We have been here for more than a month now. I'd like to think that we got used to living within muggles, and I won't lie; I find many of their inventions and tools really entertaining. Even though they don't have magic, they come up with many pretty magical things. For example, the so-called CD player. Even without enchanting it, you just had to put a round disc with music, somehow already on it, don't ask, into the machine, and voila, there it was. Your own house party. Or just tune it to a specific frequency, as they called it, and you could listen to the news. Hah... I wonder why we don't have something like that? Is it because of our prejudice against muggle inventions?
They are even capable of far more than we give credit to. For example, there is the television. Or TV for short. We could watch muggles talk about events happening in any part of the world, be it shown on the TV, and transfer news faster than we can. I even heard of the thing called the internet, where muggles can send letters from one point of the world to another. No matter the distance. And it is instantaneous. Which owl can do that? None that I know about.
"Did Squeaky come back yet?" Quincy asked, coming out from the bathroom, wearing only her bathrobe, her hair still wet, sticking to her neck, stretching and moaning after refreshing herself.
"Not yet. She did say it will take a few days to get us the newest brooms."
"It will be worth it! You were right; the old ones could have been tracked, so it wasn't a wrong move to destroy them. Where do you want to go afterward?"
"I was thinking just about that." I answered, biting my lips while she walked over, sitting in my lap and leaning back, pulling my hand around her waist. I could smell her sweet, strawberry-flavored scent, and the wetness of her hair didn't bother me at all. It was wonderful...
"I'm listening~!" She giggled, knowing full well why I fell silent.
"Prankster!" I grinned, rubbing myself against her, "But I was thinking of going east."
"Hm? To where?"
"Nurmengard."
"Huh?"
I knew she did not expect it, turning around and looking into my eyes before spinning back about, thinking silently for a few minutes.
"You think he is alive? Or you just want to visit a place he built?"
"The latter. And... Haaaah, we should have brought away more modern books!" I joked, making her chuckle, nodding in agreement, "We don't know what happened with him after he was defeated."
"I don't remember reading about if Grindelwald was killed or not... hmmm... But if something does ring a bell, it's that he was imprisoned! Do you think he is there? To this day?"
"Ehhh... I doubt it." I answered her with a shrug, voicing my honest opinion, "Why would he be imprisoned in the same place he built? Wouldn't that beat its purpose? Wouldn't he be able to escape?"
"Huh... True... I don't think someone would build a place that could potentially be his own prison."
"Maybe if he was too full of himself. Thinking he was unbeatable. But, after seeing the things muggles make, I am more interested in his history. You did tell me he warned wizards of them. How they are dangerous, and I can see it now. I was thinking a lot... What if the war spreads? What if the muggles learn about us and join in? Then, no matter if it is Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix, or whoever else wins, we all would be in danger."
"You think?"
"When you drifted to sleep last night, I stayed up, watching that documentary about their wars... so yes. I am sure. They are dangerous to us. That is why I want to go to Nurmengard."
"I don't follow you, Conrad."
"Gellert Grindelwald's base must have knowledge that tells us more about muggles... and their ways, how they wage wars, how they operate, and how to counter them. They are just like us, and their history is filled with people like HIM. So they know how to fight back against someone like HIM."
"Ah!" She yelped, sitting up and turning around, and I could see it in her eyes. She finally got it. "You want to use muggle techniques against HIM!"
"Just an idea." I nodded, "I need more information first to decide, but the concept has been swirling in my head since last night. What makes HIM and Dumbledore so strong? Besides their magic, it is their knowledge and experience as a wizard. What is the easiest way to get through that? Using methods they are unfamiliar with... which would be the muggles' way. I don't have anything concrete yet; it is just an outline of an idea... but I want to learn more. I want to know more. This is why that infamous, dark place is the best spot to start. It is something that would surprise both the Order and the Death Eaters; it could be our advantage to take them out!"
"The Death Eaters..." She murmured, looking at my hand where my tattoo used to be. When we left Gringotts, on the same night, I summoned up the same will that Herpo once showed me, expelling the last of Voldemort's ink from within my body. I no longer had any connection to him, and I don't know if he noticed it, but I hope so. And I hope he is angry about it! The only thing I found weird is that Herpo still did not show up to this day. "Okay!" She nodded, interrupting my thoughts, settling on the idea with a big smile, kissing me, "I'm in! How do you plan to find it?"
