Dusty curtains moved in the light breeze as the creaky door closed. A soft cough, the scraping of a chair and the tapping of a wooden leg were all that could be heard in the gloomy room, the atmosphere tense and depressed. Someone let his breath escape through their teeth with a hissing sound. Tonks shivered and nervously tapped her wand against her leg, looking at her former mentor with worry. For once, the magical eye wasn't spinning, but fixed on the table like his other, unnoted next to the great blue one.

It felt like they were doing something wrong. No-one wanted to speak up first, and Tonks felt that she herself was torn. What was she doing here anyways? Why did a traitorous part of her mind still hope there was some truth in You-Know-Who's words? She knew how they were. Her mother had told her horrifying stories that should have permanently made her stay away far from the Dark Side, unless it was to capture them.

She shouldn't be here… She, with her traitorous thoughts while the rest was only trying to find ways to keep the Order together, to fight the Dark.

She glanced at Moody again, knowing that what he had heard had not influenced his thoughts on the Dark. Unlike her, he'd fought in the first war, and while he had curtly barked that You-know-Who was different than before, he did not seem inclined to do anything but fight against the Dark again.

Kingsley on the other hand…

She shivered. No, this could not happen. She should not have these thoughts. The last thing they needed was a dichotomy in the Order.


This might very well be the first time that the silence in the room was neither out of fear nor respect. Marvolo gazed, mildly interested, at the people around the table. Rosier and Rodolphus sat about half-way at the long table, waiting patiently. The Muggles he had seen before were scattered as well, though the girl, Sarah, who apparently knew no-one else here, had taken place at his right, something he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. Over the months, he had gotten to know the four of them, -Sarah, Olliver, Philip and Evelyn-, well. That did not mean however, that he particularly liked being around these people, who constantly reminded himself of all the other Muggles he'd encountered in his life.

Making sure he did not show any emotion outwardly, he tapped on the table to get the attention of the others, who were still busy gazing at the floating chandelier and moving paintings and tapestries. He tried to reassure himself by tapping into the mind link between himself and Harry, who sat on his left as always, but was thrown off balance when being met with a cold, detached sadness. He cursed himself. He'd been so caught up by his own conflicting feels that he had completely forgotten that Harry must have it even worse, having been abused by Muggles for eleven years of his life.

Not able to cradle his lover to his chest as he so desperately wanted, he silently vowed to do so as soon as everyone had left, and instead stood up to make sure that everyone could see him clearly.

"I understand many of you may be confused and intimidated by the knowledge that there is more to life than just you. Hopefully, the next generations will not grow up being ignorant of the fact that there is more… That there is magic. You undoubtedly have many questions-" he said as someone raised his hand "but please let me first finish my explanation. I might answer you before you have to ask me."

The man slowly lowered his arm and nodded tensely, looking as if he did not feel like he was in the right place at the right time currently.

"Very well. I shall have to start with a lesson in history. Our shared history, actually, even though large parts of it were erased from your history books. At the very beginning, when our ancestors evolved enough to be called human, there was a division. It is not sure when or how it happened, but a small percentage of human kind was born with powers. With these powers, some people could manipulate the earth around themselves, bending the laws of nature with their mere will.

I have to add that we are a unique species. All other species, as a rule, are either magical or non-magical. However, we were... special. It might have even been a fault in evolution, no-one knows. The point is that it did happen, and for the longest period of time, magicians and non-magical people, whom we call Muggles, lived together. You might have heard of Shamans. Their magic was not mere trickery or drug-induced hallucinations as you've been led to believe. It was real.

Over time, Muggles and Magicians have cooperated. Ancient civilizations were built upon this relationship. When human technology progressed though, Wizarding kind detached itself slightly from Muggles. They made their own rules, their own branch in the authority, their own sacred places etcetera. Did this in no means end their position on the surface though.

It was only in the Dark Ages that things became worse. Gradually, Christianity had spread through Europe, and declared everyone who 'imitated' everything their saviour had been able to do, a worshipper of the devil, as they had to get their powers from somewhere, and God had already played his ace. That is when we made a mistake. Without so much as a protest, we hid. On one hand, our ancestors did not want to be oppressed by Muggles, and on the other they did not want to fight them either, as that would lead to an unequal war and a load of slaughter.

