~~Unknown Location, Glasgow~~
"Guys, it's 10 am. If he is coming then he is already on…" Lily couldn't even finish her words before Lord Rosier appeared several meters away with a loud crack. Lily immediately turned toward James and gave him a pointed look. "We need to make him understand that we are in charge. We can't make any mistakes" Lily said seriously and James simply gave her a determined nod.
"Good luck, James and don't forget to pull up your hood and the Voice Obscuring Charm" Amelia reminded James who was about to walk away from the trio to meet Lord Rosier. James gave Amelia a thankful look before pulling up his hood.
Lily used to be an Unspeakable in their world and she had been Head of the Unspeakables for nearly 34 years before she finally retired, so she was quickly familiar with the workings of the Department. Lily had Charmed hoods for all the members of the Order of the Light with the same Charms Unspeakables use to hide their faces. After all, all the Pureblood Families have some distinct features. James would be easily recognized as a Potter while Sirius would be easily recognized as a Black…
James pulled out his Wand and tapped the tip of his Wand on his throat to cast the Voice Obscuring Charm. Moments later, James raised his Wand in the air and waved it over his head. He felt like an egg has been cracked over his head as he slowly became invisible. With everything in place, James started to slowly make his way toward Lord Rosier who was frantically looking around with his Wand in his hand.
James finally arrived in front of Lord Rosier and dispelled the Disillusionment Charm. Lord Rosier practically jumped back in fright as he pointed his Wand at James. "Where is my son, you bastard?" The man growled threateningly as the tip of his Wand lit up with a green glow.
James didn't need to be a genius to know what Spell Lord Rosier was planning to use and James wasn't surprised in the slightest. "You need to calm down, Lord Rosier. If something happened to me, then you will never be able to see your son again… I don't think you would like that, would you?" James asked in a mocking tone.
James scowled in distaste… Blackmailing someone with their son always left a bad taste in his mouth, but it was necessary. Armand Rosier sighed in defeat as the tip of his Wand stopped glowing. The man slowly lowered his Wand in defeat, but he continued to glare at James in pure hatred. Right now, Armand Rosier was no longer Lord Rosier, he was now a simple man, trying to get back his son.
"What do you want? If it is gold, then name your amount" Armand Rosier barked in indignation.
"No, we don't want your gold. There is something else we want from you…" James trailed off as he pulled out a scroll from his robes and tossed it to Armand. The man didn't catch the scroll… Armand had no idea if the scroll was Cursed or not and he wasn't taking any risks with his beloved son already in their clutches. The man used his Wand to levitate the scroll from the ground and with a soft flick, Armand opened the scroll.
As soon as Armand saw the contents of the scroll, his eyes grew wide in surprise for a moment before he quickly regained his bearing. James also noticed the minute reaction from Armand Rosier and it was enough for him. "From your reaction, I guess you have seen her…" James wasn't asking, he was stating facts.
"...Yes, I have seen her. She was at the Ball and the Blacks were treating her respectfully" Armand answered reluctantly. "Who is she?" Armand asked curiously.
James didn't answer and simply flicked his Wand in the air. "Don't speak her name" James said as the words Destiny Grindelwald formed in the air and Armand's eyes grew wide in surprise. James was worried about the fact that Armand's eyes might pop out of his head.
Armand did not know what to say… Now he finally understood why the Blacks were being so respectful to the girl. Armand simply released a snort and looked at James… "What do you want me to do?" Armand asked. He did not care who the girl was or who was father was… He was more worried about his own son. If Gellert Grindelwald wasn't in prison then it would have been a completely different case…
Armand did not believe a young woman like Destiny Grindelwald could be strong enough to defeat him. "You see, she has captured one of our own… We want him back. We will exchange our man for your son" James explained, and Armand did not look happy, but he nodded his head in understanding.
'After I get my son, I will be coming after all of you!! You shouldn't have gone after my son!!' Armand growled internally as he vowed vengeance inside his mind. He started to look for his son everywhere as soon Armand returned from the Ball along with his wife, who was quite frantic by that time.
