In No-Man's-Land

Navigating the trenches in her animagus form was difficult at best. The terrain was uneven, there were pools of water to contest with, and with so many people crammed into such a narrow space, being trodden on was a real danger.

Nonetheless, Eleanor Summerbee was determined to find the spy The Serpent was convinced hid amongst them. He had set her free from the miserable prison she'd been residing in, and anything that would help bring Grindelwald's regime to an end, she was all for.

Her own home was currently under his control after the invasion of him and his men, and Eleanor wanted it back for the Bulgarians who, as far as she was aware, were still resisting the hold Grindelwald had on the country.

She couldn't allow that to happen, and though Harry Evans was the one that had captured her, from what she had seen of the man, he was her best chance to see her people free once more.

For that to be, however, she needed to help him, and she would do so gladly.

Thus far, little had been gleaned from her efforts.

It was too dangerous to move about the trenches during the day so Eleanor would do so at night and pick a spot that she could listen in. The next evening, the process would be repeated.

It was arduous work, and she was beginning to doubt that she would be able to identify the spy, but she would persevere for as long as she could.

If there was indeed a spy in the trenches, that one person could be the difference between life and death for many, and even victory and defeat in the war overall.

(Break)

"Are you out of your mind, Evans?" the Portuguese questioned in disbelief. "You can't just decide to meet with the enemy and have a conversation."

The other commanders nodded their agreement, but Harry would not be swayed by them, nor by Fox who glared at him from the other side of the room.

"I wasn't asking permission," he replied simply from his chair, "I was informing you that it is happening."

Abreo said nothing as he watched the exchange, his expression one of curiosity.

"You don't get to make that kind of decision," the Spaniard in the room growled, reiterating the point of his Portuguese counterpart. "What gives you that right?"

"What give you the right to try and tell me what to do?" Harry returned irritably. "There is only one man that can do that, and that isn't you, or even you," he added to the Portuguese man.

"He thinks he has a pair of balls," the Spaniard muttered in his mother tongue.

"And you seem to have left yours at home," Harry fired back irritably. "If you want to insult me, do it openly or don't bother doing it at all."

"Gentlemen, please, we are on the same side," Abreo interjected before the Spaniard could respond.

"The boy has acted out of turn," Fox cut in.

"Perhaps he did, but it is to the benefit of our men," Abreo pointed out. "He did so in the hopes of preserving valuable lives."

"He still overstepped his boundaries," Fox muttered.

"And what would you have done in the situation?" Harry asked the woman.

"I would have denied the request immediately!" Fox said heatedly. "We do not cavort with our enemies."

"Then we should be grateful that you are in charge of nothing," Harry returned evenly. "This could save the lives of our men. I don't like the possibility of working with him, but I am willing to put my laurels aside and think objectively about the opportunity instead of acting like a spoilt child throwing a tantrum because you don't like something."

"How dare you!" Fox snapped.

"Oh, shut up," Harry huffed. "You're really starting to annoy me."

"Fox!" Abreo warned firmly. "Commander Evans is right, but I agree, he should have discussed the matter with us first before putting himself at considerable risk."

The other commanders around the table were not happy, but they did not voice their thoughts any further.

"Do you trust him, Evans?" Abreo asked seriously.

Harry shook his head.

"Not at all, but I trust the magic in place. He will not be able to break the agreement without severe penalty to himself," he explained. "We are fighting this war partly because of his belief in how dangerous muggle weapons are. He experienced that just as much as I did. He will not wish to do so again, and to that end, I trust that he does not want a repeat of what happened."

Abreo nodded his understanding.

"Then you have my blessing to proceed with the meeting, but I want you out of there the moment you feel that anything is amiss."

"That's fair," Harry agreed.

"Good, now, Fox is going to provide us with an update on her progress with training the men selected for her specialist group. Go ahead," Abreo instructed.

The woman cleared her throat as she consulted a stack of parchment she had brought along.

"The men are almost ready," she said simply. "Each of them has made significant progress in all required areas, and I am confident they will be ready for operations within the month."

"That is excellent news," Abreo acknowledged. "Have we come up with a way that they would be best implemented?"

"I have some ideas," Fox replied. "I was thinking of using them as an elite fighting unit for when we come under attack."

