17 Moving On

Cassiopeia blinked as she finally woke up. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of her sleepiness, she slowly sat on the bed only to find that her bed was empty. Cassiopeia looked outside the window and she immediately noticed that it was already somewhere around noon. 

Cassiopeia felt sore, but it was a good kind of sore. She smiled brightly as she remembered the times she and Destiny made love in the morning, it was even better than what they had done last night. She also remembered that she had decided to join Destiny's Coven and she wasn't going to change her mind. 

Cassiopeia grabbed her Wand from the bed stand and cast the Tempus Spell. She was right, it was already noon. It is no wonder that Destiny was no longer in the bed snuggling with her. Cassiopeia didn't bother putting anything on her body as she went straight inside the bathroom. She desperately needed a bath, she was very sweaty. 

Cassiopeia found that her bath was already prepared, she quickly washed her body and entered the bath to relax. She leaned back in the tub and released a content sigh. Cassiopeia shivered in pleasure when she remembered how Destiny had pleasured her in the bed using the Skill called Parseltongue. Cassiopeia has obviously returned the pleasure when she ate out Destiny.

Cassiopeia simply couldn't believe how much her life has changed in the last 24 hours. She got to witness Sacrificial Magic first hand, then she participated in an illegal ritual through which she became a Parselmouth, and finally, she found herself a lover. A lover who happily returned the pleasure, and Cassiopeia remembered how she had been putty in Destiny's hands. 

Destiny was obviously a very skilled lover and she wasn't shy of displaying her skills. Though Cassiopeia was quite glad and disappointed at the same time over the fact that Destiny didn't claim her virginity even though they made love multiple times. As a Pureblood Witch, she was glad that she didn't lose her purity before her marriage, but as a woman, she wanted Destiny to claim her. 

Cassiopeia released a tired sigh… she was A Witch from a prominent Pureblood Family. She wasn't delusional enough to think that her Family would allow her to marry a Witch. Cassiopeia personally knew a lot of Witches who preferred the company of otter Witches. Her Paternal Grandmother also preferred the company of Witches, so it wasn't anything new in her Black Family. 

But all of that happened behind closed doors. Same-sex relationships weren't anything new in their society, but all of that happened behind closed doors. So, Cassiopeia wasn't going to have any problems if her Family discovered her preferences, but her Family would never allow her to pursue such a relationship out in the open. 

Losing her purity before her marriage might have gotten her kicked out of the Family, but it might have forced Lord Black and her father to reluctantly agree to sign a betrothal contract between herself and Destiny. Cassiopeia released another sigh as she slowly climbed out of the bath. She quickly dried herself and her hair with drying Charms as she walked out of the bathroom. 

She quickly made her way towards her wardrobe. While she was getting dressed, once again her mind started to wander. There was still a chance that her Family might agree to sign a betrothal contract as Destiny was no normal Witch. Right now, Destiny was probably the strongest Witch in the country or maybe the whole continent. 

Well… Cassiopeia could always decide something after talking with Destiny. She slowly walked out of the room and she decided to look for Destiny. Cassiopeia arrived in the living room and her jaw dropped on the floor while eyes almost popped out of her skull when she saw the scene in front of her. Cassiopeia completely ignored Dinky who was also standing there with a gobsmacked look on her face. 

Destiny was standing barefoot outside the house, dressed in her usual clothes and various types of Magical Beasts made up of Fiendfyre danced around her. Cassiopeia simply couldn't comprehend what she was watching. Such control over a dangerous Spell like Fiendfyre was simply unheard of. Destiny had her eyes closed and she was waving her Wand like she was directing an orchestra. 

Destiny jabbed her Wand forward and gigantic pillars of sand rose up from the ground. Destiny continued to wave her hand, and the sand pillars started to combine together to form a gigantic sandcastle. Destiny stopped moving her Wand and another stream of Fiendfyre poured out of her Wand creating another group of animals. Destiny finally lowered her Wand and the gigantic sandcastle slowly dissolved into the ground. 

Destiny lowered her Wand and slowly the creatures made of Fiendfyre started to dissolve. Cassiopeia thought that the outrageous display of Magic was finally over but she couldn't be any more wrong. Destiny flicked her Wand and a gigantic wave of water rose up from the sea. Thankfully the Wards extended up to a part of the sea or the Muggles would have noticed the supernatural phenomenon. 