"Well... I don't know. That is where I need you to help me comb through the ton of books we have! I am confident that a place like Nurmengard has a ton of ancient and powerful defensive charms. It must be unplottable, hidden from eyes, be it us or the muggles, but there must be some way to find a place like that."
"Hehehe, I see! Well, we have time to find it! It has been over 50 years since his defeat; finding it tomorrow or a month later won't matter much!"
"Exactly!" I nodded, returning the kiss as I slowly undressed her just as her hands took everything off of me.
It was no longer as embarrassing as before, and we went all the way since our first bath together, right on our first night in this exact cabin. We were no longer just engaged kids... we were truly husband and wife. Maybe it happened when we left Hogwarts... but we have ceased to be children anymore.
...
....
......
"Any news? No, positive news?" Asked a serious, dejected voice belonging to Regulus Black, already knowing Fleur's answer.
"No, they not here." She answered, sitting opposite him as the two were meeting in a muggle diner near the border between France and Germany.
"I told you they would not come to France; the whole country is under your school's jurisdiction."
"It would be easy if Krumm would say more." She snorted, her fingers tapping the table quickly, displaying her deep annoyance.
"He was already probed; he knows not where they headed!"
"Why you not show angry? Hm? Are you-"
"Don't start it again, Fleur! Quincy is my daughter! If you try to hurt her when we find them, and we will find them, don't even think of harming her! You can kill the boy but do not dare touch my daughter, or I will end you!"
"Hmph, it will your job to deal with Quincy Black. Conrad Anguine will be my capture! I will bring killer back and make him face justice!"
"Yeah, yeah, like I care... We should move over to Germany next. I know some people there who sent word for me. They saw that slimy Lockhart! Get him, and we will get the kids!"
"Maybe... Word of the crazy?"
"Charlie?" He snorted but did not refute her. He has been... uncooperative since they went on this mission, chasing the two fugitives. "He said he was looking for their scent. No words so far, so I guess he did not sniff them out. Yet. Leave him be; if he finds them, we will know!"
"You can go Germany... I won't."
"Huh? Why?" He flinched, never expecting her words.
"I will go elsewhere."
"Tsk, you are just like Charlie, impossible to work with! Fine, do what you want, woman!"
He didn't even wait for an answer and simply stormed out, leaving her there, but Fleur wasn't bothered by it. She was happy about it... None of the two listened to her because of her age; she was fed up trying to persuade them. She alone will hunt the two down and if must... kill them. They are dangerous and bloodthirsty. They must be eliminated, or they would simply leave more corpses behind.
To find them, she had an advantage, something the others did not. It was Flamel who explained it to her as it was because of the Triwizard Tournament and because of the vial, the key to the final challenge. To the Goblet of Fire, the competition was still ongoing. No time was set for the final challenge, so it was still on. When the teachers created it, the goal was arranged simply yet cleverly: Use the essence of the philosopher's stone on a withered, dying entity to bring it back, to give it another lease on life.
It was supposed to be a wilting tree, but as the final trial never happened, now it was up to the choice of those who had the vial. For the Goblet, it did not matter. The tasks were set up beforehand; now, they just had to be completed. The one using it on something that was at the end of its life would mean they would win the tournament. Every participant could feel that it was still going on; they would immediately sense it if the competition ended... and Fleur knew that Condrad had not used it up... not yet.
"Good..." She murmured, closing her eyes, having a strong feeling that she should head to Switzerland. It was another boon and the handiwork of Flamel and Snape. They made it so that the participants instinctively felt where the vial was and who had it. On the one hand, it was to give an edge to the Beauxbatons... but on the other, it was conceived especially for something like this. No matter how little it was, Flamel did not want that elixir to end up in the wrong hands... Which ultimately did happen... but he couldn't modify it. It was one of the main bait for Voldemort, and they were afraid he would notice it if they tampered with it.
She didn't have any trust in the two Englishmen, so she decided to let them do their own things. Charlie was weird and harsh, while Regulus would definitely interfere, just as he did in the tournament. None of them were trustworthy... and they would stand in her way, avenging her murdered friends.
"I will find you... Conrad... Anguine..."