Thus, they erased their traces in Muggle history and hid behind social, geographical and magical boundaries, completely separated from the society that had once worshipped them. Magicians from all over the world followed their example, to avoid the clash with Muggles that might come. But we have become too secluded, and I wish to put things right. We, and Muggles as well, will benefit greatly when magicians won't have to hide anymore. And that is where you come into view. My friends have approached four of you months ago, and when that went well, I decided it was time for the next step. Together, I hope we can slowly spread the underlying awareness of wizards amongst Muggle society, so the shock will not be as great when we come out into the open completely."

It was silent for a while before someone spoke up. "Why us?"

"Coincidence, mostly. You happened to be friends with one of the first four. I assume they thought you to be open-minded enough to not deny our existence or shake it all off as one big joke."

"Well, I can see how we will benefit from it as well when magicians can openly practise and share magic, but how can we be sure that you don't take the throne and treat us all like third-rank citizens and oppress us?"

"He wouldn't do that!" Sarah burst out unexpectedly, and both Harry and Marvolo stared at her. "I... I mean… well he wouldn't… would you?" The girl nervously fiddled with her hair as she sat down again, obviously embarrassed.

"I don't see the value in treating the majority of the population like unworthy beings. Society would fall apart. About taking the throne, however, there is no question."

"What? Your plan is to overthrow the current government? Why would we help you with that!" Someone else shouted. A burning glare shut her up, but she looked back with an equally scary glare.

"You will not 'help' me overthrow the government. Whether you will help me or not, it will happen. As I said, there is no question about it. I daresay that wizards understand the nature of politics far better than Muggles. You will help your fellow Muggles, friends, family, to prepare for when that happens. I am long past the time of war and bloodshed, and wish to do it as…peacefully as I can."

After first winning a bloody war against the Order and possibly the Ministry of Magic, but they didn't need to know that.

Some frowned, but they kept silent until he asked for questions again. When they responded in negative, he dismissed them all except the first four, who came to sit a bit closer. The two death eaters escorted the rest out.

"That went better than expected." Harry said, and Marvolo nodded, feeling odd spikes of annoyance through the mind-link, but not knowing why. He decided it was best to speak about it afterwards rather than start a silent conversation while the others were here. Still, his lover seemed sincere about being happy that the meeting had gone well, so he couldn't imagine what could possibly be annoying Harry.

"It's all so exciting!" Sarah said. To live in a world where magic is normal…"

Marvolo narrowed his eyes at her, and she gave him a confused look before becoming red. "I… I didn't mean it like that…" she stammered. Still, her careless comment made him think of the attitude of most Muggles towards anything that did not fit in their little world. Freakish... abnormal… dangerous. He sighed inwardly, knowing they still had a long way to go to get magic to be accepted openly. A hand clinging on to his arm suddenly awoke him from his musings with a start. "I really didn't mean it…" the girl said, her voice ridden with guilt. He had frozen, not knowing how to react to the touch. For all his words about equality, he could still feel nothing but disgust and, though he would never admit it aloud, fear, at being touched by a Muggle. "Say something!" she demanded, and tightened her grip. Just as he wanted to shake her hand off, it was roughly pulled away by someone else.

Sarah yelped as Harry shoved her backwards with an icy, furious expression on his face. "Get your filthy presence away from him." he snarled.

"Come, come, she did nothing wrong-" Philip protested, but he closed his mouth abruptly as killing curse green eyes focused on him.

~She touched what is mine~ Harry hissed, making all others take a step away from him. Marvolo recognised his darkening aura, which looked as if black mist started to emit from Harry's body, dark clouds rolling off him, a foreboding of dark magic about to happen. The Dark Lord acted quickly, stepping towards the teen and pulling Harry against him, trying to get him to calm down by wrapping his own magic around the other.

~Calm down dear.~ he said softly, ignoring everyone but Harry. The link, which they had closed for their both convenience so they could concentrate on the meeting rather than each other, opened again fully, and Marvolo took in the anger and the hurt he felt from Harry.

"No." the teen said, still looking at Sarah with murderous intent. The girl was pale as a sheet, but also looked quite angry.

"What the hell did I do? Okay, I shouldn't have said that, but it wasn't on purpose!"

