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Six – A little Breather


Staring at the high ceiling with wide eyes, I didn't care that I looked like I tried to catch flies with my open mouth. I was just too impressed with the suite. Yes, the generous building in Vienna had been beautiful to look at, but the room I was currently standing in was oozing the grandeur and flamboyance of the past century.

Still standing in the entry area, I gawked without shame, not caring that Gustav was stuck behind me, waiting patiently to be able to enter the main area of the suite. But I just had to take a few seconds to take everything in.

The floor was made out of shiny, dark marble, that looked like the surface of a lake during midnight. Plush seating accommodations were located in the middle of the main room, made out of dark wood that was barely lighter than the floor. A rich piano was facing the seating area near the windows. The dark accents of the room were lightened by the ecru silk wallpaper, that was adorned with the most delicate paintings and embroidery, that concluded in gold-plated stucco at the ceiling. The chandelier glittered and reflected the light of the evening sun that shone through the huge windows, casting the whole sitting room in a magical atmosphere.

It was utterly opulent, luxurious and sumptuous, and I had never seen something like that. I felt out of place in my baggy trousers and battered knapsack.

"So, this is our suite?", I asked Gustav, finally moving out of the way so he could pass by me.

"Of course", he answered offhandedly, not even looking at his surroundings. "This has been my suite for years now. Whenever I visit Paris, I stay here."

"Of course", I parroted tonelessly, eyeing him warily.

Just how much money had his family? Watching him disappear in one of the doors at the opposite side of the piano, I hoped that his family wasn't too important. It would be my luck if I imperius'ed someone from an influential family that would be after my head then. It wouldn't be any less ethical to use this curse on someone who hadn't the financial resources to send an assassin after me, but I felt wary nonetheless.

"Gustav", I yelled across the room, still frozen in the entry area, "what did you say was your last name again?"

"Piëch!", came the muffled reply.

Frowning, I tried to come up with any relation to that name, but none came to mind. He wasn't known in the Wizarding world, I would have heard of him, even if I had stayed rather secluded in Rumania the last few years. So, it seemed that he had made a name in the Muggle world, if he could afford a suite in a hotel like this.

Walking slowly into the room, I ghosted my fingers of the backrest of the lavish armchair, enjoying the smooth feeling of the silk and the fluffy one of the velvet. I continued through the room, stopped at the piano to look at of the big window that stretched at one side of the room. We had a rather lovely view of the Eiffel tower. I knew that most Frenchmen disliked the building, but I found it fetching. It was bold and unique, clearly different from the rest of Paris. It was special.

Some noises made me step curiously towards the open door Gustav had disappeared through earlier and I leaned into the doorway, looking around to see Gustav struggling to hang his suits. I had to smirk at that and waved my hand, sending the suit first to hang from the coat hanger, then to send it into the wardrobe. Gustav jerked in surprise, but gave me a boyish grin when he saw it was just me. I smiled in return.

"I have to prepare some business meetings", he informed me, "you can make yourself comfortably. Through the other door is the bathroom, maybe you want to freshen up after the Portkey."

Both of us knew that it wasn't necessary, but I still nodded and trotted back to the other door, opening it, only to freeze there like I had when I'd first entered the apartment. The bathroom was almost as big as the living room. A huge bathtub stood freely in the room, spacious enough to have room for two people taking a bath at once. Although Gustav had made all those rather explicit comments about our relationship, I was sure that this tub would only ever see one of us at a time. A head-high mirror covered almost all of the wall on the side of the bathroom, while the other wall showed the nearby park through a sized window. More marble but in a fair colour was complimented with silver accents from the faucets. A silver shelf held numerous bottles and jars, probably filled with soap, bodywash, shampoo and lotion. It was lovely and I simply couldn't resist.

Without hesitation, I walked balk to Gustave and surprised him once more in his preparations for his meetings. He only lifted an eyebrow in inquiry to my presence.

"I'll occupy the bathroom for the next couple of hours. I don't want to be disturbed unless there is an emergency", I said with authority.

I was getting rather good in spotting the little tells that showed that there was an Imperius at work: the split-second of emptiness in Gustav's eyes, the blank expression that was replaced by instant compliance, the lack of enquiry and the slight tug at my magic to enforce my demand.

"I won't disturb you unless there is an emergency", the wizard repeated reliably and gave me a charming smile when the haze left his eyes.

Walking back to the washing room with a skip in my step, it only took my a few moments to lock the door and slip out of my clothing. A couple of moments later, the bathtub was filled with scented and bubbly water, the heat already relaxing my stiff muscles as I leaned back in the tub.

