Chapter 24, Waiting Is The Hardest Part
Wulfric and Graven came to visit several times over the holidays. Hydra had missed Wulfric even more than she'd known, and seeing him more often was wonderful. She made him promise to visit them at Hogwarts as well. "It should be simple enough with your dad running the place again," she'd pointed out and he'd agreed.
"Besides," Graven had added. "We may need more viewings from Guillermo before this shit is over."
When her parents did not mention Ballan and Greok coming to visit for the holidays, Hydra mentioned it to them. "What are Ballan and Greok doing for new years? I'm sure they have other plans for Christmas, but you should invite them to a new years party."
"Whose new years party, Kreacher wonders." The family was sitting in the library during this conversation. It was a day before Christmas eve. The daddies snuggled together in their favorite overstuffed armchair reading an old heavy tome about Krampus. Hydra was re-reading A Christmas carol for the fifteenth time, and Loughness and Kereston were seated across from one another, sharing the newspaper, each reading a section before passing it to the other. "You know that I am asking you to have a party and invite Ballan and Greok," Hydra chided, frowning over at Kreacher.
"Perhaps when Delphini is dead. It isn't safe until then."
"For me to get to know Ballan," Hydra demanded incredulously.
Kreacher sighed, giving Regulus a long suffering glance.
"What he means to say is that it isn't safe to drink as much as people shall wish to at a new years party while that thing is still alive," Regulus told Hydra. "Haven't you heard Rabastan complaining that Bella has him on a one drink limit at the moment and doesn't even really want him having that much? If even the Lestranges are keeping it sober, we're in a true situation!"
Hydra's lips twitched. "I sort of tune Rabastan and his antics out most of the time," she admitted.
Kreacher chuckled. "Kreacher is afraid that Bella shall likely always think of him as a child. She and Rodolphus were always the ones to look after him when we were all young."
"You grew up with them sort of, didn't you," Loughness asked, glancing up from the section of the Daily Prophet on which he was currently working. "Bella told me once how her and Rod's parents would make them play with you during family gatherings so that you didn't run to the kitchens and meddle in... whatever the grown up elves were trying to attend to." As he spoke, Loughness's blue eyes twinkled in good natured amusement.
Kreacher frowned. "Kreacher knew that he could improve vastly upon what any other elves did, and he was kept from doing so," he grumbled resentfully.
Kereston chuckled, glancing up as she passed over a section of newspaper to Loughness. "So you saw Bella and Rod when they were little?"
Kreacher shrugged. "Kreacher supposes. He can hardly recall it now. We were all the same to him, so not much has changed."
"Except Bella and Rod got way taller," Loughness quipped, grinning.
"So you don't remember them as looking like little kids," Hydra asked.
Kreacher's face scrunched into a frown as he shifted in the chair,adjusting the large book that he and Daddy Regulus held between them. "Kreacher supposes they had to have looked young, but he does not recall."
"Well vampires can't drink anyway," Hydra said, returning to her true topic of interest, that being Ballan. "I hardly see how it affects them if we're not drinking at our new years party."
Regulus sighed. "Because the party will have many non-vampires who shall want to drink."
"The party that we aren't having," Loughness queried, arching his brows and clearly struggling not to laugh.
Regulus nodded. "Precisely that one. You shall have plenty of time to get to know Ballan when things are safer, Hydra. Right now he's helping to ferret out Delphini's followers by scanning the minds of wizards and witches all over Britain and beyond so he and Greok are frequently out of town anyway."
"Fine," Hydra said, lifting her hands in defeat, disappointment settling over her like an unwanted wet blanket.
"You shall still have a fun new years, though," Loughness said brightly.
"Why," Hydra challenged. We can't have a party, remember?"
Loughness frowned. "Look, I was trying to cheer you up. You don't have to go ruining it with facts and complications!"
Hydra chuckled, mildly cheered in spite of everything. "Thanks, Nessy."
The rest of the winter break passed pleasantly enough. The new year was brought in with a delicious feast made by Stormy, Piper, Ripper and Jazz. The Daddies invited friends over to share it and they had a fun game night, providing the closest thing to a party that they could risk having under the circumstances.