Cassiopeia continued to gape as Destiny created a wall of water using the water from the sea. Cassiopeia couldn't fathom how much Magic Destiny must be using to achieve such a feat. Destiny finally opened her eyes and waved her Wand creating a gigantic flame whip. The flame whip snapped against the water wall creating a lot of steam. Moments later, Destiny started to shoot various types of Spells against the water wall. 

Destiny's hand was a complete blur as she kept shooting Spells at the water wall. Cassiopeia noticed that most of the Spells Destiny were using were completely unknown to her, but there were a few she could recognize. Destiny continued to shoot Spells without taking a break for several minutes. She finally stopped shooting Spells and lowered her Wand. Moments later, she jabbed her Wand towards the water wall and it started to freeze rapidly. 

Only after a few seconds, the gigantic water was frozen solid. Cassiopeia noticed that Destiny didn't use a Spell to achieve such a feat. Moments later, the frozen water wall started to melt rapidly, but it didn't lose its form. After the water wall returned to its former state, Destiny slowly lowered the water wall back into the sea. Destiny finally released a tired sigh, she was also breathing heavily.

Destiny glanced towards her Wand and found that her Wand was slightly smoking. 'The Wand isn't designed to handle such strong Magic' Destiny concluded and turned towards the only to find both Dinky and Cassiopeia gaping at her. Destiny smirked and started to walk towards the house. She entered the house and Cassiopeia and Dinky were still gaping at her. 

"Close your mouths or the two of you might catch flies" Destiny grinned in amusement and Cassiopeia and Dinky finally snapped back to reality. Dinky immediately popped away with an embarrassed look on her face while Cassiopeia started to stammer.

"...So, did you like the show?" Destiny asked as she pecked Cassiopeia on her lips and then she plopped down on the couch. Cassiopeia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but she couldn't form any words. 

"...I honestly don't know what to say about a display like that… I didn't even know that something like that was even possible…" Cassiopeia said with a look of complete awe on her face. 

"I will take that as a compliment" Destiny said as she nodded her head. 

"That was a bloody compliment, I don't know what else to say… what you did out there was simply overwhelming" Cassiopeia breathed out and she plopped down on the couch too. "How did you become so strong? What types of rituals did you perform?" Cassiopeia asked with a lost look on her face and Destiny started to chuckle. 

"The answer is simple, I trained my ass off since I was only 6 years old and as for rituals, I have performed a lot of them, but they simply strengthened my foundation and some of them increased my physical strength" Destiny explained and Cassiopeia looked at her somewhat incredulously. 

Destiny released a sigh when she noticed Cassiopeia's incredulous look. It was a completely natural reaction, so she wasn't offended. "You see, there are a lot of rituals I know through which you could drastically increase your Magical Power in a few months, but all of them come with a very steep price" Destiny said with a serious look on her face. 

"I have never used rituals to boost my Magical Poweress. Yes, I have used rituals to gain some ability like the Parseltongue or strengthen my body, but I have never used a ritual to increase my Magical Reserve or anything like that" Destiny added as leaned back on her couch. 

"...I see… Well, I believe you. There is no reason for you to hide anything and I have also read about the rituals you just mentioned… Nobody sane would perform rituals like that, the gains are simply not worth it" Cassiopeia said while shaking her head. Destiny smiled softly after hearing Cassiopeia's words. 

"Though… I could teach you" Destiny offered and Cassiopeia would be a fool to reject an offer like that. She might never reach Destiny's level, but if Destiny taught her, then she could easily become one of the strongest Witches in this country. 

"I would be a fool to reject an offer like that. I would love to be taught by someone amazing like you!" Cassiopeia declared with a bright smile on her face… 

<Line Break>

After a nice and long relaxing bath, Destiny decided to make her way towards Gringotts. She needed to buy a property to make her a base for her Knights, but to do that, she needed gold. That is why she was making her way towards Gringotts, she needed to withdraw a lot of gold. 

Destiny Apparated at the Apparition point of Diagon Alley and then she made her way straight towards Gringotts, her cape billowing behind her. Once again, Destiny was getting weird looks from everyone around her, but she didn't allow it to bother her. She read the poem written in front of Gringotts and she simply shrugged. 

If Destiny needed to steal anything from them, then she would simply collapse their cave system underneath Gringotts, and then she would use Magic to drag the vaults out of the rubble or she could simply use Protego Diabolica to kill everything living inside the bank before indefinitely borrowing all the gold she needed. 

The interior of all Gringotts branches was exactly the same so Destiny ignored all of that and walked up to a teller. She cleared her throat to get the attention of the goblin sitting behind the desk. "I want to withdraw some gold" Destiny spoke in fluent Gobbledegook, shocking everyone present inside the bank. 

