Lilith felt her breathing improve much as Teresa Prewett used a few healing spells to clear out the rest of the water from her lungs, as well as repairing the damage it had done while it was in there. "It's a bloody miracle you're alive, dear. A few more minutes and there would be nothing for me to do." Lilith tilted her head towards the two Slytherins arguing. "It's thanks to Cassie and the married couple over there." Cassandra, seated next to Lilith, giggled as she turned to look at the boys. "They do argue like one and Alphard might have some dreams about sharing a cupboard with Riddle, but I don't think Tom is interested in boys." Cassandra did give an odd look at Lilith, making the redhead wonder if the Seer had spotted anything else when she interacted with Tom. Still, if Cassandra was going to be quiet about it, she wouldn't ask. Some things the Seers picked up on were best left alone. Teresa nodded to herself, before writing everything down. "I will have the DMLE come in and deal with Rosier. Trying to drown a fourth year. Bah! So much for the honor of the House of Rosier. If what I have been hearing from my fellow Healers in France is true, that cousin of Lord Rosier is just as bad. Word is she is targeting ICW Healer Tents. The nerve of them."
Feeling her blood run cold at the notion, especially as Dorea Black was currently stationed in one of said tents, Lilith reached her arm out to Teresa. "Don't call them just yet." Teresa frowned at her as Alphard spoke up. "Lilith is right. Calling the DMLE won't solve anything, especially as someone looking like Rosier was in the Courtyard at the time of the attack." Teresa looked between the two. "Polyjuice Potion?" Alphard nodded. "That would be my guess. It takes a while to brew and the timeline would match with Rosier's decline. Attacking Lilith now was little more than a parting shot and a way to increase his clout among Grindelwald's supporters." Teresa clenched her hands. "We can search the students for traces of Polyjuice Potion and get the perpetrator to admit to what he did." Tom sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I doubt it will go well. There was already backlash over the Assault on Warren and Moon, with how the DMLE intervened. Even if Headmaster Dippet were agreeable, the Board and the parents would be against such a search of so many students, many of them belonging to influential families. No matter how dangerous Polyjuice Potion can be when used, it's not a banned product, so the matter would be moot."
Running a few scenarios through her mind, Lilith struggled to find a way to catch Valerio as the attacker. Even though he failed in his attempt, he probably had enough of the Potion made to use it again, potentially against less safe targets. Orion and his friends flashed in her mind and Lilith growled under her breath. She needed to avenge herself on Rosier in a way that would satisfy the von Schwarzwald image, lest Valerio inspire others to act as he did and she needed to do it in a way that completely neutered his ability to carry out any more attacks or aid perpetrators in some way. Lilith looked up at Tom, watching as his eyes stared back at her, waiting. There, right before her eyes, was the other issue that she had to contend with. Going after Rosier in a violent way would only justify such actions in Tom's eyes. At the same time, Lilith knew he would never be a pacifist, no matter how much she would champion a cause of neutrality or respect for life. The world had been too cruel to him for that to happen, which meant that she had to take appropriate action. The question was, what could she do to Rosier that would keep Tom from justifying less than noble actions that could put him back on the path to becoming a ruthless killer again, without making Lilith look weak to his eyes.
Going over what she knew of Lord Voldemort's life as a Slytherin and what lessons Lillian had learned as Sirius' Goddaughter, Lilith's mind ceased on a viable option. One that would hopefully appeal to Tom's sense of adequate retaliation and smug superiority, while still evoking a sense of mercy, leaving the fate of the enemy to their own folly. She just had to make it work. "Alphard, I need you to deliver a note to Professor Ross for me during lunch. He and the Headmaster can keep the matter contained. Cassandra, can you send a letter to your uncle to make sure that the DMLE checks the ICW Blood Feud Registry regarding the Feud between the House of Rosier and the House of von Schwarzwald? My next action is going to get Lord Rosier incensed within the Wizengamot, but it's the only way I see of getting some payback and settling the score between our family's once and for all. If Lord Black wants to take advantage of this, that's up to him." Alphard stood there staring at Lilith in surprise, before Healer Prewett interjected. "No, I forbid you to do this. You are not fully recovered from the effects of Beltane, let alone the attack you just survived." Lilith gave her Healer a sorrowful look. "I am sorry, Madam, but this is my best chance. He won't have an adequate defence for my charges and he will be confident that he is in good enough shape to best me."
