His feet slammed into the ground, painfully jarring his knees. The first thing Grey noticed was the bitterly cold wind that blew harshly about them. Reluctantly, he let go of Richard's hand. As expected, they were standing on a worn track, surrounded by snow-capped pines that clung to heavily inclining slopes.
He could not see the tops of the mountains for the cloud coverage was so thick. Given the moisture in the air, Grey assumed they were at a high enough elevation to be in them. Maybe it was the anxiety ripping at his chest, but the air felt thinner. Ahead of him, shielded by a tall rort iron gate stood the dark castle he knew so well from dreams and visions. From this angle, the steep cliffs it was built into were obscured but Grey couldn't help but feel glad he had not been burdened with a fear of heights.
"Walk forward," Credence ordered in a detached tone.
Sending a quick glance at Richard. Grey obeyed. His friend's face was perfectly apathetic as they began to move. So, gripping his wand in his pocket, Grey mirrored his expression. Before them, Grey could see the familiar courtyard and a nasty thought struck him, a reminder of his vision where Grindelwald murdered someone in that very space. But as he watched the little door open, and a trail of coldly familiar faces emerge, he felt comforted that they did not stand in the same positions. Gellert Grindelwald led them of course. He was taller than he appeared in the visions and seemed to ooze power with a small smirk on his lips.
Pausing before the gate, they waited as Credence unlocked it with a wordless spell and ushered them into the courtyard. It was sealed similarly behind them. Grey tried to focus on the thestrals in the stable, just beyond the dark wizard, ignoring the ominous certainty he felt that everyone present could see them.
Every aspect of his being was shrinking, cringing, tearing to distance himself from the man before him yet he stayed perfectly still. Running only provoked predators. An eternity seemed to pass before anyone spoke. Grey thought he might miss the first words as the pounding of his heart was so loud. But he did not, could not, in the end.
"It's good to see you Grey," Grindelwald almost purred.
For someone so abhorrently evil, his voice was so deep and gentle. It felt like a trap.
The dark wizard's hands hung wandless at his sides. His mismatched eyes flickered to Richard.
"And who is your friend? Speak child."
There was no malice in his tone. Besides him, Grey heard Richard shift.
"Richard Macmillen." He answered smoothly.
Grey resisted the urge to display his surprise at the statement. Of course, Richard would lie, claiming pure blood. Grindelwald was known to hate his kind.
"Macmillen you say?" Grindelwald mused, glancing behind him at the beautiful blonde witch Grey had seen in his visions.
Though she was keeping a straight face, Grey could swear that there was some fear behind her eyes. When she nodded, Grindelwald turned back to the boys.
"I am glad Grey has a pureblooded friend loyal enough to accompany him here, welcome Richard."
Grey noted two things at his words, that he had used his preferred pronouns (which he definitely hadn't expected) and that the welcome did nothing to ease his anxiety for Richard's safety. While he pondered this, Grey realized that the dark wizard was approaching him. Instantly he took a few steps back. Grindelwald paused his advance and laughed softly to himself.
"Of course. You fear me, rightly so. Let me make myself clear. I have no intention whatsoever of harming you Grey," He stated plainly, "But if you cross me, or disobey me in any way, Richard will suffer your consequences, understand?"
Filled with terror, Grey nodded stiffly.
"Good." Grindelwald smiled, "I don't want to hurt him, but I will do what I must. Now let me look at you."
This time when he moved closer, Grey stayed reluctantly still. Grindelwald reached up, holding his face with both hands, surveying him almost like a butcher studies a piece of meat.
"Such unique features," He evaluated, "To be expected of course."
He gently grasped the streak of white hair with one hand, twisting his head to address his acolytes.
"We all know where he gets this from," He chuckled.
The gathered mechanically echoed his laughter and Grey focused on the thestrals who shifted in their stable at the noise. He dismissed the strangeness of the comment.
"You are cold, let us go inside."
Grindelwald released his face.
"Rosier, prepare a room and spare clothes for Richard, he will be staying with us too."
At his demand, a frightening witch in elegant teal robes bowed her head and strode into the castle.
Grindelwald led them all inside then stopped before his assembled group of followers in the entrance hall. It was dimly lit and a dark paneled staircase twisted upwards in the right corner. The rest of the hall was lined with several closed doors. But at least it was warm within.
"Now, introductions," He began, beaming at his followers. Pointing from left to right, he introduced the half-a-dozen ensemble.
"First we have Abernathy, Queenie," He pointed to the blonde witch, "Sable, Delpha, Raphael, and of course Aurelias."
Grey glanced at the obscurial, wondering what had made him settle on the name.
"And the other woman was Rosier. These are my dear friends and colleagues." Grindelwald finished with a proud smile.
Grey resisted the desire to make a snide comment about cultists. As the dark wizard finished, Rosier descended the stairs.
"I have prepared the room besides Grey's for the boy." She exclaimed.
She had a thick French accent which only added to her sophisticated demeanor.
"Excellent. Queenie, would you mind showing the boys to their rooms?" Then he turned back to them, "Lunch is in half an hour. I'll let you settle in, then Queenie will come and fetch you for the meal."
