Chapter 23, We're The Young Generation, And We've Got something To Say
Wulfric and Graven came to call at #12 Grimmauld Place the very next day. Holiday visits from friends during this time of year was normal, but nothing was to be normal about this particular visit, as it turned out. "How has it been at Hogwarts," Wulfric asked as he hugged Hydra in greeting. He clapped Loughness on the shoulder in a very manly way, as both clearly believed themselves too grown up and manly for hugs.
"It's alright save for the physical education," Hydra complained, making a face.
"I don't mind it," Loughness said. "Watching girls run is hot."
"You Would think that," Hydra said, rolling her eyes in disgust. To her gratification, Graven gave her an understanding smirk, rolling her eyes at Loughness as well.
"Damn right I would," Loughness enthused, clearly possessing no shame.
"And here I thought you'd appreciate it for the physical fitness aspect, considering you have been into body-building with Rodolphus for so long," Wulfric interjected.
"Yeah, that too," Loughness agreed, nodding. "It's all important."
"Oh gods," Hydra groaned. "What about you? What have you both been doing what with Delphini and all?"
"Helping Grindelwald, actually," Wulfric said. "He seems to think Graven and I may be instrumental in taking Delphini down. He believes that our abilities are most suitable for the methods that he thinks will work best against her."
"That and he seems to think we have some connection to Gryffindor and the first goblin king," Graven drawled doubtfully. "Sometimes when he says weird shit like that, I think Grindelwald must be higher than I am."
Now that Hydra and Loughness were older, they knew what high meant, even if they never got high themselves. "What are you high on?" Hydra asked.
"Pain-killing potion," Graven said. "It numbs my inner rage and makes me able to handle humans without killing them." Her dark eyes softened as they rose to Wulfric's face. "He's different, of course, and you brats are alright, but most humans get on my every fucking nerve!"
Loughness grinned. "You're alright too. You're hot enough for me if Wolfy wasn't dating you," he complimented.
"I am about to hurt you, Black," Graven said. Loughness laughed gleefully, quite as if he were being complimented. "Fortunately you are different from your little friends," Graven added to Wulfric. "Speaking of, where's Guillermo. I was hoping he would take a look at us to, you know, see if he gets any of those psychic vibes about whether we can really help to take down Delphini." The thinly disguised worry on Graven's face made Hydra's stomach flip-flop. Seeing her own people in direct risk from Delphini made it more personal by far. It was scary. Graven should be scared! Hydra didn't blame her one bit.
"I can invite him over," Loughness said. "Want me to try to get him to come today even? Have you time to wait about for him?"
Graven nodded. "Yeah, we're here to see you for as long as you want us here today, so that works."
"I'll send him a howler inviting him over to see a hot girl, and I promise he'll be here within ten minutes," Loughness said, grinning at Graven. She swatted at him, but he easily evaded her swinging arm as he dashed from the room.
"He just says that shit to get a reaction from you, and you give it to him," Wulfric chuckled. "Leave her alone, Loughness," he added in a louder tone that was intended to carry to Loughness's ears. That pacified Graven, at least for the time being. For his part, Loughness didn't notice, having already dashed from the room.
"If Guillermo can't help, you could try Sortia's Mum," Hydra suggested. "Mag is great with the runes. If you have specific questions, she can find out a lot."
Graven nodded. "I don't have any as of yet, which is why I was hoping Guillermo would just see something useful, but if not, we can try Mag. Perhaps she can help us come up with some questions once we explain the situation."
"If she doesn't already know," Hydra said. "She's Grindelwald's shrink, after all, and who knows what they talk about in therapy.
Graven sputtered. "His what?"
"Yeah, it's some group therapy thing. It's like some prison or trauma recovery group thing. It's Gellert and the Lestranges and the Daddies for some reason. I mean they weren't in prison like the rest were, but they did have the Voldemort trauma."
Graven considered for a moment, then scowled. "Sounds like bullshit to me."
Hydra nodded. "Probably, but it isn't hurting them, so perhaps it will help."
Wulfric raised his brows, looking confused. "So when did this start? I haven't heard anything about it and I used to live with Mag and Severus, you know at Durmstrang until they abandoned us to return to Hogwarts."
"The Daddies told us about it in one of their update letters a few months back," Hydra said. "So recently enough. Mag has never mentioned it, but that's likely some therapist confidentiality thing.""
"So I thought she made wands and was some sort of bard," Graven said. "And she's also a therapist?"
"Not really," Hydra said, giving her head a slight shake. "She's just fascinated by Muggle psychology. She says one can use it for or against a person once you understand how their mind works. Daddy Regulus asked her to do group therapy because it's not really commonly done in the magical community unless you count the psych ward at St. Mungos, and none of them would want to go there." No one went there who wasn't far gone. That and Hydra was relatively certain that none of those in Mag's therapy group would trust any of their thoughts or feelings to strangers at St. Mungos or anywhere else.
"Why group therapy, I wonder," Wulfric said.
"Daddy Regulus said that he thought they may all open up more with one another's support than alone," Hydra explained. "Kereston wanted the Lestranges in therapy now that they have a more normal role in society, and I guess the others got into it with them for their own various reasons." She shrugged."Still sounds like bullshit," Graven said doubtfully. "I'll manage my own mind, thanks very much. Painkilling potion is my friend if my emotions ever become too pressing."