"He would be right." Tom's eyes caught Lilith by surprise by how angry they were. Lilith shook her head. "I can take him." Tom's face turned into a scowl. "First of all, you are both students. The Charter forbids it. Secondly, I have been watching you since the start of term. Your use of magic is too slow and requires too much concentration. There is no way you can beat him in a one on one fight. You would only give him a reason to kill you without consequences." Tom froze for a second. "Which is another hook you want to use on him, isn't it? If he answers your challenge, he gets to kill you without consequences, but only if he wins. Which, in your present state, it's very likely that you will lose." Lilith nodded. "True, as I am now, I can not beat him in a magical duel but I will by the time Lunch comes around. Secondly…" Lilith raised her left hand, showing her Ring. "This ring grants me the rights of an adult in Great Britain. As a foreigner, my Family's Magic supersedes the law of the land regarding my age. As for Rosier, he is of age. The Charter grants protection to students not of age and not representing a House. He wears the Heir Ring, is old enough, and he attacked a Head of House with the intent to kill them. The protections of the Charter do not apply to him. Not anymore. As for the charges, the magic of the rings can draw upon our understanding of the events directly, meaning that his response can be used as evidence should he decline the challenge."
Tom still looked unconvinced as Lilith turned to look at a clearly concerned Madam Prewett. Lilith could guess as to how much she wanted to yell at Lilith, but the same rights that protected her as a Head of House protected her against anything the Healer could do to stop it, short of telling the Headmaster. Then again, she could refuse her next request. "Madam… for this to work, I am going to need your aid." Teresa's eyes narrowed. "I will not help you murder another student, no matter how old he is. My oaths alone forbid it." Lilith shook her head. "I have no intention to kill him, only to prevent further attacks. If we do nothing, it's likely that he won't go after me again. Instead he will go after other students, including first years. I can put an end to this today, but only if you help me." Prewett stared at Lilith right in the eyes. "Swear to me that you won't kill him." Lilith sighed but drew her wand, feeling as its own magic bit into hers. "I swear that Valerio Rosier will not die by my hand or actions while he remains a student of Hogwarts, though he may die as a consequence of his own. So I swear, so mote it be." The students stared at Lilith, clearly startled by her brazen oath as the tip of her wand flickered with the oath taking effect, with Teresa no better off. The Healer sighed, her shoulders slumped in resignation. "What do you need from me?" Lilith turned sheepish, before turning to her friends. "I need you all out of the Hospital Wing for this."
-✦-
As Lilith entered the Great Hall for lunch, she made a beeline for Valerio Rosier, fingering her Head of House Ring. Her preparations completed, she was certain that she could best the seventh year, though there was always that small voice in the back of her mind that told her to be careful. She was basing Valerio's possible performance on what training both Snape and Sirius were able to impart on Lillian after her fourth year, which wasn't much. Even gauging him to be on par with either of the two veterans of the War that left her orphaned, she still felt that she would best Valerio, as he was unaware of her own skill set. Though Lilith also had to be careful in not using certain spells and curses that were developed by the Death Eaters for the civil war, such as Snape's dark cutting curse. Going over the laundry list of curses that the von Schwarzwald had taught their daughter, she started picking out a few that would require insider knowledge to replicate, not to mention the incantation. While Lillian had never been the best at Defence, or any of the wanded magical courses, she had eventually made the difference in her power output through the use of tactically casted spells and in using curses that weren't exactly easy to block. She had also utilized some Parselmagic spells close to the end of the war, which helped keep the Death Eaters off her back. Unfortunately for Lilith, those spells were off limits. She would have to make do with von Schwarzwald curses and a few that were quite well known.
Valerio turned to her quickly and gave her a smirk as she reached him, no doubt expecting her to make an accusation that he could easily deny. The slap across the face, however, caught him completely by surprise. As he reeled from the strike, Lilith raised her left hand. "Valerio Rosier, Heir of House Rosier. For your dishonorable attempt to kill me by drowning, I hereby challenge you to a Duel to the Death, with no Champions or Seconds. By the Blood Feud that exists between our families and your own actions, I am well within my rights to demand it of you. To refuse my challenge would be treated as an admission of guilt on your behalf and would constitute a forfeit. What say you?" As the young man seemed to process the information, Lilith spotted the Professors approaching them from the Staff Table. "Miss Schwarzwald, Duels between students are forbidden by the Hogwarts Charter. Stop this at once." Lilith glared at Professor Dumbledore, "I am Frau von Schwarzwald, Deputy Headmaster. As a Head of House, I am permitted by the Charter to issue it, especially to an Heir who is of age carrying his family's ring and who has acted in his family's interests against my House. By the magic that binds all Houses by the Ancient Ways, my demand cannot be rejected by the Charter's rules. The Charter itself makes this exemption. You really ought to read it properly, Professor."