Soaping up a washcloth, I ran it over my body, using the time not only to clear my skin of any muck, but also taking stock of my injuries. I had quite a few bruises on my shins, but nothing too worrisome. My back still ached a bit from the attack of the hag, but the discolouration had already lessened to a greenish-yellow, that was barely visible. The slashes from the hag on my arms, when I'd tried to keep her from scratching up my face, were already scarred over just like the bite on the back of my neck. It was a network of bright and jagged lines, that stood out slightly. Running my hands over them, I could clearly feel them, but they weren't too obvious. My most distinct 'injuries' were the runes on my fingers that I had cut myself. They were dark from the ashes and soil and one could clearly see them for what they were. I sighed. Magical folk would recognize them, which meant that I should probably hide them. Blood magic and rune magic was still scowled upon.

Dumping the cloth on the bathroom floor, I held my hand out to accio my wand nonverbally. Taking care of everything – hair-removal spells, manicure and pedicure charms, deep cleansing charms for the skin and hair and many more – took me long enough for my fingers to shrivel up like an old prune. Finally, I was done and got out of the bathtub, moving to grab for a towel when I saw my reflexion in the huge mirror. It made me pause. Waving my wand lazily over my form to dry myself with magical means, I examined my naked body critically.

At large, I looked the same. Rather petite frame, with slim limbs, small breasts, toned muscles that were evidence of the physical training I'd received. My dark brown hair reached my waist in messy waves, and the only jewellery that adorned my body was the signet ring form my father on my thumb. The only difference in addition to the tattooed runes I could spot were my eyes. Though they were still the same grey-blueish colour, the look was different. It was haunted and frightened, the dark circles underneath my eyes only enforcing the almost harrowed expression of them. It seemed like my eyes were one proof of the awful things I had already lived through. The runes on my fingers and my changing attitude the other ones. I was not happy with was I was seeing.

"Accio robe", I murmured, forcing my gaze from my reflection.

Tying the waistband securely, I made my way out of the bathroom and looked for Gustav. He was seated in the huge living room, occupying a chair with files and other paperwork surrounding him. He gifted me with an easy smile when he saw me walking towards him, clearing a space on the settee, so I could take a seat next to him.

"I thought you would take your time in the bathroom?", he asked, while he gathered the rest of the files.

His comment made me snort unladylike. I had been in the bathroom for more than two hours, that was more than enough time to take a bath several times over. It should have also been enough time for me to choose an outfit that would be appropriate for company, but as Gustav hadn't shown any interest in me except for the display to get me on board the Portkey, I felt rather safe and comfortable around him only wearing a bathing gown.

"It was more than enough time", I assured him. "Are you still preparing for your business meeting tomorrow morning?"

He hummed his agreement. "I want to convince other investors to buy into the Muggle stock market."

This made me curious. "Any shares in particular?"

"Yes, of course! My family has heavily invested in the automobile industry and the profit it quite large, even considering the Muggle war. My father has more long-time plans that involve this new invention of the Muggles."

"Fascinating", I said, meaning it.

It was not unheard that some Wizarding families reached out into the Muggle world to do business, but they were usually shy about it. Gustav on the other hand was explaining in a lively fashion how his father had started this particular business and how they wanted to expand.

"What will you do during my meeting tomorrow?" he asked when he finished his explanation.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I thought about going to a Gringotts branch. There is some business I should take care of. Do you know where one is?"

"You can just take the Floo from the hotel, it won't be a problem. If you like, we can leave the apartment together tomorrow morning and I accompany you, before my meeting starts."

Eyeing him carefully when I felt another tug on my magic, I suddenly understood. The Imperius was still pushing him to help me. He wasn't asking because he was such a nice guy – though I didn't doubt for a moment that he was a gentleman – but he was asking because my curse still forced him to help me. Clenching my jaw, I tried to ignore the pang of guilt and calmed myself with the knowledge that I could lift the curse in a few hours. Tomorrow evening was his return-Portkey scheduled, afterwards I would relieve him of my curse. Until then, I would have to use him, no matter how I felt about it or how unethical it was.

"Yes, that would be nice", I gave him an answer for his proposal.


With a tense smile and a nod, I stood up to leave the room. No matter how hard I tried to silence the voice in my head that was telling me that I was doing something awful, I wasn't successful. Staying in his company was only making things worse.

