Chapter 51: A Violent First Meeting
"Is… Is that the… The Resurrection Stone?" Gellert asked in shock and surprise as he stared at the Stone in complete awe. Gellert reluctantly looked away from the Stone. "You found the Resurrection Stone… How?" Gellert asked incredulously. After the death of Cadmus Peverell, the Resurrection Stone was never mentioned again… It was almost like the Resurrection Stone disappeared into thin air after the death of Cadmus Peverell.
"Both Albus and I tried to trace the Stone when we were together, but we weren't able to find a single clue… The Stone was never me mentioned in the annals of history after the Cadmus Peverell" Gellert explained with a longing smile on his face. 'I wish you were with me, Albus' Gellert thought as his gaze returned to the Stone.
"Well, the thing is… I wasn't looking for this and I am sure you wouldn't believe where I found this thing" Destiny grinned smugly. After that, she started to tell Gellert how she found the Stone and when she finally finished the story, he was looking at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.
After a few minutes of silence, Gellert finally decided to speak. "The inbred fool didn't even know what priceless artifact he had in his possession" Gellert shook his head in disappointment. Then his eyes sparkled as he glanced at the Stone. "Have you tried it out?" Gellert asked and Destiny shook her head in denial, making Gellert frown.
"Then how do you know that thing isn't a simple replica?" Gellert asked while frowning and Destiny simply smirked.
"Because I can feel its Magic… It has the same Magic I felt in the Elder Wand… There is no way this is a replica and both of us know how Cadmus Peverell ended up after using the Stone… I don't want to end up like him" Destiny explained coolly.
"I don't think you will end up killing yourself if you used it only once…" Gellert pointed out, but Destiny's glare made him regret his words.
"Don't be a fool! What if you can't go back after using it only once… This thing was made by Death! Do you think we mortals could ignore the temptation?!" Destiny scowled and Gellert simply looked at Destiny incredulously.
"I never thought you were a religious person" Gellert muttered and Destiny deflated in her seat. "According to the Peverells the Hallows were made by Death, but they could be simply boasting…" Gellert trailed off with an unsure look on his face.
"Maybe you are right…" Destiny conceded, but she already knew that the Hallows were made by Death. For the time being, she decided to keep this fact to herself. Maybe in the future, she would come clean along with some sort of proof… After all, not everyone can accept the fact that there are higher beings out there. "But I still think we shouldn't use this ourselves" Destiny explained and Gellert simply released a deep breath.
He had to admit, there was some credibility behind Destiny's paranoia… There must be a reason why nobody besides Cadmus Peverell was ever recorded to have used the Stone. "Fine, but then we would need to reveal the existence of the Hallows to them" Gellert added, looking somewhat unhappy, but a small smile started to tug on Destiny's lips after hearing his words.
"Who said that they need to be willing?" Destiny asked in an amused tone.
"Imperious Curse" Gellert nodded his head in understanding. Yes, Destiny's plan could work and it would be a lot safer if he followed Destiny's plan. "So, when are we going to test the Stone?" Gellert asked and Destiny started to hum with a thoughtful look on her face.
"After the Rosiers are dealt with… I already have our test subject in the basement" Destiny answered and Gellert nodded his head in understanding. At first, Gellert was completely bamboozled when Destiny told him about the Time Traveller in the basement. He didn't even know if such a significant journey through time was possible or not, but the proof was right in front of him. Once again, Destiny decided to keep the involvement of Gods to herself.
"Hmm… That is a good idea. Maybe we will be able to learn something about them" Gellert mused as he rubbed his chin. "So, what now? We still have a lot of time before the meeting…" Gellert asked curiously as they still had a few hours left before the scheduled meeting.
"Well… I wouldn't have said no to a spar, but I don't think it is the right time" Destiny pointed out and Gellert inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Come on, there is something else I wanted to show you" Destiny said as she extended her ar, toward Gellert.
Gellert took her hand and moments later, the two of them were gone with a soft crack. Gellert looked around when his feet landed on the ground and scrunched his nose in disgust when he noticed that he was surrounded by Muggles. Destiny had brought him in front of a branch of the Bank of Scotland. Gellert turned toward Destiny, looking for an explanation.