"It's not about what you said." Harry retorted. "Now, get out."

"You can't just… Who are you anyways? I've never seen you before!"

"Do as he says." Marvolo cut in, deciding he'd had enough. Sarah opened her mouth, but got a warning look from Evelyn.

When they were finally gone, the man turned to Harry again, who had a strange look in his eyes.

You worry too much love. It is just a Muggle. The teen's shoulders slumped a bit as he relaxed. Gratitude and a jumble of other emotions he could not name separately flowed through the link.

I know. But someone touching you when it clearly makes you uncomfortable…

Somehow, I don't thinkit making me uncomfortable was the only reason. He lightly replied with a hint of amusement, and Harry turned his head away in a futile attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Your thoughts are still open to me…

Oh, shut up. Harry said, and reached the other with two long strides, not stopping as he practically crashed into the other's chest. Marvolo bent over slightly to place his lips on the forehead, and suddenly licked Harry's scar with a smirk. The teen let out a strangled noise that sounded as if it couldn't decide whether to be a yelp or a moan.

XxX

It wasn't fair. She had just wanted to apologise for a carelessly spoken remark, and this was what she got? Frustrated, Sarah kicked one of the chairs in her room and sat down on it, sulking. Who did that boy even think he was? When returning with the Portkey to their usual spot, Evelyn had taken her apart and told her 'not to go too far in her interest'. Seriously, what business did that woman have in her life? That they occasionally hung out at the local bar didn't mean that Evelyn could suddenly give her 'parently advice'. Still frustrated, she threw herself down on her bed, not even bothering to kick her shoes off.

Wizard or no, that boy had better not get in her way.


They had nearly found him… nearly… He was still panting as he unshrank the piano and sat down on a soft sofa, taking in the new house he'd so hastily had to move to. He was glad that he always prepared his next address for occasions like these, even though this was the first time he'd had to use it. He could have known… not answering the call in the Quibbler was the same as shouting to the Death Eaters that he wanted to commit suicide.

But he couldn't face the Dark Lord, not even from the middle of a crowd. Could not look at what Tom had become. What he had become because of him. Slughorn combed his hair back with his fingers and summoned a glass of wine to relax a bit. He didn't understand how they had found him, and it made his mind go rampage. What if the only reason he'd been safe till now was because the Dark Lord had had other things on his mind than him? What if his wards were not safe at all?

Shivering slightly, he quickly gulped down some more wine before putting the glass away. He was prepared for when someone of Dumbledore's side would come look for him. He could fake an attack and transfigure himself, but he could hardly do that when they came.

He had two weeks before he had to move out of this place again. Hopefully they would not find him until th-

His head shot up, eyes wide and fingers trembling in fear. Robotically, he turned his gaze to the left, where his old Sneakoscope had begun to spin and whistle. But that was impossible… the alarms had not gone off, and on top of that, he was only living here for minutes. They could not have possibly found him yet! He shut the Sneakoscope up, but kept his gaze trained on the door, not noticing that he was digging the nails of one hand in his own flesh.

He nearly sobbed with relief as he heard the loud meowing of a cat, and saw the silhouette of one jump on the windowsill. He put his head in his arms, his shoulders shaking. A cat. Just a damned cat. Wiping the sweat off his brow with his sleeve, he got up and turned around so go to the bedroom.

However, before even taking one step, his mouth fell open with trembling lips, no sound coming forth, as he saw the core of his fears sitting in one of the other chairs, looking both amused and annoyed at the same time. He didn't even know how one would make such an expression…

"Professor." the Dark Lord said on a mocking tone. "How... pleasant to see you again. I rather missed your presence yesterday. One would have thought that a man such as you would have wanted to be at such an important day to establish the necessary… contacts."

Slughorn opened his mouth again, but had no idea what to say, or even how to address his former student. Thankfully, he did not need to answer as another person entered the room. He wasn't quite thankful for the two enormous snakes that followed in the other's trail though.

"Everything is clear." the other murmured, and Horace was surprised to hear the voice of a child.

"Good. I had not expected the old man to suddenly show up here, but one can never be too sure."

In a very un-Dark Lordish gesture, the man patted his leg, and for a moment Slughorn was confused by it, until the boy came closer and with horror, he saw that the child sat down on the man's leg and leaned back into the chest behind him.

