Magical Britain

~~January, 1927 (Netherlands)~~

"You are going to leave, again?" Ambika questioned in a sullen tone. She wasn't happy about Destiny wanting to leave so soon. She just returned from America after meeting Gellert. Destiny saw the older girl's reaction and started to snicker. 

"Oh… you don't need to be like that, I am not leaving tomorrow, I am going to stay here for at least a week before leaving" Destiny cooed as she caressed Ambika's bare back. Both of them just finished making love for the 2nd time, and Destiny finally decided to initiate the conversation. 

Ambika gave Destiny a pitiful look. "Can't you take me with you?" Ambika asked and after a few moments of silence, Destiny released a defeated sigh. 

"You know I can't…" Destiny said while shaking her head. 

Ambika looked away. "Have you grown tired of me?" Ambika whispered in a low tone and Destiny felt like someone had punched her in the gut. 

"No! It is nothing like that. I will never grow tired of you or anything. As I said before, you are mine and I am not going to toss you away" Destiny growled as she grabbed Ambika's chin and turned her head. 

"You see, I can't take you because you need to be here so that you can manage the Knights in my absence. I know, ideal relationships don't work like that, but our relationship isn't ideal…" Destiny said and Ambika relented as she couldn't refute Destiny's words. 

"I see your point, but I don't like it" Ambika grumbled in an annoyed tone and Destiny smirked as she wrapped her hands around the older girl's waist and pulled her closer. 

"I also don't like it if I am being honest, but there is nothing I can do… I am trying to change the world, so I can't lose sight of my objective" Destiny softly said and Ambika didn't look happy, but once again she relented as she didn't have any arguments against that. 

She knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she had started the relationship with Destiny, she had noticed how their relationship had progressed from there. Ambika has also grown up a lot and a lot of things have also changed for her. 

She had also learned how relationships were supposed to work and all. She was really happy where she was, but there was something constantly nagging inside her mind, it was her weakness. She hadn't said anything about it but she felt really insecure due to her weakness. 

She wasn't weak compared to other mundane Witches, but she was laughingly weak compared to Destiny. She always wondered if Destiny would someday toss her away due to her weakness. She wanted to serve Destiny throughout the rest of her life as a devoted follower, and stand beside Destiny as a faithful lover, but with her current power, it was simply impossible. 

That is why Ambika had recently delved into research. She had been looking for ways to increase her Magical Power. She knew some rituals but all of them were pretty outrageous and all of them had some side effects and none of them were anything good. That is why Ambika was very reluctant to go through those rituals. 

She was also pretty sure that Destiny would never allow her to go through such rituals, consequences be damned. Then there was another method… once again Ambika was very reluctant with the method, but this method was much safer than the rituals. 

Alas, nothing in the World is free. The second method also came along with some side effects. If Ambika chose the second method, then she would need to share Destiny with other women… The idea was pretty appealing, Ambika wasn't going to lie, and at the same time, she knew that Destiny wouldn't be against the idea. 

For now, Ambika decided to fall asleep as she was really tired after their lovemaking session… She knew that she needed to come clean in front of Destiny before trying anything else, but she still needed to make up her mind and she wasn't going to do anything without Destiny's express permission. So it was alright… 

For now, Ambika knew that she needed to research more…

<Line Break>

A whole week passed in the blink of an eye. Throughout the week, Destiny spent as much time as possible with Ambika while she continued to translate the ancient tome whenever she wasn't spending her time with her lover. Ambika was rather pleased with this development and she was happy to please Destiny in return. 

Ambika was sad that once again, Destiny was about to leave, but she didn't show it on her face. Destiny was also feeling slightly bad, but she was planning to make it up to Ambika afterwards. Right now, Destiny was making her way towards the meeting room. Vladimir and his team have finally returned from Yemen… 

Destiny finally entered the meeting room, her crimson cape billowing behind her imperiously as she strode inside the meeting room. All of her four Lieutenants stood up and gave a respectful bow… 

"Lady Grindelwald!" All of them greeted Destiny at the same time in a respectful tone. Destiny gave a stiff nod in appreciation. Destiny pulled back her chair and sat down and her Lieutenants followed her example. 

"So, how was your tournament, Vladimir?" Destiny questioned looking rather curious. 

"It was very interesting, milady, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to secure victory" Vladimir said in an apologetic manner and Destiny raised her delicate eyebrows in interest. 

"Then your opponent must have been really good?" Destiny questioned and Vladimir seemed to reluctantly nod his head. 

"My opponent's name was Fleamont Potter, he is the heir apparent to the Potter Family, he was using Family Magiks and he was pretty good with a Wand too" Vladimir said grudgingly and Destiny smiled. 

