The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know what you think, that would be awesome! Is anyone still reading this, by the way? I'm not so sure since no one tells me...

I don't own the characters or places!

It was loud in the Great Hall when Albus entered it one morning in April. Many students were chatting with each other and when he walked towards the teacher's table, he caught the words Quidditch and Hogsmeade. However, he noticed that not all the students were looking so happy. Some of them, especially those reading the Prophet, had thoughtful or even sad expressions on their faces.

With an uneasy feeling, he focused on Gellert, who was already waiting for him. The newspaper was lying in front of him, but he didn't read it. Instead, he looked at Albus. From the look on Gellert's face, Albus knew immediately that something bad had happened once more. He forced a smile on his lips when he greeted Gellert and Minerva and sat down between them.

"What's it this time?" Albus asked and gestured at the newspaper.

"Two Muggle families." Gellert muttered darkly. "With their children. It was Dark Magic, there's no doubt of it."

Albus leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "This has to end." He whispered so quietly that only Gellert could hear him.

"But how? It's nearly been a year since the events in Paris and there's no sign of Dimitri. Wherever he's hiding, it seems to be a good place." He could only see the frustration on Gellert's face because he knew him so well. To others, he looked completely calm.

"Maybe we should have another meeting." Albus suggested. "See if the others found something."

"Wouldn't they just tell us?" Gellert raised his eyebrows.

"We could also figure out a new strategy." Albus threw in.

"Alright." Gellert agreed with a nod. "We should contact them later. Now tell me how your meeting was."

Before breakfast, the headmaster had insisted on seeing Albus.

"Later." He said. "The first lesson starts soon."

Gellert nodded reluctantly. "A walk outside?"

"Sounds good." He agreed with a smile.

"Dippet wants to retire this summer?" Gellert asked incredulously. "I thought he would do this job forever."

"Me too." Albus smiled slightly. "But yes, he said it's enough. And he wants me to be the next Headmaster of Hogwarts." He was still trying to wrap his thoughts around that. He couldn't picture himself as the headmaster.

"He made a good choice." Gellert smiled proudly. "I always knew that you would get that position one day. I'm sure you'll be brilliant, Albus."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I hope so. I don't want to mess anything up."

"You won't, love." Gellert assured him and placed a hand on his arm. It was his way of showing affection when they weren't alone. "And you won't be alone, you know that?"

Albus smiled. "I do. Thank you, Gel."

Gellert chuckled. "Not for that." Suddenly, his expression turned thoughtful. "And who will take over your position? You can't be headmaster and Head of House for Gryffindor at the same time."

"I thought of Minerva." Albus explained. "She would be perfect for Gryffindor. And Armando also mentioned that someone is interested in teaching here, he could take over my lessons. His name is Filius Flitwick and he will come here in a few weeks to introduce himself. Though he's more interested in Charms than Transfiguration. Maybe Minerva would like to swap with him, she's always loved Transfiguration." He shrugged. He would have to think about that later.

"Seems like you already have a plan." Gellert noted with a grin.

"Armando told me many things this morning. That's also why I was gone for so long. It seems like Bernard Whitesmith also wants to leave next year." He was surprised that the Potions Master wanted to leave the school. But it seemed like he wasn't that happy with teaching anymore.

"So there will also be a new Potions Master?" Gellert looked surprised. "Whitesmith isn't that old."

"He wants to do something else in his life." Albus repeated Armando's words. "Of course Armando already suggested a successor."

"He did? Seems like he has even more plans than you."

Albus laughed. "His name's Horace Slughorn. He's been a student when I started teaching here. Very talented in Potions, I know why he's the first one mentioned for that position. Especially since he requested if it's possible to work here someday."

"Do I know him?" Gellert quirked an eyebrow.

Albus shook his head. "That was before your time. He was in Slytherin, but a really nice young man. Liked to gather other intelligent or talented students around him. Like a club."

"You'll also need a new Head of House for Slytherin when Whitesmith is gone." Gellert said suddenly.

Instead of answering, Albus just smiled at him.

Gellert's eyes widened. "No, you can't do that!" He muttered.