"That seems a waste of such a resource," the French commander broke in. "We have proven that we are able to fend off attacks from the enemy."

"I agree," Harry supported the Frenchman, much to the chagrin of Fox.

"Then what would you suggest, Commander Evans?" the woman snarked, emphasising his title.

"Well, if they are an elite force, as you claim, then they would be better put to use carrying out attacks against Grindelwald's men that are occupying countries that do not belong to them," Harry suggested.

"Impossible," Fox denied. "Just attempting to get into those countries would be suicide."

"Were you not a Hit-Wizard?" Harry snorted. "The Serpent managed it, why can't you?"

It was quite a petty jab at the woman, but Harry didn't care. He wasn't beyond such a thing if it got under her skin, and judging by her reaction, it had quite deeply.

"He raises a valid point," the French commander mused aloud. "Are you incapable of replicating the feat?"

Fox scowled at the man.

"I could replicate it. My concern is the danger it poses."

"Isn't that what this group is being formed for?" Harry questioned. "Are they not being trained to complete tasks that us regular men on the frontline couldn't dream of doing?"

For the first time since the meeting began, the other commanders agreed with him, and even Abreo did not come to Fox's aide.

"I will look into the logistics of it," she relented uneasily.

"It would be a noble cause," Abreo said thoughtfully. "We mustn't neglect our allies that find themselves in dire situations that they cannot help themselves from."

"It can only benefit us," the Spaniard added. "If these countries can be freed, we will have more men at our disposal."

"Something we are in need of," Harry pointed out.

"Are we?" the Frenchman questioned.

Harry nodded.

"During the last attack, I couldn't help but notice many of Grindelwald's men were Japanese."

"Japanese?" Abreo asked with a displeased frown. "Are you certain of this?"

"I am," Harry confirmed. "They must not care very much for the former Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, or he has managed to escape," he added pointedly to the current overseer of the governing body.

The man deflated and nodded.

"During the attack on Paris, Mr Sato was liberated from his prison," he revealed. "Whomever got to him killed all the guards on duty that night and absconded with him."

"No guesses on who that was," Fox grumbled.

"So, he has the Japanese on side?" the Portuguese commander asked worriedly.

"It appears so," Abreo muttered. "I suppose it was too much to assume Sato would remain neutral, given his status."

"Then it is important that we add more men to our own ranks," the Irish commander stated, "and the best way of doing that would be to unburden the allies we already have."

"It would," Abreo agreed, turning to Fox. "I would like your group to prioritise this. If you can gather men from our allies that are unable to assist us currently, they will fight."

Fox did not seem pleased by the assignment, but knowing she had no grounds to refuse, she nodded.

"Good," Abreo said gratefully. "You will be provided with all equipment and supplies you need. I suggest you begin your logistical calculations immediately. With Sato siding with Grindelwald, we will need more men sooner rather than later."

Without a word, Fox left the room and Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the turn of events.

Her efforts would be risky, and if the group was led by her, would likely end unfavourably.

Harry didn't believe Fox was an incapable witch, but she was a poor leader, something she had proven when acting as Ghost's deputy.

"In the meantime, I would like you to continue with your own efforts of training your men," Abreo instructed. "Evans is taking out four hour of his duties to do it, so there should be no excuses from the rest of you. That will be all for now, gentlemen," he finished dismissively.

The commanders left the room, muttering about the additional work of training their men and offering Harry looks of displeasure.

Not that Harry was bothered by them.

He had much more important things that required his attention and he would not be side-tracked by the pettiness of men who thought themselves above him.

(Break)

With the day of the meeting with Harry Evans drawing closer, Gellert had summoned those needed informed of the development to explain to them what he was planning.

Cassiopeia stared at him in disbelief, her hatred of Evans clouding her judgement, something Gellert had expected.

Weber looked at him calculatingly, though not without the undeniable concern he felt.

Hans simply nodded, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Are you going to murder the bastard in front of all his men?" he asked.

Gellert tutted as he shook his head.

"My request to meet is genuine, as is my desire for us to help one another," he replied. "The threat of the muggles cannot be overlooked here, not when we have most of our men within reach of their weapons."

"You can't be serious," Hans denied, shaking his head like an elephant that was being bothered by flies. "Why would you take that risk?"

"Risk?" Gellert questioned.

