Knowledge is Power

Chapter 60

By the end of lunch, Gellert Grindelwald was already making himself useful. While everyone else caught up on one another's news as they ate and even talked some about Skeeter's latest dreadful load of garbage, Blaise Zabini and Gellert Grindelwald constantly had their heads together in quietly murmured conversation. When Kereston mentioned that they were talking about making protective amulets for everyone that unraveled magic in a meter radius around the wearer, but that Gellert would need to remain at Hogwarts to work on them with Blaise, Severus agreed.

Kereston also spoke up concerning another amulet that she'd like Blaise and Gellert to make. It would be another that everyone in their group had because it allowed them all to meet in a specific place if one person activated it. If someone was in danger and that person activated it, everyone in their group would be drawn together to a secret meeting place to regroup and deal with the situation. If Voldemort captured anyone, for example, they could use it to escape as well as to bring everyone together in a safe place. Of course they'd have to decide upon said safe place, but one thing at a time.

Severus was impressed with Kereston's ingenuity and it provided another reason to allow Grindelwald to remain at Hogwarts. Granted, Severus was more interested in the magical dispersal amulet but the other was also an appealing concept. It was one Grindelwald should have no trouble making a lot of fast, especially with Zabini's help. Severus watched the blonde wizard speculatively. Grindelwald's physical bearing was more timid than he'd expected, but then again one had to consider what fifty years of defeat could do to how one carried oneself.

Though he hadn't interrupted the intense conversation between Gellert and Blaise, Severus had thoroughly checked Grindelwald's mind as had Nightshade. Man and owl came up with the same conclusion. Grindelwald was in no condition to start another wizarding war or even to want to escape Hogwarts and go off on his own. He took reassurance in the like mind he saw in Blaise and would remain close to Zabini. He'd found a friend and wanted to remain in his company.

He was shell-shocked from being locked away for fifty years, uncertain and rather a shadow of his former self. Severus couldn't decide how he felt about that, but if the man could still be useful, he'd take it. He'd definitely keep a close eye on Grindelwald to see how he continued to adjust to his freedom.

He knew Albus wouldn't be pleased but right now, his mood couldn't be a deciding factor. Severus's hadn't been when Albus asked him to kill him after all, the potions master thought snidely. The magical unraveling pendant was what the Zabini elf had worn to get Grindelwald around all the loads of wards placed on Nurmengard, so Severus wanted one. It could very well stop something like a killing curse if it unraveled it before it hit a person. The concept made him feel a great deal safer. When Mag and her parents each had one he'd breathe easier. His Mum as well. Zabini and Grindelwald planned to make enough for everyone to have one, so allowing the former war criminal to remain here seemed a reasonable trade.

Though Blaise had made the first amulet alone, he admitted that it took him several weeks. He believed that together he and Grindelwald could combine their skills and make them far faster. Severus was wise enough to know that dealing with Grindelwald was a risk, but at this point, one worth taking. Grindelwald wasn't trying to rule Muggles right now, after all. He was trying to make protections to keep them safe. He was apparently willing to work with them, else Wolfgang wouldn't have brought him along.

When everyone finished eating, Wolfgang turned his attention to the Zabini's Dementor concern. He explained the basic concept of a spell he was working on that he called a dispersion spell. It was still something he was tweaking, but it worked to disperse dark energy with more pure essence energy. The energy of joy, or one's happy feelings which he believed to be the true essence of oneself. This was involved in the formulation of a patronus as well, but Wolfgang's spell was a bit more pleasingly violent, attacking and dispersion the Dementor in question. He also believed such a method could work on Lethifolds and other similar dark creatures.