"Then I hope that I get to meet him when I am in Britain… How old is he?" Destiny asked as she leaned back in her seat. 

"He had graduated from Hogwarts last year" Vladimir said and Destiny was impressed. The boy was probably 17 or 18 and he was already so strong. Yes, Destiny was impressed. 

"I see… Donovan, stop the recruitments from today onwards. I want you and your team to collect information from the Muggle World. Don't need to do anything drastic, just loiter around and see what is going around the world" Destiny commanded in a polite tone. 

"Quinton, I need you to continue your previous mission and you already know what to do, Ambika. Vladimir, take a break and then start training the newer recruits" Destiny finally finished giving out the orders and all four of them nodded their heads. 

Destiny gave a satisfied nod and stood up. "Then I will be leaving…" Destiny said and her features softened as she glanced towards Ambika. The white-haired Witch blushed intensely as the last night's conversation resurfaced inside her mind. Destiny easily discerned the reason for the blush and grinned. 

"I am going to miss you" Destiny said softly, but she still kept grinning. Destiny leaned down and pecked Ambika on her lips. Ambika looked flushed as the last night's conversation was still replaying inside her mind, but she agreed that she was going to miss Destiny. The others weren't bothered as they already knew about the relationship. 

Destiny activated her Portkey and with a familiar tug around her navel, Destiny was whisked away. A few seconds later, Destiny gracefully landed on her feet and shook her head to clear the dizziness. International Portkeys always made her dizzy and she wasn't the only one with that problem. 

Destiny found herself standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron. It was a pretty famous pub and it was a milestone used by a lot of Magical Population as Apparition or Portkey points. Destiny strode inside the room and she immediately noticed everyone's gaze focused on her. 

'Yes!! Be thankful to be graced by my beauty' It has been a long time since Destiny has been using narcissism to deal with all the attention. Destiny approached the counter and found a woman attending the counter. There was a shelf on the counter filled with Daily Prophet newspaper. Destiny grabbed one and placed a sickle on the counter. 

"Can I get you something else?" The matron asked Destiny in a polite tone, but Destiny easily noticed that it was almost fake as the woman was weirded out by her clothes and hair. 

"Yes, tea and some scones please" Destiny ordered as she made her way towards the corner of the room. The matron nodded her head. The pub was bustling with Wizards and Witches, so it was completely packed. Destiny finally found an empty spot, but she noticed that people are actively avoiding that table. 

Only one of the seats on the table was occupied, it was occupied by a young Witch and Destiny noticed that some people were even avoiding looking in her direction. Destiny was obviously intrigued, so she beelined towards the table. 

"Excuse me, would you mind if I sit here?" Destiny asked and immediately the whole pub turned completely silent. The young Witch was scribbling something on a parchment, she also had a stack of books placed on the table. The Witch finally stopped her scribbling as she looked up. 

'She is hot as fuck!' Destiny internally grinned. The Witch was extremely beautiful, she had slightly curled midnight black hair and the most entrancing part were her eyes. Her bright green eyes were just… irresistible. Destiny found herself being drawn in by those green orbs. 

(Image Here) 

"Of course, have a seat" The Witch answered in a polite tone and Destiny gave her a grateful smile and sat down. Immediately murmurs broke around the pub and Destiny knew that she was involved in whatever they were whispering. 

"You use a Katana as your Magical Focus?" The Witch questioned as she eyed Neptune. 

"Yes… I am surprised that you noticed. Not many do" Destiny said and the Witch tilted her head with an amused glint in her eyes. 

"Yes, I suppose… so, you are from Japan?" The Witch questioned and Destiny smiled in return. 

"No… I am from Austria actually. I got this from Japan when I turned 11" Destiny answered and the matron of the pub finally arrived with Destiny's tea and scones and as soon as she placed the plates, she scurried away from the table. For whatever reason, everyone seemed to be afraid of the Witch sitting in front of Destiny. 

"I wonder why everyone seems to be so… uneasy" Destiny mused and the green-eyed Witch smirked devilishly after hearing Destiny's words. 

"Ah… that would be due to my last name. Everyone tends to avoid a Black" The Witch answered and Destiny finally understood why everyone was avoiding the table. The Witch was from the Black Family, the Black Family was one of the most renowned Pureblood Families in Britain. 

Obviously, Destiny has done her research before coming to this country and she knew a lot of stuff about the Black Family. The Black Family was staunch traditionalists which was now being referred to as Dark and they hated Muggles and Muggleborns with a passion. That wasn't anything new, more Pureblood Families did that. 

