CHAPTER SEVEN: STIRRING UP TROUBLE
~~~
For the next few days, Dumbledore couldn't even look at Dippet without getting a knot in his stomach. Dippet came to him the morning after his conversation with Minerva and told him what happened between them. Dumbledore said that he'd already heard it from her and that he was happy for them. That wasn't entirely a lie; he was happy for them, but it was more because he cared about Minerva's happiness than approval of their relationship. As long as she was content, that was all that mattered.
Dumbledore's biggest problem, however, wasn't the unexpected Dippet and Minerva thing - it was Grindelwald. He thought Grindelwald would back off from his obsession with his personal life once Minerva and Dippet became officially involved, but that wasn't the case. On the contrary, Grindelwald became more interested than ever...
~~~
It was three days after the kiss that started it all. Dumbledore was in his classroom, memorizing more of the dictionary. He'd finished correcting papers and making up his lesson plans for the next few days, and since he was feeling somewhat antisocial as of late, memorizing the dictionary would be a good way to kill some time. He was finished with F and was just starting on G. He was committing "gabbro: a usually coarse-grained igneous rock made up of calcic plagioclase and pyroxene" to memory when there was a knock on his door. He really wasn't in the mood to see anyone, so he ignored the knocking. He became even less enthusiastic about having a visitor when he heard, "I know you're in there, Albus," and recognized the voice of Quinn Grindelwald.
Dumbledore sighed and set his dictionary down on his desk. "Nothing personal, Quinn, but I really don't want to see anyone right now."
"Come on, Albus," Grindelwald said. "You can't hide from the world like this."
Dumbledore pointed his wand at the door, and it opened. "Listen, Quinn," he said. "I'm tired of this. Drop the subject. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I never wanted to in the first place!"
Grindelwald came inside and closed the door behind them. "What do you mean?" he asked with an innocent smile as he approached his desk.
"You know what I mean."
"Do I?"
"Quinn..."
Grindelwald chuckled. "All right, all right. But really, Albus, this sort of behavior isn't healthy. We've barely seen anything of you for the past three days. The rest of the faculty is starting to get worried."
"I haven't been feeling well."
Grindelwald sat down on a table in the front row. "You're in love with Minerva, aren't you?"
Not this again, he thought. "This has gone far enough. I'm not in love with Minerva. And even if I were, she's with Armando. I lost my chance, and if he is indeed the one for her, that chance will never come again."
Grindelwald sighed and drummed his fingers against his knee. Outwardly, he was nothing more than a friend with good intentions, but what Dumbledore didn't see was that beneath his concerned exterior, he was plotting a twisted, nefarious grand master plan. Dumbledore was nothing more than a pawn, and it was time for him to put this pawn into position. "Albus, I have a confession to make," he said. What he was about to say was a complete lie, but how would he ever find out? "I spoke with Minerva a few minutes ago, and she told me something I am repeating to you only because I think it's in your best interest. She cares about Armando, but... but she's in love with you."
Dumbledore nearly jumped at those words. "What?"
Grindelwald nodded. "It's true." He sighed again and shook his head. "I can only imagine how horrible it must be for her, to be with one when she loves another-"
"Stop it," Dumbledore interrupted. "You're trying to trick me into giving something away. It won't work."
"I'm not trying to trick you, and even if I were, there would be no reason for me to waste my breathe, for you've already given everything away. You're in love with Minerva. She's in love with you. The only thing standing in your way is Armando Dippet."
He didn't believe it. There was an unspoken code of honor that existed among the faculty, and neither he nor Dippet would consciously break it for any reason. Dippet would never have touched Minerva if he thought Dumbledore was in love with her, and since Dumbledore straight-up told him the day she arrived that he felt only platonic feelings for her, there was no reason why Dippet shouldn't go after her, and for that reason, Dumbledore was not going to pursue Minerva now that she was with Dippet. I'm not in love with her, he told himself. I'm not!
