work, about the punishments for non-compliance. Gellert never protested, not even once. The king wanted to test the wizard, and so he began assigning additional tasks for Grindelwald: he added more weight, more distance, more heat, more core work, more weapons training. Gellert took it all in, like a dry sponge dropped in a puddle of water, and seemed to flourish where others would break under the extreme pressure. In one particularly gruesome test, he had to lift a cart full of stones and keep it up as weight was added.

Nagkrat stood behind the man's head as Grindelwald's brow furrowed, and sweat began rolling down his face.

"Say enough when you can't keep going," the king said with a smirk. No human had put up with more weight than the next two stones would add up. One stone was dropped on the cart. Gellert's face betrayed his pain and effort. "You have done an acceptable job. We will stop as soon as you say the word."

"More, your majesty," Gellert growled. Another stone was dropped. His arms began shaking. His muscles were screaming at him to stop, and his heart was racing. No pain, no gain. "M-More!"

Nagkrat's eyes widened. Veins were popping all over the man's arms and face. But the monarch motioned for another stone to be dropped.

Gellert growled but motioned with his head for more. The training goblin looked at the king, conflicted. It shouldn't be possible for a human to withstand this much weight. The king nodded. One last stone was added.

"That is enough, trainer. Remove the weight," Nagkrat ordered.

The cart vanished, and Gellert's arms fell limply to his sides as he bit back the relieved tears that wanted to come out. Nagkrat did something he had never done before, especially not with a trainee. He stood before Gellert, helped him up, and poured goblin ale from his canteen into the wizard's mouth. Grindelwald swallowed greedily, all the while looking at the king in awe.

"What you have just done here today has never been done before. No wizard has ever withstood so much weight, especially not without complaint or severe injury. You do this nation proud, son," Nagkrat placed his staff on each of the man's shoulders, and Grindelwald felt his muscles sigh in contentment. "I would not use spells like this on humans, but from where I'm standing, you are more goblin than human at this point, Gellert."

Grindelwald smiled one of his rare honest smiles as he basked in the remark. "T-There is no higher c-compliment to me than that, your M-Majesty," he replied in between pants.

END FLASHBACK

Nagkrat summoned guards to take his wife back to Gringotts. She was too exhausted to fight him on that, luckily. Had she been feeling better, he would have had to fight her, and he really wasn't inclined to do that. Husband or no husband, his wife was a mighty swordswoman. He had the scars to prove it. At the very least, he was glad that Gellert had barely escaped. One of his limbs was almost cut clean off. He had been speared, burnt, choked with chains, but he was too agile, too fast. Anyone watching them duel could have thought the man was a teenager, except he had too much raw magical power and knowledge. Unfortunately for them, they had taught him their moves, their strategies, their defenses. Nagkrat felt like breaking something… or rather everything. No. Reign in your temper. Act like a king. He took a deep breath and walked towards Flitwick. He had been significant in today's fight.

"Professor Flitwick, Gringotts is thankful to you for coming to our aid," the king placed his staff on the man and felt something strange pull on his magic. "This is, after all, goblin territory, and you truly helped our allies."

"It was the least I could do," he croaked with pain.

"The Horcrux residing in a ring you were wearing, it has lingering effects, yes?" the king inquired.

"Indeed, I've been working with a Mind Magic specialist at Saint Mungos, and we still don't know how the original headmaster ring was replaced with the cursed one," the professor replied with a grimace, showing the goblin his partially frozen claw-like hand.

"You will come with me when I leave. Us goblins have special treatments and rituals that will cleanse and heal you," Nagkrat smiled.

"Your Majesty, respectfully, I have already been told I am dying… There's no reversing the damage. Don't waste your resources on me when they could be used on more worthy elements," Filius sighed.

"Professor, respectfully, don't be stupid. Who told you you were dying? Wizards. When have wizards ever been able to heal you? Never. But we, the goblin nation, have been able to help you before, haven't we? And will do so again."

"You are right, of course, your majesty. I appreciate it," Filius nodded weakly.

"So do we, your majesty," Minerva added, approaching them with a limp. Neesy a couple of steps behind her. "King Nagkrat, we need to have a meeting soon… As in tomorrow, if possible," the professor said without noticing Neesy pulling on her dress.

"Indeed. Did Grindelwald let you go just like that?"

Neesy pulled a bit more forcefully and was yet again ignored.