"He's a madman!" Hans snapped. "We all saw the fight between you. What makes you think he can be trusted."

"Because I have taken steps to ensure that neither of us may harm the other during the meeting," Gellert explained. "There is magic at play that will keep us both safe from one another."

"Not from me," Hans declared. "I'll sneak up and throttle the little bastard."

"You will do no such thing!" Gellert commanded, his irritation rising. "If you were to attempt it, the consequences would be unpleasant for me, and then I would ensure your death followed. You will do nothing!"

Hans was suitably chastised, though he was no happier about the arrangement Gellert had made.

"Why would you need his assistance?" Cassiopeia asked sharply. "Why can I not help you?"

"Because, my dear, Commander Evans is a more powerful wizard than you are a witch," Gellert answered bluntly. "What we will be trying to achieve, if he agrees of course, will be a set of protections that will require both our efforts to put into place. If I felt that you could help, I would have asked."

Cassiopeia was furious at the implication that Evans was more powerful than her, but it was the truth.

Only one other Gellert had met compared to himself and Evans, and Albus certainly wouldn't help.

"So, you are going to work with him, and then what?"

"When our work is done, we will resume our efforts, and he will continue to try to stop us," Gellert replied.

Cassiopeia shook her head.

"I also must raise my concerns with this plan, Mr Grindelwald," Weber broke in. "I think it is a poor precedent to set to show that you are willing to negotiate with our enemies."

It would be a valid concern if Gellert had not already pondered this very thing.

He held up his hands placatingly, needing the trio to understand his position.

"I believe it will show that I am not the monster that I am being portrayed as, that I am willing to collaborate with the man now considered to be my greatest enemy in order to keep my followers safe. It will show that I have their safety in mind and that I am willing to set aside our differences for a noble cause."

Weber nodded thoughtfully at the explanation.

"The idea is quite brilliant."

"Brilliant?" Hans scoffed.

"It will give those on the other side something to think about, humanise us and may even sow the seeds of doubt that they are fighting on the right cause," Weber explained.

Gellert nodded his agreement.

"And it will ensure that we need not worry about muggle artillery fire raining down on us during future attacks. Had it not happened, Evans would be dead, and we would be in Paris planning our next move."

"So, you're going ahead with it?" Cassiopeia questioned, still unconvinced of the merit the idea held.

"Commander Evans has agreed to the initial meeting where we will discuss the idea. If an accord can be reached, I see no reason a collaboration between us cannot take place. It is for the greater good."

"Commander Evans?" Cassiopeia snorted.

"Is that not his title?" Gellert returned.

"It is."

"Then he will be afforded the respect of me using it," Gellert declared. "You have your personal issues with him, as do I, but I will give him the respect he has earned. Only two others have fought with me and lived to speak of it."

"Two others?"

"Albus being the first," Gellert explained, "and The Serpent."

The second name was given as though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Whom has been quiet as of late," Weber reminded him.

"He has," Gellert agreed, "but do you not think that is because of the specialist group the ICW is putting together?"

"It had crossed my mind," Weber acknowledged. "Should we not be more concerned by it?"

Gellert shook his head.

"Until we are given cause to be, no. If it is led by that foolish woman, I have little faith in their effectiveness."

"And if it is led by him?"

"Then we will cross that bridge when it is confirmed. Until then, other things require our focus. We must break the deadlock here or seek out an alternative."

"My men are already looking into it," Weber assured him.

Gellert offered the man a grateful nod.

"Of course, all of this hinges on the meeting between myself and Commander Evans. I am hopeful that we can reach an understanding and work together on this, but if he proves to be uncooperative, we shall look elsewhere to continue our campaign."

"So, we do nothing until after the meeting?"

"Exactly," Gellert answered the larger German firmly. "It would not do to provoke an already volatile situation when such a pivotal meeting is on the horizon. For now, enjoy the peace you have been granted. We will meet again after I have done so with Commander Evans."

The trio filed from the room with Cassiopeia pausing momentarily as though she wished to speak with him further, but much to Gellert's relief, she thought better of it.

She was the least happy with his plan, and though Gellert was fond of the woman, he could not allow her grudge to get in the way of what he was trying to achieve.

