Better Left Said

by kjcp

A funny thing happened in 1899: One especially clever wizard met another especially clever wizard and found new truths about themselves that would change not only each other, but the entire wizarding world as well. A Dumbledore/Grindelwald story.

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Better Left Said

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He sat on a large rock near his house. The sky was cloudy and dim, like a giant void in the air, so gray as to almost not exist at all. His fingers held a crumpled letter written by his best mate from Hogwarts. . . . Miss our adventures . . . the letter said. . . . The world outside of England and Ireland is surreal . . . never realized how big the world is . . . met some pretty girls, but none who interest me . . . still too young for anything serious . . . won't be sticking around for anything serious, either . . . wish I understood all the different languages . . . got lost on the way to Bulgaria . . . tired of trains and horses . . . can't wait to fly on a broomstick again . . . Sincerely, Your Friend, Elphias.

Albus waved his wand and levitated the wrinkled parchment. With another flick, he set the letter on fire, but it did not burn; the flames crackled up and rose like whips into the air, but the parchment itself remained unharmed.

"Thought you might be out here."

Albus turned to watch his friend, a blond wizard by the name of Gellert, walk up the dirt road towards him. Gellert had just moved to Godric's Hollow only a week or so earlier, but they had become fast friends. They both had quick wit and were well-read. The list of things they had in common seemed to continually grow.

"Oh . . . yes."

"Anything of interest happening at the rocks?"

Albus shook his head. "No, nothing you would find amusing." He glanced back at the fiery letter. Elphias might not have been as adept with magic as Albus, but he did know a few tricks. Albus figured that Elphias had protected the letter to ensure his friend would read it; Albus had not made secret that he would have loved to go on the adventure with Elphias. He knew his duty was to his family and knew that he must stay behind to take care of them, but that didn't quell his longing to go traveling with his friend.

"What would I find amusing?"

Albus didn't answer. He let the parchment fall to the dirt. His eyes wandered across the horizon. He could see much of the town from the rocks. There were several houses and a small church. Most of the houses were small as well, but quaint. The town was split in half between Muggles and wizards. Some of the wizard homes were protected by enchantments and spells so that they were only visible to other witches and wizards.

The Muggle schoolhouse was down the road, one-roomed and cluttered with desks. The teacher was a pleasant, plump woman who lived in the house next to the Dumbledores. Albus was fascinated with the subjects she taught. He often talked to her about Muggle history and maths. Just yesterday he had introduced Gellert to her and they all began an interesting discussion about the Crusades.

"The Crusades," said Albus.

"I would find the Crusades interesting?" Gellert sounded confused.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking of our conversation yesterday with the schoolteacher and yes, you seemed to find the Crusades interesting yesterday."

"Muggles are such imbeciles," Gellert said. He turned towards the town. "Come on, I'm going to walk home. It's much too hot out here." He began to descend down the hills; Albus jumped off his rock and walked quickly after him towards Bathilda Bagshot's house. She was Gellert's aunt and he was staying with her for the summer.

"Did you hear her, the schoolteacher? What was her name, Mrs. McCafferty? She had no idea how influential the Roman Ministry was on the wars!"

"She's a Muggle," Albus replied. "Of course she knows nothing. How can you expect her to?"

"That's the point," said Gellert. "They don't know anything. None of them. I believe Muggles should know of wizards. It is for the better good that they know. It should be controlled, however."

"Controlled how?"

"Well, they are not going to quickly accept magic. Some will want to use it to their advantage somehow. They'll want to buy potions and try to get into our magical schools."

"Muggles are already accepted into magical schools."

"Not my school!" cried Gellert. "I've never heard of such a thing. How do Muggles get magical powers? This is something I have never understood."

"Must be magical powers past down over centuries through their blood. Someone born today could have had magical ancestors from the times of Jesus or the Muggle king, Henry VIII, but not have known about it."

"Perhaps, but unlikely. How do you know about Muggle kings?"

"Very likely and I took a course on Muggle history at Hogwarts. Squibs, for example, are created that way. A Muggle so far removed that the magical family does not know there is any Muggle blood there."

Gellert shrugged. They stopped in front of his aunt's house.