"Where are we?" Gellert asked blandly as he continued to look around. His discomfort no longer visible on his face.
"We are in Aberdeen. Come follow me…" Destiny urged as she started to make her way toward the entrance. Gellert followed her with a bland look on his face.
"Why are we here?" Gellert asked impatiently and Destiny tutted in amusement.
"Don't be a child, Gellert. You will soon find out and I assure you, you won't be disappointed" Destiny explained and Gellert simply gave a skeptical look. Gellert's interest was somewhat piqued when Destiny stopped in front of a non-distinctive door and started to tap it with the tip of her Wand on specific locations.
Gellert wasn't surprised when the door swung open as he was already expecting something like that. Destiny closed the door with a flick of her finger as soon as the two of them were inside. "So, what have you been hiding here?" Gellert asked as he glanced at the vault door.
"You will know soon" Destiny said cryptically as she placed her hand on the dial and started to turn it. Gellert simply shrugged and decided to wait for the time being. The vault unlocked with a loud clang and Destiny opened the door only to reveal a spiral staircase leading downward. "Come" Destiny urged as she started to climb down.
Previously, Destiny simply had Gellert's interest, but now she had his complete attention. The lamps on the wall lit up as the two of them continued to descend… Gellert's mouth fell agape when the duo finally arrived at the first basement. Destiny grinned smugly when she noticed the gobsmacked look on Gellert's face. "Welcome to the Library of Unspeakables!!" Destiny declared dramatically as she waved her hands.
Gellert simply stared around the basement in complete awe… While Gellert wasn't a bookworm like Destiny, his love for exploring new and obscure forms of Magic wasn't any lesser than hers.
"This is amazing!! Where can I find books on Curses?" Gellert asked excitedly.
"Come follow me… This floor is really big and you can easily get lost if you don't know where you are going and a fair warning… There are some bobby traps around here. So be careful and don't touch anything before casting Detection Charms" Destiny warned and Gellert nodded his head in understanding. The duo finally arrived at the Curses section and Gellert felt like he was in heaven.
Gellert pulled out his Wand and cast Detection Charms on a book he wanted to check… 'Curses Moste Usefule', Destiny raised her brows as Gellert grabbed the book. From the looks of it. The book was quite old. "Do you mind if I take it back with me?" Gellert asked, but Destiny immediately shook her head.
"No, you can't! If you try to take a book out of here then it will trigger an alarm back at the Department of Mysteries and they will know something is amiss" Destiny explained and Gellert seemed to be quite disappointed by the fact. "Though you can make notes and take that with you" Destiny suggested with a smile, but it didn't seem to cheer Gellert.
"Why don't you take this back to the desk near the stairs?" Destiny suggested and this time, Gellert decided to follow her suggestion. Destiny also followed him, the book she was reading was already at the desk. Recently, she hasn't been able to come here as she was busy with other stuff.
The two of them only decided to leave when it was almost time for the meeting. The Order of the Light was quite smart… The location of the meeting was already written in the letter, but it will be revealed only half an hour before the mentioned time. The given location was somewhere in Dover. Destiny wasn't familiar with the location, but that was what Muggles were for…
"Do you know this place?" Gellert asked as he waved the letter.
"No… We still have half an hour before the meeting, I will find the place" Destiny waved off his worry.
"Though I still don't like this… I mean they could easily prepare a trap" Gellert pointed out and Destiny conceded as Gellert did have a point.
"Yes, they could, but as I said… I need to meet these people" Destiny replied with a sigh and Gellert could understand why she was acting like this. If he was in her shoes, then he would have done the same no matter how risky it was.
"Very well…" Gellert sighed in defeat. As soon as the two of them were out of the bank, Destiny extended her hand toward Gellert and moments later, the two of them disappeared from the street with a soft crack.
The duo appeared on a sidewalk in Dover with a soft crack… Gellert frowned when a small glowing marker appeared on the letter. "Didn't you check this letter for any foreign Magic?" Gellert asked Destiny with a frown who was doing the same.
"I did, but the results came as negative" Destiny growled and Gellert simply stared at the letter with some interest. Whoever wrote this letter was extremely good at hiding Magical Signatures or Destiny wouldn't have missed the signs of any foreign Magic. Gellert decided to inspect the letter with the Elder Wand. No matter how well the writer had hidden his Magic, he or she couldn't hide it from the Elder Wand.