We have been here for more than a month now. I'd like to think that we got used to living within muggles, and I won't lie; I find many of their inventions and tools really entertaining. Even though they don't have magic, they come up with many pretty magical things. For example, the so-called CD player. Even without enchanting it, you just had to put a round disc with music, somehow already on it, don't ask, into the machine, and voila, there it was. Your own house party. Or just tune it to a specific frequency, as they called it, and you could listen to the news. Hah... I wonder why we don't have something like that? Is it because of our prejudice against muggle inventions?
They are even capable of far more than we give credit to. For example, there is the television. Or TV for short. We could watch muggles talk about events happening in any part of the world, be it shown on the TV, and transfer news faster than we can. I even heard of the thing called the internet, where muggles can send letters from one point of the world to another. No matter the distance. And it is instantaneous. Which owl can do that? None that I know about.
"Did Squeaky come back yet?" Quincy asked, coming out from the bathroom, wearing only her bathrobe, her hair still wet, sticking to her neck, stretching and moaning after refreshing herself.
"Not yet. She did say it will take a few days to get us the newest brooms."
"It will be worth it! You were right; the old ones could have been tracked, so it wasn't a wrong move to destroy them. Where do you want to go afterward?"
"I was thinking just about that." I answered, biting my lips while she walked over, sitting in my lap and leaning back, pulling my hand around her waist. I could smell her sweet, strawberry-flavored scent, and the wetness of her hair didn't bother me at all. It was wonderful...
"I'm listening~!" She giggled, knowing full well why I fell silent.
"Prankster!" I grinned, rubbing myself against her, "But I was thinking of going east."
"Hm? To where?"
"Nurmengard."
"Huh?"
I knew she did not expect it, turning around and looking into my eyes before spinning back about, thinking silently for a few minutes.
"You think he is alive? Or you just want to visit a place he built?"
"The latter. And... Haaaah, we should have brought away more modern books!" I joked, making her chuckle, nodding in agreement, "We don't know what happened with him after he was defeated."
"I don't remember reading about if Grindelwald was killed or not... hmmm... But if something does ring a bell, it's that he was imprisoned! Do you think he is there? To this day?"
"Ehhh... I doubt it." I answered her with a shrug, voicing my honest opinion, "Why would he be imprisoned in the same place he built? Wouldn't that beat its purpose? Wouldn't he be able to escape?"
"Huh... True... I don't think someone would build a place that could potentially be his own prison."
"Maybe if he was too full of himself. Thinking he was unbeatable. But, after seeing the things muggles make, I am more interested in his history. You did tell me he warned wizards of them. How they are dangerous, and I can see it now. I was thinking a lot... What if the war spreads? What if the muggles learn about us and join in? Then, no matter if it is Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix, or whoever else wins, we all would be in danger."
"You think?"
"When you drifted to sleep last night, I stayed up, watching that documentary about their wars... so yes. I am sure. They are dangerous to us. That is why I want to go to Nurmengard."
"I don't follow you, Conrad."
"Gellert Grindelwald's base must have knowledge that tells us more about muggles... and their ways, how they wage wars, how they operate, and how to counter them. They are just like us, and their history is filled with people like HIM. So they know how to fight back against someone like HIM."
"Ah!" She yelped, sitting up and turning around, and I could see it in her eyes. She finally got it. "You want to use muggle techniques against HIM!"
"Just an idea." I nodded, "I need more information first to decide, but the concept has been swirling in my head since last night. What makes HIM and Dumbledore so strong? Besides their magic, it is their knowledge and experience as a wizard. What is the easiest way to get through that? Using methods they are unfamiliar with... which would be the muggles' way. I don't have anything concrete yet; it is just an outline of an idea... but I want to learn more. I want to know more. This is why that infamous, dark place is the best spot to start. It is something that would surprise both the Order and the Death Eaters; it could be our advantage to take them out!"
"The Death Eaters..." She murmured, looking at my hand where my tattoo used to be. When we left Gringotts, on the same night, I summoned up the same will that Herpo once showed me, expelling the last of Voldemort's ink from within my body. I no longer had any connection to him, and I don't know if he noticed it, but I hope so. And I hope he is angry about it! The only thing I found weird is that Herpo still did not show up to this day. "Okay!" She nodded, interrupting my thoughts, settling on the idea with a big smile, kissing me, "I'm in! How do you plan to find it?"
