Big thanks to the three people who reviewed!
izziexxx -- Uh oh, fangirl abuse! Hmmm, I do see your point. It was not supposed to be that though; it was only supposed to be a huge wake up call for Albus. I'm glad that you've liked everything else so far.
Touchstone's Ranna -- Thanks - I'm glad you like the Albus & Aberforth dialog, it was one of the areas I struggled most with.
RikkuAlaise -- Thanks for reviewing again! I do think that Aberforth and Ariana had a sweet brother-sister relationship, which made Ariana's death all the more tragic.
Now here is Chapter 4.
For the next week, they poured over books, trying to get clues as to where the Deathly Hallows might be. They also looked for any information about Ignotus Peverell, or any Peverell for that matter. Occasionally, they would show each other what they might have found. Even when they were away from each other in their houses, if either of them found anything new, or they just wanted to discuss ideas, they would write letters to each other. Sometimes their owls hardly had any time to hunt because the correspondence would continue until dawn.
One day, Aberforth burst open Albus' door and opened his mouth furiously to say something, but before he uttered any sound at all, he caught sight of Gellert.
"Oh," Aberforth said in disgust. He looked at Albus. "Sorry, I didn't realize your boyfriend was here."
Albus felt his face turn red in anger and embarrassment. He had never felt so annoyed with his brother. "Get the hell out of here, Aberforth. I don't want to see your arse in my room again unless I specifically give you permission to come in."
"Language," Aberforth snapped before turning on his heel, storming from the doorway, and slamming the door.
Albus could not look at Gellert.
"What do you reckon he wanted?" Gellert asked, seemingly unbothered by Aberforth's complete hatred toward him, or by Aberforth calling him Albus' 'boyfriend.'
Albus shook his head. "I have no idea, and I don't care," he said bitterly.
There was a moment of silence, and it was an uncomfortable silence for Albus.
"I think I might have found some more evidence that Peverell was one of the brothers," Gellert said, bringing a book toward Albus. "Right here," he pointed with his finger at a passage, "it says that Ignotus Peverell, who moved here two centuries before, had two brothers. Older brothers, which means he would be the one who possessed the Invisibility Cloak."
Sometimes Albus really doubted that the Deathly Hallows existed at all, but whenever they found something like this (though it was a small shred of evidence), it really inspired him to believe. "Excellent," he muttered. He put a piece of parchment on the page to mark the spot.
Suddenly, a loud bang went off downstairs, which was followed by a shout. Albus jumped up so quickly everything went black for a moment. He hurried downstairs, and Gellert followed wordlessly.
Albus found that the kitchen table had been cracked in two. Ariana was in the corner of the kitchen in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. Albus couldn't imagine what Gellert must have been thinking in that moment. He had never seen Ariana before because she normally hid from him when he came over.
Aberforth was trying to calm her down. She was crying loudly. Albus pointed his wand at the table and muttered, "Reparo." The pieces clanked into place.
"Shh, Ariana, it's okay," Aberforth was saying. "I'm here; nothing is going to happen to you."
It did not appear as if Ariana heard him at all; she was crying too loudly.
To Albus' slight alarm, Gellert stepped forward and crouched down next to her. Aberforth looked at him in astonishment. Gellert simply waved his wand and made yellow and blue flowers appear. Ariana quieted instantly and looked at the flowers. Gellert handed them out for her to take. It took her a moment, but then she slowly, cautiously, took them from him and held them close to her. She smiled slightly.
Albus suddenly liked Gellert a million times more in that moment.
Gellert slowly backed away on the floor and then stood. He walked over to Albus, smiling.
"That was brilliant," Albus whispered.
"Better, Ariana?" Aberforth asked her. She smiled up at him, stood up, and carried the flowers away to her room. Aberforth, however, was not happy. He rounded on Gellert once Ariana had left.
"Don't think this has made me like you any," Aberforth snapped at him.
"Aberforth, what exactly is your problem?" Albus demanded, his eyes ablaze.
"You both make me sick," Aberforth said. "I think I like you even less now, Albus, which I didn't think was possible until he started coming around."
"Why do you hate him?" Albus snapped. "Why?"
"Mother didn't want anyone to know about Ariana! This isn't his place!"
"I'm not going to shut myself up away from other people, Aberforth!"
"Why couldn't you just be happy to be with us?"
"Because Ariana's mad and you can't read, that's why!" Albus was now shouting. "Because it's impossible for me to have a discussion with either of you!"
"Oh yeah?" Aberforth said, his face turning red now from Albus' comment that he couldn't read. "Well, at least I'm not a faggot."
"What did you call me," Albus snarled.
"I called you both bloody fag –"
"We're not faggots, you –"
"Oh, please!" Aberforth shouted. "You're both bloody queers, and you're a jerk, Albus, and you're a psycho, Grindelwald." He stormed off upstairs before Albus could shout back at him and slammed the door.
Absolutely livid, Albus turned to Gellert. "Can you believe –?" he began, but stopped because he saw that Gellert was not at all outraged. Instead, it looked like he was enjoying himself. He was smiling.
Albus blushed. "What?"
Gellert laughed slightly. "I really like you when you're angry."
