-Break-
Sophia POV
She walked through the doors of St Mungo's and headed straight towards the front desk.
The woman looked up from her desk "How may I help you?" she asked politely.
"I'm here to see Anne Sayre and the Provydetsi's" she said simply.
"Relation to the patients?"
"Daughter to Anne Sayre" The woman's eyes widened for a moment before she composed herself.
She looked passed Sophia "And those two men?" she asked warily.
Sophia sighed deeply "They're here to protect me" she said displeased and with thinned lips.
The woman nodded slowly "The patients are in the tenth ward on the fourth floor." She paused momentarily as her eyes flickered to the men before they returned to Sophia's "You may enter the section where they are but your...guards will have to remain at the doors of the fourth floor."
"That's fine" she said impatiently before she looked behind her and the two men nodded in acceptance.
After making her way up the stairs and through the hallway, she passed through the door that lead to the rooms that her family was in.
She bit her lip. She'd received the message from Atticus that their family had been attacked last night and it had taken her this entire time to get an international portkey to Britain, the country having gone through lockdown.
Only her...relationship with Charles managed to cut through the politicking as he called in a favour that forced the issue.
Grandfather would arrive tomorrow.
She cried her eyes out when she heard their father was dead. Atticus had gone to Ireland to use their floo network to call her and she could see how heartbroken he was.
She had no idea how he managed to convince them to use the international floo network to do that.
Grandma Marie...Grandpa Sam and now father all dead because of Grindelwald. Even her mother's side of the family weren't safe. Grandpa Vlad was dead, her cousins... Her eyes glistened and she shook her head and raised her chin up. She couldn't cry here.
Her eyes wandered around and she saw that there were many people here. So many people dead or injured...
She sighed and made it through the last set of doors and her eyes lasered on Dayton.
"Dayton" she said as composed as she could. She didn't know how to feel about Dayton. He was meant to always be with her family, especially when the assassinations were happening.
Where was he when her father needed her? When mother needed him?
His face softened when he saw her.
"Lady Sayre" he said warmly as he looked at her apologetically.
"Where is mother's room?" she asked directly, looking past him.
He gestured towards a room and she walked off ignoring the look on his face.
Tears threatened to spill as she saw her mother speaking with her Uncle Lukasz through the window. Her left arm was in a bandage but otherwise she looked better than she thought she might be.
She breathed deeply and walked into the room.
Her mother turned to Sophia and she smiled sadly "Sophia"
"Mother" she cried out and she hurried over and enveloped her mother in a big hug.
She cried out her eyes and sobbed as she sat in her mother's lap, her head on her mother's bosom.
"Shhh, my sweet Sophia" her mother soothed and Sophia felt her gently rubbed her back.
"I'll leave you to it" Sophia heard her uncle say before he walked out and closed the door.
After a minute or so she stopped crying.
She sniffled "When I heard what happened..." her voice broke as she struggled to articulate.
"Papa..." she cried a little.
"I know, I know" her mother said brokenly as she hugged Sophia tightly and she melted in her mother's embrace.
Minutes passed as Sophia curled up to her mother, like she had all so often when she'd been a child.
Soon enough Sophia pulled herself away and sat on the chair next to the bed.
Her eyes looked the bandaged arm which her mother noticed.
"It's not so bad" she voiced out as she raised her bandaged arm. "I've lost most feelings in the arm but I can still move my fingers." she joked light heartedly but Sophia knew it was just to comfort her.
"Is that all that you can do with the arm?"
Her mother sighed tiredly "I won't be able to grip anything properly any more with the arm and I'll forever have a rather nasty scar on the arm. Much of the muscle has been killed and some of the curse I was hit with also killed some important nerves and tendons. The healers managed to artificially do something to make sure I can still move my fingers but it was the best they could do."
"What about regrowing your arm?" she questioned with a frown.
Her mother shook her head "No, regrowing the arm won't be possible. The dark magic left an imprint on my body and magic. Had it been minutes after I'd been hit with the curse, the arm could have been amputated and a new arm regrown."
Sophia remained quiet for a moment before she asked "Where is Atticus?"
Her mother's face grew saddened. "He is in the suitcase behind you."
She frowned and turned around and saw that it was the expanded suitcase where Seraya was in. It had a Vanishing Cabinet so he might actually be not in there at all. She turned back to her mother "Why?" she asked angrily.
Her mother grimaced lightly and her hand went to the necklace she was wearing and it looked new. "He's taken it all terribly. He blames himself" she hesitates for a moment. "He's...he's found it difficult to look at me" she said greatly upset.
She looked dumbfounded for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak until she remembered where she was.
Her mother noticed "You can speak freely in this room...Atticus...Atticus has warded this room...extensively" she said a little exasperated but with a fondness leaking in her voice.
"The healers allowed this?" Sophia asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sophia let of a soft laugh "No but they're afraid to confront him about it. Not to mention the insistence of allowing Dayton and other two men – I suppose four now with you here – wasn't something that went well until he let off some of his magic" she pursed her lips as she frowned.
Sophia had a questioning look but her mother shook her head. Later then.
"So he's hiding?" she asked numbly.
Her mother smiled bitterly and it was all she needed to know. Her eyes flashed. She'd talk to her wayward brother. Their mother needed them.
How dare he be so selfish?
"What happened?" she asked carefully "I know father is..." she inhaled deeply "father is dead" she said as evenly as she could but she couldn't stop the wobble of the lip "as are several others of our family but what actually happened?" she asked seriously.
Atticus hadn't deemed to tell her all that happened, merely the cold facts and in the moment, she'd been too numb to ask for more.
And so her mother told her with a grave and pained face though she mechanically told her all that she knew.
She soaked in the information as she looked at the ground. So much death.
And for what?
She closed her eyes momentarily. "And what happened when Atticus arrived at the house?" she opened her eyes to look at her mother who struggled to be composed when she asked.
"Atticus hasn't told me much." She closed her eyes as she rested her head on the bed. "Luka told me most of what happened. Atticus saw Markus die in front of him, a split second too late for his transfiguration to intercept the killing curse"
Sophia slumped in her chair and looked at her hands that laid limp in her lap.
"I see..." she whispered.
It made sense now...why her brother was acting like this.
Her mother hummed.
"He..." her mother breathed out and Sophia looked up to her mother who was looking into the distance
"He isn't coping well. It's broken something in him, to see Markus..." her breath shuddered and Sophia remained silent.
"His magic...Luka told me what he'd seen Atticus do..." her mother looked into the distance.
"His magic...when he'd come to save me, it was so different Sophia" mother whispered.
"It was so much darker than I've seen before." She turned to Sophia.
"I think if I'd died..." she trailed off as she looked past Sophia and a disturbed look came across her face.
"You think..." Sophia stopped as she inspected her mother's face whose eyes turned to her.
She smiled and shook her head "No matter, I'm alive. And that is what matters" she said with falsehood deep in her voice.
Her mother must be shakier than she looks if she couldn't hide her emotions in her voice like she normally could.
"Have you gone and seen your grandmother Isobel?" her mother asked, changing the subject.
Sophia numbly shook her head "I came here straight away."