"You have emotions?" Wulfric gave her a smirk of amusement.
The goblin girl grinned back. "Rage is an emotion, Wulfric."
"AH," Wulfric replied sagely. "And here I went thinking it was just an integral part of the general goblin life force." At that, Graven's scowl cracked, becoming a grin as her eyes softened. Hydra could plainly see the love in her dark gaze as she looked at Wulfric Dumbledore. That love was reflected in the fond grin he gave her in reply. As Hydra studied them, she found herself wondering what it would be like to share such moments with Ballan.
Well they wouldn't share the same sorts of moments as much as create their own, because they were nothing like Wulfric and Graven, but still. Before her thoughts could progress further along those lines, Loughness returned with Stormy trailing behind carrying a tea tray. Guillermo brought up the rear. "That was fast," Graven said.
"I wasn't busy," Guillermo replied with a shrug. "I was supposed to hang with my big brother, but he's entirely occupied with the Delphini rubbish."
Graven nodded. "Yeah, that's what we wanted to talk to you about. We wanted to see if you'd sort of look at us or into us or however it works and see if you think we can really help against her like Grindelwald seems to think we can."
"Isn't he a seer as well," Guillermo asked. "I mean if he thinks so, I hardly see how I could tell you better. He's Grindelwald, after all. Which speaking of that, I'm surprised your dad lets you work with him," he said, turning to Wulfric. "I mean they never were on the same side of things, after all."
Wulfric shrugged. "It's the greater good." He smirked. "And right now everyone wants to stop Delphini, so Dad just has to suck it up."
Guillermo nodded as he sank into the nearest chair and accepted a cup of delightful smelling gingerbread tea from Stormy with a murmur of thanks. "Makes sense," he told Wulfric.
"As for you vs Grindelwald, you're still young, so we technically have no idea who's better," Graven told Guillermo. "But that isn't the point. Grindelwald works with other seers. There is this girl who works in his shop who reads tea leaves and he has her check for things all the time."
"Parvati her name is," Wulfric interjected.
"Then there is Mag, and he has frequently asked her to cast the runes for answers on specific situations as well," Graven continued. "So it isn't as if he would mind us asking you. If your viewings conflict, we'll let him know and it can be looked into. He isn't Voldemort. He doesn't mind other opinions and other findings of information added to his own."
"I know he isn't Voldemort," Guillermo said. "Of course he isn't. That isn't what I meant. I just don't think I'm better."
"You're different, though. That's why he works with other seers. Because each of them have different abilities to compliment his own," Wulfric said as he eagerly accepted a cup of the gingerbread tea from Stormy. "He can't just look for things. His visions come when they will and about what they will. He has no control over it."
"I don't either really," Guillermo said. "Often I am just looking at someone or something, and just suddenly get impressions or know things. Sometimes I can try to bring such a knowing on and it works and sometimes not." He sighed. "I'll try, though." He stared hard at Wulfric and Graven. "What do we want to know?" Having handed everyone a cup of tea, Stormy took one for himself and perched on the arm of Hydra's chair to listen in clear fascination.
"Well, for a start, are Wulfric and I really distantly related to Godric Gryffindor and the first goblin king," Graven asked.
Guillermo considered, then gave a slight nod. "Maybe. What else?"
"Can we do any good against Delphini," Wulfric asked and Guillermo nodded.
"Yeah. You can. I can't see how but you can. It's like a light flashed over both of you when you asked that, but not really a light, just... yeah, you can. Sorry, it's difficult to explain."
Graven swore. Her swear was a long impressive string of swear words that would've made Daddy Kreacher or Grandmother Walburga blush, but neither happened to be about to hear it much to Hydra's regret. She knew she'd never be able to recall half of what Graven had said to reconstruct it for them, after all.
"So you're not happy," Guillermo asked, perplexed.
"Rancid infected pig balls no I am not fucking happy," Graven said darkly. "It would've been far easier if we had nothing to do with this shit. Do you know he, Grindelwald, expects me to make some god damned sword that can kill a fucking Horcrux? He believes I can do this just because I may be distantly related to the first god damned goblin king according to him and now apparently you.
Apparently Gryffindor's sword, that we already have by the fucking way, isn't good enough. He wants a fucking new one for whatever head-fucked fucking reason! And though I have never exhibited the ability to craft magical items from metal, he has taken it into his god damned head that I can produce this fucker for him. Now he'll never believe that I can't! He'll push me to do it and the thing is, I really don't think I can! I don't know how!"
"Well... Have you tried?" Guillermo asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Of course I have not fucking tried! Didn't I just say that I don't know how," Graven demanded hotly. "And Grindelwald basically depending on me to somehow do it anyway is terrifying!"
"Sometimes we know how to do a thing without being aware that we know. Just try," Stormy told her quietly.
She shot him an incredulous look. "And if I try and think I got it right, and instead I got it wrong? If that happens, I could be responsible for shit going way bad on many levels."
Loughness chuckled. "No, Grindelwald will be responsible for that. It was his idea after all."