At first, Armand called his house-elf and asked him to look for his son. Unfortunately, while the house-elf could feel that Marcus was alive, he couldn't find his location due to the Wards… While Armand wanted to kill the little creature in rage, house-elves weren't cheap and it wasn't his house-elf's fault that his son had gone missing.
Armand wanted to use his own resources to look for his son instead of contacting the DMLE. He had already lost a lot of face last night at the Ball where his Family and Heir were insulted by a filthy house-elf, he didn't want to lose anymore due to this incident, but his son was more important than his face. So, Armand decided that if he couldn't find his son in two days, then he would contact the DMLE.
The next morning Armand dispatched a group of mercenaries to look for his son… It took them only a few hours to find where Marcus Rosier was last seen. Armand wasn't surprised to find that his son was last seen at The Magical Ale… Maybe, he shouldn't have spoiled his son so much. The mercenaries didn't find anything else that day. The next morning, Armand finally received an unnamed letter.
As soon as Armand finished reading the contents of the letter, he gently placed the letter on his table and went to the dueling room in his manor. The room was rarely used nowadays, especially with Vinda gone. Armand needed to vent a lot of anger and frustration…
His son has been captured and now they were asking for a meeting if he ever wanted to see his son again. They have given him a time and a location for the meeting and they have also told him not to contact Aurors or there would be dire consequences for his son. The kidnappers have even dared to send him his son's hair strands and a few drops of blood as proof.
At first, Armand was considering to disregard the warning and contact the Aurors, but after thinking with a calm mind, he decided against it. His son's safety was the most important thing to Armand and contacting the Aurors will put the life of his son at risk. The hair strands and the blood was freshly taken, so it was enough to prove whoever these people were, they had his son in their clutches.
They have asked him to come alone for the meeting, so here he was, bargaining for the life of his son. His wife has been inconsolable for the last two days, he didn't blame her… If he was in her place then he would have been acting the same too…
'I will make all of them cry tears of blood!' Armand threw James a last glare before Disapparating. James released a huge sigh as soon as Armand Rosier was gone. While James could have easily defeated Armand Rosier, he was glad that a fight didn't break out or the man didn't bring Aurors with him…
That would have been bad… Really bad. They also didn't need to use the Wards which was a good thing. "That went well" Sirius pointed out as the others arrived beside James.
"Yes, that went much better than I was expecting. I was believing he would act like a Malfoy" James muttered with a bewildered look on his face.
"Well, you have to understand that he loves his son… You have seen the memories, and the way he spoils his son, it is clear that he loves his son. So, I am not surprised he doesn't want his son to be harmed… He will do anything to get back his son. He is a desperate parent and desperate parents could go to any lengths to protect their child" Lily explained in an indifferent tone.
"Anyways, let's get out of here…" James ordered after a few moments of silence. The four of them nodded their heads and started to dismantle the inactive Wards they have placed. They didn't want to leave any traces of their meeting for the Aurors or anyone else…
~~St. James, London~~
Albus Dumbledore arrived just outside the Ikoyi Restaurant with a soft crack. The Muggles walking by weren't surprised by the man's sudden arrival. They didn't even seem to notice the man… Albus looked at the restaurant with a small frown on his face and pulled out a letter from his robes. The man checked the address on the letter before shoving the letter back into his pocket.
Without wasting any more time, Albus walked up to the entrance and pushed open the door, and made his way inside the restaurant. Albus took off his hat and placed it on the hat stand followed by his winter coat… It wasn't cold in London, but in Scotland… It was a completely different matter. As soon as Albus was done, he looked around, trying to find the person he was supposed to meet.
That is when he found a pair of brilliant green eyes staring at him from a corner of the restaurant. Albus couldn't help but compare the distinctive green flash of the Killing Curse with this person's eyes. Albus slowly made his way toward the table as he continued to inspect the man sitting at the table… Albus quickly looked through his memories to see if he had met this man before or not, but he came out empty…
The man was a Potter, there was no mistaking it, but Albus has never met this man before in his life. Albus has met, Hardwin Potter, the current Lord Potter, and the man sitting at the table while similar, was no Hardwin Potter. Albus was also quite familiar with Fleamont Potter, the man had recently graduated from Hogwarts, and once again the man at the table was no Fleamont Potter and Charlus Potter was only a child, who was yet to enter Hogwarts.
