Hermione, Gellert and Berg were allowed to come with the remaining coven members to the Freidl stronghold under strict conditions. They all had to wear battle robes and let Hermione's family paint their skin with swirling protective wards, they weren't allowed to touch anything either physically or metaphysically and they had to carry emergency portkeys, which could be activated by Lady Grindelwald.

They hadn't even considered complaining, surprised that they were even being allowed to come.

Gellert was certain that he'd visited Fort Freidl before, but he could only remember there being lots of green. He must have been very young.

They appeared at the portal and he heard Hermione gasp in surprise next to him. He barely restrained his own interest.

Whilst Kelpie's hooves were planted in snow, Fort Friedl was thickly wreathed in steam. Tawny golden sandstone rose out of the mist, towers topped with oddly rounded domes. Vines crawled up the walls and tropical looking trees draped branches over the walls. It was a very short walk from the portal to the entrance; if they hadn't had such a distance to cover on the Hexemeer side, they probably could have walked.

'Katana is going to mutiny.' Hermione grumbled as her beast spread his massive silver wings and basked in the steamy heat that coiled up from vents in the ground.

'He's going to get another black stripe in his wing if he keeps dripping water on Berg.' Gellert warned in good humour. He didn't doubt for a second that the battle trained Longma would have no problems getting out of the way of Berg's foul tempered but relatively slow Hippogriff.

'Berg needs the shower.' Hermione scoffed.

'It smells of Longma.' Complained the victim, swiping a large droplet of condensation from his eyebrow.

Fortunately they arrived at the entrance before anything more could come of it and they all dismounted, leaving their beasts in the capable hands of Frau Kollmann and an unnamed ministry official.

There was no door to Fort Friedl; a dark archway opened up in the sandy wall, tunnelling through into the central courtyard. They emerged into an oasis; steam rose form a burbling hot spring, concealed by a little stone pavilion, lightly odoured but surprisingly inoffensive. Vines hung like curtains, bright emerald leaves carpeting the floor. Carefully maintained stone paths meandered through the foliage, connecting in a gentle loop around the pavilion and delicately bridging the tinkling streams of spring water that channeled away into the building.

'Lady Grindelwald?' Herr Freidl sounded friendly enough as he emerged from the heavy steam. Gellert took a moment to observe him, taking in the traditional robes and the more modern adornment of jewellery.

'An inspection order.' One of the ministry officials stepped forwards before his mother could reply, his chest puffed up importantly. He brandished a sheet of parchment, decorated with a massive black seal. Herr Freidl took it wordlessly, his eyes running over the contents before flickering to Lady Grindelwald.

'Why are you here, Katerina?' He demanded darkly. 'Inspections are ministry business.'

'This particular one is coven business.' Herr Lintzen huffed. His beard had frizzed out of it's two braids in the humidity and he looked ever more fearsome than usual as he folded burly arms over his chest and lowered heavy brows.

'Coven business?' Herr Freidl sounded confused more than anything and Gellert shared a long glance with Hermione. Then the dark skinned wizard seemed to realise what he was being accused of and his magic suddenly seemed to crackle around him. 'You believe I murdered my own sister?'

'You do, unfortunately, fulfil a number of the criteria.' Gellert's mother narrowed her eyes, her own power coming to bear with enough force to physically drop the temperature. The steam became even thicker.

'I left because there are modern alternatives to ancient rituals that do not require absolute subservience to your rule, Katerina. I may not follow you, but I would never work against you and I would never harm Rose.'

'Unfortunately, with the safety of my coven and their families at risk, your word is not sufficient.' Lady Grindelwald replied frostily. She jerked her hand sharply at the officials and they all straightened, heading off down the paths and into the depths of the castle, each group accompanied by a member of the coven. Herr Freidl made no move to stop them but his eyes burned with fury. A moment later his wife appeared, cloak thrown hastily over a casual work dress and Albert Freidl at her side.

'What is going on?' She demanded, then caught sight of the Grindelwald family. 'Katerina, what is this?'

'High Witch Grindelwald believes that we are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen her coven in our absence.' Herr Freidl replied coldly.

'What?' Albert demanded. He'd changed the most drastically of the family, now bedecked in a ruby red velvet coat with the most ridiculous puffy shoulders that he'd ever seen and a set of shiny silk breeches that looked painfully tight and restrictive.

'You heard.' His mother huffed, taking her husbands arm and digging the talon like nails of her other hand into Albert's shoulder.

'His wand is in a cane.' Berg observed, leaning over and pitching his voice so that only Hermione and Gellert could hear him. Gellert's eyes darted to the long, slim cane that Albert held and he had to restrain a snicker when he noticed that the handle was very familiar.

'What a toff.' Hermione muttered. Berg drew away and looked at her for a long moment.

'You do realise we are too?' He asked after a moment and Hermione waved her hand irritably.

'But neither of you act like it.'

There was a loud crash from behind the Freidl family and a squad of ministry officials appeared a moment later with a large cauldron. They levitated it down the path, decapitating several large white flowers as they passed. Frau Freidl flinched, then glared furiously after the officials as they disappeared down the tunnel.

'They're not being very careful.' Hermione observed, her brows pulling together. Like Herr Lintzen, her hair was also reacting to the humidity and escaping her carefully braided style. With condensation sparkling on the wayward strands, it almost looked like her magic was sparking through it like it did when she was really angry.

'I think they enjoy the chance to lord it over an old family. We're usually pretty immune to the law.' Berg observed.

'That's not right.' Hermione said decisively. Exactly what aspect of it was not right, Gellert never learned. At that exact moment, Frau Lintzen returned with a letter. Wordlessly, she held it out to Lady Grindelwald. The High Witch took it and scanned through the contents quickly. With every second that passed, her lips grew thinner and thinner.

'Aurors. Arrest them.' She ordered. There was a roar of noise as the Freidl patriarch immediately protested and the officials bellowed for him to drop his wand. For a second, it seemed like he wouldn't comply. Gellert palmed his wand, noticing Hermione doing the same beside him. A shield flickered between the fingers of her left hand, half formed. Then he complied, dropping his wand to the ground and kicking it across the stone path. It bounced, then rolled into the foliage to one side. Nobody relaxed - he was an ex coven member, and wandless didn't necessarily mean neutralised and Hermione was a prime example of someone who could do just as much damage without the wooden channel.

But he allowed a set of handcuffs to be conjured around his wrists and after a stern look, his wife complied. Albert struggled briefly, but Gellert suspected that was more because of his restrictive clothing than any real desire to fight.

'I'm going quietly, Katerina, because I know that I am innocent.' Herr Freidl informed them as he was marched past, bent forwards slightly by the auror's pressure on his arms.

'This letter from the revolution says otherwise.' His mother almost snarled, flicking her wrist so that the scroll sprung open. The seal at the bottom was unmistakably boasting a bundle of wands bound by a ribbon. Gellert couldn't make out the lettering on the ribbon, but he knew that it read "potentia as populum", power to the people, the motto of the revolution.