Oh gosh, I am loving the Queenie/Grindelwald dynamic. I am a big believer that Gellert is going to have a special bond with her, not because he wants one but because he is going to let her see his heart more than he does anyone else, not because he wants her friendship necessarily but because, well...

1. Grindelwald is manipulative as heck

2. He knows that the way to manipulate Queenie and convince her to be loyal to him is to appeal to her heart

3. He knows they have something in common that would make Queenie feel loyalty to him (forbidden love)

4. He sometimes loses control of his emotions when it comes to Albus Dumbledore, despite the fact he represses them as best he can, and she is the most powerful Legilimens a person can be, so she's going to see more than he wants her to know eventually

I'LL PROBABLY KEEP EDITING THIS TOMORROW, because I can't seem to be able to resist doing so. Ideas are still coming to me, even after I post, so I keep adding stuff.

Thank you to my reviewers. I cannot believe this has 103 reviews now.

chocoluvr - Thank you - I can't believe you read all those chapters! This story is so ridiculously long right now, so I'm sure it took you a long time to read all those. As for homosexuality and the time period, I do think there is a difference between the Wizarding world and the Muggle world. Based on what JK Rowling has said about homosexuality in the Wizarding world, it is definitely looked down upon, but I don't think the penalties for homosexuality is as extreme as the ones in the Muggle world. As you know, homosexuality was a crime in the Muggle world - people were locked up for it, but I do not think that was the case in the Wizarding world. I do think, however, that Albus and Gellert had to hide it to a certain degree though because if they didn't, they would be insulted, looked down upon etc., but not necessarily thrown in jail. But who knows - maybe a male/male relationship was illegal in the Wizarding world too. It is still uncertain.

Chiara Polairix Edelstein - Thank you! I find the interactions of all HP characters fascinating. There were so many nuances in Crimes of Grindelwald. I honestly felt like there was more underneath the surface than there was on the surface. The story wasn't really about what we were directly seeing. It was more about what we weren't seeing, what was implied. I was mostly watching what was lingering beneath the surface, not what was explicitly stated. It's fascinating. And you should write. I know a lot of people really like Albus/Newt as a ship, but it is one I personally do not and cannot ship myself. But write, write, write because people will read it!

Lastly, thank you for the follows and the favorites. The traffic this story has is crazy, and it's thanks to you all.

Queenie Goldstein

She hadn't been eating much. She kept to herself. Grindelwald had passed her a couple of times, but she didn't want to talk, and he seemed to respect the fact she wanted space. He had asked her a simple, "Queenie, do you want to talk to someone?" yesterday evening when she walked back to her room with her gaze downward.

"I'm fine," she had said in a very tight voice as she increased the length of her strides. He did not follow her, like she expected him to do. She had heard his thoughts - he really was concerned about her. This gave her only slight comfort though: what gave her even more comfort was the fact he did not follow and demand she talk to him. He was giving her time.

Vinda Rosier was another story though.

It was early in the morning. Queenie thought she would be able to sneak down to the kitchen and get breakfast without running into anyone. However, before she could finish pouring her drink and taking her food back to her bedroom, Vinda came into the kitchen, saw Queenie, and gave her a slight smile.

Cringing inwardly, Queenie smiled back. She knew that Vinda was attracted to her, and this was a dead-end for Vinda.

Gathering her plate and her cup, Queenie made a break for the doorway, but Vinda moved and blocked her path. Queenie couldn't help but notice that Vinda was fully dressed, all of her make-up perfect, as if she had been awake for hours even though everyone else was still asleep. She wondered if Vinda slept like that - never took her nice clothes or make-up off. It wasn't normal to look this put-together this early in the morning. Queenie was still in her night gown.

"What's the hurry to leave when there is a perfectly fine table right there?" she asked, pointing toward a table by a window behind Queenie.

Unable to come up with a good reason to leave, Queenie had no choice but to sit at the table. She would eat as fast as she could. It was only seconds later that Vinda joined her with food of her own and sat across from her as Queenie chewed quickly.

"You do not know if you did the correct thing, joining us," Vinda said. She was watching Queenie closely and hadn't touched her own breakfast.

"Well," Queenie said carefully, "Jacob didn't walk... well, he isn't here now. I don't even know where he is right now. If he's in London still or if he went back to New York. And here I am in Austria. I can't help but feel like I've gone backward instead of forward."

