Chapter Thirty-Eight: Espionage

Time always seemed to heal wounds of the past.

Or at the very least, it helped conceal them.

Perhaps it was the fear of being left stuck in a memory one would rather forget, or the drive to find new ventures that helped bring forth delights that were seemingly long lost and forgotten. Whatever the reason may be, time always seemed to help people age into a different version of themselves.

Whether for better or for worse.

The same could be said for the copious wizards and witches crowding the room around her, for it was time and the promise of a new future that brought them together. How ironic that it was that very hopeful future they clung to that would lead to the destruction of the peace others found in the present.

Cordelia knew she wasn't one to talk, not when she too was gathered in the circle of wizardfolk observing the vigorous young man stalk his prey, but as she watched the young wizard seal the fate of an unsuspecting muggle, she couldn't help but feel the pool of dread in her stomach simmer away.

Perhaps it was because she was lucky enough to not be the one in the centre. The young mage forced into the eye of the storm as they committed crimes that would seal their fate, witnessed by a plethora of people from all across the wizarding world. People who had the power and position needed to ensure the new recruit wouldn't turn tail and run, lest risk being ostracized.

For once, Cordelia found herself feeling thankful for the murder she was tasked with at Beauxbaton, for it was that very feat that allowed her to blend within the crowd as an unsuspecting onlooker rather than being subjected to the customary tasks of a new recruit.

Murder had never seemed as much of a blessing as it did at that moment.

"Ah, witnessing this sight always reminds me of my initiation."

"You had to do it too?"

Cordelia was careful to keep her voice down even as she questioned her mother, with her gaze never once straying from the fumbling wizard before her.

"Of course. Proving your dedication is of the utmost importance when joining a society like the Dark Lord's."

Her mother seemed almost nonchalant as she continued as if she was recalling a fond childhood memory instead of a cold-blooded murder.

"I had to wait two years before being given the honour, unlike you who was welcomed with open arms. But of course, I wouldn't expect lesser from my daughter."

"You knew?"

Melania let out a small giggle at her daughter's question, with the sound only worsening Cordelia's annoyance.

"Of course! Who do you think dropped the letter in your room?"

Cordelia hummed at her mother's words, choosing to keep silent lest she risked voicing the betrayal she felt at her mother's confession.

It was only then that she finally chose to address the real reason she was here. The reason Cordelia had been so insistent on attending a grotesque murder rather than spending her Christmas eve tucked away beside the Slytherin common room's fireplace as she unwrapped presents with Orion.

The reason Dumbledore had so easily given her permission to witness and potentially partake in such a heinous event.

"Excuse me, mother. I think I'm going to go socialise."

Gellert Grindlewald wasn't anything like what she had expected him to be.

Perhaps it was due to her close association with Dumbledore, or perhaps it was simply easier to perceive him as an old wizard akin to her professor. But while the two sported identical white beards, Grindlewald seemed put together and refined, with neatly cut hair and finely pressed suits nothing like the loose robes Cordelia was accustomed to seeing on her professor.

He was tall enough to stand out from the crowd even as he moved through it, with the way the mages around him parted like the red sea only refining his tall stature.

The whispered gossip and criticism crowding the room seemed to almost immediately still at the sight of their lord, with the only sound in the room coming from the light click-click of Grindlewald's boots as he paced towards the muggle hunched over in the centre, and the young wizard towering over him.

"Today, we rejoice as another joins our ranks in his thirst for freedom."

Grindlewald's voice boomed across the chamber as he spoke, dramatically turning to look each mage around him dead in the eye before he came to a stop with his hand resting on the other wizard's shoulder.

"Freedom to be who he is without having to hide from the muggles, freedom to move freely between lands that are as much his as they are theirs. Freedom, to be a wizard unapologetically."

The room was filled with cheers at his words, but as everyone else stared proudly at their leader, Cordelia couldn't help but lock eyes with the muggle desperately grovelling on the floor, attempting to beg for help even as the muffling charm cast upon him made it impossible to do so.

