#ourbest

okay so i’ve actually discussed this in private but never in public and i should have but here it goes.

so the wizarding war in britain resonated with viktor deeply not only due to the connections he still held there but because he knows what war and general political conflict —both magical and muggle if you know a thing or two about bulgaria— can do to a country , to its people. he also knows what the lasting effects can look like and feel like , and even now , this dark cloud forever hangs over not only his home but also his school , and the distance between the two do little to alleviate that. 

during the war , he helped aid and abed muggleborns fleeing prosecution. he reached out to bill and fleur , to people he’d played quidditch with , to anyone really that he believed would either need his help or who would know people that would need his help. he smuggled so many wizards and witches , many who had either had their wands confiscated already or who were being watched all too closely , and he did what he could for the war effort despite his own magical government wanting nothing to do with this war. 

so he’s doing this thing , this one good thing , but it costs him. and it costs him dearly. it costs him so much that for the longest time , he regrets ever helping at all. because while he’s out doing this , his only sister and his only sibling in general is abducted. from their home. in bulgaria. no note , no demands , no reason whatsoever. and viktor becomes so paranoid because it could be so many people. death eaters , the british ministry , the BULGARIAN magical government as punishment for him defying their orders , the muggle government. and no one comes forth about it. no one gives any information. she’s missing for the better part of five months , and while viktor’s father demands he keep it quiet so that they might better find out who had anything to do with it themselves , viktor slowly begins to pull away from the war effort. granted , it doesn’t last much longer than that , but it takes a great toll on him.

weeks after the war , they discover his sister’s body , killed by magic and with no evidence as to who it was. and it’s still this mystery he is obsessed with solving although it becomes pretty evident that this was so much bigger than him. so if there is anything he regrets , it is not worrying more about his little sister , not paying more attention to her and what she was doing , not taking further precautions when he started smuggling. he was so worried about hermione and gabrielle and fleur and even harry that he didn’t think to look over his shoulder at his own family. and his mother still holds a grudge with him quietly. his father still blames him , and he can feel it. it strips him of so much , and it’s something he would give anything to take back , letting his sister get abducted right under his nose. 

 “ you can’t hold him here.  you won’t be able to. ”

her voice is all too arrogant,  too sure.  she’s learned to never doubt her any of her master’s abilities,  especially not gellert’s.  his determination made him dangerous,  his skill made him cautious,  his intellect made him cunning.  he was a genius,  whether his captors wanted to admit it or not.  this was no jail,  they had no cell big enough to hold him.

gaze flicks up at the woman.  yes,  she’s seen her before.  serephina piquery.  president of . . . what was it ? macusa ?  

hm.  

while ana’s own preference lies with europe,  america has made a fun stomping ground for her and gellert.  she’s grown quite accustomed to him.  he taught her about her own strength,  and she unlocked and unleashed it for him.  the elder wand and her master were inseparable,  even now,  with layers of walls and enchantments between them.  

she almost laughs.

      “You took vacation time? I’ve known you for ages, you never take vacation days.”