"I assume introductions are in order." Tom said. –Tom? Was it really still Tom? Was that brilliant boy still hidden somewhere in that horrifying form?-

The other lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing a face that was too familiar for Horace to look at for longer than a second. James' hair, Lily's eyes… and that scar. "Harry Potter" he whispered, and he jumped on the sound of his own voice. "Why are you… what are you…" He stammered. "You should be at Hogwarts!" Two pair of eyes gave him a disbelieving look, and he felt a bit stupid when realising what exactly the 'asset' was that had probably been revealed. He just hadn't been able to believe what the news had said about the possibility of the boy being Dark… He leaned back against the side of the sofa he'd just gotten up from. "That aside." he said firmly, trying to get some ground back in this conversation. "Don't think I don't know why you're here."

"Well, If you already know it will only make things easier. When giving your memory of the evening you told me what I wished to know about Horcruxes to Dumbledore, you modified it. Why? Let's just assume it was not because you like me so much." the Dark Lord said with heavy sarcasm.

"You know I gave it to…" Slughorn said, shocked. He had assumed that the man was here because he had finally remembered that Horace posed a threat to him in case he would give it to someone else, not that he already had. This made his current situation a thousand times worse.

"Ah, so you don't know why I am here. I recently found out that you gave a very poorly modified memory of that evening to one of my greatest enemies. Should he ever get his hands on the real one, he might finally piece everything together." he sounded less pleased with each word he said. "You have trespassed very dangerous waters indeed, professor.

"What… What will you do to me?" Slughorn said, now genuinely terrified for his life.

"I want to propose a deal… I have seen how he played on your guilt to obtain that memory, and you modified it enough so that he didn't get the most valuable information. Oh, and as I said before, I still want to know why you didn't just hand it all over."

"A deal?" Horace whispered.

"Yes. Count yourself lucky that I am in need of another competent Potions master. You will break all ties with anyone who is not on my side, will publically support me, not show the real memory to anyone and you will teach Harry advanced potions. In exchange, your life will be spared."

Slughorn took a few minutes of pretending to think about it as if he had any option but to grab this offer tightly with both of his hands. He did think about the possibilities it would give him. If he didn't have a choice, he might as well try to gain some profit from it. To be Harry Potter's personal teacher might just be the golden opportunity he needed to get new contacts and some respect. And with a mother like Lily Potter, the boy had to have a talent for potions."Done." he finally said with a nod, tensing up a bit when getting a tight, not-quite-smile back.

"Harry, will you serve as our Bonder?" The Dark Lord said, and Horace paled further when realising what was expected of him. Shakily, he reached out a hand, repulsed by the idea of touching the white hand that could have belonged to a corpse if not for the fact that it moved. No, he really could not see any of his former student in this… thing. He swallowed heavily as his hand was grabbed. It felt as if he had shoved his hand in a cold, metal clamp. The vise-like grip did nothing to calm him down, and when the speaking of the Vow actually began, panic was the only thing on his mind.

Three golden, burning ropes later, he was officially bound to the Dark Lord. It was only when he moved away again and sat down on another chair that the reality of the situation really crashed down on him. He was bound to the Dark. While he had never openly opposed him by voicing his opinion during the first war or joining the order, he had never supported him either, and he did not have many friends on the Dark Side. He had been a loner since he had left both Hogwarts and the Ministry, and his old contacts had watered down. He, who had once been a master in making connections and profiting from it, was now nothing more than a tool.

A very ill-informed tool as well, he thought to himself. Really, why had Harry Potter joined his parents' murderer? Why had Dumbledore not been able to do something about it? Apart from the Quibblers and newspapers brought to him by owl by a friend of his, he had not personally spoken to anyone but Dumbledore, who had visited him a few days after the Dark Lord had regained his body, to obtain that accursed memory. If only it could have been erased from his own mind in the process… Ever since then, he had been on the run.

He noticed that the Dark Lord and Potter seemed to be having a staring contest, although they frequently blinked. With interest, he saw emotions flicker across both their faces –and since when did The Dark Lord have emotions anyways?- before they both turned to stare at him.

"So, why did you modify the memory you showed Dumbledore?" the man finally spoke. "And don't make me repeat it again, unless you don't want me to keep my end of the deal."

