"Oh, hello Grey." The familiar deep voice sounded as a figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
"I wasn't aware anyone knew about this room," Grindelwald added.
Every muscle in Grey tensed as he tried not to look as guilty as he felt.
"The door wasn't locked," He muttered tightly.
Grindelwald chuckled and stepped into the tower room.
"Don't worry, you're not in trouble."
But his words did nothing to comfort Grey. The traces of what he presumed was an anxiety-fueled headache began to creep up his skull.
"I noticed you weren't at lunch. Richard seemed quite worried," The wizard recounted casually.
Guilt stirred more fiercely in Grey as the tension headache intensified.
"I'm sorry."
Grindelwald smiled.
"I don't think it's me you should be apologising to."
"I just wanted somewhere quiet, to process everything," He strained through the growing pain.
"That's understandable," Grindelwald observed, "Unlearning an opinion about a man such as Dumbledore is undoubtedly difficult."
Grey's mind flickered to his professor. When, without warning, his headache flared. Realisation dawned too late. Darkness claimed him.
Dumbledore's office is unchanged. The professor sits at his desk, holding the vial necklace aloft.
Across from him sits Newt Scamander.
"You understand what this means Albus?" Newt inquires softly.
Dumbledore surveys the trinket with an expression of deep sadness.
"He's my son."
Each word is laced with guilt.
"It's not your fault, you didn't know," Newt tries to comfort the man.
"I am his father, I should have known, I should have-"
Dumbledore's voice breaks and so does the image.
Pine trees whip past him on all sides as the sound of dull hooves fills the forest.
The thestral are flying. As the image of the green light plays over and over in his mind.
Grey's knees were aching as he was thrust from his vision. He must have fallen onto them when it overtook him. Gasping for breath, he vaguely registered Grindelwald knelt in front of him. Grey flinched as hands grasped his face, raising it to meet the mismatched eyes of his captor.
"What did you see Grey?" The man demanded.
But Grey just shook his head as nausea swirled in his stomach. He found himself missing the gentleness of Dumbledore's presence.
Grindelwald sighed, releasing Grey's face. He watched the wizard's expression soften as he surveyed the boy's trembling form. Grey was to exhausted to protest when he carefully grasped the back of his head, pulling him towards his shoulder. Grindelwald's embrace was odd. It felt protective yet also imprisoning at the same time.
"You'll be alright, you're safe," The man murmured deeply.
And the low, calm tone of his voice did comfort Grey, much to his surprise. After a minute, both of them pulled away and Grindelwald guided him carefully to rest on the cold wall.
"I need you to tell me what you saw," Grindelwald repeated calmly, but there was a firm edge to his town.
Grey swallowed thickly. He didn't want to betray Dumbledore, especially as what he had seen was so personal. What if Grindelwald tried to capture Dumbledore's son, whoever he was, and use him against him?
"Grey."
This time there was warning in the wizard's words.
Hopelessly, Grey sighed, tapping the side of his head. Grindelwald seemed to understand him, pulling out his wand and pressing it to Grey's temple. A shiver went down his spine at the sensation of him extracting the memory.
He expected the man to place it into a crystal vial, but Grindelwald had other ideas. Grey's face screwed up in shock as the wizard inhaled the silvery blue strings of memory. For a moment, his eyes went milky white. Then he gasped, blinked, then they returned to normal.
A bitter smile twisted on his lips.
"So soon, he will finally know," He muttered darkly.
Grey didn't question him, settling to presume that he meant about Dumbledore's son.
"Thank you, Grey," Grindelwald added, offering him a hand.
Grey reluctantly took it, his legs still shaky from the vision.
"Let's get you downstairs."
Grey followed obediently, unnerved by the displeasure on Grindelwald's face. They descended the spiral staircase silently. Once at the bottom, Grindelwald called for Queenie and a few moments later the witch appeared in the corridor.
"Please see to Grey, I need to attend to something." He ordered.