"I have heard about the Black Family" Destiny said vaguely and the Witch simply shrugged. "Please help yourself" Destiny added, pointing towards the scones. 

"Thank you, but I just ate" The Witch politely refused, which wasn't anything out of the expectation. Destiny smiled and took a sip of her tea but not before using some diagnostic Spells. The green-eyed Witch narrowed her eyes. 

"That was pure Wandless Magic" The Witch stated and Destiny smirked in return. "You must be very strong" The Witch added, looking rather impressed. 

"I will take that as a compliment" Destiny answered and for the first time, she eyed the books placed on the table. 

"Cassiopeia Black" The Witch finally introduced herself and extended her hand. Destiny accepted the extended limb and shook her hand, gently. 

(A/N: In canon, Cassiopeia Black was born in 1915, but I decided to change it. In my fanfic, she was born in 1907. She is only a few months older than Destiny) 

"My name is Destiny" Destiny felt really odd as she wasn't able to give her last name and even Cassiopeia frowned, but decided not to make any comments. 

"Are you perhaps pursuing a Masters in Charms?" Destiny questioned, trying to change the topic. 

"...Yes, I am trying to write a paper by myself. Currently, I am trying to find myself an apprenticeship" Cassiopeia answered in a neutral tone. 

"Good luck" Destiny said genuinely and Cassiopeia gave her an appreciative nod. 

"So, you graduated from Uagadou Magical Academy?" Cassiopeia questioned and Destiny politely shook her head. Destiny understood that Cassiopeia reached that conclusion because of her display of Wandless Magic. 

"I never went to a Magical Academy, I wouldn't have learned anything new from there" Destiny said and Cassiopeia raised her delicate eyebrows in a questioning manner. 

"When I received my letter from Mahoutokoro, I was already learning some advanced Magic" Destiny elaborated. Cassiopeia kept staring at Destiny for a few seconds until she cracked an amused smile. 

"I like you and that's saying something as I don't like many" Cassiopeia said with a grin. "Tell me, how long have you been in this country?" Cassiopeia questioned curiously. 

"It has been a few minutes, I suppose" Destiny mused with an amused glint in her eyes as she wasn't sure how much time has passed since she arrived in this country. "I will be honest, I don't know much about this country" Destiny added and she finally finished eating all the scones. 

"Ah…" Cassiopeia released an understanding sigh. 

"Can you tell me where I can find some good books?" Destiny requested politely. 

"You can check Flourish and Blotts, but if you want real books then you must pay a visit to the Knockturn Alley, there are several book stores there" Cassiopeia answered as she started to think about something else. 

Cassiopeia Black was a true Slytherin if nothing else. She remembered how Destiny had refrained from mentioning her last name, it was suspicious, but she didn't question it out loud. Cassiopeia didn't know if Destiny was a Mudblood or Half-blood from Destiny's posture and table manners, she might very well be a Pureblood Witch. 

There was one thing Cassiopeia Black knew for sure was the crimson-haired woman's Magical Power. Nobody from her family was capable of using Wandless Magic and it wasn't some elementary Spell, Destiny cast detection Spells Wandlessly. That was simply… surprising. 

So, Cassiopeia Black decided to offer something she would have never offered to anybody else… This crimson-haired woman sitting in front of her was an Enigma. It has only been a few minutes since she has met this woman, but that was more than enough. Cassiopeia really wanted to see how capable this woman was… 

"If you want, I can show you around" Cassiopeia offered and after a few moments of silence, a small smile graced Destiny's lips. 

"I would be grateful for your help" Destiny answered and Cassiopeia grabbed the parchment and placed it inside her book. After that, Cassiopeia tapped the stack of books and all of them shrunk down. Cassiopeia placed the books in her robe pocket and stood up from the table. 

Destiny followed Cassiopeia's example and stood up. Destiny and Cassiopeia made their way towards the entrance of the Diagon Alley after Destiny cleared the bill. Cassiopeia tapped a few bricks with her Wand and the wall started to open up, and Destiny easily memorised the bricks. 

"This is much bigger than I was expecting to be honest" Destiny hummed as she looked around. Cassiopeia smirked and pointed towards the building. Destiny immediately recognized it to be the Gringotts before Cassiopeia could say anything. 

"Ah… Gringotts. Their banks are pretty similar everywhere" Destiny pointed out and Cassiopeia tilted her head looking intrigued. 

"I can't say I can agree with you… I have never been outside Magical Britain, so I have no idea" Cassiopeia said with a shrug and Destiny simply smiled. 

