While Rabastan had been busy making blasting rods, Rodolphus was researching Crom Dubh as Grindelwald requested. This research wasn't as straightforward as he would've liked, but in truth he hadn't expected it to be.
It took him down several rabbit holes beginning with leprechauns and ending in luck magic. In the end, he found some facts, just none he felt would apply to what Grindelwald wanted to do. There were ways to draw luck, and ways to curse an enemy, for what was bad luck if not a curse, but none strong enough to tackle the likes of Delphini.
None seemed to connect to the god-like strength that Gellert was looking for, not even any in the darkest books he could find that demanded hefty human sacrifices. For Rod, such wouldn't be a problem… The greater good and all that, but regardless of his willingness to kill a ton of people for the greater good, no spells or curses were to be found that were linked to luck.
Gellert had mentioned speaking to Flitwick on the matter, so Rod planned to wish him better luck with that because there was no Crom Dubh luck magic to be found in the books of his library or the library of anyone else he knew. He'd checked with Lucy Malfoy, without explaining why plus, his own parents, Bella's parents, even a few of his old school friends who hadn't gotten killed or Azkabaned. Bella had helped, hunting through her parent's library and his father's at his side, but as he'd been her only real friend at Hogwarts, she'd had no former school chums to ask.
At least Rabastan had had better luck over the past few days, Rod thought as he was settling down at the large oak desk in the library to write Grindelwald of his lack of success. Rab had created a ton of blasting rods, and seemingly gotten himself a girlfriend, while Rod and Bella's research had yielded fuck all.
It was then that it hit him! Thinking of Rabastan's successes reminded him of Grindelwald's comment concerning simply asking Merlin. At the time, he'd been referring to refilling the blasting rod, but the concept could obviously pertain to any question about any of Merlin's artifacts.
He'd only spoken to the famous druid with the odd contraption at the Ministry, but Bella had learned to speak to Nimue without it, so perhaps he could do the same. Closing his eyes, he focused on the concept of Merlin, recalling how he had looked and sounded during their conversation.
"MERLIN! Can you tell me how you used the Crom Dubh statue," he asked. "Or no...wait," he hastily amended. "I don't really care how you used it if it isn't what I want to use it for. So...did you use it to bring bad luck to your enemies?"
He thought the words hard, also murmuring them under his breath for good measure. He was in the library alone, so no one was going to hear him, and ask why he was talking to himself. Fortunately he was in luck, as Merlin heard and replied at once.
"I used it to win battles against my enemies, if that is what you mean."
The tone was smug. Rather than annoying Rodolphus as it may have done had it come from anyone else, it was somehow reassuring coming from the druid himself.
"Did you use it to bring luck to your own side or misfortune to the enemy," Rod asked.
"Both," Merlin replied.
Rod nodded in satisfaction as this matched what they'd intended to do now. He'd hit gold in asking Merlin. How Gellert had overlooked doing so when he was the one to laughingly suggest it to Rabastan was another question.
"He and Blaise can be hyper focused, which means they are very, very good in a few areas but can be remiss in others," Merlin replied, catching the thought.
"Good to know," Rod said drily.
"That it is," Merlin agreed. "They are brilliant men, but they are best served by a team of colleagues like you who can pitch in with your own strengths rather than followers whose only jobs are to do what they're told. That didn't serve Gellert so well in the past no matter what he thinks. I was always glad of the team at my back, Arthur, Nimue, Geraint, Taliesin, Morgana and so on. Each brought their own strengths to the situation and filled in any gaps I could've left had I attempted to work alone, which, of course, I never would have done."
"Where are the rest now," Rodolphus asked. He knew this was drifting a bit off topic, but he was curious.
"We haven't found Arthur or Geraint yet. Taliesin found me last year and he now lives with Nimue and I. Morgana lives four streets over in a charming little antique house that suits her quite nicely."
"So you, Taliesin, and Nimue are like me, Bella, and Rab," Rod asked.
"Yes, except without the torture," Merlin replied, sounding amused.
Rodolphus couldn't help but feel especially badass, mentally putting himself in the same category as Merlin and his group.
"So we want to use the Crom Dubh statue to bring ill luck to Delphini and good luck to us when it comes to her defeat. I was trying to sort out how to do that with no luck, so I sought you out."
There was a long pause in which Rod suddenly got the odd feeling Merlin was rifling about in his mind.
"Hmm. It seems you already know what to do. Have a bit more confidence in yourself, Rod. You, especially, have a brilliant mind for this sort of thing. It's what you do… The natural way you think."
This was both exciting and terrifying. Exciting because this made him even more brilliant than he'd assumed and terrifying in case he somehow got it wrong.
"Very well...I thought Grindelwald would link the Crom Dubh statue to your spying crystals or whatever," Rod said.
"I don't know if that's what Grindelwald was thinking or not, but it is precisely the right idea!"
Rod let out a breath of relief, grinning from ear to ear. "Any linking charm will do?"
"Yes, as long as it is subtle." Was the response from Merlin.
"Of course. How do we direct the good luck to us and the bad toward her? We certainly don't want those going in the wrong directions!"
"Of course not. That's simple. It's a mere matter of linking the good luck to your army and the bad luck to her and hers."
Rodolphus nodded. He finally understood and that feeling was a good one. It gave him a much needed sense of direction and purpose that he found exciting...empowering. They could do this!
"That's right. She is nothing as long as you all use your abilities and do not give way to doubt and fear. Were I there, I could strike her down easily, and that means so can you. Now go away," the druid concluded. "It's my bed time." His thought ended in a yawn.
"Thanks," Rod said, knowing he'd just learned from the master.
"No problem," Merlin replied. "Oh, and Rod… Tell Regulus and Kreacher to teach the rest of you where home is. You will need that in those love shields you've been working on."
"Sure… Okay. Thanks."
Rather than writing Gellert about his lack of success as he'd originally intended, Rodolphus began hastily scribbling down notes. He didn't want to risk forgetting anything from his conversation with Merlin. The old legend about him returning to help Britain in its time of need still held true, if not in the way most would expect.