Gellert had expected Hermione to meet him to go for a ride that morning, so he ended up waiting for two hours in the stables. He saddled both beasts and packed the lunch he'd been given by the elves into Kelpies saddlebags, then he combed Kelpie's mane and tail, polished Katana's scales and even inspected Kelpie's fangs for abscesses. By the time he'd recovered from that particular job and he'd fed Kelpie enough treats to be forgiven, he was beginning to grow concerned.

He left the beasts and headed up to Hermione's rooms; perhaps she had yet to arrive for some reason. His concern only grew when he found her rooms empty, and the clothes that had been laid out for her gone. That meant Hermione had arrived, but for some reason had skipped their lunch date without even deigning to tell him.

Finally, he called for his elf and Suds informed him that Hermione was in a meeting with his mother and had been for three hours - whatever it was, it was serious. Had something happened in the muggle world?

He sent Suds to settle the beasts back into their stalls and went to find Berg. The younger boy might know something he didn't.

Berg was doing homework under their favourite tree but his face was marred by a frown that didn't match the complexity of their assignments.

'What's happening?' Gellert demanded as soon as he was within hearing distance. Berg's head snapped up and he jumped up, abandoning his parchment to flutter away in the wind.

'I thought you'd know.' The other boy exclaimed. Gellert shook his head.

'All I know is that Hermione's been in a meeting with mother for the whole morning.' He said, kneeling his lip between his teeth in a habit that he'd picked up from his young partner.

'She ran past me at about eight this morning, in tears.' Berg told him sombrely. The stone in Gellert's stomach grew heavier.

'Something must be really wrong.' Both boys shared a look, one that very clearly said they thought there'd already been enough strife that year.

'What should we do?'

'Nothing.' Berg decided. 'We can't do anything until we know what's going on.'

So they settled into a tense silence. The day had been warm, but now it seemed darker and colder. The sunlight could no longer reach them. Scenarios ran through Gellert's head... then suddenly Berg broke the silence with an exclamation that made Gellert jump.

'Hogwarts!'

'What?' Gellert demanded, turning to him incredulously.

'Her Hogwarts letter. It was due any day now, perhaps something went wrong with it?' Berg elaborated and suddenly the scenarios changed - had Hermione's parents reacted badly? Had they tried to burn her? Drown her? Every single one of the stories he'd heard as a child about the dangers of muggles flashed through his mind.

A moment later he found himself at the door to his mother's room, knocking frantically, Berg a half-step behind him. His mother's 'Herein' sounded different, shaken and unsettled. Both boys burst in, then froze.

He saw Hermione first, tears stealing down her red, puffy cheeks and hair flying around her head in a chaotic image of devastation. It was her eyes that scared him the most, filled with fear and betrayal. He barely even noticed his mother as he crossed the room in four paces, pulling Hermione into a hug in the same way she had once done for him. He pulled her up, crushing her into his chest and burying his face into her crazy hair and muttering reassurances. The young witch's silent weeping turned into tremulous, heart wrenching sobs but he held her tighter, determined to be as much as a comfort to her as she had been to him.

Eventually, Hermione stopped trying to pull away and huddled tighter into his now damp shirt, still sobbing. Her hands tangled in the loose, summery fabric and he lifted his face out of her hair to look at his mother.

She was still tucked beneath the neatly folded sheets, her legs not yet healed from their ordeal in the Battle of Blau Berg. In recent weeks she'd showed signs of improving, regaining her colour and fighting off the infection and weakness that was coming with burns that refused to heal magically. Now though, she was as white as her sheets and her shoulders were bowed beneath a weight that hadn't bent them even when her home and castle was brought to the ground.

There was something in the way she watched them, in the way her eyes had glazed over slightly and her mouth trembled that frightened Gellert even more than Hermione's uncontrollable tears. His mother was strong, untouchable, but now something - whatever had happened to Hermione - had finally brought her down.

He couldn't bring himself to ask but at the same time he burned to know.

'Whilst I appreciate your care for Hermione, Gellert, we were in the middle of a critical discussion.' His mother finally interrupted as Hermione's sobs faded to sniffles and hitching breath. He tightened his grip around the young witch resolutely, gazing stubbornly at his mother. She eventually sighed heavily, her shoulders somehow sliding even lower.

'Please Gellert, I know that you care deeply for Hermione but this is a discussion that we must have alone.'

It was that that had him extricating himself from Hermione and leaving the room, stunned into silence by his mother's uncharacteristic demeanour. He was almost in a daze as he left the room and was surprised when Berg snagged his arm and pulled him to a stop as soon as the door shut behind them. Pressing a finger to his lips, Berg then held his ear to the door. Shocked, Gellert almost protested, then he realised that he really did want to know what had both Hermione and his mother so upset. Cautiously, he copied the other boy.