"I still believe Muggles should know about magic. They should know to fear it. We are greater than they are. Our governments are stronger and we can heal them in ways their feeble Muggle medicine cannot. We should integrate. They should learn correct history, learn how much influence the magical ministries have on the entire world!"

"Perhaps. . . ."

"No! Not perhaps! This is definite. This is truth." Gellert reached for the door handle. "Come. This should be discussed behind closed doors, especially where it's cooler. This summer heat is exhausting."

Albus swallowed hard and nodded. He had been inside Mrs. Bagshot's house before, mostly for tea during his summers home from Hogwarts. The inside of the house always smelled of dried flowers; today it was lilac. The flowers hung upside down in each doorway, dried and cracked, but sending soothing scents throughout the rooms.

He followed Gellert up the wooden stairs and down the narrow hallway. All the doors were shut and none of them had doorknobs.

"Aunt Bathilda has an incantation for every bedroom. That's the only way you can get in. I tried to Apparate once to my room, but I couldn't. Her magic is rather amazing, even if she's getting battier in her old age."

"Old age? She can't be older than fifty, can she? That's right young for a witch, considering."

"Oh, she's simply forgetful now and then, but I think she's closer to sixty. I've never asked her. She's my great-aunt, you know, but she looks lovely, however old she is."

"She looks like you, actually. You both have perfect curls."

Gellert smiled and then flicked his wand and the door at the very end of the hall opened. Albus didn't see his mouth move; Gellert must have mastered nonverbal spells. Inside the room was a large bed with a thick black cover and two pillows. The bed was meticulously made. Everything was very clean, but empty. The walls were bare, the desk devoid of papers or quills or books. There wasn't a chest of drawers or a bedside table. A trunk sat at the end of the bed, but it was closed and had a lock without a keyhole.

"I don't plan on staying here long enough to unpack," said Gellert, as if reading Albus' mind.

"I'm surprised you don't have any books, though."

"All in my trunk. I don't read them often. Everything I need to know is already in my head. I've a very good memory."

"You are a very clever wizard for your age."

"For any age!" Gellert sat on the edge of his bed. With a wave of his wand,the drapes covered the windows and all the candles in the room lit up. "This discussion we were having about Muggles was very important. Don't you understand what we could have? We are both clever enough to make this a reality. Your knack of writing new spells and improving old ones is amazing and I barely know you yet."

"I feel as though you know me quite well," said Albus softly.

"Yes, I believe you know me better than anyone else. You understand what I am capable of – what we are capable of. Think of your sister. Muggles should know about us."

"They shouldn't fear us--"

"They should respect us!" interrupted Gellert, standing up. "They should respect us and be in awe of us. We are more powerful, yet we cower behind our spells, hoping they won't know we really exist."

"That's because they're scared of us."

"Perhaps they should be."

Gellert's nostrils flared and his chest rose as he breathed fast and hard. Albus' eyes roamed the other boy's body. Gellert's collar bone. His shoulders; his hand gripping his wand. His button-down shirt tucked into black trousers.

"Albus?"

The curve of his cheek, the slant of his eyes.

"... Albus?"

The part of his lips, the tip of his tongue as he spoke: "Albus!"

"What?"

But Gellert didn't speak. He took a step forward and rested his hand on Albus' shoulder. They looked at one another and Albus felt as though his ginger hair was standing straight up. Like a shot of electricity, a shudder ran through his body; his skin broke out in gooseflesh.

There was magic and then there was magic. Albus was an expert at magic, better than many witches and wizards twice his age and every day he improved. He got top marks in school, received O's on almost everything. Nonverbal spells came as second nature and he was the quickest draw, the best dueler.

Yet, at magic, he was a novice. He didn't understand a thing. He was awkward and pathetic around girls. It wasn't as though he hadn't tried, he really had – asking girls to Hogsmeade or for study-dates in the library. However, none of them held his attention. His mind always wandered to other things, other people. It didn't take long to understand why he never had a girlfriend. He simply wasn't interested. He wanted to feel the magic. It was all the more apparent now, standing in front of someone who did hold his attention, who was always in his mind. It was more apparent, but also more frightening.