Only now did Horace realise that had not been included in the Vow…

He breathed in deeply, deciding it would be best to just speak the truth, even though it wasn't going to get him any further in the Dark Lord's good graces. "I was ashamed. Ashamed that I was partially responsible for everything you have done, all the murders you've committed. I told you exactly what you wanted to hear, didn't I? And even after that, I never spoke about it with a soul to not lose any influence and respect I had. I should never have told a student, no matter how bright and promising he looked, about such a dangerous thing. Even now, now I lost everything, I can't…" He tried his hardest not to burst out in tears, to run to Dumbledore and repent for it all by showing the memory and then die as a result. "And now, when you will turn the world into a bloodbath once more, I am too much of a coward to do anything about it, only able to stand back, knowing I am to blame for it all as well."

"Not exactly what I had wanted to hear, but at least you were honest in your... passionate speech." the other commented on a surly tone. "I wonder when you lost your sense of judgment of people. The world will not become a bloodbath again. While I have no qualms about… executing my enemies, I actually do wish for peace to reign after this war is over. If you had actually answered yesterday's call, you would know. I suggest you try and get the copy of a memory from one of your many old friends now you can live out in the open again. None of my followers will pursue you. I actually saw Wendy Slinkhard and Ambrosius Flume among the public. Now, it is getting late and we need to go. Try to heighten your standards a bit so next time I will not need to meet you in a Muggle house. Oh, and I expect you every Wednesday and Friday at seven in my manor for Harry's lessons."

"How... How will I reach you?"

"Oh yes, I had nearly forgotten about that…" the Dark Lord said with a sly grin that did not look very promising.

He had no time to make out what happened next. The only thing he currently knew was pain, a flaring pain that spread through his body, his forearm being the source. When he finally came to, the pair was gone, and he was left on the ground, staring at the Dark Mark that had been branded in his skin.


"How will we get there in the first place if you don't know where exactly it is?" Harry asked, yawning.

It was late already. After their visit to Slughorn, Marvolo had insisted on eating out. In just a few hours, Harry had developed a preference for French food. They had made it home around eleven, missing the usual apparition spot due to a fair few glasses of expensive wine and had landed in the bushes in the front garden. Harry wondered how many Death Eaters they had scarred as Marvolo had cheerily and loudly carried Harry upstairs, despite the teen's slurred protests. He still felt light-headed, even after the sobering charm Marvolo had cast on the both of them in a stroke of brilliance.

"I know the general location." Marvolo answered, frowning as he studied some maps. "And don't forget that I am more sensitive to magic than most. The wards around that place will scream at me, not even completely figuratively. We can apparate to the border of Slovenia, and start our search there. Hopefully I will be able to pick up a sign soon."

"And if you don't?"

"I will. We will cross the country while I'm in my Animagus form, both to heighten my senses even more and to search faster. I am positive that we will be able to find it before the day is over. Getting back will be less of a problem, as we can apparate out of there once the wards are down."

The wards that are supposedly the most powerful wards erected in the last century…?" Harry asked with hesitance.

"Don't worry dear. My research of this was nearly complete when I died almost fourteen years ago. It was carefully hidden and guarded with the rest, and now, I have completely finished my evaluation of the security around the prison." He sighed and stretched himself like a cat before rubbing his face with both hands. "Now, let's go to sleep. We will worry tomorrow."

Harry nodded in agreement and undid his robes, smirking at the appreciative look.


The view was stunning, but the barren mountain peaks and bare, jagged rock gave him a feel of unease. It was clear that no man had been here in ages, and the thick pine forests below them looked dark and hostile, even more so than the Forbidden Forest. They had flown for hours, and Harry was tired from trying not to fall off. He and Marvolo tried to keep each other awake by talking, but he could feel that the wing beats cost his lover more energy than he currently had, and Harry was glad that they were near the end of their long, arduous journey. He shivered despite the warming charms on him as wisps of fog drifted by. Everything was hazy and the bleak sun did nothing to warm the place.

