A/N: Yes, hello, apparently I'm just making everyone more likable in this story :P
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Lena found herself standing on a small cobblestone road in the middle of the woods and when she looked around, she saw a tower rising in the distance, deciding since that was the only thing around she'd start that way. As she did, she opened her mind barriers while redoing her bun, as her hair had grown fairly long in the time at the Temple.
"Oh, am I allowed back now? Where are we?"
I'm not exactly sure. I just got the portkey from Dumbledore. I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak to you, but the Temple had a strict policy against communication. Would you like the memories?
Riddle sounded as if he was pouting. "Yes please."
Smiling slightly and moving a hand to brush against the locket, she let her memories flow past her inner mind barrier as she strolled down the path and studied the trees around her as she did.
After a while, Riddle gave a soft hum. "Banning me probably was because I would have had some choice words about how many times they wanted you to die and apparently they don't like that."
Sure. That's why they wanted me to get rid of you. It's not like you reek of dark magic or anything.
"Rude."
Lena chuckled, shaking her head slightly.
I'm glad you're back. I missed being able to hear your voice.
"And I missed hearing yours, my dear."
Her smile was fond as they talked about everything they'd missed in the last month or so, the path sort of calming as it wound through the trees and around what looked like a mountain.
But soon enough the warm air was more than irritating in her winter clothes and she shrugged off her heavy robes in trade for her under-linens, walking barefoot as she carried her nice winter boots.
Riddle teasing her about not wanting to bathe in the pools at the Temple nude, she laughed sort of sarcastically, relishing the sound in the air. "Maybe I didn't show you all my memories- Oh, and did I mention they were public bathing spaces?"
"Wait- you didn't- Lena that's not appropriate! You're barely sixteen!"
"Hypocrite!" Her voice was sing-song, laughing as he sputtered. "Those are some big double-standards you got there, Riddle."
He huffed, tone petulant. "You're so mean to me, my love."
Snorting, she swung her boots as she smiled sarcastically. "Darling, if others aren't allowed to see me naked until I'm seventeen because it's not culturally appropriate, then how are you any different?"
"...I love you?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're full of rubbish. If we ever meet in another life, remind me that when we get married, to hold off the Honeymoon for a good twenty years to compensate for our age difference."
"Married? You want... You'd marry me?"
"Darling, of course, we'd get married. I may not want some big white wedding, but that way I can make sure you're stuck with me forever." Her grin was tinted with a bit of bitterness, looking down at the mossy cobblestone. "I think in that other life- you know, the one beyond the stars- I think that we'd probably both end up teaching. Maybe we'd be like Perenelle and Nicolas, with one of us Defence or Charms and the other Potions or Runes."
"I think that we could make that happen. You'd be a wonderful teacher, darling."
Her smile was fond. "And I know you're a natural at teaching. I've known for a long while." Her train of thought was side-tracked as she spotted a bridge in the distance. "Now to see about this friend of Albus's..."
Riddle hummed, seemingly stuck on their conversation. "So. Wedding. Who would walk you down the aisle? And the ring bearer? Because these things take time to plan, Lena. It's not something we can throw togeth-"
"Breathe, lovely." She chuckled softly, amused at how much of a tizzy he'd gotten himself into over something that they both knew would never even happen. "Severus would walk me down the aisle, and since you killed your family, I guess Albus would be the ring-bearer. Or Ginny. She would do it."
"It's happening. We're getting married. I plan to get Narcissa, Perenelle, and Lily in on this, I hope you know."
Lena just smiled and hummed along with his excited rambling, giving input whenever he seemed to get stuck on something but mostly just enjoying the happy warmth that he radiated during the walk to the bridge.
Still half-listening, she got slightly distracted by the way the bridge seemed to go from a cliff out to a castle that was sitting on a pillar of rock with the surrounding area of the castle a sheer drop into... nothing, as far as she could see.
Pursing her lips slightly, she made sure to stay in the very middle of the bridge, moving to the large wooden doors and knocking lightly.
"-and Greengrass would braid flowers into your hair of course. You'd look lovely with little bluebells all-"
Darling. Please. Can we talk about this when I'm able to see you rather than when I'm at the doors of a creepy castle?
There was a pause. "Fine..."
Thank you, dear.
Looking around the doors and knocking again, she scrambled back when the doors started to swing outwards, seeing a small house elf standing there. "Miss Farlands?"
"Uh- Yes. That's me." Stepping forward and looking around the good-sized courtyard, she moved to follow the house-elf when it waved at her almost impatiently. Glancing around the gilded hall that they entered, she was shepherded into a large sitting room.
"Waits here."
Setting her boots on the floor and her bag on a nearby sofa, she moved around the room to admire the paintings. The room- and those she'd passed through- were gilded with splendor, rugs of finery, and tapestries unlike she'd ever seen before.
The rooms she'd seen in just her walk here screamed history and she just wondered how Albus had so many cool friends.
