Sometimes We Must Fight Those We Love

Albus Dumbledore stood a mere hundred paces from a rundown old shack in an out of the way area near the Ruhr River. The shack was shabby, to put it kindly. The windows were blown out, the walls had multiple holes and scorch marks, and the roof looked ready to cave in at any given moment. Albus sighed, and resumed his progress toward the cabin. It must be done, he thought. If he is in there, then I must enter.

Now standing at the half-rotted door, Albus raised his fist to knock. He hoped beyond vain hope that he would not have to do this. He desperately imagined that this could be solved over tea. Deep down, though, he knew that it would never be like that. Ever since the day Ariana had died, he knew that the next meeting with him would be disastrous for one or the other.

The door opened, revealing a man of the same height as Albus, with shoulder-length curly blond hair. His eyes were a striking blue, and after a moment of thought, he seemed genuinely mirthful to have Albus at his door. "Albus! I never expected to see you just now. It has been so very long. Sit down, please. Moechten Sie Essen?"

"Ja. Danke, Gellert," Albus said, hoping that perhaps this could be settled over tea after all. There was no reason for him to duel the man if he would simply see reason. "I have heard things about you, Gellert. And I'm not sure I like what I've heard."

Gellert was in the kitchen, fetching some bratwurst and tea. With a quick flick of his wand the sausages became warm. Returning to the small table he had invited Albus to sit at, he quickly doled out portions to each of their plates and poured tea into both of their cups.

"Oh? Albus, I know that it must be shocking to you that I am accomplishing our dreams alone, but after the unfortunate incident involving your sister I knew you wouldn't continue with it. So I fled, partially because I was scared of being arrested for something that I may or may not have done. But I also fled because I knew I would never be able to bear seeing the pain in your eyes."

"We are not here to discuss Ariana, Gellert. And we are certainly not here to have you lie about the reasons you disappeared. I know you left because you feared arrest, but also because you had nothing left to gain from me. As for 'our dreams,' Gellert, I have moved on and grown up. Please see reason and stop this mindless violence. Stop pitting the Muggles against each other for your own ends. Stop the torture, the killing. There is another way, a peaceful way."

"Albus, even when we schemed together you never did quite see things clearly. Think of the Hallows! Think of the new order, of the dominance of wizard over Muggle. We could lift the Statute of Secrecy, ensure a safe world for the Muggles, and ensure quality of life for all wizard-kind! I'm doing it for the Greater Good, Albus."

"And I am here for the Greater Good, Gellert. You don't need war, death, famine, or any of the rest of this to achieve those goals. And you forget that I know exactly what you mean when you spout off that nonsense about wizard domination. Enslaving the Muggles is not the way. I've come to realise this so why haven't you?"

"I seem to recall a different view of these actions just over forty years ago, Albus. In fact, I believe that enslaving the Muggles was as much your idea as it was mine. You never had it in you, though, and I always knew. To think, though, that while I have one of the Deathly Hallows thanks to my willingness to go through with the plans, you have none because you backed out and never really had your heart in it."

"You found one of the Hallows?" Albus asked, incredulous.

"I did. I have the Elder Wand, Albus. And with it I can bring justice and peace to a world that lacks it."

"You made the world lack peace and justice! The last time the world saw something like this, we weren't even born! Until you decided to bring 'peace' to the world, the world had it, and now look at where we are! I thought you were better than this, Gellert."

"And I thought you would understand, Albus. I wish it did not have to be this way, and I really do mean that. But it does. It has to be this way for the Greater Good. Those who stand in my way are destined to be crushed, not because of any malice on my part, but because they stand in the way of progress and hope for the future. And when I have the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility there will be no question of the fact that I was right. The violence will cease."

"Twisting your words to wring false meaning is not a trait I admire anymore, Gellert. I may have fallen for them back in the days of our youth, but I am older and wiser now. We could have peace now, rather than later. We could spare the bloodshed, and rejoice with our families. We could address the problems in our world with words and not with wands. That, Gellert, is truly the way to the Greater Good. That, old friend, is progress and hope for the future."

"You are absolutely certain of your position, Albus?"

"I am as firmly entrenched in my own position as you are in yours, Gellert."

"Then I suppose we will duel. I'd rather it not come to this, Albus, but there is no other way. If you are here to stop me, I must defend myself."

"Likewise. Shall we say dawn, then?"

"Let it be so, old friend."