Fighting Fire with Fire

"Now that everyone is here," Grindelwald said, and everyone immediately became slightly less happy hour and a bit more focused. "The Murtlap situation is my biggest concern at present, due to my suspicions regarding how she plans to use them. Tomorrow I shall have some of my best investigative Aurors checking into the availability of Murtlaps. We need to know if she has managed to buy or harvest them all. If she has not, we shall need to hold the rest in captivity ourselves until she has been dealt with. If I am correct, she could be using them, or rather their parts, to turn herself as well as some of her followers into living weapons."

"Unfortunately, that sounds rather badass," Rabastan said grudgingly.

"Unfortunately," Grindelwald agreed, blue eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Do allow yourself to take comfort in the fact that, as we're now onto her, we are even more...badass."

Rabastan sipped his drink, and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that does comfort me," he decided.

"If I am correct, and I usually am, she is using Murtlap parts to improve methods that can make her immune to magic as well as fast healing so far more difficult to harm or kill."

"So you believe she's enhancing the jinx protection property of Murtlap tentacles to cover all magic," Bellatrix asked and Grindelwald nodded grimly.

"As for the Fire Crabs, I must research them further," he continued with a sigh. "I speculate that she has discovered some unknown alchemical use for the gemstones in their shells as they obviously differ from regular gemstones, but as of right now, this is only vague speculation."

"What about the correlation between Murtlaps and Fire Crabs when it comes to farting fire," Rabastan asked. "What if she's trying to make fart weapons...like she's impervious to magic, she is hard to kill, and she is farting fire to burn down wizarding society. In other words, burn us alive just as the Muggles once did!"

Bellatrix choked on a bite of cheese and took a large swallow of her fire whisky to wash it down. Getting drunk wasn't the wisest move, but at present, it certainly couldn't cause the conversation to make less sense, she decided.

Grindelwald laughed, tossing back his blonde locks. "That would certainly be unconventional," he admitted. "But when it comes to her, I'm banking on a bit more finesse."

"Yeah, and while you're banking on that, she's banking on you banking on that," Rabastan said.

"How are Fire Crabs and Murtlaps both linked to fire excretions," Zabini asked carefully.

It was then that Bellatrix recalled hearing Kereston bitching to Regulus that neither Grindelwald nor Zabini respected or knew much of magical creatures. She could hardly blame them, it wasn't something to which Bellatrix had paid much mind either.

"While Fire Crabs fart fire, Murtlaps can cause wizards to do so," she replied, managing not to smile when Grindelwald and Zabini's expressions grew more confused.

"This can occur if one is bitten by a Murtlap," Rodolphus clarified, and Grindelwald exchanged a look of understanding with Zabini before they both nodded.

"We see," Gellert said.

"But wouldn't that damage her insides if she combined the abilities of both creatures for prolonged use," Blaise asked, expression still incredulous.

"We really aren't actually having this conversation, are we?" Alec spoke up at last. He had been busily eating while the others talked, making short work of the platter portion Grindelwald and Zabini had set aside for him. He'd also managed to toss back both of the drinks Rabastan ordered for him. Apparently, he was still paying attention to the conversation, though.

Gellert chuckled. "Though unlikely, one can't afford to overlook any facts. While I don't believe Delphini is planning to expel fire from her bottom to burn us all alive, perhaps she has other plans that still combine the fire factors from both of these creatures. One can never tell so we must keep as informed as we can. I am now beginning to worry that she is making a specific type of magical fire based weapon. Such fire could be difficult to extinguish so could still be a huge bother, even if it is not coming from her bottom."

"For the record, I am still saying she could eventually be farting fire everywhere," Rabastan muttered.

"Noted," Gellert confirmed, lips twitching as his blue eyes flashed in amusement.

He was very likable, Bellatrix silently admitted. She understood how he could charm the masses simply by being himself. Hopefully he could charm everyone who wasn't on the inside of their new Ministry take over into taking the Delphini situation seriously, rather than believing whatever rhetoric she would be spouting to gain followers.