"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way," Grindelwald said. "There's more. The only reason she's with Armando is because she didn't think you could ever love her." He inhaled deeply, and then slowly let the air out of his lungs. "You should have made a move, Albus, and because you didn't, you've lost her."
"Do you think I don't know that?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you think I haven't suffered through every second that's gone by since she kissed Armando? If love means being happy for someone and respecting their decision, then yes, I do love her with all my heart. But if love means resenting Minerva because she picked another and Armando because he was the wiser man, then I have never loved, and I swear I never will."
"Aha, so you do love her."
Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead. "That word has so many meanings, Quinn."
"Oh, you've reached L already? Last time I checked, you were just starting G."
He smiled in spite of himself. "No, but it's common knowledge. If love were simple and easy to understand, there would be no point to life."
"Why, Albus Dumbledore, that's probably the most romantic, philosophical thing I've ever heard you say. And I thought Transfiguration instructors were supposed to be cold and heartless."
"I don't know whether to thank you or make a joke about Charms instructors."
"Do yourself a favor and don't do either."
Grindelwald then said he needed to work on his lesson plans and excused himself. Dumbledore didn't know what to think as his friend left the room. Something about what he said didn't make sense. He didn't believe for one second that Minerva was with Dippet because she thought he couldn't love her. That just wasn't something she would do. And why did Grindelwald say that the only thing standing in Dumbledore's way was Dippet? Dippet hadn't gotten in the way - Dumbledore stepped out of it. Was Grindelwald trying to turn him against Dippet? No - that made even less sense than anything else. Quinn Grindelwald was a Hogwarts teacher, and the deputy headmaster at that. He was a good man who had earned the trust of everyone he knew. There was just no way his intentions were less than honorable.
Was there?
~~~
Grindelwald had been lying; he wasn't going to work on his lesson plans. He had another stop to make and another life to begin whittling away at - Minerva McGonagall's. However, Minerva wasn't in her classroom. He wondered if she was off somewhere with Dippet. That was highly unlikely, though; Dippet had been in his office all day writing letters to important figures within the wizarding world, and on top of that, he wasn't supposed to go anywhere without his bodyguard, whom she detested. Still, though, it wouldn't hurt to check.
The password "Aconcagua" let Grindelwald past the gargoyle, and he began climbing up the staircase. When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Tom Riddle standing in front of the door into the headmaster's office. "Sorry, Professor Grindelwald," the young Auror said with a shake of his head. "I'm not supposed to let anyone in, not even you."
"Is he with Minerva or something?"
A scowl flickered on Riddle's face for a moment. "No. She hasn't even been up here today."
"Oh. Do you know where she is?"
"It's Minerva. Where do you think?"
Of course. Why didn't he think of that earlier? "The library."
Riddle nodded.
"Thank you." Grindelwald turned around to leave, then stopped, and faced Riddle again. "One more thing, Tom. While it's on my mind, just what are your feelings toward Minerva, anyway?"
"I admire her," he said. "She's a powerful witch and a good Auror - well, was, anyway, before she decided to become a teacher."
"No, really, how do you feel about her?"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do." Grindelwald narrowed his hazel eyes. "I've always liked you, Tom. You were the embodiment of everything Slytherin House stood for. Hogwarts hasn't had a Slytherin like you since Salazar Slytherin himself. One of the tenets of our house is to never give up on something you want until you get it. I know what you want. You want Minerva McGonagall."
Riddle stiffened, but did not respond.
Grindelwald continued. "As a fellow Slytherin, I must advise against this. Dippet's got her, and he's not going to let her go. It's already making his friendship with Dumbledore crumble."
"Dumbledore?" Riddle repeated.
He nodded. "Yes, Dumbledore. He's madly in love with her, and Dippet knows it. I expect a confrontation any day now." He leaned in closer to Riddle, and whispered, "This is your warning, Tom, and I'm giving it to you because I like you. Stay out of the way, and you won't get hurt."