"Albus Dumbledore, have a seat" The man offered with a snort. Albus was almost tempted to take a peek inside the man's mind, Albus hated mysteries, but he wanted to check the waters before trying anything else.
Albus nodded his head in gratitude and sat down… "So, what can I do for you, Mr. Potter?" Albus asked and the man simply gave him an unimpressed look.
"You know, this is one of the reasons I never liked you and this is also one of the reasons I was hesitating to contact you" Harry Potter said as continued to stare at Albus with an annoyed look on his face.
"Have we met before? You have me at a severe disadvantage, young man, especially when you seem to already know me" Albus spoke carefully. The man sitting in front of him was a puzzle and Albus hated puzzles… He couldn't rest until he solved a puzzle.
"No we haven't and no, I can not tell you who I am… You already know I am a Potter and that is already a security risk" Harry said and moments later, he felt a mental probe brush against his shields.
Once again Harry remembered why he was so reluctant to meet the man… Don't get him wrong, Harry really respected the man. They couldn't have won the war without Albus Dumbledore, the old man was his mentor, but there are a few things he absolutely hated about the man. Albus Dumbledore hated not knowing… He would go to any lengths to acquire all the information he needed. God forbid if anyone disagreed…
"That was quite rude and please don't try that again or this meeting ends here" Harry warned and Albus knew that he needed to take a step back or he would lose whatever information he was promised in the letter.
"Ah… Please forgive me, I was simply curious" Albus raised one of his hands in the air.
"If I could have told you my name, then I would have done that, but I can't give you my name. It is paramount that we maintain secrecy" Harry insisted and for now, Albus simply decided to go along with it. For Albus, it was clear to see that while the man trusted him, he wasn't going to budge from his statement. Albus couldn't push the situation anymore…
"Albus, what I am going to tell you is extremely serious… If don't make a stand then we lose" Harry said and Albus was already paying rapt attention to the man in front of him. He did not know what could be so important, but he was going to give the man a chance.
Harry pulled out a small scroll from his jacket and placed it on the table before opening it… Albus looked at the picture of the young woman with bright crimson hair and bright crimson eyes in the scroll and then he looked back at the man. "Who is this woman?" Albus asked curiously.
"This woman is the Leader of the Crimson Knights, it is a Wixen army of at least three thousand strong" Harry said and Albus drastically paled. "Right now, they have already established a base in this country and while they aren't directly connected to Grindelwald's Acolytes, they believe in the exact same ideals. Magic is Might" Harry said with a snort and Albus' hands trembled as he finally connected the dots.
'Minerva has joined the Crimson Knights' Albus realized. "I see… Why are you telling me all this?" Albus asked as he quickly gathered his bearings. Harry was about to answer the man, but he stopped as the waitress returned with a cup of tea for Albus. The waitress placed the cup on the table and gave Albus a smile and the man gave her a nod in gratitude.
Harry stared at the waitress' retreating back and he finally started to speak when the woman was finally gone. "As I said, it is time to make a stand or we lose… I am sure you already know that a group is recruiting Wizards and Witches who believe in Grindelwald's cause" Harry growled. "What do you think happened in the Black Family Ball? Everyone knows that Magical Britain is controlled by the old Pureblood Families, do you think she isn't trying to recruit them?" Harry asked pointing at the picture.
Albus had to admit, the man sitting in front of him was right. Anyone who is trying to take over the country will try to bring the old Pureblood Lords to their side… Grindelwald's cause is extremely tempting all the old Pureblood Families, so it wouldn't be surprising if some of them decided to join this woman, whoever this woman was.
"Yes, I can see what you are trying to say and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Families have already joined their cause" Albus muttered sadly. Albus hated violence and death, but it was clear that a War was coming if what the man sitting in front of him said is true.
Albus had also seen the signs… Fortunately, Gellert Grindelwald's capture was a huge blow to their cause and most of the Acolytes were scattered across the continent except for the Crimson Knights. Right now, the ICW was trying to bring Gellert Grindelwald to the continent, so that they could convict the man for the crimes he had committed on the continent.