Taking the first deep breath since what felt like hours, I got in line in front for the counter where the goblins received their customers. I rolled my shoulders to lose the tension that I had gotten from spending the night on the chesterfield, leaving the bed to Gustav. He'd actually tried to convince me to take the bed, but a little tug on that damned curse and he'd easily relented. I was thankful that Gustav was on his way now. Ever since my realisation yesterday night was I feeling like an evil witch from the Muggle child stories. I was forcing my will upon him. It didn't matter that I didn't demand atrocious deeds from him, just taking his free will was awful enough.

Fortunately, the day was filled with errands that I had to handle, always careful to not be recognized by anyone. The most nervous had I been when I had sent a priority owl to the British Ministry with an official request for asylum. I had taken me a long time and much worries if I really wanted to write the letter or not, but I had finally decided that I would do so. It was a risk – a great one at that – but if they recognized my request, there was a chance that I would be in safety in a fraction of the time that it needed me to physically go to the ministry.

All of the errands had distracted me enough from my moral dilemma with Gustav. We would see each other again this evening before he would journey back to Austria, then he would be free of me at last. I was actually considering writing him an apology letter, which would be the worst idea ever. Gustav would then have proof of my casting of an Unforgivable Curse, a confession in form of a letter. More so, there would be evidence of him helping me – no matter if forced or freely – which would endanger him to Grindelwald's men. And he was already in danger because of me. Thinking about all of this made the steel-band around my chest appear once more and I felt constricted with all of my emotions. Guilt, fear, anger, confusion and desperation.

"Next", the nasally voice of the goblin shook me out of my rumination.

Quickly, I strode up to the high counter with the free goblin, unhappy with the small distance between the customers. If I wasn't careful, others could overhear everything that would happen during the transaction. Unfortunately, I couldn't change that now, I could only hope that the goblin wouldn't expose me.

"Request?", the sharp-toothed gobbling drawled without looking up from his writing.

"A matter of vault transfer and withdrawal."

"Identification."

I laid my right hand on his counter, blocking his writing thus. My signet ring was in plain view, the crest of the Gregorovic family easily discernible. It was bold of me to show this little spectacle of disrespect by interrupting the goblin, but making business with them was never easy, and what goes around, comes around. The goblin would set the tone of our affair, I would simply follow.

He stiffened and then looked up at me, his eyes narrowed. He clearly recognized me and judging from the tiny display of emotion, I guessed that he also knew who was after me. Holding my breath, I waited for his reaction.

"I'm assuming the lady wants all the vaults listed under her name for official recognition?"

I exhaled with feeling.

"Yes."

"Then we need blood verification. The charges are the usual."

Only nodding my acceptance, I didn't even flinch when he swiftly conjured a piece of parchment and a huge pin, poking me in my index finger to draw some blood. One drop of it landed on the parchment and I knew that my genealogy was listed following, sporting the House of Dulo as my first ancestors. With another swish of his hand, the parchment and pin disappeared, the face of the goblin sporting a calculating expression.

"The vaults are officially yours now. Are we moving forward to the withdrawal now?"

"Not yet", I shook my head, "can you make the typical announcement of the acquisition of the vaults to my person? Of course, only if the information about my location would be handled sensitively."

"If that is was the lady wishes", the goblin answered, almost able to hold his sneer in.

Nodding again, I continued. "Also, I'd like that the access to my vaults is only given if I am able to produce evidence of my status as materfamilias" – I wiggled my thumb with the signet ring – "and blood verification."

With another demonstration of wandless magic, the goblin took note of the desired changes regarding my vaults. Thus, did I not only keep distant family members at bay, that tried to take hold of my vaults if they hastily decided that I surely must be dead and wanted to take power over my inheritance. But also was it a sing of life for anyone who was looking for me. Grindelwald already knew that I was still alive, his forces were after me. But maybe some of my friends or some of my family members wanted to help me. Or even just a strange good Samaritan, that wanted to put one over Grindelwald. I didn't care. The announcement wouldn't hurt me but could possibly help. And the raised security measures would also have no bad consequences for me. No imposter could access my vault and there was no way in hell that I would let go of my father's signet ring.

"Noted", the goblin informed me.

"On to the withdrawal then", I waited for the goblin to nod, before I continued, carefully aware of the other customers around me. "Are the conditions for a money pouch still the same?"

"Yes", came the drawled answer.

This meant that the purses were still equipped with a featherlight and an extension charm, ensuring that you could take almost as many Galleons as you wanted without any thoughts needed for space or weight. Considering that I still had many – and expensive – errands to run, I decided on a sum, unsure how I should voice it without the customer next to me overhearing me demanding an astronomical amount of Galleons. Up until now, I felt like we had done a great job of keeping my personality undetected.