In hindsight, Gellert should have done this when Destiny showed him the letter, but it was better to be late than never. "Ah…" Gellert nodded his head with a grin as the Magic placed on the parchment was revealed by the Elder Wand. "Well, at least there isn't anything harmful if that makes you feel any better" Gellert said as glanced toward Destiny from the corner of his eyes.
"How did I miss the Magic?" Destiny questioned with a scowl… She wasn't angry at Gellert of the Order of the Light, she was simply angry at herself. This was the second time she failed to notice that something was amiss… For Merlin's sake, she could sense Magic and she also had her Magical Sonar… Then how in name of Morgana she missed the Magic??
"You shouldn't blame yourself… The Magic was very well hidden and even I failed to notice the Magic. If it wasn't for the Elder Wand, then even I wouldn't have been able to reveal the Magic hidden" Gellert explained, trying to placate Destiny. If Gellert was in Destiny's position then he would be feeling the same, but now he was trying to placate Destiny like it wasn't a big deal… It was somewhat ironic.
"That isn't an excuse… I can't expect to defeat them if I can't even sense such minor things" Destiny growled angrily… Moments later, Destiny took a deep breath and released a huge sigh "While I am angry at myself, this is not the time to sulk…" Destiny breathed out.
"Good… grab my hand. Let's move to higher ground" Gellert said as he extended his hand. Destiny grabbed his hand and moments later, the two of them were gone with a loud crack. The duo arrived on the roof of a 10-story building… Gellert took another look at the letter "The meeting place is somewhere in that direction" Gellert said pointing toward the sea and Destiny simply nodded her head as she took the letter from Gellert.
"Have you mastered Unsupported Flight?" Destiny asked and Gellert simply gave her a lopsided grin.
"While I am not good as you, I can still manage…" Gellert said as he slowly rose in the air. Gellert had spent a lot of time mastering the Unsupported Flight after Destiny showed him how to do it… Gellert knew that Unsupported Flight is going to be extremely useful, so he didn't give up on it even though it was extremely hard to master.
While Gellert was quite good at Wandless Magic, he wasn't that good when it came to intent-based Magic like Destiny. That is why it took Gellert years to learn the Unsupported Flight and he wasn't anywhere as good as Destiny. Gellert did try to develop a Spell for it, but he failed as it was too complicated and the person who discovered how to achieve Unsupported Flight had no idea how to start creating a Spell.
Destiny stared at floating Gellert and nodded her head in satisfaction. "That will do… Remember, you will only be keeping an eye from some distance… I don't want to scare them away" Destiny said as she slowly rose up in the air and after getting a nod from Gellert, she blasted off in direction of the beach.
After the Ritual, Destiny's eyesight has become much sharper than before… So, it didn't take her much time to find what she was looking for. She found a couple of cloaked figures standing on the sand. Destiny would have ignored them as Muggles, but she could quite a bit of Magic from the duo's surroundings. Destiny realized they must have raised some Wards.
Destiny glanced at her back to see where Gellert was at, but he was nowhere to be seen. Destiny would have been able to sense him if he was in the range of her Magical Sonar, but Gellert was clearly maintaining his distance which was a good thing. Destiny stopped herself right outside the Wardline… While Destiny was quite confident in her power, she wasn't foolish enough to cross unknown Wards.
Destiny's Wand flew into her hand… "The Wards are completely harmless" Destiny was about to start prodding the Wards, but one of the cloaked figures spoke up. From their stature, Destiny could easily deduce that one of them was a Wizard while the other one was a Witch. Their faces were hidden by the same Charms the Unspeakables used to hide their faces and their voices were distorted too.
"I will be the judge of that" Destiny returned neutrally as she started to inspect the Wards. The cloaked figures looked at each other before shrugging. The Order of Light has used some sort of Obscuring Ward along with a Muggle Repelling Ward and a Detection Ward around the idea. Destiny decided to double-check in case she missed something.
When Destiny was finally sure everything was alright and there were no hidden surprises, she decided to step inside the Wards. "You are quite early" The Wizard deadpanned.
