Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

"I can't believe they did something like this..." Neville whispered, sitting around a table with Hermione and Krum as they had their lunch inside a muggle fast food restaurant, mingling amongst the masses, hiding in plain sight.

"I am not surprised." Hermione answered, glancing at Krum, who had a bandage going around his neck. Getting the bug out of under his skin was painful and messy, requiring magic, potions, and a scalpel to finally get rid of it. The moment the creature felt it would be about to be discovered and picked out of its new home, it began drinking blood, growing, turning from an insect into a cancerous infection. If they didn't hurry, it could easily turn out to be deadly. Luckily, Hermione didn't panic and was prepared for the 'operation,' managing to yank the bug out of Krum's neck at the last moment. "It would have been problem-free if we didn't discover it..." She murmured, feeling conscious about it because she ended up giving him a permanent scar that will never fade.

"It fine." He smiled at her, noticing her gaze, "I'm good. No pain anymore."

"What should we do next?" She asked after smiling back, sighing, wanting to hear their opinions.

"We will go after them personally. Find everybody that was on the ship when you escaped from Hogwarts." Neville expressed, looking directly at Krum, who raised his eyebrows and found it hard to believe.

"I don't remember all faces. Not possible."

"That is a minor issue." Neville waved his hand, continuing to explain, "The subconscious stores a lot of information that is inaccessible because they would otherwise overwhelm our minds. I am confident in my abilities that I can use a spell to help you remember, and it will be pain-free. I will go and collect images of the students, and you go through them and point them all out while under my spell! We will then scour every record and find them, tell them personally who we are... and try to establish contact with Conrad through them. I have no other ideas!"

"That... is possible..." Hermione mumbled, thinking about it, and before she could raise some concerns, Krum had already agreed to it.

"Good. Hate wait. Do it!"

"I need to prepare for it first!" Neville exclaimed with a sigh, standing up. "Let us meet at our hideout two days from now on."

"Where are you going?" Hermione questioned, surprised that he would leave just like that.

"Don't forget that they all monitor me. If we do this, they will learn about it and could appear just like before. I need to return to the Order, make a report, and ensure we won't be as closely monitored."

"Will they let you come back?" Hermione asked, posing a valid question and expressing her concern about whether Neville could really return if he decided to leave now.

"I will act it out as if I am trying to lead them to Conrad."

"Won't they know lies?" Krum interjected, tapping on the table and making Neville smile confidently.

"I have been trained to shield my mind against the Dark Lord himself... and I am no slouch. If I want them to see me telling the truth, they will see just that. Trust me on this. Two days! I will be back, promise."

After he finally left, Hermione couldn't help but sigh again and look back at Krum, reaching out and holding his hand for comfort.

"Let's go, if we have time, we should enjoy it. I know you are unfamiliar with muggle practices, so what do you say, should we visit an amusement park?"

"What is that?"

"You'll see!" She chuckled, standing up, making Krum nod his head.

"I pay."

"With what? Gold?" She smiled at him and kept holding his hand. "Thought som big guy. Come, it will be fun! We need that..."

...
....
......

"What are you planning to do next? Are we still going to spread news and propaganda?" Lockhart asked as we were gathering at our villa's main conference room. "I can write much more; I feel like I am back in my element! This is so much fun to be back behind the quill again!"

"No." I shook my head, playing with the ring on my finger, "We are going to hit an important place. Well... multiple, to be precise."

"Which ones?" Grindelwald asked, looking at me curiously because it wasn't him who suggested our next step. He only continued teaching us dueling every day and telling us all he knew of magic whenever we had a question for him. Whenever he explained something, I could easily understand it, feeling it was so much clearer whenever he articulated it than sitting over an old book or listening to a professor who didn't even care about what he was teaching.

"After our previous talk, discussing the dementors and their effects while learning about the patronus spell, I got a sudden idea."

"Prison break!" Quincy grinned, barely able to contain her excitement.

"But... Azkaban has already been breached by the Order." Lockhart answered at once, making me smile.

"That is only one prison." Quincy countered his words, leaning forward at the table. "Both parties have multiple of them in secrecy. Just think about Hogwarts for an example! We have already established contact with a handful of old friends, ensuring they are clean, and have begun communicating securely with them. To further raise our defenses, Quincy and I made sure that they didn't know of each other. They are acting as independent cells with no knowledge of the overall picture at any given time. Everything is strictly need-to-know-basis! By now, we have agents in multiple regions acting as our ears and eyes, part of both sides."

"Not to mention, our fliers and newspapers were effective. Not everyone is convinced of either group!" Quincy bobbed her head, "There are families who got bullied by both sides because they wanted nothing but to live peacefully, trying not to take a side. They are good sources of intel."

"You learned something?" Grindelwald asked, looking at us, making our head nod.

"We learned about three camps." Quincy waved her wand as a map appeared on the table, highlighting three spots over the island. "Two in England, one in Scotland. The Order maintains the former while the latter is of the Death Eaters."

"You want to go in, wands out?"

"No, Professor." I chuckled, "We are not suicidal! But... what happens if the other party somehow learns of them? What if they just happen to get some juicy intel? Maybe with a bit more fanfare than reality suggests. Tell them it is not only a prison but... something more. Hm? We will stoke the fire, let them fight, and swoop in while chaos ensures and we do our own thing."

"You want to release captured Death Eaters? I don't get it..."

"That is not important." Quincy shrugged and continued the explanation. "What matters is chaos for both sides. Also, don't forget that many of the current Death Eaters are people conscripted by the Dark Lord! They are students who have two choices: join or die. Who do you think they would help? The Order who captured them and acted the same way as the Death Eaters towards them? Not even listening to their plights? Or the Death Eaters, who readily abandoned them? Maybe even kill them for failure?"

"But..."

"Yes, Professor!" I shrugged, "There will be Death Eaters freed who were captured and are genuine soldiers, devotees of the Dark Lord. So what? We have you for that, no?"

"M-me?"

"I want to get more ears and eyes on the ground. So, I do intend to grab some genuine prisoners from both sides—wizards and witches who are blinded by their cause and are loyal to their side. Then, we can manipulate their minds enough that it is not possible and let them back in. With an extra diary within their pockets and the new habit of keeping records of their... thoughts."

"They wouldn't even know they are spying for you." Grindelwald smiled, knowing full well that I got the idea from him. He also did something similar in his war, gathering followers and informants with the difference that he was genuinely brainwashing them. Our version would be so that they don't know they are spying... we just plant some new habits into their minds and give them the tools that will keep us informed.

"We think it is the safest method, and if we manage to do it to one or two people," Quincy smiled proudly, "then we will be in an excellent position! Not to mention, all those who are disillusioned enough are coming forth willingly every day. The worst-case scenario is that whoever gets freed goes back into the fray and fights. Then, so what? Let them fight more! We literally can't lose here!"

"So I will be prodding minds of captured wizards once again..."

"And this time, you won't be threatened or punished for it." I smiled at him, "Professor, I would be happy if you would lend your expertise to us once again."

"No, no, no need to say it like that, kiddo! Well, you are no longer a kid, so... Conrad. I am happy to help, really. I am in your debts, forever will be."

The way he said it drew an honest, warm smile onto my face, and this time, I wasn't distraught that I felt I liked the bastard. Hehe... I do like him; despite everything, he turned out to be the only Professor who we could count on... and I will never forget that.