The First Salvo (II)

Arcturus and Cassiopeia couldn't but fidget nervously and Destiny continued to watch the two of them in amusement. The two of them were trying really hard to hide their nervousness, their disgust, their uneasiness… Destiny could feel their Occulumency Shields working overtime to hide their emotions, but their emotions were wreaking way too much havoc inside their mind.

"You two are acting like kids" Destiny snorted in amusement and both Arcturus and Cassiopeia glared at the crimson-haired beauty who started to chuckle at their expense.

"I thought you hated Muggles!" Cassiopeia hissed with a displeased look on her face as she glared at her surroundings.

"Yes, I hate the Muggles, but that does not mean I have to hate all of their inventions. They are inferior creatures, but they make it up with their ingenious minds. I would be a fool that fact, especially when I am planning to burn down their world" Destiny answered back with a straight look on her face, and then she waved around her hand.

"Just look around yourselves… They are no longer running around in animal skins on their bodies with swords and pitchforks in their hands" Destiny urged as she pointed at the Muggles around them. Arcturus and Cassiopeia had to admit that Destiny was right, albeit reluctantly. "You see, they might lack the gift of Magic, but that is what drives them to improve and develop more and more" Destiny explained with a scowl.

"But aren't we still more advanced than them?" Arcturus asked with a confused look on his face and Destiny nodded her head in agreement.

"That we are, but we aren't going to be for long" Destiny pointed out making both Arcturus and Cassiopeia frown. Destiny obviously noticed their frown, but before either of them could say anything, Destiny raised her hand to stop them from complaining. "Let me explain before either of you say anything" Destiny hurriedly added. After a couple of moments, Cassiopeia simply urged Destiny to continue. Arcturus simply decided to listen to Destiny's argument before saying anything else.

Destiny slowly nodded her head as she began to speak. "You see, our life spans are much longer compared to Muggles. All of our Governing bodies are filled with old coots, while I don't have anything against them, they are the reason why change is extremely slow in our society" Destiny explained and Arcturus had to admit that Destiny was right. He had attended a lot of Wizengamot sessions along with his father. He had seen how the old coots reject all and any changes, no matter if it is good or bad.

They simply refused any sort of change… They wanted everything to remain the same. "True, sometimes I hate them too" Arcturus shrugged with a scowl on his face, and Cassiopeia simply inclined her head in affirmation as she could understand how the old coots could be a problem to the development of their society.

While Destiny may have pushed the whole blame on the old coots, it wasn't entirely their fault. Their whole society was at fault… Traditions and Customs were important for every society, but it was simply better to give up on some of the old Traditions and Customs which were doing them more harm than good. A lot of Pureblood Families still considered Witches to be nothing more than broodmares. Well, Destiny could go on, but that was not the point…

"So, what is this called?" Cassiopeia looked around with a look of disdain on her face.

"This is called a streetcar or trolley in this country, but it is generally known as a tram" Destiny answered as she stared outside the window. She could have Side-Along Apparated with Arcturus and Cassiopeia to Moira's house, but she wanted the two of them to experience the Muggle world. If they wanted to join their cause, then the two of them needed to know how to blend in the Muggle World.

Destiny simply cast the Muggle Repelling Charms on Arcturus' and Cassiopeia's robes, and she simply activated the Muggle Repelling Charms on her earrings before walking out of the dark alley. After that, the three of them were simply ignored by the Muggles. Destiny didn't want to be stared at by filthy Muggles and she suspected, Arcturus and Cassiopeia also felt the same.

"I see…" Arcturus hummed as he also stared out of the windows. He stared at the clothes the Muggles were wearing and he felt slightly scandalized when he saw the clothes some of the women were wearing. They were simply walking down the streets laughing and chatting with their friends like there was nothing wrong… Then all of a sudden Arcturus realized something, he was thinking just like the old coots.

True, he was scandalized when he saw their clothes, but it wasn't his place to complain. If they were comfortable with the clothes they were wearing and they didn't have any problems with the amount of skin they were showing then who was he to complain? After all, according to the old coots, Witches were weak and they should be good and dutiful wives, nothing else. Arcturus did not agree with them on this matter… If a Witch was capable, then who was he to complain?

A lot of people were unhappy with the fact that Cassiopeia was still unmarried, unlike a proper Pureblood Witch should be. Arcturus had seen some of the people make snide comments over the fact that Cassiopeia was trying to get more education. Arcturus would have liked to Curse them senseless, but he decided to believe that they were simply unhappy with their inadequacies. They might be complaining right now, but he was going to see how they would react when Cassiopeia finally achieved her dream.