Grey watched him depart, dreading what he was off to do. Queenie smiled warmly at him, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulders.
"We'll get you some food honey, that vision really took it out of you," She crooned.
Grey let her lead him downstairs as he trudged along tiredly. Queenie took him into a large kitchen, forcing him into a chair by the fire. It was only as he was enveloped by the heat that Grey realised just how cold he'd been. Meanwhile, Queenie totted about the kitchen, putting him together a plate of food and chattering.
"I was right worried about you after this morning, and then when you weren't at lunch," She made a little noise of discontent.
Grey couldn't understand how she could be so nice to him after knowing him for such a short amount of time.
"Of course, I knew Mr Grindelwald would look after you, but honestly, he could have reassured us that you were ok," She ranted.
With a small smile, she handed him the plate of food, which Grey gratefully began to eat. He made sure to thank her before he started though.
"Oh, you're quite welcome sugar," She bubbled, drawing a chair to sit beside him, "You're just as polite as he is."
Grey paused in confusion.
"As who?" He asked.
Queenie giggled, "As Mr Grindelwald of course, you've got his hair too."
He tried to fathom the connection she was making when her face fell momentarily as if she'd realised something. But it quickly returned to her normal wide smile.
"Oh, just ignore me," She chattered on, "I like to make strange, unrelated connections to pass the time."
But Grey kept his face blank at her words.
Queenie was a terrible liar.
Lo and behold, she immediately changed the subject.
"I recommend you get an early night tonight," She bustled, clearing his now empty plate, "But maybe speak to Richard first, he was dead worried about you."
Grey couldn't think of a better idea.
"Thank you, Queenie," He said as kindly as he could.
Then he rose and rushed from the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On his way to Richard's room, Grey noticed through a window, that the thestrals were no longer in their stables. He hoped they'd been set free or used because the sight of the empty stable sent guilt threw him.
Richard's door was open when he arrived. Stood by the window, Richard was picking a loose thread on his jumper as he stared absentmindedly through the glass. Hearing Grey enter, he swivelled around.
"Grey, I-"
"I sent a message to Hogwarts," Grey whispered, hurrying inside and shutting the door behind him.
But Richard didn't react in the slightest to his news.
"Are you alright? This morning-"
Grey cut him off again.
"Don't you understand, I told them where we are!" He muttered.
"I don't care about that right now I-" Richard grumbled.
"What! But-"
"Will you shut up for one minute and let me speak?" Richard snapped softly, "Are you ok, after earlier?"
"I'm fine," Grey lied.
Richard stepped forward and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Good," He breathed, "Now tell me about this message."
They split apart, sitting together on the bed.
"After my conversation with Grindelwald, I briefly saw Aurelias then I went up into this little tower room to think. Then I remembered that you could send messages through patronus." Grey explained rapidly.
"But you can't cast a full patronus," Richard interjected.
"Your right, but I practised and I managed it and then the next part sort of came instinctually. I sent it to Hogwarts, I told them where we are!" He finished with a smile.
For the first time since they had arrived at Numengard, Richard genuinely smiled.
"That's amazing! What was your patronus?"
Grey found it amusing that this was the part Richard was focusing on.
"A thestral," He muttered hastily, "Anyway, I also had another vision."
"What?"
Grey sighed, "Right, let me just monologue for a minute."
And he told Richard what had happened since the incident that morning, altering the subject of the conversation he and Grindelwald had in the office to seer related things - not mentioning Dumbledore. Richard listened intently. Throughout the explanation, his expression grew darker and more concerned.
"I wonder what else Grindelwald discovered that made him want to find you?" He professed solemnly.
Grey just nodded, thoroughly exhausted now.
"I think Aurelias knows more than he's saying," Added Richard, after a moment's silence.
Grey sent him a questioning glance.
"About you. He seems close to Grindelwald and considering your connection with the prophecy, I just have a feeling he knows more."
