After weeks in the muddy wasteland of the Russian siege, nothing had changed. His ideas had decimated the number of pestilences, but the powerful ward still stood between them and Hermione and it sang with her power. Somehow, Hermione was being forced to hold up the ward, or her magic was being forced to. It hated it; screamed and railed against the task and Gellert only had to touch it to feel Hermione's distress. He hated to think how much she must be suffering, and his own helplessness was agonising.
Then, one night, he was awoken by Lady Grindelwald. Her face was drawn and tight and she was already dressed. Gellert jumped up, sliding damp feet back into wet shoes and shrugging on his trench coat. Unlike robes, the more practical garment didn't brush in the mud and grime of the camp and he had become rather partial to it.
'What is it?' He whispered, matching her tone. Then he saw the figure behind her.
The man was short and familiar, with dark eyes and hair that he could swear he'd seen before.
'Mr. Gellert.' The man bowed, his hands shaking.
'Gellert, you remember Atalanta's father?'
He did, now that it had been pointed out to him. The man still had the jumpy, twitchy countenance of a dreamless sleep addict.
'He's been tangled with the revolution but it seems he's finally remembered who sponsors his daughter's apprenticeship. The revolutionaries are planning to stage an attack tonight, and I want us out of here.'
'But... Hermione?' Gellert demanded, eyes wide with horror.
'We can do nothing for her if we're dead. We're outnumbered and unprepared - assess the situation and the risks, Gellert.' His mother snapped and he only had to pause for a second to know that she was right. Reluctantly, he packed his trunk and let his mother shrink it down to fit in his pocket.
The other members of the coven had already assembled at the stable tent. Katana was already saddled and so they slipped away soundlessly into the night.
Once they were clear of the encampment and further than anyone would reasonably walk, they paused.
'Russia will fall tonight.' His mother announced decisively. 'Our task is to get Hermione out without incriminating ourselves.'
Around her, the coven nodded. They agreed with his mother that Hermione was essential to the future of the old ways - her sect, her power and her ability to unite people through kindness and compassion along with an inexplicable disregard for the rules which somehow endeared her to everyone.
They ended up sending Gellert on a scouting run - Katana's icy blue scales were almost the same shade as the pale summer sky and the Longma could outfly every other mount. If he was lucky, he would never be spotted. If he was unlucky, he could outrun anyone who tried to chase him.
He climbed up so high that the air became thin and he had to cast a bubble head charm. Once Katana steadied, fanning his wings to their maximum reach and smoothing out in flight, Gellert leaned over his withers with a set of binoculars and tapped his wand to zoom them in. The numbers in the camp had quadrupled over the morning and more were still arriving and erecting their own shelters around a new, massive tent. The international aurors were withdrawing, pulling down their flags and disappearing. Perhaps they too felt the political upheaval and no foreign nation wanted to be involved. They would rather withdraw and shake hands with whomever proved the victor once the dust had settled.
He made several forays throughout the day, returning to his mother and the coven to report between each one.
As night fell, he was replaced by Frau Dünhaupt on her black thestral.
They heard the attack on the castle begin before she could return, sound and light rolling across the landscape faster than thestral wings could carry a messenger.
Frau Dünhaupt landed almost ten minutes later, out of breath and frowning.
'They're attacking the ward, but it's doing nothing. The ward is much too strong and the spells they are using are just showy flashes of light. I flew right in close - I heard one of them use Periculum - literally just sparks.'
'It is just a show.' Gellert pointed out after a moment of consideration. 'The dark wizard - Hanson - is a revolutionary. Once it looks like they've fought hard enough, he'll just pull the ward down from inside and they'll be hailed as heroes.'
Every adult eye regarded him in disbelief.
'It makes sense, in a despicable, dishonourable way.' Herr Lintzen finally grumbled.
'And it will work.' Gellert's mother sighed. 'The question is how we get Hermione out. I presume they won't...'
She was interrupted by the fluttering wings of a brown owl - a screech owl that was worryingly familiar to Gellert.
'That's Berg's' He thought aloud as Lady Grindelwald unfastened the scrap of parchment from the proffered leg.
'Durmstrang is under attack. Alice has broken out from the hospital wing.' She informed them gravely after a moment of silence. 'Mr. Tunninger was outside the school, and he is now hiding in the forest.'
The reaction among the members of the coven was immediate - they loved and valued Hermione, but their own children were at Durmstrang, along with hundreds of other vulnerable young wixen.
'It's been done to draw us away from here.' Gellert cautioned, ignoring the sharp looks from the rest of the coven. 'The revolutionaries want us to run to Durmstrang so that we can't interfere with their plans here and we might be walking into a trap at the school.'
'Gellert is correct.' His mother said after a moment. 'It's too overt, too obvious but we cannot afford to call their bluff. Hermione must fend for herself - we ride to Durmstrang.'