The goblin almost fell off his chair, while the other goblins kept staring at her with wide eyes. Even the Wizards and Witches present inside the bank kept staring at her with dumb looks on their faces. Destiny didn't speak in Gobbledegook to gain attention, she simply wanted to keep her interaction a secret. 

"Name and account number" the goblin sitting behind the desk questioned in Gobbledegook. 

"I don't have an account in this country. Take this key and get me 200 Galleons, you can have a Galleon for quick service" Destiny said and placed a pouch and her Gringotts vault key on the table. The pouch was magically expanded from the inside. 

The goblin didn't say anything and grabbed the vault key and the pouch. Then the goblin jumped off the tool and disappeared inside the bank. Destiny crossed her arms in front of her chest and started to tap her foot on the shining marble floor as she decided to wait for the goblin to return with her gold. Destiny completely ignored the Wizards and Witches present inside the hall. 

After a couple of minutes, the goblin returned with the pouch which was clearly filled right now, and the Gringotts vault key. The goblin placed the pouch and key on the desk and climbed on his tool. Destiny grabbed the pouch and opened it. She looked inside and Wandlessly cast the Counting Charm to count the Galleons inside the bag. 

Only after a moment, she closed the pouch and smiled at the goblin. She grabbed her vault key. She immediately knew that 201 Galleons had been withdrawn from the account. It was a hidden function present in vault keys, but the goblins deliberately kept it deactivated. Destiny obviously knew how to activate the function on her own, it saved a lot of her time. She didn't need to keep checking her account statements each month due to this function. 

"Thank you, have a good day" Destiny waved at the goblin and turned around to leave the bank. As soon as Destiny was out, she Apparated back to Cassiopeia's house. 

Cassiopeia was working on her papers like usual when Destiny returned. "Cassi, do you know someone who can arrange a bit of property for me?" Destiny asked as she plopped down on the other couch. Cassiopeia stopped writing and looked up from her paper. 

"You want to buy a property? How big of a property are you looking for?" Cassiopeia questioned and Destiny seemed to think for a bit. 

"Big enough to house nearly 4000 thousand people" Destiny gave her a rough estimate. 

There are approximately 3000 thousand Crimson Knights, then there were nearly 100 children under her care… Well, under Annabell's care to be exact. She was going to stay in Britain for quite some time, so she needed a future-proof place. That is why she gave Cassiopeia such a big number. 

Cassiopeia choked after hearing the number, but she quickly gathered her bearings. "You would need a huge Mansion in the least to house so many people" Cassiopeia sighed. "I have to use some of my family contacts to get you something like that" Cassiopeia added. 

"The Mansion is unnecessary… I simply need the land" Destiny said and Cassiopeia smiled after hearing Destiny's words. Destiny simply needed land and her Knights could easily build a mansion in a few days. It will help their training too. 

"That would be easy. Do you have any problems with this location?" Cassiopeia asked and Destiny shook her head. "Good. I will just need to buy a lot of land next to this house. It would take me two days at most to arrange everything" Cassiopeia smirked. 

"How much gold do you think you are going to need?" Destiny asked in a neutral tone, but internally she was very happy with this development. 

"Maybe somewhere around 100 Galleons?" Cassiopeia guessed with an unsure look on her face. "You don't have to worry about gold… I have enough gold in personal vaults to finance a whole Mansion" Cassiopeia proudly declared. "I have already decided to join your cause and swear loyalty to you. Just think of this as my initiation gift" Cassiopeia added. 

Destiny tapped her chin and after a few moments of tense silence, she gave a curt nod. Cassiopeia smiled and went back to work on her papers. Destiny didn't want to take the money, but when Cassiopeia decided to put it like that, denying the gold would have been a very serious insult according to traditions. 

After a few moments, Destiny Apparated inside her room. There were very serious Wards around the house, but Cassiopeia was kind enough to add her to the Wards on the second day of her stay in this house. That is why Destiny had been able to freely Apparate in and out of the house. Destiny opened her trunk and she pulled out a wooden box along with some writing materials. 

Destiny placed the box on the bed and then she grabbed a pen to quickly pen a letter. Yes, unlike the rest of the Magical Population, Destiny was well versed with the Muggle inventions. A pen was way better than using a Quill, so obviously Destiny was going to use a pen to write a letter. 

