Chapter 71

Harry awoke to the sound of a whistle. The train had arrived in Budapest with a feeling of deceleration, and he groaned slightly as he attempted to sit up in the small train bed. The main thing that was stopping him was the arm around his chest. As he blinked several times it took a long moment to realize how he found himself in the situation. Then he felt his cheeks color slightly as he remembered exactly how they had fallen asleep the night before.

Swallowing hard he looked down to the stirring, beautiful form of his girlfriend and his breath hitched. Despite getting many eyefuls from the night before it wasn't quite something he was used to yet. Elaina stifled a yawn as she said, "Maybe we should've taken the train to Russia. Would've given us a few more hours of sleep."

Harry wished they were going to Russia. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes he remembered the task they had before them, and felt a nervous feeling settle in. However, the feeling slid away when Elaina sat up, giving him a good look at how beautiful his girlfriend was as she planted a soft kiss on his lips, smiled, and stood up to get dressed.

It was clear the girl had a nervous energy that was more excited than it was anxious. Harry hoped that after a good night's rest she was thinking clearly, and was prepared for what would follow. He didn't think he had much energy to move, but as he watched his girlfriend get dressed he quickly found the inspiration to follow.

The train was coming to a slow pace by the time they were fully dressed, and the girl beside him was glowing, looking every bit as confident as she did when they stood side by side on a battlefield. What happened between them last night seemed to resolve their feelings for each other beyond anything words could have done. The girl no longer seemed to have the cloud lingering over her head, and he hoped she would find the remaining answers she desired through her grandfather's magic.

When the train stopped, Elaina stood on her toes and kissed Harry on the cheek, "I love you, Harry."

Squeezing her hand softly, he looked at her soft face and kissed her back on the lips, "I love you too. Let's go see if we can find public enemy #1."

The joke seemed to hit the mark as the girl laughed and summoned her wand, reapplying her glamors from yesterday. The red-headed look was always a winner on Elaina in Harry's opinion, and though her outfit was modest, she looked particularly beautiful today with little effort done.

They were in the train corridors and on the platform in no time, with their bags over their shoulders. Harry didn't know anything about the magical district of Budapest, but figured it was probably best to remain under the radar. The weather was warm in Budapest, and when they navigated to the edge of the city using a taxi service, and made more use of the confundus charm, they took to the skies using their brooms. Luckily, both were very good at the disillusionment charm, and knew they likely blended in with the moving clouds as they stayed high in the air.

Elaina had become much more confident on a broom since flying around with Harry since Christmas. The girl was comfortable following her boyfriend across the skies, and in the span of a few short hours they found the river that Grindelwald had described outside of Kiszombor. As they began to slow down Harry could see Elaina's eyes narrowed towards a particular direction further down the river. Approaching the girl as she hovered in mid-air he asked, "What do you see?"

"It's more of what I feel." The girl said with uncertainty in her voice now, "It's like that feeling I had in Nurmengard. Something is beckoning me."

Taking a deep breath Harry followed her eyes, before saying, "Then let's land, and follow the feeling."

She nodded, seeming to weigh her options before deciding on her next move, then followed her boyfriend's advice by descending towards the ground. The weight of the anticipation seemed to heighten. Harry could feel his heart beating a little faster as his girlfriend seemed to walk stiffly, and hypnotically towards what her eyes had been drawn too.

"What do you see?" He asked softly. The only sound around them was the soft ensemble of a flowing river.

"A house. More of a cabin. It isn't much, but it looks like someone is home." She whispered the last part, and Harry drew his wand carefully prepared to fight if necessary.

The girl's eyes were unwavering. She didn't even blink, as if fearing that whatever she saw before her would disappear. Unease coursed through Harry though as he began to think they should maybe come up with a plan of attack in case they did find her grandfather, but as he reached to gently grab her wrist he was met with an invisible force that hit him like a truck.

Sprawling backward onto the ground Harry's head pounded as he blinked the spots out of his eyes and looked up to see Elaina attempting to get to him, but seemed to be stopped by a now translucent dome. Growling in frustration and feeling panic begin to set in at being separated from his girlfriend he climbed back to his feet, magic flaring angrily.