"Why not?" He asked. "You would be perfect for that position, Gel. The students love you."

"But there's lots of responsibility connected to that position." Gellert said.

"And you'll manage it without problems, I'm sure of that." Even after all this time, Gellert still doubted himself. Albus always did his best to assure him that his doubts were unjustified.

Gellert hesitated. "If you're sure..."

"I am." Albus said with a wide smile. By now, they'd nearly finished their walk and Albus sighed when he realized that they would have to go to their next classes soon.

"What will we tell the others?" Gellert changed the subject. He'd also noticed that they didn't have much time left. "That the meeting should take place as soon as possible?"

Albus nodded. "I've also been thinking about telling Minerva the truth." He said carefully, waiting for Gellert's reaction. To his surprise, he nodded.

"We should do that."

"Aberforth and Ariana need to know it as well."

At this, Gellert raised his eyebrows. "I thought you wanted to keep your family out of all this."

"I do." He nodded. "But they know that something's going on for years now. Don't you think it's time to tell them everything?" They knew that Albus and Gellert had been involved in the events in Paris, but nothing else. They'd made it look like they had met Theseus and the other Aurors by accident. To their surprise, this had been Theseus' idea.

Gellert sighed. "Most probably, you're right."

"Ariana isn't a little girl anymore." Albus knew that Gellert wanted to spare her all the details. He felt the same, but they couldn't always make those decisions for her.

"I know." Gellert muttered. "Alright, let's tell them the next time we're there."

Of course Minerva wasn't surprised when they told her everything that day after class. She was a smart woman and had already suspected that there was a connection between them and Dimitri. However, she'd been too polite to ask. While they told her the story, she just listened silently. Of course they left out the part with the Deathly Hallows. They always did.

"What a question, of course I'll help you!" She said once they finished their tale. "You can count on me. This man has to be stopped."

Albus smiled at her. "Thank you, Minerva."

"Thank me once this is over." She's just replied dryly. "So how can I help you?" They informed her about the meeting that would take place soon and she promised to talk to people she knew. The more people tried to gather information, the better.

In contrast to Minerva, who'd remained relatively calm during their tale, Ariana and Aberforth weren't happy to hear what Albus and Gellert had been doing all those years. "Why did you never tell us?" Ariana asked incredulously. "It sounds dangerous!"

"I always knew that you were up to something, but this is insane." Aberforth muttered with crossed arms and a frown on his face. "The two of you against the most dangerous wizard of our time?"

"We know what we're doing." Albus replied calmly.

"Just because he knows him?" Aberforth asked with a look at Gellert. "I doubt that. The events in Paris have shown that you can't face him alone."

"He took us by surprise back then. It won't happen again." Gellert muttered. "We're better prepared now."

"So you really didn't run into the Aurors by accident back then. I'd always suspected that." Aberforth sighed. "Maybe a few people who come here regularly know more about all this."

Ariana stared at him. "You want to help them with this?" She sounded unhappy. "It is dangerous, Abe!" It was obvious that she was worried for their well-being.

"We know what we're doing, Ari." Albus tried to calm her down. "Nothing will happen to us."

She didn't look convinced. "Why can't you let the Aurors deal with that?"

"They have no idea what they're dealing with. Paris proved that." Gellert said darkly. "Without us, it would have ended in disaster."

"But they must have learned something from that encounter?" She tried again.

"Theseus Scamander has." Albus explained. "But not everyone believes him."

"Or us." Gellert added.

Ariana frowned. "But why? I don't understand."

"I think what they're trying to tell you is that people are afraid of Dimitri. And they're underestimating him." Aberforth threw in thoughtfully.

"And that's why they don't act or listen to their advise?" Ariana was looking at them in confusion.

"It's of no use to think about it." Gellert sighed. "We stopped trying to convince them of the danger that Dimitri is a long time ago."

"That's also why Theseus is working with us now. Unofficially, of course." Albus added. "Together with his brother Newt and Tina Goldstein, an Auror from New York."

"Didn't Newt Scamander write that book about magical creatures?" Ariana asked, looking more attentive now.