"She had the importers of those creatures killed in order to have access to them, then," Rodolphus said, his rich deep voice breaking pleasantly into Bella's thoughts. She dropped a hand under the table to his thigh, giving it a squeeze that caused him to inch closer, brushing his knee with hers.

Grindelwald nodded. "To their companies. That means the creatures as well as any other information or connections the companies had."

Alec sighed. "I just hate the fact I bloody helped her."

"Had you not, someone else would've, if it makes you feel better," Rabastan said with a casual shrug. "You aren't the only one working Shadow Ops that she could've slipped in and utilized."

Of course, the Lestranges had not told Alec that they were also Shadow Ops because one simply didn't. That wasn't how it worked. Still as persons obviously in with the new Ministry, they would, of course, be aware that Shadow Ops existed.

Alec nodded, giving Rabastan a tight smile. "I suppose you're right. It was me, though, and if I ever come face to face with the bitch, I owe her one for using me against my will to kill someone who was surely innocent."

Rabastan grinned and nodded back, just as if he gave a shit about the lives of innocent people.

"The fact that she was able to infiltrate the Ministry thoroughly enough to access their records for Shadow Ops operatives makes me worry too," Alec said, turning to Grindelwald.

"As it should. The old Ministry has been slack and willfully ignorant for centuries as have many other Ministries around the world, wizarding and Muggle alike," Gellert replied.

His expression was full of honest conviction as he spoke. The truth was a powerful motivator for him. What moved him, he used to move others, whereas Voldemort had only lied to them. There she went comparing the two again, but Bellatrix couldn't help it. Voldemort had only appealed because the real deal was locked away in Nurmengard. To appeal, Voldemort had to be a good actor. Unfortunately for them, he had been.

Hopefully Delphini would not have his charisma. If the girl disliked him as much as she claimed, perhaps she was different. Although considering her inexplicable level of power, she likely had something going on for her in order to draw her followers, and what that was, Bellatrix had a feeling they'd all be discovering the hard way.

"Fortunately, the current Ministry is smaller, tighter, and more interested in providing a safe community for all magical folk to thrive so long as we respect one another. We can be a harsher Ministry as well, but only where it is deserved, and only to stop crimes from reoccurring that threaten us all. As you yourself have experienced, we are also a fairer and more just Ministry, looking out for truth rather than convenience," Gellert concluded.

Alec nodded, gaze moving suddenly to Bellatrix. "Speaking of fairer and more just, I saw your article, and I was frankly floored that it was you lot who first tried to kill Voldemort. I mean, considering you were all so nutters over him back then, you know."

Bellatrix shuddered, reaching for her glass, only to scowl when she discovered it was empty. "It's amusing, really. The fact we were so certain he wasn't dead that first time is so clear now," she mused almost lightly. She glanced at Rod, then Rabastan as she continued.

"When he healed what Voldemort had done to us, Gellert said that part of us always remembered and always knew. That horrified me at the time to think part of me was locked in some area of my brain endlessly screaming her bloody head off. That part remembered that HE could not be killed, at least not by the Killing Curse. So when they said he was dead...those bits of us that knew better didn't believe. As for our conscious minds, we didn't know why we didn't believe it, we just couldn't. He was unkillable, but ask us why and we had no answer...so I suppose to the common mortal, we would seem a bit insane." She shook her head.

"Well, good on you for doing your parts now," Alec said. "And don't worry, Mr. Grindelwald. I'm Shadow Ops and, as such, I won't breathe a word of any of this."

"Of course," Grindelwald nodded.

"We'll just have to kill everyone here before we leave," Blaise said. "You know, in case anyone has overheard."

Alec's jaw dropped, and everyone else burst into laughter.

"We always use anti-eavesdropping spells around our table when out in public," Rabastan explained through his mirth. "We, as in anyone currently in the know," he clarified, and Alec nodded, joining in the laughter as his face flooded with relief.

For her part, Bellatrix couldn't decide if it was that funny, or if it was all due to the drinks.