Finally, Marvolo pulled in one of his wings a bit to make a sharp turn. Harry gripped the spikes in front of him tightly as the heavy body tilted to the side and sped up in a downward glide for a moment before pulling up with uneven jerks that brought Harry's stomach to his throat. He closed his eyes tightly, trying not to spew his breakfast out over the black, shimmering scales –something that would undoubtedly not be appreciated- and only dared to open them again when the wing-strokes had returned to their normal rhythm.

What he saw made his breath catch. It wasn't beautiful, not in any way. The dark ominous tower was nothing more than a square stone building, but it wascolossal and violent magic sizzled around it, able to be felt even from this distance. Nurmengard. Harry knew it wasn't guarded by anything but this magic, but it seemed more than enough. Marvolo's calming words about the matter of breaking the security did not sound so calming now that he could actuallyfeel it.

Are you sure…

Very sure. Don't tell me you are starting to doubt my skills now, after we've crossed half the continent. Marvolo said, but Harry could hear it was said in a mock-hurt tone, and smiled.

Of course not love. He answered, dropping a kiss on one of the moist scales.

Then, brace yourself.

An unearthly shriek nearly shattered his eardrums, and was amplified by the mountains around them, echoing off the stone walls until it seemed to fill every empty space. Harry's skin was covered in goose bumps as he felt the sound combine with the magic, tilting and shifting an invisible something. He looked back and saw that the lake they had passed had overflowed its banks and turned into a mass of stormy water.

Suddenly, the air... cracked. He didn't know how else to describe it. It was as if there had been an invisible, gigantic plate of glass in front of them that cracked and then smashed. The silence that followed was deafening, and he could feel that Marvolo's energy had been depleted. He suddenly realized that with nothing but his voice, the man had been able to break the wards of one of the most heavily guarded places in Europe. Harry's awe for him rose to a whole new level, and he wondered how anyone could be so powerful.

It was mainly constructed to keep Grindelwald in, not to keep intruders out. Luckily, these wards aren't the only thing that keep him from casting magic, otherwise we'd have a whole new problem. Marvolo answered his unspoken questions, dismissing the praise. It worried Harry how exhausted he sounded.

Half-flying, half-falling, they reached the tower and nearly crashed-landed through the open window. The occupant of the tower opened his eyes and sat up, shocked, looking at them with wild eyes. Slowly, Marvolo morphed back into his human form, clearly trying his best not to groan painfully.

"Wer bist du?" the man rasped.

"Ich bin Lord Voldemort." Marvolo replied, and it surprised Harry that he even pronounced his own name with a German accent as well as he could.

"Lord Voldemort…" the shaggy man murmured. "Ich habe von Ihnen gehört. Und du?" he asked, and it took Harry a moment to realize Grindelwald had spoken to him.

"Uhm, sorry?" he said, wishing he could understand more languages than English.

The man frowned for a moment as if trying to remember something before speaking up again. "Who are you?"

"Ah, Harry, Sir. Harry Potter, I mean."

He made a gurgling sound and spit on the floor. "I Don't know you. Warum sind Sie hier?" He asked, turning to Marvolo again, completely ignoring Harry further, which slightly pissed the teen off.

"Albus Dumbledore." Marvolo said, and he suddenly had the other man's full attention. "I take it you can speak English well?"

"Verdammte Engländer." Grindelwald spat. "Ja, I can speak your foul language quite well. What do you want?"

"First of all I would like to know how you know me… I graduated the year you were locked up here."

"Your name is one not many have. I remember that the children of some followers of mine flocked around you. I researched you, thinking you would be a powerful follower to have in my army." he gurgled again, laughing like crazy. "If only I'd known! So, what exactly has become of you, Riddle? I do recall a picture of you where you had both hair and a nose. Dabbled too much in the deepest of Dark Arts?"

"I see you researched me thoroughly indeed." Marvolo stiffly said. "But not enough. My current form is actually mainly my own choice."

"I think you need some fashion advice." the other said, giving Marvolo a grin that showed his rotten teeth.

Harry could feel that his lover was starting to lose his patience. "To make a very long story short, I am the current Dark Lord, and am more powerful than you ever were. I fought a war, died, came back, and am now resuming said war, though with my original plans. I need to know what exactly happened when you were defeated, and why Dumbledore would not trust his memories of it to exist outside his own head.

"So, the sentimental fool has gained some importance?" Gellert asked, and Harry was surprised by the scoffing tone.