The time for fighting would soon once more be upon them, but a lull was needed to address something much more pressing, and if he had to work with his enemy on a mutually beneficial undertaking, Gellert would do so.

For the greater good.

(Break)

Albus could only shake his head as he added the latest edition of The Daily Prophet to the already sizable stack he had accumulated of the past several months.

There was no denying that the conflict was growing in intensity, that more lives were being lost, and that both would continue to increase before they would reach their pinnacle.

He had been watching the developments closely, and with each tragedy that befell the men serving the ICW, the very same that were fighting to preserve the world they lived in, it became harder to ignore.

If he were honest with himself, he had buried himself in his work to avoid facing the truth of what was happening on the continent, but the more the war unfolded, and the more men that lost their lives due to Gellert's ambition, it was becoming harder to do so.

Each day, he held hope that the fighting would come to an end, that both sides would agree upon terms so that the violence could cease, but he knew deep down that holding on to such hope was foolish.

Gellert would not concede defeat until the bitter end, and with Harry now leading the British forces, he wouldn't either.

Even if he merely served as a Hit-Wizard, his former student would not yield.

Albus released a deep sigh as he contemplated the consequences of victory for either side.

If Gellert were to win, the vision they once shared would become a reality, though not entirely as they had planned as idealistic teenagers.

A war such as this was never the intended approach.

Albus and Gellert had discussed at length a political approach, one where their goals would come to fruition through diplomacy, not violence.

Gellert was not beyond aggression, but Albus, who abhorred violence, always managed to steer his friend away from talks of it.

Without him, Gellert had become what the world knew him to be now, but Albus remembered the boy he had grown so fond of, the brilliant, wonderful boy who could match him for wit and magic.

How Gellert had fallen.

If the ICW forces were to be successful, little would change, but Albus knew he would feel embittered towards them for what they would undoubtedly do to Gellert.

The world would not be satisfied with platitudes and mere imprisonment, they would be baying for blood, and they would get it.

With his newfound fame and the respect of the people he held, Harry would perhaps be able to steer them away from taking such crude measures, but he would not be inclined to.

Albus knew the young man well enough to know he would be merciless, as ruthless as the man he was seemingly so intent to putting an end to.

Neither outcome would suit Albus.

If he had his way, a peaceful solution would be found, and if that wasn't possible, he would mitigate the fallout, see that Gellert was imprisoned for his crimes, and that Harry's influence was lessened so that any call for harsher justice would be ignored.

"If only," he murmured to himself.

The only way that could be achieved would be by involving himself in the fighting, something he could not do.

Albus was no warrior, and even if he was able to confront Gellert, he could not bring himself to harm his former friend.

Despite what had happened between them, he held a candle for the young man he had once known, and unless all other options were exhausted, he would hold firm.

As much as it pained him to consider the possibility, he realised that if he wished to save Gellert's life, or the rest of the world from his tyranny, he may just have to be the one to put a stop to him.

The thought alone filled the transfiguration professor with dread.

No, there was still hope that it wouldn't come to that, and he would cling to it until it was torn from his grasp.

The alternatives were not something he wanted to consider.

(Break)

Harry watched as the spider scuttled across his hand to the edge of his desk where it transformed into the woman he had apprehended what felt to be so long ago.

For a moment, Summerbee said nothing as she stretched out her aching limbs and stared at him thoughtfully.

She was tired, anyone could see that. Her sleeping arrangements had not been something Harry had thought about, but in her state, she was of little use to anyone.

"Anything to report?" he asked.

"Not as much as I would like," Summerbee sighed, still eying him but with more curiosity than before. "How are you?"

Harry waved her off.

"I've had more than my fair share of injuries over the years. I'm fine," he assured her.

She didn't believe him but chose not to argue in favour of yawning.

"It's not easy moving around here, and it isn't like whoever the spy is, is discussing it openly. I will need to keep watch until I can find something."

Harry nodded his understanding.

He did not expect to identify the culprit immediately, and he would rather the investigation into the matter be thorough and conducted without causing any setbacks.

"What is your policy on women being here?" Summerbee asked, catching him off guard with the question.

"You mean fighting?"

Summerbee shook her head.

"I mean visiting the men."

Harry frowned at the question.

It was not something that had been discussed, but he didn't like the idea at all, especially if it was not a husband-and-wife arrangement.