"He is a non-magique, isn't he? Why not simply put a love spell on him?"

Queenie made a face at this, even though she was guilty of this crime.

Vinda smiled. "I see you prefer your lovers to be in your relationship willingly. I can admire that, although I think it unnecessarily complicates things. How are two people supposed to feel the exact same way about each other? It never happens that way."

"Oh, Jacob feels the same way about me," interjected Queenie.

Vinda raised an eyebrow at her, and even though Vinda was thinking in French, Queenie could tell from her body language alone what she was thinking: If he loves you, why isn't he here now?

No longer hungry, Queenie pushed her plate away from her. She did not get angry often, but she was feeling it now. Her body language was showing the signs of leaving now; she was sitting up straighter and looked like she was about to stand and walk away.

"I am sorry, Queenie," began Vinda quickly. "That was most insensitive of me to think. I am perhaps not the best person in which to discuss matters of the heart. You should speak with Grindelwald." A glint shimmered in Vinda's eyes, and her mouth twisted into a little smile. "He is certainly much more familiar with love and all the pains that come with it than me."

The anger she had felt toward Vinda was fleeting, and it quickly evaporated and was replaced by another emotion. Queenie settled back into her seat and had no more thought of leaving. Curiosity gripped her. She would have liked to remain angry at Vinda because it gave her an excuse to create distance from her, but now, she wanted to speak with her. An instant connection was forming between them.

"You're pretty close to Grindelwald, aren't you?" Queenie asked Vinda, their eyes now locked.

"You could say that I am certainly one of his most trusted acolytes, yes," Vinda agreed. "But that is one area most have not been able to piece together. To me," she said with a slight flick of her head, "I have known Grindelwald for many years now, and I know he is particularly... sensitive... about one man in particular."

Queenie's eyes widened. "He's attracted to men, you mean?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

Smiling, Vinda nodded. "Men... and women. But more so men. You see... there is one man that his followers can never mention. If you mention his name, Grindelwald gets angry." Vinda lowered her voice here, and Queenie was forced to lean in closer to hear her. "I have known him for years now, and I know that he sleeps with men sometimes... I have seen him sneaking around with strangers - random people, and based on the time and the behaviors of both, I know what they are doing. You would have to be an idiot to not know. Most acolytes just do not pay enough attention. We are all used to Grindelwald meeting all sorts of people in back alleys and such, so I think people just assume he is recruiting more followers, and most of the time, that is what he is doing, but not all the time. It does not happen often, but I know I have seen it. And I know he is extremely sensitive whenever this one man in particular is mentioned. It is not too difficult to put two and two together, if one is observant."

"Who?" Queenie demanded.

Vinda's smile widened. "You will find out soon enough," she said, standing and picking up her untouched breakfast with her. "But be careful. He lost his pendant in Paris. He always kept this pendant on his left side-pocket... near his heart." She smirked to further emphasize the point. "He lost it somehow in the fight. He's been exceptionally sensitive since then, so tread carefully... I believe I am going to go eat in my bedroom. Care to join me?"

Queenie was not quite that desperate. She quickly declined. She could find out the man's name on her own... she knew it.

Gellert Grindelwald

He didn't really care if people knew he had loved someone.

In fact, he didn't even really care if people knew it was a man that he had loved.

But he did not want people to know who that man was.

If people knew his sexuality? He really didn't care. If people knew that he had loved someone? He didn't care. But he did not, under any circumstance, want anyone to know he had once been in a romantic relationship with Albus Dumbledore.

His acolytes weren't afraid to speak up. They weren't afraid of giving him their opinions. They weren't afraid of asking him questions. Gellert didn't want them to be afraid of speaking; he wanted someone to speak with, even if he was verbally sparring with that person. However, there was one exception to this rule. Gellert's followers quickly learned that both his pendant and Albus Dumbledore were topics that were off-limits. Nobody knew what the pendant was, and nobody knew that the pendant and Albus Dumbledore were connected, but Gellert suspected some of them might at least suspect the correlation between the two.