Albus was smart. He knew what he was, what he liked, but the trouble was never knowing if those awkward, hidden feelings were the same. Boys weren't supposed to like boys, but sometimes it happened, and it happened to Albus. He'd never made the first move; he wasn't adept enough at magic to ever initiate anything. A few trysts at Hogwarts, always very secret, but nothing compared to what Albus felt now.

Magic.

And then.

He made the first move.

XXXXXXX

Albus walked into the kitchen through the back door of the house. His younger brother Aberforth sat at the round breakfast table, a piece of parchment in his hand. An unfamiliar owl danced around the kitchen sink, pecking up owl treats from the countertop.

"Hogwarts letter?"

Aberforth nodded. "Book list and such. Did I see Elphias' owl earlier?"

"Yes."

"How's he –?"

"Fine. Any new books on the list? You can use my old ones. I never threw away any of my schoolbooks."

"Fine? That's all?"

"Yes."

Aberforth looked as though he wanted to say something else, but his lips were pressed tightly together. Albus stood, waiting for whatever it was Aberforth wanted to say.

"Never get excited about Elphias' letters anymore."

"There is life outside of Elphias Doge."

Surprise showed in Aberforth's blue eyes. "You mean Gellert?"

Albus didn't want to talk about his new friend. "Let me know what books you need from Diagon Alley and we'll take a morning trip there. I don't know who shall watch Ariana, but she never tries to leave the house."

"Don't think I'mma go--"

"You absolutely will not drop out of school. You'll finish Hogwarts. School is important!"

"School is bollocks. Ariana--"

"--can be taken care of by me," finished Albus.

"You don't know her like I do! She talks to me!"

"No, she doesn't."

"Not with words. But I know what she wants. Can take better care of her than you can, you great arse."

"Oh, go tend to the goats, Aberforth. You're trying my patience."

"Why won't you listen? You never listen. A right load of shite, this is."

"I listen to you. I hear what you're saying."

"You may hear, but you ain't listening. Spending all your time with that Bagshot fop!"

Albus felt heat rise up his neck. "Watch your tongue!"

Bang.

Both of their attentions turned towards the second level of the house. Albus knew that banging; Ariana was trying to do something and failing. She always made a great deal of noise whenever she couldn't do something.

Bang!

"Go take care of that, please," asked Albus.

Aberforth stood. "See? You don't care 'bout her. You send me to deal with her. Couldn't handle her if you tried."

The banging continued.

"Please, go."

Aberforth made a noise like a disgusted-sounding grunt before quickly leaving the room. It took mere moments for the banging to stop. Albus knew if he had tried to calm his sister, it would have only aggravated her further; Aberforth was clearly the better brother to take care of Ariana. Things with Ariana were difficult, but Albus was the eldest; he had no choice but to care for his family. It was a burden he didn't want, but a burden he knew he had to bear.

Over the new few days, Aberforth didn't speak to Albus – at least, not with words. His Hogwarts letter lay shredded at the kitchen table, in front of the chair in which Albus always sat. The doors and cabinet were slammed and all of Albus' favorite sweets were eaten, only the wrappers remained. The silent treatment from Aberforth gave Albus plenty of time to think. Of course, if it hadn't been for those Muggles boys, Ariana wouldn't be addled and he would be able to live life the way he wanted. He wanted to travel the world with Elphias, meet other wizarding cultures, see all-Muggle villages. His father would play Quidditch in the back garden with Aberforth, Ariana would help their mother pick food for supper from the vegetable garden, and he would be free. He wouldn't have these invisible restraints, ropes binding him to Godric's Hollow, ties so strong and powerful that magic couldn't break them.

Those boys. Muggles. They were to blame. Maybe what Gellert said was true; perhaps Muggles should learn to respect wizards. Albus knew it was time to go see Gellert again.

XXXXXXX

"I thought perhaps you were frightened away."

Albus shook his head and entered Gellert's bedroom. "No. Why would I be frightened?"

"You haven't been around in a few days. I thought you would have tried to come over again."

"I had some family affairs to deal with."

"I see. Ariana lose her mind again?"

Albus didn't comment. He thought of the last time he was in this room, only a couple days before.

"I was actually going to call upon you today," said Gellert, going over to his desk and picking up a stack of parchment. "I was trying to reconfigure a spell, but I'm having some trouble getting it just right."