Albus sighed and shook his head. "Let's get out of here."
Before Gellert could agree, a thunder clap sounded in the distance.
Albus groaned. "Damn it. Now we're stuck in here."
Gellert looked at him incredulously. "Why?"
"Did you not just hear that thunder?"
"So?" Gellert replied exasperatedly. "What's wrong with getting caught out in a rain storm?"
"We're going to get struck by lightning."
Gellert looked back at him from the door, his eyes twinkling in amusement. He looked around the house for a moment. "Always the optimist, Albus. Well, suit yourself, then," he said smirking. Then he went out the door, and Albus could hear rain pattering down on the dirt outside. Gellert did not close the door, because he knew Albus would follow. And so he did.
They walked out of the town into some nearby meadows. They were both soaking wet.
"This is madness," Albus insisted.
"Why?" Gellert said. "It's just rain. And anyway, the air is as clean as it ever will be right now. Why would you want to be locked up away from something so pure?" He added, "Rain cleans the air because it weighs down all the pollen and dust and stuff." He stopped walking and turned to face Albus. "You do believe that I'm right about Muggles being under us and both Wizards and Muggles can live in harmony under those conditions, right?"
"Well, we won't know if you're completely right until it's done, will we?" Albus replied carefully. "All I know is… right now… the world could be a better place, for both peoples. So even if you are wrong, which I don't think you are, it's worth a shot. Nothing's ever going to get better if we don't try things out."
Gellert grinned. There was a slight moment of silence. Then he took a step closer. "Are you?" he asked.
"Am I what?" Albus asked, feeling his heart begin to race. He was usually not that close.
"Are you what your brother called you?"
"Am I a jerk?"
Gellert was grinning mischievously. Albus was feeling very flushed now.
"I don't know, Gellert, are you a psycho?"
"No. But I am the other thing he called me." He was watching Albus carefully, curiously.
"What other thing?"
Gellert laughed. "You're killing me here, Albus. Fine, I'll just come right out and say it, since I think I know your answer as well. I am gay. Now, are you?"
Albus swallowed, hardly believing what was happening. "Gay as in…"
"Homosexual. A 'faggot.' A queer. You knew exactly what I meant…. Though yes, I am relatively happy too," he added, sounding amused.
"I –" Albus noted his voice was coarse, "I really am not sure."
Gellert looked even more amused, and as if he was trying not to laugh. "Do you think I should help you determine whether you are or not?"
Albus was feeling highly colored now and his speech was more and more incoherent. "I – well, I think I probably am."
"You're such a liar. You know you are."
"I had no idea until you showed up," Albus mumbled.
Gellert chuckled again, and he got even closer. Before Albus was even aware of what they were doing, they were kissing. Albus felt numb. A loud clap of thunder broke them apart. Albus did not know what to say, and Gellert apparently did not either. Neither of them had any idea who made the first move.
"What? You, Gellert, are speechless?"
"You're right, I am."
There was a moment of silence again.
"Well, what now?"
Gellert looked at Albus incredulously. "What do you mean 'what now?'! Now we get down as low as we can on the ground so we don't get hit by lightning, that's what." He grabbed Albus' arm and pulled him down to the ground with him.
"Honestly, Gellert, you're crazy."
"That's why you like me."
They both lied down on the ground on their backs and closed their eyes, letting the rain drench them further. Albus rested his head slightly on Gellert's shoulder. The rain was just so peaceful, and the thunder was getting distant, and the air was warm. They both unintentionally fell asleep.
Albus woke up with a slight crick in his neck. He didn't remember where he was for a moment, but then he felt Gellert breathe. He sat up, feeling wide awake at once.
Gellert obviously felt the pressure of Albus' head leave his shoulder. He opened his eyes and sat up as well. He put his right hand to his head. "Damn," he muttered. "I think I'm allergic to this damn grass or something. My sinuses are all puffy."
Albus' groggy mind suddenly remembered that there was more to the world than him and Gellert. "Shit," he said, "what time is it? How long did we sleep?" He looked around him. It was getting dark. "Damn it, damn it, damn it. I should've been back a long time ago."
"Well, the damage has already been done," Gellert said. "So what's your hurry?"
Albus swallowed, his heart racing again. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"I… I don't know…. For kissing you; for falling asleep on your shoulder."
"You're really uncomfortable when it comes to sexuality, aren't you?"
"What?" Albus' said, embarrassed. He hated how frank Gellert was sometimes.
"You heard me."
"Give me a break. I didn't even know I was gay until you turned up like two weeks ago."
Gellert grinned. "True. But you really shouldn't be so self conscious about it. I mean, it happens to everyone."
"Yeah, but not everyone's gay," he mumbled.
Gellert shrugged. "So? Okay, if it wasn't men you liked, then you'd have the exact same feelings you have toward me, only they would be toward a girl. Would you be any more comfortable then?"
"Not really."
He went up close to Albus. "Then just relax." He kissed him again. Eventually, they both lied down on the grass again, still kissing.
They did this for a good fifteen minutes, until Albus insisted that he had to go home.
"All right," Gellert said quietly. He kissed his forehead. "I'll walk with you."
Albus dreaded finally arriving.