Destiny simply waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, but I don't think it matters since all of you are already here" Destiny returned indifferently. "By the way, are the two of them going to keep hiding?" Destiny asked as she motioned her chin to the other side. For a couple of seconds, nobody said anything, but the Wizard finally gave a subtle nod and another pair of cloaked figures dropped their Disillusionment Charms.
"I see… The four of you have been quite liberal with the Charms Unspeakables use to hide their identities" Destiny mocked as she rolled her eyes. Once again, the cloaked figures decided not to take the bait. Destiny pouted as she failed to get a rise out of them… Whoever these people were, they weren't novices like Albus Severus Potter. "Well, as you already know, I am Destiny Grindelwald. So… Care to introduce yourselves?" Destiny asked lazily.
"That would defeat the purpose of hiding our identities?" The other Wizard who was previously hiding under the Disillusionment Charm asked in an amused tone.
Destiny hummed as she palmed her Wand, which made all the cloaked figures tense up… "I suppose you are right" Destiny conceded in an amused tone. "So, what do you want from me?" Destiny asked as she cocked her head sideways.
"You already know what we want" One of the Witches practically snarled but Destiny simply chuckled.
"But I want to hear it from the four of you… Please amuse me" Destiny spoke with a mocking grin on her face. The four cloaked figures didn't look happy, but they didn't have any other choice in the matter.
"We want to exchange Marcus Rosier for the person you have captured" One of the Wizards said as he pulled out his Wand and the others followed his example. Destiny simply raised her brows.
"Really? The four of you are planning to attack me if I don't agree?" Destiny asked incredulously.
"We four will be more than enough for you!" One of the Witches assured Destiny as the four of them started to spread out. "So, what is your answer?" The same Witch asked and Destiny inclined her head with a thoughtful look on her face.
"How about… no?" Destiny declared as flicked her Wand toward the foursome, releasing several lightning bolts from the tip of her Wand. Destiny had to admit, the four of them were quite good… All four of them were quick enough to raise their Shields and not only that, their shields didn't even falter.
"We will kill Marcus Rosier if you don't agree" One of the WIzards screamed as he fired a Stunning Charm at Destiny.
Destiny simply batted away the Spell… "Sure… If that is what you want" Destiny shrugged as she leveled her Wand at one of the Witches. "Crucio!" Destiny snarled as she jabbed her Wand with a twist in the said Witch's direction, but the Witch simply Conjured a flock of dragonflies to protect herself.
"Avada Kedavra" The other Witch cast the Killing Curse and Destiny flicked her free hand to Conjure a marble slab… The marble slab exploded when the Killing Curse collided with the slab and then with a twist of her wrist, she sent the debris toward one of the Wizards.
The next moment, Destiny's eyes widened when the Wizard did something she wasn't expecting. The Wizard waved his Wand like a conductor baton and Transfigured the debris into marble spikes and hurled them back in her direction. Destiny took a step back and waved the Wand on top of her head creating a black curtain… The curtain rushed toward the foursome like a living breathing creature, destroying everything in its path along with the marble spikes…
"Avada Kedavra!" One of the Wizards screamed as the green beam slammed on the black curtain. Moments later, the black curtain turned into dust and Destiny had to admit that the foursome was quite impressive.
It was true that Destiny was still testing the waters, but it was also true for the four of her opponents. True, she was fighting against four opponents on her own, but that is not an excuse. After all, this wasn't the first time she was fighting against multiple enemies… She had fought against 30 guards who were trying to kill her and she was the one who came out on top. She had fought against 50 recruits and she knocked all of them out without using a Wand.
That should be enough to understand good these four were… Their teamwork was also more than extraordinary… That was something Destiny had never seen. Destiny flicked her Wand creating a flame lightning whip and she jabbed her free hand to create a shockwave. The shockwave made the foursome stubble, but they were still quick enough to defend themselves. A small smile appeared on Destiny's face as her Magical Sonar alerted her of Gellert's arrival…
So, Destiny finally decided to stop playing… Destiny's Wand became a blur as she rained down Spell after Spell on the foursome. There was nothing the foursome could do except for defending themselves and that was quite an impressive feat in itself. "She isn't alone!! We have company!!" One of the Witches screamed as the Wards were triggered.