"Uh- Lena, darling?" Riddle sounded a bit worried, which was never a good sign. "Perhaps you should leave. I think we're in the wrong castle- look at the coat of arms above the fireplace."
Turning slowly, she stared at the large carved symbol.
The symbol used by one notoriously very curse-happy Dark Lord.
One that used to be Dumbledore's friend.
"Oh Merlin, Albus..." Her voice was soft, unable to look away as if this was a train wreck happening before her very eyes. "You didn't..."
"Oh, but he did."
And when she looked over, a grinning Gellert Grindelwald (that was older than the pictures in the history books, but looked in otherwise good shape) was leaning against the doorway to the room.
Lena eyed the man. "You're supposed to be locked up."
"I am." Drifting in, the man sat down in an armchair, the house-elf popping up to set down a tea set before him on a small table. Waving his hand, he gave her a thin smile. "I am to live here without a wand, wearing," moving his leg up slightly to show her what looked like an ankle monitor, " this- which would kill me instantly should I even step outside onto the terrace. And isn't that a shame? The view is stunning this time of year."
Moving to sit stiffly by her shoes and bag, she narrowed her eyes. "And all for the price of killing thousands of innocent muggles. What a devastating punishment."
Giving her a smirk over his teacup, the wrinkled eyes crinkled up slightly to show he was amused, even as he studied her. "I like you. You have a fire that reminds me of myself or Albus when we were young."
Her nose scrunched up. "Jury's still out for me, though you get points for not trying to kill me yet."
"See? Fire!" The old man chuckled, shaking his head. "I've missed sarcasm."
"And murdering people, probably." She crossed her arms. "Why would Albus send me here? What am I supposed to learn from a criminal- and one without a good taste in tea at that." She scowled at the weak tea he was drinking, not even letting it steep.
With an amused smile, the man put the teabag back in and then leaned back in his chair. "I have a castle that's seldom visited or thought about, which means safety and anonymity. The library here is one of the best in all of Europe, Mossy makes excellent teacakes, and... well, Albus said something about worries with a Dark Lord?"
Clenching her jaw, she stood, gathering her bag and boots. "I'm leaving."
"Wait!" The man stood, looking a bit ruffled as he held out a hand with a frown. "Look, I know it's not all great, and trust me, I'm living with the mistakes I've made, but I- I've been begging Albus to send someone other than the Aurors to share this place with, even if just for a little while..."
Lena looked back, frowning slightly. "Can't you do that with the Aurors?"
The man flinched just slightly, looking away and covering up whatever bad emotions he was feeling with dry humor. "I would rather not. They're no fun at all, always acting like I'm the worst thing since Dragon Pox."
"The Aurors... why do they come here anyway?" She had a feeling building in her chest, really hoping it was wrong so she could just leave in peace. "It's common knowledge you're confined and it's been too long to be still asking you to give up information..."
Pursing his lips, the man looked back to her tiredly. "Stay. There are more than the pick of rooms and I promise not to bother you if you don't want me to."
Mulling it over, really wanting to just lay down and cuddle with Riddle, she nodded.
Grindelwald smiled.
"But the first sign of creepy-old-man behavior and I'm taking my chances with the nearest town." Her eyes narrowed again.
"Understood." Still smiling, he led her to a wing of empty rooms.
Waiting until he left the area, she picked a room that sort of reminded her of what her room at Hogwarts looked like, setting aside her bag and boots before flopping back in the bed. "I need hugs."
"And I am more than willing to give them."
Laying in a grassy field of flowers watching the clouds pass by half-heartedly as they both enjoyed the ability to just lay like this, their sides pressed together with her head on his shoulder, Riddle raised a finger to point at a cloud in the shape of a lizard. "That one looks like Ginny."
"I thought you liked her?" Her lips still curved up though, admitting (if just to herself) that the girl was sort of like a lizard, as she'd read somewhere that certain species had bites that were particularly hard to get out of. And that sounded like her redhead.
"I do."
Lena huffed a soft laugh. "You have a strange way of showing it."
Eyes looking at her from the very corner of his vision, he then smirked and pointed at a cloud shaped like what she thought was a pig. "That one's Terry."
She laughed at that, turning so that she was facing his side, head tucked against his shoulder so she could take in the smell of parchment with a hint of leather that soothed something raw in her chest.
They were silent for a long moment until she finally spoke up. "The fifth task... I didn't show you the memory of what happened."
"I know."
"It was- it was horrible. The figure, the Guide, gave me the feeling of having reached that day in the stars with you and me and all of our family surrounding us- and then slowly they took away every single of my senses. Taste and smell first, then I couldn't hear you or feel your presence and-" She felt the grief in her chest like it was only moments ago and not days, her hands curling tighter around where she was gripping at him like a lifeline. "And then I couldn't see you anymore and everything but my mind was just gone..."
Fingers brushing her hair back gently, a warm hand came to rest on her back soothingly. "If that ever happens and you start to lose your senses, I'll be there and there's nothing that would ever make me leave your side." Brushing away a tear she didn't even know she'd shed, his dark eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled slightly. "And we all know between Perenelle, Dumbledore, and Severus you'd be in good hands to figure out what went wrong."
