The Portkey magical whirlwind abruptly spat them out onto a floor that looked very expensive. After the initial dizziness and as the echo of the Area 51 explosion faded into the distance, Aurelian blinked to adjust his vision to the new surroundings.
They found themselves in the center of an immense, luxurious hall, decorated in an unmistakable Victorian style, filled with tapestries, crystal chandeliers, and magical portraits that stared at them in amazement.
Aurelian quickly straightened up, brushing off the ash that had fallen on him. He surveyed all the prisoners he had managed to rescue from that hell. There were at least thirty distinct magical signatures breathing heavily in the room, coughing and collapsing to their knees, still unable to believe they were free.
Two Veelas, covered in dirt and with gaunt faces, stumbled toward him. They threw themselves at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably, and thanked him through their tears, repeating over and over that they'd thought they'd never make it out of there alive.
The leader of the werewolves shuffled over. His demeanor was one of absolute respect.
"I thank you," the werewolf said in a hoarse, deeply weary voice, bowing his head slightly. "I will never forget what you did for us today."
Mr. Van Droombeeld, the owner of the mansion, limped over. Despite being dressed in bloodstained rags and covered in bruises, he maintained his elegance.
"Neither will I, young man," Victor affirmed, and to everyone's surprise, the wizard bowed deeply and respectfully before him. "I owe you my life—and now my magic."
At that very moment, drawn by the noise and the alarms from the magical barriers, several wizards and witches rushed into the great hall, wands raised. They were the Van Droombeelds' servants. Upon seeing the horrific scene of dozens of wounded people, they lowered their weapons, but were completely paralyzed by surprise at the sight of their family's respected patriarch bowing before a young man unknown to them.
Aurelian blinked, feeling overwhelmed by the surreal nature of the entire situation. He didn't know how to respond to all this, but he had to come up with a fake name immediately. He didn't want to get mixed up in any more political trouble on this continent, nor did he want MACUSA, the rest of the world, or the Muggle government to track him down.
But before he could open his mouth and introduce himself as a simple wizard named "John" who had just happened to walk in and was able to help them, Stinky puffed out his chest upon hearing everything they were saying about his beloved master.
The little house elf, smiling from ear to ear and with eyes sparkling with pride, exclaimed at the top of his lungs.
"Of course he saved you! Master Aurelian is the best and strongest wizard Stinky knows. Someday he'll be the most powerful of all time!"
Aurelian brought a hand to his forehead and massaged his temples in frustration. "So much for anonymity… thanks for the support, Stinky," he thought, letting out a sigh of defeat.
Van Droombeeld burst out laughing—a hoarse laugh that ended in a coughing fit.
"But of course!" said the wizard, straightening up and staring at him wide-eyed as he put the pieces together. "How could I not have recognized you right away? You're Aurelian Gaunt—the Lord I've read and heard so much about."
The wizard cleared his throat, embarrassed by his lack of etiquette.
"But where are my manners, by Merlin… Allow me to formally introduce myself, even if it's a little late. I am Victor Van Droombeeld."
Aurelian, accepting that there was no longer any point in hiding, lowered his hand and shook the man's hand with a small smile.
"It's a pleasure, Mr. Van Droombeeld. As I've heard, I am Aurelian Gaunt."
Upon hearing the confirmation of his name, a murmur rippled through the crowd. The leader of the Veelas, regaining a bit of her former beauty despite the grime, approached Aurelian. Gently, she raised a pale hand and caressed his cheek, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I, too, will be forever grateful to you, Aurelian Gaunt," the Veela whispered in a broken voice. "I will tell each and every one of my sisters about your bravery today. If you ever wish to visit our main coven, the doors will always be open, and you will be more than welcome."
Before Aurelian could process the offer, the leader of the werewolves stepped forward and roared with all the strength left in his lungs, addressing his pack and everyone present.
"Let it be clear from this day forward and forever! From now on, Aurelian Gaunt and any other member of the Gaunt family is a lifelong friend of our race! We will tell every werewolf in North America and the entire world who the wizard is who rescued us from the hell of those disgusting non-magical people!"
Aurelian blinked a couple of times, stunned by what was happening. He wasn't quite sure what to do or how to react to such a thing. He had gone in search of information and had ended up, by pure and simple chance, winning the favor of the communities of some of the world's most dangerous and beautiful magical races, respectively.
Trying to downplay his own legend to avoid future problems, Aurelian gave them a gentle smile.
"I'm very glad to hear that, and I deeply appreciate your words," he replied, projecting an aura of humility. "But honestly, you owe me nothing. The only important thing is that you're all safe now and out of that disgusting Muggle hole."
Far from calming the waters, his feigned modesty and concern for their well-being moved those present even more. Several Veelas began to cry again, and the werewolves beat their chests in a sign of respect.
Victor smiled broadly, marveling at the young man. He gestured toward the inner corridors of the mansion, and his servants began moving swiftly as they escorted the magical creatures away.
"Young Gaunt, you must be exhausted. Please join me in the private lounge. That way we can speak much more comfortably and offer you the hospitality you deserve."
Aurelian gave a slight nod of thanks while waving his hands in refusal.
"I am immensely grateful for the offer, Lord Victor, but I'm afraid I must return," Aurelian apologized, feeling exhaustion finally catching up with him. "My wives are waiting for me, and they'll kill me if I'm any later. But I assure you we can discuss everything that happened at another time… if not now."
