Chapter 114, A New Chance

"Are you aware that Kreacher and Regulus Black have been attempting to research the origins of elf enslavement," Griphook asked. The goblin sat on the bag of gold and Gellert stood in front of him while Blaise casually leaned against the closed door of their vault. At the question, Gellert exchanged a glance with his partner before both slowly shook their heads.

"Not that we recall, but we know nothing of the matter," Gellert said, wondering what this had to do with anything Cabal or Kereston related.

Griphook lifted his black suited shoulders in a slight shrug. "Ah well, that's neither here nor there, I suppose," he said dismissively. "The topic at hand merely came up when Regulus and Kreacher called upon me for any assistance I could provide to their research."

"What topic," Gellert asked. He couldn't help giving the goblin a slight frown as he wondered just what this could be about.

"The topic of the matter in which Kereston is involved," Griphook clarified. "The matter that perhaps can be bolstered if we goblins do consider rejoining the Cabal network." The goblin paused for several meaningful seconds before continuing. Gellert and Blaise waited. "I need to be certain that you will not breathe a word of this if you are not interested in taking part," Griphook said at last. "If you were to breathe a word to the wrong person the lives of your friends could be in danger. I presume you do consider Kereston, Kreacher and Regulus to be your friends?"

"Of course we do," Blaise snapped.

Gellert nodded. "Indeed."

"I was just checking," Griphook said, tone sarcastically placating. "While I was speaking with Kreacher and Regulus, sharing what knowledge I had of elves, Black broached the topic of power. He remarked upon the fact that the witches and wizards have the least, then there are we fae folk, being the goblins and elves. Our magic is far superior yet our numbers are far less, so, in essence, our true strength cannot be properly realized. Few wizards have the gnads to admit as much, you know. Black is an odd one, but I respect him for that, and for surviving Voldemort after somewhat figuring him out."

"Fae?" Gellert asked, feeling his own brows rising slightly.

Griphook shrugged impatiently. "Basically it is a term used to describe those beings with powerful and inhuman magic. It is interesting that we are so much stronger than you lot, yet, just as the Muggles suppress you, you suppress us. Black at least has the decency to have a problem with it."

Gellert nodded slowly, still uncertain where this was going. "Alright. I personally never attempted to suppress anyone, but I understand what you are saying."

Griphook gave him a slight smile, as if for some reason satisfied. "It all got me to thinking," the goblin expounded. "Kreacher lives with Black and Kereston, two magical humans who respect him for being more powerful, and give him his just due. I'd never seen a human admitting that elves or goblins were their superiors. Often they aren't even aware that we are stronger. Those who are aware, fear or mistrust us in most cases, and only a few like Mag consider us their equals. Mag has been the only human to my knowledge to outright call one of us a friend."

Knowing that Griphook referred to himself, Gellert asked, "And do you consider her your friend?"

"I do," Griphook said. "Her taste in men is debatable, but she has an eye for gemstones that rivals that of any goblin." So Griphook didn't get on with Severus. Gellert felt his lips twitch. Before he could decide if he wanted to have fun needling the goblin about that, Griphook continued speaking. "You are surely aware of Kereston's political hopes to become Minister some day." He paused so Blaise and Gellert both nodded. "I appreciate the way she plans to improve the wizarding government with a harder hand toward criminals and crime, so I dared to put a suggestion to her... For the greater good, one might say." Griphook gave Gellert a small smirk, then went on. "I suggested to her that we work together."

"We?" Gellert asked.

"We as in goblins and her wizards. Those she will have to select if this is to happen."

"If what is to happen," Blaise asked and Griphook scowled.

"I'm bloody getting to that! If goblins, elves and enough trustworthy wizards band together, I believe we could entirely restructure the magical world so that it would be better and stronger for all of us. Better in general and stronger against the Muggles." The main hitch this would face is that the majority of elves are quite literally not free to do so. I have a plan for that, though."

"I have no problem with the concept, but do you not recall my own failures to strengthen the magical world against the Muggles," Gellert wondered mildly. "Do you truly believe you could do better? Do you not recall the resistance I suffered from my own kind even though I attempted to save them from Muggle nuclear destruction? I showed them my visions and only a third of them truly cared or bothered to lift a wand against what I knew was to come."