Looking over at Rosier, a red hand print now visible on his cheek, Lilith continued. "The Duel is to be today, right here and now, no limit on the choice of spells. Do you accept, Heir Rosier or do you admit to being a coward unworthy of the magic running through his veins? A true Blood Traitor, like his extended family in the rest of Europe." Lilith smiled internally as her dig settled his mind. "I accept!" Catching Armando Dippet's disappointment but unwillingness to act against the Hogwarts Charter, Lilith watched as the students started gathering around the edges of the Great Hall. Lilith spotted Cassandra looking on with concern, as well as Tom, his face still looking at her as if she were mad. Lilith was certain that she was a little mad to go through with this, but as her Godfather once said, you have to be a little mad to get ahead in life. That and she was now related to the Black's by blood, so there was no telling how much of the Black Madness was a part of her. The Headmaster, with several waves of his wand, erected barriers around the center of the Great Hall, as the Tables vanished away, probably taken somewhere safe by the elves. She watched as Professor Ross approached Rosier and received a nod from the Seventh Year. As soon as he stood at the center, he spoke up. "Very well, I will be acting as judge for this Duel. As it's a Duel to the Death, the conditions for victory are death, unconsciousness or verbal submission. You may begin on three."
Taking a deep breath, Lilith stretched out and cracked her fingers as Rosier took a casting position. "One, two… three!" Rosier whipped his wand out quickly. " Difindio !" Dodging away from the path of that cutter curse, Lilith narrowed her eyes, certain that he was holding back if that was his opening move. She decided to go serious from the start. Waving her empty palms around, Lilith caught everyone by surprise as red sparks emanated from her hand, before a bright red beam of light arced across the field. She watched as Rosier raised a dueling shield, hoping to take the blow. Too bad for him that her choice of spell wasn't one that an unanchored shield could deflect. The Torture Curse struck Rosier right on the arm and sent him to the ground, screaming in pain. Lilith watched as many looked at her with surprise, not expecting either her choice of spell or her ability to cast it without so much as an incantation or wand. "What's the matter, Valerio? This isn't one of Professor Merrythought's matches. Stop trying to hide behind the face of a student and fight me like an Heir to the Dark. Or are you nothing more than a gutless worm that hides behind the violence of others? Must run in the family, if your father is anything to go by."
Lilith dropped the curse, letting Valerio recover for a moment, before he aimed his wand towards her. " Avada Kedavra !" Taking a step to the side to dodge it, Lilith moved closer to him. "That's a little better, but unoriginal. Then again, I doubt there is anything originality left in your family. How far up your father's ass is Grindelwald's hand that has him parroting the madman's words verbatim? Is your mother aware that there is another person so deeply in bed with her husband or is she fine enjoying Grindelwald's scraps?" Being careful as to how much magic she was using, Lilith managed to reach Valerio, dodging or blocking spells that grew ever darker as her insults sunk in. After deflecting a boiling curse that would have left her skin in a horrible state, Lilith was close enough to use one of the von Schwarzwald curses. Sweeping her hand across the front of Valerio's chest, the entire school watched as a black arch of light swept across the air, before it latched onto Valerio. The seemingly molten energy started to materialize into a black ooze, with the few bits that struck his neck starting to smoke as it ate away at his skin. Screaming in pain, Valerio unleashed a surprising amount of magical flames, blinding Lilith's view of him. As she tried to extinguish them, she watched as the young man tossed his robes into the flames, saving himself from much of the cursed ooze, though his neck was still heavily damaged.