With that, he strode off, entering the opposite room. As the others followed, Grey caught a glimpse of a large sitting room that lay within, bathed in light from huge paned windows.
"If you two just follow me," Queenie beamed.
Her voice was light and bubbly, American though Grey being unknowledgeable in such things could not identify the region. The friendliness she displayed felt so out of place in the shadowed hallway.
Still not saying a word, they both followed her to the upper floor. Every door they passed was closed, every corridor hewed from dark stone and lit by black iron braziers. Though the atmosphere was similar (if smaller) to Hogwarts, everything felt distinctively more abhorrent.
"Don't worry, this place may feel like a maze but you'll soon know your way," Queenie chattered through the silence. Her words sounded forced.
"Here you are," She smiled as they reached the end of a corridor, "You are in the far one Grey and Richard is here. Holler if you need anything, if not I'll come grab you in twenty minutes."
She gave them one more charming smile then bustled off back down the corridor. Grey was genuinely surprised they had been left alone. It almost intimidated him.
"You alright?" He spoke finally, turning to Richard. There was a notable tremor in his voice.
"I think so."
"Good thought on the name change."
"Yes," Richard breathed out uncertainly, "That was all very weird."
Grey nodded in agreement. "Much friendlier than I expected."
"I wouldn't call threatening to hurt me friendly," Richard huffed, a noticeable quake in his tone too, "But it's not at all like how I thought."
"I won't let them hurt you," Grey stated firmly, grabbing hold of Richard's arms.
The Slytherin looked down at him, gently lifting his hand to caress Grey's face. Heat rose to Grey's cheeks at the gesture.
"You couldn't stop them, Grey," Richard whispered sadly, "You lose all your fights. But thank you anyway."
"I don't lose all my fights," He grumbled, wrapping his arms around Richard's waist.
The taller boy snorted, "You lose enough. Anyway, let's have a look at these rooms."
With a fleeting kiss on Grey's forehead, Richard pulled away, going to the two doors. He opened them to reveal small rooms, identically furnished and matching each other in layout. By a small arched window opposite the door was a neatly made single bed. Both were bundled with several blankets so Grey knew they wouldn't have to worry about being cold. Besides the bed was a small table with a candle. Then, on the far wall from the door, stood a simple wardrobe. The rooms were dim and half paneled with dark wood but they looked comfortable enough, if gloomy.
Parting, they each entered their assigned room. Grey went immediately to the bed to look out of the window. It had a simple catch that could be opened and Grey was confident his animagus form would be able to fit through it. The view was dominated by mountains that surrounded the valley where the castle was built above. He presumed it was a valley. Because of the cloud, he could not see what lay beneath the cliff the fortress was built into. He wondered how high they were - how far the drop was.
Once he'd looked enough, Grey crossed the room to the wardrobe. Within, he found several sets of shirts, trousers, casual waistcoats, braces, and blazers, all roughly his size and in varying neutral tones. For some reason, he'd been expecting dresses but he was glad he could at least present how he wanted while here.
In the bedside table, which doubled as a small cupboard, he found folded socks and undergarments and even a few coloured ties. All the clothes he would need. He then noticed there was a long, thick material trenchcoat on a peg behind his door. It was black, a lot like the one that Aurelias had been wearing. A mirror also hung above a small sink adjacent to the door.
When he'd investigated enough, he wandered next door into Richard's room. The Slytherin was sat stoically on his bed so Grey sat beside him. Quietly, he laced his fingers with Richard's. He liked that they didn't have to deeply discuss the development of their relationship. Like most things, it was mutual and silently accepted, as if it had always been that way.
"So what are we going to do?" Richard asked softly, not daring to raise his voice above a murmur.
"Observe?" Grey muttered hopelessly, "Learn their movements, their security, try to get a message out, tell someone where we are - escape maybe?"
Truly, he had little hope, but he wanted to reassure Richard.
"Ok, but if they catch us, they will hurt-" His voice trailed off.
"Then we co-operate. Play their game as best we can. We have secrets too, advantages." He rambled desperately.
"Like what?"
"Well,"
Grey had to pause and actually try and think of some.
"I can turn into a bird, and prompt my visions. I reckon they won't know that," He whispered.
"Grindelwald wants you for your seer abilities, to spy on his enemies -"
"So I'll make him think I'm useless. I will direct my visions to useless things or even suppress them again." Grey finished Richard's sentence.
The Slytherin sighed. "It could work."
"All we have right now is hope," Grey lied.
In truth, he had no hope. Of course, he'd try all this for Richard but he worried that if he proved useless or somehow Grindelwald found out what they were doing, Richard would pay the price. He wouldn't let that happen. If worse came to worse, Grey decided he'd do anything to keep Richard safe, even if it meant using his abilities how they were intended.
The two sat in despaired silence, clinging to each other's hand. They only released them when they heard the click of Queenie's heels, coming to retrieve them. She poked her head around the door, smiling warmly at them both.
"You boys ready for lunch? We're having chicken pie."
Grey felt very uncomfortable hearing that his favorite meal would be served. He prayed it was just a coincidence. As they exited the room, Queenie pointed to the other door at the end of the corridor.