His followers that tended to bring up Albus Dumbledore or ask about the pendant usually wound up dead not too long afterward. Oddly enough, it did not matter whether they said positive or negative things about Albus Dumbledore. If they complimented Dumbledore's abilities, they usually wound up dead. If they insulted Dumbledore, they usually wound up dead even faster. Nothing made Gellert angry faster than the topic of Albus Dumbledore. And yet, sometimes it was Gellert who brought up Dumbledore, and then his acolytes had to do their best to back up the conversation and change it to something else. There was no denying that Gellert Grindelwald was an intense person, and his followers knew that, but they quickly learned that any mention of Dumbledore's name was dangerous. Gellert could feel them tense when his name came up.

The afternoon after Gellert had lost his pendant, all of his acolytes were smart enough to not bring up the fact it was missing. They could all feel his smoldering anger, and they stayed away from him. Gellert suspected he could have done anything in any room of Nurmengard Castle - scream, set off fireworks, and the like - and nobody would have had the courage to investigate. He watched them scuttle away from him when he entered a room or walked by. On one hand, he liked the fact that he was getting time alone, but on the other, he truly did not want his followers to be afraid of him either. He scolded himself for letting his emotions get the better of him.

He was not upset that he had lost the vial. It was only delaying what was to come. He wanted that vial destroyed. He would have done it himself... eventually.

He was just angry that he wouldn't be the one to destroy it on his own terms and his own choosing of timing.

At least, that is what he told himself.

He did his best to focus on Credence. He wanted to know what was going on in his mind. Credence was sticking to himself. He wasn't speaking to anyone. And Gellert had no idea how Credence would react to him speaking with him. Since he had unfortunately opened the can of worms by kissing Credence as Percival Graves in that alleyway several months ago, he did not really know what Credence expected from him. Gellert certainly did not want to go down that road with Credence, but he had already done so while disguised as Graves. He hoped that Credence did not want that from him. Gellert was not above using him, but seeing how things turned out with the last boy he manipulated via a relationship, he wasn't too keen on the idea of keeping up a romantic relationship in exchange for loyalty. It was the same damn thing all over again, except he didn't have any feelings for Credence, whereas with Albus, he unfortunately had. Had. Past tense.

He needed Goldstein's insights.

Yet Goldstein was currently in despair.

He had hoped that she would snap out of it, but she had locked herself in her room and hadn't eaten anything all day. He knew that she was crying in there. He knew that she was thinking about leaving, going back to the United States, and starting over again.

He needed Goldstein to tell him what Credence was thinking.

Gellert Grindelwald

On the third day back at Nurmengard, Gellert finally gave up. Goldstein had only eaten one meal a day since arriving in Nurmengard, and she had bags under her eyes. During the few glimpses Gellert had gotten of her, he thought she looked like a wreck.

He walked up to her bedroom door and knocked.

"Queenie," he called when she did not answer the door. "You've been avoiding me for too long now. We need to talk."

To his relief, the door opened. Goldstein's eyes were a bit red, but it at least she was not crying at the moment. It looked more like she had been sleeping.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Come in. I thought you were Vinda. She keeps trying to talk to me."

No shit, Gellert thought, his mind carefully guarded. That's probably because she wants to ravish you and has since the moment she saw you. Saying nothing, he watched as Goldstein walked away slowly, toward the window. He quietly closed the door behind him and followed her at an equally slow pace.

"Queenie, I know these past few days have been trying to say the least -"

"They have been for you too," interrupted Goldstein. She spun around to face him and gave him a piercing stare.

He let out a small sigh. "What makes you say that?" he asked, doing his best to keep any trace of irritation out of his voice. He managed, but barely.

"Everyone has been whispering about the pendant," Goldstein informed him. "It went missing that final night in Paris, didn't it? Everyone who knows you well have noticed its absence."

Gellert didn't say anything. It's not that obvious, he thought in irritation. He let her hear that.

She smiled at him softly.

"Let me guess," she said quietly. "That pendant had something to do with the one you love."

On the inside, he was cursing. He did not want to have this conversation. But Queenie Goldstein was all heart. She was a hopeless romantic, someone who felt deeply; she was not unintelligent, but she thought with her heart and not her head. And she was the best Legilimens he had ever come across - better than even Albus, for he had to develop that skill, whereas Goldstein always had it as an innate flawless ability. She wasn't someone he could convince with logic or rhetoric. He had to use emotion. Poetry. Tragedy. Romance.

He kept his mouth clamped shut and only let the bare minimum through his mind's defense, just enough for her to understand that yes, that vial did have something to do with the man he loved.