"Go see her" her mother told her "Mother was subjected to the Cruciatus curse" her mother closed her eyes "She also lost your grandfather" she breathed out deeply "my own father..." her mother's eyes remained closed for some time.
"She would be happy to see you. I'm not going anywhere. Go" she said gently and Sophia nodded.
She spent the next hour with her grandmother, her uncle Luka, uncle Mikhel, aunt Evangelina and her cousins who were staying in St Mungos in the same quarter as her mother.
Mikhel always had been a joking man, very untypically pureblood but seeing him now...He's lost that side of him, that was clear.
Grandmother Isobel was subjected by the cruciatus for longer than her body would recover from, her age and her low magical core at the time of the torture has contributed to significantly cutting down her lifespan.
It didn't faze her however, it seemed as if she was supporting the family rather than everyone supporting her. Out of all the others still alive, she suffered the most grievous injuries. Mother would have some scars, that ghastly scar on her arm for one, but also several on her body but otherwise, she would be able to leave within a few days.
Grandmother would have to remain here for a week to ensure she's fully recovered. Uncle Lukasz and Uncle Mihkel were very injured as well but most of their injuries were fixed quite quickly with a few mending potions and spells as they managed to evade the most lasting dark curses.
She returned to her mother's room and saw that she was sleeping.
She walked towards the suitcase and touched it with her thumb. She winced slightly as she felt a little prick on her finger. The suitcase clicked open and she proceeded down the stairs.
The waft of warm air hit her as she neared the last few steps and she squinted to protect her eyes at the artificial sun construct that was high in the air.
She made her way towards the cave where she knew Seraya would be.
`Seraya?` she hissed.
She heard faint movement that grew louder as she walked deeper into the cave.
`Sophia?` she heard the great serpent ask.
`Yes it is me Seraya` she hissed out loudly and waited for the serpent to come out.
The basilisk arrived soon enough, her great head poking out from the depths of the cave before she drew herself large and settled next to her.
`Good to see you Seraya, it's been some time` she hissed out warmly.
She rarely visited Seraya, of course not that she had many opportunities. Also the serpent kind of creeped her out a little.
Seraya's big yellow eyes stared at her and Sophia grew a little more uncomfortable.
She'd never say that aloud though.
`It has.` the serpent agreed as it lowered its head a little. Sophia suppressed a wince.
She tentatively rubbed the serpents snout and the low purring sound the great serpent made was enough for her to relax a little. She had no idea how Atticus could be so carefree in Seraya's presence.
Seraya might be a gentle snake but she was still the one of most deadly of all creatures
`You rarely visit like your brother or his mate` Seraya accused. `Is that horned rodent keeping you to herself?`
Sophia giggled and finally relaxed. If there was one thing that made her feel at ease, it was Isla's and Seraya's disdain for each other. It hadn't started out like that strangely enough. They'd tolerated each other until something happen and they both did not want to say what.
Seraya referring to Emily as Atticus' mate was unfortunately something no longer noteworthy.
`No, it's not Isla. My...dwelling is past the Atla-...past the Great Sea. I do not visit often because I am not here to be able to visit`
`I see` Seraya hissed out, apparently appeased.
`Is Atticus here?` she questioned.
`Your nestmate is not here. He went through the gate` she answered.
After a few more minutes of small talk and a promise to visit again tomorrow, she left the cafe.
She stepped through the Vanishing Cabinet located not too far from Seraya's cave and was deposited in the living room.
She'd been in his trunk a couple of times but never really explored it. He called the sections he'd forbidden her from going into 'a Mancave'.
She'd laughed in his face and it took him bribing her to get her to promise not to mention the ridiculousness he came up when she said she'd inform mother about it.
She shook off the smile that unconsciously crept on her face. She heard faint clanging and she frowned.
It was in the area she'd been forbidden to enter. She walked into the direction and the clanging was getting louder and louder until she arrived at the ajar door.
Her eyes widened when she saw her brother, shirtless, pounding away with a large hammer on a slab of white hot metal while he was slightly glowing.
She wasn't sure if she should call out to him but she was saved from it when he spoke up.
"Sophia" he simply said as he paused, the hammer in his hand mid air.
He turned around and his face was devoid of emotions.
She strode forward, keeping eye contact until she was in front of him. He was 6'1" and likely grow another inch by the time he's done. He was almost a head taller than her.
Smack
"How dare you treat mother like this?!" she hissed through her teeth, her hands clenched furiously tight.
His check was reddening from the assault as he turned his face and looked at her, his eyes showing a few more emotions before they disappeared.
"I'm not treating her like anything" he simply said "She's recovering, I'm giving her a little space so she can heal."
She laughed disbelievingly "Really?!" she asked scathingly "Is that why mama is saying you can't bear to look at her?" she pressed as she poked him his sweating chest with her finger.
"Ugh" she said disgusted as she wiped her finger clean before she turned to look at him in the eyes "You have five minutes to put on a damn shirt and meet me in the living room. If you don't I will..." she said haltingly as he raised an eyebrow, eyes showing hints of amusement, infinitely better than that haunted glint his eyes took on earlier.
"You will be sorry if you don't do as I say Atticus, I promise you" she finished angrily before she turned on her heels and walked out, not waiting on a response.
She sat down in the chair fidgeting as she waited on him. She breathed out in relief when he turned up.
He said nothing as he sat down opposite her.
"I can't believe you've left mother all alone" she finally said as she stared at him.
"I haven't. Uncle Lukasz has been with her." He simply replied without any emotion.
"After father died, you're happy enough to leave her all alone, knowing that Grindelwald wanted her?" she asked in a deadly tone with narrowed eyes.
What was wrong with him?
Anger flash across his face. 'Good, it seems that he hasn't occluded completely' she thought grimly.
"I have a number of safety measures in mother's room that make it impossible for anything to happen without my notice. Nothing will happen to here and anything that would, I'd be there within a second." A split second of guilt and pain flashed across his face "I've learned my lesson"
"Shut up!" she said as she stood up surprising him "It's not your fault Atticus!" she yelled.
He got up as well, anger on his face "How is it not my fault Soph?!" he angrily asked.
"I knew something would happen, I knew that it would likely be about our parents or you, no one else would cause me that much pain!" He began to turn away from her and started pacing.
She watched him carefully as he prowled back and forth.
"Father didn't want to rely on me, or my methods." He said angrily clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white. "He listened to me about the bombings, why wouldn't he listen to me now? He'd be alive!" he said tormented before he turned to her.
"He listened about you." He said with a manic look in his eye "He allowed me to do what's necessary to protect you but himself and mother? Only a safeguard that would ensure I'd be able to find them wherever they were, believing his own methods were good enough!" he said with gritted teeth.
"You know how father was...he was Head of the House. He always a little prideful Atty, you know this. Your desire to protect our family was something he shared but to father..." she closed her eyes.
"To father it spoke badly of his own abilities, in his eyes, for his heir to protect him." She finished.
She opens her eyes and saw his shoulders slumped, the fight having left him. She rushed forward and tightly hugged him.
"Soph...I" he began as he laid his head in the crook of her neck.
"Atticus I know..." she soothed him as he breathed raggedly against her.