Something behind Elaina seemed to catch her attention as she whirled around, before disappearing before Harry's eyes. Terror and calamity coursed through Harry as he pushed his wand forward commanding his magic to attack, but whatever he did nothing even made the dome do anything beyond shimmer. What had he done?

.o.

Elaina watched as Harry was thrown backward by an invisible barrier that only now took on a more translucent form. Attempting to aid him she slammed her hands into the ward, but it felt like she was hitting a pillow. This ward would not harm her, but it certainly wouldn't let her out either. Her stomach dropped upon seeing him crawl to his feet with murder in his eyes. She called out his name twice before realizing her voice wasn't traveling through, but another behind her drew her away, "He cannot hear you, my child."

Whirling around, Elaina saw the man she suspected they would find here, her grandfather, Gellert Grindelwald. Pointing her wand at the man without hesitation she said, "Let him through."

"I will, but I merely wish for a moment to speak with my only living family. In private." The man countered peacefully, not even bothering to draw his wand.

Elaina noted the man no longer looked at her as grizzly as the last time she had seen him. His beard was gone, and his face was clean-shaven, making him look twenty years younger. His gray hair was also cut and slicked back showing off a scar across his face, and leaving his heterochromia eyes on display.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to both of us. He is my family." She said sternly.

"He could be. One day." The man admitted.

Tightening her grip on the wand she spat, "Are you threatening us?"

"Of course not, my dear." The man said placatingly, "I merely mean to say, if you win. If you all survive. You could be family. I am afraid however that at the current projection of things that is simply not possible."

His eyes glowed with power, but behind them, Elaina could read melancholy emotions. Her breath hitched at the sight. It was like looking in a mirror before she had met Harry. Her wand wavered in her grip and she slightly began to lower it, "You're lying."

"I will never lie to you, my dear." The man said, and for some reason, it sounded patronizing. Elaina always felt warm inside when Dorea had called her that term of endearment, but hearing it from the older man's mouth made her twitch in agitation.

"Don't call me that." She growled out raising her wand once more.

The man smirked, but gave her the slightest nod of his head, "We shouldn't lose focus on the facts, my dear. Your side is hopeless against the Heir of Slytherin. You will all fall by his hand if a different course is not taken. I have seen…horrible futures."

Her wand wavered again, lowering to her side with uncertainty, "What have you seen?"

"Come inside, and I will show you." The man invited, gesturing with one arm towards the house.

The young woman hesitated and glanced back at her boyfriend who was unleashing hell on the wards trying to get to her. She could see the desperation on his face, but her own desperation to know their future clouded her thoughts. She had to know what they were up against. She had to know what was coming. It could be the game changer they needed. A single step forward was taken, before her head turned back to her grandfather and followed the man that was already walking towards the house. Something told her that even if she had decided to attempt to rejoin Harry the wards would've stopped her.

As she observed the outside of the cabin it had an old timey rustic feel to it. The house could easily have been built over 50 years ago, but as she crossed the threshold she instantly realized it was much older than that. The ceilings were magically expanded to be over eight meters tall. The house was lined with shelves of books, tomes, and scripts. There wasn't much division to the home. It was more like a loft in that it was all one massive living area. There were no rooms, but a pedestal sat in the middle with a skull that had appeared to have some type of light inside of it. Elaina eyed the artifact warily as Grindelwald swiftly approached it calling out behind him, "These are all texts our family and I have gathered over the centuries. There are several lifetimes worth of knowledge in this room that can be used to your benefit."

The man stepped around the pedestal to face her now as he placed a hand on top of the skull, as Elaina's eyes landed on the device he spoke calmly, "This particular artifact however is perhaps the most priceless in my collection. Many witches and wizards fell in my pursuit of it. This will allow me to show you my visions as a seer."

Her eyes widened and she shot up to the man who seemed to revel in her attention, so pause for dramatic effect, "It was once held by the god-mages of India. Wizards that were so feared their names were stricken from history when they passed on. Their legacy was in the creation of this artifact. It is with this relic I will show you the outcome of this war that plagues Britain's future.