Fresh tears sprang into her eyes. She turned away from him again.

"I don't have anything of Jacob's at all," she said, her voice trembling. "Just memories." She walked slowly to the cushioned seat by the window that looked out onto the mountains and sat down.

He could see tears streaming down her pale cheeks. He knew she needed to talk about it. He knew she was second-guessing her decision to join him. And he knew that he could absolutely not lose her, not when he needed someone to tell him what was happening in Credence's head.

This is one of thousands of reasons why he wished he still had Albus, who knew Legilimency, by his side. Instead, he was having to resort to Queenie Goldstein. But then again, if he had Albus, he wouldn't even need Credence at all.

"I don't know if I made the right choice," she said softly.

Gently, he moved toward her, conjured a handkerchief, handed it to her, and sat down on the cushion beside her. Sniffling, she brought her legs up onto the cushion and sat crisscrossed, her body facing him now. He mimicked her so that she got the impression that he wanted to connect with her, when really he did not. He leaned back slightly, and his back hit the stone wall. He looked to his right, out he window, and let her collect her thoughts. The minutes ticked by as they both sat looking sideways out the window.

"We weren't even together for a year," she finally said. "But I felt like I've known him my whole life. It's strange. I can't explain it. But when I first saw him, it was like my soul already knew him and loved him. I didn't really have a choice or make a decision. I just looked at him. I heard Tina thinking, Stop flirting with him - he's a No-Maj, but there was no point. I already loved him, and my heart didn't ask permission or care that he was a No-Maj."

He was looking over at her again, and he saw fresh tears flow down her cheeks.

"I didn't make the choice," she said, her voice surprisingly steady in spite of the silent tears. "I don't think he did either. He stared at me more than I did him. Do you know what I mean? It was like we already knew each other."

"'Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same,'" Gellert murmured softly, looking back out the window.

He looked back at her again when she did not speak, and he saw a light of recognition spark in her eyes. "Yes, exactly. Is that - ?"

"It's a quote, yes," he said softly. "Wuthering Heights. Very famous work of literature in the non-magic world."

"You understand what I'm saying, then." There was a fire in her eyes. He could tell she felt validated. "When you met him, did you...?"

It was back to him again. He didn't want to talk to her about Albus, but he wanted her to feel like she could trust him to understand. He looked at her sadly for a long moment before finally answering, "If you are asking me if I experienced the same feeling as you, the answer is yes. I loved him from the moment I met him."

They sat in silence for a long moment, looking out the window at the valley below. Both of their eyes followed an eagle as it flew slowly in circles, looking down for prey.

"Tell me about him," Goldstein said quietly.

Gellert continued to look out the window. He could tell that she had interpreted his silence not as defiance but as careful consideration.

"We were teenagers," he said finally, still looking out the window. "I was seventeen, he was turning eighteen that summer. He was an orphan. I was disowned by my parents after I was expelled from school. They had kicked me out a couple months before. So we were unsupervised. He had a younger brother and sister. We were essentially four teenagers living in close proximity with no older adults. When I first met him, it was as if I had always known him. I got the same feeling you just described. It was like we were always meant to find each other." There were words he had planned on saying that he could not say. They would not come out. So instead, he skipped them and said, "I have never truly been able to describe it."

"Did he feel the same way about you?" she asked.

To his surprise, he scoffed before he could stop himself.

She got a devastated look on her face. He could tell from her expression even though she knew his love story obviously ended in tragedy, she still wanted to hear a happy ending. "Unrequited. I'm so sorry."

"No," he corrected, looking downward at his clasped hands that were resting on his crisscrossed legs, "he did have feelings for me. We were together that summer. But in the end, I loved him more than he loved me, I suppose. He told me to leave."

"What happened?" she asked softly. "If he had feelings for you, what went wrong?"

He looked back over to her.

"Did Jacob not want to break the Statute of Secrecy and be with you?" he asked her.

She looked down at her lap with fresh tears in her eyes. He immediately known he had just made an error.

With a sigh, he tried to backtrack. "I apologize, Queenie. That was a very insensitive thing for me to ask. My curiosity got the better of me. I forgot myself."