"By the way, I have heard a lot about the Ollivanders. So, are their Wands really that great?" Destiny asked curiously and Cassiopeia seemed to contemplate for a few seconds. 

"I suppose so, I bought my Wand from there and to be honest, my Wand has been aiding me throughout the years astoundingly" Cassiopeia answered and Destiny tapped her fingers on Neptune. 

"Can you take me to the Ollivanders if you don't mind?" Destiny requested and Cassiopeia stifled a giggle. 

"I already said that I was going to show you around, come on follow me" Cassiopeia said as she started to lead Destiny through the crowd. Once again, Destiny was receiving weird looks, but once again she allowed her narcissistic thoughts to take over. The crowd was parting away due to Cassiopeia and Destiny was really amused by the sight. 

Cassiopeia led Destiny to a somewhat old looking derecipt shop. The shop was narrow and looked really old. 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C' was written over the shop's entrance with gold letters. Cassiopeia pushed the door open and a bell chimed. Moments later, both Cassiopeia and Destiny entered the store. 

Destiny was impressed with the number of Wands being kept inside the store and it was obviously magically expanded from the inside. An old man walked out from the back of the store. The man was easily a century old, Destiny deduced that fact from the man's posture and physical appearance. 

"Ah… Cassiopeia Black, 9" Black Walnut with a Dragon Heartstring Core. I hope that my Wand is still aiding you perfectly fine?" The old man questioned as he approached the counter. 

"I would like it if you don't advertise my Wand specifications in front of the others" Cassiopeia said dryly. "And my Wand is working perfectly, thank you for asking" Cassiopeia added in a similar tone. She forgot how she hated the fact that man loved to advertise his work. 

"Then how may I help you and your friend?" The old man asked as his gaze lingered towards the crimson-haired woman. 

"My friend here needs a Wand" Cassiopeia answered, gesturing towards Destiny. 

"Oh my… that Katana is a powerful Magical Focus" the old man gasped. "Well, it doesn't matter. May I take some measurements?" The man questioned as he produced a measuring tape from his robes. Destiny agreed. 

"Your main arm?" The old man asked and Destiny extended her right arm. The old man quickly took some measurements and ran inside his shop. A few seconds later, he emerged with a lot of black boxes. He pulled out a white Wand and placed it in Destiny's hand and moments later, it shot out of hand and punched a hole through the wall. 

"Your Magic is quite strong, young lady" the old man muttered dryly. 

"Hmm… Someone might have mentioned that" Destiny said sarcastically and the old man seemed to become more excited for whatever reason… 

After nearly thirty minutes, Destiny finally found a match… Destiny felt her Magic sing as soon as she grabbed the Wand. The Wand gave her a somewhat similar feeling to the Wand of Destiny. Neptune gave her a feeling of harmony, while the Wand in her hand was giving her the feeling of Power, just like the Wand of Destiny. 

"15" Yew with a Threstral Tail Hair Core" the old man muttered in awe. "I never expected that Wand to find a match" the old man added in a melancholic tone. Destiny wasn't a fool, the Wand in her hand was eerily similar to the Wand of Destiny, so it must have some history. 

"Why?" Destiny asked curiously. Even Cassiopeia was paying rapt attention. 

"Ah… one of my ancestors was somewhat obsessed with some fabled artefacts, so he decided to recreate one of them. He created several Wands using different materials, but none of them ever chose anyone, until today" the old man answered with a satisfied and somewhat proud smile on his face. 

"Ah… I see" Destiny nodded her head. Even though the man didn't mention the name of the artefacts, Destiny already knew what the man was talking about. "I want a Wand Holster too" Destiny added and the man summoned a Wand holster from a nearby shelf with a flick of his Wand. 

Destiny placed the holster around her right arm and strapped her new Wand in the holster. "How much do I need to pay?" Destiny asked politely. 

"It would be 3 Galleons in total" the old man said and Destiny quickly handed 3 Galleons to the man. After that, both Destiny and Cassiopeia left the store. 

"He was quite… interesting" Destiny said with an unsure look on her face as she didn't know how to describe the man in one word. 

"That's Cassius Ollivander for you. He is slightly off the rocker, but he is scarily good in what he does. The reputation of Ollivanders is not fake, their family have been running the business for more than a millennium without any competition for obvious reasons" Cassiopeia explained and Destiny hummed in understanding. 

"There are other Wandmakers who make custom Wands for their customer, but none of them can match the finesse and integrity of the Wands created by an Ollivander" Cassiopeia continued her explanation and with a flick Destiny had her new Wand in her hand. 