"Let me see." Albus crossed the room and stood next to Gellert. He glanced down at the parchment, very aware of the boy standing next to him. "What are these notes here?" Albus pointed to a strange symbol sketched on the parchment. It was very familiar-looking.

"The Deathly Hallows."

"A child's fantasy."

"I don't think so. Imagine if they were real!"

"I suppose they could be. Many myths are based on some faction of truth."

Gellert grinned. "These could help us."

"Help us with what?"

"Integrating ourselves with Muggles, taking over the Muggle world – for the greater good of Muggles, of course. Think of your sister . . ."

"I have been," replied Albus, "I have been all week. If it wasn't for those Muggle boys, everything would be normal and my sister would be fine. My parents would still be with us. How do you think the Deathly Hallows would help us?"

"Are you kidding? The Elder Wand alone would be invaluable! A wand of that kind of power! Think, Albus! I've tracked them here, from the Peverell brothers."

"Yes," said Albus, "the Peverells lived here for centuries. I don't know where we would be begin to look for the Hallows."

Albus' mind was already racing with thoughts and ideas surrounding the Hallows. Most magical children he knew had heard the stories before, stories that had gone from a drunken pub tale to myth to bedtime story for little witches and wizards itching to get their first wands. It was an idea he had never taken much fancy to, but he knew there had always been people searching for the Hallows. Mostly they were adventure-seekers, not the slightest bit clever or bookish. Albus suddenly became convinced he could find the Hallows; he was clever and bookish and fully able to do enough research to pinpoint the exact location of all three items.

"We? You mean you'll help me?" asked Gellert.

"Yes."

"Brilliant! You are the cleverest wizard I've ever met. You'll be such an immense help!"

"We are in this together, then?"

"Yes, yes," said Gellert with a wave of his hand. "Together. Now, this spell – can you –?"

Albus reached his hand around Gellert's shoulders and placed it at the back of his neck. He pulled Gellert towards him, their lips met, and that spark was lit again. Their bodies pressed together – flat, hard chests, and sharp hip bones, pushing against each other in an attempt to get closer. Albus knew his cheek was scratchy when he felt Gellert's palm touch his face.

The Hallows and the troubled spell were forgotten.

XXXXXXX

Albus grew obsessed with the Hallows. He spent all his time looking for some signs of them. First, he went to Diagon Alley and looked at each of its three bookstores. Of course, Flourish and Blotts was the largest, but Knockturn Alley had a different sort of selection. Albus was desperate to find anything on the Hallows. He started from the beginning, drawing up an extensive family tree, and marking out a plan to go to each descendant, to talk to them, to look for the Hallows. He was so engrossed in his new plan with Gellert he completely forgot to purchase Aberforth's new schoolbooks. There were only two, but forgetting them was enough to earn another stint of silence from his brother.

There was a grand plan. Gellert continually told Albus how proud and impressed he was. "You're the brains behind this, you know," he kept saying. Perhaps this was true, but Albus knew he would never be able to go on the adventure of trying to find the Hallows if the mystery took them beyond Godric's Hollow. When September rolled around, he would not be able to leave the house; he would have to care for Ariana. Like with Elphias, Albus would have to stay behind and watch Gellert go gallivanting without him.

That was, only if the search went further than Godric's Hollow. But how could it not? How could three Hallows – three things so powerful – all end up in the same place?

Albus was under Gellert's spell. A few times Aberforth had tried to talk to him about it, but Albus blew him off. There was no reason why his little brother should be worried about him – or at least, that's what Albus had convinced himself of. There was hardly anything he wouldn't agree to where Gellert was concerned. The blond boy had a way with words. He constantly told Albus how smart he was, how brilliant, how he couldn't do half of this planning without him. There were always old spells to tweak and new spells to invent. Gellert had so many ideas for new incantations and enchantments. Albus had never worked so hard on inventing new spells.

He used old pots and pans in the kitchen for test subjects. Some of the spells were as simple as making whom- or whatever fall to the floor. Others were as difficult as making certain parts of someone's body paralyzed, namely their limbs, but still allowing their heads to move. Those spells, of course, Albus couldn't test on pots and pans. There was a constant rattling in the kitchen were he sent his kitchen utensils flying across the room.