She broke off the hug and grabbed her face with her hands and she looked kindly at him with unshed tears.
"Father wouldn't want you to lose yourself in guilt. Please Atticus" she pleaded as searched his face.
A myriad of emotions played out on his face before he closed his eyes "I won't ever stop feeling guilty" he said quietly.
"I know"
He opened his eyes and a chilling look passed across his face.
"I will not lose anyone else, I will not allow it Soph..." he whispered as he searched her face.
She smiled sadly but she felt warm at his words. She nodded silently.
They walked through the Vanishing Cabinet and sat on the beach in front of the cave in companionable silence.
The fresh sea salt air worked wonders in soothing her saddened heart.
He broke the silence "I can't look at her because I found out what they planned for her...why they were so keen in capturing her rather than killing her"
She turned to him and saw him looking at the horizon.
He continued "They were capturing her because of me...they wanted my cooperation. They would seek to push me as far as they could...whether it was to aid them in their conquest or not depended on my desire to see mother unharmed" he said as he gritted his teeth.
"Bastards" she whispered as she looked at Atticus horrified.
"They were there for father, primarily but they knew that if they killed both mother and father, that it was as good as declaration of war with House Sayre." He turned to her with a hateful glint in his eye.
She turned away from that look and stared at the artificial sun. "You're going to war aren't you?" she said emotionlessly.
He said nothing for a minute.
"Yes."
She shuddered.
"They've taken too much from me...from us." He laughed bitterly. "I was always going to go to war but now..." he trailed off but she understood.
Vengeance.
Hatred.
"Soph..." he began after a moment and she turned to him and saw he was staring at her with a saddened look but a determined one.
"You're going to employ your insane methods completely now aren't you?" she asked bitterly.
He smiled sadly "I need to Soph...I...if I lost you and mother...I don't think it would be good for the world" he whispered.
She closed her eyes for a moment. "What about our businesses?" she asked, leaving off 'what about our lives?'
"Great Uncle Richard and Benedict can take care of it, for now." He answered in return. "I also have a few people who are in my employ who can do the more menial things, or if you have people in mind, we can speak with them" he offered.
She said nothing to that "How long?" she asked deadened.
He sighed "A year...a year and a half. It won't end until Grindelwald is dead."
She looked at him concerned "You think you can kill him?"
It was laughable if it were anyone else but her brother had always been special. But he was just so young...It broke her heart. She knew he wouldn't be dissuaded, not without father.
"I must" he whispered "There is much that depends on it. The man that killed father" he said with a hateful sneer "I took all of his memories and after I sat down when I brought our family at St Mungos, I went through them." He sighed.
"I knew that Grindelwald was a monster but the few things Esra Hisham knew were beyond the pale..." he trailed off "I know now why he and the Nazis are working so well together" he muttered quietly but loud enough for her to hear him.
"And then the betrayal I found in his head..." he whispered and she just about caught it. She frowned but didn't question him on it.
He straightened out "I know that you're not happy with this but I beg you Soph, please don't fight me on this. I promise you that the time you're away will not be one that you're going to hate." He looked a little strained as he smiled a little wryly.
"I have a lot of secrets, many of which you will be amazed about. Some of which I will leave in your hands to do as you please, including the inventions I've made that I have been holding back" he said with a bowed head. "Please sister...I'm asking for your permission...your acceptance of this" he pleaded quietly.
She turned away from him for a moment as she thought it over.
"If you join the war, they'll likely keep up their attempts to take us, won't they?"
"Most likely. Especially when I will show no mercy."
She turned to him sharply. She looked at his face, hardened and resolved.
"I will agree." He smiled but halted when she raised her hand. "On one condition" she said with her index finger raised.
He narrowed his eyes a little but inclined his head and so she continued "You do not become the monster you're seeking to kill. Our family has never become Dark Lords Atty, and I will not see my little brother become the very thing our family has sworn to never become" she said with determination.
He sighed before he looked down for a moment "What is a monster Soph? One man's saviour can be another's monster. My blood calls out for vengeance Soph. The people who killed our family...our father." He said through gritted teeth before he turned back to her with a manic look.
"They sought to destroy our family. They also have families" he said with a crazed look that chilled her "They have made enemies out of us, to do nothing short of culling them root and stem is to invite enemies born at a later date" he said a fervent tone.
She needed to end this train of thought. She knew that blood feuds didn't stop until either a family was extinguished or one surrendered and terms were accepted.
Their own family was reduced to a single heir in their last blood feud that they were lucky to survive.
"So you will kill children, infants too?" she asked curtly.
He said nothing and she looked at him with dismay "No! Atticus, NO!" she said beseechingly.
"Why not? Your mercy would fall on people who'd never appreciate it" he said with thinned lips, face hardened though she saw the conflict in his eyes.
She shook her head "I don't care for them only what it would do to you" she said sharply. "Do you know what you're saying Atticus? Could you raise your wand and point it at the head of an infant and separate the tiny head from its tiny body?" she asked pleadingly as she searched his face.
He blanked his face as they stared at each other until he gave in. "What am I supposed to do then Soph? Esra Hisham's family has to pay. They knew that he was a Grindelwald follower and everything he did reflects on them even if they did nothing."
She shook her head "If you have to take revenge, just make sure it's people who deserve it. It will eat at your soul if you kill innocents, those who aren't even able to walk on their own feet" and that got a reaction from him.
He said nothing for a moment "Thank you Soph." He said quietly "It's hard. My blood calls for complete and total eradication and yet my conscience is working hard to counter it."
She grabbed his hand. "You're a good man Atticus...never forget that. Don't lose yourself to the bloodlust." She paused momentarily as she put a hand on his cheek and turned his face so he could meet her eyes.
"Those that do...they tend to hurt the ones closest to them." She smiled sadly "I have faith in you to not do that Atticus. You were always going to be great but it is up to you to decide whether you'll be great like Merlin or great like Grindelwald" she said softly.
He looked at her a little betrayed and angered but he sighed deeply. She knew it was low of her but she needed to say it. She vividly remembered mother's face when she spoke of how he was when he'd saved their mother...
She was scared of losing him forever.
He broke her out of her thoughts as he chuckled softly as he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his cheek but didn't let it go "You've become a wise old hag, haven't you?"
"Hag?!" she said with faux outrage before she looked at him slyly "I'll have you know, I have men eating out the palm of my hands, my beauty leaves men falling at my feet to please me" she said snobbishly.
He looked at her disturbed before his face morphed and his lips twitched and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure it's your beauty?" he said with twinkling eyes as he slowly edged away from her.
He got to his feet and stretched before he looked down at her "I think it's less your beauty that makes men fall at your feet but rather your breath making them seek fresh air far from your mouth" he said with a smug grin.
"Yo-You! My breath does not stink!" she said outraged, genuine this time as she got to her feet.
He laughed as he slowly backed away "Did you clean your mouth today?" he poked at her and laughed louder as she remained silent a moment too long.
She sent several stinging hexes at him which he ducked away from elegantly, to her annoyance "You arse!" she shouted as he ran away laughing as he did so.
Naturally she chased after him.
