The Bloodpact

Small Presents

pov: Gellert

My trailers are pretty successful with a few exceptions. In Spain, Italy, Turkey and Switzerland things are not going so well. My followers can't find a good place to set up a base in each country, so I'll take care of it myself. I'll start with Switzerland, then Italy, Turkey and finally Spain. They have been successful in Greece, Germany, Poland and Denmark, gaining many followers and establishing useful bases. I'm already in Switzerland and it didn't take me long to find a base that makes sense. Of course, I am not alone. Those who were supposed to set up a base without me are right next to me. I tell them what to do and what to look out for. We enter the Great Swiss Mansion together. We take a good look around but there was no one there. ''Mr. Grindelwald, it seems that no one lives here.'' ''Yes, there is. No-one would leave photos of families behind unless they had fled the building, in which case it would be more chaos. But that's not the case, so be on your guard. Someone could come here at any time. You have my permission to kill anyone who wants to enter this house and is not one of us.'' ''As you command Mr. Grindelwald.'' I left them alone and went to the next country. I apparate to Italy to join my followers. They were in the capital Rome at that moment. Without saying anything, they followed me. We walked a little way out of the city. I have been to Rome before and know that there is an abandoned castle near the capital. I show them the castle and tell them to renovate it and repair some places. Without question, they did as they were told. As I was about to tackle the penultimate land, I remembered Albus. He had always wanted to travel the world, but this thing with Ariane and his brother Aberforth had stopped him. Maybe I can get him to follow me if I bring him little souvenirs? It's worth a try. Instead of going to Turkey, I decided to go back to Rome. I looked around this big city and found something interesting. A Roman perfume store and next to it a clothes store. Maybe I could find something for Albus there. First I go into the perfume store. They have an amazing selection. ''Can I help you sir?'' an employee asks. ''Yes, indeed. Can you recommend a brand that's good?" ''Of course! I would recommend Valentino or Armani. They have a slightly sweet note but are very attractive. You can try a few if you like. The unwrapped bottles are test perfumes. You will find test strips everywhere where you can test them as needed.'' ''Thank you.'' I say thank you and walk around a bit. I tested a few perfumes until I found a really good one from the Valentino brand. It smells really good. I took two of them and went to the checkout. ''Did you find what you were looking for, sir?'' ''I was. I'll take these two.'' ''An excellent choice, my sir! That would be 379 lire.'' ''Will you also take shillings?'' ''Of course. Then it would be 2.69 shillings.'' I pay him and leave the store. I walk into the clothes store and am immediately greeted by a strong smell of leather. I looked around and found some good clothes but few that I would say Albus would like. Actually, I only find the socks interesting. I wonder if he still has a lot of socks? It used to be very bad. He had a box full of socks. I took two pairs and paid for them too. As an Austrian, you're pretty rich here. Now I want one more thing. Rome is famous for its Colosseum. Maybe I can find a picture of it. I wandered around for a while until I found a store that looked promising. I go in and find lots of souvenirs. Including the Colosseum. I immediately took the miniature of the Colosseum but also a nice black leather strap watch. I paid for it and left the store again. I hope Albus likes the things! Luckily I bought a bag in the clothes store. Otherwise it would have been difficult to transport the things now. But before I apparate back to Nurmengard, I apparate to Turkey. My trailers were in a small village. When they saw me, they froze. I indicate that they should follow me. Together we leave this village and walk along the path. We came to a crossroads with three signposts. One leads to Istanbul. I decided to go that way and walked in that direction. It took us an hour to get there. Fortunately, it looked like a city. I quickly found a building that was ideal. We stormed the building inconspicuously, killed all the inhabitants and made their bodies disappear. Again, I tell my followers to renovate before I disappear. This time I apparate to Nurmengard. It is already late, too late to finish Spain. That will be on the agenda tomorrow. In my room, I take out a box and carefully pack everything I've bought into it. With the help of magic, I write a note inviting Albus to come with me tomorrow. I also put it in the box before I conjure it in Albus's room. I'm looking forward to his reply! I finally get ready for bed and lie down.

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