Progress and Discoveries

Logan and I were currently in Bulgaria. A few weeks after the school year ended. The books say that different magical creatures live here, and vampires were the most notorious creatures that resided within the country. Not only that, but there are werewolves, trolls, wild dragons, and many more. We haven't traveled the innermost part of the Forbidden Forest, so the difficulty of our hints went up tremendously. Some trolls travel in groups, and there are groups of werewolves lurking around the forests. We had many close calls when we encountered them. Not only were they fast, but they're very dangerous if they ever got close. The only way to defeat werewolf packs is to separate them. Logan specializes in ambushes, so what we did was to divide and conquer. Our 'outing' helped me to keep myself alerted at all times. The creatures here were very ruthless and dangerous, especially at night. This helped me form some kind of hunter instincts. The most dangerous being that we encountered though was a dragon. Remember the word encounter, not hunt.

Logan and I were trailing a group of ogres towards their territory when we accidentally stepped into an unknown cave. A creature must have sensed our presence as it went outside the cave. The reptile just looked like a large green lizard with a pair of twisted horns and a pair of green wings. Once it saw us though, it quickly roared as it fired a large stream of fire. We quickly ran away from the cave. Unfortunately, the dragon must have an idea to catch us so it decided to give chase. The other monsters we're startled that a dragon was inside the forest. So everything became chaos. The Welsh Green may be the weaker type of it's kind, but its fire will surely burn the trees inside the forest, so I decided to confront the beast. The fight proved to be difficult since it's hide has high magic resistance. I just told Logan to distract the dragon while I fire spells at the wings of the poor beast. A flying dragon will be hazardous. A few giant repelling spells managed to knock off the beast from its feet. Next, I injured its wings using powerful Diffindo spells.

The dragon noticed that his wings are now useless, so he went on a rampage by spreading fire around him. What I did was control all the flames, compressed it with telekinesis, and blasted it back to the dragon. It was quite effective, as the dragon was left heavily injured and the ground scorched in black, resulting from how hot a Dragonfire is. After a quick cast of Aguamenti, I put out all the fire inside the forest to prevent it from spreading. This thing will be a very big issue for both the wizarding and muggle world. After all, forest fires are a huge thing. Much more if a dragon was behind the fire.

Logan decided to kill the heavily injured dragon. Then, I called Gorbey and brought it back to the mansion. Potion ingredients from dragons cost a lot of money, so the body of the Welsh Green will be valuable. I kept it inside of the family storage inside the manor for the time being. Potions that require dragon parts are advanced level, that's why I'm saving it for the future. Even if I'm able to brew one, I won't have anything to use the potion for.

I also started researching spells again. Having a wide variety of available spells in mind will help me in my fights. But I won't be creating new spells soon. Making one takes a lot of time. Besides, the last spell I created before school ended will be complete soon and it has a rather interesting effect.

'Fulgur Soluti'

I chanted as a huge blast of lightning came out of my wand. This is the more improved version of Fulmen as it only makes a streak of lightning, while the new spell is more powerful. Fulmen is only useful in paralyzing enemies and executing them if needed, but it can never keep up with the advanced level of spells where Fulgur Soluti belongs to. The spell is potent enough to charge up the clouds and produce lightning storms. I tried it once in a secluded area and found out that I can control where lightning strikes with my telekinesis. Fulmen is a lesser version of pure natural lightning while Fulgur Soluti is stronger than even true lightning. The destructive properties of lightning make it effective in penetrating shield spells that Fulgur Soluti at maximum power can inflict significant damage to Protego Maxima.

With matters inside the house, I tried talking to grandfather about his group. They are hidden from the surface world, but they are just waiting for their master to summon them. The old man was already tired, and he had enough of his subordinates. He actually entrusted them to me and said that I will be their leader the day I am in the proper age. I don't know what to do with them since I don't plan on taking over the world. Though as a Grindelwald, we kinda have a sort of urge to control. We talked about it and came to an agreement that we'll spread our influence in the underground society. Grandfather's most trusted minions are all leaders of a well-known group of either wizard mafia, or mercenary forces. the family owns the largest stocks of every big corporation we invested in, and I plan to contribute by owning huge stocks of some of the starting companies that will be eventually successful. It's like striking the iron while it's hot. We can't make deals with the wizarding world because our name is very notorious, and people will be watching our every move. So we need to go the subtle way.

I even told grandfather how I can have the properties quickly, and he was very impressed. I told him the idea of participating in the Triwizard Tournament and the loophole of the Goblet of Fire. Those considered worthy of the Goblet to partake in the Tournament will be officially an adult recognized by the ICW and the Ministry of Magic.