"Retreat!!" One of the Wizards screamed and that is exactly when an Organ Liquefying Curse hit the man, but a translucent barrier appeared around the Wizard and protected him from the lethal Spell, and the next moment all four of them were gone.
Destiny deduced that the four of them probably used a Portkey to escape… She would have raised Anti-Portkey Wards and Anti-Apparition Jinx, but she clearly remembered that their Portkey could easily punch through the strongest Anti-Portkey Wards, so Destiny decided not to waste her time by raising Anti-Portkey Wards. Instead, she decided to try her best to kill them…
Destiny immediately started to wave her hand in the air trying to trace the Portkey and Gellert also followed her example… "There are no traces…" Destiny trailed off with a bewildered look on her face.
"They must be under heavy Wards or their Portkeys are untraceable…" Gellert explained as he also finally gave up on trying to trace the Portkey. If the Elder Wand couldn't trace the Portkey, then there was nothing he could do…
"It is probably both" Destiny sighed… "Do you think I should have taken the diplomatic route?" Destiny asked and after thinking for a bit Gellert shook his head.
"It would have been really bad if you had shown any weaknesses… I mean they would have realized that you probably don't want any Purebloods to die and they would have used it against you" Gellert pointed out and Destiny hummed in acknowledgment. That is exactly why she decided to take the violent route.
"To be honest, I don't give a fuck if Purebloods live or die… I am only working with them because they are easy to manipulate and they have all the political power in the Government. Getting rid of a single Family won't matter in the long run… Yes, there will be a lot of fuss since the Rosiers are a part of the Sacred-Twenty Eight, but after I am done with Torquil Travers, everyone will forget about the Rosiers" Destiny explained dismissively and Gellert was also doing the same, so he wasn't in any position to complain.
"That is true… By the way, do you know which Shielding Spell that Wizard used to protect himself?" Gellert asked curiously.
"I am not sure… I probably need to revisit the memory" Destiny answered with a thoughtful look on her face. "Let's go back" Destiny declared as she raised her Wand in the air and moments later, a purple triple-decker monstrosity appeared in front of the duo with a loud bang. To be honest, Destiny was half expecting that the Knight Bus won't come as they were still on the beach.
"What in the name of Morgana is this thing?" Gellert asked in a bewildered tone.
"You are going to love this!" Destiny declared as she stepped into the bus. Gellert reluctantly climbed in, looking around in trepidation.
"Where to?" The conductor asked the duo with a grin.
"Cornwall" Destiny said and the conductor nodded with a huge grin on his face and moments later, the bus blasted off with a loud bang. Destiny cackled in mad glee, but poor Gellert screamed in horror as he grabbed one of the steel beams like his life depended on it and that was probably the case… His life was literally depending on it.
The bus finally stopped with a loud bang and Gellert slumped down on the floor, looking very green and lifeless. Gellert's complexion was already pale, so the green on his face was even more pronounced. While Gellert felt like it has been hours, Destiny felt that the ride was too short… She wanted to have another go, but she decided to take pity on Gellert and call it a day.
The door opened with a loud clang. "10 knuts each!" The conductor exclaimed cheerfully and with a flick of her Wand Destiny levitated Gellert as she dropped 20 Knuts in the bucket. The conductor raised his hat in gratitude as Destiny climbed down from the bus with Gellert floating behind her. Moments later, the Knight Bus was gone with another bang.
"Gellert, are you okay?" Destiny asked in a fake worried tone, only to receive a dirty look from Gellert.
"Let me down!" Gellert growled out with some difficulty and Destiny slowly placed him on the ground. "I hate you" Gellert bit out as he barely held himself back from emptying his stomach.
"Oh… don't be such a baby, Gellert. It was only a bus ride… I had a lot of fun" Destiny pointed out with a huff and Gellert's glare intensified.
"That was not a bus ride!! My Soul almost left my body!!" Gellert screamed as he finally regained his bearings. "I am never getting on that monstrosity again" Gellert declared grimly and Destiny simply shrugged.
"Spoilsport" Destiny mumbled in an amused tone, but Gellert decided not to humor Destiny anymore.
"Back to the topic at hand, the meeting was a complete bust" Gellert intelligently decided to change the topic.