"How long do we need to sit inside this contraption?" Arcturus was brought out of his musings when Cassiopeia spoke with a hint of distaste in her voice.

"Another half an hour" Destiny answered nonchalantly and then she slowly turned toward Cassiopeia with a teasing grin on her face. "Aww, is the big bad Miss Black feeling nervous?" Destiny asked in a baby voice and Arcturus choked when he noticed the look of fury on Cassiopeia's face.

Cassiopeia's nostrils flared in indignation as she glared at Destiny, but she refrained from saying anything as she suspected that she would only end up giving more fuel to Destiny to tease her. Cassiopeia also had to use all of her willpower to stop herself from blushing in embarrassment, after all, Destiny was right. So, after glaring at Destiny for a few seconds, who was giving her an innocent look, Cassiopeia simply huffed and started to stare outside the window with her nose and chin haughtily pointed up in the air.

Moments later, Destiny started to snicker in amusement and Arcturus joined in too. Cassiopeia threw a venomous look at Arcturus and cast a Stinging Hex. Arcturus yelped in surprise and raised his hands in the air in form of surrender when he saw that Cassiopeia had her Wand pointed at him. Cassiopeia slowly turned her glare at Destiny who was still snickering and cast another Stinging Hex. Destiny simply batted away the Spell without even looking and her snickers grew louder.

Cassiopeia released another huff and returned to her window watching with a haughty look on her face…

<Line Break>

Moira Calvert snuggled into her lover's arms, who was fast asleep, completely spent after making love with her. It hasn't been a month since the two of them had started going out, but they simply clicked with each other… Moira released a sigh while basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

At first, Moira wanted to avoid getting into a relationship, but after thinking for some time, she decided to give it a go. Yes, there was a chance that she might end up blowing her cover, but at the same time, it would also strengthen her cover. It was a good thing that Brandon was completely indifferent to Muggles. She was yet to pitch the idea of joining their cause, but she would never blow her cover just for the sake of her selfishness.

Their cause was much bigger than her and she would never jeopardize their cause for the sake of one man. After all, Brandon wasn't the only man in the world. Yes, if he left her after the truth was revealed then she would be saddened, but she would get over it. Moira slowly removed Brandon's arm from her waist before she rolled out of the bed. She wanted to take a shower before falling asleep, which she found slightly weird…

Moira usually fell asleep in Brandon's arms after their lovemaking session, but tonight she decided to do something different. Even though Moira felt it was weird, she still decided to do it. After getting off the bed, Moira made her way straight toward the closet without looking anywhere else. If she had, then she would have noticed a red beam hit Brandon's back.

After putting on her nightrobe, Moira started to make her way toward the kitchen. She wanted to get herself some wine as some wine would feel divine when she would relax in the bath. Once again, she was doing something she wouldn't have done usually, but she decided to ignore the fact. Moira walked into the kitchen while humming a tune and she was about to reach for the wine cellar, but she froze in fear when someone called out to her from the back.

"Hello, Moira, how have you been?" Moira slowly turned around, she glanced toward the nightstand and Cursed inside her mind. She left her Wand on the nightstand… It was a childish mistake, but it might end up costing her life.

Moira finally turned around and internally released a relieved sigh as she recognized one of her uninvited guests, but she knew that she wasn't off the hook. There was still a chance that she might be killed, but Moira was confident that she would be given a chance to explain her side of the story. Moira took a deep breath and gathered her bearings, she wasn't even bothered about the fact that a man was among the group of her uninvited guests and he might have seen her without clothes. After all, her life was more important than her decency…

"Milady!" Moira greeted Destiny as she respectfully bowed her head. "Please forgive me for not being presentable" Moira apologized and Destiny simply inclined her head.

"I think an explanation is necessary, but I think it would be better if you took a bath before joining us" Destiny suggested with a smile and Moira internally rejoiced. Her Lady wasn't furious at her, which was a good thing from her perspective.

"Then please excuse me, milady" Moira said, and then she turned toward the guests who were simply staring at her with indifferent looks on their faces. "And guests" Moira added after a small pause before leaving the room.

As soon as Moira walked out of the room, she bolted toward the nightstand to grab her Wand before she rushed into the bathroom. Moira did not want to keep Lady Grindelwald waiting. So, Moira Calvert returned to the kitchen only after 10 minutes, dressed in completely fresh clothes. She had to use a lot of Magic to get herself completely fresh and clean in just 10 minutes, but it was alright.