With all of that done, I spent the summer break with Logan exploring forests and parts of the world that are still undiscovered. We brought all of the ancient artifacts and things we considered a treasure to the house. Gorbey even made storage dedicated to only storing them inside. The ones we found did not contain magic at all, and we're very lucky if we found one. I had Gorbey neatly arrange the relics, and it looked like some sort of Museum. There are artifacts from different civilizations that existed. Mayan, Aztec, Sumerian, Roman, Egyptian, anything. It's very convenient to travel if you have a Grim as a familiar.

We continued like that until we found another ruin from a lost civilization. We thought that we'll be hunting for artifacts again until my Mage Sight detected a hint of magic inside the ruins. I always do that whenever we pass by one since you can never know what will happen when dealing with ancient ruins especially if you know magic existed. The whole structure looked like a normal ruin with an Egyptian style of architecture. We headed inside while staying vigilant since there might be monsters living inside. We once encountered a Nundu sleeping in one of the ruins we've been, and it was not a pleasant experience. I came home with lots of cuts and bruises. The Nundu was very fast that it almost killed me. Good thing I have my ring and save my life. The battle was more difficult since Nundus have high magic resistance, dark-colored that almost blended in the shadows, and fast enough to catch a prey unaware. The whole battle took almost five hours because we're being careful not to collapse the whole building, which was our target from the very beginning.

Anyway, we're back on scanning the surroundings. I had Logan observe if he has detected a hint of life. It was actually a very useful skill. Life detection can help find targets even if they are a master of disillusionment charm since being alive is the only signature you need in Life detection.

'There's something there. It shines full of life... Ah, I remembered that one' He replied while remembering something.

'What's that? You know about it?' I said.

'Just keep on going.' The wolf urged.

We stepped inside as I cast a quick Lumos spell. The ruins were actually quite clean. It's like it didn't even suffer the touch of time. The walls didn't have dust and dirt, and no cog webs like the other things we previously visited. I only followed Logan as he led me into a labyrinth. It was not a problem for him as he easily escaped the maze that led into a single room. There was a column pedestal with a golden brooch decorated with diamonds and a huge gem in the center. The gem was very red that it was almost the same color as blood. When I observed with my Mage Sight, I was truly amazed at the sight. The whole structures are actually weak. The only thing that held them up is the displayed brooch. I have never seen magic so pure and serene, the color was vibrant with life. Then I turned to Logan and interrogated him.

'You know something about this, right? Tell me.' I ordered him.

'Alright, alright. That brooch over there was one of the last relics made by Morgana Le Fey herself.'

'What?!' I was very astonished at that. Rowena's Diadem is no match to the brooch on how beautiful it was made. The magic inside didn't even diminish at all.

'Why do you know about it?' I continued asking the wolf.

'It's because I was together with Death when it was created. You see, Death was very mad that someone even managed to create an object that in his view, was very vile. It's not created with Dark magic, but the matter between life and death was a very sacred subject, and Death was very angry that someone just dared to actually cross the line between them.' The wolf explained. That's why Voldemort's Horcruxes are considered the vilest magic that ever existed.

'Why did she even make the brooch?' I asked.

'It's because of her love for Merlin. Merlin was betrayed by someone he trusted, and that caused him his demise. The day before it happened, Morgana tried to give Merlin the brooch but he declined the gift. He said that he has lived long enough and fulfilled his destiny and prolonging his life will just be unnecessary. When Merlin died, Morgana tried to resurrect him and that forced Death to intervene. She begged Death to resurrect Merlin. Instead, Death let Morgana talk with Merlin, who has already accepted his death. In the end, Morgana wished for death to take her life too so he can be with Merlin. Before granting her wishes, Death ordered Morgana to either destroy her relics or scatter them across the world. Morgana destroyed all of the things she made but decided to hide the brooch as the last symbol of her love for Merlin. No one knew the existence of the brooch except me and Death, so we kept it that way.' The Grim said as he finished his story. Bloody hell, people tend to take it overboard when it comes to love. It was almost the same as Romeo and Juliet!

'So this brooch resurrects people?' I asked in disbelief. This brooch is very dangerous if it ever falls to the hands of the wrong people.

'Pretty much. But Morgana told Death that it can only be used once, so she can convince Death.' The giant wolf shrugged mentally.

'Should we take it? I mean it's safe here since nobody found it for a millennium.' I asked.

'If you managed to find it, it means that other people can, and they will.' The wolf said. There's only one choice then.

'Yeah. Can't let people like Voldemort discover this brooch.' I said as I made up my mind.