He was not a prude in the sense that he expected people to be celibate before marriage, but it was difficult enough to know who to trust amongst the people he knew, let alone strange, unattached women being in the trenches.

"Why do you ask?"

"The French Commander has different women visiting him quite often," Summerbee explained. "Watching him flail around on top of them has not been the highlight of my time here."

"How many women?" Harry questioned irritably.

"Four so far."

"Idiot," Harry grumbled. "Any idea how he is sneaking them in?"

Eleanor grinned at the question.

"Why, are you thinking of doing the same?" she replied. "Why bother when you have someone here?" she added with a wink.

Harry shook his head, choosing to ignore the comment.

When she realised she wouldn't get a rise out of him, Eleanor huffed petulantly.

"Fine," she relented, "he has a hidden door in his room that they come through. I don't know where it leads to on the other side, but it is hidden behind his bookcase."

Harry nodded gratefully.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "You should get some rest. You can use my bed. I'll be away for a few hours, and I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

He could see the woman was fighting the urge to make another inappropriate remark, but she thought better of it, the offer of some much-needed rest too enticing to ignore.

"There's also food in the box under the desk if you're hungry," he informed her as he left the room, locking the door after he had done so.

It would not reflect well on him if anyone was to find her in his room.

"You're not still seriously going through with this?" Charlus asked as he reached where his entire group of men were evidently waiting for him.

Charlus had been against the idea from the very beginning and couldn't understand how Harry could even consider meeting with the man that had murdered William Potter and Gabriel Moody.

Harry was not so keen to meet with Grindelwald either and were it only him and the Dark Lord he needed to think of, he wouldn't entertain the meeting.

He would sooner kill the man than share a conversation with him.

"You know why I'm doing this," Harry reminded Charlus.

The man nodded, though he was no happier about it.

"Just be careful, Harry," he urged. "I know you think you'll be safe, but with him, you can't be certain of anything."

"I need you to disguise my wand. Leave the colour as it is but remove the patterns."

Charlus's eyes widened in realisation.

"Do you think he might recognise it?"

Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's not worth risking it. Oh, and she is resting in our room," he added quietly so not to be overheard by the gathered men.

Charlus nodded his understanding, and as Harry flicked his wand into his hand, Charlus drew his own and transfigured it to be plain.

With that done, Harry offered the man a grateful smile before squeezing him on the shoulder and climbing over the lip of the trench, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

It was with an air of uncertainty that he began stepping across the field that was usually reserved for times of conflict, and in the distance, another figure followed suit.

No-man's-land looked quite different since the muggle shells had torn through it.

Before, the ground had been well-trodden, much of the grass missing where man and beast had traipsed across it. Now, however, it was full of deep craters, the devastation wrought by the weaponry of their counterparts undeniable.

"It is quite sobering, is it not?" Grindelwald questioned as they met in the middle as planned.

"I think we both learned just how vulnerable we are," Harry replied.

Grindelwald nodded and offered his hand.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance under a flag of peace, Commander Evans," he said oddly sincerely, "for however long it lasts."

Harry accepted the proffered limb.

"Not for long, I imagine," he returned stiffly.

Grindelwald chuckled as he nodded his agreement.

"No, I don't suppose it will be," he acknowledged. "A shame really. A man like you would be most useful to have around."

"Until you decided I was no longer as useful as much as I am a threat."

Grindelwald smirked.

"You are a smart man, Commander," he praised, "but I cannot help but think that we have met before."

The man was eying him speculatively and Harry met his gaze before prodding him with a little passive legilimency, as he had the first time they met.

"Gordon Smith," Grindelwald snorted. "I knew there was something familiar about you."

"And now you know," Harry replied with a shrug feeling no need to hide that it was him posing as Chamberlain's translator in Munich.

The admission would also serve to prevent the man pondering his familiarity further.

He did not wish to be identified as the Hit-Wizard that had caused so much harm to Grindelwald's cause, not yet at least.

"Well, well, I suppose it is too late for you to listen to the truth behind my ambitions, as I offered when we first met."

Harry shook his head.

"I know of your ambitions, and what you hope to achieve."

"And you find them quite repugnant?"