"I suppose… This Wand feels great in my hand. I am not gonna lie" Destiny said as she tapped Neptune with her new Wand and shrunk it. After that, she gently placed  Neptune in her pocket. Neptune was still going to be her main Magical Focus, but using a Wand is pretty convenient. 

"This is the bookstore I was talking about" Cassiopeia said while pointing towards a small, but a somewhat crowded bookstore. 'Flourish and Blotts' Destiny read the store name. "If you want, we could check it out" Cassiopeia offered. 

"Sure, I will take you up on that offer, but I am afraid that I am going to waste your day" Destiny politely replied and Cassiopeia simply smirked in return. 

"Rubbish, I am happy to help" Cassiopeia said and led Destiny towards the bookstore. Unfortunately, just like Cassiopeia had suspected, Destiny didn't find anything interesting after browsing through the whole store. The whole store was filled with casual Magic books. 

"I was kind of suspecting that you wouldn't find anything interesting in here. You see, this is a bookstore where Muggles and Muggleborns are brought to buy their books when they are introduced to the Magical World, the trend continues. So, the store avoids keeping books that might hurt the delicate sensibilities of those students" Cassiopeia said in a clipped tone. 

Destiny didn't need to use Legilimency to know that Cassiopeia hated Muggles and Muggleborns, but Destiny did discover a very important fact from Cassiopeia's words. For now, she decided to keep mum. She could always ask the green-eyed Witch later. 

Destiny wasn't naive, she knew that Cassiopeia had some sort of ulterior motive for helping her. Destiny doesn't know shit about the Black family, true, but she knew that Purebloods won't help the others out of their goodwill, at least they won't help a complete stranger without expecting nothing in return. 

"Come on, there are a couple of more stores in Knockturn Alley, you might find something interesting in there" Cassiopeia said and led Destiny towards a much older part of the alley. 

"This used to be the original shopping settlement, it still is for all the Traditionalists, but it is somewhat avoided because some decided that following our Tradition and Old Ways means we are Dark" Cassiopeia scoffed. 

"Anyways, the Diagon Alley was built to welcome the Muggleborns, it developed and grew throughout the years and now, the Diagon Alley is known as Magical Britain's most prominent market. After all, right now, the Muggleborns are the majority" Cassiopeia finished in a neutral tone, but Destiny knew better. Cassiopeia was internally very unhappy. 

Unfortunately, once again, Destiny didn't find anything interesting in the rest of the bookstores, or at least she didn't find anything new in there. It was already time for lunch and Cassiopeia had shown Destiny all the important shops in the Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, so they decided to return to Leaky Cauldron for lunch. 

This time Destiny decided to acquire a private room as she didn't want to be stared at while eating. Cassiopeia was also feeling the same, so after a couple of minutes, they found themselves sitting inside a room with some food placed in front of them. 

"So, why did you help me?" Destiny asked curiously. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. 

Cassiopeia didn't answer and stared at Destiny for a few moments. "It is a gamble to be exact" Cassiopeia answered with a cryptic smile on her face. 

"You see, I am a Slytherin" Cassiopeia said and Destiny tilted her head in confusion, so Cassiopeia decided to give the crimson-haired woman a brief overview. "Hogwarts was founded by four people. Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. So, Hogwarts was divided into four houses" 

"Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. I was sorted into Slytherin. We value ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness among a few other things, but none of them are that important. You said, that you didn't go to any Magical Academy, but you are strong"

"Nobody in my family is capable of performing Wandless Magic and you were casting Diagnostic Charms Wandlessly. If that isn't impressive, then I don't know what is…" Cassiopeia finished with a grin and took a small sip from her wine glass, but she immediately grimaced as she didn't like the wine. 

"I could have been faking it… there are various types of Magical Focus around the world. I could be using one of them and act like I am using Wandless Magic" Destiny pointed out and casually leaned back in her chair. 

Cassiopeia simply placed her hands on the table and within a matter of a second, she had her Wand pointed towards Destiny and moments later, she fired a Stunning Charm at Destiny. As a matter of fact, Destiny was slightly impressed with the speed of the draw. It wasn't the fastest she had seen, but it was still impressive for someone at Cassiopeia's age. 

Destiny simply swatted away the Stunning Charm with her hand while she had a dismissive look on her face. Cassiopeia's smile widened. "I rest my case" Cassiopeia tucked away her Wand with a smug grin on her face. 

"You are good, but you need to work a lot on your speed and power" Destiny commented. Cassiopeia would have felt insulted, but she already knew that the woman sitting in front of her was leagues above her. "So, what do you want?" Destiny questioned and rapped her fingers on the table. 