Riddle watch Grindelwald go, and once the deputy headmaster was out of sight, he relaxed his clenched fists. He hated being told he couldn't do something. He wasn't going to follow Grindelwald's advice. He wouldn't quit until Minerva was his, even if it meant taking out everyone who stood in the way...
~~~
Grindelwald made his next stop the library, and Minerva was indeed there, skimming through a book about werewolves. She looked up from her reading when she saw him approach and smiled. "What brings you here, Quinn?"
"The truth," he answered. "I just spoke to Armando."
"I thought he's been writing letters all day."
"Well, he has, but I told him that what I had to say couldn't wait."
Minerva closed her book and peered at him. "What do you mean?"
"It's Dumbledore," Grindelwald returned.
"What about him?"
"I know you don't believe it, but the rest of the staff more than believes it, they know," Grindelwald said. "He's in love with you, Minerva, and he has been for some time. I'm telling you this because Armando is worried you might return Dumbledore's affections to some extent."
Minerva blinked and shook her head. "Dumbledore is not in love with me, I assure you. Armando need not worry."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Are you in love with Dumbledore?"
"Quinn Grindelwald, I'm only twenty-two years old!" she said, exasperated. "How can I be in love with anyone when I don't have enough life experiences to even know what love is?"
"My apologies; that wasn't the best way to put it."
Minerva sighed and drummed her fingers against her book. "You know, Quinn, you seem really interested in these relationships. Why is that?"
"I'm just concerned," Grindelwald answered. "Armando and Albus are my two closest friends, and if both of them are in love with the same woman, then that's bound to create some tension. Please believe me when I say that I have everyone's best interests in mind."
She admired Grindelwald, but she had to admit that his motives were questionable. She doubted that what he was saying about Dumbledore being in love with her was true, mainly because Dumbledore never gave her a reason to believe otherwise. And if Dippet was so concerned about just who was holding her heart, anyway, then why didn't he come to her instead of Grindelwald? On top of that, Grindelwald was a Slytherin. She wasn't prejudiced against Slytherins, even after all her experiences with Tom Riddle, but it just wasn't their nature to be so, well... caring. Minerva knew she was seeing just the surface of this situation, and it frustrated her. But how could she find out what this was really about without making Grindelwald think she suspected him of something?
"I would believe you," she told him, "if I thought there was any logic behind this notion of yours that Dumbledore is in love with me."
Grindelwald had to consciously hold himself back from smiling at that one. She was falling faster for his bold-faced lies than the truth. "You don't see it because you don't believe it," he replied.
"No, I don't believe it because I don't see it," Minerva said. "Armando let me know how he felt about me. Dumbledore never made a move."
"Minerva, the man spends his spare time memorizing the dictionary. How well-developped do you think his skills are when it comes to this sort of thing?"
"Quinn... please... just don't," she said. "I can't take hearing this anymore. If you're trying to make me have second thoughts about Armando, it won't work."
"Very well, Minerva, but I don't think it will be too much longer before you find out that I'm right."
And if everything went according to plan, they should start seeing the effects of it soon. All he had left was to talk to Dippet, convince him that the only reason Minerva was with him was because Dumbledore never made a move on her, and turn the two men against each other... it was perfect. Once they were out of the way, nothing could stop him. Minerva was the perfect conflict, and once Dippet and Dumbledore destroyed themselves over her, who would she go to? Him, of course. With all the suspicion and tension going on, Minerva was as good as his.
Soon, Grindelwald told himself. Soon.
~~~
A/N: For my readers who were wondering about 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?'... the next installment should be up either tomorrow or the day after. I've been suffering from writer's block with that one, but since being bombarded with requests for updates, I decided I might as well try. Also, a sequel to 'Sealed With A Kiss' is in the works, but I want to make some progress on 'Trust No One' and 'Those Ravenclaw Girls' before posting it, and also finish 'What'. The ideas-to-motivation ratio isn't so hot at the moment...