Resting his head on Richard's arm, Grey sighed deeply, hardly surprised that he had likely been lied to.
"Should we confront him?" He asked with a yawn, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Richard's arm was so comfortable.
"Maye, but we need to be careful. polite, we don't want to cause trouble. If we-"
Richard's soft tones faded as Grey fell soundly asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Grey came to, wrapped in Richard's arms and squidged, slightly uncomfortably, onto the single bed. For a moment, he lay in total bliss. Until the reality of the situation dawned on him and a blush crept across his cheeks.
Carefully and slowly, he wiggled out of the other boy's arms and tiptoed out of the room. He washed and dressed quickly. When he returned, Richard was awake, washing his face in the sink. With a small smile on his lips, his eyes flickered to Grey.
"Sleep well?" He smirked.
Part of Grey wanted to crumble at his smooth words but he stood fast.
"Yes." He replied confidently, then darted back to his own room.
Once Richard was ready, he strode into Grey's room.
"I think we should talk to Aurelias today." He announced.
"Ok."
"We should ask him what he really knows but like I said last night, we do it calmly and kindly. We cannot be causing trouble." He continued.
Grey nodded, ignoring his doubts that Aurelias would tell them anything. All throughout breakfast, he felt the tension building in his chest. He couldn't place the origin of the anxiety, he just had a bad feeling. To make matters worse, the reptile man was present at the meal, and would occasionally send him sadistic looks.
Grey felt sick. Every part of him wanted to leave this place but he didn't want to return to Hogwarts anymore. Though he didn't want to believe what Grindelwald had told him about Dumbledore, there was still a nagging doubt in his mind about his teacher. It was maddening.
The meal passed too quickly, and he soon found himself leading Richard to Aurelias' room. Before the last turn, Richard grabbed his arm to stop him and fixed him with an imploring look.
"Remember, calm and polite." He seemed to warn.
Grey just nodded and kept walking. His wand felt like a weight in his pocket.
Like yesterday, Aurelias' door was open. The young man was crouched with his back to this door, cleaning up the fragments of a smashed mirror.
"Aurelias?" Grey began cautiously.
The obscurial gave a start but then turned to face them.
"Could we talk to you?"
"Oh. Yes." He stuttered, beckoning them inside.
Grey made sure to close the door behind him.
"How can I help?" Aurelias asked as he offered them seats.
There was a beat.
Grey was trying to think of the best way to word his statement.
"I," He mumbled, "Uh, we think you didn't tell me everything you could have yesterday."
Aurelias eyed them both nervously.
"Well, I did." He stumbled over his words.
Internally, Grey noted the fumble, now certain that the young man was lying.
"I don't believe you," Grey stated blankly.
Rising from his seat, Aurelias hastened to the door, pulling it open.
"I'd like you to leave."
Despite the slight tremor in his words, his voice was firm. Grey sighed, standing and moving to leave. But then, Richard spoke. His voice was so gentle and calm.
"Grindelwald would never know that you told us. We won't talk to anyone else about it. It can just be between us. And if he finds out we know, we'll say we figured it out ourselves."
Aurelias looked conflicted, but then, he slowly closed the door.
"I really don't know much," He sighed, watching them closely.
"Then tell us what you do know."
Grey silently thanked Merlin for the way Richard was handling the situation.
"Ok," Aurelias nodded nervously, "All I know is when he came back from wherever he went and shut himself away, he was researching something. I passed him as he was coming out of the library and he was holding a book with something on the front, here-"
Pausing his explanation, he rifled through the papers on his table, eventually pulling out a folded scrap. He opened it and handed it to Grey. The sketch was rough and hurried, but with a nasty lurch in his stomach, Grey recognised what it depicted immediately. It was Dumbledore's mysterious floating trinket.
"I sketched what was on the cover and asked Queenie if she recognised it. She said she was pretty sure that it was a blood pact."
"A blood pact?" Grey interjected in confusion.