After they settled their affairs, they returned to their mother's room. Atticus and mother embraced, finally closing the small rift that seemed to appear.
The Provydetsi side of the family came the next morning and a discussion was had about what to do when Benedict arrived that day. The children would leave for the States, as would the three other Proydetsi children at Beauxbatons with Grandmother Isobel and Evangelina, staying with Aunt Viola for a little while after they'd come for the funeral.
Atticus would go and cast the Fidilius charm over the house they'll purchase in the States, over the wards that he'd put on, some that would include Sayre wards.
Mihkel and Lukasz would remain and join the war. Mother had accepted Atticus' decision to join the war but she'd refused to hide. She knew that Atticus wouldn't accept that from the look in his face.
Aurors had come and spoke with Atticus and mother and she saw the frustrated look on Atticus when they pressed to see their wands. Benedict intervened and called up an obscure law that protected ancient families from their family magic from being taken from them and ended that route of investigation but she knew that it wasn't an end to it.
The Daily Prophet had created a firestorm when the attack was reported on, detailing the loss of life and the scale of the attack that crippled the country.
Benedict informed them that their position was weak now with father dead and that they'd need to ensure that none would be able to take advantage of them.
Thankfully, the news of what happened at Provydetsi Hall hadn't yet been covered but she expected eventually, probably in the next few days it would filter through.
-Break-
Spencer-Moon POV
"Tell me how in Merlin's name this happened" he asked angrily as he glared at the men in his office.
It's been three since the disaster that was Godric's Hollow. 102 people died, sixteen of them were Aurors on patrol duty.
Only a few hours ago have they regained control over the floo network, another disaster that he was going to be questioned about in the Wizengamot.
His eyes roved over the men who were in his office. The Head of the Unspeakables Simon Bracker and the Director of the MLE Carmax Yaxley, the Head of the Department of Magical Transportation Jacob Shafiq were the senior members of the assorted men.
"Before we begin" Bracker spoke up capturing the attention of the room.
"It must be said that everything that is discussed in this room is under the Secrecy clause of the Ministerial Employment contract" Bracker said in a serious tone.
"Is that really necessary?" Shafiq asked with a frown.
Spencer-Moon said nothing but he agreed. The Secrecy clause was added when the DOM was rolled into the Ministry, ensuring that topics and magic of sensitive nature could never be divulged without obtaining secrecy oaths.
"It is. The nature of the attack is too dangerous to be allowed into the public consciousness. The scale of disruption and chaos it would yield would cripple us. The secrecy oaths ensure that none can willingly or unwillingly divulge this information" Yaxley confirmed.
He sighed. When Yaxley and Bracker were in agreement, there was little he could do to disagree. Not that he could refuse once Bracker invoked the Secrecy clause. It was one of their unshakeable positions; the Head of the DOM reserved the right to invoke, without interference or politicking, the Secrecy clause independent of the constraints or protests of the Ministry.
He turned to his aides "Leave the room" he ordered. They weren't needed for what would be discussed.
They left as did several other people who weren't needed however the Assistant Head of the DMT and the second Unspeakable remained and so there six people remaining in the room.
After the oaths were sworn, Yaxley began his report.
"It was a coordinated attack, an exceedingly well organised multi pronged attack that was aimed at crippling our movement whilst at the same time carry out their primary objectives" Yaxley informed them.
Spencer-Moon leaned back in his chair as he stared at Yaxley "And how was it possible that they were able to so effectively 'cripple' us? We have spent millions of galleons in shoring up our defences" he said heatedly.
The floo network and that damnable ward that kept their aurors from arriving fast enough. As it was, one of the aurors had been sent away from the village, the town, on a broom until he was far enough to apparate back to the ministry to tell them of the attack. It took well over an hour for Aurors to arrive.
102 dead. Thrice that number injured, St Mungos was heavily warded, more than the last incarnation, given that early on it had been identified as a likely target after all but oddly none of the attacks occurred at the hospital.
"The individual we have found responsible for taking down the floo network was compromised and has been compromised for some time. The immediate examination concludes so far that there are similarities to the condition as the attackers of Godric's Hollow" Yaxley confirmed and Bracker followed up on this.
"The mental manipulation of the individual was subtle and would not be picked up with a cursory glance, exceedingly different from the complete destruction of personality we have so far managed to conclude in the minds of the few attackers we've interrogated" Bracker glanced at Yaxley for a moment before he looked at Spencer-Moon again.
Spencer-Moon narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'destruction of personality'?"
Yaxley answered at this point "My aurors noticed that the attackers at Godric's Hollow behaved strangely, far from any normal aggressor or dark wizard. The individuals were uncoordinated, attacking anyone without any self preservation. The reports indicate that debilitating injuries were ignored in favour of continuing attacks. Some were even bleeding out but the injury did not register nor did it faze them beyond restricting their movement, depending on their injury, as they pressed their attacks." He paused momentarily to let that sink in.
Yaxley continued "This irregular behaviour prompted my aurors to come to the conclusion that they were likely under the Imperius, shifting to the aim to capture them without injuring them at the risk of being killed and that decision led to most of the deaths amongst the Aurors." Yaxley thinned his lips in disapproval before he shook his head.
"The captured individuals did not exhibit symptoms of being Imperiused and neither did any of our scans indicate they were under the Imperius. Nothing we did caused any change in behaviour, none of the dispelling spells or potions we force fed them caused any difference to the abnormal behaviour" Yaxley turned to Bracker who nodded at him before turned to Spencer-Moon.
"At that point we were brought in. Our more refined methods of determining whether they were under any influence unfortunately came to the same conclusion; this was something different." This caused the room to devolve into low level murmurs.
Spencer-Moon leaned in as he gestured him to continue.
Bracker pursed his lips "Given the unresponsive nature of the attackers, it classified them as Wards of State under the 1824 Spell Damage Health Provision Act which allows us latitude to take acts to get suspects coherent enough to eventually be put on trial for the crimes they were charged or suspected of if they were deemed mentally competent during their acts. With an onsite healer trained in Legillimency we set about in probing their psyches"
The Assistant Head of DMT frowned heavily at that "You invaded their privacy?" he asked disapprovingly.
Yaxley glared at him "There was no 'invasion of privacy'. The behaviour of these people is abnormal and the lack of responsiveness makes it a serious enough concern that alternative methods were required to determine if they acted of their own free will. There are circumstances, such as this, where Legillimency and other methods are within the scope of the DMLE and the DOM" Yaxley said sharply.
Bracker inclined his head at Yaxley and continued "What we have found has been unsettling. The Legillimency probes have shown that the individuals were subjected to a systematic mind wipe that destroyed every strand of memory and the personality being nothing more than a series of simple and yet complex instructions that they were operating with. The motor controls were the only things that were left untouched" He finished.
The faces of Shafiq and the Assistant Head were horror struck as they digested the information. The Unspeakable was grim faced, no doubt already aware of the situation.
"Th-That's m-mo-monstrous" The Assistant Head spluttered to a deathly quiet room.
Spencer-Moon leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumped. The ramifications of this...
His mind spun at the terrifying possibilities that such violation could do.