"Have a seat" Destiny said when she saw Moira return to the kitchen. The chair was Magically pulled back, Moira furrowed her brows when she saw that, but refrained from making any comments. Moira knew that Destiny was quite proficient at Wandless Magic as most of the time, Destiny only used Wandless Magic. Moira nervously took her seat. "So, is there something you want to tell me?" Destiny asked cryptically as she glanced toward Moira's bedroom.

Moira realized that Destiny wanted to know about her lover even though Destiny hasn't asked for it, specifically. "His name is Brandon Giles, he works at the Department of Games and Sports. He asked me out, I haven't told him anything about our cause, but I know that he is completely indifferent to the Muggles" Moira quickly explained as she glanced at Destiny.

Destiny simply tapped her fingers on the table with a thoughtful look on her face… "I see" Destiny muttered as she slowly nodded her head. "I don't have any problems with you having a relationship as long as it doesn't interfere with our cause" Destiny said with a serious look on her face as she stared into Moira's eyes. She had been continuously using Passive Legilimency to read Moira's emotions and feelings.

Destiny did not have any problems with Moira having a relationship because it would strengthen her cover. Any normal Witch would like to have a relationship, after all, it was something natural. In fact, if a Witch rejected all the advancements then it would look way more suspicious. Additionally, Moira genuinely cared for Brandon, so Destiny wanted to avoid separating them. After all, love was a powerful emotion. While Moira genuinely cared for Brandon, she was still completely loyal to their cause, so Destiny didn't have any problems with their relationship.

Moira gulped loudly and nodded her head in understanding. Destiny simply smiled after that and then she turned toward the Witch sitting beside her. "Good, now, let me introduce you to my companions" Destiny paused slightly to see if Moira was following her or not. "This is Cassiopeia Black, from the House of Black" Destiny introduced Cassiopeia when she noticed that Moira was following her.

"And this is Arcturus Black III from the House the Black" Destiny introduced Arcturus to Moira. Arcturus was the Heir of the Black Family too, but Destiny thought it was not necessary for Moira to know. "And this is Moira Calvert, she is one of my Knights" After that, Destiny introduced Moira to Cassiopeia and Arcturus. "Now that the introductions are finally over, we should move on to the main topic" Destiny cheerfully clapped her hands.

"Milady, he might hear…" Moira began to speak while pointing toward her bedroom, but Destiny cut her off.

"Don't worry, he won't hear anything. I have knocked him out when you weren't looking and I have also placed some Silencing Charms around the room" Destiny waved off Moira's worries. "Moira, due to some circumstances, I must get Gellert out of the prison. So, what can you tell me about the Picquery Family?" Destiny asked and Moira simply gaped at Destiny for the next few seconds.

Cassiopeia cleared her throat and Moira finally regained her bearings. She closed her mouth with a snap. "I can give you the location of the Family manor and I can also tell you how many people reside in the house, but I can't give you anything more than that" Moira answered with a disheartened look on her face.

"What about the Security and Wards?" For the first time since the meeting started, Arcturus spoke up. Unlike, Destiny, he wasn't satisfied with the information as he believed that they needed much more information before they should make their move.

"There will be 5 Aurors stationed inside their house, but I can't you who as the security details keep changing every day. Madam President has become somewhat paranoid after the incident with Percival Graves and… Gellert Grindelwald" Moira wasn't able to hide her venom when she mentioned 'Madam President', which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. After a few moments, Moira released a huge sigh. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the Wards" Moira said sullenly.

"It is fine… Is there a chance that there could be more than 5 Auror guards?" Destiny questioned and Moira furrowed her brows.

"There shouldn't be more than 5 Aurors, but I can't say for sure" Moira answered after thinking for a few seconds and Destiny simply nodded her head in understanding.

"Okay, give me the location and the number of people in their house" Destiny said Moira immediately nodded her head.

"Look into my eyes" Moira said and Destiny understood what Moira wanted her to do. Destiny entered Moira's mind and found herself looking at an address, and then the scene changed. Destiny found herself standing in front of a large manor, Destiny quickly memorized the surroundings. Apparently, the Picquerys have decided to throw a Ball to celebrate the successful capture of Gellert Grindelwald who seemed to be unstoppable.

After that, the scene changed and Destiny started to see all the members of the Picquery Family. It seemed that Seraphina Picquery was too proud of her achievement. When Destiny realized that there were no more members in the House of Picquery, she slowly pulled herself out of Moira's mind.