"Queenie didn't know much about them," Aurelias explained, "But I think that was what he was researching and whatever it is, it made him want to find you, an orphan between the ages of fifteen and sixteen in England. That's all I know, I swear." He opened the door again, "Now please go."
Both boys rose, moving towards the door. Before leaving, Grey smiled at Aurelias, muttering a hushed, "Thank you."
The door was shut behind them. Now alone, they both exchanged perplexed glances as the wandered slowly.
"The blood pact - it's the weird floating trinket thing that Dumbledore had, that I told you about," Grey whispered, worried they'd be overheard.
He felt like he had so many pieces of a puzzle but he didn't know what picture he was trying to make. Richard seemed equally as confused.
"I've never heard of them," He muttered, "Maybe we could find the book Grindelwald had in the library?"
"It's worth a shot."
But they looked in the library. In fact, they spent all afternoon, until they were called to dinner, pulling random books off the shelves in the hope they'd find a familiar symbol. They found nothing. Thoroughly disheartened they hardly spoke through their evening meal and during their late class, now led by Rosier rather than the reptile man. They were hardly fazed by the peculiar magic being described to them.
Grey's thoughts were entirely consumed by trying to figure everything out. By the time he went to bed, he was convinced his vision had been significant because Dumbledore was focused on the blood pact.
Maybe their discovery was somehow linked? Did Dumbledore make the blood pact with his son without realising it? And if so, how did Grindelwald link Grey to it and why did he feel drawn to the trinket? Perhaps he was related to Dumbledore's son?
The theories got wilder and more impossible over the next few days. Grey didn't even process when he'd been at Numengard for a week because he was so distracted. It was easy to zone out in the routine they followed. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served at around the same time every day. If he was around, he'd have seer lessons with Grindelwald in the morning, intense research in the library with Richard until dinner, dark art with Rosier then wild theorising until they were exhausted then bed. Yet they were still no closer to any answers.
The lessons with Grindelwald somehow managed to be the most interesting part of his day. Grey, much to his annoyance, found the wizards' vault of knowledge about prophetic powers very helpful. He now understood exactly how to recognise an approaching vision, and how to more accurately direct its focus.
All of this was informing Grey exactly what not to do when one arose. He was still adamant that Grindelwald would not access his full abilities. The dark wizard also continued to be affectionate and kind towards him, which Grey was just adding to his mental stack of clues. Grindelwald hadn't spilled any more dark details about Dumbledore though, aside from frequent insults towards the man.
Grey's next vision came mid-way through the next week while he was in a lesson with Grindelwald. But he was smart. This time he purposely focused on Quidditch, rather than Dumbledore as Grindelwald had suggested. Lo and behold, all he saw was the outcome of the next Quidditch world cup final.
As he lurched forward out of his trance, Grey couldn't help but deliriously snigger to himself. In his bewildered state, it was difficult to make his emotions.
"How are you feeling?" Grindelwald asked gently from beside him.
The calm words sobered the boy.
"Uh, good. Good." He stuttered as he recalled what would happen if the wizard discovered his deception.
"Was your vision about Dumbledore?"
Grey bit the inside of his cheek.
"Um, no." He confessed hesitantly, "I tried to focus, like you taught me but all I saw was the Quidditch final results."
His heart was beating rapidly in his chest.
"I see," Grindelwald said tightly.
His face was blank of emotion but Grey was sure he detected disappointment in his tone. Triumph flared in him, unaffected by the tone of the man he was not trying to impress.
"Who won?"
"Denmark."
Grindelwald put on a clearly forced smile.
"Ah, my home country, excellent."
A tense silence passed between them.
"Well, I suppose you may go. But remember what I said - you've got to concentrate on what you want to see."
Grey nodded as he exited.
Once free of the room, he could no longer contain his proud smirk. He had just fooled the most powerful dark wizard in Europe. Full of joy, he beamed at Queenie as he passed her on the stairs. All he could think about is that he couldn't wait to tell Richard.