It was a loaded question and both of them knew that. Cassiopeia carefully arranged the answer in her mind. "I want you to ally yourself with our house. You are extremely strong, and our house would definitely profit if you decide to form some sort of tie with our house… and we aren't the only ones who would profit from such an alliance, you would too" 

"Black Family is one of 'The Noble and Most Ancient Houses'. We are one of the largest, oldest, and wealthiest pure-blooded wizarding families in Great Britain, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. You see, if you ally yourself with our house, then you get a serious backing and with your power, our family isn't going to limit you at anything" Cassiopeia explained in a haughty tone. 

Destiny wasn't sure how she was supposed to react after hearing an offer like that. She didn't feel offended though, Pureblood families offered alliances like these, but it wasn't anything common. Unfortunately, Destiny would have to deny the offer, but she wouldn't mind if the Blacks joined her cause. 

"...That is an appealing offer, but from what I have concluded, you and your family hate Muggleborns and Half-bloods. I remember that I never gave you my last name… I could very well be a Muggleborn" Destiny said with a thin smile on her face and Cassiopeia pressed her lips together. 

"...True, we feel that Muggleborns and Half-bloods are beneath us, but then you have Albus Dumbledore, he is a half-blood, but none of us are ever going to challenge him. His Magical might is enough to wash away his other… shortcomings" Cassiopeia said with a tight smile on her face. 

"Hmm… you gave me a lot to think about, but before anything else, I think I should properly introduce myself" Destiny said as she straightened her back and extended her hand towards Cassiopeia. The green-eyed Witch accepted the hand. 

"My name is Destiny Grindelwald, it is nice to make your acquaintance Miss Black" Destiny said in a prideful tone and Cassiopeia's eyes grew wide after hearing Destiny's last name and she felt like a bludger had been slammed into her gut… 

Destiny grinned wickedly and took a sip from her own wine glass and she internally grimaced. 'This wine is so bad' Destiny thought disdainfully and placed the glass back on the table. The wine completely ruined her mood… throughout the rest of the meal, she was going to refrain from grabbing that glass again. 

While Destiny was internally glaring at the wine glass, Cassiopeia was having a hard time forming any sort of coherent speech. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but no words came out. She simply kept gaping like a fish out of the water while staring at Destiny with wide eyes. 

"...H-how can I believe you?" After a whole minute, Cassiopeia was finally able to form a coherent sentence, but her voice was still kind of weak. 

Destiny grinned and slowly raised her right hand to reveal a signet ring with the emblem of the Grindelwald Family. It was the Heir ring of the Grindelwald Family, but in this case, an Heiress. The Grindelwald Family wasn't a well-renowned family until Gellert started his movement. 

So, right now, Grindelwald Family was a pretty renowned family, that is why Cassiopeia easily identified the Heir ring in Destiny's hand to be genuine. Cassiopeia gulped loudly, she had heard all about Gellert Grindelwald and even though the man had been trying to enslave the Muggles, it didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. 

Cassiopeia took a deep breath and she decided to deal with the matter at hand. She had already shown weakness in front of the crimson-haired woman, but she wasn't going to do that for the second time. She was a Black of the Black Family and she had a reputation to maintain. 

"No offence, Miss Black, but I would have to refuse your offer" Destiny added and Cassiopeia nodded her head with an understanding look on her face. 

"I see and even though I am disappointed, I can understand why you had to reject the offer…" Cassiopeia said with an understanding look on her face. "Though, I would like to be your friend if you don't mind" Cassiopeia added. 

Destiny kept staring at the green-eyed Witch with a contemplative look on her face. After a few seconds, Destiny smiled. "I would like to be your friend too" Destiny said with a grin and Cassiopeia also smiled after hearing Destiny's words… 

<Line Break>

"This is a nice house…" Destiny muttered as she looked around. Cassiopeia had invited Destiny to stay with her after she found that Destiny was yet to make any arrangements for her accommodations. 

"My Father had gifted this house to me and my betrothed as dowry, I decided to keep it for myself since I loved the house" Cassiopeia explained as she rummaged through her liquor cabinet. She had a house-elf, but asking a house-elf to pour a drink for your guest was considered an insult in the Pureblood circle. 

"Your betrothed? I hope that he is as nice as you" Destiny said as she stared towards the beach. The property was under unplottable Wards, but she quickly discerned that the house was located in Cornwall county. 

"He wasn't, but you don't have to worry about him. He is dead" Cassiopeia deadpanned as she finally pulled out a couple of glasses from the liquor cabinet. Both Destiny and Cassiopeia had previously agreed that Wine was right for the situation, so they decided to go with something strong. 