'What will happen has happened, Hermione. You know it is unavoidable, all you can do is your best to fix it.' His mother sounded soothing.

'Fix it?' Hermione cried, 'How? He's in prison, forever!' Berg and Gellert shared a look, wondering if this was Hogwarts related at all. Had something else happened to her family? That didn't mesh with what his mother had said though, perhaps Hermione was a seer too? The memory of Hermione saying those exact words to him after his prophetic dream sprung to mind. 'What if he's different, how can I know him after he's done so much? What if he really has become a terrible person?'

'He has made his own bed.' His mother snapped, sounding irritated. 'We are Grindelwalds, and we must do what is best for our name, even if we must leave behind those whom we care for.'

'But...'

'Oh for Circe's sake; the family comes first, the whole before the individual, for the greater good.'

'But...'

'You swore an oath last year, that you would bring honour to the name. Now, I demand that you fulfil it.' Lady Grindelwald hissed. Gellert bit his lip, wondering if Hermione was about to learn for the first time what it felt like to be on the receiving end of his mother's wrath. There was a moment of stifled sniffling then his mother's voice softened. 'It is hard Hermione, I know that more than anyone, but you are strong. Enjoy the time you have now, but the person you knew is dead. Mourn him, then let him go and focus on your duty. You have a duty to us, and a duty to the line of Gorlois.'

'Duty.' Hermione said dully.

'Now, show me that letter, I wish to see what educational flaws I must rectify.' Lady Grindelwald instructed. Berg tugged at Gellert's sleeve and signalled down the corridor. Both boys snuck away to a far enough distance to talk without being overheard.

'I think she's a seer too, and she's seen something.' Gellert said quickly, 'she said that same thing about what has happened will happen to me after my dream the other day.'

'I don't know how she knows, but it must be horrible.'

'I think it happens to me.' Gellert shared his fear after a moment of silence. 'Either me or her father, but I think me.'

Berg nodded solemnly. 'Should we ask her?'

'No.' Gellert decided quickly, 'They're right, what will happen must happen. Trying to change it won't make a difference, and if it's that terrible...' He paused, bracing himself. 'I think I'd rather not know. I hope I die doing something noble, and I might not be brave enough to do it if I know it will kill me.'

'That's brave.' Berg pointed out and Gellert swallowed thickly.

'I don't know. But I don't want to know. I'm going to make sure I make use of my life now though, who knows how long I'll have.'

'Definitely brave. I think I'd be catatonic by now if I were you.'

'No you wouldn't. You're strong too, really strong. If I lost Hermione... or even my mother. I'd go mad. I'd want to kill everyone who took them from me.'

'Yeah well,' Berg shuffled awkwardly, his cheeks had gone very pale. 'Turns out I still cared about Alice too much to kill her, even if she killed my parents.'

Gellert shook his head, trying to imagine what he'd do if Hermione killed his mother, but he could barely wrap his head around the concept. Hermione was just too nice and good and he just wasn't as close to his mother as Berg had been to his.

'Hermione's been looking into a ritual for your parents.' He blurted suddenly, wanting to change the subject.

'Huh?' Was Berg's confused reply.

'She said her family have different rituals, she's been looking for one to perform for your parents that we can do with... well, with things how they are.'

Berg blinked a couple of times, his mouth working.

'But without the body... they cannot be interred into the family magic.' He finally managed. 'And Alice still holds the manor, so we can't get to the family heart.'

'Well, that's what Hermione is working on. She thought you might like it.' Gellert said sheepishly. They'd been meaning to keep it a secret until they knew their idea would work; the choice of rituals was extensive and achieved all sorts of different aims. Hermione wanted something that achieved the same effect as a modern death ritual, but didn't require the bodies or the head of house.

'I would, I mean, I just... I didn't think it was possible. What about your mother?'

'She won't do anything until we have the body and the house ring. We asked her about it and she said every other ritual was dark magic.'

Berg bit his lip nervously. 'I don't want to do it if it's dark magic.'

'It's not really. I mean, Mordred said dark magic is really just a cultural definition. In his day, magic was only dark if it broke an oath or harmed a king. In England now, they consider anything that uses human blood or hair to be dark magic.'

'I guess, I mean, I think of dark magic as anything that hurts someone.' Berg still sounded uncertain.

'Well, this ritual wouldn't be hurting anyone or we wouldn't do it.' Gellert said decisively.

The boys fell silent as the door opened at the end of the corridor and Hermione emerged. She had a determined set to her features despite the redness of her face and although she hesitated when she saw them, she quickly tossed her hair and gathered herself, striding confidently towards them.

Gellert saw right through the brittle facade but he decided not to comment. Hermione needed him to be strong for her, to help her hold herself together and he would do his best to be what she needed.