Victor nodded sympathetically.
"Understood. Go to your family. I will personally see to it that all the wizards in my household tend to the wounded and help them return safely to their respective homes; you don't have to worry about a thing… I hope to see you very soon, Mr. Gaunt."
Aurelian said his goodbyes with a final nod. He took Stinky by the shoulder, focused his magic, and the two of them vanished from the mansion in New York.
They reappeared silently in their hotel room in Las Vegas. Aurelian exhaled all the air he'd been holding in and sank to his knees on the floor for a moment, feeling the weight, the magical exhaustion, and the tension of the day settle on his shoulders.
He turned to his house elf.
"You did an impeccable job today, my friend," Aurelian said, thanking him from the bottom of his heart. "Go get some rest."
Stinky bowed deeply and vanished with a soft pop.
Aurelian quickly kicked off his shoes, took off his coat, and removed his shirt, which was stained with a bit of blood. Silently, he walked over to the bed, lifted the sheets, and lay down with extreme care right between Hestia and Flora.
Both witches stirred as they felt the bed sink and sensed their husband between them once more. Without fully opening their eyes, they curled up against him out of pure instinct.
"How did it go, my love?" Hestia asked, her voice sleepy.
Aurelian wrapped his arms around their shoulders, kissing both of their foreheads and finally closing his eyes.
"It went… well, my loves," he whispered, feeling his muscles relax completely. "But I'm terribly tired. I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
As sleep claimed him and the warmth of his wives lulled him, one last thought crossed Aurelian Gaunt's mind. He truly hoped, for everyone's sake, that blowing up the United States' most secret military base and freeing the victims of the non-magical government wouldn't cause him too many problems when he woke up.
Three days later, the atmosphere at the Van Droombeeld mansion was radically different from the chaos of that night.
In the opulence of his private office, surrounded by family heirlooms, Victor Van Droombeeld stood by a large window. He looked much more recovered; the wounds and bruises on his face had disappeared, and he was wearing an elegant silk robe that restored his full grandeur.
Victor gently swirled the crystal glass in his hand, watching the light reflect off the thick wine, before taking a long, exquisite sip.
"I must admit, old friend," Victor remarked, without taking his eyes off the window, "that this time I genuinely believed I would be dead. I never expected that stupid, resentful Jay to have the courage or the intelligence to set such a massive trap for me."
A couple of meters away, standing with a rigid posture, was his butler and head steward, an elderly wizard with gray hair and a stern expression.
"Everyone in the house was deeply concerned, my lord," the butler replied in a deep voice, bowing his head slightly. "It's been four agonizing months since you disappeared. We reached out to all our contacts, but we couldn't find a single clue to track you down. The non-magicians hid you far too well."
Victor burst out laughing—a laugh that echoed off the walls of the office—and shook his head at the irony of his own survival.
He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, walked past his butler, and set the empty glass on his desk. As he turned around, his amused expression had vanished completely, replaced by a calculating one.
"Listen to me carefully. I want you to sever absolutely all our ties and funding with Grindelwald's faction immediately," Victor ordered coldly.
The old butler raised an eyebrow in surprise, his composure cracking for a second.
"My Lord? If you'll allow me this insolence… What's behind this sudden change? Our family has supported his cause for years."
Victor leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing his arms.
"Gellert is no longer what he used to be," the patriarch declared with disdain. "His moment of glory passed decades ago. If he failed once in his conquest, he'll fail again no matter how many times he tries. His vision is stuck in the past…"
Victor's eyes sparkled.
"But that boy… the one who saved me. He won't fail. Clearly, he wasn't in that damned place to save me—that's more than obvious—he was looking for something else… snooping around in the secrets of Muggles. And yet…"
Victor smiled broadly, raising his arms.
"Aurelian Gaunt is special! He's a true wizard in every sense of the word. He didn't hesitate for a moment to kill and slaughter those filthy creatures to get us out of there. He showed no mercy, no weakness. His magic was different—I've never seen anything like it. He's the leader we truly need."
The butler looked at his master in silence, his expression suggesting he believed Victor had gone completely mad after what had happened during his torture. Lord Van Droombeeld had always been eccentric, and everyone in the family knew that once an idea got into his head, it was impossible to get it out.
But, upon closer reflection, the old servant thought his master was absolutely right. He, like all the wizards and witches in the service of the ancient Van Droombeeld family, hated the non-magical with every fiber of his being. Muggles were dangerous animals that must be tamed or eliminated. If Lord Gaunt—a young man, unburdened by Grindelwald's failures—was as powerful as his master claimed, he could help them fulfill their mission."
"I owe that boy my life," Victor continued, lowering his arms and clenching his fists with determination. "And I'll repay that debt in full. I'll make him the undisputed leader of our new movement and the most famous and revered wizard in the entire world."
Victor walked toward the office door, but stopped before stepping out and stared intently at his butler.
"Start pulling all my strings. Use our contacts in the press, at MACUSA, in the dark guilds, and in other governments," Victor ordered, with a smile that promised chaos. "I want absolutely everyone in the magical world to know what those filthy monkeys did to our people. Everyone will know why we must eliminate them before they annihilate us."
The old butler bowed.
"It will be done exactly as you command, my lord."
"And make sure everyone knows the name of our savior," whispered Victor Van Droombeeld, opening the door. "Let the whole world hear that Aurelian Gaunt is more than just the owner of Gauntcorp."
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