Seeing her struggle with the flames, Valerio switched to a heavier offensive, keeping her vision enveloped in fire as Lilith cursed under her breath. While Lilith and Lillian had some skill using magical flames, neither had reached the skill level needed to counteract them adequately. Reasoning that the flames still needed to obey some rules of science, Lilith waved her arms out in wide arcs, using the strongest banishing spells she could, before unleashing a more centralized strike. Seeing Rosier launched back against the barrier, Lilith took advantage of his lack of control and rushed through the gap she had made in the flames by displacing the air. She bit back some curses from the pain as the flames still managed to make contact with her body. Upon reaching an area clear of fire, Lilith stripped off her robe, casting aside the burning piece of cloth, as several of the students gasped. Though Lilith' injuries were mounting, she was certain the gasp came from the tracks of blood that traveled up her arms, across the front and back of her chest and down her back. Had she been wearing white for her vest and pants, as her dress shirt was, she was certain they would have gasped louder. Using Runes as a means of raising magical conductivity was nothing new. Wandmakers did the same for their craft. Carving Runes into one's skin was no different, as it did give her the edge she needed to wield much of her stunted magic, though the carvings were only as strong as long as blood continued to flow. Blood Magic was nothing if not a double edged sword.
Valerio grunted as Lilith was able to strike him with several dark cutting curses, these causing a necrosis effect on his skin, before he managed to block her view again with flames. It was then that Valerio really caught her off guard. After managing to cut through some of the flames, Lilith had barely a second to see a flaming whip coming straight at her head. Pulling back and raising a shield, Lilith prepared to counter attack him with a few well aimed piercers, when her shield failed. The searing pain of the hottest possible flames washed across her face, her vision narrowed to only what her left eye could see. The students around her gasped in horror, but Lilith couldn't pay attention to that, as she felt her magic beginning to drain away. The runes carved into her flesh were losing their effectiveness, probably from some of the fire damage to her body and had cauterized, if not outright burned away the skin that had been carved, and the curses and shields she had been using had also drained much of what the markings had given her access to in the first place. Needing to end this quickly, Lilith was forced to jump back from Valerio's flames, before raising a dome of stone around herself. The students watched as a now smirking Valerio whipped his wand down. " Petrasempra !" The spell carved its way through the stone, leaving behind a visible gap, before he unleashed flames into the dome. The grinning young man thought he had won, until a sharp pain to his leg dropped him down to his knees.
Barely catching a glimpse of a dagger jammed into his calf, cutting through muscle and bone, Valerio was suddenly engulfed in a familiar all consuming pain, as Lilith rose slowly out of Valerio's shadow on the ground, wheezing heavily. The spell developed to emulate the abilities of the Schattenwolf wasn't one that the von Schwarzwald family ever used to travel through due to the painful environmental effects found within the colorless area they called the Void. Lilith had decided that the pain of a short jump was worth it, if it meant getting the upper hand, though her lungs were struggling from the lack of breathable air in the void. Feeling the last of her magic fading away with the now weakening Cruciatus Curse, Lilith withdrew the blade from Rosier's leg and stashed it back into its holster, before uncoiling a band of cloth she always had wrapped around her right wrist. After kicking Rosier's discarded wand away, Lilith wrapped the cloth around Rosier's neck and pulled hard. The now suffocating Rosier struggled under her as she pressed her knee to his back. "Yield. Yield now! I won't hesitate to snap it if you take too long and your lungs won't last with what little air you have in them already." Rosier tried to shake his head but a further tightening of the cloth around his throat stopped him. Eventually, as blood began to brench the cloth from the cuts in Valerio's neck, Rosier tapped his hand desperately on the ground and Lilith looked towards Professor Ross. The aged man nodded and raised his voice. "Valerio Rosier has signalled his surrender. I hereby call this Duel concluded. The victory goes to Lady von Schwarzwald."
Rather than simply releasing Rosier as she loosened the cloth from around his neck, Lilith kicked his upper body into the ground, rendering him unconscious, as she would rather not worry about any attacks from behind, especially now. Standing up, she found her steps growing unsteady, but Lilith fought through the building exhaustion. She could hear the Professors calling out to her but she ignored them. Feeling a measure of disorientation and imbalance from her blinded right eye, Lilith fought through it all, until someone approached her. The familiar presence of Tom's magic settled her nerves, even though she could feel how stiff his posture was, as he pulled her left arm over his shoulders. The two walked along in silence until they reached the Hospital Wing, where Madam Prewett quickly started casting diagnostics on her. When Tom tried getting her to sit, Lilith shook her head. "The Floo. I am sorry, Madam Prewett, but I can't stay here. I need to go somewhere safe." Lilith swore she could feel Teresa's disapproval but the two Healers helped her along into the Healer's office as they activated the Floo. Lilith did take a second to look back at Tom, giving him a smile. "Danke, Tom." She then turned and grabbed a handful of Floo powder, before throwing it into the flames. "Gringotts Medical." Lilith barely made it consciously through the terminal and onto familiar marble floors, before exhaustion finally took her down, her face striking the hard stone floor.