'Dear Ambika, 

I hope you didn't miss me. I have some good news, I have already found ourselves a fitting Coven member and through her, I was also able to acquire a huge plot.

Don't use Portkeys, use some Muggle method to enter this country. Laws regarding Portkey and International Portkey are very strict in this country. They will easily track our location if we activate so many Portkeys at the same time. 

Start your journey as soon as possible, I will be awaiting your arrival. Take care, and have a safe journey… 

Your love, 

Destiny'

Destiny finished the letter and she used her signet ring to close the letter. She tapped the wooden box with her Wand and the box opened with a click. Destiny placed the letter inside the box and closed the lid of the box and she tapped the box with her Wand. A soft chime was heard from the box and a bright smile appeared on Destiny's face. 

Destiny quickly put away her writing materials back inside her trunk, but she levitated the wooden box over the study table. After that, she locked her trunk, and then she Apparated inside Cassiopeia's room to grab the Gaunt Family Grimoire. With the Grimoire in her hand, she returned to the living room where Cassiopeia was working on her papers. 

Cassiopeia looked up from the table when she heard Destiny's arrival. She immediately noticed the Grimoire in Destiny's hand. "There are lots of amazing stuff in that Grimoire!" Cassiopeia gushed out excitedly and Destiny completely agreed with the green-eyed Witch. 

Last night, she was unable to check the Parselmagic section due to her tiredness, but now, she was completely free, so she was going to slowly skim through that part. These Spells weren't much different than the normal Spells, but the Counter-Charms were a completely different matter. So, if your victim survived then they would need a fellow Parselmouth to cast the Counter-Curse.

Destiny also decided to test out a few Spells. Like always, Destiny decided to forgo any Wand Movements and incantations though she did mutter the incantations inside her head. Destiny clearly noticed the difference, the amount of Magic she had to use was significantly lesser than the typical counterpart of the Spells. 

Destiny couldn't stop grinning at the revelation. Destiny kept skimming through the book and after some time, she found herself practically salivating when she read about the Parseltongue Wards. The Wards were like any other normal Wards, but they could be only deactivated by a Parselmouth. 

Well, the Wards weren't absolute, they could be overpowered, but there were not many Witches and Wizards out there who could normally overpower a Ward. The normal Ward Breakers would be completely useless against Parseltongue Wards until they decide to overpower the Wards. Overpowering a Ward needed a lot of power too… 

<Line Break>

~~January, 1927 (Netherlands)~~

At the end of the day, Ambika finally returned to the room she shared with Destiny. She felt kind of lonely, but it was okay. She was about to start undressing when she noticed the wooden box kept on the table was buzzing. There was a small stone engraved on the front of the box and it was steadily blinking. Ambika immediately became excited. 

"Bibly" Ambika called out. She knew that Destiny had sent her a letter, and it might take some time. So, she decided to ask Bibly to prepare the bath for her. 

The house-elf appeared beside Ambika with a soft pop. "What can Bibly be doing for Mistress Ambika?" Bilby asked while batting her massive eyes at Ambika. 

"Can you prepare the bath for me?" Ambika requested softly and Bibly eagerly nodded her head. 

"Of course, Mistress Ambika" Bibly said and disappeared with a soft pop. Ambika sat down at her study table and tapped the wooden box with her Wand. The lid of the box opened with a click and as Ambika was expecting, there was a letter inside the box. 

Ambika opened the envelope with her Wand and she quickly read through the letter. For a moment, a complicated look appeared on her face when she read that Destiny had found a Coven member. After a few moments, Ambika released a tired sigh and started to grin. 

It was more than slightly difficult to accept the fact that she was going to share Destiny with other women, but she was already preparing for it, so it was somewhat fine. When she was finally done reading the letter, she put it down on the table with a contemplative look on her face. 

She needed to discuss this with the other Lieutenants before making a decision. Ambika slowly stood up and started to remove her clothes. Since she had asked Bibly to prepare her bath, she decided to take a bath before meeting her fellow Lieutenants. It has been a long day and a little bit of relaxation wouldn't hurt anyone. 

After removing all of her clothes, Ambika quickly entered the bath… the House-Elves would take care of her clothes, so she didn't bother to remove them from the floor. After spending nearly an hour inside the bath, Ambika walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a bath gown. 

"Strappy" Ambika called out and a house-elf appeared with a soft pop. "Please inform the other Lieutenants to meet me in the meeting room in half an hour. Lady Grindelwald has sent a letter" Ambika said in a firm tone. The house-elf respectfully bowed his head and popped away. 