"There's no greater fear in me than the one that someday I'll have to live without you." Her voice was soft, the admission taking a lot out of her.
Riddle hummed. "Is this dedication you have to die by the hand of the version of me that's real and has a body somehow related to that fact? Because you could just marry them and make this all a whole lot easier."
Pulling back to look at him with a blank stare as if to ask if he was joking, she shook her head and snorted as she lifted herself onto her elbow. "I refuse to marry an insane idiot. If we're married in another life and you even think about splitting yourself into parts again, I'm immediately filing for divorce."
"Well... that's one way of discouraging my bad habits and hitting my self-esteem all at once."
Smiling fondly, she reached over to pluck a nearby daffodil, tucking it behind his ear. "You're not Voldemort, darling. You and the others are so much more than the shade of a person left behind."
Gently pulling her back into his arms, Riddle hummed under his breath. "You'll never have to live without me. Not if you don't want to."
It took a day of cuddling and being smooshy with Riddle just for him to convince her to leave the room, finding Grindelwald in an empty dining hall with his chin in hand as he stared out the large open windows on one side of the room. Raising his eyes and seeming to brighten when he saw her, he waved to where a plate of food was set out to his side. "Ah! Would you like some breakfast? I thought that you might get hungry eventually."
Sitting and flicking her wand over the food to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, she saw the way he raised his eyebrow, pursing her lips as she picked up a fork to stab one of the slices of ham on the plate. "Don't give me that look. Albus might trust you with me, but he also knows that I am competent not to sign my trust over immediately."
"Tricky customer." But the man was smiling slightly, eyes lingering on her wand. "Yew?"
Lena nodded slightly, eyeing him as she ate.
"My wand was Yew, you know, and it worked like a dream. Yew, thirteen inches, with a dragon heartstring from a Chinese Fireball." Then he tilted his head slightly to look at her as if seeing into her soul and then studying it carefully. "You're a Farland, right? That's what you go by? So then you're Jackson's child then?"
"You knew Jack?" Her eyebrows shot up, incredulous.
Grindelwald grinned toothily. "It's always good to know your opponents. Plus we had tea occasionally when he used to be in charge of making sure I was locked away. I respected him, as he was nicer than any of the Aurors these days- and he played a mean game of chess."
"He was who raised me, but I'm not biologically his daughter. I was born of the Potter Line, though I consider both Jack and Severus Snape my fathers in their own right."
Chuckling, the man took a sip of what looked like milky coffee. "I know. You have that new Dark Lord after you- the one with the French name that means 'Flight of Death.'"
She scowled slightly. "Then why ask."
"It encouraged conversation." He looked at her appraisingly. "Albus told me that you're coming back from the Temple of Elements, so I apologize if the art of conversation has been lost on you in that time, but half of small-talk is about asking questions you already know the answer to so the other person feels like they're investing their time in you by answering. Plus, it's best to confirm second-hand knowledge from the source."
Taking a deep breath and letting it out as she started to cut up the eggs to eat them, she looked at him flatly. "I see now why no one wants to visit you."
Pursing his lips, the man watched her for a moment longer and then put his hand back in his chin, staring outside.
"That was a low blow."
He was annoying me.
"Still, he is in sort of the same situation as all of us memory shards were- stuck in one place with only memories and knowledge he already knows."
Maybe I only have room to rehabilitate one Dark Lord at a time.
Riddle chuckled softly. "Dear, he's already probably found every flaw with his past and doesn't need help with that. He just needs company at this point."
Lena's nose wrinkled slightly, taking a few more bites of food and a sip of the tea that appeared before her before she sighed. "I would be partial to a game of chess if you're up for getting beaten."
"Oh, that's how it's going to be?" The man looked back at her before grinning slowly and standing with his tea. "Because I might have some tricks up my sleeves yet, child."
Humming and picking up her tea, she let her lips quirk up slightly as she followed him out. "We'll see about that, old man. I learned from the best and I never back down from a challenge."
The silvery-grey eye and dark brown eye that glanced back at her were lined with a smile. "Yes, I hear that's why you're doomed to die to that new Dark Lord."
"...kill him."
Mmmm. I think I'm starting to like his dry humor.
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A/N: Grindelwald: Criminal record?
Grindelwald: The only crime I've committed is killing it on the dance floor hahaha
Grindelwald:
Grindelwald: Well no, actually. I have committed a few murders...
~
Lena: *happens to mention marriage once (1)*
The Locket, hyperventilating: But what would we wear and who would be the ring bearer? Would it be a traditional binding ceremony, because Nick and Perry would probably loan us the binds they used- you know, for good luck and all plus they're like your grandparents and oh should we get chocolate or vanilla cake? Maybe strawberry though because Blaise hates that, or-
Lena: Riddle, honey, what the actual heck
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^-^ I love them so much and no one can convince me that Albus doesn't have a whole underground society of Cool Old People TM