He was left with no choice - his mother was right; their duty was to their people and if they tried to call Alice's bluff, the witch could easily pick of coven children one at a time until they came. Hermione was a Grindelwald. She would have to fend for herself.
He urged Katana to take flight behind the rest of the coven, soaring through the night sky after his mother's wavering witchlight. Beneath him, the witchlight of the flightless mounts flickered beneath trees and he kept a sharp eye on it, trusting Katana to worry around keeping his spot in the aerial formation. He half expected something else to go wrong, but nothing further happened as they landed next to the darkened portal.
'We don't know what we will face when we get through. Be ready. Gellert, you'll be on offence with me. You all know what to do.' His mother ordered and they all nodded in agreement. Gellert hesitated slightly, then reached for the Elder Wand despite how unsettling he found it's semi-sentience. This was a battle, and the additional strength would not go amiss.
They surged through the portal as a unit and the defensive team erected a shield before they'd even really cleared the portal. Spells bounced off immediately and Gellert found himself face to face with Alice... who was not exactly Alice anymore.
Her eyes were unmistakably feline and her hair had thickened and darkened. Her hands were tipped by viciously hooked claws, including the ruined one on her left. She still wore her heavy jewellery alone with a set of opulent battle robes.
Gellert didn't pause, lashing out at her with the Elder Wand. It leapt to obey him and a bolt of red light shot from the end. Then he felt an almost tangible disappointment from the wand when Alice deflected the spell. He dimly registered that there were others duelling as well - adults that had presumably been brought through the wards by Alice and her friends.
The older witch quickly began to give way beneath Gellert's Elder Wand augmented strength, her altered face a picture of her surprise and confusion. The coven's powerful teamwork meant that Gellert was free to attack as fast as he could and only had to keep an eye out for the telltale green of the killing curse. Katana was a brilliant battle mount, undoubtedly trained by the best of Hermione's militant family. He stood like a rock behind the shield, then when it briefly wavered as the coven pushed down the hill he plunged forwards, lashing out with hooves, teeth and taloned wings; a moving, lethal target yet somehow never obscuring Gellert's own spells.
He took vicious pleasure in sending powerful hex after hex towards Alice. Then another student came to her aid. It took him a moment to recognise Eva - the girl that Hermione had turned into. She had a tail and cat's ears and although she wasn't a particularly skilled or creative duellist, she made up for it with a fury that suggested that she knew Gellert was one of those responsible for her unfortunate transformation.
The coven pursued Alice and her friends down the hillside until they were right at the ward line.
'Don't let them go!' Gellert cried, realising a moment too late that the revolutionaries hadn't actually been forced back; they'd been falling back slowly to the point where they could apparate and portkey away. He'd known this was a distraction from the events in Russia and the distraction had known they were outmatched, so of course they had planned an escape route.
Their opponents disappeared in swirls of smoke and flashes of blue light, and in the space of time it took for Gellert's shout to register, the coven were left alone on the hillside.
'Thor, go to the school and secure it. Rose, I would appreciate it if you could track down Heir Tunninger and ensure that he is uninjured. Gellert and I will go back for Hermione.' His mother dispatched everyone rapidly, adapting fluidly to the new situation. Gellert, eager to get back to his sister now that he had been given permission, launched Katana up into the air.
He suspected the best knew what they were going to do because he flew faster than Gellert had ever known him to. They were at the portal in a flash and ended up having to wait for his mother to catch up, even on her racing bred Granian.
'That beast...' His mother sighed as soon as she landed, patting the neck of her mount.
'He's brilliant. I think Gorlois has been training him.'
'No.' The corner of her mother's mouth curled up. 'I believe it's the two skeleton guards from the entrance hall. They get up to all sorts for mischief with him whilst Hermione is in lessons downstairs.'
'Either way, it's almost easier to fight mounted than dismounted.'
His mother hummed, opening the portal quickly as Katana danced with impatience.
They surged through, taking off as soon as his hooves alighted on Russian soil. A couple of second later, his mother levelled up beside him.
'He's also a menace to anyone nearby.' She called and Gellert shrugged. He was more than used to the buffeting of wind whenever the beast took off, but he could see how much more perilous it would be to a smaller mount that was also trying to take off at the same time.
They soared over that dark forest and towards the castle. The fires were alight in the camp, glittering like orange stars whilst a massive bonfire burned in the castle; belching foul smelling smoke into the sky. They wheeled over the castle and Gellert pulled his binoculars out again.
It was deserted, but the debris of battle still littered the ground. Pestilence corpses had been piled onto the bonfire, but the gruesome task had yet to be completed. Wondering why the job had been abandoned half way through, he zeroed in on the camp and noticed the massive crowd immediately.
'Something's going on there.' The two Grindelwalds swept sideways, the granian's feathers fluttering as they glided over the camp, banking gently to circle.
