The Butterfly Mark

Anyone could make grand promises. What Anna needed to consider now was how to turn those promises into reality.

Fortunately, her old father had always believed that her maturity and her skill in alchemy had something to do with his genes. Anna was also very good at concealing things, so he had never spotted anything amiss.

Perhaps he had sensed something, but he had never said so.

When the meeting ended, the assembled Acolytes returned to their respective countries in twos and threes, and Grindelwald Manor grew peaceful again.

In the meantime, Anna returned to Nurmengard to pack some things and spent a few more days with her old father. After listening to some of his teachings, she formally stepped out of the prison at Nurmengard and made the manor her long-term home.

She had wanted to bring her old father out of that cold prison too, but he had firmly refused.

"It's not time yet," he said.

Perhaps he was still conflicted, still avoiding that summer and that duel.

Anna did not press him. She only hoped that Grindelwald would keep in touch with her at regular intervals.

Her days at Grindelwald Manor were full. Not only did she have to take private lessons in etiquette, socializing, economics, politics, the use of magic, and other subjects, she also had to deal with documents sent in from all over the world.

Even after dying once, she still could not escape a life of work and worry. If she ever met the god of death who had made a contract with her, she would be sure to bargain for more benefits for herself!

Fortunately, the House-elves at the manor were all good cooks, and their delicious food offered some consolation amid her busy life.

Not long after that meeting, all the Acolytes who had been present sent her owl post one after another, expressing their agreement with the new ideals and their willingness to pledge their loyalty.

No matter how sincere and moving their letters were, Anna would not trust them completely. The plan was most likely to fail in its early stages, so she had to take extra care.

Voldemort had branded the Dark Mark on the Death Eaters' arms as one way of having them swear loyalty, but Anna found it too conspicuous and ugly.

The original Deathly Hallows symbol would not do either. Europe still remembered her old father's dark history, and she did not want to get on the wizards' already frayed nerves at a time like this.

After thinking it over for several days, she had a rough idea. She took out her Two-Way Mirror and discussed the new mark with her old father in Nurmengard.

"It combines the Unbreakable Vow, the Fidelius Charm, the communication principles used in Two-Way Mirrors, the Strong Muggle-Repelling Charm, the Concealment Charm, and other spells. It's only for secrecy and communication, and poses no threat beyond that.

"If someone wants to leave, their mark will disappear automatically, and the other members will know."

After some time, Grindelwald and his daughter developed something like a contract mark together. Anna mainly provided the ideas, while Grindelwald provided the technical expertise.

"What would you like to use as the mark?"

Grindelwald looked at his delighted daughter on the other side of the Two-Way Mirror and asked softly.

"Hmm...

"Let's use a butterfly, a little butterfly that will one day stir up a storm across the world."

Relaxing in the garden, Anna happened to see a butterfly flutter past her and answered softly.

Once everything had been settled, Grindelwald personally placed Butterfly Marks on the left palms of Balk Nagel and Daina Klar. His two trusted aides would then travel around the world to mark the Acolytes.

Two years later...

Summer had officially arrived in the United Kingdom. Thunderstorms had lingered over London lately, and though the temperature was not high, the air was always stifling enough to make it hard to breathe.

No matter how turbulent things were outside, Grindelwald Manor remained as peaceful and tranquil as ever.

"Miss, this is a letter from my father."

Anna, now eight years old, had just finished enjoying her breakfast. The plate before her vanished, and a brown-haired young man walked in through the doorway and handed her an envelope that felt rather thick.

"North, perhaps you could wait until I've gone into the study before giving it to me."

Anna left the dining room, taking the letter as she went.

"Sorry, I was too impatient."

North Nagel was Balk Nagel's eldest son. After graduating from Hogwarts, he had worked at the British Ministry of Magic, but his father had pulled him out before he had been there two years. Ever since, he had stayed by Anna's side as her personal assistant.

After hearing about Anna's idea of establishing a paradise for wizards, North had voiced his support. He longed for a peaceful world, especially now that Voldemort and the Death Eaters were running increasingly rampant.

He was also the first non-Acolyte, an ordinary wizard, to receive the butterfly mark.

Seated at her desk, Anna slit the wax seal with a specially enchanted knife, drew out the letter, and read it carefully.

Balk had been traveling around the world lately, examining various places where a wizarding paradise could be established.

"Sometimes I feel that your father, Daina, and the others are working far too hard. There are too few people we can trust completely."

Anna set down the letter and complained to North beside her, though the smile on her face showed that she was in a very good mood.

"Judging by your expression, Father has sent good news."

"That's right. He found an archipelago that no one else has discovered. The environment on the islands is excellent, the location is remote, and the area is large enough. He's gathering people to cast spells over the archipelago now, so Muggles won't discover it."

The newly discovered archipelago was in the Atlantic Ocean. According to Balk's description, it was large enough to accommodate ten million people.

There were only a few thousand wizards in the British wizarding world, so the archipelago had more than enough room for all the wizards in the world. Yet as Anna recalled, no country had discovered it in her previous life.

Moreover, no explorer or fleet in this world had discovered it either, which was hard not to find strange.

Setting those questions aside for the moment, Anna began discussing a new problem with North.

"Balk said that many unusual potion ingredients grow on one of the islands, but none of our people is a Potions Master.

"A few of the herbs are extremely rare and worth a fortune, but they're about to enter their withering period. No one knows how to harvest these precious ingredients.

"He's still carefully selecting a Potions Master who can identify the herbs and won't threaten our interests, but there isn't enough time."

Anna rubbed her forehead. Of course she knew there was a genius Potions Master in the original story, but he was the same age as her now, which made things difficult.

"By the way, North, if I remember correctly, Prince Manor isn't far from here, is it? Their family has a long history with Potions, so they might meet our requirements. But didn't their only heir run away from home?"

If she could determine when Eileen had run away from home, perhaps she could go look for her around Spinner's End.

Professor Snape was still very young, but his mother's Potions skills were no less impressive.

If she could bring her back to the Wizarding World, perhaps the professor's childhood would be much better too.