-✦-
"I said disarm only!" Lillian stood up, feeling a little bit of frustration at getting hit by Draco's banishing spell. The little creep had hated how she had turned his prestige against him from the moment he and the older years tried to haze her during her first morning in Slytherin House. The bastards had conjured a snake right onto her chest, expecting her to panic and cause it to attack her. Instead, Lillian had hissed at it in Parseltongue, getting the snake to strike out at the first years holding her down. Where she had been a Pariah to the rest of the school as the first person born with the name Potter to be sorted into Slytherin in two centuries, the Slytherins couldn't deny her prominence as a Parselmouth. Draco's political clouth dropped instantly, especially after Snape ordered all the Slytherin's to keep quiet about Lillian's gift. Ever since then, Draco had been simmering with envy at the way the Slytherins deferred to her. A few were even calling her Princess, though Lillian never allowed that to blind her concerning their true intentions. She could see the wheels turning in the heads of the students, trying to gauge how best to benefit from their interactions with her. She had really hated her first year at Hogwarts as she was forced to adapt her coping mechanisms from the Orphanage to a new and more dangerous environment.
Now, after the sudden return of a so-called Heir of Slytherin, the dynamics in the Slytherin Common Room had changed yet again. A few of her housemates wondered if it was her doing, though she had made it clear that she wasn't responsible for the attacks. People like Draco took that and ran with it, using it as a way of diminishing her claim to prominence as a Parselmouth if the proper Heir was acting against her wishes. As a rule, Draco couldn't act against her, both because Snape had ordered it and because Slytherins weren't supposed to argue in public. So of course the brat took advantage of the Dueling Club held by the ponce Lockhart as a way to attack her without breaking the rules. After shrugging off the disorientation after being knocked a few feet back onto the hard platform, Lillian went over her choices as she took her position. Despite Quirrell and Snape's best efforts, her skill as a duelist hadn't improved anywhere near as much in her one year of tutoring. Anything too Dark or dangerous was also out of the question as it would only draw unnecessary attention to her from the other houses. Lillian sighed, and rolled her shoulders, cracking her fingers in her feet. Time to go old school, then. Draco smirked at her. " Expelliarmus !" Lilith shifted her body to the side, before rushing forward.
Draco started to panic as his spell rushed past Lillian's side while she opted for simply dodging out of the way. After she had been bullied too many times by the older children at the Orphanage, Lillian had realized that she was unlikely to win through strength alone and had taken a lot of effort on simply avoiding taking hits. Her ability to dodge out of the way seemed to translate well as the wizards seemed to like standing still while casting. Quirrell had enjoyed tutoring her, despite how weak her wanded spells tended to be, as he always gave her a workout in just trying to land a hit. As Lillian dodged downward during Draco's last Depulso, she reached up and gripped his wandhand. Aiming it up and away, Lillian smirked at a confused Draco, before smashing her forehead into his face. As he collapsed backward, screaming bloody murder with his nose broken and blood spilling out quickly, she turned to Lockhart, who was clearly diasspointed in her performance. "Miss Potter, I said disarm only." Lillian smiled at him, twirling Draco's wand in her hand before handing it to the Professor. "I am pretty certain he is disarmed, sir. See?" Lillian smiled to herself as the muggleborns and half bloods cheered, while the Purebloods looked on in amusement.
While her actions earned her a detention from the Headmaster after word reached him, Lilian didn't complain overly much. She had bested Draco at his own game and humiliated him further, without breaking any of the rules of Slytherin House or revealing herself as a Parselmouth. Riding high from the Dueling Club match, Lillian wandered the corridors of the second floor, humming to herself, when she caught sight of a student running, long red hair flowing in the wind. Looking into the Second Floor girl's bathroom, Lillian wondered what was the reason behind the girl's rush. As she stepped inside, she found a damp leather bound book that felt warm to the touch sitting on the flooded cold stone floors, though she frowned when she found the pages blank. "What have we here?" Looking around and finding herself alone, Lillian left the bathroom, empty book in hand, all the while her left hand felt heavy and warm. Once in her room, she tried writing in it, before her words vanished, replaced by some far neater handwriting. Ginerva? Is that you? Lillian hummed to herself, wondering what the Gryffindor girl was doing with an enchanted book that could write back to her. She dipped her quill into the ink and wrote back. "Sorry, my hair is black, not red. Who are you supposed to be?"