"And this is what happened to Ms Narton?" Shafiq's questioned pulled him out of his disturbed mind.
Bracker shook his head "No. Ms Narton did not exhibit the same extent of destruction and reprogramming. Hers was extremely subtle, certain conditions were implanted in her mind, in the recesses of her mind that would force her to enter a state of compliance once certain passphrases were said" Bracker thinned his lips "We have yet to determine the scale of the conditioning but she has been committed to Janus Thickey Ward in the mean time. The...consequences of our investigation have resulted in some unfortunate backlash to her." Bracker said delicately.
"We have approached an expert on mind magic to remove the conditioning and to assist us in our research" Bracker finally said.
"This...this is incredibly concerning Bracker" Spencer-Moon voiced out as his lips thinned.
"How do we know that there are no others under the thrall of Grindelwald and his followers?" Shafiq questioned.
"All evidence so far leads to that the conditioning that Ms Narton underwent was over the course of at least several months, up to eight months" Bracker said with a glance at Shafiq whose eyes lit up in understanding.
"You're referring to the period of time Ms Narton was supposedly gone for maternity leave?" Shafiq asked sharply and Bracker nodded.
"Ms Narton was an ideal target; widowed, from a small family that she is estranged from, no close friends and exceptionally career driven which allowed her to rise within your department Shafiq. We suspect that her widow status likely wasn't an accident either given that it provided an opportunity for the story of her bereavement and her supposed pregnancy to be weaponised as she left without many questioned asked of where she was going" Bracker offered.
"Hmm. We discovered that none of her family or friends knew where she went during this time of absence and so we have some direction with regards to how long it might take for the conditioning to happen. Her memory of her absence is remarkably blank, one of the conditions being to never to think on it and to evade any questioning." Yaxley said with pursed lips.
Yaxley continued "When she returned, she subtly managed to compromise the floo network and given that she was one of the senior members of the team that is charged with ensuring the floo network remains networked, it was worryingly easy for her to compromise the network and ultimately shut it down" Yaxley said with a glance to Shafiq who scoffed.
"What do you expect? The Emergency Act barely notes the floo network and when it does, it is about the safety procedures and defensive mechanisms with regards to international floo rather than the internal network." Shafiq shook his head "It does mean that we need some kind of vetting."
He turned to Bracker "And would you be able to determine a vetting process that isn't invasive Legillimency?"
Bracker nodded slowly "Yes...we have methods to determine foreign influences, such as the imperius curse. The methods aren't sensitive enough, we suspect, to catch the conditioning so we will need to develop a method that can catch it. We also will need to develop it into an enchantment as well. It will however need to be added within the warding scheme of the Ministry." He warned.
Spencer-Moon nodded "There will be no protest from me. I will sleep easier knowing that I won't be assassinated in my office by one of my aides" he said critically.
"We're also quite certain that the technique Ms Narton was subjected to would have eventually unravelled, as it has now in our attempt to understand what's been done to her, as the mind would rebel at the invasive instructions. It will be part of our research, of course"
He eyed Bracker "How long?"
Bracker furrowed his brows "I'm not certain. Perhaps several months to a year with multiple teams. We already have a framework but when it comes to memories..." he sighed.
"Whilst we suspect that Legillimency was heavily used in the attackers and Ms Narton, it may not be the only method used. In any case, we will need to first see how well we can spot foreign elements within a psyche" Bracker sighed as he rubbed his head tiredly. "It will depend on if there are traces of magic, traces of foreign magic that belongs to the perpetrator. It won't be enough to identify them, we can hardly identify those who have cast the imperius curse on a subject after all, but there should be lingering traces of magic foreign to the individual's magic that we should be able to pinpoint." Bracker finished.
"In the meantime, Minister, I heavily advise that you have your aides and ministerial staff checked by the onsite mind healer. The conditioning will be noticed if it is there. The healer is under healer oaths as well as DOM oaths that don't conflict." Yaxley offered "I have already had myself and my senior staff checked and I suspect the DOM have already done so" he said with a glance and Bracker simply offered a smile confirming it.
"I'll agree" Spencer-Moon sighed before he turned to Shafiq "Similarly I want you to work Yaxley to make sure this never happens again. And have yourself and the staff also checked." he ordered and Shafiq's face soured but he nodded albeit reluctantly.
He turned back to Yaxley "So you're certain that Ms Narton was not conditioned in the Isles?"
"As much as I can be. We are already checking to see if there are similar absentees within the Ministry but so far she was the only one" Yaxley answered.
"The ICW needs to know this" Spencer-Moon said aloud.
Bracker interjected "They already do. They suspect that this method has been used to subvert several European ministry staff members. It could explain how Grindelwald managed to sweep across Europe with backing from several ministries. We do not think that it is a sustainable method however. The skill necessary to do this is extremely high. Our onsite healer trained for sixty years in mind magic and even he would not be able to do what has been done to Ms Narton and the attackers. We suspect that it is a natural legilimencer who's honed his – or hers – skill."
"But you don't know for certain" Shafiq pressed.
Bracker smiled blandly "No we don't. It's only been three days after all." Shafiq scowled but said nothing. He turned to Spencer-Moon and continued.
"The attackers, whilst we have not identified them all, are all people who have been missing for the past two years. They hail from countries under Grindelwald's occupation so chances are that they are...were prisoners, low ranked ones. It reeks of an experiment that they were testing."
Yaxley turned to Bracker "Those skilled in Occlumency...would they be able to resist the conditioning?"
Bracker frowned as he thought it over "I suspect tier three and upward would recognise the invasive elements, the mind is remarkably robust. Memories weren't implanted, merely subconscious instructions that are incredibly subtle and cleverly done. The instructions were implanted in the same region of the mind where habits reside, for example if you chew the end of your quill as a habit, it would be in that region of the brain. Ms Narton is not a traitor, simply the instructions made her actions into an unconscious habit.
It could well be that the person who did this is skilled in this aspect of mind magic but is not as capable in being able to break through sturdy Occlumency barriers as that depends on magical power as well as skill."
Bracker shook his head "In any case, Minister, we will be able to ensure that the Ministry is not compromised with sleeper agents one way or another."
He sat back and frowned "Are you still working on the wards against muggle bombs?" he questioned Bracker.
"We are. We've obtained the bombs the British muggles use and have tested that the wards are now good enough to protect against the bombs. However, given the scale of their weapons research, we have continued to try and increase the strength of the wards in anticipation of their weapons improvement" Bracker answered.
"If I ask you to halt that project and assign the staff to the teams that will come up with a way to detect this conditioning, would you do it?" Spencer-Moon questioned as their eyes met.
Bracker shook his head "It won't work like that. The team are experts on wards. The teams assigned on the conditioning are experts on magical theory, detection and knowledgeable about the more esoteric magicks that are related to mind magic. It would not hasten the conclusion of the conditioning project"
He sighed but nodded. "Very well, I want to be updated on this project at all points. There is no more important project." He declared and Bracker nodded in understanding.
He turned to Yaxley. "Tell me everything about what you found about Godric's Hollow"
"With regards to what happened to Godric's Hollow" Yaxley began "the anchor stone that was used belonged to the Austrians and went missing sometime in 1937, spawning a worldwide hunt. In the advent of the war, the search of the anchor stone halted."
