Early 1930

Stood in the Morning Room, she watched as Grindelwald and his acolytes walked through the blue flame loyalty circle surrounding the perimeter of the private grounds around the manor house. She recognised Abernathy, Vinda Rosier and, of course, Queenie Goldstein, amongst a few others she knew by face but not by name. The door to the room opened, revealing an uncomfortable looking Corvus.

"What's wrong?" she asked, walking up to him and cradling his face with her left hand.

"We need to go to the ballroom now," he answered, a sense of urgency about him. He gently removed her hand from his face and looped it through the crook of his right elbow. The action eased her nerves; she'd never been to a ball before let alone hosted one.

"Corvus!" Grindelwald called, his voice coming from the Entrance Hall.

Corvus opened the door with his left hand, revealing the Dark wizard and his acolytes standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall with Dot. He guided her out of the room and into the hall, stopping in front of Grindelwald who scrutinised them, his eyes flitting between their faces and their linked arms.

"Well," Grindelwald said, wrinkling his nose at her in distaste before redirecting his gaze to Corvus. "I suppose it's a no for now?"

"Yes, monsieur," Corvus replied firmly. Her eyes darted between the two men, feeling a little awkward at the sudden animosity between them.

Before she could ask Corvus about it, he pulled her into the Dining Room which had temporarily been turned into a ballroom for the evening. She was thoroughly impressed by Dot's hard work; the house-elf had arranged a table of desserts, hors d'oeuvres and beverages, and had even set up a self-playing orchestra.

She patiently stood at the entrance of the room with Corvus, begrudgingly greeting the other acolytes and welcoming them in. They all looked smart in their formal wear, especially Vinda who politely greeted her and Corvus, managing to look elegant in her silk ballgown despite carrying with her an ageing skull similar to the one Leta Lestrange had destroyed in Paris. Grindelwald entered last, tipping his head at Corvus and thereby giving him some sort of command. Corvus nodded, guiding her to the drinks section.

As she picked up a glass of champagne, guests began filtering into the room, and Grindelwald began mingling with each and every one of them from his place at the door. Since the ball was exclusively for Grindelwald's French and Belgian followers, she realised that most of these guests had probably been at the first rally in France back in 1927. It was ironic that back then she'd fearfully whispered to Credence about these people wanting to kill her but now the two of them were standing here as hosts to the very same people.

"Corvus, the two of us are going to be publicly exposed as Grindelwald's supporters now," she stated, swirling the champagne in her wine glass.

"It's not illegal to listen to his speeches," he said, picking up a glass of white wine for himself and tipping it against hers. "Nothing will happen to us."

"This isn't just listening to his speech, though," she pointed out as he sipped his wine. "We've offered our home to him as a venue for yet another one of his rallies disguised as a ball!"

He was about to respond when Grindelwald called for silence in an Amplified voice and took his place in the centre of the room. Vinda joined him, skull in tow, and the guests all turned their full attention to the Dark wizard.

"My brothers, my sisters," Grindelwald began quietly, his voice normal again, forcing the audience to shuffle a little closer to hear him properly. "Three days ago, we ushered in a new year and, with it, the opportunity to usher in a new era of peace. We have much to accomplish in the coming year. We must take our rightful place at the top of society and help les Non-Magique curb their destructive self-hatred and genocidal tendencies. If we do not act now and guide them, they will destroy each other and us. I called you here tonight so you could see for yourselves what will happen if we leave les Non-Magique to their own devices. You might recall that I showed you a vision in Paris. Now, I will show you another. Mademoiselle Rosier..."

Vinda stepped forward, holding the skull out. Grindelwald used the skull the same way he had in Paris and a vision played out in smoke: uniformed men shot at each other; men, women and children were rounded up and escorted into a fenced sort of camp by men in uniforms; and skinny, gaunt and frail people, children included, screamed out and choked before dropping dead.

She almost dropped her wine glass in shock, the people around her gasping and murmuring and crying out for the eradication of les Non-Magique. Grindelwald was clever, very clever indeed. The vision had swayed even her so she could see how it'd solidify the beliefs of those who already followed him. She glanced at Corvus who was watching the vision with a tight jaw and clenched fists, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach as she realised he probably still believed in Grindelwald's cause just as much as the others did.

"My friends," Grindelwald started carefully, drawing her attention. "Unfortunately, change does not come for free. If ever there was a time to show your generosity, it is now. We fellow wizards and witches must all stand together to make our dreams come true. For the Greater Good"—the guests chanted and Grindelwald smirked in response—"If you wish to make donations to our cause, please speak to my brother wizard, Monsieur MacDuff, tonight."

She scoffed. Not only was Grindelwald a Dark wizard but he was also a man who lived off his rich friends and threw parties using their money. She finally understood where he was getting the funds to pay for his lavish lifestyle akin to that of a king's. As followers flocked to MacDuff, she wondered what they thought they were paying for. It was obvious that magical warfare only required wands, something every wizard and witch of age already owned, rather than expensive machinery used by les Non-Magique. There were some costs, of course, but they were very small. These people were letting Grindelwald loot them.

"May I kindly remind you, once again, not to reveal the location of this ball to those who have not yet proven their loyalty to our cause out of respect and consideration for our hosts, the Lestranges!" Grindelwald announced, raising a glass in the direction of her and Corvus. "Now let's dance to celebrate the future we will build!"

Corvus put his empty glass down on the table before stalking off in Vinda's direction, making her recall the stupid pureblood tradition of the host(ess) sharing their first dance with the guest of honour. She downed the rest of her champagne as Grindelwald approached her. It was going to be a long and arduous evening.

.:. QK .:.

