Our life in Germany was surprisingly easy. With the correct spells, the language was no longer a barrier, and taking inventory of the different corporations left to me by my Father, we had all the muggle resources we needed to blend in. And by that, I don't strictly mean material goods, but connections within the muggle world, be it influential people or straight-up muggle politicians.
With Grindelwald guiding us, we were introduced to politics and the subtle powerplays governing the muggle world, which closely mirrored our own. Because no magic was involved in their lives, we could easily bend the rules to our favor when needed, while we also learned the meaning of restraint under his guidance.
With him coaching us, we were learning how to use the muggles and their leaders to our advantage. There was always some connection between the magical world and the muggles' side, a linchpin that was there to inform them if something magical happened and instruct them to cover up possible accidents and instances where magic was involved.
We used this to get ahold of those tasked with maintaining this connection of the two worlds, using memory charms and different potions to create what the muggles would call 'sleeper cells' and have informants who didn't even know they were spies. They never genuinely reported to us but to their muggle counterparts, who then forwarded it to us in one way or another.
Combined with my inheritance, it was such a strong foundation that we began forming something that Grindelwald named a 'Shadow Empire.' Honestly... I found the name funny and cringe at the same time. But it did scratch a strange itch within both of me and Quincy. It was... well, cool. Even if he was simply playing around, teasing us a little when coming up with it, I did not mind and took on the name for fun.
Then, there were the artifacts we recovered from the goblins, and I had to acknowledge that all those troubles we went through were worth it. On the one hand, Quincy was in love with her alchemy set, constantly improving her potion-making skills and coming up with brand-new variants of already-established brews with different or enhanced effects or creating entirely new ones. On the other hand, I was learning and testing the inheritance of the Peverells and having multiple conversations with his grimoire. I was learning about ancient lore and their methods, gaining a glimpse into how they thought and how they created their enchanted belongings.
This was a point where I had an advantage over Grindelwald. Although he had the exact same source of knowledge when young, he used it to understand the three Hallows to only a certain level. He was more about learning their history and tracking them down. Me? I used it to know how they were made. With my ancient grandpa in my mind, understanding what the grimoire spewed out at certain times became much more easier.
Many times, when Grindelwald silently observed me, having a discussion with the book, I felt a bit ashamed of myself. I knew he looked at me proudly, reminding me of my Father... but in reality, it was not me who was asking specific questions from old Peverell; it was Herpo. The two were like retired scientists, having a mental debate with each other through me. Well... I couldn't complain; I was learning a lot from it, and I found myself getting more and more interested in their ideas. Maybe I also found my calling? Who knows... but I finally felt like I understood what Quincy felt when making a potion or finding a new recipe.
What we didn't have luck with was his old connections. We managed to track down three of them... buried deep in a muggle cemetery. A bummer... but somewhat expected. He did mention that there was a possibility that they were all tracked and hunted down after his imprisonment. Of course, we didn't have any proof, but that could be easily the case. Quincy also suggested that they may have fled to different parts of the world, and if that was the case, venturing out to find them would be a waste of time when we had the option to recruit fresh blood right here.
Yes. Recruiting... And not unknown mages, but old, known faces. In the past year, while we infiltrated the wizarding world from the muggles' side, we learned more and more about what was happening. Although we lacked informants within either the Order or the Death Eaters, we had enough ears and eyes everywhere to know the general state of their war.
The Order's initial success didn't let them push Voldemort into fleeing as he did to Dumbledore all those years ago. Instead, it became a battle of attrition and guerilla warfare—a tug-of-war of territories within the wizarding world of Britain. What surprised me was that Beauxbatons and their immediate allies didn't join the war after Durmstrang imploded. After the announcement that they refused to bother with a foreign conflict anymore and were distancing themselves from both parties, the Headmaster of the Beauxbatons did something I did not expect. They did nothing.
It did not mean they were not supporting the Order, but not by actively sending wizards over. It was through money and resources. When I asked Grindelwald what he thought about it, he pointed towards Flamel. He was old but not senile. He helped Dumbledore because he was interested in opposing Voldemort's rule, and because of Durmstrang's rising dangers, he was a good ally. Being friends with Dumbledore was just a nice bonus. Doing what we did, it seemed we were not only screwed over Voldemort's side but also Dumbledore's... A welcomed surprise!