"Then I'd like a pouch. I want one tenth of my small personal vault transferred to that pouch, half of it in small coins."

Not batting an eye, the handler snapped his fingers and a purse appeared on the counter. He stopped me when I wanted to reach for it. It took me a few seconds to realize that I needed to wait a few more moments for the purse to magically fill with that large amount of money.

"When may the announcement of the vaults' handover be made?" the goblin asked, obviously making it look like we were still discussion business and not as if I was waiting for a purse that took forever to be filled because it held so many Galleons.

"What is the usual timeline?"

"The next workday, in the morning hours."

"I think it would be best to stick to that then", I said.

"Naturally", the goblin consented, making another note on his parchment.

Then, he finally slid the money pouch over the counter to me. Tying to appear calm and not if I was holding a fortune in my hand, I fixed the pouch inside my cloak close to my chest, where I could feel if someone was trying to relieve me of it.

"Other requests?" I was asked.

I shook my head in negation.

"Thank you for the good business", I concluded, already moving to get out of the bank.

"The lady?", the goblin called me back before I'd fully turned around to leave Gringotts. Catching my gaze, he bared his teeth. "I wish the best of luck."

I nodded in thanks and left the bank quickly, feeling unsettled by the handler. I had no idea if his wish was a macabre joke at my expense or if he really hoped that I could avoid Grindelwald's clutches. Knowing the goblins, it was probably the former.


With almost a third of my withdrawal gone, I apparated back to the suite, aiming for the living room. I knew that Gustav's meetings would last to supper, if one of those meetings was not even a business dinner in itself. So, I made myself comfortable on the cool marble ground and unpacked the numerous shopping bags and parcels. I hadn't bought too much, but I'd bought the very best quality where I found it necessary.

The basics for the continued journey had been a no brainer for me. More food rations, a map of Europe – surprisingly, my drawing hadn't been that off – a piece of soap, a sturdy Muggle outfit and a modest cloak for when I entered wizarding company – both would replace my used clothing. Quickly, I slipped out of the old garments and into the new ones. Stout leather boots, linen slacks, a tight brassier that would flatten my already unimpressive chest, a new cap, a loose short-sleeved shirt and a jacket to go on top. I had a heavier coat, but I would probably only need that for the night-times. The typical wizarding cloak was black and with a big hood in which I could hide my face. The cloak and the coat were stuffed in my knapsack, almost exhausting the extension charm.

The interesting purchases were those, that I'd made regarding my safety. Having a dagger was fine and dandy, but since the hag incident, I really ached for something bigger. A small part of my training with my father had consisted of physical fighting. I could defend myself quite well, even if I wasn't a master in the offensive. And he'd also trained me for various weapons. Sadly, I was only passable with one kind: the sword. As I could never travel unobtrusively with a sword on my body, I chose a short-sword that was a bit longer as my underarm and roughly as wide. It had no guard to keep it small and no decorations on the handle. But it was made out of silver with beautiful inscribed runes for protection and strength. The runes had attracted me to the sword, as I felt some kind of connection to it. Maybe it was my sentimentality because of the runes on my fingers, but I chose the weapon nonetheless.

Along with the short-sword, I chose a scabbard for my back. One strap each wrapped around my shoulders, not unlike my knapsack, to meet in between my shoulder blades. Another belt was fixed around my waist. Like that, I could sheath the sword between the shirt and the jacket, resting along my spine. Thankfully I was rather agile, so it was no problem grabbing the hilt of the sword from within my shoulder blades.

I also purchased a second dagger, to add to the one I had brought from home. The old one was still sheathed in my new boots, the new one found a home in a sheath on my left underarm. Thus, I felt heavily armed and better prepared for my journey. With two wands and three blades, I felt like I was less vulnerable.

Pointing my wand at my old clothes, I whispered quietly, "Evanesco."

That taken care of, I reached for the last item that I had bought. A pair of soft and thin leather gloves. Those would hide the runes on my fingers. I was concerned that someone would see them. Wizarding folk would know that they meant, and tattoos were frowned upon in the Muggle world, as far as I knew. So, I chose to better hide them.

A little tapping at the window made me flinch and I whirled around, my wand pointing at the noise. It was an owl that obviously demanded to be let into the apartment, and it took me a few moments to realize that it was the same owl that I had sent to the British Ministry this morning. I had known that the priority owls were fast but travelling back and forth in a matter of hours was impressive.