The fact he was shutting his brother out barely crossed his thoughts. Ignoring what was left of his family was just second nature, but where he used to care and want to help sort out what was wrong in Ariana's brain, now his focus was Gellert. Gellert, Gellert, Gellert, and he couldn't see past it. He couldn't see anything wrong with it. Albus knew that this secret love affair of theirs had to be kept a secret. The magical world was advanced and had some liberal tendencies, but no one was ready to accept two teenage boys as lovers; it was still the nineteenth century after all.

And as Albus sent another pot flying across the room with his wand, only to stop it midway, Aberforth came into the kitchen, got two apples, and then went out the back door, slamming it so hard, the room vibrated with its force. Albus lost his concentration and the pot fell to the floor.

XXXXXXX

The very next day, Gellert came to the Dumbledore household. He had a stack of parchment in his hands and a row of books levitating next to him.

"More spells?" asked Albus, opening the kitchen door and stepping aside so that Gellert could come in.

"Why don't we sit outside? It's a nice day."

Albus shrugged and stepped out.

"And to answer your question, no, it's not more spells. I've actually mapped out some ideas for when we are in control."

"You wrote them down? What if someone saw?"

"No one will see. They're written in code. I expect you could figure it out though, since you're so clever."

Albus couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. This idea of power is rather . . . invigorating."

Gellert put his things down on the grass near the far edge of the fence around the back garden. The books he levitated over fell to the ground with a quiet thud.

"I like when you are invigorated."

"Really? Why is that?"

"You get very excited and your heart beats incredibly quickly. Beads of sweat form on your temples and your brain works at full capacity."

"It's anticipation of what will happen when everything is finished. Once everything is complete and our plan running at full course. That's empowering and I feel it in my blood."

"The day will soon come in which all Muggles will know about wizards – and grow to awe them."

"Are you insane?"

Both Albus and Gellert turned at the sound of a third voice. Aberforth stood in the doorway to the kitchen, looking outside at them. Albus had no idea how long his brother had been standing there, but the look on his face was of horror and disgust.

"Don't you see what he is?" cried Aberforth.

"I see that you continue to be jealous of me." Albus stood straighter. "I have finally found an equal!"

"He is not your equal! He wants to take control. He wants to be a tyrant! Over Muggles!"

"Calling him a tyrant is rather harsh, little brother. What have Muggles done for us? How can you look at them, knowing what they did to Ariana? Knowing how she turned out? She's addled. She needs constant supervision – look at Mother! Dead! Because of Muggles! Father is in prison and Mother is dead. That's what Muggles have done for us!"

Aberforth shook his head in disbelief. "I know he's fed that to you . . . Letting him influence you."

"Albus is of age. He is not easily influenced," said Gellert. "He knows what truth is. He knows that wizards being in control is for the greater good."

"The greater - the greater good? Greater good of what?"

"For the greater good of everyone," replied Albus. "If Muggles knew about magic they wouldn't be afraid of it. If Muggles had known about magic, then they never would have hurt Ariana."

"Muggles did not hurt our sister! Three stupid boys did! You don't even care who did it or why they did it. You're angry because you have to take care of her now. An inconvenience for you. She's an inconvenience to you. Let me quit school! I'm capable of taking care of her. She don't like you. You don't take care of us now. You go 'round, plotting things with him and then bark orders at me. I take care of Ariana. I feed the animals. I tend to the house. You don't do nothing!"

"You are not quitting school and that's final," Albus stated coldly. "Your education is important. Besides, I maintain that if Muggles knew about magic, what happened to our sister would not have happened."

"I don't like what happened any more than you do, but controlling Muggles? Making them work for us? That's - that's enslavement!"

"Enslavement? That's not quite what I am after," corrected Gellert.

"Not enslavement? Then what? Indentured servitude? I've overheard you two talk. You talk about making Muggles slaves. May not call it 'slaves' but that's what it is. And my brother don't act like he cares as long as you just keep talking to him. Albus," said Aberforth, lowering his voice, but by doing so, he increased his disgusted tone, "what've you done? You go and fall in love with the first boy who's got equal intelligence to you and then listen to everything that spews from his mouth?"