"How?" Destiny questioned as she turned around and started to approach Cassiopeia. Destiny plopped down on the opposite side of the couch and released a content sigh. 

"He had an unfortunate accident, it was terrible from what I have heard" Cassiopeia answered without missing a beat. She uncorked the Firewhiskey bottle and poured drinks for herself and Destiny. 

"So, how did you kill him?" Destiny questioned. She was smart enough to read between the lines. Cassiopeia gave Destiny an amused look, and picked up her glass and extended the other glass towards Destiny. 

"I am obligated to say that I don't know what you are talking about" Cassiopeia replied in an innocent tone. "And from what I heard, he was making a volatile Potion, the cauldron exploded and the Potion melted his skin" Cassiopeia nodded her head with a satisfied smile. 

"Quite terrible indeed, and I think I am obligated to say that I am sorry for your loss" Destiny said with a grin and took a small sip from her glass, but not before subtly using Detection Spells. 

"Thank you" Cassiopeia cracked up and started to chuckle. Destiny also joined in, and both of them started to chuckle. 

"So, you want to become a Charms Mistress?" Destiny questioned curiously and Cassiopeia shook her head. 

"Not exactly, I want to become an Enchanter, but to become a certified Enchanter, I need to have Masters in Charms, Runes and Arithmancy. I decided to start with Charms" Cassiopeia explained after taking a small sip from her glass. 

"To be honest, I have no idea how someone is supposed to get those degrees" Destiny said with a shrug. She never paid attention to these kinds of stuff. 

"Well, someone would simply need to get an apprenticeship with a Master or Mistress of a specific field and after you finish learning, you can take up the exams in ministry, if you pass then you get your Masters degree" Cassiopeia answered and Destiny hummed in understanding. 

"Can someone take the exam by self-studying?" Destiny asked and Cassiopeia nodded her head.

"Yes, but nobody does that. The exams are really tough and you need to pay a fee for the exam and you can only give the exam once in a year" Cassiopeia explained and poured herself another glass. Destiny finally nodded her head with an understanding look on her face. 

"I see… so, I suppose your betrothed wasn't supportive of your career choice?" Destiny asked with an amused grin on her face and Cassiopeia snorted in amusement. 

"Of course not, he wanted me to be an obedient housewife. My second betrothed was also like that… so, he also had an unfortunate accident" Cassiopeia answered with a satisfied smile on her face and Destiny's eyes grew wide for a moment. 

"Wait! Second, betrothed?" Destiny questioned incredulously. 

"Oh yes, my father wasn't happy that my first betrothed died, so he decided to arrange another one for me… unfortunately, he also died. He dropped from the stairs and broke his neck. Poor man" Cassiopeia wiped a fake tear from her eye. 

"After that, I earned the reputation of being a cursed bride. No matter how much my poor father tried, nobody would agree to marry me and my mother absolutely refused to allow the family pen to be dipped in my inkpot" Cassiopeia couldn't keep that act any longer and burst out laughing. 

"...Your life is certainly interesting, Cassiopeia" Destiny muttered dryly and started to chuckle too. 

"So, when I asked my father if I could keep this house for myself or not, he happily gave me the house" Cassiopeia wiped away another tear, once again it was fake. "Though, I won't lie. I miss my mother and sister" Cassiopeia muttered in a slightly sullen tone. 

"I don't have any siblings, so I have no idea how to feel about them" Destiny shrugged and Cassiopeia gave her a look of sympathy. 

"I don't like my younger brother much… he is really unpleasant, but I like my sisters" Cassiopeia added and continued to drink. Destiny Wandlessly lifted the bottle and poured herself another drink. Cassiopeia gave a longing look towards the floating bottle. 

"It must be great, right? I mean being able to use Magic Wandlessly?" Cassiopeia asked curiously. She is a Pureblood Witch, she respected power like all the other Purebloods. Sure they hated most Muggleborns, but there was a genuine reason for it. Muggleborns came into their society and will keep comparing everything with the Muggles. 

Muggles were inherently hated by the Wizarding Population because of the Witch hunts. So, any self-respecting Wizard or Witch would obviously be offended whenever their world is compared with the Muggle World. Secondly, most Muggleborns insult their culture and traditions and they would try to change it to match the Muggle World. 

"Yes, Wandless Magic does have its perks, but there are some limitations too. Offensive Magic is very limited Wandlessly and there are some Spells you can't cast without a Magical Focus. For example, the Patronus Charm or the Unforgivables" Destiny explained and placed the bottle back on the table. 