"Apparently, I thought it was quite susp-"

"Missy Minnie!" Neesy grabbed Minerva's hand and pulled her down.

McGonagall looked down and realized she had not been paying attention. "Sorry, dear. What is it?"

"Neesy did a thing… I don't know if I did well."

"What do you mean? What did you do?" the witch asked with apprehension.

The little elf produced what she had taken from the dark headquarters. Minerva gasped. "How? When? I can't believe- Neesy!"

The elf was shocked when the stern and normally distant Scotswoman swept her up and twirled her around. This got everyone else's attention.

"What happened?"

"Madam Bones! Neesy is a genius! While we were caring for Emma, she popped away around the house and retrieved this!" Minerva exclaimed, proferring the object.

"That's not… It can't be… Is it?" Amelia asked with a gasp.

Minerva repeatedly nodded, "Yes! It's Albus Dumbledore's wand!"

"Neesy? How did you disarm him?"

Neesy shuffled uncomfortably. "I know elves are not supposed to use their magic to harm humans… Am I in trouble? I petrified him with elven stones while he was in stasis,"

"Stasis?" Madam Bones asked.

"Yes, to recover, I think. Dumbdoor is looking quite ugly. The oil that Dobby bathed him with burnt through. He will not be growing hair there no more."

McGonagall frowned at this. She had been so close to a room where that bastard was lying immobile, where she could have finally chopped his head off… No. Emma was the priority. No regrets.

"You are not in trouble, Neesy. I am just glad you made it out alive," Amelia smiled slightly.

Neesy continued, "Then I woke him up… painfully," the elf's voice was full of mirth, "and I summoned his wand. I didn't think it would come…" Neesy smirked and finished with a sarcastic tone, "You know… because I'm a glorified, ignorant, hideous slave*… but it did."

"How painfully?" Minerva asked with interest. At least someone had managed to hurt the git.

"He is not going to be… okay for a long time."

"Explain."

"I did elf magic that is only used to punish traitor elves. While he's in stasis, he will be reliving every horrible experience of his life. They will play in a loop inside his mind. He will feel all the pain again, the stress, the sadness, the heartbreak. When he wakes, he will not be able to feel good. Not even a bathtub full of candy will give him joy," the elf said calmly, which made her look significantly scarier.

Minerva went pale and whispered to Amelia, "Remind me to never get on an elves' bad side, bloody hell."

Amelia nodded decisively. "Well, I am not sure what the jurisdiction is for this instance. I have never heard of an elf disarming a wizard… I do believe the wand is yours. However, before you try to use it, I need to get someone from the Unspeakable Forces to trace all dark or illegal spells that have Albus' signature on them so we can add them to his very long list of crimes."

"Madam thinks Neesy can use the wand?" Neesy's eyes were wider than ever.

"It would not hurt to try. I will bring it back tomorrow by the end of the day. Deal?" Amelia offered her hand, and the elf shook it. More than anything else, she was glad to be treated respectfully and not be accused of theft.

"Deal."

"Neesy, I still don't understand how you managed to do this. Wasn't someone caring for Albus? Guarding his door?" Madam Bones asked.

"Yes, but Neesy had popped to the kitchen and taken tattered clothes from another elf. I made my skin look dirtier. Then, I grabbed a burn salve and put it in a platter with some bandages. I popped to the door, and the bad guard let me in without asking any questions. There is an advantage to being… invisible, after all. He probably never paid attention to any of the elves, so he couldn't notice the difference."

"You are very visible to me," Dobby whispered with teary eyes. "Don't leave me behind next time."

Neesy embraced her partner, "I know. I am sorry, I had very little trace to move," they rubbed their noses together, which caused pink sparks.

"Alright then… Are we meeting tomorrow, your majesty?" Madam Bones asked.

"Let's meet on January 3rd. I want us all to have a chance to rest and see to our injuries and injured. Come to Gringotts at 9 am. Now, I have to get going. Filius, hold on to my arm."

Quirinus Quirrell was shaking with rage. Not only had Dumbledore and Grindelwald left him stuck with this ghoul attached to his head, but now said ghost wanted to make Quirrell hurt himself for his inability to get the stone. Quirrell wanted to break the mirror, but Voldemort was sure that if the mirror was broken, the stone would be lost forever. To quieten his annoying attachment, he pushed thick woolen socks inside its mouth and tried to suffocate him. Still, apparently, as long as Quirinus was breathing, Voldemort somehow leeched off his oxygen supply. Quirrell had to take a strong muscle relaxant and a dreamless potion. As he was about to drift off, an irate Minerva McGonagall blasted his door off its hinges.