The crowd was centred around the largest tent, which was lit brightly from within. He zoomed in his binoculars, hoping to see what was going on by the shadows cast on the canvas. But then, like a great beast taking a breath out, the canvas suddenly collapsed and drifted down on the people inside. Yells and shouts reached them, screams of panic louder than the roar of wind. The tent caught alight, starting at the northern edge and spreading quickly as the fire retardant-charms were overcome.
'There!' His mother called, lowering her own binoculars and pointing towards the eastern end of the camp. Two shadowy figures were sprinting away from the burning tent even as everyone else rushed towards it to help extinguish the fires. Katana screeched joyously and plunged into a hair-raising dive. Gellert snatched onto his main just to stay in the saddle, dropping the reins and thanking Circe that the beast was going where he wanted him to go; his mother was right. Katana may be useful but he could also be an absolute menace when Hermione was involved.
They landed hard enough to send his nose driving into Katana's neck but Hermione was there as soon as he looked up and his hand reached for hers of it's own volition. She was covered from head to toe in blood and dirt and carried a bejewelled sword with a jagged blade. It was telling that he could haul her up in front of him with only one hand.
His mother touched down briefly beside him, scooping up the other girl as Katana took off again. Powerful wingbeats carried them up and out of range of any retaliation, before he levelled into a glide.
The sword slipped out of Hermione's fingers, gems sparkling as it spun down into the tree canopy and he realised she'd fallen asleep against him.
That was odd in itself; she always disappeared instead of falling asleep, much to the annoyance of ever healer who'd ever tried to attend to her.
They barely paused at the portal, riding straight through to Durmstrang and flying up to the castle to make sure that everything was under control. Herr Lintzen met them in the courtyard, arms crossed and Berg hovering anxiously by his side.
'The children are shaken, but nobody is harmed.' He informed them. 'Heir Tunninger was down at the fjord... collecting the Mer's gift?'
'Is Hermione okay?' Berg interrupted, rising up onto his toes to try and see her over Katana's neck.
'She's asleep.' Gellert answered, passing her down to Herr Lintzen. She looked particularly tiny and frail in his arms. The other witch was still awake and wept silently into his mother's shoulder. Her dress had slipped down off her skeletal shoulder.
'Petrovna, Rose is going to take a look at you.' His mother said gently, passing the sobbing witch in her arms down to the waiting healer. Gellert did a double take - Petrovna had always been a strong witch; a lot like Hermione, she'd been learning how to wield a sword from a young age and her family had been committed to duelling. She'd been tall and muscular for as long as Gellert remembered, always flattening him in the arena. Gellert hadn't even recognised her beneath the grime and the the massive physical change she'd gone through. Every ounce of excess fat had been stripped from her frame and her wiry muscles had atrophied over her long imprisonment. Dark eyes seemed huge over gaunt cheeks and her hair was lank and straggly despite the evidently hasty hairdo.
'I can remove the silencing spell just like this.' Rose Hassel reported, flicking her wand. Immediately, Petrovna cried out in relief, her hands flying up to her mouth. 'But the block on her magic...'
Hermione, who must have woken up at some point waved her hand to get their attention. Frau Hassel flicked her wand and Hermione gasped.
'Water.' She said. 'Water. Lots of water will break it.'
'Are you sure?' Frau Hassel asked immediately.
'Yes. I've spent weeks studying the runes.' Hermione shook her sleeve down to reveal a set of inky runes that ran like a tattoo around her wrists. Frau Hassel shrugged.
'We should use the fjord. I suspect your magic will react violently when this is broken.' The healer eventually decided after inspecting the runes for several minutes. Gellert reached out for Hermione again and the young witch clambered back up onto Katana's back, draping herself over his neck in a hug that had to be annoying for the beast, but the Longma must have been happy to have his mistress back because all he did was shift his balance.
They flew down to the fjord and Katana was forced to alight in the shallows, his massive wingspan precluding him from the beach where the others could land. Before he could stop her, Hermione just rolled sideways off the massive beast.
He cried out, jumping down after her to make sure she hadn't hit her head, but before his feet even touched the water there was a roar of hurricane strength winds. He was picked up like a kite, hitting the frigid water almost a meter away. Water lashed his face as he resurfaced, whipped up by the furious tornado of raw magic that had erupted from Hermione. He spluttered, dragging himself up the beach using the slippery rocks and crawled to where the rest of the coven sheltered behind a hastily erected shield.
Through the blustery mist of spray and sand he could see Katana, little more than a ghostly shape with his wings tucked in tightly against his side and lying in the water. The dark figure of Hermione was draped over his sloping shoulders and his fine mane whipped around them like pale flames. Then, Hermione vanished; fading into nothing as her clothes collapsed into the water.
The wind died as quickly as it had come, leaving the coven on a beach covered in broken branches.
Katana stood and shook like a dog, from the nose to the tip of his tufted tail. Then he clambered up onto the beach, ruffling his wings to shake off the water and soaking them all again. Gellert sighed and waded in to retrieve the dress. His Mer friends would not appreciate littering.