It was summer. All the students had long since left for their vacation, but Hogwarts was far from empty. The teachers were still there, along with all the permanent residents - the ghosts, the people in the portraits, and various other magical beings that called the ancient castle their home. Up in his tower, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sat thinking, staring at the silvery cloak folded upon his desk.
He had already gotten it out - for research, he had told himself, but he knew that wasn't true - it would be so easy to slip it on, and once he was wearing it, no one would ever know that he had even left his office, let alone where he was going. He knew he shouldn't go, but there was something pulling him, pulling him to put on the cloak, sneak out of the castle, out on to the grounds, past the protection spells, and disapparate.
He wasn't sure if it was possible to really get used to the suffocating feeling of disapparation, but it was soon over, and he found himself a ways from the great fortress. Once inside the magical barrier, it was a long walk to the prison itself, but perhaps he would come to his senses along the way and leave without a word to anyone.
Of course, he was not so fortunate and soon enough, he found himself at the prison gate.
"For The Greater Good" it said upon the entrance way. It sent a shiver down his spine.
He pulled off the cloak and stepped inside. The guard wizard performed a few basic identification spells and waved him through - they all knew him here.
"You're the only person who bothers to visit him." the guard remarked conversationally as he led him up to the highest tower.
Dumbledore nodded, unsure what to say, but the guard hadn't expected a response.
The all too familiar door swung open, and behind several layers of magical protection, there sat Gellert Grindelwald, seated as if in meditation.
Albus conjured up a chair and took a seat in the dank chamber, just outside of the cell itself. As soon as the guard left them alone, Gellert opened his eyes, and stared straight at Albus. For a moment Albus was 17 again, and that mischievous grin meant everything to him, but in an instant it was gone and they were old men again, at Nurmengard, and Albus was outside looking in at a defeated and imprisoned Gellert.
Albus knew he shouldn't be there, but it was too late for that - it had been too late when he took out that cloak in his office and asked the elves for a bag of food to bring with him.
"Albus, it's been too long." Gellert said, charming as ever, but his smile barely even reached his hollow cheeks, "I hear you're the headmaster now, at old Hogwarts."
Albus nodded, "I brought food." he said, unsure of what else to say.
With that, he took out the bag from his cloak's pocket and handed it through the barrier, to Gellert.
"Is this what we've come to?" Gellert asked, eagerly going through the bag of food - he looked like he needed it - "You just come and give me charity, and just go on your way without another word?" there was a hint of desperation to his voice, "You haven't visited in so long…"
Albus couldn't believe he was falling for that gambit, but it did look like prison life had taken its toll on his old former friend - as he reminded himself - still he replied, "No, I'm not about to leave."
"Good." Gellert replied, completely self-assured once more, "Tell me about Hogwarts."
And so Albus did, he talked about the teachers he had found and students of particular interest, about how much, and how little things had changed.
By the end was Gellert was laughing and it was almost like old times, almost, but it couldn't be- shouldn't be like that, not ever again! He had seen where that had gone…
"Albus, are you alright?" Gellert asked - he must have stopped speaking - "Lost in memories, are you?"
Albus grimaced.
"Hey, don't look like you didn't enjoy it back then," Gellert let out a sigh of contentment, "We had some good times…"
Albus turned and glared at him, but when he saw that mischievous grin he couldn't help but smile back. Still, all he could manage was a small, ambiguous smile, "Perhaps we did…"
He remembered those days in Gellert's arms, as they talked and dreamed of a glorious future, that now he could not bare to even picture. He remembered how they had laughed and Gellert's grin, that even now he had not entirely lost. But he also remembered how they had argued, how Gellert had swept him away into a world that was decidedly his, where they played by his rules, and the consequences whenever anyone did dare to speak up against him… And neither knew who had landed the killing blow, but Albus had come to conclude that it didn't matter, because both of them had.
"It's funny," Gellert remarked - Albus stood and was about to leave, but Gellert signalled for him to wait and so he did, though he did not sit back down - "You regret everything, but most people would say that you've paid your dues and done much more good than bad. Me, I don't regret a thing, a life philosophy, one could say," - Albus cringed, this was a philosophy of Gellert's that he was very familiar with and had sparked more than its share of arguments in the day - "But people would say I have quite a lot to regret. Funny, isn't it, how wrong people can be?"
"I would say that they're more right than you give them credit for. There is a correlation there." Albus said drily.
Gellert laughed, "Details, details."
"People's lives are more than just 'details,' Gellert." Albus said, though he felt a twinge of fear in his chest - he had been this way before and it never ended well for him.
"Albus, do you honestly believe that?" Gellert scoffed, "You even figured out why yourself, don't you remember it? How did it go? If only one person had to die, to save millions…"
"Gellert! Enough!" Albus exclaimed, turning to leave. He was not going this way again, not now not ever!
Gellert sighed, "No need for theatrics, Albus. Would you really refuse to sacrifice any of those nameless billions that you've never met, when you so easily sacrificed me for that 'greater good'" - Albus cringed at the all too familiar, all important, words - "Of yours?"
"How can you say I sacrificed you?" Albus was nearly pleading, like he used to when Gellert would do this, "You're here, alive. I did what I had to and I could have killed you, I know people wanted me to and so many would have said I was justified, there are even people who hate me because of it, but I didn't."
Gellert let out a harsh laugh, "You call this life? You should have killed me when you had the chance, then I wouldn't have to live through this humiliation. And I thought you cared, I thought you-"
"ENOUGH!" Albus shouted, "I saved your life when by all accounts I shouldn't have. I've been visiting you here for years, putting up with your abuse, when I should curse your name. I do care, Gellert, but that's not what matters, is it?" he gave a rueful smile.
"Hey, hey…" Gellert replied, thoroughly taken aback, "Albus, I didn't mean it like that, you know that…"
The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs, the door flew open and a guard entered, wand drawn, several others were waiting outside.
"Is everyone alright?" he asked.
"Yes, we're fine." Albus replied with a sad sigh, "I was just getting ready to leave."
"Albus, wait!" Gellert called out, "You know I didn't mean it!"
"And you know that I will be back." Albus replied, glancing back at him, perfectly calm, "But right now I must be going. I have a school to attend to." he turned back to face the guard, "Shall we?"
The guard gave a sharp nod and led him out of the fortress.
Dumbledore returned to the school, settled back into his office, put the cloak away, and no one was any the wiser.