'Do be careful though. since the brooch is the only thing that holds this place up, the ruins will most likely collapse.' The wolf reminded.

'Yeah.' I said as I turned my attention to the brooch. I scanned the surroundings with my Mage Sight to find if there are traps nearby. I found none and just walked into the brooch.

'Logan, maybe we can quickly transport outside once I get the brooch. I got a feeling that the ceiling will fall immediately.' I told the wolf. Logan just nodded as I returned to the brooch.

Like a snatcher, I quickly swiped the brooch and put it inside the pouch. The wolf instantly pounced on me and shadow traveled outside the ruins. The effects were instantaneous. The whole place fell like a house of cards. The most surprising though was that the building disappeared as soon as it crashed, leaving no traces of the ruins.

'Morgana likes to work very cleanly.' I thought.

With that, we returned to the mansion. We had a haul of ancient treasures and artifacts, so we don't need to explore more ruins. Besides, we already have that must be the most precious item in existence. Imagine reviving someone who already died. The thought will be very frightening if someone like Voldemort got a hold on this.

'Wait. Logan, you said Death was very pissed when Morgana created this brooch. Would he be very pissed if someone decided to use this thing?' I asked.

'Death was only pissed because a mortal dared to cross the line and made that thing. He even punished the one who invented the Horcruxes. But using the thing won't be an issue. He just doesn't like people who create such vile things.' The Grim explained.

'Won't the Flamels be punished too?' I asked.

'No. What the Flamels did was just extend their lifespan with the elixir of life. What irks Death are those people who find ways to cure the dead.' The wolf clarified.

'I'll think I'll just keep it here. I don't even know if I'll ever need it. Just a contingency if something happens, I guess.' I thought as I placed the brooch inside a glass box enchanted with different layers of protection. The additional layers are more subtle, so someone else won't realize that this brooch is very precious and the only one in the world. The mini museum looks neat though. The countless artifacts we collected from our adventures we're put inside an unused room that Gorbey chose. Luckily, that room was enchanted with a large expansion charm. So we could store there and make a display of the valuable artifacts. Some contain magic, but the most valuable was the brooch. I closed the door to the museum and went back to the mansion. I want to collect experience fighting monsters so I had Logan accompany me in our hunts. Sometimes he lets me fight myself. He only intervenes if things are going to get very bad.

I've also been working on my telekinesis. The ability to fly without something to ride on was very tempting, so I reserved the rest of the break improving the skill. I'm now able to fly slowly, but increasing the speed to be able to chase people will need a lot of work and my mind can't handle levitating off the ground, minding my surroundings, and doing maneuvers. Pushing my mind to multitask caused a severe pain, so I just settled on levitating and slowly accustomed myself in surveying everything around me. I've always wanted to fly the day I watched Peter Pan, and that dream will certainly come true. I've tried drifting across the wind, and the feeling was very serene. I never felt so free, so I recalled all of the flying lessons I learned from Cho's books, adjusted it so I can do it without a broom, and practiced it for who knows how long. I practiced until my mind can handle all of the stress I put it in and the migraine disappeared. I got too distracted in my work I didn't even notice that the sun was about to set. So I just told Gorbey to call me if it's time to eat while I spend the rest of my day practicing my flying skills. I can fly as fast as a bird, but I can't move as fast as a broom. So it definitely needs more work, which is something I'm very eager to do.

I've also sent my letter to Cho and got one a few days later. She was actually in France with her parents. She told me the French version of Diagon Alley and the difference between Magical Britain and France. France is actually more tolerant of muggleborns. They even have a few laws that protect them from abuse or bullying. France has still more to improve, but they're on their way there. Compared to Britain which favors the purebloods heavily, France is the ideal place for a muggle-born to live in.

By the end of summer, I can already handle myself while flying. I already figured out the balance and control I need when gliding, and the only thing that I need to work on is speed. Once I am done with that, more practice will be needed. I'm actually determined to finish this summer, but I want to relax at the same time too. So what I did was read the books in the family library. The books about dark magic are all inside the secret room, so what I found inside the library was all advanced magic, if not dark.

The next thing I did was prepare for the Basilisk. The giant snake will terrorize the whole school next year, and with my nightly affairs, I am sure I won't have the time to roam the halls and go to the Room. It's either I sleep inside the Room or sneak outside the dormitory which is very risky. So I made a schedule of finishing my current projects before Halloween starts since that was the start of the attacks inside the school. Then, I'll stay inside the Room during weekends. I must be very careful though because they might notice that I'm missing during the night. I already gave up the thought of stealing Voldemort's diary, so I'll just let Harry deal with the Horcrux.

With my plans already laid down, it's time for light reading.