She said no words as she watched the man grab a cord that was coming from the back of the skull's head and place it into his mouth, inhaling deeply. She watched with furrowed eyes as the man breathed out deeply with smoke filling the area. Before she could question what was going on, above her a deafening sound shook the room as spellfire rocketed to the wall leaving no effect behind. She ducked in reflex to the attack, but quickly realized despite the devastating trade of spellfire erupting around the room nothing was being damaged. As she began to settle her eyes took in the slaughter that was taking place around her. Men in black cloaks and silver masks were cutting people down, but not all of the victims were taking it lying down.

Two wizards in particular held her attention in the distance as they traded devastating spells across the field with one another. The other was a pale man, with glowing red eyes, while the two he was attempting to kill were much more familiar to her, "Harry."

The name was whispered, but Grindelwald stood at her side now, "His final stand."

As she took in the scene further she noticed a body distantly behind him, the body of Dorea Potter, and her hand shot to her mouth as she let out a sob. Before she could ask her grandfather to stop a spell exploded between Charlus and Harry, sending them both backwards. In that time Voldemort struck Charlus with the killing curse before he could fight back leaving Harry all alone as he shot back to his feet and fought with renewed vigor and rage.

Tears were streaming down her face as more of their friends fell and Death Eaters began to surround the man she loved. Familiar bodies were on this battlefield, and she couldn't believe her eyes. Her heart broke as she saw the future that awaited them all. The moment that dropped the young woman to her knees however unfolded with such realism she was breathless.

Harry was hit by a red curse and his screams rebounded across the room. It was short-lived however as the battlefield was filled with a black crushing spell, the same that had killed Fleamont Potter. Before her eyes, the man she had given her heart to was reduced to nothing, and her heart thudded wildly in her chest.

"Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same." Gellert whispered, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "The boy is a marvel for his age, but he is up against someone who has dabbled deeper in the dark arts than any before him. Not to mention a magical repertoire that was five decades in the making. He needs a divine move…One you can give him, my dear."

The girl jerked away from the man shooting to her feet angrily, "Is that what this is? Was this your plan to separate us?"

The older man shook his head, "All of this has been for you, Elaina. I know where your heart belongs. I know the path you wish to walk. I merely wish to give you the ability to live a little longer, perhaps even make a difference in the war you are so desperate to take part in."

"If you want to help so much, let Harry in the wards, and teach us both." Elaina spat fiercely.

"I will not teach a Potter our family's magic. My magic." The man said unflinchingly, "His family was once my enemy, and for you, I am willing to look past that, but not enough to take the boy under my wing. Nor do I believe he would accept it."

Staring at the man, wiping the tears out of her eyes, she whispered, "I don't want to lose him."

"Then take some time away. Allow the boy to wage war on the pawns of the Dark Lord. When the time comes for another confrontation you will be ready, and by his side. You have my word." Grindelwald said, approaching the girl and placing a hand on each of her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

She held eye contact with her grandfather for a long moment, searching for deceit in the man, searching for something that would scream not to trust him, but she didn't see such things. She merely saw a man who wanted to help, and she wasn't sure why, but she knew she had to do something to change their future. She would do anything to not have to witness the scene she just saw from the future, "What do I even tell him? What do I tell the Potters? Will they even welcome me back when it is all said and done?"

Gellert looked thoughtful as he ran a hand through his hair before speaking, "When it comes to matters of the heart, we must always be honest. Go to him. Tell him what you must do. Tell him what will happen to each of you if you don't. He will not understand, for he did not see the future himself, but you must make him see reason, and then you must walk away."

"He would never let me go." She whispered softly looking over her shoulder to where she knew Harry would be wearing himself down to break through the wards to get to her. She couldn't imagine delivering the news to him, but she also couldn't imagine leaving him in the dark. Leaving him to wonder whether she survived crossing through the wards. Nothing would stop him from breaching them eventually.

By the time he did, however, she knew Grindelwald wouldn't be here. If Harry came back with Charlus, Dorea, Arcturus, and possibly others, she knew her grandfather wouldn't challenge them all. It would be suicide. They would be on the move as soon as she spoke with him. Anxiety filled her stomach. What would he say?

"Then you must have the strength to run." The man consoled, "Run until you have the strength to rise up beside him, and conquer your enemies. The boy has his own battles he must win. I gave him my advice, if he is wise, he will go forth with better weapons."

"Better weapons?" Elaina asked curiously.