I rushed to the window and wretched it open, my hands shaking with nerves. I took me a few attempts to loosen the scroll from the owl's leg and I had to murmur soothingly at her to keep her from nipping my fingers. Finally, I was able to get the parchment free and unrolled it as quickly as possible. It held only a one-liner.

Your request has been recorded; file number: #FA7323998lp003

"What?" I murmured confused.

What was this?

I distractedly stoked the fluffy head of the owl and only realized then that the majestic owl was rather ruffled. Her feathers were rumbled, and she seemed rather haggard. Almost as if someone had tried to catch her but failed so because she had put up a fight.

In bewilderment, I stared at the automatic reply from the British Ministry and the messenger owl. I had no idea if the owl had been intercepted but clearly the Ministry wasn't going to help me. In a sudden rush of anger, I lit the parchment on fire and burnt it. The bird squeaked in indignation, but I could calm it down with a few pets. Smoothing down the feathers I searched for any injuries, but there were none. Thankfully, the owl was alright.

Opening the window again, I let the bird fly away, watching it getting smaller in the sky until I couldn't see it anymore. So, the Ministry wouldn't be of any help. That wasn't too much of a surprise, though I had to admit that I was disappointed. Why did they simply file my request without anyone really reading it? I breathed deeply to centre myself again, trying to let go of the frustration. The breathing helped a bit and I calmed down.

With perfect timing, I heard the door of the suite open and close as I'd calmed my nerves again. Turning around, I saw Gustav stepping into the room, a slightly exhausted expression on his face. Instantly, I felt the twinge of familiar guilt. There were only hours left before I could finally lift the curse off him. I was glad about it. The constant siphoning of my magic was becoming a strain, and I couldn't wait to change that.

"You look fierce", he gave me a charming if not tired smile, eyeing my outfit with curious eyes.

"Thank you", I answered uncomfortable, twisting my loose hair into a messy bun. "How did your meetings go?"

"Oh, just like expected! The business can expand but not to the extent that I hoped."

I nodded, clearing my throat as silence began to stretch between us. Gustav was just looking at me, and I wanted to cry with the knowledge that he'd only been nice to me because I forced him to. I had used him, I had taken his free will and just everything about this situation was so very wrong.

"When is your Portkey scheduled?" I asked, when he kept his silence. I had no idea if he acted so calm because of the Imperius or because he decided so, but I felt extremely uneasy. This was just not right.

"In an hour. Will you leave with me?"

I frowned at his question, searching his face for a hint why he'd asked it. I found no indication for any emotion, his face the typical blandness of the Imperius. I grimaced.

"No," I answered and took a deep breath before I continued, lacing my voice with the command that would enforce the curse. "You will pack your things and leave for the Portkey, taking it home as planned. One the way, you will inform the hotel staff that you need this room for this night as well. Tomorrow at midday, you will feel the curse slipping off you, leaving you with the free will you had before you met me. For the following week, you won't be able to tell anyone about me. Afterwards, you can choose for yourself if you want to go to the authorities, but I would advise against it."

Gustav's eyes clouded and his face slackened even more. "I will pack my things. I will pay for the room and leave Paris. I won't tell anyone about you for the following week."

Seconds later, his usual cheery but still slightly tired expression was back in place.

"I will sort my luggage", he informed me.

I nodded, but I had the feeling that I should say something more. Our departing words should not be my last command to him.

"Gustav", I called him back and he turned around with a polite expression on his face.

I opened my mouth but my voice failed. What was I supposed to say to him? Thank you? But I'd forced his help, he hadn't given it freely. I'm sorry? Yes, I was sorry, but I would use him for the opportunity to travel to France again, so the apology was worth nothing. My conflicted emotions warred in my chest, making it ache with self-loathing. So, I only closed my mouth and shook my head, gesturing him to continue with his packing, dismissing him thus. Nothing I wanted to express could be put in words.

I turned my back to him and stared out of the window, keeping my gaze fixed on the Eiffel tower. Almost half an hour later, I heard Gustav walking through the living room towards the entrance door, leaving the suite for his Portkey. Still standing in front of the windows, I clenched my fists until I felt my fingernails breaking the skin. Listening to him slip into his coat, I knew that this was the last opportunity I had to say something.

But I couldn't. I didn't turn around, neither did I wish him goodbye.

When the door clicked shut, I felt my shoulders drop and sighed deeply. Finally, I was alone again. And if being alone meant that the evidence of my crimes was not in sight anymore, I welcomed the soleness. Maybe it meant that I could suppress my sense of guilt better.