"I wouldn't know… I can't cast anything Wandlessly. Wandless Magic is the sign of a strong Witch or Wizard… at least, that is what our family thinks" Cassiopeia smiled softly. She wasn't surprised at all when Destiny mentioned the Unforgivables, and Patronus Charm was hard, but most of the Aurors know how to cast that. 

Destiny took another sip from her glass. "Cassiopeia…" Destiny began to speak, but Cassiopeia cut her off. 

"You can call me Cassi if you want" Cassiopeia spoke in a neutral tone. 

"Cassi it is. Tell me, Cassi, why did you invite me to your house?" Destiny questioned with a serious look on her face and Cassiopeia released a sigh. 

"I don't have any malicious intent against you if you are asking that. Even though you are related to Dark Lord Grindelwald, you are an exceptionally strong Witch in your own regard. Dark Lord Grindelwald has been captured, and he is awaiting his trial" 

"I know you have rejected my offer, but you might need some protection in the future. My Family can give you that protection" Cassiopeia answered in a serious tone and tipped the glass in her mouth. Moments later, she burped and a ball of fire came out of her mouth. 

"You would risk your Family's reputation and credibility in order to protect me?" Destiny asked, looking slightly bewildered. 

"As I said, I was in Slytherin just like most of our Family. We are cunning and ambitious. You are an extremely strong Witch and an alliance between our family and it will be profitable for both parties" Cassiopeia said sincerely. Destiny used a little bit of passive Legilimency and she was surprised to find Cassiopeia's shields were quite impressive. 

Destiny was about to retreat, but she noticed that the shields were being lowered. Destiny was completely stunned by the fact that Cassiopeia was allowing her to see inside her mind. So, Destiny decided to take a peek and she confirmed that Cassiopeia was being sincere. After that, Destiny retreated from Cassiopeia's mind. 

"We are taught Occlumency as soon as we turn six. It is necessary for our family, we have a family trait, it is called Black Madness, without Occlumency we will start to lose our sanity as we grow older and become stronger" Cassiopeia explained and took a small sip from her glass. 

"I am sorry I tried to invade your privacy, but I needed to see if you were being sincere or not…" Destiny apologized, but Cassiopeia simply smiled and waved her off. 

"You don't need to apologize, if I was in your place then I would have also done the same" Cassiopeia released a tired sigh, but moments later, she smiled. "Well, enough about me. Tell me about yourself" Cassiopeia said, trying to change the topic. 

"Hmm… what do you want to know?" Destiny asked as she had no idea how to start this conversation. 

"I mean how did you become so strong?" Cassiopeia asked in a neutral tone, but Destiny noticed that Cassiopeia looked slightly excited. 

"I don't know, to be honest, I kept training and training. I never stopped, when I started learning Magic, I never imagined that I would become so strong, but I did have a good teacher" Destiny finished with a grin. 

"You mean Gellert Grindelwald?" Cassiopeia asked with a slight undertone of awe in her voice. 

"Yes. He was brilliant, you know and the thing is, he never stopped me from learning anything I was interested in. He always encouraged me and found some time to guide me even when he was busy with the tournaments" Destiny smiled brightly when she finished speaking. 

"Tell me, Cassi, what do you think of his ambition and agenda?" Destiny questioned nonchalantly, but Cassiopeia knew that it was a loaded question. 

"...I don't agree with him, at least not completely" Cassiopeia answered in a neutral tone, but internally she was nervous. If Destiny took an offence and decided to teach her a lesson, then she couldn't do anything. Destiny simply gestured her to continue. 

"...I agree with him, our whole family agrees with him that Muggles should be enslaved and we shouldn't hide behind the Statute any longer like rats, but we don't agree with him over the fact that he considers Muggleborns to be our equals" Cassiopeia finished and once again she took a large gulp from her glass. 

"Hmm… I suppose I understand where you are coming from or where your family is coming from. I know why Purebloods hate Muggleborns or Half-bloods… but you see there is a reason why we don't agree with that" Destiny said as she slowly stood up. 

"Let's go outside… if you are willing to hear what I have to say" Destiny said and Cassiopeia immediately stood up from her seat. Cassiopeia obviously wanted to hear what Destiny had to say, at least she would hear her out. Destiny gulped down the contents of her glass in one go and placed the glass on the table.

Destiny led Cassiopeia outside the house, but she didn't wander outside the Wards. With a wave of her hand, Destiny raised two sand pillars and then she Transfigured them into two chairs. Cassiopeia's eyes bugged out at the casual display of Wandless Magic and Destiny couldn't help but feel amused with Cassiopeia's reaction… 

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