"Weren't you lovers?" he asked, and he could feel Marvolo's exasperation at his bold question. The answer, however, surprised him.

"Lovers? He certainly thought we were." Grindelwald huffed, making a face. "I never harboured any romantic feelings for Albus though. It was one-sided, although I definitely used him. I confronted him about it during the last battle I had with him. That was a mistake. He grew angrier than I ever thought him capable of, and he took away everything from me. Not that it matters now... I'm nearly ready for the grave." he said on a bitter tone.

"So, did something else happen?"

"Oh yes… But that is something I will take with me in death."

Marvolo's face was blank. "You will tell me. If not to get back on Dumbledore, at least do it to help me give the world back to Wizards. While I go at it a completely other way than you, our goals have similarities."

"I do not care anymore for the world... it can follow me to hell for all I care, but if I can drag Albus down in the flames as well… Have you ever heard of the Hallows?" Grindelwald spoke, and he gave them an almost shocked look when they both confirmed it. "You do?" he suspiciously asked. "The legendary objects? the stone, the-"

"Wand and cloak, yes." Marvolo interrupted, impatiently. "What does this have to do with them?"

"They exist." the other wizard whispered, as if he was a storyteller that had just come to the clue of his story."

"Yes, we know." Harry said, annoyed. "What does your last battle with Dumbledore have to do with them?"

It was silent for a moment while a seemingly very disappointed Grindelwald tried to comprehend that he wasn't telling them anything new. "Alright then, if you want to know so badly…" he suddenly snapped. "Albus and I had searched or fthese items for a long time, and I finally acquired one, some years after having broken my 'romance' with Albus. Via via, I heard that Gregorovitch boasted about an unbeatable wand, and I found that he indeed had the Elder wand in his possession. I stole it from him, and when Albus figured that out, he was mad. He used his 'defeat of me' as a decoy to gain possession of the wand, tricked me and locked me up here. I suppose that the reason that he doesn't allow that memory to exist anywhere but in his own head is the combination of that he didn't defeat me in a proper duel and that he got an object many would try to kill him for. Satisfied?"

"Very." Marvolo answered, a thoughtful look on his face. "The Elder wand… I'm surprised he still has it. It is said to be cursed."

"It isn't." Grindelwald grumbled. "It is a desired object –for good reason-, which is why it changes hands so often, but the only 'curse' is the curse of the greed of mankind. The other legend isn't true either though. It is not infallible. It has to be the most powerful wand ever made, but it can change hands through trickery and is never more loyal to one wizard than another. The ownership can even change by a disarming spell, or if it's willingly 'loaned' to another."

"How did you lose possession of it?"

"As I said, he tricked me. We lost our wands during the dual. He used a spell on me that made me think that his wand was mine and the other way around. Therefore, when I grabbed his wand, he made a dive for the Elder wand and bonded with it the moment he touched it, as I thought it was his. Foul trickery that would not have worked with any other wand, but it gave him a huge advantage. He had the most powerful wand on earth, and I had one that had not bonded with me and didn't even suit me at all. Therefore, I suddenly found myself with three enemies, my weapon being one of them. I resorted to wandless magic, but that was not powerful enough against the Death Stick."

"And so you were locked up here…"

"Yes. He even used the Elder wand to bind my own familiar to him." Grindelwald bitterly spoke.

"Ah, yes… Eldur Vaeng… Interesting choice for a name."

"I found him before I possessed the Elder wand, but was still searching for it." the other grinned, not even surprised anymore by their knowledge now. It does have another meaning as well, and I found it a rather fitting pun, yes. What has become of him?"

"He's freed himself from Albus recently."

"He has?" the man asked, for the first time something of joy in his eyes. "How?"

"Yes. By binding himself to Harry and I. Now, we have stayed long enough. Thank you for the information. The wards are still down so should you ever find a way to get your magic back, you can escape. If not… well, maybe I'll remember you in a few years."

"Wait!" Grindelwald said, but Marvolo had already embraced Harry and whisked both of them away to home.


"Hermione?" Ron asked with hesitation. The girl grunted and continued scribbling, not even looking up from her homework. Stacks of books and parchment covered in astrological charts and rune translations were scattered over the large table, almost hiding her from view.