-✦-
"Well, Frau von Schwarzwald, you have certainly accumulated quite the short but extensive list of injuries. Second degree burns to extremities, cursed flame damage to your right eye, and what we are certain are intentionally inflicted carvings into your skin in the shape of Runes. Futhark, by the configuration. You are certainly quite the sight, wouldn't you agree, Lord Peverell?" Alexander's growl in response to the Goblin Healer's words seemed to have the intended effect, as Lilith refused to make eye contact with him as he asked the healer a question. "How much of the damage can be corrected?" The Healer, a female goblin with black wispy hair, rubbed her narrow chin as she looked at her clipboard. "The carvings were done using medical grade tools, so those will heal perfectly enough. The burn marks across her arms and legs aren't cursed, so a few potions and about three weeks of ointment application should see that Frau von Schwarzwald's skin is cleared out. The damage to her right eye is another story. The flame whip was a cursed variant and while we can repair the skin damage, after having dealt with dragon's fire injuries for millennia, the damage to her eye is unfortunately permanent. Repairing organs so heavily destroyed can result in less than pleasant results, so removing them completely is the best possible choice."
Lilith didn't give any sign of that being a bother, which irritated Alexander further. She raised her hand up and caressed the medical dressing that currently covered her eye socket. "Would an enchanted prosthetic be out of the question, Chief Healer Hardew?" The Goblin smiled at the respect the young witch showed her by addressing her by her full title. "Fortunately for you, young warrior, that option is still viable. We do have the means of approximating the look and function of the human eye without any difficulty or noticeable external indicators, though we are also capable of adding more functions. This, however, requires the selection of an adequate foci and the application of some… unjustly misrepresented forms of magic. Fortunately for you, we at Gringotts can supply both legally… for a price." Alexander closed her eyes, just as Lilith did. Bloody Goblins. Lilith broke the silence first. "I think we can provide the adequate foci for the prosthetic if you provide us with the restrictions. I would be more than happy to pay for the treatment, though the ointments will probably be acquired and administered by the Healer at Hogwarts. Please make a medical referral, one that a witch may be properly able to interpret and act on." The Goblin gave Lilith an amused look. "Of course, young warrior. I will get a bit of the ointment we will recommend before you are released to your own care. If you two will excuse me."
Lilith and Alexander bowed their heads slightly, though it was more of a chore for the bed ridden Lilith, before she tried to do her best no to look Alexander in the eye. Running his hand through his dark brown hair, Alexander sighed. "Did you even give a single thought that maybe I could have handled this myself? You nearly drowned just a day after your last magical backlash, and rather than taking it easy, or informing me for that matter, you went and dueled a student whose skill you didn't know for certain, an Heir to a House known for training killers. Not to mention that he was just a young man who is relatively inconsequential to your Blood Feud? Did it even cross your mind that you could have died today for nothing!?" Lilith blushed slightly. "I did think about all those things. But if I gave you the task of avenging my near death, there was a good chance you would have been exposed." Alexander waved the comment away. "It wouldn't matter." Lilith bristled and yelled back. "Of course it would! I am sure you and I are both concerned as to why I never met you my first time around. You, the paranoid, self-isolated Lord with vast wealth reserves were nowhere to be seen! That means that for some stupid reason you died. I don't have to tell you who is the most likely suspect on that list. Keeping your involvement quiet and keeping me as the rogue element was the best possible choice."
