The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know what you think, that would be awesome!

I don't own the characters or places!

Newt Scamander was really a special boy. Albus had known it the moment he first laid eyes on him, but soon, it became more and more obvious. He was also different than the other boys and girls, which didn't always make his life easier.

Albus and Gellert watched him grow up in silence, but they kept a close look on all his steps. Because they both knew that he would be important someday. Not in the next years, but when he was a grown man.

Newt was a shy boy and he didn't have many friends. In fact, he preferred being around animals than people. Gellert didn't understand it and saw it as a weakness, but Albus had to smile. Somehow, he knew that it would be important in their future.

Of course it wasn't easy for him to watch that Newt was bullied by the other children, but there wasn't much Albus could do about it. He tried to talk to Newt as often as possible and helped him in their lessons (Gellert did the same), but otherwise, he could just watch. Gellert always said that Newt would have to learn to deal with those things by himself and that he would get it someday.

As the years passed, it was obvious that he wouldn't. He was dealing with magical creatures more and more, but never with people. Well, for one exception. Her name was Leta Lestrange and she was a real troublemaker. Gellert had found out that her family consisted only of pure-blood witches and wizards and for them, that was the most important thing. It was also rumoured that they had a tendency to be drawn to the Dark Arts, but no one could prove it.

To Albus, Leta was just a girl who liked to do stupid things. However, there had also been a few incidents when she hexed her fellow students and they ended up in the hospital wing... Especially Minerva didn't like Leta at all. And Gellert was suspicious of her, he even ordered her detention a few times.

Newt also had an older brother, Theseus. He was nearly ten years older and Albus remembered him vaguely. He'd been in one of his lessons in his first years as a teacher. However, Theseus had always been very calm and rule-obsessed. A normal, inconspicuous student. They found out that he wanted to work for the Ministry in the future.

All in all, Newt Scamander had a pretty calm time at Hogwarts. Albus always suspected that the boy was lonely, but he wasn't so sure. When he saw him with his creatures, there was this peaceful look on Newt's face and Albus knew that he would be alright. He even talked to him about the creatures sometimes. There were days when Albus liked to walk through the grounds alone and on some of those occasions, he met Newt.

Like a beautiful, but cold winter morning in Newt's fourth year at Hogwarts. Gellert was still asleep and tired from the past day (and their activities at night), so Albus had decided to go on a walk before the first lesson alone. When he got close to the Forbidden Forest, he heard a voice and recognized Newt. The boy was kneeling in the grass, not too far away from a few trees.

Albus was curious and approached him slowly, careful not to startle him. Sometimes, he assumed that it wasn't easy for Newt to deal with people. When he got closer, the young student noticed him and waved with a smile.

"What are you doing out here this early in the morning, Mr. Scamander?" Albus asked politely and smiled. He couldn't keep the curiosity from his voice. He noticed that Newt was holding something in his hands and when he got a closer look, he realized that it were Galleons. "And what are you doing with the money, if I might ask?"

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore." Newt greeted him and chuckled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep anymore, so I thought that I could also go outside before the lessons start." His gaze wandered to a few holes in the ground.

"I assume that something caught your attention, then?" Albus raised his eyebrows.

Newt nodded hesitantly. "The winter is coming soon and it will get cold." He gestured at the holes. "Yesterday evening, I saw something here. It's a Niffler. I know that they don't like the cold and thought that I could help him."

Albus smiled. "So that's why you have the coins? To attract him?"

Newt's face lit up when he saw Albus' reaction to this. "That's right, Professor! Niffler's love shiny things. This one is still very young, so I hoped it would work."

Albus grinned and knelt down next to him. "Well, then let us try if we can lure him out of his hole."

Newt's eyes widened in surprise. "You want to help me with this, Professor?"

"Why not? Since we're both here now, we can also do it together." He replied calmly.

An hour later, they were on their way back to the castle, the sleeping baby Niffler curled up in Newt's arms. It was true, it was a very young creature. Newt fell in love with it immediately. As did Albus, even if he would never admit it.

When Albus had suggested to take him back to the castle, Newt had stared at him. "I can keep him?" Officially, it wasn't allowed to keep more than one animal in the castle. Those included owls, cats, frogs or other small animals. Everyone knew that Newt had far more than that and none of the allowed animals, but no one ever mentioned it. Secretly, the teachers all liked the boy and didn't want to do him any harm.

That's why Albus and Newt were looking for a safe place for the Niffler to stay now. And for something to eat, he must be hungry. Luckily, Albus knew the house elves in the kitchen and could get the poor creature some milk. In the end, Newt even showed him his secret place where he kept the animals. Albus felt honoured that the boy trusted him like this.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Albus said once the Niffler was asleep in a small nest.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore." Newt looked relieved.

"You have to take good care of them." He noted. "It's a great responsibility."

Newt nodded eagerly. "I know. But I love them all and I know that I can do it!"