Wands were drawn and a burst of red light shot through the air. Aberforth ducked quickly, not sure who sent the curse, Albus or Gellert, but obviously scared of both boys. The light hit the trough the pigs ate out of and sent it into the air, bursting it into several pieces.

"STOP!" Albus yelled, but it was too late. Aberforth sent a curse back, a bolt of ice-cold blue flames ruptured from the end of his wand; Gellert ducked, but the flames hit one of the goats, immobilizing it in a temporary freeze.

Then it was a battle - a battle between two of the most skilled wizards and one small sixteen-year-old boy. Both Albus and Gellert were able to use nonverbal spells, but Aberforth, not nearly as clever or skilled, shouted out each spell, giving the other boys plenty of time to react. Albus didn't know who to protect: Gellert or Aberforth?

Colors flew through the air - blue! Red! Yellow! Green was the only absent color, a color that Albus was grateful not to see. He sent out protection spells. Protego! he thought, shielding his brother from Gellert's curses.

"STOP!" he yelled again. A Stunning curse hit him in the shoulder and sent him flying backwards. It was a weak curse, probably sent by his brother, and didn't knock him out. He did hit his head against a fencepost and briefly saw stars. Albus tried to get to his feet as he held his head in his hands. How stupid could he be to allow his brother a moment to hit him with a curse? He was not focusing; he was a better dueler than this.

Another voice rang out, "Stop," amongst the spells. A flash of long, braided red hair ran past Albus' field of vision.

Then everything stopped.

There was no sound. No movement. Even the air was still. Then it happened. A whirlwind. A tornado. In one quick rush, everything turned to chaos. The wind was so loud, Albus could not hear himself yell. It was no ordinary wind; it was visible, colorful, yellows and greens and reds. The goats and pigs were lifted into the air. The shutters around the windows of the house banged and rattled at their hinges. The back door flung open and hammered against the door jamb. Albus struggled against the wind to walk towards his brother. This was magic like he had never seen. It was a cyclone of a hundred spells, all cast and going at once.

From the back of the garden, a white force pushed back the whirlwind, forcing it to stop. Albus watched Gellert calm the storm and force it away. He was strong; his magic fierce. The animals dropped back to the ground, disgruntled, but unharmed. Some of the shutters had fallen off their hinges and the back door was dented and damaged. The grass was missing in places and the trees had lost most of their leaves.

"Gellert?" whispered Albus, looking at his friend. Gellert's blond curls were tangled and his chest heaved. His shirt was ripped, but he seemed unscathed.

"Albus," said Gellert. His mouth opened as though he wanted to say more, but nothing came out.

"Are you all right? I--" But he stopped speaking. Near the back door, Aberforth was crouched down, his body shaking. In Aberforth's arms was Ariana, still and lifeless. "What did you do?" Albus asked, looking at Gellert. "What kind of spell was that?"

"It was a spell to stop all spells being cast."

"And to stop the spell caster as well?"

Albus didn't wait for an answer; he ran across the garden and knelt next to his brother. Ariana looked peaceful, her eyes closed. The hair around her left ear was wet from Aberforth's tears as he cried next to her body. Her dress was dirty, but her face looked pristine. She looked as innocent in death as she was in life.

"She didn't mean it," Aberforth blubbered. "Couldn't hold in her magic. She must've seen us dueling and got upset and . . ." His voice trailed off in a new set of tears and sobs.

"It wasn't her fault," Albus agreed.

"She didn't know. She didn't know better."

"I know." Albus reached to touch his brother's shoulder, to calm him down, but Aberforth flinched as though Albus' touch was excruciating.

"Don't touch me. This is all your fault! If you hadn't been gallivanting around with that boy!"

Albus stood up. "We'll need to have a funeral. I'll arrange it."

"She just died and you're thinking funerals?"

"That's standard. Death first, funeral second."

"Give me a minute to grieve! You didn't love her. I did."

Albus swallowed against a lump in his throat. He looked around for Gellert, but his friend had vanished without so much as a whisper or a goodbye.

XXXXXXX

"And then he broke your nose at the funeral."