"You're certain that this is the anchor stone that went missing?" He asked blankly.
"The stone matches the physical description of the documents the ICW dispersed several years ago." Yaxley confirmed.
Anchor stones were used to hold the magical nets that spanned countries. The smaller countries shared anchor stones due to their rarity. These stones were exceedingly rare, a rare mineral stone that sat convergent on at least several leylines that has soaked magic for untold millennia.
These stones were rare to find given that the formation of the structure of the stones were in conditions that no one truly knew. Through war, the number of anchor stones were destroyed or lost and so there were not many countries that had anchor stones. The loss of one was notable.
He eyed Bracker. Well, perhaps the DOM knew how they were created.
In any case the anchor stones are the 'anchors' that all other ward stones were connected to within the boundaries of a nation, allowing the possibility of country wide wards to be erected with the wardstones as a sort of relaying station that strengthened the wards.
Grindelwald subsuming the wardstones in the countries he invaded were all methods of creating a beachhead. Anchor stones were difficult to take even if you held the ministry. It was an ICW decree.
"Why would Grindelwald use such a precious resource?" Shafiq questioned confused.
He shared a glance with Yaxley. It wasn't information that needed to be disseminated yet.
Shafiq sighed irritably before he turned to Bracker "This is still under the Secrecy clause correct?"
"For the duration of this meeting yes" Bracker answered.
Shafiq turned to Yaxley "You might as well, it's not as if any of us can disclose what we discussed here today without agreement of the Minister and Bracker"
Yaxley turned to him and he nodded and so Yaxley continued "Assassination of Wizengamot Lords, particularly those who were pushing the Ministry for war."
Yaxley let that soak in for a moment "It was a massive operation. The primary target were the Sayres as we all know but Lords Somerset, Gulbert and Halston were all targeted – successfully. Houses Somerset and Halston are now all extinct – at least in the main line." he said before he grabbed the bridge of his nose.
The Daily Prophet had chewed out the Ministry and it bayed for blood, causing innumerable fires for him to put out. The deaths of the Lords, with the exception of the Sayres were largely news that was glossed over but it was disastrous for the Pro war camp.
The vote was coming up in just under three months and the way things stood, he doubted there would be appetite to join the ICW against Grindelwald amongst the Lords for fear of being assassinated. Lords Halston and Gulbert were independents who Markus Sayre managed to convert to his way of thinking and look where it got them all.
Somerset had been courted by Lord Bones and all indications seemed to suggest that he'd vote for war. Each of these Lords, whilst not as powerful as the Old Families, were considerably wealthy and well connected within the independent and neutral camp. If they were swayed, others would bend.
Exactly what Grindelwald intended. With the sheer brutality of the attacks, it would give anyone pause.
"They went through all that trouble to assassinate four Lords? To give up an incredible asset and a method that they could have used to subvert the ministry in a greater scale and an anchor stone as well?" The Assistant Head asked incredulously.
He and Yaxley shared glances. They knew full well that the Sayres were probably worth it given the sheer wealth and resources they held. Not to mention the status they held within the Magical world, even if they never pressed on it, would be able to convert people to their cause.
The meeting went on for another hour, mainly to discuss the protocols that would be put in place, especially pertaining the floo network and the method of intrusions that needed to be shored up, the more mundane methods until only he and Yaxley remained.
They spoke about more sensitive information, information pertaining to those in league with Grindelwald.
"This is becoming a problem. We cannot ignore the presence of traitors within the Ministry" Yaxley warned.
"I know but what would you have me do" he gestured with his hands "The traitors are likely seat holders and you know, Yaxley, the problems we have with getting them with anything other than a slap on the wrist. The Wizengamot won't convict or penalise one of their own without complete and substantial proof, even if they know where certain allegiances are. It's impossible."
And he wouldn't instigate either. For all the power the Ministry had, the noble families held more power than the ministry, far more power collectively. It would be political suicide to do it.
Yaxley shook his head but said nothing. Yaxley was from a branch of the family and so had little contact with the main branch. His position was earned though it was eased once it was known to his Head of House of his capabilities.
"What have the investigations around Provydetsi Hall yielded?" he questioned Yaxley.
The sheer scale of the attack was immense. None of the other Lords had yielded this kind of attack. They suspected that the three Lords at most had four attackers. They used Fiendfyre to burn down the manors whilst picking off the survivors.
With anti apparition and portkey wards enabled and the floo network down, there were little option but to fight and unfortunately it seemed they were unsuccessful. There had been several other attacks, namely on Houses Cornfoot and Shacklebolt but they were unsuccessful.
Yaxley grimaced "Brutal" he answered simply. He shook his head "The attack was aimed to completely subdue them, at first. The fact they didn't attempt to wipe out the family by simply casting Fiendfyre suggests that they had an alternative plan." He pursed his lips.
"You suspect that they intended to capture the Sayres?" He asked curiously.
He shook his head "No, I think Markus Sayre was always meant to die however I think Lady Sayre and everyone else probably was meant to be captured."
"I see." And he really did. She'd be an excellent hostage.
He looked at Yaxley sharply "Have your Aurors questioned the Sayres yet?"
"Yes they have" he pursed his lips "They are hiding something. The deaths around the terrace all have the indication of being killed in quick brutal succession."
"Heir Sayre?" he asked knowingly and Yaxley nodded slightly.
"Senior Auror Moody told me that he used some kind of magic to jump hundreds of meters in the air crossing a large distance within seconds. I have no doubt that he also killed the attackers of his family in such a timescale." Yaxley thinned his lips in consternation.
"He is dangerous...extremely dangerous and seems to have no qualms about killing, even if it is understandable. The auror that interviewed him said that he felt highly intimidated in his presence and that he was extremely cold even if his voice held no emotion." Yaxley sighed before he leaned back.
"He refused to allow them to check their wands and the elder patriarch Benedict Sayre managed to cite an obscure law that prevented the Aurors from checking it" Yaxley said with thinned lips before he continued "The interior of the house reeks of dark magic residue which accordingly to Lukasz Provydetsi was all by their attackers" Yaxley said with a dry tone.
Leonard frowned "That law that was cited doesn't apply to the Provydetsi's does it?" he inquired.
"It doesn't matter, the wands have mysteriously been 'lost' so we cannot check to see if the spells used were legal or not." Yaxley said a little frustrated before he shook his head and continued with his report "The damage in the forest near the Provydetsi estate was immense, Leonard. The path that was torn towards a region that was rife with dark magic residue baffled my aurors to the point I went and checked myself" he shook his head "The damage he was capable of without casting dark magic, in the path he forged towards his mother is concerning. The boy is a veritable powerhouse and I know that they're not giving the complete truth of what happened"
"Would you have charged the Provydetsi's if you'd found anything?" Leonard inquired "Or the Sayres for that matter?"
"No. The use of dark magic might be illegal but only a few are punishable with time in Azkaban. The deaths they've caused also can't be charged with time in Azkaban given that it was in self defence. There is argument that Heir Sayre could have captured the perpetrators, especially given how quickly they seemed to have been dispatched but when we checked the spells they've cast at him, killing curses and other dark curses, we'd lose that argument quite spectacularly.
