Listening to Hermione's retelling of her experience and meeting with Quincy and Conrad, Neville couldn't help but display a wide range of emotions on his face at once.
"If she killed poor Squeaky, I can understand why Conrad did what he did. He lost his parents, everything that was his... And then Squeaky? I always told the others that he had to be convinced and not pushed away, but they were suspicious of his father right up to the end."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, making Neville sigh, recollecting his thoughts and telling them everything he knew.
"We were hiding in plain sight, under the Ministry's nose, the best hiding place, so to speak. Angus Anguine kept us well informed and ensured the other branches within the Ministry were fed the false information we provided. That way, we could help him build up his reputation while also keeping us hidden and informed. I learned this early because I was constantly being trained in magic and told about what was happening. What many call a normal childhood, I had never known it. I always had to think about my mission... Train, train, and train..."
"Which is?" They asked, looking at him while Neville took a deep breath, closing his eyes, tasting the words in his mouth before letting them escape through his lips.
"Killing the Dark Lord."
"..."
"I had very few contacts with kids from my age," He continued, ignoring their surprised faces, "but then I met Conrad. Although we could not meet every day or every week, he made sure to come and visit me often. We were... and I hope that we are still... friends."
"How was he?" Hermione pressed, wanting to know more, "And how was his dad?"
"I know less of his dad, but he was very caring towards Conrad, not so much towards the rest of the family. I know that his wife cheated on him multiple times, but he didn't care, not even when Conrad complained about it. I heard his mom was taken into Azkaban after what happened, but I don't think either of the two would care about it..."
"That's... harsh..." Hermione murmured, furrowing her brows.
"Yes, as a sentence, it was too much, I agree, but that woman was vile. Conrad was always headstrong. He befriended me quickly and treated me fairly every time. I don't know if he realized I was lying to him often or just thought I was a weird kid... Maybe both... But he never pressed on the matter when I couldn't answer his questions. I knew he would have my back in anything, but he is also someone who holds grudges until the end. If he dislikes you, he makes sure you know it. I don't know that much about Quincy, but I do know they are a good pair, and I like her. She was friendly, and I know that her background was harsh. Still, I don't believe she would be capable of..."
"Of what?" Krum asked, and it was Neville's time to tell his news, surprising them.
"If not for me being under strict watch, I would have already headed out to try to find them. I want to ask them directly what happened."
"What if they did it?"
"Then..." He said, looking at Hermione, "I want to help them. They are my friends. There has to be a solution to it all! I don't know why the others did not trust Angus... I always tried to tell them that Conrad should be on our side, but they always forbade me from telling him anything or involving him in our business. I know he would have understood it and helped us! Whatever is going on does not make sense, and I think I have been being told less and less, which frustrates me."
"I agree." Victor and Hermione said simultaneously, the oldest of the three nodding towards Hermione to continue, "I have an increasing feeling that the Order is turning into something it is fighting against. I don't want to stop them, but I want people to see the signs, the danger. I want people to know that something is not right! Because, even if we win, wouldn't we replace one tyrant with another? Aren't we fighting for peace and freedom? What type of freedom is where you are being forced into helping... and branded as an enemy if you question their methods..."
"You should look for the friends Conrad made in school. Maybe they know more. Here!"
"What's this?" She asked, looking at a book he was giving her.
"We got this from one of them. It was Moody; you don't need to know who that is; just know that he is an ex-auror—a strong one. He decoded it. It is a diary shared by Conrad, Quincy, and their friends, the same group you saved." Neville explained, glancing at Victor, "I have been tasked with monitoring it and trying to convince the others to come forward through it or become our moles. If not for them deeming it somewhat worthless, I think they would have rounded them up all already. They look at it like some kind of training tool for me... Anyway, please take it! It may help you. I just ask, if you find them, notify me."
"Are you... sure?" Hermione asked, taking it and opening it for a peek.
"Yeah. I don't want Ron to find out about it... It is getting harder and harder to deal with it, and he has been suspicious of what I have been reading in my free time. Haaahh..."
"Who?"
"A long story..."
...
....
......
Arriving back at his temporary home in the tiny hamlet, Neville heard a voice calling out for him, one that he did not want to hear.
"Where were you today?"