Albus chuckled. "That' good, my boy." He looked at his watch. "Maybe we should go to the Great Hall, otherwise we might miss breakfast." He looked at the sleeping Niffler. "Did you leave him the Galleons?"

Newt nodded. "Though I'm not sure if those few will keep him here."

Albus grinned. "Well, then let's see what I have." Next to a few Galleons, he also had a small golden chain in his pocket. He wasn't sure why anymore, he'd used it for a lesson the previous school year and had forgotten it in his teaching robes. "Would that be enough for now?"

"I can't take this, Professor. It's too much."

Albus placed the things next to the Niffler. "You can give them back to me at the end of your seventh year when you'll leave the school together with our friend here." Albus smiled mischievously. "Who knows, maybe I'll visit you two again soon?"

Newt couldn't hide his excitement. But then he hesitated. "Will you also bring Professor Grindelwald?"

"Only if you allow me to. Otherwise, I won't tell a single soul about your secret. Not even Professor Grindelwald." Albus said seriously.

Newt relaxed again. "Alright. I think you can tell him then. I like him, he's always so nice. Even if some of the others don't think so."

"Is he a strict teacher?" Albus asked in amusement when they were walking to the Great Hall.

"Some say so, but I don't." Newt explained. "He always helps me when something doesn't work."

Albus smiled. "Of course he does."

When they entered the Great Hall, which was already filled with people having breakfast, Albus could feel Gellert's eyes on him immediately. Even after all those years together, they were still drawn to each other that much.

He smiled at Newt. "Now go and have breakfast. We'll see each other again this afternoon." He winked. "Try to remember everything I told you last week. It's going to be important."

Newt nodded eagerly. "I will, Professor!"

Albus ignored the curious glances of the other students and walked to the teacher's table where he sat down between Gellert and Minerva. "Good morning." He greeted them happily.

"Morning." Gellert raised his eyebrows. "What was that about?"

Albus chuckled. "We met on a morning walk."

Minerva glanced at him. "You really like that boy." She noted before turning back to her newspaper.

Gellert leaned closer. "So what really happened?" He whispered so that only Albus could hear him.

"We rescued a Niffler together." Albus whispered back and laughed at the surprise in Gellert's eyes. "Don't look so surprised, Gel."

"I always knew that you also had a weakness for those creatures." Gellert muttered, but his eyes were shining. "Can I see him?"

Albus nodded. "Newt said it's alright if I tell you. We can go there together someday."

Gellert nodded, a satisfied smile on his lips. "You should eat now, Albus. The first lesson will start soon. We've already been wondering what took you so long."

"Gellert only started to relax once you walked through that door." Minerva threw in again. Now that they were speaking louder again, she could listen to their conversation.

Albus chuckled. "What did you think? That I'd fallen into the lake?"

"Something like that..." Gellert muttered and Albus squeezed his hand under the table. Ever since the bad dreams had started to intensify, Gellert was feeling restless when Albus wasn't with him. Because he always saw one image at night. Albus, covered in blood, lying to Dimitri's feet. He was dreaming of it for four years now and there was nothing Albus could do to help his love.

He tried to assure him that he would be alright and Dimitri wouldn't harm him, but Gellert didn't believe him. He thought that his dreams showed parts of the future. However, Albus knew that they could be wrong. After all, they also showed Albus and Gellert on opposing sides and it didn't become true as well. Maybe Gellert started to believe in them again because of Newt. After all, he'd seen him in his dreams and here he was.

In the past years, they'd been looking for more signs of Dimitri and there were more and more rumours about a Dark Wizard in the East. By now, Albus and Gellert had many contacts who helped them to gather more information. Among them were also a few Aurors, other employees of the Ministry of Magic, some wizards from the east Gellert knew from his time at Durmstrang, and Nicolas Flamel, who had many contacts himself. They were all sure that Dimitri was behind all the attacks on Muggles and other wizards. Slowly, they started to prepare for a war.

However, it would still take more years until they had the final prove that Dimitri was behind all this.

"I'm so proud of you, Ariana!" Albus exclaimed and hugged his sister tightly.

"We both are." Gellert corrected him firmly and wrapped his arms around her as well. "We knew that you could do it."

"Healer Ariana." Albus said proudly. "That sounds amazing!"

"It does." Aberforth joined the conversation. "She has worked very hard for it."

Ariana rolled her eyes. "Don't praise me like that, Ab." She muttered. "I would have never been able to do all this without you, Albus. And you, of course, Gellert."

Albus and Gellert exchanged a smile. "You just needed a little help, everything else you did on your own." Albus said simply.

"You know it's not true." For a few moments, the sadness they didn't see on her face for years now returned. "Without you, I would have most probably killed someone in the end. Like..."

"We won't talk about this now!" Albus interrupted her softly. "We're here to celebrate, after all."

"That's true." Gellert nodded. "How's Snowflake?" After all those years, Ariana still had the cat they'd found in Bathilda's house.