"As I recall, you did not work with goblins and elves," Griphook retorted. "Their greater abilities could have assisted you, I believe."

"I was not aware that elves or goblins would stand with me, and in truth, I knew little of either," Gellert admitted. "It's what you get for keeping yourselves out of society," he added with a defiant toss of his blond locks. He'd added that last bit because the somewhat reproachful look on Griphook's face annoyed him for a reason that he could not quite explain.

At that, Griphook's small black eyes hardened with anger as he gave Gellert a nearly ferocious glare. "Your kind does not welcome us into magical society to say the least! Need I remind you of goblin-wizard wars or bloody elf enslavement?"

"Fair enough, though I was a part of neither," Gellert replied dryly.

"I must say, though," Griphook said, lips quirking into an amused smile that looked quite odd on his generally dire features. "We goblins did enjoy your little war with the Muggle loving wizards. You lot have stood on our necks for so long, that watching you fighting amongst yourselves and killing one another was a bit cathartic. Satisfying if you will. Even amusing. After all, unlike Voldemort, you weren't threatening us. Thanks for that, by the by."

"Don't mention it," Gellert drawled, but even as he spoke, he found himself struggling not to laugh.

Blaise still leaned casually against the door of their vault, seeming unmoved for the most part by whatever Griphook was building up to. "What is your plan for freeing the elves so that they might assist you, then," he asked in that bored tone that Gellert always found oddly enticing.

"It is a far reaching plan in its effects," Griphook said. "Not only will it free the elves, but it will cripple the wizards who have enslaved them so that these wizards cannot fight against this new magical society that Kereston and I seek to build. The new society shall see elves, goblins and wizards as equals. All shall share the power and all shall apply their own brands of magic to better society for us all. Many wizards will resist such a union for various reasons. With the freeing of the elves, we shall at last be strong enough to stamp out the power of such resisters. Elves are even more powerful than goblins, so with their assistance, we can all do great things together."

"Well more power, such as elf magic as you say, would certainly be necessary for such a thing to happen," Gellert said thoughtfully. He clearly remembered how many fools had resisted his own efforts to better the world for magical folk. "Precisely how do you intend to bring such about?" About this, he was genuinely curious. For a moment he felt some reproach with Kereston for not telling him about this seemingly new turn of events, but then recalled that she had recently attempted to meet up with them repeatedly for lunch.

"We are going to make a potion that shall strip most wizards and witches of their magic. When those wizards and witches have no magic, they perhaps shall be unable to command their elves. If they still can, coercing them into outright freeing the elves should not prove at all difficult." The goblin's lips twitched upward into what was, this time, a grim smile that anyone not on his side of things aught to find chilling. "Once we use magic on them when they have none, they will quickly become terrified just like any Muggle, and they will comply. If not, we can get a little rough, and then they will comply. Either way, it shan't be difficult to manage any witch or wizard once we've taken their magic."

"And is our magic safe," Gellert wondered. He did not believe the goblin was threatening him, but he hadn't survived this far on assumptions, and he wasn't about to start.

"Of course. Don't be stupid, Grindelwald," the goblin chided. "I've just told you the plan, haven't I?"

"We have an elf," Gellert reminded.

"Would you free him," Griphook asked.

Gellert cringed, and did not bother to attempt to hide that fact. "If he wishes it. Bramble is in charge of those important things, and we dare not go against his wishes."

"He could make daily life very unpleasant for us if we do," Blaise added, lips curving up into the slightest of amused smiles. "He attends to food, laundry, things that he could make us very uncomfortable over if he ruined them because he was in a foul mood."

Griphook studied the two, clearly assessing the situation to gauge whether or not they were actually serious. "Whatever," he huffed after several seconds. "You shall be assisting us, so it hardly matters if your elf is more insane than Kreacher."

"I never said Bramble was," Gellert began.

At the same time Blaise said, "I don't think Kreacher is," The two broke off mid-sentence and chuckled as their eyes met.