"Why do you care, Ron?" He asked, turning towards him, watching the lanky boy leaning against the side of his house on the opposite end of the road.
"Because I do not trust you."
"You are alone with that sentiment."
"You can fool others; you can't fool me! You were friendly with that murderer and his girlfriend... I will find them and bring them to justice for what they did to my brother!"
"Just don't let it consume you as it consumed your brother..." Neville whispered, making Ron even angrier. He took big strides towards him, crossing the street in a flash, ready to throw hands.
"What did you say?"
"I am saying that you are constantly picking fights with me, yet we are on the same side. I'm starting to think you are not right in the head..." He retorted, reaching the end of his patience, "And I had enough of it!"
Before Ron had a chance to raise an arm, curl his fingers into a fist, and aim his punch, Neville already used a spell, tying his ankles together and hoisting him into the air.
"I understand your pain and frustration, but I am not your punching bag, Ron Weasley! I refuse to be! You better remember that before you try to pick a fight with me again. You may be stronger, but I am no muggle. Start learning spells if you want to challenge me because I won't hold back any longer! Start with Wingardium Leviosa. Even a neanderthal like you can handle that... probably."
With another wave of his hand, he sent him flying backward, making him land on his back, right in front of his house, but without any physical injury. Of course, this further angered Ron, but before he could stand back up, Sirius appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling Ron back into the house. He said nothing, but as Neville looked at him, he barely resembled himself from a year ago. He was, once again, half-drunk, looking like someone who had just escaped from Azkaban... Messy hair, dirty, stinky clothes, and bloodshot eyes. The perfect image of a wreck.
"..." Neville opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he decided against it, walking into his home and lying down on his bed, thinking.
The world had flipped to his head way too quickly. It was hard to adapt, and he started feeling kind of stuffed in his chest whenever he thought about what the future may hold for him. He had been hearing how the Dark Lord's forces were being harassed and pushed back and how they were on a winning streak. But was it true? He couldn't tell. Nothing has been making sense lately; he has been uprooted without notice, being brought away multiple times before finally settling down in this land of nothing in the middle of nowhere.
At one point, he was sure he was taken to a different country just to spend a day there before being secretly smuggled back, but he never asked about it. Nobody would explain it to him anyway. It made him think about what the girl he met today was doing and how Hermione was looking for her own answers in her own way. Maybe he should follow her example, but...
"I can't..." He shrugged, turning towards the wall, knowing full well that multiple spells from Dumbledore himself were placed on his body. It was for his safety because if anything happened, the leading figures of the Order could sense it and directly apparate next to him if must. The moment he takes a step out of the borders of his new 'home,' one of them would appear and escort him back. "This sucks..."
I think this is a good spot to take a pause. It won't be long; it will last only for a week, but I need to think about how I want to do the following part.
It has yet to form into a coherent idea in my mind of how I want to handle the war and all that is coming with it. So, for a little bit, I will let my thoughts settle and formulate something, as I don't want to force it out if I am not satisfied with the results. I hope you understand!
Quality > Quantity
I'm kinda curious however if there are really only 3 factions in play right now (Grindle & friends, Volemort & pals, Dumbledore & orderlies). Goblins seem mighty distracted, so they might be out of play, but what about international interests?
Maybe the Americans like the instability in magical Europe because it draws resources away from other sites they're competing over. Maybe unrelated third parties (like hiding vampires) or mercenary outfits start looking around for a fortune to be claimed in the chaos. Maybe Herpo isn't the only one from long ago sitting around and his re-emergence tripped some kind of sensor or artifact made to alert the ones related to those who originally hunted him.
How large an impact will the deathly hollows really be now that their origin has been revealed to be less divine than the legends suggest? Will Conrad get/make a similarly strong McGuffin with the help of Herpo who came from a time when things such as the Hallows weren't as uncommon.
What is the long term plan of Conrad & Quincy other than learn from Grindlewald and find a way for them to not need to be on the run? Do they want to pick up the Order's original mandate of toppling the dark lord? Then what? Do they want to help rule Britain? return power to Dumbledore who will do who knows what for the greater good?
What is the next move by the order if they can't find Conrad & Quincy? what else do they have cooking up? or are they completely at capacity looking for Conrad/Quincy, horcruxes, & refugees?