"She's an old lady and sleeping most of the time." Ariana explained, glad about the change of subject. "However, I'm planning on getting her a friend."

"We've already been looking at cats recently." Aberforth added. "Right after Ariana got told that she could work at St. Mungo's from now on."

"I always told you that you can fulfill your dreams, Ari." Albus whispered and couldn't stop himself from hugging his sister again.

"You did so too." She replied. "I would have never believed that my brother and his boyfriend would be the most popular teacher's at Hogwarts one day. And next to that, you're also Head of Gryffindor, Albus."

"And Gellert was offered being Head of Slytherin, but he declined." Albus noted.

"I just don't want to take this responsibility now." Gellert threw in and sighed. They'd discussed this several times by now. "Not when I fear that something bad is going to happen."

"I know, love." Albus kissed him. "It would have been interesting, though. The two of us as head of Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"You like each other far too much for that." Aberforth agreed. "Normally, those are destined to hate each other."

"Maybe I should have accepted, then." Gellert said thoughtfully. "As a sign that things also can change."

Albus knew that he was referring to everything he'd changed in his life since they met for the first time. The Greater Good. He touched the necklace under his shirt absent-mindedly. Gellert noticed this and pulled him closer. Even years after he'd made the decision to change his life, Gellert didn't regret it a single time. Albus was so proud of him.

"So now let's eat and celebrate!" Aberforth announced loudly and soon, they were all laughing together and telling each other stories. Ariana about her time as a healer, Albus and Gellert about Hogwarts and Aberforth about his time at the Hog's Head, which was slowly getting the most popular inn at Hogsmeade.

"There are those rumours now..." Gellert said slowly and Albus looked up from the book he was reading. "The name Dimitri was mentioned a few times."

"You think it's going to start soon?" He asked.

Gellert nodded. "People are talking about him now. One of my contacts even said that he didn't deny killing Muggles." He breathed in deeply. "He wants a new world order, with wizards on top and everyone else below them."

Albus took Gellert's hands and squeezed them. "We knew that all along, Gel." He said softly. "And we will stop him."

"He's searching for the Hallows, Albus." Gellert whispered. "When he finds them, there's no way to stop him."

"You mean when he finds the Elder Wand." Albus corrected him. "Then we have to find it first."

"We've been on this for years and we didn't find a single hint that could lead us to it."

"Maybe we've done it all wrong." Albus said thoughtfully. "Did you know that a certain Wandmaker claims to have the most powerful wand in the world? Nicolas told me this when we talked this morning."

Gellert's eyes widened. "Who is it?" He demanded to know.

"He's called Gregorovitch." Albus repeated the name Nicolas had told him.

"Mykew Gregorovitch?" Gellert asked incredulously.

"You know him?"

"I've heard of him. He makes the best wands in the east." Gellert said in surprise. "He should have the Elder Wand?"

"Nicolas wasn't sure, but he always claims that no one can beat him." Albus explained. "Would make sense, wouldn't it? That a Wandmaker knows about it?"

"Would be worth a try." Gellert agreed, but his expression darkened. "When the news have already reached Nicolas in Paris, Dimitri will have heard it as well. I fear that he'll be there before we are."

Albus sighed. "We can't just leave now."

"I know."

"Even if he would have the Elder Wand, we could still beat him. We're two, he's alone. And it's not like we don't know how to fight." Albus tried to reassure him.

"I'm so afraid that something could happen to you." Gellert whispered and pulled Albus closer. "I can't lose you, Albus."

He breathed in shakily. "Do you think I could lose you, Gel? We'll win this fight, I'm sure of that."

They stayed like this for some time, arms wrapped around each other tightly.

"We have to find out what he's planning." Gellert stated.

Albus nodded. "Now that his name's mentioned, it will be easier to find out more."

"I hope so. We've been waiting to get him for years now."

"Somehow, I fear that it will take some more time." Albus muttered. "He's careful."

"Not anymore." Gellert argued. "His name is mentioned."

"What if he wants it?" Albus asked. "It could be part of the plan. You said that he craves fame."

"I really hate all this." Gellert complained.

"We have to be patient, my love." Albus drew back and smiled at him. "It worked until now, so we'll manage. We can start making our own plans."

"What else can we do than watch the events closely?" Gellert asked doubtfully.

"Nothing." Albus agreed. "But once something happens, we're ready." At this, he glanced at the clock. "When we're talking about ready..."

"We should leave, shouldn't we?" Gellert asked with a slight smile. "After all, we don't want to miss the graduation of your favourite student."

"Of our favourite." Albus corrected him firmly. "I know that you like Newt as well. And his Niffler." He winked at him.

Gellert chuckled. "You're impossible."

"You love me." Albus threw in.

His expression softened. "I do."

Together, they went to the graduation ceremony of the seventh years. Today was Newt Scamander's last day at Hogwarts.