The bodies of the attackers do not have any killing curse residue – or any of the other unforgiveables so they are completely free from any chance of being persecuted." Yaxley eyed Leonard carefully "Given the outcry of the public, attempting to charge Britain's wonderboy with murder or his family after they'd been attacked, you'd be thrown out on your arse before you knew it. Not even the anti war crowd would vote to charge them"
He remained silent for a moment. Atticus Sayre was likely their second best chance of ensuring the safety of the British Isles should Grindelwald come knocking.
He needed leverage on the Sayres. He needed leverage on Atticus Sayre especially. He was far too powerful and influential. Whilst his attentions were decidedly on Grindelwald, he wanted the Sayres in line. With the death of Markus Sayre, the pressure on him has been relieved, much to his pleasure.
Markus Sayre's campaign had been gaining much traction and had he abstained again, he would not have survived that and likely would have been ousted in an emergency vote.
The death of Markus Sayre was to his advantage.
Whilst he depended on Dumbledore against Grindelwald, he wanted Atticus Sayre in his pocket, to use against Dumbledore should he become a problem. And vice versa of course.
He sighed and rubbed his head. Dumbledore had visited him, pushing to levy charges on the Sayres and with this disaster, he was gaining in support to his ideology, feeding on the fears.
It would run contrary to his desires of having the Sayres in his pocket should he stand against them but Dumbledore was pushing hard.
And at the moment Dumbledore was far more reliable to have as an ally than the Sayres, despite their wealth and status.
"And Lady Sayre?" he asked tiredly as he glanced at Yaxley "Whilst we know for certain none of those around the Estate cast any unforgiveables, what about her?"
Yaxley pursed his lips "There are burnt corpses by Fiendfyre so we cannot check for dark magic residue of the ones that were killed before her son arrived and dispatched the other attackers"
He remained silent for a moment as he thought it over.
"Can we force the issue?"
Yaxley looked at him strangely "They're protected by the Old Laws. They protected themselves with prejudice as allowed under the laws. We have no reason to forcefully check her wand." He pointed out.
"But can you do it?" he pressed. He didn't know for certain but it had to be that for Lady Sayre to refuse.
Yaxley thinned his lips "Yes. The unforgiveables are not covered under that law so if we went about it in a certain way we could do it."
"Then you would not find it difficult to create a warrant to check her wand?"
Yaxley sighed as he closed his eyes momentarily before he stared at him "Are you certain that you want to make enemies of the Sayres? They are likely going to be very unforgiving at this moment in time"
"There is only a few of them left and they but a couple of heirs. A seventeen year old heir, a woman who spends most of her time in the Colonies and a hundred plus old man who will find it difficult to pick up where Markus Sayre left off." He shook his head. "The Sayres are weak at the moment, politically speaking"
"And yet the heir is probably the second most powerful individual in the country" Yaxley pointed out shrewdly as he got up.
"I'll create the warrant. It won't go down well, I promise you but I'll do it" he said shaking his head as he walked out of the room.
He sat there in his office thinking. He did not want to go to war and the Sayres had been pressing for it. Not even the Blacks were as fervent. If Atticus Sayre is anything like his father, he'd pick up where his father left off and with a father who has a martyr status, he could see his country entangled in a war that has devastated Europe.
Dumbledore was right. With what has happened in Godric's Hollow, it was clear that their efforts should be to safeguard their country. The Lords may be self serving but Europe was none of their business. Self preservation would prevail once he'd spoken to them.
He'd already had over a hundred Aurors and Hit Wizards cooperating with the ICW. That would have to do.
He sighed as he rubbed his face. He was cancelling training of the auxiliary forces and spending that money on fortifying the Isles to prevent such excursions again.
That would show the public that he was acting whilst also quietly allying with the Lords who were against this war.
He sighed and checked the time. It was time to meet with the editor of the Daily Prophet.
-Break-
Emily POV
GODRIC'S HOLLOW MASSACRE A DIVERSION!
By Genevieve Hale
The attack that shook the Nation, causing more than a hundred deaths and three times that number injuries, was reportedly nothing more than a diversion by Grindelwald and his followers as news has filtered in on Attacks of no less than six Lordly houses!
By the eve of the 27th of March 1942, five different Houses were attacked at their ancestral homes. Houses Somerset, Gulbert, Halston, Cornfoot and Shacklebolt were all victims of the scourge of Grindelwald and his criminals but Houses Somerset and Halston were hit the hardest as their Lords and heirs were all killed and their ancestral homes burned down, leaving several minor branches alive from those Houses. House Gulbert had their Lord assassinated whilst Houses Cornfoot and Shacklebolt escaped injured but still alive (See page 12 for more)
But the most shocking attack was on the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Sayre who were visiting the Provydetsi's at midday. The attack was described to have been brutal as Provydetsi Hall, the newly built home, was assaulted by nearly as many men as had been present in Godric's Hollow, clearly indicating the true targets of Grindelwald's attention!
The attack killed Lord Markus Sayre but intervention by Heir Atticus Sayre (See page 3 for more information about the boy prodigy) saved the Lady of the house and the remaining members of House Provydetsi.
Our contact in the Ministry had this to say "The attack on Provydetsi Hall was completely intended to wipe out all of the occupants. It was a miracle that the people in that home managed to buy enough time for Heir Sayre to arrive and even then, half of the defenders were wiped out" (See Page 4 for the complete interview)
This is the latest attack in a long line of attacks against those who are against the menace that Grindelwald.
Minister Leonard Spencer-Moon had this to say...
She threw the paper away, a scowl forming on her face. She glanced around and saw attention was on her.
It's been four days since the attack, four days since Atticus left the Great Hall. Four days of intense scrutiny from the rest of the school.
Atticus had sent her a message explaining things and they'd talked briefly but nothing more than that. She'd been given more than a few judgemental looks for not being 'upset' like some of the other harlots were pretending to be.
'How could she be such a heartless bitch?'
'I knew she never deserved him, where is she when he needs the support, the poor man'
It grated on her and she would love nothing more to subject them to a few curses but she maintained her calm. She remembered her faces.
No...she had more important things to do.
She would be of no use to Atticus fawning over him when she could be more productive.
She took a bite of her toast and watched the Great Hall fill up and the subject of her attention arrived. She watched as Greengrass walked in with Macmillan, looking better than she had for the past few days where she looked shaken and worried.
Macmillan and Rowle had noticed but the indications seemed to be that they didn't seem to know that it was different from the kind of behaviour that she should be indicating.
She'd managed to copy the letters – another nail in the coffin, before she'd even read the letters, was the heavy security that was within the letters. She'd needed to spend time in the damn Time Room to unravel the charms that were on the letters – and whilst nothing was explicitly suspicious, the tone of the letters to Lord Greengrass, the phrasing that made no sense unless it was code for something, seems to show that Greengrass was far more involved.
She pursed her lips. She was unsure what to do. She doubted Atticus would mind if she...interviewed Greengrass but the way she was being watched, she wouldn't be able to cleanly get away with anything for the moment. Greengrass would have to wait.