While Albus did not have any pulls in the ICW, he did have some friends who didn't mind passing on the news to him. Albus couldn't help but shake in disappointment when he heard the news… The politicians were still busy trying to play politics with something so dangerous. They have lost a lot of face and respect during Gellert's regime and now they simply wanted to look good in front of the people by bringing back Gellert as a prisoner…
While Albus was happy that Gellert was finally stopped, on the other hand, he believed that Gellert wouldn't be giving up so easily. "So, what do you want me to do? I am not an Auror, nor do I work for the Ministry" Albus said while intently looking at the man. The way the man sitting in front has been talking to him, it was clear that the man knew him quite well, but how?
Even if Albus had decided to take a step back, for now, it didn't mean he wasn't going to fish for more information and that is what he was trying to do. Harry simply snorted after hearing Albus' words, he had spent a lot of time with the man before he died, but he still decided to answer the question. He knew how Albus was, always trying to fish information out of people.
"The reason I am telling you all of this is quite simple… You will never allow someone to take over this country by force. I don't think you are patriotic or anything, but I believe you don't want a person to take over the country who will probably go after the Muggles or Muggleborns…" Harry answered with a thoughtful look on his face and Albus couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.
Albus did not know how this man knew him so well, but he was going to keep an eye out for this man. While this man seemed to be on the Light's side, at the same time, the man was quite dangerous as well. "You know me really well, Mr. Potter, but you still haven't told me who this woman is" Albus said as he tapped his finger on the picture.
Harry released a sigh and pulled out his Wand… For a moment, Albus tensed up, but he quickly relaxed when he noticed the bland look on Harry's face. Albus simply couldn't help it… You can never be too careful. Harry waved his Wand in the air and fiery words started to appear in the air. Albus' eyes grew wide in shock as he read the name floating in the air.
'Destiny Grindelwald'
Albus read the name for the second time, but the words remained the same. "Do not speak that name. We suspect she might have invoked a form of Taboo on her name… If anyone speaks her name, then she will know their exact location" Harry warned Albus, who was still staring at the name in a complete stupor.
Albus finally broke out of his musing after hearing Harry's words. Albus tried to remember if he had ever come across such Magic in his travels or not, but nothing came to his mind. "Taboo? What is that… I have never heard of such Magic" Albus said with a frown as he curiously inclined his head.
"The world is quite big, Albus and as for the Taboo, it is a complex form of Magic. It allows the caster to know the exact location of the person who spoke the Taboo word… Oh, the Taboo also weakens the Wards around the person who invoked the Taboo" Harry explained with a small grin and Albus simply looked at Harry in surprise. Internally Harry cheered for successfully surprising Albus Dumbledore. After all, it wasn't every day a man like Albus Dumbledore was surprised.
"Magic like that would a lot of power to Cast" Albus muttered with a bewildered look on his face.
"Yes, and she is an extremely strong Witch… We suspect her Core is Solid" Harry answered and Albus didn't know what to say… Albus released a deep breath and stared at the name still floating in the air.
"Are you sure about her name?" Albus asked almost desperately. From what Gellert has told him, Gellert was the last living member of the Grindelwald Family, or at least that is what Gellert believed. The Grindelwald Family did not have a Family Tapestry, so Gellert wasn't sure… Unlike the bigger and more powerful Pureblood Families, they did not need to keep track of their Families…
"That's her name, though we don't know how she is related to your former friend" Harry said cryptically, which made Albus cringe but Albus refrained from making any comments, instead, he gave the picture another look. Even though Albus did not want to, he couldn't deny the similarities between the woman and Gellert.
It was quite possible that Gellert had a daughter after leaving Godric's Hollow, but there was no way Albus could be sure until he met either of them… Just like him, Gellert also liked men, so it was highly unlikely that Gellert fell in love with a woman… People change, Gellert might have changed too, but once again, Albus couldn't be sure…
"I see… Thank you for the information, Mr. Potter" Albus said as he finally finished his tea. "How will I contact yo…" Albus was cut off before he could finish.