After the ball was finally over, she went straight up to Corvus' bedroom and into the ensuite. She admired her floor-length red silk ballgown in the mirror, marvelling over the beautiful gold sequined bodice which was attached to a tulle skirt overlay. She sighed at her aching feet, kicking her footwear off and removing her feathered golden headpiece. She changed into the deep blue satin nightgown she'd laid down in the ensuite earlier having known she was going to have to give her room—the largest room on the floor—up to Grindelwald for the night.

Walking back into the Master Bedroom, she was surprised to find Corvus sitting on his bed, still in his black and golden dress robes. She had expected him to be in the Master Dressing Room, the adjoining room he was going to be spending the night in. She suddenly felt naked, given that her nightgown had a very low v neckline and only reached her knees, and scrambled to Summon and don her beige velvet dressing gown.

"Who's in the room to the right?" she asked, trying to break the ice. The two of them being in a bedroom together was possibly the most foolish arrangement ever but with only eight guestrooms on the first floor, including hers, she'd been obliged to move in with Corvus so that all of the guests (Grindelwald and his inner circle) would get a room to themselves on the same floor.

"Nagel," he replied solemnly, and she identified Nagel as the second youngest male member of Grindelwald's inner circle.

"Is something wrong?" she questioned, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on his shoulder. She was surprised to see that his eyes were red. "Corvus?"

"I've failed him," he admitted shakily, his eyes downcast. "He's angry with me."

She was taken aback. She had left Corvus talking to Grindelwald in the ballroom but she'd thought it was a casual conversation rather than an argument. She suddenly remembered the strange exchange between the two men just before the ball began and wondered if that had anything to do with it.

"Is that why you two were... tense... before we entered the ballroom?"

He shook his head. "He suggested on Christmas Day that I consider marrying one of Corvus the second's great-granddaughters. Several of them attended the ball."

"Oh," she let out as she let her hand drop, an ugly churning sensation in her gut. Her eyes stung with tears and she turned away, not wanting him to see her unwarranted display of emotion. "Which one"—she closed her eyes—"which one did you pick?"

"I didn't," he said, and she felt him shuffle closer to her and take her hand. "I said no right in front of you."

Her eyes flew open and she turned to him. She had forgotten about his firm response to Grindelwald. "Why?"

To her knowledge, Corvus always followed Grindelwald's orders and she'd thought that this one albeit a 'suggestion' was no exception. She put her personal feelings aside for a moment and considered the idea of Corvus marrying. After her permanent transformation, he would need someone to love him and stand by his side. It'd be good if he married, but not to one of Grindelwald's followers.

"You know why," he answered, looking at her in a way that made her heart beat fast. She noticed that they were literally pressed right against each other, something that would've been completely normal if they weren't sitting on his bed together and talking about this. "What you said to me on Christmas Eve, that was one of the phrases Vinda told me not to say to someone I'm trying to express platonic admiration for."

She put some distance between them but didn't pull her hand out of his grasp. Heat rapidly rushed to her face. "I shouldn't have said that," she muttered, cursing her stupidity. She should've said it in Korean instead.

"But I told you that I felt—feel—the same way," his voice sounded tight and she could practically feel him closing up. He loosened his grip on her hand but she weaved her fingers through his, forcing herself to look at the wounded expression on his face.

"That's exactly why I shouldn't have said it," she whispered, squeezing his hand. Deep down, she'd known for a long time now how he felt about her but had been happy to overlook it as long as he didn't force her to acknowledge it; merely feeling something was very different to actually acting upon said feelings. She had broken the unspoken rule first, though, by babbling out her own feelings out in a moment of weakness. "Corvus, I won't be around forever... it's not worth it."

"You are worth it," he said, touching her face with his free hand much like she had done to him earlier on in the evening. She involuntarily leant into his touch, relishing in the pure and unadulterated love radiating off him. "You're the reason I didn't kill my brother on Christmas Day."

Her eyes widened. Brother? Since when did he have a brother? Corvus Lestrange V had no brothers—if one didn't count his stepbrother Yusuf—and nor did Credence Barebone. She blinked, proceeding to ask him what he was talking about.

"I came back home that day in Obscurus form. I knew he'd be here because you told me you were inviting him and your other friends to dinner," he began, dropping his hand from her face. She frowned at the loss of warmth but didn't dwell on it. "I was going to do it, I had him in my line of sight and everything, but then I saw you sitting at the head of the table and saw how happy you were. I couldn't do it, not after I already caused you so much pain back in Paris."

She sighed. Corvus had only spared an innocent man from an untimely death for the sake of her happiness. The realisation that he would have murdered the man in cold blood had she not been in the right place at the right time was chilling. But then again, she'd told him herself that she didn't care what he had to do in order to keep himself safe (from Grindelwald's wrath). How could she judge his ethics, or lack thereof, when her own were so circumstantial?

"Who's your brother?" She couldn't make sense of it. The only men she had invited were the Scamander brothers, Jacob Kowalski, Nicolas Flamel, and Albus Dumbledore. Yusuf had politely declined her invitation, citing his religion as a reason for not celebrating Christmas and thus had not been present in her home at the time. She couldn't see any of these men as Corvus' brother.

"Albus Dumbledore."

She almost cried out in protest. Dumbledore had told her that same Christmas Day that the only family he had left was a brother two years his junior. Corvus was only twenty-nine, not in his early to mid-forties. Grindelwald was surely behind this atrocious lie.

She would have to consult Dumbledore. For all she was opposed to unwarranted assassinations, she worried for Corvus now that he had failed Grindelwald because of her. "What will Grindelwald do to you now?"

He looked down at their joint hands. "I don't know."

A/N: Going on hiatus due to lack of interest. I think I'm finally ready to complete my old request fic.