Gellert was waiting by her bedside when Hermione next woke up. She knew immediately that she was in Fort Stark; Blau Berg smelled of crisp mountains and cool pines, where Fort Stark was all warm cedar and heady flowers.
She sat bolt upright, startling Gellert who had been staring out of the window.
'How's your mother?' She demanded, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and taking a quick inventory of her belongings. Mordred's sword had been propped up against the wardrobe, and her crown was still on her head - immovable except by her own hands. A wonderful little enchantment for something that would otherwise be an incredibly impractical piece of headwear... probably symbolic too, but she was less concerned by that.
'The healers are still working on her.' Gellert replied. 'The castle is ruined.'
Her stomach felt like it had turned to stone; Blau Berg was her favourite place in the world, it was almost as much of a home to her as her muggle parents home. Then she realised that if she felt like that, Gellert must feel even worse. The castle was his only home, the only place he'd ever known. From what she knew he'd hardly left its walls before going to Durmstrang. She crossed the room quickly, wrapping him in a tight hug.
'We'll fix it.' She promised into his shoulder.
'We can't, Mione.' He sighed heavily. 'There were so many enchantments, things that are just irreplaceable. Knowledge that has been lost.'
'Of course we can. We're brilliant and powerful. There is nothing we can't do. We'll fix Blau Berg, in fact, we're going to make it better.' She pulled away so that she could look him in the eyes. He had a pinkish cut beneath his eye, freshly healed and a dark bruise on his forehead. His lips lifted into a weak smile.
'Okay.' Gellert agreed. 'Better.'
A knock came at the door and Hermione quickly moved away to a period-appropriate distance from Gellert and called for the knocker to come in. It was Berg, looking absolutely terrible. He shuffled over, dropping into the third chair in the room.
Hermione had absolutely no idea what had happened after she'd put out the fires, but she could assume it wasn't good if the entire castle had collapsed - had anyone been inside still?
'Were there any other injuries?' She asked, trying to sound sensitive. Gellert shrugged.
'A conjunctivitis curse that the healers think will wear off eventually and a vanished arm bone. Nothing the healers couldn't fix.' She looked at him pointedly and the boy launched into an account of what had happened, Berg chipping in occasionally.
They were interrupted by another knock on the door and this time it was a fresh faced healer in teal robes to inform them that Lady Grindelwald was ready to see them. All three of them jumped up and hurriedly straightened each other's clothing. The nurse waited outside, a somewhat bemused expression on her lively face as the three children filed out.
The castle was packed and Hermione could see that tents had been set up across the lawns, squeezed into the spaces between hastily dug crop fields that flourished under magical care. Despite the bright summer sunlight, there was a strange feeling in the air. She overheard conversations about people going home and what they planned to do when they had their own space. Something had changed overnight and Hermione had no idea what.
They were admitted into Lady Grindelwald's room as a group, lining up infront of the doorway. The two boys bowed and Hermione curtsied deeply, the routine so familiar that she barely even thought about it. Then, her eyes lifted.
The powerful matriarch was propped up in a large bed in the brightly lit room, a steaming pot of tea on the table beside her and an array of creams and potions on the dresser. She had her bandaged hands clasped across her lap, wand held delicately between them. Her hair had been cut into a severe bob, removing the frazzled ends which emphasised her strong cheekbones and made her look slightly gaunt. She surveyed her child and two wards in silence.
'Berg.' She finally said. Berg stepped forwards and bowed again, the only one of them to betray any nervousness. 'Tell me what happened with Alice.'
He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then, eyes fixed firmly on the bed hangings, he spoke. 'My father used to tell us that the family magic is for life magic. He used to use it to make the livestock breed or get the crops to grow a little faster and bigger, he could make it rain if it was dry or stop it raining if it was flooding. She was trying to make it kill us, and it hated it. I could feel it hating it, and I took a guess that if the magic was face with a choice, it would choose not to hurt another of its sons. She was so busy forcing the magic to work for her that she didn't even notice my stunning spells.'
Lady Grindelwald nodded.
'Family magic is not fully understood, so few of us have it and each magic is very different. What you did was brave but very foolish. Never-the-less, Alice was defeated, so all is well.' The matriarch turned to Hermione next and called her forwards. Hermione curtsied deeply again, then stood in silence as she was inspected.
'I assume a bomb is a muggle invention?' Lady Grindelwald asked. Hermione nodded. 'I have heard that it was your protective rune which saved both myself and Gellert. Tell me, how did you know he would need it?'
Hermione hesitated, resisting the urge to look back at Gellert.
'Gellert had a dream about a battle and we ended up taking about it. I was just drawing the rune to reassure him and my family magic took over. It imbued it with... some kind of incantation.'
Lady Grindelwald turned to Gellert and demanded that he explain his dream. He did, going into all the details, and even explaining that exactly that scene had taken place. Lady Grindelwald listened intently, then sighed.
'My grandmother was a seer.' Lady Grindelwald informed them after a second of silence. Berg and Gellert both gasped, whilst Hermione just looked blankly at her. The matriarch relented and explained that seers were rare - a genetic magical gift that allowed one to see into the future. Hermione turned gobsmacked eyes on Gellert, who had gone very pink. 'We will of course need to hone your gift. I will speak to the headmaster of Durmstrang...'
'Durmstrang? We're going back?' Berg interrupted, then he winced, cowering backwards as Lady Grindelwald arched an eyebrow at him.
'Yes, Berg. You will be returning to school next week, and you will see out the summer term with no more adventures. Alice was not the only one defeated yesterday - we also captured Estelle DuMortier. She has been tried by the coven and is to be hung at sunset tonight.'
'Estelle DuMortier?' Gellert questioned, unfamiliar with the name. Lady Grindelwald sighed, amusement flicking the corners of her mouth upwards.
'Yes, DuMortier's wife and the one who took over his revolution after you so spectacularly crushed him with your bird.' There was a moment of dumbstruck silence as the three children took this in.
'But Alice?' Hermione asked. This time, Lady Grindelwald's smile became a tinkling laugh.
'As important as Alice may have seemed to you, she was only a lieutenant - a powerful tool because of her name, knowledge and family magic but still only fifteen. You are all powerful, but you are children. This fight is over, you have a week left of your holidays, and magic have mercy on you if I hear of any of you doing something beyond your years.' She fixed all three of them with a stern gaze and all three of them cracked a small smile.
'What about the castle?' Gellert finally asked, a note of desperation in his voice.
'Lord Lintzen has kindly offered to allow us to remain here until I recover. Then, we shall begin rebuilding. In the meantime, might I suggest you and Hermione visit her family stronghold? After all, I believe there is someone waiting there for her?'
'Katana!' Hermione breathed, a grin breaking out over her face. Lady Grindelwald nodded.
'Now off with you, the sun is shining and I've heard enough screeching from outside to know that the moat is ready for swimming.'