"So are you in," Griphook asked.

Gellert shrugged, glancing over at Blaise with arched brows. When the other man gave a slight shrug and equally slight nod, Gellert grinned over at Griphook. "Why not?"

"This potion that removes magic, though," Blaise said, doubt clear in his voice. "If it were that simple, why not use it before? Perhaps when the wizarding government decided to deny goblins the use of their wands a few centuries back, for example."

"Because it did not exist before," Griphook retorted peevishly. "My nephew, Grimlock, is a literal potions genius, and he's only recently come up with the concept. He believes he can do it, and we're banking on him being correct. If not, it's back to square one, but he is very good, so I am confident that if he says he can do it, he can."

"And how long shall it take him," Gellert wondered.

"It takes as long as it takes," Griphook snapped. "When he has done it, he will say. We will not move until then. He has already come up with a potion to sterilize the Muggles, though, which is another important stage in our long term plan, so we can release that into their water as soon as we like. It won't work on everyone, but their numbers shall be significantly thinned in the end, which is all we're after. We will give all magical folk the antidote to it in advance, before you start fretting about wizards and witches accidentally becoming sterile as well," the goblin assured.

Gellert liked the concept of sterilizing the Muggles. It wasn't entirely new to him, because it was one Kereston had mentioned during one of their hypothetical conversations concerning suggestions she'd have made if she'd been around when he'd first begun his own war against the Muggles in the early nineteen-hundreds. He'd appreciated the thought then, so was pleased the goblins were implementing it now. With fewer Muggles to dominate, they had far more of a chance to succeed. If the numbers between magicals and Muggles were more even, the playing field would be far more manageable. "I won't risk making the same mistakes again," he said. "But this appears to be different."

Griphook nodded. "Of course it is. Rather than dominating the Muggles, we wish to build a better, stronger, magical society. If we can weaken the Muggles a bit in the process, it can only help, but it won't be our main goal. If we are united and strong, we can work around the Muggles more thoroughly and still give ourselves a better, fuller life without nearly as much hiding."

"By combining our magics to work ways around them noticing us," Blaise asked thoughtfully.

Griphook nodded. "Yes, for a start."

"I will help you in this, because I believe that it might be an improvement on my own former plans, but in doing so I will never risk myself or my family. Understand that." As he spoke, Gellert locked eyes with the goblin.

Griphook shrugged, lifting one hand in a dismissive gesture. "No one is after risking themselves or their families. Relax, Grindelwald. We all plan to stay safe."

Gellert felt the tension in his shoulders easing up at that. While he did freely admit that a new venture along these lines was appealing, he'd had enough of risk now that he had a family and firmer roots than he'd ever truly had before. He had something to hold on to and treasure which he planned to keep. He was drawn from his thoughts when Griphook continued to speak. "For this reason, I think reuniting with the other eight cabals would be a wise idea. I think our cabal head will agree, but I will speak to him directly after we're done here. When he has made his decision, I will contact you."

Gellert nodded. "Fine. I look forward to it."

"Only one more thing," Blaise said. As he spoke, he pushed off from the closed door, moving further into the vault. "My concern in all of this is that those wizards whose magic you plan to strip shall perhaps join up with the Muggles to work against us. What is to stop these magicless wizards and witches from telling the Muggles about us and working with them to lay us low as the Muggles have done in the past?"

"Oh that," Griphook waved a dismissive hand. "I seem to have left that out. Sorry. We're not just going to strip their magic and tell them to suck it up. That would be sloppy. Instead we plan to pretend that the loss of magic is linked to a plague. A plague that affects magic. People will become ill with flu like symptoms with a touch of magic loss." My nephew has plans for an antidote to that potion as well, so some of those who lose their magic, can regain it. A healer shall simply pretend to be administering some medication that is said to help, and poof, their magic returns. We shall decide who regains their magic by who accepts the improvements we have made once they are in place."

Blaise nodded, clearly satisfied with the goblin's answer. Gellert smiled. "I must say, Griphook. I am impressed! This is a very well thought out thing, and I think... I think it just might work."