"Professor M-M-McGonagall! You scared me. Why are you in my room at this hour?"

"Oh no, I will be asking the questions. I have information that you went into the third floor's construction area and came out quite hurt. I demand you tell me what you were doing there."

"I w-would love to t-talk, but I just t-took a s-s-sleeping po-potion," Quirrell's eyes were drawn shut.

"Argh! Solty! Make sure Professor Quirrell does not move," Minerva said to a security elf. Those were the only ones who answered service calls this late. The professor went to the door to send a patronus to Hagrid and another one to Madam Pomfrey, asking one simply to come and the other to come with supplies to wake the man up. Wait! Severus mentioned… The second mouth! She had an excellent chance to see it and even to take a picture of it. She summoned Andy's camera, and with Solty's help, she levitated and turned Quirrell only to be horrified at the eyes of evil staring into her very soul. She could never forget those eyes. Regardless of the nauseating effect they had on her and that the mouth was gagged with a sock, she felt a cold drop down her spine and immediately looked away.

"Minerva, what-? Morgana and Merlin! What the bloody hell is that?"

"Who," McGonagall corrected.

"What? Who? Who is it then?" Poppy asked, terrified of the answer.

"Lord Voldemort, apparently."

Poppy held on to the wall. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Minerva!"

"I know," before the weird thing was somehow reabsorbed or something, McGonagall took a picture. "Can you wake him? I know he had a sleeping potion."

"Well, I try to never do this, but I will be waking him the muggle way," Madam Pomfrey grabbed a prepared syringe, uncapped it, and finding a vein shot adrenaline straight into Quirrell. The man quickly shot up, struggling to breathe. He found himself bound and wandless. "Professor, don't try to move. You will be quite dizzy."

"Quirinus, I have evidence of what- or rather who- you've been hiding under your turban. I demand you tell me everything you know." The man shook his head. "You can either volunteer the information, or I can have you questioned under veritaserum. I have called for the DMLE. Your choice."

"You can't! You can't do that! You will kill me!" Quirinus said without any stuttering.

"Did you make an Unbreakable Vow? Or was it a Blood Pact?" Minerva asked him, her expression furious.

"Vow!" Quirrell managed after struggling. His vocal cords did not want to cooperate.

"You dared to bring that monstrosity into a school!? Because it is Voldemort who's sharing your body, isn't it? Living off you like a leech?" McGonagall was incensed.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't any calmer. She had gone to the bathroom to dispose of the needle and found unicorn blood specks all over several cloaks in the laundry hamper. She came out in a rush holding one particularly bloodied cloak in front of her and almost shoved it into Quirrell's face. "You have been feeding it unicorn's blood! How could you be so stupid!? What does it matter if we question you under truth serum and you die? Your life is cursed tenfold. You've been slaying and feeding off unicorns for months!"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Professor McGonagall? I received your message. I am here with two Aurors. May we come in?" Amelia Bones' tired voice said.

"Please do."

The next few hours went by slowly. Quirrell was now dead. Neither Minerva nor Poppy had ever seen what veritaserum did to people who had taken an Unbreakable Vow. They died, of course. But their death was so horrible, so painful, so slow. Quirrell had screamed until he had no voice while confessing all his crimes and his masters' plans under truth serum. Minerva was aghast. Poppy was just feeling sick. In all these years, the DMLE had paid for Amelia to train with the goblins in Horcrux destruction. She force-fed Voldemort's sock stuffed mouth with basilisk venom. As it got destroyed, Voldemort made her relive the deaths of her brothers and parents while berating her for being an abysmal head of the DMLE. Before it could do more psychological damage on Madam Bones, the Aurors took the venom and emptied it inside the mouth of the Horcrux. It died with a horrible scream saying, after the venom disintegrated the socks, "I'll be back. You can't beat me!"

Amelia left with Quirrell in a body bag, being levitated by one Auror while the other helped her walk. She was still too tender from the fight. She asked McGonagall and Pomfrey not to speak on what had happened with the Horcrux. Madam Bones was a proud woman, and she had lost it with this. IF this ever reached the Minister's ears, she would be fired. Both witches acquiesced immediately. After they left, McGonagall and Pomfrey sat at the professor's lounge drinking a double firewhiskey in silence. They were still too shocked by the night's events.

