The next chapter! After the last one, I just had to continue this. I hope you like this chapter as well. While writing it, I've been listening to Closer to You from Adam Lambert, it kind of inspired me. Please let me know what you think!
I don't own the characters or places!
Later, he couldn't say anymore how long he'd been running through the night. All he knew was that he dropped by at their house and gave the cat to Ariana. She had been so excited that she forgot to ask about Gellert. After hugging Albus tightly, she had taken the cat and began to play with her. Dinner had been forgotten as well. Albus was glad about it.
After telling Ariana something about Bathilda who needed help with something, he left again. And then he walked through the night aimlessly. In the end, he arrived at the tree in the forest where he'd kissed Gellert for the first time. Albus hadn't even realized that his legs had taken him there. The rain had gotten stronger and he was soaked when he sat down under the tree. It was cold and windy, but Albus didn't care. He already felt sick, so it didn't matter.
"It's called for the Greater Good." Gellert had said. The Greater Good… Power over Muggles and Wizards. The Dark Arts. "I really don't understand what kept you here for so long. Here, you've got nothing. And that won't change." Gellert hadn't even said anything to those words. He didn't argue when his friend told him that he could do much better than being here. That he could have all the power he ever dreamed of. Change the world for good… Why on earth had that friend to visit Gellert? Everything had been fine, perfect even… And now it was destroyed.
Albus' world was destroyed. Again. First, with the death of his mother. And now Gellert would leave him.
He didn't doubt it. The few things he heard were enough. The Greater Good. It had been Gellert's dream, his obsession. And now the chance to make it come true was there. Someone had given Gellert the opportunity to leave Godric's Hollow. To do all the things he wanted to do before he met Albus. Being one of the greatest wizards of all time.
Gellert had never promised Albus that he could resist forever. He had even told him that he might change his mind someday. However, Albus would have never imagined that the day came so soon. He thought they would have time, years even. How could he be so foolish? Gellert had always been controlled by his temper. Even if it seemed as if he'd been able to control it recently…
Albus leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He had tried to prevent the tears from falling so hard – partly because of Ariana – but now he could let them flow freely. And he didn't even try to stop the sobs that escaped his lips. In the past weeks, he had been dreaming of a life with Gellert. He had started to believe in a good future, for all of them. Aberforth was finishing school, Ariana was learning to control her magic and Gellert was there. Albus had even started to make plans! How stupid. Thinking that it could be this easy. Something Gellert had said some time ago had been on his mind there, that he'd seen Albus teaching at Hogwarts. Maybe Transfiguration or Defence Against the Dark Arts? It was tempting, the idea to teach children new things. And of course he'd been thinking of what Gellert could do as well. He didn't finish school, but he was brilliant either way and Albus had hoped that it could help him. And maybe that he could help him as well.
That wouldn't happen now. None of that.
Gellert had told Albus that he loved him. And Albus loved him too. He had thought that it was enough. Enough to make Gellert happy and most important, to make him stay.
Apparently, he'd been wrong.
He didn't know what he should tell Ariana, when he got home and she asked why Gellert wasn't there. And Aberforth… His brother had always told him that Gellert would disappear someday. Albus didn't believe him. He had been convinced that he could give Gellert everything he wanted.
It is called for the Greater Good.
Power over Muggles and even most Wizards.
We would follow you, if you decided to change the world for good.
Those things repeated themselves in Albus' mind over and over. He shook his head and clenched his fists. He had to stop thinking about it! Why couldn't those things just go away? He breathed in deeply and tried to relax. Then he hid his face in his hands.
In the distance, the sound of thunder announced that a storm was coming.
Albus didn't look up
He didn't hear the footsteps coming closer. The sounds were drowned by the rain and the thunder. He only noticed that someone was coming closer when the person stepped onto a branch and it broke with a crack.
Albus knew that it was stupid not to raise his wand immediately – after all, he was alone in a forest at night – but to be honest, he didn't care about that right now. It didn't matter if someone was there who could attack him. He simply did not care. So he just remained sitting there, arms wrapped around his knees. He was shivering and probably still crying, but that didn't matter as well. Gellert would leave him. The realization had taken all this strength.
"Oh my god, Albus." A shocked voice whispered and when Albus opened his eyes, the light of a wand blinded him. He blinked a few times to get used to the light. What he saw there made him flinch.
In front of him stood a soaked man and he thought that he had never seen him this pale. Or worried. Gellert's eyes were wide and Albus knew him well enough to say that it was fear he could see in them. His usually calm hand was shaking slightly when he lowered his wand slowly. And when he thought about it again, it was not just his hand. Gellert was shivering and his wet hair was a mess. He used just this moment to run his hand through it again – a gesture he always did when he was nervous. However, worst of all was the look on his face. Gellert looked devastated. If Albus' heart would have been beating normally at this moment, he was sure that it would have stopped.
"Albus." Gellert whispered again and his voice was full of relief and fear at the same time. Before Albus could process what was happening, Gellert sank down onto his knees in front of him. "I found you." Now that Gellert was closer, Albus could see that his eyes were red. Had he been crying? He still didn't understand why he was here. He had thought that Gellert would already be gone to his new life.