If Grindelwald is right, and I have no reason to doubt him, Flamel now is playing his cards closer to his chest, working to prepare to become the continent's leading magical force after the dust settles. He would support Dumbledore until he wins and then even help him rebuild, probably further strengthening the standing of Beauxbaton through it. The only thing Flamel was missing from his calculations was Dumbledore and his plan of gathering the Hallows. If he manages to do it, who knows what he may be capable of. It did give the last brother of the Peverells enough power to reign for a long time without being challenged.
So... we have been planning a heist for the past year to ensure it does not happen... to steal the ring from Voldemort's vault before it gets moved or Dumbledore gets it. With the goblins being occupied with their own turmoil, discovering Herpo's old clues, and getting proof that all those legends are real, they were wholly focused on finding it. Every goblin, no matter where they were now, annoyed every wizard alive with how slow and cumbersome it became to access the banks everywhere in the world. Yet they could do nothing about it as, at the moment, the goblins were strangely unified in resisting outside influence to be able to focus on their 'quest.'
This is where our recruitment came into the picture, as we needed people to help us build connections and be our moles within their system. As I mentioned, we were not hiring random wizards... they were familiar faces from Hogwarts.
Quincy and I noticed the activity happening in our old notebook. Writings appeared there constantly, proving to us that not everybody destroyed theirs—maybe even none of them, which could be dangerous. We kept an eye on it, reading their messages, and finally began dropping some hidden but still fake information. The reasoning was simple: We wanted to see who would pick up on it and try to find us. It also served as a test of their abilities, who would notice and solve it. After four months of doing it, finally, someone did catch on, putting the clues in our writings together, leaving a similar message, coded in the same way, telling us that he or she cracked it and understood the message.
"Is the place set?" Quincy asked, walking into my workshop.
"Yep!" I answered, leaning over a massive table while trying to create my first artifact.
It wasn't anything fancy, just a wooden disc that would work as a one-time-use magical shield, deflecting an attack before breaking. But it was still a bit away from being finished. By now, we no longer lived in a hotel but owned an old muggle estate in the countryside where we could practice magic without prying eyes and muggle curiosity bothering us.
"Will Grindelwald come with us?"
"No, he said he won't interfere with it."
"Haaah... he really likes being hand-off, doesn't he?" Quincy asked with a slight chuckle, leaning against the table. Looking at her, I was very quickly enchanted by her figure. She wearing only shorts and a simple sleeveless top... It distracted me from my work, causing me to make an error and break the disc, which in turn made her proudly grin at me. "Pervert."
"Sorry... but you are too beautiful!" I answered without hesitation, making her laugh and kiss my cheek.
"Good answer~! Well, I did grow, fufufufu~ Anyway! Only we will go, huh? It will be the farthest we have ever apparated yet."
"I don't think that is a problem." I countered, "With our current training, jumping to Sicily from here should not be an issue. I assume you finished your preparations?"
"Yeah! All the potions are done and packed; we can go any time. Hey, if it does not work out, we can stay the day and swim a little; what do you say? I want to get a little color on me~!"
"I'm in. A bit of fun always helps with relaxing! But you are already giving up on whoever it may be, huh?"
"I am suspicious, that's all!" She shrugged, looking into my eyes. "There are simply some writers within the group who ask too many questions or write in an unfamiliar way. I can't pinpoint if it is the same person or different individuals, but I suspect one or more notebooks have been compromised."
"Could be, but it is worth a try. If our first target is unrecruitable, we can abandon the plan and try a different approach. But... those guys and girls helped us a lot in school, so I do hope we can work together once again."
"Um. That would be nice... We will see it tomorrow!"
"Yeah." I nodded, gently tucking her long hair behind her ear. "And if not, we can have fun on the beach... I call it a win-win situation!"
V1SHRUT· Apr 30, 2024
Tftc
Corty· Author · May 1, 2024