Only Seraphina's father-in-law and brother-in-law were any good at dueling. Seraphina Picquery and her husband were complete jokes when it came to dueling… Destiny started to wonder how in the name of Merlin's twisted ball Seraphina was able to become the Minister. 'Maybe a Minister does not need to be good at anything besides politicking… Well, politicking kind of comes along with the job description' Destiny mused as she tapped the table with her fingers.

"I got everything we needed, let's go" Destiny said as she slowly stood up from her seat. While Cassiopeia stood up, following Destiny's example, Arcturus couldn't help but frown.

"We don't know anything about the Wards" Arcturus pointed out with a frown, but he still stood up. Destiny simply smirked at his words.

"You don't need to worry about that… Those Wards aren't going to last for long in front of my powers" Destiny said with a grin. Arcturus wanted to complain more as he felt that Destiny was letting her arrogance cloud her judgment, but one meaningful look from Cassiopeia changed his mind. It was pretty clear that Cassiopeia believed in Destiny, so Arcturus also decided to follow Destiny's lead.

True, Arcturus had witnessed her power when she had wiped the floor with him, his father, and his Uncle. He has also witnessed some awe-inspiring feats of Destiny, but he still believed that Destiny was biting off more than she could chew. Arcturus was at least confident enough that he could escape in case the push comes to shove… Arcturus shook his head to clear his mind. He needed to be ready for the upcoming fight…

"Good! Let's go then!" Destiny exclaimed excitedly as she extended her hands toward Arcturus and Cassiopeia. The two of them grabbed her hands and Destiny closed her eyes as she started to concentrate on the images of the surroundings she had seen inside Moira's mind. After a few seconds of complete silence, Destiny finally disappeared along with Arcturus and Cassiopeia with a soft crack, leaving behind a gaping Moira.

Side-Along Apparating even with a single person was extremely hard and Destiny just Side-Along Apparated along with two people and she did it almost silently. Moira did not know what to think… Destiny always seemed to break common conceptions with her antics. So, Moira simply shrugged her shoulders and decided to join her lover in the bed. She was so fucking tired…

<Line Break>

Destiny, Arcturus, and Cassiopeia arrived in the middle of some random forest with a soft crack. Arcturus couldn't believe how smooth the ride was… He has been Side-Along Apparating with his Father since he was a child and knew that Side-Along Apparations was supposed to be rough and loud, but once again, Destiny proved him wrong. Not just that, Destiny brought two people with her and the ride was so smooth… Arcturus did not know what to say…

"I hope you brought us to the right place because I don't see shit except for trees" Cassiopeia pointed out as she looked around. She pulled out her Wand and the tip of her Wand lit up with a soft white glow. Arcturus wanted to chastise Cassiopeia for her crass language as it wasn't fitting for a proper Lady to use such language, but before he could say anything, Destiny spoke up.

"Turn that off" Destiny snapped at Cassiopeia who hurriedly turned off the light. "Yes, I brought us to the right place and the Picquery Family manor is just beyond that tree line. They have used an Illusion Ward to hide the property" Destiny explained as she started to walk toward the tree line she just pointed. Cassiopeia nervously followed Destiny while Arcturus simply placed an arm over her shoulder in a comforting manner.

The three of them finally walked past the tree line and just like Destiny said, the Picquery Family manor came into their views. "The two of you wait there, let me check the Wards" Destiny said as she pulled out her Wand. She slowly approached the Ward line and kneeled down in front of it. Destiny started to wave her Wand in front of the Ward line as she started to inspect the Wards.

Destiny had to admit the Wards protecting the Picquery Manor were quite impressive… It wasn't anywhere as impressive as the Wards at the Black Tower, but it was more impressive than the Wards placed around Cassiopeia's house. Well, she shouldn't have expected anything less… The Picquery Family was an old Pureblood Family, but they weren't anywhere near as old as the Sacred-Twenty Eight. When Destiny was finally done inspecting the Wards, she started to draw some Runes on the ground, right in front of the Ward line.

After that, Destiny made a small cut on the palm of her left hand and dropped a few drops of blood around the Runes. Destiny didn't even need to actively heal the cut on her palm. She simply needed to think about healing her hand and it healed… Destiny was quite surprised by this development, but it was a welcome development. Destiny was planning to learn Healing, but now she no longer needed to.