"What is it?" she asked on an irritated tone, obviously not happy with the interruption. "I'm busy." She mumbled something to herself and proceeded to line through a few sentences, making a few notes on another piece of parchment in her immaculate handwriting.

"I… nevermind." Ron sighed, walking back to the couches in front of the fireplace, feeling rather depressed. It had been like this ever since a few weeks after Harry had left the castle. It was only now that Ron realized just how much his friend had kept the three of them together. Even during last year, when he had shunned the other out of stupidity and jealously, Harry had been practically all he and Hermione spoke of. Ever since his mate had left… it just hadn't been the same anymore.

Conversations were awkward and Ron often found himself alone on the Quidditch field or aimlessly wandering the castle. Ron didn't want to hang out in the library without someone to have fun with while the girl studied, and Hermione felt nothing for abandoning her studying in favour of playing Wizard Chess or Exploding Snap. Hogwarts had become… boring. Of course, there were still his other dorm mates, and Quidditch, but with both Harry and his brothers gone, the largest trouble-makers at school, Hogwarts had become just that. A school. it was a… strange revelation to him.

After all the things that had happened during the previous years, they had fallen from one adventure into another, and homework, lessons and exams had always played more of a minor role to him. Something to do in between battling evil plants and spiders, playing detective in magical murder mysteries, taunting their school nemesis Malfoy –and ever since he had joined the Dark he couldn't do even that anymore- and trying to discover the dark mystery behind their next DADA teacher.

And now all that was over. The days were boring, Hermione and he were drifting apart, he was always short of a partner during class –Hermione refused to 'do all the work while he sat back doodling in his books', and Divination was hell. In short… he wanted out. He had never been the best, or even average student, without help from both Harry and Hermione, and much rather did something than put theories on paper.

Abruptly, he got to his feet again and stomped over to Hermione before he could change his mind, thoughtfully putting up a privacy ward at the last moment. It wasn't his best, but it would do for now. He didn't exactly suspect any of the other Gryffindors to care too much about a conversation between Hermione and himself anyways.

"'Moine, I'm going." he firmly stated, a fire in him that he hadn't known existed.

"Okay, goodnight." she muttered absently.

"No!" he furiously whispered, looking around to make sure his wards were working. "I'm going to join Harry!"

She gave him a look as if he was crazy. "What?" Hermione huffed, half-laughing, half-confused. "You can't... you can't just leave Ron. What brought this on?"

"Oh really? Well, you try and stop me then! I want to be useful. Sitting around here doing nothing won't get me any further, will it now? War has started, and while the teachers are pretending nothing is wrong, Dumbledore has been out of the castle since the announcement of the Dark, something we shouldn't even know about as the Quibbler got banned weeks ago. It all started since Harry left, but now… now it's open. It's war. We have to do something!"

"Ron, I really don't think this is the best option. You need education as well…"

"Really, if I ever want to be an Auror, what do you think He will look at, grades or battle experience?"

"And if you leave, what then? I'm sorry to state it so bluntly, but you don't have any money! Who will pay for your food, your accommodation? You have nowhere to go! You mum surely won't agree with you quitting school in fifth year, even Fred and George waiting till their after their OWL's. They waited till they were of age! You aren't even allowed to use magic out of school Ron!"

His fire died as suddenly as it had flared up. "True…" he mumbled, and sat down on a rickety chair. "I can't. But… how does Harry do that?"

"I don't know." Hermione said, shaking her head, sending her curls flying everywhere. "I bet he has something to do with it, but I don't see how anything could break the Trace…"

"But in that case…" the boy said, brightening again. "I could send him a letter!"

"Have you gone mad? Sending The Dark Lord a letter?"

"Harry might put in a good word for me!" Ron protested.

"Oh honestly, I'm not going to be able to beat some sense in you will I?" She said, giving him a famous 'you are hopeless' look. She rummaged through the scattered parchment until she found an empty scroll, and handed him a quill. "Well then, go ahead. I will check it for spelling."

"Thanks Hermione!" Ron beamed. "You're brilliant!"

She huffed at the compliment and tried to hide her pink face behind her hair. "Remember that when you get in trouble out there. Oh, and I won't be the one to explain your mother why you have disappeared!"

And for once in months, they spent the evening happily chatting together.


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xx GeMerope