Alexander rubbed his face, not bothering to deny her words. He had certainly thought the same thing when she revealed that Grindelwald held the Elder Wand. That man would have done anything to secure his power, which would include erasing anyone who might know how to destroy or best the Elder Wand. The Peverells would have always been in his sights. Looking over Lilith' injuries again, he still felt pained by his failure to prevent them. "You should have at least told me what you were planning to do. I know it's hard to understand, but I do care about you. I understand why you are hell bent on avenging the von Schwarzwald family, but you need to do it while keeping yourself alive. You own it to your future self and to the body of the girl you are inhabiting to make it through this war." Lilith lowered her eye and clenched her hands on the blanket over her legs. She nodded her head. "You are right. I will try to be more careful, but I can't do more about time sensitive matters. Best I can do is send you a Patronus Message." Alexander chuckled. "Fair enough. Just make sure to teach me how to send one back." Lilith nodded as the Goblin Healer arrived, passing through the privacy screen wards with a jar of ointment, which she passed to Alexander. "The healing process will probably see you here for the rest of the day and well into the night. If you have unfinished business, please have the matter delayed or handled by another." Lilith nodded and reached over onto her stack of clothes, handing Alexander her dagger in its holster.
"What's this for?" Lilith gave him a toothy smirk that would have been right at home on the face of a Goblin. "I didn't go into the duel looking to kill Valerio Rosier. The duel was a cover to get this. The Rosiers have been running around, harming innocents left and right for their petty ambition. They are even attacking Healer Tents in Europe, where Dorea Black is working. At least, that's what Madam Prewett said. I won't let them get away with it anymore. Time to make them pay for their crimes the old fashioned way." Pulling the dagger out of its holster, Alexander spotted the dried blood on the blade and the odd shape of its core. He looked at Lilith, raising an eyebrow. "A blood stealing dagger. I see that you raided the Armory back home." Lilith blushed slightly. "Ah, yeah. Sorry about that. I did leave behind a list of everything that I took." Alexander shook his head. This girl would probably be the end of him. Storing the blade away, he gave a concerned look as he patted her on the back gently. "You focus on getting better, Lilith. I will get the ritual chamber ready and make sure that the blood stays viable. If you have any free time and can't sleep, try and get-" Lilith handed him a piece of paper, written in Noric, which Alexander could read, though just barely. He sighed softly and tapped the paper. "I will get working on this and we can talk about adequate foci for your eye later. Take care of yourself first." Lilith nodded. "Will do."
-✦-
"Well?" Gellert loomed over as one of his Blood Mages scanned the impatient form of Lord Rosier, who had sensed something occuring to his magic some time on the night his son faced off against the von Schwarzwald orphan. The man had taken quite the risk to travel across the frontlines, with the ICW and the British Ministry now paying closer attention to who was leaving Britain for the mainland. Grindelwald hadn't expected such a quick response from the British to his activities in the continent. Information from within Axis controlled territories was leaking faster than the Hexenmeisters could control it, with even his puppet, Hitler, growing ever more confrontational with Gellert in their more recent meetings. New Aurors and Peacekeepers were making their way into occupied France, trying to aid the besieged French Resistance movement. While these forces were no threat to Grindelwald in Nurmengard Castle, where the bulk of his forces and experiments in adapting magic for ever more effective means of dealing with the Muggle threat were located, they did pose a threat to the stability of the frontlines. He had sent Vinda Rosier to deal a crushing blow to these Peacekeepers and had been waiting for a status report, when the Lord Rosier demanded an audience with him and one of his Blood Mages.
Said Blood Mage hummed to himself as he turned away from Lord Rosier, pulling out a box filled with smooth white stones, each intricately painted with blood sigils. He placed them all one by one on the patient's body, before the last one finally had the sigil glowing red. "Ahh." Seeing the Lord Rosier losing patience, Gellert spoke up. "It's a Maledictus, yes?" The Blood Mage pulled the stones off the body and placed them back in his ornamental box. "It is. Unfortunately, it is one of the most well encrypted blood curses I have ever seen. Many of those stones should have reacted to it and identified its composition and intentions, yet only one did, which all it did was confirm that a well concealed curse is at play. This curse is quite the insidious thing. I am afraid I have no means to read it currently." Lord Rosier rose up and sat on the examination table. "Are you telling me there is nothing we can do?" The Blood Mage shrugged. "As it sits now, it seems to be passive, which means that I can't even begin to guess at what it can do and what would trigger it. That information would help immensely in finding a counter. Yet, at the same time, triggering the curse could potentially kill you." Lord Rosier growled under his breath. "I will kill that little who-" the man was stopped mid word, as he gripped his chest as if in great pain.