Now he reached out with his hand, probably to touch Albus' cheek. That's when everything around him became clear again and Albus found the strength to move. He backed away from Gellert's hand, not sure if he could stand it when Gellert touched him right now. When he touched him and was going to leave either way.
When the look on Gellert's face has been devastated before, it had been nothing compared to now. He was looking at Albus wide-eyed, his hand still in the air where Albus' face had been seconds ago. "Albus…" He began, insecurity in his voice.
"Why are you here?" At the cold tone in his voice, Gellert flinched.
"I've been looking for you for hours. You just disappeared and Ariana told me that you were with my aunt. But I'd been looking for you there as well and when she said that you left with the cat and didn't return… I've been worried like hell, Albus."
"That's not what I meant." Albus interrupted him harshly. "I mean why are you still here? At all?" He only hesitated for a second. "I heard you. You and your friend, back at the church."
Gellert swallowed. He was as white as a sheet. "I already feared that." His voice was barely a whisper. "It's not what you think."
"And what do I think, Gellert? Would you please enlighten me? Or am I wrong to think that this friend of yours came here to remind you of what you really want in your life?" He spat the word friend and Gellert flinched again. "He offered you everything you ever wanted. The Dark Arts. Power over Muggles and Wizards. Ruling over others. Being the one in charge of everything. Isn't that what you want, Gellert?"
For a few moments, Gellert just stared at him. Shock and disbelief written all over his face. This can't be happening his expression said. "You know that it's not true."
"Then why didn't you even argue with him?!" Albus yelled. He had never done this before, to anyone. However, he couldn't stop himself right now. The fear in Gellert's eyes and the pleading looks he threw at Albus made everything even worse. Why couldn't he just go and disappear and stop torturing Albus by being there? Why did he even come when he would leave either way?
Gellert closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "It was a mistake; I knew it as soon as I said those words to him. You must know that Dimitri can be very… rousing when he wants to be. But I told him to leave right after that, I promise, Albus! You have to believe me." The begging tone of his voice made Albus look away. He breathed in deeply, trying to stay calm. He knew that he couldn't do this much longer, the tears were already falling again. Luckily, Gellert couldn't see them because of the rain.
"Why should you do that? You always told me that I shouldn't expect you to stay away from your dreams forever. Now would be the perfect moment to make them come true. Apparently, there are enough people who would follow you. Who would love to follow you. And isn't that everything you ever wanted? Power? I'm sure they would search for the Hallows with you too. With them, you can have everything I can never give you. So why don't you just leave? Leave and stop torturing me like this. Why did you even come back, when you're going to disappear either way?"
For a few moments, Gellert didn't say anything. Albus just heard him breathing rapidly. "Albus, look at me, please." Gellert whispered and Albus felt a hesitant touch at his shoulder. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at Gellert again.
Gellert reached out, probably to touch his cheek, but in the last moment he seemed to change his mind. So he ran a hand through his hair instead. "I'm sorry I hurt you, love." Gellert whispered and when Albus wanted to reply, he held up his hand. "Please, listen to me. After that, you can decide if you still want to send me away. And I'll leave, even forever, if you want me to." I don't want you to leave! Albus would have loved to say, however the doubts wouldn't go away. He simply didn't understand why Gellert was here now.
"I was just chasing the cat when there was a knock on the door. I haven't seen Dimitri since the day I left school and to be honest, I didn't even think of him after that. He was one of my best friends and he saw many things in the same way I did, that's what held us together, I think. However, our friendship didn't last once I was gone. He didn't even write me a single letter and somehow, I was glad about it. And I wasn't happy when he showed up here. He said that he needed to talk to me and that it was urgent. I agreed, what else could I do? Just send him away? He didn't want to talk to me at my aunt's house so we left. Back at school, he used to get angry very fast and often caused trouble when something didn't go like he wanted it. So I thought it was better to go with him than to cause a fight. Once we were alone, he began to talk to me about the 'good old times', as he called them. And he held a speech about him and a few others at Durmstrang standing together against all the others, who are blinded. He meant the people who are fighting for peace. And the ones who aren't interested in the Dark Arts and things like that." He cleared his throat and looked down. It took Albus some time to realize that he looked ashamed. "To be honest, he meant the people I despised back at school. Well, however, you heard the end of his speech. And my answer to that wasn't right, I know. You didn't hear what I said after that. We heard the cry of the cat. I nearly left him just standing there to chase after you, but I had to clear the air first." Suddenly, the look in Gellert's eyes became hard.
"What do you mean?" Albus asked slowly. He still had doubts. But wat if Gellert really didn't agree with his friend? The story was confusing him even more.