She shook her head and gave him a fleeting smile. "No, it's all right. It's only fair. You answered one of mine, so now I should answer one of yours. He - he did want to be with me, and he told me he loved me, many times, but... He knew that if MACUSA found out we were together, I would be thrown in jail, and he couldn't live with that. So he thought that by refusing to marry me, he was protecting me. But I didn't want protection. I wanted to be with him, and if we were caught, well, at least we tried. I had to try - I couldn't just let him go."

"I quite understand," he said quickly, wanting to spare her. "That means that he loves you quite unselfishly. And you do too, but you are going about it in a different way than he. If he didn't, he wouldn't have tried to spare you. Sometimes letting someone go is..." his voice trailed off.

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes with the handkerchief he had provided her. "I might've done the wrong thing though. What if he can never forgive me for... all this?"

"When the Statute of Secrecy is finished," he said decisively, "there will be nothing standing in your way. It may seem like the path is dark right now, but I know that when all is said and done, and when the world rearranges itself into one that allows people to love freely, he will come back to you. I cannot lie to you. It may take time. It may take years. However," he said, his voice suddenly becoming softer, "the tricky part about love is the test of time. Real love - the love you both share for each other - does not fade. It does not matter how much time goes by in silence. That spark of recognition that you felt when you first met him will still be burning brightly when you reunite. It will be as if no time has passed. You both will love each other with the same intensity as you do right now, if it is true. And that kind of love is worth the fight, the wait, the doubts, the fears, and the risks you will take as you walk down this path. I cannot guarantee you will have the outcome you desire, but I can guarantee you that you will not have the outcome you desire if you play by the rules and don't take the risk. Once we have won this fight, the anger will dissipate - he will see that the new world we have created is not a negative one, and there will be no need for sides anymore. You will no longer be enemies once the fight is won. He will come back to you once he sees this new world we have created, the flames will be embers, and love will be able to grow again between you. All will be forgiven, and he will tell you, 'You were right.'"

She nodded, still wiping tears from her eyes. He could tell she believed every word.

"And just think," he added, "you will be paving the way for all of the future witches and wizards and No-Majs who fall in love with one another. Once we are finished, no one will have to go through what you are going through right now. If you think that is a worthy goal, then you and I remain on the same side."

They sat in silence again for a long moment. Goldstein continued to wipe away tears as he stared out the window, lost in thought.

"There's so many things I should have done," she said finally. "So much I should have said. If I could go back... and introduce him to your ideas in a different way... I did so many things wrong."

"So did I," said Gellert softly. He felt her look over at him, but he did not meet her gaze.

"What did you do wrong?" she prompted softly.

He took in a deep breath before explaining, "I let my temper get the better of me. I said things... did things... I shouldn't have. I broke his trust. I was young and foolish, possessive and insecure... My possessiveness and paranoia and temper pushed him away, made me do something I couldn't undo."

"You were a jealous partner," she said.

Irked, he swallowed, considering this label, trying not to show his irritation. "Yes," he finally agreed after a long silence, though on the inside, he did not agree. He was not jealous and never had been.

"And that was it? You parted, and never loved again?"

"That was it." He wanted this conversation to end.

"You still love him?"

"Queenie, you have asked me many questions, and I haven't gotten the chance to ask you another one."

"True. Fair enough. Ask away."

"Will you tell me what Credence is thinking? He has been moping about this whole time, and I haven't spoken with him much."

She gave a little shrug. "Sure. Now answer my final question."

He didn't want to say it, so he instead thought his answer and let her hear it.

She gave him a small, sad smile.

Gellert Grindelwald

She did what he asked: She told him what Credence was thinking. He was unsure of how to go about everything with Credence; he so desperately wished he knew who he was when he first met him disguised as Percival Graves. Fortunately, Queenie didn't mention that Credence was thinking about what Gellert's feelings for him were, thank God. Maybe Credence had just put it at the back of his mind, or he thought it was really the real Percival Graves who kissed him that one night in the alleyway. He desperately hoped that Credence never thought about it again, as if it were an irrelevant detail that he would forget, kind of like what he had for dinner last Wednesday night or who his best friend's name was he was six.

Before Gellert touched the baby bird, he already knew it was a phoenix. It had red feathers on it, so small they were barely noticeable. Gellert might have made some modifications about Credence's identity, but most of what he told him was true. Credence was a Dumbledore - so what if he wasn't exactly Albus' brother - he was a first cousin. Same difference.