Waving his wand over the struggling man, the Blood Mage physically paled. "Lord Rosier, a man of your station must know Occlumency. Please clear out your thoughts completely. Do forgive me, I am going to remove your clothing." The lord grunted in pain but nodded as the Blood Mage disrobed his chest. He waved his wand over a path of blackened veins right over the man's heart. The Blood Mage physically shivered, before turning to look at Grindelwald. "My Lord, this is no ordinary Maledictus. Even when triggered, I am barely getting a trace of some Dark Magic centered on the visible mark. I have never seen anything like this before from a curse. It almost looks like an attack by a poltergeist or a wraith." Gellert rubbed his chin. "Do you believe the von Schwarzwald family could have developed a curse like this?" The Blood Mage thought in silence for a moment. "Possibly. Of all the Ancient families, they were quite well known for interacting with all manner of dark creatures. Legend has it that they are descendants of fallen angels or even demons, hence why usually their given names are of the most foul demons to ever haunt the dreams of mankind. If anyone could develop such an affliction, they certainly would be first on the list."
Grindelwald sighed before looking at a clearly disturbed Lord Rosier as he inspected his now immaculate chest. "It seems the little rat has some bite left in her. She is cunning too. The fight all but confirmed your son's guilt and now… now she has taken advantage of the Blood Feud rules of engagement to neutralize all of your kin against her. Most impressive." Lord Rosier seemed to struggle keeping himself from cursing her name. "What would you like us to do?" Gellert sighed. "Unti-" The door to the Medical Wing at Nurmengard opened as a Hexenmeister dressed in the uniform of an SS lieutenant spoke up. " Obergruppenführer Grindelwald, our apologies, but Gruppenführer Rosier was in the process of leading an attack against a Peacekeeper Healing Post when she collapsed. " Gellert cursed under his breath. " Bring her in. " The officer saluted and yelled some order out the door. In a few moments, Vinda Rosier was brought in, with Lord Rosier looking particularly green at the sight of his cousin. Gellert couldn't exactly disagree. Though clearly not dead, as she was physically shuddering in pain, Vinda was very much suffering from a far more acute reaction to the curse. All of her veins leading up from her neck were the same as her cousin's had been, black and pulsing angrily.
As his most trusted Lieutenant was being tended to, Gellert turned to Lord Rosier. "It seems this is far more serious than that initial event was and it's not just limited to thoughts or plans against the von Schwarzwald survivor. I will have my mages work on releasing this curse from your family's blood, but it would be wise for you and your son to distance yourself from taking any further action against her and in service of our cause. Let some of your loyal allies take the lead and get them in contact with me here directly. Believe me, your cousin will be restored and this curse will be lifted, but it will not be today." After bidding a defeated looking Lord Rosier farewell as he headed to the Portkey platform, Gellert returned to the side of Vinda, gently caressing her hair, the black veins visible through her far too pale skin. The Blood Mage cleared his throat. "I am afraid she will be out of commission for some time. The curse seemed to have been close to killing her, when she finally used Occlumency to cut off her mind. The damage to her body will take months to heal, if it ever heals completely." Gellert nodded before turning to the officer. "Have the Heixenmeisters pull back to the Rhineland. I will go over to them as soon as they are in a secure location and can provide them with new orders ." The officer stretched out his hand in a salute. "Jawohl!"
As Gellert returned to his offices, he thought back to Vinda's attack on the von Schwarzwald estate. He had hoped getting them to voice their support for his cause would have rallied the Dark to his side, yet Lord von Schwarzwald had refused his request, calling him a false Dark Lord who failed to understand the true nature of the world. Gellert had ordered Vinda to strike them down in the event that they refused, as his forces took care of the remaining family members and Estate personnel. Vinda had supposedly found and taken out the young Lilith von Schwarzwald heiress with a Killing Curse, yet the girl somehow managed to survive and escape to Britain. The subsequent search of the Estates Vault proved fruitless as they were designed to destroy their contents when broken into. The Vaults were even more thorough with their destruction of the materials inside than his forces had been with the Fiendfyre curse to the Estate, leaving only slabs of molten gold and silver to harvest. Clearly, the girl was far more well taught than he had hoped, but it didn't matter. She was an orphan in Britain, struggling to survive the political mess that was that country's Wizengamot. Her actions against the Rosiers were in clear retaliation for the attack on her family, but she was far too young and politically isolated to pose a true threat to him currently. No, he would leave the brat alone for Vinda to eventually deal with as he turned his gaze upon the map of Europe. He had a war to win for the Greater Good of the Wizarding World. He couldn't afford to get distracted.