"Go on, finish the deed. Join us, young one, and let your righteous acts be a stepping stone in your path to greatness."

The push from Grindlewald was all the young wizard needed to finally lifted his wand and mutter the two-worded forbidden curse that had the muggle before him dropping to the ground like a fly.

The room was almost immediately filled with cheers and applause, with the sound of the dead body hitting the floor being all but drowned out as the crowd gathered around her welcomed their new recruit with open arms and hearty words.

Any unsuspecting onlooker would have probably thought the young man had recently graduated with the way everyone seemed to all but light up.

Even Melania was quick to rush into the little cluster the majority of wizardfolk gathered around the room had formed, however, as the crowd around her thinned Cordelia couldn't help but find herself turning towards the other direction to instead watch as Grindlewald headed to a little door in the corner she had previously overlooked.

But he wasn't her target for the night. No, it was the stout woman escorting him who Cordelia had to get talking.

"You don't seem as pleased as the others."

A small gasp escaped the woman's painted lips as she turned to face Cordelia, with her left hand almost automatically moving to rest on her wand. However, her surprise was just as quick to disappear, instead being replaced with a tight smile that seemed forced enough for Cordelia to question whether she was really a pureblood, for there was no way a pureblood woman of such stature could ever be as bad at faking a smile as she.

"Cordelia Black, yes?"

"You know me?"

The stoic witch scoffed at her question, almost as if she was offended. However, she was quick to pick up the conversation as she once again sunk back against the concrete wall.

"There are very few who don't. At least, not after your performance at Beauxbaton."

Something told Cordelia the other witch wasn't just referring to the way she handled the Triwizard Tournament, however, mentioning as much would only serve to deviate the conversation.

"Thank you. Although, as someone who has played such a crucial part in the war, I could say the same."

"Ah, I see you've done your research."

Her accent was far heavier than anyone Cordelia had met before, making it clear that the witch before her was in fact one of Grindlewald's French allies, and judging by the intel Dumbledore had provided it, was also an influential member of the French parliament. A factor that only served to heighten her precaution.

"It is a shame the Lord chooses to leave the likes of you out of the heart of the war. You would be a great asset. Although, I suppose it is for the best to not involve the English."

There were two ways she could have handled that situation, and while Cordelia itched to snap back on the inside, she couldn't help but act bitter on the out, as if she too was upset about missing out on a war that would likely have her lying dead on a battlefield she never wanted to step foot on.

"Especially not when we are so awfully unaware of the war's happenings."

She seemed to jerk to life at Cordelia's words, almost as if she just realised something she was missing. Or rather, someone. After all, Grindlewald seemed to be awfully keen on making his grand exit as soon as possible, with the sight making the room jerk to life as mages Disapparated left and right.

"Well, Cordelia, it was a pleasure. We shall meet again at the next meeting. I believe you have a friend who owns the place."

It took her a moment, but as Cordelia watched the other witch nod as a form of goodbye and take her leave, she was quick to connect the dots. After all, there weren't a lot of French families who would send their children to Hogwarts rather than Beauxbaton, unless of course they happened to reside outside their homeland.

Cordelia had always thought she knew her friends well enough to be privy to their deepest secrets, whether it be malevolent adventures around the school grounds or serving dark lords and undertaking criminal tasks in their name, yet in her haste to catch up with her own problems, Cordelia had all but forgotten the possibility of there being another who was forced to serve both lords.

The Lestranges had always been close to the Black family, Cordelia was just foolish enough not to understand the underlying reason behind their alliance. Of course, it would stem from being brothers in arms.

Yet even with this knowledge, Cordelia could do nothing but silently watch as the crowd around the room began to disperse, wordlessly following her mother's form out of the chamber, and praying that the next time she returned to that room, Rodolphus wouldn't be the wizard in the centre.