Guillermo and James were there with their parents. Kereston's parents came as well, glad to have an opportunity to spend time with their daughter when they weren't all at work. Mr. and Mrs. Boxwood did some sort of desk work at the Ministry. They were the only Ministry employees present. Blaise and Gellert had been invited, but they were out of town with family in Italy.
Likewise for Guillermo's brother, Romeo, who was currently with his wife's family on a mini vacation. The get together was a pleasant distraction even if Hydra would've enjoyed it far more had Ballan been present. When the holiday was over and it was time to return to Hogwarts, things went back to normal.
Well normal for that strange year. No going outside and lots of dueling practice and dreadful physical education, but at least Hydra found her studies interesting. Now that OWLS were over, she was able to get into truly advanced subjects that she could really sink her teeth into. Charms and Transfiguration were both far more intriguing at higher levels. Basics bored her and she enjoyed complications, at least when it came to her magic.
Focusing on her studies made the rest of her sixth year pass quickly enough. Wulfric and Graven visited frequently on the weekends. Not because they required that many viewings from Guillermo, but because Gellert wanted Loughness trained up even more. Wulfric was unclear as to Gellert's plans, guessing that Gellert may be unclear too, but Loughness was a part of them.
Loughness's skills and abilities were just as important as those of Wulfric and Graven as far as Gellert was concerned. Though no one said that Hydra was being left out, the focus was definitely placed on Loughness. She knew that her heart wasn't in it when it came to direct dueling nearly as much as Loughness, so she wasn't bothered by this. She was more of the guard their backs sort, and that's what she planned to do. During one of their visits, Wulfric showed off his Animagus form. He'd learned it just to use against Delphini. It was a mongoose to go up against her snake, and it was huge. Wulfric was a mongoose the size of a dire wolf! He was quite impressive, Hydra had to admit. Gellert had plans concerning Wulfric's mongoose in place for taking Voldemort's daughter creation down, but she was being illusive. Delphini did a lot of hiding behind the scenes of her attacks, but Gellert and Blaise were making their own maneuvers to draw her out. Wulfric was unaware of the particulars, and Hydra supposed it didn't matter. As long as they knew what to do when the time was right, they would do it and all would be well because it had to be.
As it turned out, the reason Grindelwald wanted Graven to make a whole new sword was because he had a feeling it would get ruined in the killing of Delphini. He was right. Griphook would've been super pissy had the Gryffindor sword gotten destroyed after all the fuss that had been made over it for centuries, as Loughness so eloquently pointed out. Things finally came to a head in the middle of the night, when it was most inconvenient. It wasn't very glamorous or steeped in glory, but real life rarely is when it comes to war.
It was Piper and Ripper who came for them. Hydra woke to Ripper's hand on her shoulder as his voice hissed a 'shushhh," into her ear. "Hydra must hurry. She must dress herself without making a sound. She must be silent so as not to wake her dorm mates." His whisper was a soft butterfly brush across her ear, yet it sent adrenaline spiking through her as though he'd shouted.
She could feel the tension in the air as she nodded. It was finally happening. Numbly, heart racing, she did as she was told, scrambling for her shoes in the dark. She had to wear her school uniform, as any other clothes she could've chosen were buried in a trunk under her bed. If she were to get to them, she would have to risk waking dorm mates, which Ripper had rightfully warned against. She left off the robe, though.
Where ever they were going, a Ravenclaw robe should not be necessary. It was so dark! She nearly forgot her wand, but the thought of needing a Lumos whenever they got to where they were going, caused her to remember it, snatching it from under the edge of her mattress where she always kept it tucked at night. As soon as it was in her hand, Ripper grasped her wrist and Apparated them to the edge of Hogwarts grounds where they met Loughness and Piper. Before either Hydra or Loughness could ask a single question, Piper was speaking. "Grindelwald has sent us word. Delphini was at last spotted by one of his scrying devices during one of her attacks and they have cornered her. We shall take you there now. There is not a moment to be lost." When the elves Apparated them again, Hydra had no idea where they were, but wherever it was, it was mid morning. No need for that Lumos after all, but she would still certainly need her wand for whatever was to come.