"Morning" Rockwood said with a yawn as he sat next to her. "Ah the papers are already here?!" he exclaimed as he yanked the paper.
"No, Atticus directed his owl to me – they receive papers well before they're in circulation" she responded before she put some scrambled eggs in her mouth.
Malfoy who also arrived at the same time as Rockwood looked at her curiously before he read the same paper at the same time as Rockwood.
Their eyes widened after a few minutes. Malfoy turned to her "Speaking of the Sayres" he drawled as he watched her intently.
She swallowed and cocked her head which he understood "Have you heard anything?" he asked with focused eyes.
"If I have, I won't betray their confidence...it would be...improper" she said with a raised eyebrow.
He soured and returned his attentions to the paper.
When breakfast was nearing to an end, she caught Slughorn before he left for the first classes of the day. By now, everyone with a Daily Prophet subscription knew of what happened and the attention was grating.
"Ah Ms Riddle!" he said with a smile before he caught himself, a glint entering his eye "Horrible news, it certainly explains why Atticus had to leave" he sighed saddened before he looked at her intently "Please let him know about my condolences and if there is anything I could do, I'd love to hear from him" he said sincerely.
Slughorn might be an unrepentant leach but he did have some decency, apparently.
She nodded seriously "I will. That's actually what I'd like to speak to you about." She hesitated for a moment, on purpose before she looked at him with a fragile expression on her face "Professor, I'd like to visit St Mungos, I know that students aren't allowed to leave the school, except for family emergency..." she sighed "I know I'm not strictly family but I would like to check up on Lady Sayre" she looked at him with wide eyes.
"She's like a mother to me" she said softly and given the expression that came across his face, she knew she had him.
"Of course!" he reassured her "Ms Riddle, you should have come to me earlier, I would have allowed it immediately, you poor girl" he said with sympathy.
She smiled accommodatingly and they talked a little as they walked.
As they parted, she frowned on her words. Anne Sayre wasn't her mother. But she probably the closest thing to it.
She shook her head. She didn't want to think on that.
-Break-
Grindelwald POV
"Tell me Salinsky" he began quietly "How is it that you're the only one to return?" he said as he glared at the pathetically quivering man below him.
He bowed his head, escaping from his glare "M-My Lord" he stammered and a growl from one of his men had him quickly continue "My Lord, Hisham sent me and Emile to inform our people in the surrounding lands that Lady Sayre was in the forest. We departed on our brooms and I stayed in the air when we caught up to them whilst Emile went down to inform the men. He joined them in the search whilst I kept an eye out in the air." He swallowed heavily as he looked up and met his eyes.
He breathed out deeply and continued "I saw something coming their way but before I could come down, it moved quicker than I've seen something move except on brooms and this was on the ground. I was fixed in the air as I watched it nearing them. It broke through trees like I've never seen before.
One of our men had cast Fiendfyre as well and it was about to kill Lady Sayre until the monster arrived and sent the Fiendfyre back which killed several of our men." He looked stricken for a moment as he recited his words.
"Monster?" one of his men who were present in this debrief questioned.
He looked fearful "What else could it be? The words from his mouth were not words from a person" he said with belief in his words.
He glanced at Vermeer who met his eyes before he returned to the coward.
"Continue" he drawled dangerous as he watched the man with his spidery long fingers intertwined beneath his chin, holding it up from his seated position.
"R-Right. The monster then did things...I don't know how or what he did but he caught them all and he..." he closed his eyes momentarily "He tortured them all, killing them in so fast and in ways that don't make sense. The ones that tried to run where smashed to death with entire trees" he said hollowly.
His eyebrows raised minutely. Fascinating. Animating trees required quite a bit of power. Not to mention the speed the monster moved at. That...was something he was less certain about. There were various ways one could move faster.
"How did none other than you activate your portkeys?" Vermeer questioned sharply.
"I-I don't know for certain" he said lamely and under a furious glare he continued "But I think he managed to get them from them. I only escaped before I was too high, probably"
"All of them?" Vermeer asked sceptically. Murmurs rang around the chamber.
"Come here Salinsky" he ordered and Salinsky complied.
He looked in his eyes and gentler than usual dove into his mind.
His eyes widened as he watched the fragments of what Salinsky saw.
"Fascinating" he whispered as he exited Salinsky's mind who was dropped the ground panting and holding his head in mild discomfort.
"You may all go – except for you Vermeer" he said absentmindedly as he watched the memory again and again in his mind.
He turned to Vermeer who stood opposite him with a curious expression, no doubt exceptionally curious with what he'd seen.
"It was Heir Sayre" he said with a curl of the lips, a burble of excitement in his stomach.
"The monster was a seventeen year old?" Vermeer said sarcastically and Gellert chuckled that ebbed away as he sat back in his chair.
"No doubt angry at the death of his father of course and it's quite likely he just about saved his mother" He said with pursed lips.
Silence rang amongst them for a moment "Will we try again?" Vermeer questioned.
"No. There is no point. I doubt we'll have another opportunity like this again. We've also determined the experiments require fine tuning, the attack in Godric's Hollow should have been far deadlier" he said with a displeased tone in his voice.
Vermeer didn't look happy about that but said nothing. The experiments were inspired by the Germans. The experiments they were conducting on their undesirables, and the research they've collected and conducted without ethical concerns was proving quite applicable to their own research.
Narton had been another partial success. Stripping away her natural shields had been easy and she was better in absorbing the mental commands than the other subjects they'd experimented with.
"What about Esra?" Vermeer questioned. Gellert pursed his lips.
"It is quite likely Esra is dead. From what I have seen in Salinsky's mind, Atticus Sayre is not one to leave enemies alive." He said with a glint in his eye.
"And now we have him as an enemy without anyone to hold him at bay" Vermeer finished as he watched Gellert with a curious expression. "By all accounts, a prodigy and someone who will hate you and our cause." Vermeer pointed out.
Gellert let of a cold chuckle "Yes..."
He unleashed his magic slightly and the room descended under a heavy blanket, blackness swirling around him "We do have an enemy that we would have rather preferred on our side, willingly or not" he said with a cruel glint in his eyes "But it matters not in the end" he said as a sharp smile cut across his face.
Vermeer said nothing and after a moment inclined his head.
"The plans for the French Ministry have all drawn up. Everything is in position as are our enemies, just as we wanted" Vermeer changed the subject.
Gellert withdrew his magic and nodded slightly "Good. We will commence on schedule then. Once it is done, we can focus on the East. With the death of Markus Sayre, the British nobility will undoubtedly go fully into self preservation." He mocked.
Vermeer smiled a little before he nodded "As you say My Lord. It won't stop those who will wish to join with the ICW however" he pointed out.
"Yes, I have no doubt there will be some, several of them likely amongst their powerful, who will join out of some misguided duty. It matters not. We have destiny and magic on our side" Gellert spoke suavely.
Vermeer stood straighter and saluted "For the Greater Good"
Gellert smiled cruelly "For the Greater Good" he returned with malice dancing in his eyes.
'Oh, Albus, it seems that there is another one of us' he thought to himself.