"No, we did get to learn a couple of things about them…" Destiny disagreed with Gellert. "First of all, they are quite strong. While they aren't strong individually… At least, they aren't strong like you or me, but they are still quite strong. Secondly, they have a lot of battle experience… The way they were fighting, the way they were moving couldn't be achieved by training… Thirdly, they aren't your typical righteous bastards. After all, they could cast the Killing Curse" Destiny pointed out, and after thinking for a bit, Gellert also nodded his head in understanding.
"They are also extremely good at teamwork" Gellert added and Destiny acknowledged his point with a nod.
"That is something I noticed too… The four of them would have wiped the floor with my Lieutenants and that is not something I am happy about… While I never got to train Donovon personally, I trained the other three and Vladimir is a world-renowned duelist for Merlin's sake!!" Destiny screamed in frustration.
"And if they are from the future too then there is a good chance they know all about our tactics and fighting style… Heck!! They might even know how we won the War!" Gellert complained as he clenched the Deathstick tightly.
"Yes… there is that" Destiny grumbled unhappily. She extended her hand toward Gellert who grabbed her hand and moments later, the two of them were gone with a soft crack.
"You should have Apparated instead of riding that abomination!" Gellert complained as the duo arrived outside Cassiopeia's house. With a jab of his Wand, he Conjured two lounge chairs.
"Gellert, I think we shouldn't wait any longer… I mean, the longer we wait, the more we are giving them time to prepare" Destiny spoke after a bit of thinking. Gellert simply stared at Destiny questioningly, waiting for her to elaborate.
"I mean, you already have your men and I can also give you half of my forces. I want you to take over Greece and Bulgaria" Destiny said and Gellert couldn't help but frown at her words.
"Are you sure? I mean there is no tactical advantage if I take over Greece and Bulgaria" Gellert questioned with an unsure look on his face. "Won't ot be better if I took over Austria or Hungary? I already have a lot of supporters there" Gellert added and Destiny nodded her head.
"Yes, you do, but Austria and Hungary are right in the middle of the continent… You will have to guard all sides of the borders while you won't have the same problem if you take over Greece and Bulgaria… In fact, those two countries are ready for picking with all the damage you have done to them and finally, you also get new recruits from there who will happily join our cause" Destiny explained and Gellert finally nodded in understanding.
"Okay… When do you want me to leave?" Gellert asked.
"Within a week" Destiny answered, after a bit of thinking.
"So, what now?" Gellert asked, and Destiny simply grinned after hearing his question.
"We do have enough time to see who is the better fighter between the two of us…" Destiny trailed off in a mocking tone as she slowly stood up. Gellert started to grin in a similar manner as he slowly stood up too… With a snap of her fingers, Destiny vanished the lounge chairs.
"Do you think we should invite the others?" Gellert asked as he turned around to look toward Cassiopeia's house.
"It won't be necessary… As soon as we let go of our Magic, they will know something is happening and they will come to watch" Destiny answered and Gellert had to admit, Destiny was right.
"So, how do you want to do this?" Gellert asked and Destiny simply inclined her head after hearing his question.
"Anything goes" Destiny said in a grave tone and Gellert's eyes grew wide for a moment.
"Even the Unforgivables?" Gellert asked pointedly and Destiny simply hummed in consent.
"We have sparred previously, but we never fought seriously… It would be seriously an experience and Unforgivables are only dangerous because they can't be blocked by using Magical Shields, but they are easy to avoid as we already know what is coming" Destiny explained and Gellert had to admit, Destiny was right… While the Unforgiavables were quite dangerous, they could be easily avoided…
A Wizard or a Witch with a strong mind could easily break through the Imperious Curse and the Killing Curse took quite a bit of time to cast due to its long incantation, so a person could easily avoid the distinctive green Spell. Only the Cruciatus Curse had the merits to be used in a fight… First of all, the Cruciatus Curse couldn't be fought off with a strong mind and its incantation was also short, so the victim wouldn't have much time to avoid or block the Spell, but not many people could muster the necessary emotion to cast the Curse.
"True… True…" Gellert muttered while nodding his head. "Then I won't be holding back" Gellert said with a grin as he released his Magic and Destiny also did the same. The air around the duo started to shimmer and without wasting any more time both Destiny and Gellert cast their first Spells…
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