"Well... I don't know. That is where I need you to help me comb through the ton of books we have! I am confident that a place like Nurmengard has a ton of ancient and powerful defensive charms. It must be unplottable, hidden from eyes, be it us or the muggles, but there must be some way to find a place like that."
"Hehehe, I see! Well, we have time to find it! It has been over 50 years since his defeat; finding it tomorrow or a month later won't matter much!"
"Exactly!" I nodded, returning the kiss as I slowly undressed her just as her hands took everything off of me.
It was no longer as embarrassing as before, and we went all the way since our first bath together, right on our first night in this exact cabin. We were no longer just engaged kids... we were truly husband and wife. Maybe it happened when we left Hogwarts... but we have ceased to be children anymore.
...
....
......
"Any news? No, positive news?" Asked a serious, dejected voice belonging to Regulus Black, already knowing Fleur's answer.
"No, they not here." She answered, sitting opposite him as the two were meeting in a muggle diner near the border between France and Germany.
"I told you they would not come to France; the whole country is under your school's jurisdiction."
"It would be easy if Krumm would say more." She snorted, her fingers tapping the table quickly, displaying her deep annoyance.
"He was already probed; he knows not where they headed!"
"Why you not show angry? Hm? Are you-"
"Don't start it again, Fleur! Quincy is my daughter! If you try to hurt her when we find them, and we will find them, don't even think of harming her! You can kill the boy but do not dare touch my daughter, or I will end you!"
"Hmph, it will your job to deal with Quincy Black. Conrad Anguine will be my capture! I will bring killer back and make him face justice!"
"Yeah, yeah, like I care... We should move over to Germany next. I know some people there who sent word for me. They saw that slimy Lockhart! Get him, and we will get the kids!"
"Maybe... Word of the crazy?"
"Charlie?" He snorted but did not refute her. He has been... uncooperative since they went on this mission, chasing the two fugitives. "He said he was looking for their scent. No words so far, so I guess he did not sniff them out. Yet. Leave him be; if he finds them, we will know!"
"You can go Germany... I won't."
"Huh? Why?" He flinched, never expecting her words.
"I will go elsewhere."
"Tsk, you are just like Charlie, impossible to work with! Fine, do what you want, woman!"
He didn't even wait for an answer and simply stormed out, leaving her there, but Fleur wasn't bothered by it. She was happy about it... None of the two listened to her because of her age; she was fed up trying to persuade them. She alone will hunt the two down and if must... kill them. They are dangerous and bloodthirsty. They must be eliminated, or they would simply leave more corpses behind.
To find them, she had an advantage, something the others did not. It was Flamel who explained it to her as it was because of the Triwizard Tournament and because of the vial, the key to the final challenge. To the Goblet of Fire, the competition was still ongoing. No time was set for the final challenge, so it was still on. When the teachers created it, the goal was arranged simply yet cleverly: Use the essence of the philosopher's stone on a withered, dying entity to bring it back, to give it another lease on life.
It was supposed to be a wilting tree, but as the final trial never happened, now it was up to the choice of those who had the vial. For the Goblet, it did not matter. The tasks were set up beforehand; now, they just had to be completed. The one using it on something that was at the end of its life would mean they would win the tournament. Every participant could feel that it was still going on; they would immediately sense it if the competition ended... and Fleur knew that Condrad had not used it up... not yet.
"Good..." She murmured, closing her eyes, having a strong feeling that she should head to Switzerland. It was another boon and the handiwork of Flamel and Snape. They made it so that the participants instinctively felt where the vial was and who had it. On the one hand, it was to give an edge to the Beauxbatons... but on the other, it was conceived especially for something like this. No matter how little it was, Flamel did not want that elixir to end up in the wrong hands... Which ultimately did happen... but he couldn't modify it. It was one of the main bait for Voldemort, and they were afraid he would notice it if they tampered with it.
She didn't have any trust in the two Englishmen, so she decided to let them do their own things. Charlie was weird and harsh, while Regulus would definitely interfere, just as he did in the tournament. None of them were trustworthy... and they would stand in her way, avenging her murdered friends.
"I will find you... Conrad... Anguine..."