"Something I will educate you on in our travels." The man said sagely.

Swallowing hard, she shook her head, "I don't know if I can do this."

"Then you have already lost. Everything." The man said forebodingly.

Steeling her resolve, she nodded as she turned her back on the man and walked towards the door she entered, and re-entered the light of day. As she expected the wards were still vibrating from the attacks her boyfriend launched on them. Her heart warmed knowing how tired he must be, and yet still he attacked with everything he had.

Stepping towards the boundary line something told her that she would be able to pass through with ease, and when she stepped back into the area of the river bank it looked like a bomb had gone off. In the center of it all was Harry heaving for breath looking desperate. At the sight of her he sagged with relief as he moved forward with a limp wrapping his arms around her desperately, "Elaina! I thought I lost you."

Her heart stuttered at the sound of his hoarse voice. He had really worn himself out trying to get to her, and she surveyed the area she knew he had given it all he had. Placing a hand on his left cheek she placed a kiss on the opposite side, "I'm okay. Grindelwald is here. He wouldn't let me out until we talked."

Huffing Harry glared at the wards, "I feared it was something like that. What did he want?"

Swallowing hard, she conjured a towel and separated from Harry. Bending over to dip the towel into the river she searched her mind for the right words to tell her boyfriend that she was going away for a while. Rising up to meet his eyes, he smiled at her, but she could tell he was on edge and guarded as she dabbed at his brow line wiping the sweat away, "He showed me the future."

The smile faded away instantly, "The future?"

The skepticism in his voice was clear, and she nodded, swallowing hard, "He had a relic that allowed him to show me one of his visions…it wasn't good Harry."

"I've never been one for divination." Harry murmured, "Even if it comes from a true seer. We control our own destinies."

Lowering her hand tentatively, she noticed she was shaking now, and Harry seemed to notice it as well as he grabbed her hand gently, "Elaina? Are you okay? What did you see?"

Trembling now the girl avoided his eyes and he placed a hand under her chin, forcing her tear-filled eyes to look into his. Her voice cracked as she attempted to explain what she saw, "Dorea, Charlus, our friends, all killed by Death Eaters…I saw you and Voldemort dueling…he killed you, Harry. It's why I have to- It's why I have to do this."

Her eyes begged him to understand, but instead, they just filled with confusion, "Do what? Elaina, what are you talking about?"

Taking a breath and resolving herself to what must be done she spoke with more confidence than she felt, "My grandfather is going to teach me my family magic. His magic. It could be the advantage we need to beat him. I am not going to let you all die, Harry. I can't lose my family again."

Shaking his head, Harry grabbed her by both arms, gently, "Elaina, if we lose, we will do it together. We will fight till the end. No one is going to take you from us. Including Grindelwald."

She desperately wanted him to understand, but she knew her words were failing her. He hadn't seen what she had seen. She didn't want her boyfriend to become an orphan all over again. Not if she could help it. Not if something could be done, "I'm sorry, Harry. We have to take a stand. I love you. I will come back to fight with you. To stand with our family."

"I can't let you go, Elaina. Not with him. Please, don't do-"

Before he could finish, she pushed him with her palm, and took two quick steps backward. Elaina separated from Harry and crossed the ward line, tears streaming down her face. The look of devastation on Harry's face was crushing. He didn't attempt to attack the wards, he just stared forward at them disbelievingly. She couldn't hear the words he said, but she saw his mouth moving, and watched as he stretched one hand out to her, begging her to come back to him. It was the hardest thing she ever did, when she turned her back towards the boy. Seeing her grandfather watching, she walked towards him, and barely noticed the sad expression on his face, "It is all for the greater good, my dear."

She didn't bother correcting him this time, as he offered her his arm. Before she took it she glanced back at Harry who was just now lowering his hand, tears falling down his face for the first time. It physically hurt to look at as she turned back to her grandfather, "Promise me I will see him again."

"You have my word." The man promised.

Nodding, she took his arm, and felt the pull of an apparition as she left the man she loved behind.

(A/N) An unpopular betrayal, but the whole premise of the story has been how far would you go to protect your family. Elaina has a family for the first time in her life, and she can see how outmatched they are, there is no way towards victory, so she pulled out what she hopes to be a Divine Move.

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