Then Ambika made her way towards her wardrobe. After 5 minutes, Ambika was completely dressed in a new set of robes. Just like she had guessed, the clothes on the floor were gone. There was still some time before the meeting, so she decided to eat something light while waiting. 

So, she summoned a house-elf and asked him to bring something to eat for her while she sat down at the table. She grabbed the book she had been reading and set an Alarm Hex to remind her about the meeting. The house-elf returned with a plate filled with some snacks. Ambika quickly devoured everything while reading the book. 

She was lost in her research when she was Hexed by her Wand. Ambika quickly put away the book and Apparated inside the meeting room. Her fellow Lieutenants were already present there. She quickly sat down at the table, not wanting to waste any more time. 

"Lady Grindelwald was able to acquire the land for our base in Magical Britain with some help. She wants us to leave as soon as we can" Ambika quickly rattled off everything necessary she needed to reveal. The other Lieutenants quickly digested the information provided by Ambika. 

"We would need to prepare a lot of International Portkeys" Vladimir said with a thoughtful look on his face, but Ambika shook her head. 

"Lady Grindelwald said that the laws regarding Portkeys and International Portkeys are very strict in Magical Britain, if we activate so many Portkeys at the same time then the Ministry will easily discover our location. That is something we want to avoid" Ambika explained and the other three Lieutenants hummed in understanding. 

"I can take my team and arrange a ferry for ourselves" Quinton suggested. 

"No. Traveling via Ferry will take a lot of time. Travelling via train will be much easier" Donovan interrupted before Quinton could continue. 

"What about the border checking?" Vladimir asked. 

"We have all the necessary Muggle documents, if needed we could always use our Wands to get our way" Ambika pitched in and everyone nodded their heads in agreement. 

"By the way, how soon can we leave?" Ambika asked and other Lieutenants pondered the question for a moment. 

"My squad will be ready to leave by tomorrow morning" Quinton answered. 

"Same here" Vladimir pitched in. Finally, everyone turned towards Donovan. 

"My team will need at least a day, but the children are going to need more time" Donovan said and Ambika seemed to contemplate for a moment. 

"We can ask the House-Elves to help the children" Ambika suggested and the other Lieutenants immediately agreed. 

"So, we leave in a day" Ambika finalized and the other Lieutenants also agreed. "Quinton, take your team and find out the train timings and find out the places where we would need to change trains" Ambika ordered and Quinton nodded his head in understanding.

After that, the meeting was dismissed since they had nothing more to discuss and all of them had a lot of things to do… 

<Line Break>

~~January, 1927 (Great Britain)~~

It has been two days since Destiny had talked with Cassiopeia about acquiring a piece of land. After a little bit of legwork and greasing palms, Cassiopeia was finally holding the deeds of the new property in her hand. She had to walk a lot so that she could meet a couple of people face to face. Cassiopeia needed them to know that the whole thing was very important for her. 

She also had to throw a bit of gold here and there to quicken the process. So, she ended up spending 95 Galleons to get the whole thing done. She expected that she would need to spend a bit more, but she was thankful that she didn't have to. Cassiopeia did have the gold, but that didn't mean that could spend all of that without a care. 

Cassiopeia was a bit put off by the fact that for whatever reason, Destiny had stopped her from swearing loyalty. Destiny wasn't very forthcoming with the reason, but Destiny mentioned that it was something serious. Cassiopeia released a sigh and shook her head to clear her mind. Then she Apparated back to her house. 

Cassiopeia found Destiny curled up on the couch wearing only a pair of underwear. Cassiopeia licked her lips in excitement, but she decided to hold herself back… for now. Destiny was still skimming through the Gaunt Family Grimoire. Cassiopeia cleared her throat to gain Destiny's attention. 

Destiny immediately looked up from the Grimoire. "Hello, Cassi… it seems that you have something for me?" Destiny asked and Cassiopeia simply handed the deeds to Destiny. 

"Thank you. You have no idea how much you have helped me" Destiny said in a grateful tone. 

"You are most welcome. So, can you tell me why you don't want me to swear loyalty to you? I don't think there is a reason" Cassiopeia decided to use this chance and speak up her mind. Destiny released a sigh and closed the Grimoire. 

"I am sorry I have offended you… that wasn't my intention. You might have already noticed that I like to work from the shadows, unlike Gellert. So, I need to keep myself hidden as long as I can… or as long as it is convenient for me. I have found a modified version of Fidelius Charm. Do you know what a Fidelius Charm is?" Destiny questioned and Cassiopeia shook her head in denial. 