"You won't… If it becomes necessary, it will be me who contacts you" Harry said as he inclined his head to look at the clock hanging on the nearby wall. "Oh! Look at the time! I must be going…" Harry exclaimed in mock worry and with a soft crack he was gone. Albus looked around frantically to check if any of the Muggles noticed the sudden departure of the man or not… Albus finally released a deep sigh after he made sure none of the Muggles noticed anything…
If Albus wanted he could have easily tracked Harry, but he decided against it. Sometimes, it was necessary to play the long game. Albus slowly stood up and after leaving some bills on the table, he walked out of the restaurant looking contemplative. The man had given him a lot to think about and even with the lack of information, Albus believed that the man was telling the truth.
Albus has also realized he had sent Minerva to join the Crimson Knights… He needed to get a Pensieve as quickly as possible or he would be putting Minerva's life at risk without any returns. Minerva wanted to tell him something yesterday, but she couldn't due to her Oaths. She simply told him to get the Pensieve as quickly as possible before leaving his office.
Albus released a deep sigh… Sometimes he still wondered where did everything go wrong. What would have happened if the three-way duel didn't break out between him, his brother, and Gellert? Would Arianna be still alive? Would he be standing beside Gellert right now if Arianna didn't die? So many ifs… Albus quickly shook his head to clear his mind. He could spend the rest of his life thinking about ifs, but the reality wasn't going to wait for him.
After releasing another sigh, Albus finally Disapparated from the street without alerting anyone around him…
Hermione turned toward Harry as soon as she saw Albus Dumbledore Disapparate. The two of them were watching Albus Dumbeldore from one of the roofs on the opposite side of the street. Harry Apparated on the roof after his meeting with Albus was over and Hermione was already waiting for him on the roof. Hermione had been watching the whole meeting from the roof.
The two of them wanted to see what would Albus do after Harry left… After all, they couldn't have the man tracking them back to their base. They wanted to see if Albus would try to track Harry or not… "At least, he didn't try to follow you…" Hermione muttered and Harry simply nodded his head as he hummed in agreement.
"He is much different than the man I knew… Well, I can't blame him, he is yet to see the War" Harry muttered solemnly as he started to compare the man he just met and the man from his memories.
The Albus he knew was extremely paranoid… Not Alastor Moody level paranoid, but he was still paranoid. He became like that after Peter Pettigrew betrayed his parents. After that, Albus no longer trusted anyone to be capable enough to lead and teach Harry Potter. The Albus he knew had made a lot of mistakes, but they only won the war due to the man's paranoia.
In their world, Albus never trusted Severus and it turned out to be their saving grace as it turned out that Severus was never on the Light's side. In their 6th year, Wands were drawn after a nasty face-off between Harry and Draco. Curses flew true and all of a sudden, Draco's Dark Mark was revealed to everyone by one of Harry's errant Spells.
Draco obviously wasn't happy about the fact and decided to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, but before he could finish the Spell, Harry cast the Sectumsempra successfully severely injuring Draco Malfoy, making everyone freeze. That is when Severus Snape arrived and after watching his godson's condition, he wasn't able to hold back his anger ad cast the Killing Curse on Harry.
Ronald Weasley being a good friend, pushed Harry out of the way and took the Curse for his best friend. Something snapped inside Harry and Severus Snape finally realized what he had done in his fit of anger… Horrified of his actions, Snape decided to take his godson and run. The rest of the Slytherins followed, but Harry wasn't going to let them succeed. While Snape could protect himself while running, the other Slytherins couldn't.
All of them were brutally taken down never to get up again… Harry only saw red after Ron fell down on the floor, completely unmoving. Unfortunately for Harry, some of the other professors arrived at the scene and they thought Harry had lost it and tried to protect the others from Harry. Fortunately for Snape and the remaining Slytherins, the interference gave them enough chance to escape.
Instead of returning to the Slytherin dorms, they decided to leave Hogwarts. Harry was finally knocked out by a crying Hermione. The professors were having a hard time holding Harry back, which surprised them a lot. Albus Dumbledore was finally at the scene and he was furious… Hermione told him everything from the start and while he was furious at Harry, he couldn't help but blame himself.