"The Greater Good." Gellert began slowly and hesitated, looking for the right words. "What is the Greater Good? That's a good question, you know. Once, I thought that I knew what it means. Making the world a better place. Better if you want to hurt many people or kill them. A better place, but only for some people and not for everyone. That was the idea behind the Greater Good. However, in the past months, I realized that it meant something else." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You made me realize that it was something else, love. The Greater Good means making the world a better place, that's true. But for everyone. It means helping people and doing something good… And stopping those who want the opposite. People like Dimitri."
Albus swallowed, not sure what to say. Gellert's words had made him speechless. Could he have been so wrong? He accused Gellert of being a bad person without knowing the whole story…
"And now listen to me carefully, Albus." Gellert continued, determination in his blue eyes. "You're right. I told you once that I can't promise you to stay forever. That the Dark Arts are tempting and the Hallows and that they might catch me again someday." He leaned forward and now their faces were only inches apart. "Today, I'm going to make a new promise to you. I promise to never leave you, no matter what happens. And to love you forever. Because that's what I do, with all my heart. I love you, Albus Dumbledore. You brought light in my life, when I didn't even know that it was missing. You made my heart beat faster every time you showed up on our doorstep. You made me nervous with your smiles and every time you touched me, it sent sparks through my body. Something that had never happened before and that will never happen with anyone else except you. And what I still don't understand is that you love me as well. I told you very often that I'm not a good person. That I'm even dangerous. Nevertheless, you believed that there's good in me too. And you didn't give up on me, no matter what happened. And now I beg you not to give up on me because of what you heard today. I swear that I'll never turn to the Dark Arts or the Hallows again. They're not worth it when I risk losing you. And I don't even want to turn to them anymore. I want to make the world a better place, for everyone. And I would love to do it with you by my side. You were right when you said that we could do all those things together. So please, give me another chance. I don't know what I should do without you, Albus."
After his speech, Albus stared at Gellert wide-eyed. He had to be dead, this was too good to be true. Gellert was looking at him patiently, his blue eyes shining. That's when Albus made a decision. Slowly, he reached out to take Gellert's hands. At the contact, Gellert inhaled sharply. His hands were warm while Albus was as cold as ice. He didn't even realize that until now. Nevertheless, Gellert didn't flinch away from him. He just squeezed Albus' hands and looked at him with so much love in his eyes that he wanted to cry.
"First, I have to apologize." Albus began slowly, searching for the right words. It was hard to keep up after the things Gellert said. "I should have trusted you more. It was terrible just to assume that you would leave and –"
"Stop." Gellert interrupted him abruptly. "Don't you dare blame yourself now, Albus. I understand you; I really do. I have always told you that I might leave again, so why should I be angry with you? Your worries were not completely unjustified."
Albus nodded slowly. "I'm sorry either way, Gel." He whispered. "It was just… hearing you say those things…"
"I know. And I am sorry." Gellert said softly. "Do you forgive me?"
Instead of answering, Albus let go off Gellert's hands. The disappointed look on his face nearly broke Albus' heart, so he got hold of Gellert's jacket and pulled him closer. Gellert inhaled sharply when their bodies were crashed together and Albus wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Without further hesitation, Albus kissed him. And suddenly, it seemed as if all his worries just vanished. Gellert's hands were on his back now and the feeling of finally being close to him again made Albus feel complete. In his arms, Gellert was shaking and when Albus opened his eyes to look at him, he saw that he was crying. He pulled back, but Gellert held him even tighter. And then something Albus would have never dreamed of happened. Gellert Grindelwald collapsed in his arms and began to sob loudly.
So Albus just held him tight and stoked his back slowly. "It's alright, love." He whispered into his ear. "I'm here and I'll never leave you. I promise. No matter what happens. You're not alone, Gellert. I love you." He didn't know how long Gellert was crying and on some point, Albus had begun to cry as well. When they finally let go of each other, the sun was already rising and bathing the forest in a soft light.
Suddenly, Albus' heart began to race. "We've been gone the whole night, Ariana –" He panicked, but Gellert interrupted him.
"Is fine, Bathilda is with her." He said calmly and squeezed Albus' hand. "When I couldn't find you, I asked her to take care of Ariana. She went to your house immediately."
"You asked her to…" When Gellert smiled weakly, Albus kissed him. "Thank you." He whispered.
"You don't have to thank me, Albus. We have to take care of our family, don't we?" Gellert asked and his eyes were shining.
Albus hugged him, sobbing and laughing at the same time. "I love you, Gel."
"I love you too, Albus." Suddenly, Gellert's expression turned to worried. "And now let us go, you're still as cold as ice. I don't want you to get ill."
"Do you really think you look much better?" Albus muttered when Gellert helped him to his feet.
He shook his head. "Maybe we'll both get ill." Gellert shrugged. "At least we can be together then."
They started to walk through the forest slowly and Albus sighed. "It would be just right if I got ill, after all, I've been an idiot yesterday."
Gellert looked at him with a serious look on his face. "I told you to stop blaming yourself."
Albus nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll try."
"Not trying, Albus. Really doing it. For me?"
Now he was looking at him with wide, blue eyes and Albus couldn't do anything else to agree. The triumph didn't leave Gellert's eyes until they arrived at the house of his aunt.