"The approach you are taking more than anything else," Harry corrected. "I would not be entirely against us living in harmony with the muggles if such a thing was possible but enslaving them and murdering our own kind who do not agree with you, that I cannot comprehend."

Grindelwald was taken aback by the revelation, shaking his head amusedly after he digested what he'd heard.

"So, you're not as narrow-minded as most?"

"No, but I also understand that it wouldn't be possible for it to happen. History has taught us that muggles tend to want to kill what they do not understand, and what they fear. I've experienced it for myself, and we are much better off as we are."

"You're entitled to your opinion, Commander," Gellert conceded, "which is why we find ourselves at odds with one another."

"And will continue trying to kill each other until one of us is no more."

Any amusement Grindelwald had felt vanished as his nostrils flared.

"But that day is not today," he pointed out with a growl. "Today, we are to discuss the possibility of working together with a shared goal in mind."

"Then maybe we should begin before either of us are tempted to push the boundaries of the magic preventing us from doing so?" Harry suggested. "I'm assuming you do have an idea?"

Grindelwald nodded grimly before looking around at the considerable space they found themselves in.

"It is a large area," he murmured thoughtfully. "I am curious to hear your thoughts. How would you protect this space from muggle weaponry?"

Harry pondered the question for a moment as he took in the land surrounding them.

Such protections would be difficult to create, impossible for one person alone.

This was why he was here.

Grindelwald knew that.

Even with the elder wand at his disposal, any magic woven here by one person would be insufficient for their needs.

"Any standard protection would be useless," he mused aloud. "There are shields to protect a person from physical attack, but they are only effective as localised spells, and would be useless against their artillery, even at their strongest."

"Their strongest?" Gellert pressed.

The man knew what Harry was referring to, but he wanted to hear the explanation.

He wanted to gage Harry's understanding of how protective magic typically worked.

"Well, even if a large shield could be created, the larger the area the magic was stretched to accommodate, the weaker it would be," he explained, "as you well know. Any combination of protective charms, even if we manged to knit them together would be useless. It would be impossible to enchant them, and they would be visible."

"My dear boy, you are a clever one," Grindelwald praised. "I came to the exact same conclusion, and that is why I created this."

He removed a roll of parchment from within his robes and handed it to Harry who unfurled it, frowning as a complex series of symbols was revealed.

Harry could make neither heads nor tails of the runic array.

"I never formally studied runes," he revealed, "but I've come across a few of these symbols whilst looking into other things."

"But you understand the theory behind it?"

Harry nodded.

"This would create a dome over the land here that would repel muggle weaponry and hide our presence from them. It would silence any sound coming from within and hide our spell fire. I might not know much about runes, but this is ambitious, especially for an area so large."

"It is," Grindelwald agreed, "hence the reason I reached out to you. To activate this arrangement would take significant power to do so…"

"And the less variations of magic involved, the stronger the protections will be," Harry finished. "The more people involved in the activation, the more chance the magic can be corrupted or be compromised."

Gellert nodded appreciatively, a bright smile cresting his lips.

"It has been many years since I met someone with such a keen mind for the intricacies of magical theory. I do miss Albus. How is he these days?"

"Hiding in Hogwarts instead of doing what he should be and putting an end to you," Harry replied, his eyes not leaving the parchment as he continued to study it, looking for anything that could be used against his own forces.

Grindelwald chuckled.

"Oh, Albus could never kill me, my dear boy," he denied. "He is capable magically, but his morals would never allow him to."

"No, they wouldn't," Harry sighed, "but I am not him. When the time comes, I will not hesitate to kill you nor you me."

"Indeed," Grindelwald acknowledged, "and that is what makes you a greater enemy than Albus could hope to be. He would do all he could to apprehend me, but I cannot allow that."

"Could you kill him?" Harry asked curiously, eliciting a frown from the Dark Lord.

"I haven't thought about it," Grindelwald answered. "I suppose there is still a part of me that cares for him and would be reluctant to do so, but yes, if it was unavoidable, I would kill him."

Harry believed the words spoken.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald may be similar in some ways, but they different in many others.

"For the good of my men, I'm willing to work with you on this," Harry declared, holding up the roll of parchment.

"I will be grateful for the assistance, Commander Evans," Gellert replied with a bow. "That means extending our truce until such a time our task is complete. Would you be amenable to that?"

