Divided (Grindelwald x OC x Dumbledore)

Chapter XVII. Day 1 as an Acolyte

The apparition was never one of Roxanne's favourite ways of travelling. However, it was undetected and efficient; much needed in their case.

After having packed, she and Gellert apparated in France. Her feet expected to feel ground or pave walk but instead, she felt something softer. She looked down, seeing an elaborate carpet and as her eyes travelled around, she realised they were inside a house.

She blinked slowly and took in the details of the room they were in, seeing vintage furniture and an expensive taste. She realised that this house was simply one of his hideouts and she turned to look towards the window behind them.

She let go of his hand and marched towards the huge window. Pulling the curtains to the side, she quickly looked outside and picked up a familiar language.

"France...we are in France," she said, mostly talking to no one.

Gellert nodded in approval. "Perceptive as ever and yes, we are in Paris," he said, making her look at him.

The sound of heels against the floor reached their ears and from one of the doors, a beautiful woman approached them.

Roxanne immediately took notice of the European features, the neat bun with not a single hair out of place and the perfect posture. She wasn't someone who truly cared about her appearance or the people around her, but she did feel self-conscious after seeing her.

"You are back, my Lord," the woman said, a slight French accent hearable in her voice as she looked at him.

Then her eyes fell on Roxanne, who must have looked out of place with her plain red dress and black coat. The only thing truly making her stand out would be her eyes, although she could see harsh judgement in the French woman's eyes.

"Roxanne, this is Vinda Rosier. Vinda, meet Roxanne Louis; our latest member" Gellert introduced, having quickly noticed the interaction between the two women.

Vinda was not happy with Roxanne present but she did not voice any of her thoughts. She had too much faith in Gellert and therefore, his choices of members.

"It's a pleasure" Roxanne forced herself to say, trying to at least be the first and extend an olive branch.

"Show her to her room. She will join us later for dinner" Gellert said and with nothing else, he walked out of the room.

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A few hours later and Vinda knocked on her door, to lead her to the dining hall. There was this thick tension between them, the French woman saying only a few words and Roxanne wondered if that was her character or if she was acting like that with her.

Upon arriving at the dining room, she noticed that the table had been served and there were 8 chairs in total. 6 of them were already occupied and Vinda took one of the available ones.

"Ah, Roxanne. Please join us. Gentlemen, meet Roxanne Louise. She is an exceptional healer and potion master" Gellert introduced and the men briefly welcomed her, after exchanging a few looks.

Roxanne quickly understood that those men and Vinda were his closest and most trusted of followers, higher in the food chain compared to all the other supporters.

Most likely they supported Gellert long before her and she suspected, that was the reason why they gave her such looks. She didn't honestly blame her but it took a lot of mental control to ensure her abilities would start to act under the anxiety.

Over the years, she had gotten the mastery of her skills but under immense emotional stress; she could lose partial control. In other cases, if she ever chose to change her hair based on her mood; she was always doing it willingly.

"There is no need for you to stand, join us," he said and merely glanced a look at one of his acolytes by his right.

The man immediately understood and stood up before taking the other available chair, at the other side of the table. She didn't have to be told anything to realize he wanted her to sit by his right.

With the faintest of smiles, she kept her back straight and walked towards him. She sat down at the chair with all the grace she could muster, trying to ignore how everyone was looking at her.

Gellert was playing a game, she was certain of that.

She joined out of nowhere and she was immediately favoured by him. Placing her at his right, right across from Vinda made it clear that he regarded her higher than some of his oldest acolytes.

Why such sudden treatment? She was not sure.

A part of her mind suspected it was to test her. To see how she would react under the pressure or how grateful she would be for the treatment. She couldn't say for sure.

The dinner continued and she remained quiet, listening to them talking. Most specifically, the acolytes were giving their reports and answering his question.

However, one specific topic got her attention.

"And Credence Barebone?" Gellert asked, taking a sip of his red wine.

"The obscurus boy is in Paris, my Lord. We are not exactly where but we know he hasn't moved from here"

Roxanne had only briefly learnt about the obscurus in New York, which was supposed to be considered dead. Yet, he seemed to be still alive and Gellert Grindelwald was after him.

"I see. We will discuss tomorrow the mission. It is important to find him before he disappears again"

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After Dinner, they were all dismissed and Roxanne retreated into the room she had been offered. It was on the upper floor and it gave her a nice view of the city, which was currently illuminated by the street lights.

However, she was not busy enjoying the view for she had other things she needed to do.

She had locked her door and put a special charm on it that if anyone tried to grab the nob or open it, she would immediately be informed. It was a simple charm that she had invented in her last year of Hogwarts, merely out of worry that someone would break into her dorm room.

After Arianna's death and Gellert's disappearance, she had become quite paranoid for the first few months and that paranoia resulted in the creation of that specific charm.

She sat on the bed, her back facing the door and her legs folded in a lotus position. In her hands, she held a unique but peculiar dark red feather; belonging to a Phoenix.

She held the base of the father with both hands and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.  A small enchantment was all it took for her to mumble for the spell to take effect.

When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in her room in Paris. Instead, she stood in a blurry Transfiguration Classroom, that had become so familiar to her.

Someone was busy sorting papers on the desk, their back turned but they stopped what they were doing once they sensed her. Turning slowly, Roxanne could not help but smile.

"Albus" she greeted, making the man smile.

"Roxie," he said, using her Nickname. "I thought you wouldn't be able to make it. I even started to get worried"

She chuckled faintly as they now stood in front of one another. "You assign me such an important task and then you doubt me?" She mused but her smile dropped equally quickly. "I have news and you won't like them"