Albus nodded. "I'm sure he would love to come over for a cup of tea with his Niffler once all this is over." He assured his sister with a slight smile. However, he got serious again very fast. "There was a reason why we didn't tell you about all this sooner."

"You didn't want to scare us?" Aberforth guessed. "Or you didn't want to bring us in danger?"

"Most probably both." Ari muttered.

He sighed. "Are you mad at us?"

"I'm not." Ariana said. "Though you really shouldn't bring yourselves in danger. What if something happens to you?"

"We know the risks." Gellert replied calmly. "We're the only ones who can stop him, we have to do something, Ari."

"I'm a little disappointed that you didn't want me to help you before." Aberforth said to Albus. "I'm sure that I could have found out something."

"Well, you get the chance to do that now." Albus smiled at his brother. "Maybe we can end all this soon."

"So when is this meeting you talked about before? And do you already have a place where you want to do it? Otherwise, we could also meet here." There was an excited gleam in Aberforth's eyes.

"It's good to see all of you." Albus greeted their friends with a smile. "We're glad that you all managed to come here this spontaneously."

"We'll always come when you call us." Newt replied with a slight smile.

"I wanted to contact you anyway." Theseus said. "I've got news."

"That's why we're here." Gellert explained. They were all sitting around a large table in the Hog's Head Inn. Albus, Gellert, Aberforth, Newt and Theseus Scamander, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Nicolas Flamel, Minerva and Elphias Doge. "The attacks on Muggles and other wizards are getting worse. Dimitri is getting more powerful with every passing day. And still, no one has an idea where he's hiding."

"There are rumours," Theseus threw in "of a castle in Europe. It's his hiding place and a prison at the same time. One of our contacts told us about it, though we don't know how he got to know all this."

"It's called Nurmengard." Tina Goldstein said loudly. "A big castle, hidden in the mountains and above the entrance, there are words carved into the stone."

"For the Greater Good..." Gellert muttered darkly and they looked at him in surprise. "So he really did that." He ran a hand through his hair.

"How do you know so much about it, Tina?" Albus threw in to get the attention away from Gellert. Under the table, he squeezed his hand.

"Do the Aurors in New York know more than we do?" Theseus asked curiously.

Tina shook her head. "They don't. But in the past months, we've been doing research on our own." She exchanged a look with Newt, Queenie and Jacob. Albus was surprised. He'd always known that Tina and Newt were working together now, but he didn't expect Queenie and Jacob to help them. Especially since Jacob was a Muggle.

"Newt and Tina were able to find a man who's convinced that Dimitri's ideas are the best that's ever happened to our world." Queenie, who'd remained silent until now, explained. "I could see the image of the castle in his mind. He was there and not too long ago. I don't think that many people know about the castle."

"Then you've been lucky that you found someone who did." Gellert frowned at them. "Where did you find him?"

"We spread rumours that we want to join Dimitri's forces. It took us a while to find the right place to do it, but in the end, he showed up." Newt said. "But without Queenie, it wouldn't have been of any use for us." He smiled sheepishly. "He recognized me from the events in Paris."

"We had to delete his memory of that meeting." Tina added. "I hope Dimitri isn't a skilled Legilimens? My memory charm isn't the best."

"He isn't. Never showed any talent for that." Gellert muttered. "So we'll have to find out where Nurmengard is."

"And figure out a plan what we're going to do once we know that." Theseus added.

Albus looked around until his eyes landed on Elphias. His friend had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Do you know something about that?" He asked.

Elphias hesitated. "I'm not so sure." He admitted. "You know that Evelyne is working for the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry?" Evelyne Willow, the girl who'd always stared at Albus in school and whom Elphias met again during his travelling year, was his fiancé by now.

Albus nodded. "Isn't she responsible for the political relationships with other countries?"

"Mostly in Europe, yes." Elphias confirmed. "A few months ago, she's told me something about a conflict in Austria. I didn't really pay attention to it back then because it didn't sound important at all. But now I'm not so sure anymore. Apparently, someone had built a castle in an area where it was forbidden and the Ministry there had asked for advise in London. However, a few days later, the request was taken back and the responsible employee vanished."

This caught everyone's attention. "Austria? Would fit to the castle in the mountains." Newt muttered.