"The Fidelius Charm is a very powerful Spell used to hide places or to conceal secrets. It was an extremely difficult, multifaceted, and potent Charm that could be used to conceal a secret inside an individual's soul" Since Cassiopeia didn't know about the Spell, Destiny decided to give her a brief overview. 

"I see… sounds pretty impressive" Cassiopeia said with an impressed look on her face. 

She was about to reach towards the couch, but Destiny grabbed her wrist with a grin and pulled her. Cassiopeia ended up sitting on Destiny's lap. Cassiopeia slightly blushed, but she quickly gathered her bearings. She had been in way more embarrassing positions with Destiny. 

"Yes, it is one of the most impressive Charms I know. Now, the Witch or Wizard housing the secret is known as the Secret Keeper. A dwelling whose location had been protected by this spell becomes invisible, intangible, unplottable, and soundproof" Destiny continued her explanation and Cassiopeia seemed to be almost gobsmacked. She had never heard about a strong protective Charm like this. 

From the description, the Fidelius Charm seemed to be the best Ward System out there. So, why were the older Families not using this Charm to protect their Ancestral Homes or Manors? Cassiopeia understood that the Fidelius Charm must be one of the oldest and ancient Spells in existence, but someone must have known something about this Spell. 

"Additionally, after the Spell is implemented, the Secret can only be revealed by the Secret Keeper and he has to do it voluntarily. Someone can't discover the Secret by some accident. It is simply impossible even if they stumble across a property protected by the Fidelius Charm by some freak accident. They simply wouldn't know what they are even looking at, so they would simply dismiss it and walk away" Destiny said and by now, Cassiopeia didn't even know what to think. 

"What's even more impressive is the fact that the Secret Keeper has to reveal the Secret voluntarily. Methods of Magical coercion like Veritaserum, Legilimency, Cruciatus Curse, or the Imperius Curse wouldn't work" Destiny finished with a grin. Cassiopeia stared at Destiny completely slack-jawed. 

After a few seconds, Cassiopeia finally gathered all of her bearings. "If this Spell is so impressive then why isn't this Charm used?" Cassiopeia asked in an incredulous tone. "This is the first time I have heard about this Spell… I agree that I am not knowledgeable like you, but someone other than you must know about this Charm, right?" Cassiopeia asked hurriedly. 

"I can point out a few reasons why this Charm isn't used or widely known" Destiny said with a small nod. "First of all, the Fidelius Charm is one of the most obscure and ancient Spell, so I suppose it is lost through time" Destiny speculated and Cassiopeia could see the point. She had herself reached that conclusion before, but hearing it from Destiny simply reassured her own speculation. 

"Second, it is one of the most complicated Spells out there. I am sure that some Wizards and Witches had discovered this Spell, but they probably gave up because of how complicated this Spell is. There is a chance that you might end up dead if you make a mistake" Destiny raised two fingers in front of Cassiopeia as she pointed out the second reason. 

"Third, you would need insane amounts of Magic to cast the Fidelius Charm. Most Wizards and Witches would end up dead if they try to cast the Fidelius Charm over a small cottage. I am sure that even I would end up Magically exhausted after I finish casting the Charm over a large Mansion and my Magical Core is four times bigger than Gellert's" Destiny explained as she raised a third finger. 

Cassiopeia's jaw dropped in surprise when Destiny revealed the third reason and her eyes almost popped out of her eye socket when Destiny revealed the size of her Magical Core. Cassiopeia was sure that by the end of the discussion, she would end up with a dislocated jaw. 

"Fourth… The Fidelius Charm can only be used to hide a property or a place" Destiny revealed as she raised the fourth finger. "And lastly, the Secret Keeper can't reside inside the property. So, if I cast the Charm on the house, I would have to leave" That was the final nail in the coffin and Cassiopeia finally understood why the Charm wasn't used. 

Yes, she could see how amazing the Spell was, but now, she also knew about the glaring reasons why the Spell wasn't used. "I see… By the way, what does the Fidelius Charm have to do with why you don't want me to swear loyalty to you?" Cassiopeia asked curiously. She still remembered how the conversation started. 

"As I was saying… I have found a modified version of the Fidelius Charm. This modified Charm solves two of the most glaring problems of the original Charm. I can use this modified Charm to hide anything… and the modified Charm also allows the Secret Keeper to reside inside the property" Destiny explained with a grin on her face. 