What is the gameplan of Grindlewald? does he want to step aside and let Conrad & Quincy solve their own problems while keeping Dumbledore in check? what is he actually looking for from his old things besides clues on his old stuff and what will he do once he gets it?
Is all this thinking too much and we can just expect everyone to meet and clash anyway since everyone seems to be looking for or defending Volde's hocruxes anyway?
Will the Hermione x Krum pair follow in the footsteps of C&Q?
Edit: Realized I was just rambling, I'm not asking any specific question I guess, sorry for the stream of consciousness dump
About the American side, I don't think I will explore it for the simple reason that I don't want to overstep my boundaries. It is already on the border what I can juggle comfortably, but even then, I now need a bit of break from it to collect and organize my thoughts. Involving even more players into the fray could easily turn it into a clusterf*ck. (Plus, I do plan to jump a few years' worth of time.)
The Deathly Hallows are still very powerful; I would place them on the top of any power scale, something that is above the four founders or any other mages present, including Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Herpo, or Voldemort. Even though I gave them a more grounded backstory, that is because of my own little pet peeve with these supernatural objects. As for Conrad making them, I don't think so, at least not right now. They are above the abilities of any current mage to create something like those.
I will detail their long-term plan after a time jump, but I will leave it here in a spoiler for those of you who are curious:
They will want to topple both sides, Voldemort and Dumbledore, and clean the table, so to speak. Wipe the powers off the map, let new ones rise, and reset the playing field. After that? Retire and do what Grindelwald does. Study magic. Will it work out? Will it happen as they hope for? Who knows. Sometimes, simple goals are enough; wanting a simple life can be satisfying. Whether it can be done or not, we will see as I go forward with the story. For now I have three types of ending in my head, I am yet to decide which one will I go for.
The order right now focuses on Voldy's side. With the two gone with Grindelwald, Dumbledore knows they will show up even if he does not look for them. So, instead of spending resources on looking for them, he lets Neville deal with it as a type of training.
Grindelwald's game plan is to teach the duo and guide them toward what they want to do. As he explained, he believes in magic and magic's hand in guiding wizards. He is convinced that he is there to do what Dumbledore did to him and stop him from getting all the Hallows. Voldemort is not something he is worried about; he is more of a Zen-type, going with the flow and seeing what happens. The only thing he plans is to outfit Quincy and Conrad with knowledge and prepare them for what they want to do. Here is a bit of info on a plot point they will work towards:
They will try to break into Voldy's vault without him or the order noticing and swap out the ring.
There will be a clash between the three parties, but I do plan on doing it later. It would probably be the point in the story where at least one side would be defeated. As for which, that is up in the air right now.
Hermione x Krum is happening.
PS: Feel free to dump them here; I love engaging with stuff like this; it helps me clear my thoughts and get inspired. Working on the story makes me blind to some issues or plot points because of all the different ideas swimming in my head. It helps to look at the story through the readers' eyes, without the interference of all the ideas I did not use or could have used or may have use later.
Hope you have overcome your block. If not, no worries just take ur time. Hope to hear from u soon.
It's coming back this week but with a changed schedule. I posted about it on my profile
Oh thank god I landed on a break chapter, no cliffhanger for me .
also its nice to see ron get beat up, another character who is too nice in HP to not be hiding something
Ron was always a muscle-head
Tftc
The story has done well with setting the world so i agree that you should not focus on expanding it currently but focus on what we have explored so far with all the factions and let it play out coz from this point out tensions are rising and it may get dark.
You can start the war ark but hope that not all charecters turn dark or grim coz we all need the light that helps them heal and settle. Plus we know our main pair just trying to live and make a place for them to call home.
Everything till now has been great. Hope we get some more conrad × Quincy wholesomeness though to dillute the seriousness.
I will try to balance it and not turn it edgy But I can't guarantee that everyone will survive until the end.
@Corty I hope all is well, really missing the regular update on the story. But no stress I will wait till its ready.
@dr4cos It's coming back tomorrow~ I announced on my profile + discord that there is a new schedule, from now on the chapters are coming on Friday - Saturday -Sunday!
@Corty Nice good to hear/read xD, totaly missed the profile post ;). I will be back tomorrow xD
@dr4cos