Feeling successful, he walked away from Credence as the young man tried out his wand for the first time. This was the answer. This was how he was going to take Albus out of the equation. And Gellert would not even have to get his hands dirty. Credence would kill him. He just had to teach him and foster hatred within Credence. That was easy enough.

Queenie Goldstein

She was sitting in her bedroom, looking out the window like she used to do when Vinda came knocking. Queenie didn't answer the door, she just called, "Come in," hoping it was Grindelwald. But it wasn't Gellert - it was her.

"Hello," Queenie said awkwardly.

"Hi," replied Vinda. "Mind if I join you?"

Queenie was never good at being mean. Vinda removed her hat and sat across from her where Gellert had sat a couple of days ago. Awkwardly looking out the window, Queenie watched one of the eagles she saw so often flying through the valley. They nested on the sides of the mountains.

"They're called Golden Eagles," Vinda informed her. "Aquila chrysaetos. You have them in America too."

"I've never seen one before I came here," Queenie said, keeping her eyes on the birds rather than looking at Vinda.

"Hmm," said Vinda. "Well, I just came to let you know that Grindelwald is quite angry today. Tread carefully if he visits you."

Queenie looked over at her now. "Why?"

"We all think he had a vision. But it is difficult to tell with him sometimes."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the open door, and Gellert entered. He froze at the sight of Vinda and Queenie sitting together on the cushioned ledge.

Vinda stood up, looked back at Queenie, and gave her a small wink before turning and walking up to Gellert.

"She's all yours," Vinda said to Gellert as she returned her hat to her head. Placing her hat at a dramatic angle, she swept confidently from the room.

Gellert shut the door behind her. With an air of trying to look casual and composed, he walked toward Queenie with both of his hands in pockets.

"What did she want?" he asked as he sat down where Vinda was sitting thirty seconds ago.

"You aren't a Legilimens, but even you must know," replied Queenie with a hint of a smile. She was trying to get him to relax.

Gellert gave her a crooked smile before looking out the window. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. She could tell that he was thinking. He wanted to ask her something, but he was unsure of how to proceed.

"I like to think I'm an easy person to talk to, Gellert," she said after another minute of silence passed.

He looked at her in surprise. It was the first time she had referred to him by his first name. It seemed to put him at ease that they were now both on a first-name basis, because he finally spoke.

"Your sister, Tina... she knows Scamander, doesn't she?" he asked. His tone was light, but she could tell there was an emotion behind this question that she was unable to name.

"Newt?" she asked blankly. "Yeah, she does. So do I - Tina and me and Jacob are... were... all friends with him... I probably am not considered to be his friend by him anymore, I suppose," she added miserably.

"What do you know about him?"

"Well, I know a lot about him," she answered uncertainly. "What is it that you want to know?"

Gellert looked like he was dying to ask her something, but his mind was closed off and his lips were pressed in a thin line. He was repressing his question.

"Well, all right," Queenie began. "I know that he was a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts. He wrote a book on magical beasts. He is two years older than Tina. He has feelings for Tina, and he used to have feelings for this other girl while he was in school. He's very friendly, really, quite awkward socially, but he has a big heart. I've never heard an unkind thought go through his mind. He and Teen were writing to each other quite a bit, kind of like an unofficial long-distance relationship, but then she cut off contact with him because she thought he was marrying his old girlfriend from Hogwarts, but it was actually his brother who was marrying her, not him. She was so upset when she thought he was getting married."

Gellert simply looked at her.

"That's pretty much what I know," she finished. "But if you ask me what it is you're looking for, I might be able to help you. But you have to promise you won't hurt him. I know he isn't a supporter of yours, but he really is a lovely person."

Gellert's face changed into a half-sneer, half-grimace. He looked angry. She had never spoken to him when he was angry. She had never seen him angry. She had only heard about it.

"What about him and Albus Dumbledore?" he asked finally before clamping his mouth down again.

Queenie shrugged. "That I cannot tell you. I know he was his teacher at Hogwarts, but that's all I know."

"He's loyal to Dumbledore," he continued. "He's an agent of Dumbledore's."

"How do you know?" she asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"He sent Scamander to New York to find me," Gellert said. She could feel the anger was mounting in him; his mind was becoming like a thunderstorm, a whirlwind of emotions, though she could not hear any of his thoughts. She suspected that his thoughts were scattered and not coherent enough for her to understand where he was coming from anyway. "He stole my vial and gave it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore must have told him about it, and I don't know how he got it, but I know it was him."