"You see… I want to make my name a Secret with me as the Secret Keeper" Destiny revealed and Cassiopeia gasped in shock. She never imagined that Destiny would be planning something insane like this… 

"So, I would need to release everyone from their oaths before casting the Charm as I don't know how the Charm would affect the Oaths. That is why I wanted you to hold off" Destiny explained and caressed Cassiopeia's cheek. Cassiopeia knew that Destiny had already received confirmation that her group was already on the way here. So, she wouldn't need to wait that long. 

Destiny finally leaned down and captured Cassiopeia's lips. After that, the green-eyed Witch simply melted in Destiny's arms… 

<Line Break>

"I agree with Longbottom, something is wrong with this whole scenario… There are no signs of Wards, but the Fiendfyre didn't spread out in a location like this…" Theseus Scamander said as he looked around the charred ground. 

Theseus Scamander was born on February 25th, 1888. Theseus Scamander is one of the most renowned Senior Auror of the British Auror Force. He is regarded as a war hero after his involvement in the First World War. Everyone knew that he was the first in the line to become the Head Auror. 

"See… I told you something is wrong here" Sigrun Longbottom grinned while looking at his partner, Rupert Vaisey. 

"So, what should we do now? I don't think Travers would allow us to invest any resources in a wild goose chase" Rupert Vaisey said in an annoyed tone. 

"Let me talk to him. This isn't a goose chase anymore. I know for sure that something is very wrong here… I think something very illegal was done here and then the culprit decided to release Fiendfyre to remove all the Magical residue" Scamander concluded with a grave look on his face. 

"Do you know who could have done this? I know for sure that Fiendfyre is almost impossible to control, so someone of Albus Dumbledore's calibre must be responsible for this" Sigrun Longbottom pointed out and Theseus Scamander rubbed his face. 

"I don't know… I have no idea who could have done this, but I know only one Wizard who can match Dumbledore's power and that Wizard is currently imprisoned in MACUSA" Scamander said with a complicated look on his face. Both Sigrun Longbottom and Rupert Vaisey immediately understood who Theseus Scamander was referring to. 

"That is why we can't ignore this incident. There is probably an unknown Wizard of Dumbledore's calibre running around Merlin knows doing whatever" Theseus Scamander groaned in frustration. 

"It might be a Witch too" Sigrun Longbottom corrected but Rupert Vaisey burst out laughing. 

"You must be joking! A Witch of Dumbledore's calibre… yeah try something else" Rupert Vaisey blurted out while laughing. 

Theseus Scamander wouldn't have put it like that, but he knew that the chances of the Culprit being a Witch was very low, but not zero. As an experienced Auror, he knew that he shouldn't underestimate anyone or it might come to bite him on the arse at a later date… 

<Line Break>

Destiny took a long drag from her hookah and released the smoke after a moment. The image of a somewhat disfigured and ugly woman formed in the air. Cassiopeia kept glancing in between the Magical artefact and the image floating in the air. Cassiopeia had no idea why Destiny decided to show her the image of this woman. 

"Her name is Merope Gaunt, she is the squib daughter of Marvolo Gaunt. She isn't anything special, but she has something very special in her possession" Destiny said and pointed towards the locket hanging around the woman's neck. Cassiopeia has heard about the squib daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, but this is the first time she saw the woman. 

Cassiopeia was sure that she had seen that locket somewhere, so she quickly searched through her memories and gasped in surprise when she finally remembered where she had seen that memory. Salazar Slytherin was wearing the same locket in his portrait guarding the secret shortcut between Dungeon's antechamber and the Entrance Hall side room. 

"That is Salazar Slytherin's locket or at least that is a good replica" Cassiopeia blurted out in an incredulous tone. The image finally dispersed into thin air and Cassiopeia glanced back towards Destiny who was smirking right now. 

"Yes, that is the Slytherin's locket. I don't know if Merope Gaunt knows the true value of the locket or not. Marvolo knew about the true value of the locket, but he hadn't told anything to Merope" Destiny explained and Cassiopeia scowled in anger. She couldn't believe that the Slytherin's locket was in the possession of a squib who didn't even know what she was actually wearing. 

"Do you know where she is?" Cassiopeia asked, but she didn't look much hopeful. 

"Apparently, she has eloped to London along with a Muggle" Destiny said and Cassiopeia snorted in disdain. 

"I need to speak with some of our family associates. You don't mind if she is killed in the process do you?" Cassiopeia asked and Destiny shook her head after contemplating for a moment. 

