Gellert Grindelwald could often remember being told that he had a heart of stone.

He disagreed.

His heart seethed and boiled beneath the surface of his skin. There was a stone barrier around it maybe, but it was not fully stone.

Albus was the only one who ever managed to crack that stone.

He was also the one who made it harden up again.

Albus would be his eventually, no matter how many times he rejected him, or ignored his letters.

He chose to focus on that… and not on the odd dreams he'd been having lately.

…..

Newt wasn't prone to nightmares… except for one that came around every two weeks or so. A man with white-blonde hair staring at him from the shadows, eyes like Newt's pinning him in place.

He tried to leave, only for the figure to stop him.

The other never said a word, no matter how much Newt begged and pleaded to be set free.

At the end, the man reached out for him, and Newt woke in a panic, hair stuck to his forehead with sweat as he fought to calm down.

"You don't look like you've slept at all." His mother… adoptive mother, whispered one morning, "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Newt lied, "I was just reading too late."

Better get into trouble for reading, than admit he was dreaming about the man who might be his father.

After the scolding, and after breakfast, Newt headed outside. He moved right to the back of the garden, knowing that he would get a bit more privacy there, to think about the dream.

He recognized the man.

He wasn't sure why he recognized the man, but he did.

His Mama, Professor Dumbledore, seemed to indicate that he and his father had never met…. So why did he know that face?

Humming, he ran his fingers through the grass, focusing on the soothing sensation, in the hope it would also help to focus his thoughts and help him remember.

And then he saw the black creature darting in between the weeds.

…..

"News from the Scamanders?"

Albus nodded with a little hum, "Apparently Newt has found himself… a Niffler."

The Headmaster winced in sympathy.

"He refuses to send it away, as people are cruel to Nifflers and this one was hurt." Albus continued, unable to stop the fond smile from appearing on his face, before it disappeared, "He's been having trouble sleeping as well."

"He is a child Albus, probably just the usual night terrors."

Albus accepted this. He was probably right, after all, even in his own house, he knew students had bad dreams.

Still, he had an uneasy feeling about this.

Perhaps a floo call was in order.

….

"Do you dream about my father?"

Albus blinked, honestly not expecting that to be the first question Newt asked. "Your… father?"

Newt nodded, looking a little shaky. A side effect of the lack of sleep, or something else?

"You know… bad dreams?"

Albus felt a little sick at the knowledge that there was a chance his son was having bad dreams about Gellert. How did he even know it was Gellert in the first place? He thought the Scamander's were doing their best to keep any sign of the Dark Wizard from Newt, not wanting him to even sense there was a slight similarity between the pair of them.

"I have on occasion." Albus gently admitted, "But, the good dreams far outnumber the bad."

"What kind of good dreams?"

Albus admitted, he did have to think for a moment.

"He liked snow..." he whispered, seeing Newt lean in closer in order to hear him, "... most of my memories and dreams center around that."

"Can you- can you tell me more?"

For a moment, Albus seriously considered saying no, only to see the look on his son's face and wearily acquiesce.

"Well... There was one time when we were young men..."

***Flashback***

Albus stuck out his tongue, tasted the snow on the tip, light, cold and airy. He could not help but laugh, feeling like a boy again, as he looked over at Gellert.

He took in the other man's pinkening cheek and the soft smile that was directed at him.

Feeling his own cheeks starting to flush, he looked back up at the sky and the flakes falling from it. "Isn't it beautiful?" he murmured.

"Yes... very beautiful."

Albus didn't have to look at Gellert to know that Gellert wasn't looking up at the sky. He felt the other man take advantage of the solitude around them, and slip his hand into Albus's, as their footsteps crunched in the snow.

They didn't need to talk.

They just needed each other.

***End flashback***

"It's one of my happiest memories." Albus confessed to his son, "Simple as it is."

"It sounds nice." Newt whispered, "I like snow too."

It was one of the better things for Newt to have inherited from Gellert.

"Try to think of snow before you go to sleep then." Albus chuckled, "Your dreams will be better then."

Newt nodded, before perking up, "I found a Niffler!"

Settling back, Albus listened fondly as his son talked about the small creature that he'd rescued… and all the trouble they'd gotten into in the short time they'd been together.

Hopefully, his son's dreams would be sweeter tonight.

…

It was snowing in Gellert's dream, making his heart pang just a little. They were in Godric's Hollow, he easily recognized, which only made the feeling worse.

How often had he walked these same snowy paths with Albus, hands intertwined, with not a care in the world.

It was just them.

So, he was a little stunned to see the auburn-haired child in the distance, giggling as he made snow creatures in the middle of the path.

A younger version of Albus perhaps?

His mind was cruel enough to play such a trick on him.

He moved closer.

The child heard the crunching of his footsteps, looking up in alarm and taking a step back. From the look of those heterochromatic eyes, it was not a young Albus.

Then who was it?

"Hello little one." He didn't have a lot of experience with children. He vaguely remembered that Ariana was calmer when he kept his voice low and soothing, and decided it was best to replicate that, "What are you doing out here?"

"You're not meant to be here." The child whispered, "This is meant to be a good dream, Mama promised."

Why did that hurt, just a little?

"It can still be a good dream." Gellert tried not to huff, pulling out his wand and waving it at an empty part of the street, the snow swirling around that space until a little castle stood there.

"Hogwarts!" The child whispered in amazement.

"Hmm, you recognise it?"

The child nodded, "Mama is a teacher there."

A horrible sinking sensation filled Gellert's stomach. It had been several years since he'd seen Albus, but his omega taught at Hogwarts.

He examined the child a little more carefully, pleased that the carefully observation went un-noticed as they played with the snow castle.

Auburn hair... Albus.

The eyes… him.

Those freckles that Albus used to hate whenever the sun came out.

This- this wasn't possible.