Harry nodded.

"I think for both of our sakes, it would be best."

Grindelwald snorted as he removed another piece of parchment and handed it to Harry who hovered his hand over it before accepting, not noticing the look of surprise the Dark Lord gave him as he read it.

As he had before with the first agreement drawn up, he added a drop of his blood and returned it when he was content nothing was amiss and returned his disguised wand back to his holster.

Grindelwald did the same and pocketed the parchment, equally satisfied the agreement would be adhered to.

"I will be in touch in due course. By all means, keep the parchment with the runic array and have it looked over by someone more qualified," he said, offering Harry a final speculative look and heading back in the direction of his own trenches.

Harry watched until the man vanished, taken aback at how surreal sharing a conversation with him had been, though the undertone of threat from each of them somehow made it less awkward an affair than he'd imagined.

When Grindelwald was gone, Harry headed towards where his own men had been keeping a close eye on him knowing that none would be happy with the choice he had made, but he didn't care.

Sometimes, difficult decision needed to be made, and if there was ever a time he had chosen to do what was right instead of what was easy, it was now, collaborating with a man that would see him dead as soon as Harry would Grindelwald.

(Break)

Charlus breathed a sigh of relief as Harry dropped down in the trench next to him, the time he'd spent conversing with Grindelwald filled with apprehension and anger.

Were Charlus to have his way, Harry would have slit the man's throat with the dagger he carried, but he was not the commander, and if nothing else, he had come to trust Harry's judgement over the years he had known him.

"What did he say?" he questioned.

"Nothing much," Harry sighed. "We've reached an agreement to build a defence against the muggle weapons, and then we will continue as we have been."

"So, you're going to help each other, and then try to kill each other again?" Charlus snorted.

"That's about it," Harry confirmed with a shake of his head. "We both know where we stand, and any collaboration will be temporary. Once that is done, I will rip his heart out with my bare hands if that is what it takes to stop him."

His words were sincere and Charlus appreciated them, though if the opportunity were to present itself to him, he would do it first.

Grindelwald would not get away with what he had done to William Potter.

Charlus would do whatever it took to ensure that.

(Break)

Gellert paused as he returned to his study, frowning at the trio that were awaiting his arrival. He should have known they would be here, but he would have preferred a few moments alone to gather his thoughts.

"How did it go?" Cassiopeia asked stiffly.

"As well as can be expected," Gellert answered truthfully. "Commander Evans is willing to work with me, temporarily, of course."

Cassiopeia nodded, her expression one of displeasure.

The woman would have to get over whatever grudge she bore towards Evans, for her own good.

"What did you make of him?" Weber questioned.

Gellert nodded thoughtfully before answering, choosing his words carefully.

"He is an exceedingly interesting young man," he began. "His understanding of runes is rudimentary at best, but he understands magic, has a better grasp of it than any I have met. That coupled with his instinctual proclivity for practical usage makes him a dangerous foe. A dangerous foe indeed."

"Instinctual?" Gaulitier pressed.

Gellert smiled almost fondly.

"Commander Evans is not only a powerful wizard, but one that is so attuned to ambient magic that he deduced all of my spell work I imbued into the parchment in less than a few seconds without even touching it. Not an unheard-of talent, but to be at one with magic the way he is, is quite extraordinary."

"And that makes him dangerous?"

Gellert nodded.

"If he is as astute as I believe him to be, he has no need for his enemies to use incantations and wand movements to know exactly what is being cast at him. I suspect he knows what is coming even before the spell has left the wand of his opponent."

"Impossible," Hans denied.

"Is it?" Gellert asked amusedly. "That coupled with his ability in the Mind Arts is quite the combination. Add to both that he is extraordinarily gifted and powerful, and we have a very concerning entity on our hands that must be dealt with."

"How?" Weber enquired.

"By me, of course," Gellert chuckled. "Overcoming such a threat will only make it all the more relishable."

The trio eyed him warily before Weber spoke once more.

"If he is so dangerous, is it wise to confront him?"

Gellert shook his head irritably.

"Commander Evans is dangerous," he conceded, "but I am more so. I look forward to the day we meet for a final time."

"But not until your work together is completed."

"No, not until then," Gellert agreed, "but soon enough. I can exercise enough patience to wait for this rare moment."