Albus touched his crooked nose and nodded. "Yes. I deserved it, I'm sure. I've been a fool for most of my life, clever as I always thought I was."

"You were clever. The cleverest. I couldn't resist you."

Albus nodded. He looked out of the only window in the room. It was small and didn't offer much of a view, but it did let a bit of sunshine in. "I couldn't resist you either, but not in the same way."

"No, I think it was in exactly the same way. I wanted you for your brains. The way you thought fascinated me. The way you figured things out and came up with new spells, or tweaked old spells to be more efficient amazed me. I wanted to know how you thought, but it was you that I couldn't resist. I needed your thoughts and ideas to further develop my own agenda, but I wanted you by my side. I couldn't resist you."

Albus took several long, deep breaths. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"After what happened to Ariana, I had time to think. My brother went back to Hogwarts for his last years and I had much time to myself. I came to the conclusion that when we were lads, you indulged my inclinations towards you in order to keep me close so I could help you. We came up with some dangerous spells."

"Aye, that we did. That wasn't the only reason why I kept you close. Perhaps I did indulge you so I could keep your ideas, but I did want you."

Albus nodded.

"If you hadn't changed your mind, we would have ruled together, side by side."

"Perhaps not side by side. Even the magical world isn't ready for that."

"No, that is true." Grindelwald stood.

Albus turned away from the window to look at him. He tried to separate his old friend from the man he had become. When they knew one another, he was Gellert, a boy with irresistible blond curls and a perfect smile. The man Gellert became was not the boy Albus once knew.

"I apologize for what happened. I would have given anything if we could have seen eye-to-eye. Our bond was different than any other bond. I've never been such friends with anyone since."

"We never would have seen eye-to-eye," said Albus somewhat sadly. "You had a view on Muggles that I simply did not share. I wanted them to know about magic for the greater good of everyone, not just the greater good of wizards. I grew to appreciate Muggles. They might not have had magical abilities, but they can still contribute to the world. I do not think that, even now, you have any appreciation for Muggles."

"I will always think that we should be in control, but perhaps I imprisoned too many, let myself get out of control with too much power."

"Yes, I am also not to be trusted with power."

"Did you ever find the Hallows, Albus? Did you ever unite them?"

"I stopped looking. Silly childhood tales."

"But they're real!"

Albus smiled sadly. "Silly childhood tales," he repeated. He did not wish to tell his old friend about the Invisibility Cloak he had discovered; some things were better left unsaid. He bent his head down and kissed the side of Gindelwald's mouth. "I must go."

"Wait." Grindelwald took hold of Albus' arm. "Do you still feel the same as you did when we were lads?"

"The same about you?"

The Dark wizard nodded.

"I feel the same about the boy I once knew. I do not feel the same about the man that boy became. I could never love a wizard such as that."

"Do you ever regret my imprisonment?"

"There is a boy whose parents were killed by definitive evil. A new great, Dark wizard, Darker, they say, than you. I often wonder what the world would have been like had I not defeated you. I often wonder if you would have reached the same point as this Dark wizard. The only thing that brings more pain to my life than your imprisonment is the death of my sister. However much pain it brings me, it was the right decision. You would have done terrible things, Dark things. You belong here. You do not belong out there in the world."

Grindelwald grimaced.

"Of course, you would have killed me in order to reach full power."

"Never." Grindelwald tightened his grip on Albus' arm. "Never would I have killed you."

"I don't believe you for a moment. You never loved me as I loved you. You would have killed me if it meant becoming the most powerful wizard in the world."

"Never," repeated Grindelwald, but Albus still didn't believe him. "You mightn't believe me, but I loved you, Albus. I loved you very much."

Albus shook his arm loose from Grindelwald's grip and left the prison cell. The need to come visit his old friend had been overwhelming, so he had gone to him. Grindelwald was not Gellert and Albus needed to be reminded of that. Sometimes he thought of Gellert and how very much in love they had been when they were boys. It was young love.

Albus knew that not mentioning the Invisibility Cloak was the right thing to do. He didn't want to see the greedy look that ultimately would come into Grindelwald's eyes. It was better left unsaid. Still, hearing Grindelwald say the words, I loved you very much, made his eyes water.

Perhaps there were still some things that were better left said.

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End.

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