Destiny slowly turned around to look at Arcturus and Cassiopeia. "The two of you, stand back. The two of you don't need to get involved in the fight… Just stand back and watch the show" Destiny said with a grin before she turned back toward the Runes on the ground. Destiny started to wave her Wand over the Runes and the Rune Scheme started to glow eerily with the color of blood.

Arcturus wanted to say something, but Cassiopeia stopped him as she guessed that Destiny was probably performing some Obscure form of Magic… "Don't worry, she will be able to take care of herself. She is more than strong enough to handle 5 Aurors after taking down the Wards" Cassiopeia hissed as she pulled on Arcturus' sleeve to hold him back.

Arcturus grimaced after hearing his cousin's words… "Are you sure?" Arcturus asked carefully as he glanced toward Destiny's back.

"Yes, you don't need to worry. You are underestimating her way too much" Cassiopeia answered back in a warning tone. Cassiopeia turned back toward Destiny, she didn't want to miss whatever Destiny was doing.

"I hope that you aren't overestimating her abilities" Arcturus muttered under his breath, but Cassiopeia clearly heard him, but she didn't bother to amuse him with a reply this time.

Then all of a sudden, the Wards around the whole property rippled, surprising Arcturus, Cassiopeia, and everybody inside the manor. Destiny grinned savagely as she slowly stood up and pulled out a miniature Neptune from her pocket. The Magic Destiny invoked only a few moments ago would stop anyone from leaving the property by any means. Yes, there were separate Jinxes to stop Apparition and Portkey travel, but they could be broken with enough effort.

The Magic Destiny invoked would also disconnect the Floo from the Floo network… Brooms and Flying Carpets are also not going to work. Unfortunately, the Magic Destiny invoked won't be able to stop Patronus messages, but the Magic she had invoked would stop anyone from coming to the rescue. Either way, Destiny wasn't too worried… Most of the Magical Communities didn't even know anything about the Patronus Charm as the Dementors were only exclusive to Britain and the Lethifolds were only exclusive to Tropics.

Even if someone could produce a Corporeal Patronus, it didn't mean that they would know how to send a message through the Patronus Charm. Patronus Charm is extremely hard to master and it didn't have any use except for fending off Dementors and Lethifolds. Yes, the Patronus Charm could be used to send messages, but there were much easier and faster methods to send messages, like the Floo, which could connect two houses in a matter of a few seconds.

"If they didn't know we are already here, then they do now…" Cassiopeia warned Destiny while pointing toward the people milling out of the manor's entrance.

"It doesn't matter if they know or not" Destiny waved off Cassiopeia's worries as Neptune returned to its original size. Several bright beams came out of the hilt of Neptune and smashed against the Wards. The Wards shuddered violently, but moments later, they settled down. Without wasting any more time, Destiny decided to cast another stream of Spells. Once again the beams smashed against the Wards, but this time, instead of settling down, the Wards started to crack and shatter…

Destiny noticed the Aurors inside the property were already preparing themselves for the upcoming fight while the rest of the members seemed to be running around like headless chickens. Destiny continued her assault the Wards with various types of Spells and the Wards finally started to break one by one.

The Wards couldn't hold up any longer against Destiny's assault and the Wards finally broke. Destiny had to admit, the Aurors were quite good, as soon as the Wards dropped, they started to shoot Spells at her. Unfortunately for them, they were only using Stunners, so Destiny simply stopped the Spells with a simple Wandless Protego. There was still quite some distance between Destiny and the Aurors, so they weren't able to see that Destiny cast the shield Wandlessly.

Destiny was somewhat amused, so she decided not to fight back for now. As soon as the Aurors noticed that the Stunners were being stopped by Destiny's Magical shield, they decided to change their tactics. The Aurors started to use Shield Breakers and Bone Breakers. Well, Bone Breakers were technically used to break bones, but they can be also used to break Magical shields. Even though the Aurors started to use Shield Breakers and Bone Breakers, Destiny's shield was mostly unaffected…

This time the Aurors were able to clearly see what was happening and they couldn't help but gape at the scene… Now, all five of them were completely terrified of Destiny. "Who are you?! Why are you attacking us?!" A man standing behind the Aurors screamed with his Wand pointed in Destiny's direction.

Destiny recognized the man from Moira's memories. The man was Arnold Picquery, the father-in-law of Seraphina Picquery. "It is your daughter-in-law's fault that I am… If you have to blame someone, then blame her" Destiny called out in an amused tone. Destiny finally dismissed her shield with a wave of her hand as she thought that it was about time she started fighting back…

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