Minerva's mind raced. The Philosopher's Stone was in Hogwarts? Where in Hogwarts? Who could have ever thought it would be safe there? Did they think it was a school full of potential easy targets? Maybe Dumbledore left it there on purpose so he could steal it… But then how was it that he couldn't get it back? If he hid it… Wait! No, maybe it was Filius who hid it while under the influence of that blasted ring. Oh, dear! She had to talk to Filius as soon as possible. She wrote a short missive to professors and made copies. Hogwarts would stay closed for a week. McGonagall wrote that there had been an issue with the construction, that the whole castle structure had taken a toll, and it was dangerous for staff or students to be there. Surely a week would be enough for them to search the entire school, right? She was too tired to think. She fell asleep right on the armchair. She didn't even realize that Hagrid hadn't come as she requested. He was still bound and gagged under a thick layer of snow. Had it not been for the elf that found him and his dog Fang that helped the elf look, he would have frozen outside.

In the dark headquarters, Gellert Grindelwald fumed. Bellatrix Lestrange was the type of crazy that makes the most rational people feel like they are the crazy ones. She had the delusion that Tom Riddle was in love with her. As if that wraith could even feel any love! Voldemort had once been a strong, powerful wizard. His problem was that he was a hypocritical leader who was mediocre at covering his footsteps and past. It didn't take Grindelwald more than five minutes to figure out Tom was a half-blood. How he had fooled the Death Eaters, Gellert couldn't understand.

It didn't matter now. Grindelwald had set the cauldron with baby Voldemort on fire a few miles away from headquarters. The disgusting mess seemed almost relieved as it took its last breath. Voldemort did not want or need a baby's body that was polluted with the one thing Riddle couldn't understand or obtain naturally: love. Death Eaters were in it for the financial benefits they could get from their alliance. If you took the money away, most of them would leave. The majority of Death Eaters liked that they could be as vile and as disgusting as they wanted because Voldemort allowed and encouraged their bad behavior. Gellert hated petulant psychotic children, and that's what most of them were. Other than this, many of them followed Voldemort because they were afraid of retribution if they were to walk away.

Making the most out of the fact that Albus was still in stasis and his opinion was impossible to obtain, and of the very suspicious motions he made, while he should be immobile, Gellert took Voldemort's disgusting mutant, baby-like body. Whatever had happened before he had caught the baby, it had definitely not gone according to plan. The idea, it seemed, was to give Voldemort his own body. Not only was this against their plans, but it also showed without a shadow of a doubt that Lestrange was only loyal to Riddle. This, in turn, made her absolutely expendable to Grindelwald. It was a good thing too because while he wasn't easy to scare and that woman gave him the chills. Now, granted, he wasn't attracted to women, but Bellatrix was too creepy and gross. All the licking objects and people… The claw-like nails, the dirty hair, the cackles, the crazed look, the murderous eyes, the poisoned daggers… He felt a chill go down his spine.

Grindelwald did not enjoy killing. It was something he did when necessary. He derived no pleasure from it unless it was for revenge. This killing he saw as having mercy on the world. Magical Britain could never thrive with psychos like Lestrange in charge. Gellert had made two Death Eaters tie the witch and lock her in a broom closet. He got ready to simply throw his strongest reducto at the closet, burn it down, and throw the ashes down the drain. As he took the closet outside, far enough away, it exploded and sent a wooden shard to stab his eye among other parts of him. He screamed in agony and realized that Bellatrix had lost control of her core in fury when she heard him say that he had already gotten rid of baby Voldemort. She had literally exploded with rage. She ended up dead with a watermelon-sized gory hole in her middle that you could see through her. The worst part was that she died cackling as she realized that she had managed what was thought to be impossible for people other than Dumbledore. She had hurt Gellert Grindelwald. And so, Bellatrix Lestrange died with the creepiest, most self-satisfied, self-aggrandizing smile that had ever disgraced her face.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you are having a wonderful week. Welcome new readers! Thank you for the kind comments! -Lux-

*Fidélité is French for Loyalty

*Neesy is mocking Dumbledore's exact insults from the will reading in Chapter 13 of A Solid Foundation