Her eyebrows pinched closer together. "How do you know?"

"I Saw it," he answered bitterly. "He gave it to him. You are sure he never talked about Dumbledore in your presence? Never thought about him?"

She nodded. A suspicion was growing in her mind.

"Do you think Scamander has feelings for your sister?"

"Definitely," she answered quietly. "You don't have to be a Legilimens -"

"- and that other Hogwarts student?" His questions were being fired at her rapidly now, and he was looking increasingly feverish, like someone about to launch into a furious rant.

"Yes, I saw him missing her; I saw pain when I brought her up last November. He used to keep a picture of her in his suitcase."

"But no one else that you know of?"

She didn't answer. Her eyes were scanning his face. She was trying to read his mind, but it was more unreadable and silent than she had ever seen it. He had never been so closed off to her before. This was Occlumency, whether it was intentional or not.

He is extremely sensitive whenever this one man in particular is mentioned. It is not too difficult to put two and two together, if one is observant. Vinda's voice was ringing in her ears. For one comical moment, Queenie thought it was Newt. But it wasn't Newt; it couldn't be Newt.

"Newt isn't attracted to men," Queenie said quietly, half to Grindelwald and half to herself.

The anger and bitterness on Gellert's face transformed to a look of surprise. She could tell he was taken aback that she had reached this conclusion when his mind was so closed off. He didn't know that Vinda had told her any inside information and that this was how she was connecting the dots. He quickly looked away, downward, at the cushions they both were sitting on.

It was Albus Dumbledore.

How, how could it be Albus Dumbledore? His greatest threat? His enemy? How could they have even ever crossed paths in their teenage days?

"But how do you know he's not attract - ?" Gellert said suddenly, as if the words were unwillingly forced out of his mouth. He stopped speaking as quickly as he had started. He was starting to look hopeful.

"Because Newt's only been attracted to women," she said. "First Leta Lestrange, then Tina."

"Did you actually ever hear him think those exact words?"

"No. It's just... I know he had feelings for her and now he feels for Tina."

His hopes clearly dashed as fleetingly as they had come, Gellert said, quite coldly, "That doesn't mean anything. Why is it that people always assume that..." his voice trailed off.

Queenie didn't speak. Her mind was racing. His thoughts remained closed off, but emotion was emanating from him.

Gellert let out a frustrated half-sigh and began to stand. "It doesn't matter," he said shortly, not looking at her. It looked like he wanted to say more but refrained. He left the room swiftly, his coat breezing behind him in his haste. The door slammed behind him.

Queenie sat there, staring at the now closed door in shock and bewilderment.

Once we have won this fight, the anger will dissipate - he will see that the new world we have created is not a negative one, and there will be no need for sides anymore. You will no longer be enemies once the fight is won. He will come back to you once he sees this new world we have created, the flames will be embers, and love will be able to grow again between you. All will be forgiven, and he will tell you, 'You were right.'

Grindelwald was secretly hoping that this was what would happen between him and Albus Dumbledore.

He actually thought that Newt and Dumbledore were currently in or had once been in a romantic relationship. This notion was absolutely absurd, the exact kind of thing a jealous lover would think. Queenie knew as sure as she knew her own name that Newt had no feelings for any man.

Later that night, Queenie ventured out of her room and joined the group in the sitting room for the first time. Gellert was speaking about Albus Dumbledore, how crucial it was that he be killed - and soon - and how Credence was going to be the one to do it. Nobody said anything to challenge him, for even though Grindelwald was not raising his voice, everyone could feel the cold fury emanating from him. They just listened with interest and nodded once in a while.

And Vinda Rosier met Queenie's eyes and gave her a knowing look.

I LIVE for jealous, emotionally-repressed, character disaster Gellert Grindelwald.

In case anyone is wondering, yes, I truly do believe Credence is Aurelius Dumbledore. I made this conclusion due to the fact Ezra Miller has said that Credence really is Aurelius Dumbledore. I do NOT believe, however, that he is Albus' brother. A cousin. I believe the woman who brought Credence aboard the ship that sank was an aunt of Albus', a sister of his mother, Kendra, for a couple of reasons - both the CoG script and the actress' appearance. I can explain more if anyone would like, but right now I'm tired.

I hope you've all enjoyed.