If it wasn't for Severus, then Harry wouldn't have snapped… If it wasn't for Severus then Ronald Weasley would still be alive… If it wasn't for Severus then he wouldn't have to protect Draco… Albus knew that he couldn't ponder anymore. He needed to act and he needed to act quickly. The Aurors were probably on their way already to capture Harry. That was something he couldn't allow to happen…
So, Albus quickly revived Harry and forced him to calm down, Albus quickly explained the situation to him. Albus was saddened to see that Harry didn't seem to regret his actions… He knew something in Harry has changed and it wasn't for the better, but Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort. So, he simply asked Harry to escape while he took care of everything on this side.
When the Aurors finally arrived, Harry was long gone… They tried to arrest the other Gryffindors, but Albus interfered and there wasn't much they could do after that. A country-wide hunt for Harry was issued but all the Aurors returned empty-handed. Severus tried to meet Albus and explain his side of the story, but Albus was no longer wanting to meet the man. There would be no third chance for Severus Snape…
While Draco was punished severely for failing the mission, he was left alive. Meanwhile, Albus decided to use his remaining days to train Harry and some of the other members of D.A. Albus also told Harry everything about the scar, and while Harry was inconsolable, he decided to go through with Albus' plan. With Albus gone into hiding with Harry and the other members of D.A., Voldemort easily took over the Ministry, and Severus was appointed as the new Headmaster.
Albus hammered his paranoia into Harry's head too and it saved Harry a lot of times during the Horcrux Hunt and the Battle of Hogwarts. Albus finally left the world three months after the Ministry and Hogwarts fell. Harry and Hermione went off to hunt the Horcruxes while the rest of the D.A. members who decided to stay with Harry decided to lead the rebellion. It took them the rest of the year to hunt down all the Horcruxes except for the tiara, but they succeeded. Albus had taken the Gryffindor's Sword with him when he decided to leave the school so Harry didn't have to look for the basilisk venom…
Harry finally decided to attack Hogwarts as the tiara was probably hidden at Hogwarts… Voldemort was bound to come. Even though Harry wasn't at Hogwarts for the year, he was kept abreast of everything happening inside Hogwarts. Slytherin students were given free rein inside Hogwarts. They happily used the Cruciatus Curse on the students of other Houses, so when Harry or the rebels came across Slytherins, they would put them down permanently, no mercy.
By the time, Severus Snape realized anything was wrong, it was already too late… The rebels have captured Draco Malfoy and from Albus, Harry knew about Snape's Unbreakable Vow. So, they used Draco to make Snape surrender which he did, but before he could explain anything, he was killed by Hermione, and then Harry decided to send off Draco for the next great adventure.
Harry and the Rebels took over the school and they found the tiara hidden in the Room of Requirements. They destroyed the tiara and just as Harry expected, Voldemort arrived with the rest of his army. The Battle of Hogwarts finally began and Nagini was killed by Moody before he was taken down by Voldemort. Harry took the Killing Curse meant for Hermione and the last Horcrux was destroyed.
While Voldemort was boasting, Harry returned to life and took Voldemort down with a Killing Curse. Voldemort had his back turned to Harry, but Voldemort realized something and turned back, but it was already too late. Harry's Killing Curse hit him on the face and that was it… None of the Death Eaters were spared, all of the Death Eaters were tossed through the veil.
Harry decided that there would be no second chances… While a lot of people disagreed with him, all of them wanted to avoid another War and if they had to summarily execute all the Death Eaters to achieve that, then they would do so. Harry also passed a bill, all the assets belonging to Death Eaters would be seized regardless of the fact if the rest of the members of their Family were Death Eaters or not.
He also passed another bill, which a lot of people vehemently agreed with while none of the professors agreed with him. Harry decided enough was enough and all Slytherin students had to swear Oaths on their Magic saying that they would not support Pureblood bigotry in any manner… It wasn't right of him to do something like that since not everyone in Slytherin was bad, but wasn't taking any more chances.
They have lost a lot of good people due to the stupid war… He wasn't planning to lose anymore. It took decades but the Purebloods were finally gone. Some of the remaining Families decided to leave as they were being oppressed by the new regime while some of the other houses died out… Ultimately, everything turned out for the good. Harry finally ended up marrying Hermione and having a Family with her…
"Let's go back…" Harry said as he wrapped his arm around Hermione, who simply nodded her head in consent, and moments later, both of them were gone with a soft crack…
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