"No, don't kill her. Bring her here. If she is a Parselmouth then her death will be a loss" Destiny said and Cassiopeia simply raised her brows in confusion. 

"But didn't you say that she is a squib?" Cassiopeia looked really confused right now. 

"Yes, but squibs can see Magic, so there is a chance that she carries the talent in her blood, but she can't use it" Destiny explained and now that Cassiopeia thought about it, Destiny was right. So, she simply nodded her head in understanding…

"...Um, Destiny?" Cassiopeia called out nervously and Destiny gave Cassiopeia a questioning look. "There is something else I wanted to talk about" Cassiopeia began in a nervous tone. 

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Destiny urged Cassiopeia to continue. For a moment, Cassiopeia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but then she took a deep breath. 

"IwantyoutomeetmyparentsandLordBlack" Cassiopeia blurted out extremely fast. Destiny blinked in confusion. 

"I didn't get a single thing you said. Why don't you try again, but a little bit slower?" Destiny suggested and once again, Cassiopeia took a deep breath to calm herself. 

"I want you to meet my parents and Lord Black" Cassiopeia said and after hearing her words, Destiny leaned back on the couch. 

"Why?" Destiny asked with a somewhat serious look on her face. She had no idea what Cassiopeia wanted, but it must be something serious or Cassiopeia wouldn't have been a nervous wreck. 

In the last few days, Destiny has come to know Cassiopeia pretty well. The green-eyed Witch always carried herself with utmost confidence, so this was completely out of her usual personality. Destiny did have some ideas regarding what Cassiopeia wanted to talk about. Destiny has refrained herself from claiming Cassiopeia's virginity. 

She knew how Pureblood Families were regarding the purity of their daughters. The Black Family would freak out if Cassiopeia ends up losing her virginity to someone before getting married, Cursed Bride or not. That is how Pureblood Families were…

For a few seconds, Cassiopeia didn't say anything. "You have asked me to join your Coven, that is basically asking for marriage and believe me I want to join your Coven, but I want to do it with my Family and Lord Black's approval" Cassiopeia said in a somewhat desperate tone. She kept staring at Destiny with a nervous glint in her eyes as Destiny contemplated everything she had just heard. 

"Okay… I will meet your parents and Lord Black, how soon can you arrange a meeting?" Destiny asked in a firm tone. This was the first time she was about to meet the parents of her lover… Ambika didn't have parents, so it never mattered, but Destiny wasn't going to back down. 

"I could take you to meet them tomorrow, but there is something more I wanted to talk about" Cassiopeia said and Destiny simply urged the green-eyed Witch to continue. 

"I want to tell Lord Black and my parents about the gift you gave me. I mean the gift of Parseltongue" Cassiopeia said and once again, Destiny found herself contemplating her options. What Cassiopeia was asking for was very risky. If by any chance Lord Black to blackmail with the information then it was going to be a complete mess. 

Destiny would never give up on her dreams and their cause… If needed she would remove the Black Family from the face of Earth. Destiny liked Cassiopeia, but there was no way, Destiny was going to give up on her ambition for a woman. No matter how beautiful that woman is. 

While Destiny was busy contemplating her options, Cassiopeia was becoming nervous with each passing second. She knew that she might be pushing her luck with the last suggestion, but she wanted to portray Destiny in a favourable light in front of her Family. 

Her Family respected Power above everything. Even their Family motto, 'Toujours Pur' which meant 'Always Pure' could also be ignored for Power. Cassiopeia wanted to make her Family see reason, so they would allow her to join a Coven or allow her to marry a Witch. 

Cassiopeia knew that Destiny wanted to act from the shadows. The crimson-haired Witch practically wanted to hide her name using an Ancient Charm… So, Cassiopeia concluded that Destiny might be worried about her information becoming public. 

"I can ask them to swear Secrecy Oaths" Cassiopeia suggested and Destiny immediately perked up. 

"That would work… Okay, you can tell your Family about your new gift, but only if they agree to swear Secrecy Oaths, otherwise I would be very much displeased" Destiny said with a serious look on her face. She wanted to scare Cassiopeia, so she started to release her Magical Power. 

Cassiopeia gulped audibly when she felt an overbearing pressure wash over her. She noticed that Destiny's crimson hair has started to shift eerily while her crimson eyes has started to glow. Cassiopeia could only nod her head fearfully. For the first time, Cassiopeia understood that Destiny might seem to be pretty easygoing most of the time, but behind that facade, an extremely dangerous Witch was hiding… 

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