"What happened then?" Albus wanted to know. "Did they do more research on it?"

Elphias shook his head. "They're not allowed to intervene in other countries by themselves. I think Evelyne has forgotten about it already. She's too busy with other things."

"We have to find out more about that place." Gellert said sternly.

"I have friends in Austria." Nicolas, who'd been following the conversation silently until now, threw in. "I can contact them. Maybe they know what happened to the employee of the Ministry."

"I can also ask others at MACUSA." Tina offered. "Though I doubt that news about a castle in Austria have reached the United States."

"We could try to find more of Dimitri's followers." Theseus said. "Maybe they can tell us more."

"Or we just have to lure Dimitri out of his hiding place..." Gellert muttered thoughtfully. When Albus turned to him, he saw that there was a frown on his face. "At Nurmengard, he has a big advantage. He built that castle. Most probably, his followers are also there. It would be nearly impossible to win a fight there."

"But how will you get him away from there?" Newt asked.

"We just have to offer him something he can't resist." The gleam in Gellert's eyes, together with the slight smile on his lips made Albus nervous.

"You won't do that." He whispered. "It's too dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Aberforth asked suspiciously.

"Gellert wants to offer himself to Dimitri." Albus explained. "Because he knows that he would never miss a chance to fight him." Under the table, he tightened his grip around Gellert's hand.

All around them, the others also started to protest that it was too risky. While they were talking and started to discuss other ways to deal with Dimitri, Albus glanced at Gellert.

You know that it's the only way, love. His voice sounded in Albus' head.

I won't let you go there alone. Albus argued.

It's too dangerous for you. My dreams -

Are not a guarantee of what's to come. We're in this together, Gellert.

Their silent conversation was interrupted when Theseus cleared his throat. "I would like to stay here and discuss things further, but I have to go back to the Ministry. Otherwise, they'll notice my absence." He stood up. "I'll try to find out more and don't do anything stupid." The last words were directed at Gellert. After hugging Newt, Theseus walked to the fireplace and vanished.

Apparently, this was the end of their meeting and slowly, the others also said goodbye. Nicolas promised to contact his friends in Austria as soon as he returned to Paris. Minerva went back to the castle since she had to read assays of her first years. Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob wanted to return to Newt's house in London to take care of his creatures and discuss their next steps. Aberforth wanted to meet Ariana in London, they wanted to do some shopping in Diagon Alley.

In the end, only Albus, Gellert and Elphias were left in the Hog's Head. "From what you told me in your last letter, I didn't expect it to be this bad, Albus." Elphias said into the silence.

He sighed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you the truth."

"You wanted to figure it out alone." His friend sounded thoughtful now. "Because you feel responsible for all this."

Gellert looked up and stared at Elphias, who chuckled. "Come on, it's hard to miss. You feel guilty because those ideas about the greater good came from you in the first place."

"From both of us." Albus threw in and took Gellert's hand. Now that they were alone with Elphias, they didn't have to hide anymore. He knew about their relationship for years now.

"Dimitri got it all wrong." Gellert sighed. "The greater good means helping others. Not destroying everything." He glanced at Albus. "I also got it wrong in the beginning. Someone had to open my eyes first."

"I doubt that you can just explain everything to Dimitri and he'll stop killing people." Elphias noted dryly.

"We know that." Gellert's voice was sharp now. "We always knew that we would have to fight him in the end."

"And still you want to fight him alone." It wasn't a question. "You thought of it, don't try to deny it."

"It's complicated." Gellert sighed.

"I won't leave your side, Gel." Albus said softly. "You should know that."

"And I've accepted it a long time ago." Gellert muttered and smiled weakly. "Forgive me for what I said earlier. I had a weak moment."

"It's alright. Just don't run off without me." Albus couldn't hide the pleading tone of his voice completely.

Gellert shook his head. "You know that I could never do that, love." He leaned in to kiss him quickly, not caring that Elphias was watching.

"So you'll both face him when the time is right." Elphias didn't look happy.

"The sooner, the better." Gellert nodded. "We've let him hurt others far too long. It's time to end it. For the greater good." At this, he smiled slightly.