"I forgot to say earlier, that's your bathroom. There's a shower in there and a toilet but there's only hot water in the evening," She explained, "Now follow me, I'll take you downstairs."
They followed Queenie back into the entrance hall then threw the door into the room they saw Grindelwald enter. It was much larger than he'd initially realized. Around the corner from the couches he'd spied briefly, Grey saw a long dining table, set with silver, where everyone was already seated. Above it, hung a stunning crystal chandelier that looked thoroughly out of place next to the stone and emerald upholstery.
Grindelwald was sat at the head of the table and there were three empty seats. two to his right and one beside Aurelias on his left. Queenie took the latter and the dark wizard beckoned Grey to the one beside him.
Nervously, Grey took his seat opposite the obscurial with Richard on his right. With a wave of her wand, Queenie directed laden plates to each of them and the others began to eat. Grey just eyed his food. It looked and smelt delicious but he was hesitant. Next to him, Richard slowly began to eat too. As he didn't collapse, Grey ventured to try his meal.
It was the best chicken pie he'd ever tasted, much to his disdain. After a few moments of quiet eating, his host, or captor rather, spoke.
"So, Grey, I am sure you know why you're here." He stated casually.
Grey's grip on his cutlery tightened.
"You believe I am the person described in Tycho Dodonus' final prophecy," He said, keeping all emotion from his voice.
"Very good," Grindelwald smirked, "You are correct, that is one of the reasons you're here."
"One of the reasons?" He questioned, wondering what could possibly be another reason.
But Grindelwald just smiled, taking another bite of his food. Grey waited tensely for him to finish his mouthful.
"All in good time my boy," He chuckled.
Grey resisted the urge to glare at him, focussing instead on his food. He could feel Aurelias watching him intently from across the table.
"While you are here, I will be working with you to develop your prophetic abilities and I am conscious that I have severed you from your magical education so while I am busy with work, Abernathy will instruct you on everything you'll need," Grindelwald explained.
Glancing at Abernathy, Grey seriously doubted that the manic-looking wizard would even come close to the tutorage they had received at Hogwarts.
"When you are not with me or him," Grindelwald continued, "You are welcome to go and do as you please. There are plenty of books and we have chess and cards. Anywhere you are not permitted to go will be locked. And you will not be able to go beyond the gate. If you attempt to escape you will be found and punished, understand?"
"Yes, sir." They both muttered.
The amount of freedom they were being given was certainly unexpected.
"Excellent, I am sure you will settle in quickly."
Grey stopped eating, his appetite quickly diminishing. His mind was racing, dreading the next headache he got.
"So Richard, Grey, did you have a favorite subject at Hogwarts?" Queenie asked brightly, trying to fill the awkward silence.
"Defense against the dark arts," Richard replied strongly without a moment's hesitation.
Seated beside the most dangerous dark wizard of the age, Grey was equally horrified and impressed by Richard's guts. Queenie shifted uncomfortably, looking at the many stern expressions.
"What about you Grey?"
"Charms." He answered.
Queenie beamed, "Oh, I loved charms, I had an excellent professor at Illvermorny. Do you have a favorite professor?"
"How do your visions manifest?" Grindelwald interrupted with a note of tension in his tone.
"I get a headache. It randomly increases then my vision goes dark and I see things." He made sure to word his answer carefully.
"The mind is such a wonderfully complex thing," Grindelwald murmured wistfully, "Queenie, for example, is a natural legilimens."
Grey's stomach plummeted at his words.
She could read minds. Everything was over, she'd be able to know their plans, their secrets.
Yet, Grindelwald must have been checking their honesty earlier in the courtyard when he randomly looked at her. If so, she had lied for them. How far would she lie for them? Grey didn't feel hopeful. He tried to quiet his thoughts but the tension of the situation made it difficult.
By now, most people were finishing their meals and Queenie began to clear the plates.
"Now," Grindelwald began, turning to Grey, " My friends and I will be occupied this afternoon and evening but Queenie will be remaining present should you need anything. Behave, and I will likely see you tomorrow."
Grey wasn't sure if the last part was meant to be a threat but he certainly felt intimidated.
Nodding stiffly, the two boys rose and quickly excused themselves from the living room. They hurried upstairs, somehow navigating back to their rooms without issue.
"We need to be very careful with our thoughts around Queenie," Richard muttered darkly as they entered his room.
Grey leaned against the far wall, listening to the increasing wind. It wailed through the gaps in the castle like a banshee. Had anyone noticed their absence from Hogwarts yet? Was anyone looking for them?
"What do you think his other reasons for bringing you here are? There can't be much aside from your abilities." Richard pondered.
"Not sure, he seemed pretty set on the fact there were several."
It unsettled Grey, and he wondered if Grindelwald would have sought him out if he hadn't been a seer. He chewed anxiously on the inside of his cheek.
"We'll be ok, at least we have each other," Richard tried to sound somewhat cheerful.
Sighing, Grey sat beside him on the bed.
"Yes, I'm sure we will." He lied.
Maybe he could force himself to believe his lies too.