~~~
For the next few days, Dumbledore couldn't even look at Dippet without getting a knot in his stomach. Dippet came to him the morning after his conversation with Minerva and told him what happened between them. Dumbledore said that he'd already heard it from her and that he was happy for them. That wasn't entirely a lie; he was happy for them, but it was more because he cared about Minerva's happiness than approval of their relationship. As long as she was content, that was all that mattered.
Dumbledore's biggest problem, however, wasn't the unexpected Dippet and Minerva thing - it was Grindelwald. He thought Grindelwald would back off from his obsession with his personal life once Minerva and Dippet became officially involved, but that wasn't the case. On the contrary, Grindelwald became more interested than ever...
~~~
It was three days after the kiss that started it all. Dumbledore was in his classroom, memorizing more of the dictionary. He'd finished correcting papers and making up his lesson plans for the next few days, and since he was feeling somewhat antisocial as of late, memorizing the dictionary would be a good way to kill some time. He was finished with F and was just starting on G. He was committing "gabbro: a usually coarse-grained igneous rock made up of calcic plagioclase and pyroxene" to memory when there was a knock on his door. He really wasn't in the mood to see anyone, so he ignored the knocking. He became even less enthusiastic about having a visitor when he heard, "I know you're in there, Albus," and recognized the voice of Quinn Grindelwald.
Dumbledore sighed and set his dictionary down on his desk. "Nothing personal, Quinn, but I really don't want to see anyone right now."
"Come on, Albus," Grindelwald said. "You can't hide from the world like this."
Dumbledore pointed his wand at the door, and it opened. "Listen, Quinn," he said. "I'm tired of this. Drop the subject. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I never wanted to in the first place!"
Grindelwald came inside and closed the door behind them. "What do you mean?" he asked with an innocent smile as he approached his desk.
"You know what I mean."
"Do I?"
"Quinn..."
Grindelwald chuckled. "All right, all right. But really, Albus, this sort of behavior isn't healthy. We've barely seen anything of you for the past three days. The rest of the faculty is starting to get worried."
"I haven't been feeling well."
Grindelwald sat down on a table in the front row. "You're in love with Minerva, aren't you?"
Not this again, he thought. "This has gone far enough. I'm not in love with Minerva. And even if I were, she's with Armando. I lost my chance, and if he is indeed the one for her, that chance will never come again."
Grindelwald sighed and drummed his fingers against his knee. Outwardly, he was nothing more than a friend with good intentions, but what Dumbledore didn't see was that beneath his concerned exterior, he was plotting a twisted, nefarious grand master plan. Dumbledore was nothing more than a pawn, and it was time for him to put this pawn into position. "Albus, I have a confession to make," he said. What he was about to say was a complete lie, but how would he ever find out? "I spoke with Minerva a few minutes ago, and she told me something I am repeating to you only because I think it's in your best interest. She cares about Armando, but... but she's in love with you."
Dumbledore nearly jumped at those words. "What?"
Grindelwald nodded. "It's true." He sighed again and shook his head. "I can only imagine how horrible it must be for her, to be with one when she loves another-"
"Stop it," Dumbledore interrupted. "You're trying to trick me into giving something away. It won't work."
"I'm not trying to trick you, and even if I were, there would be no reason for me to waste my breathe, for you've already given everything away. You're in love with Minerva. She's in love with you. The only thing standing in your way is Armando Dippet."
He didn't believe it. There was an unspoken code of honor that existed among the faculty, and neither he nor Dippet would consciously break it for any reason. Dippet would never have touched Minerva if he thought Dumbledore was in love with her, and since Dumbledore straight-up told him the day she arrived that he felt only platonic feelings for her, there was no reason why Dippet shouldn't go after her, and for that reason, Dumbledore was not going to pursue Minerva now that she was with Dippet. I'm not in love with her, he told himself. I'm not!
"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way," Grindelwald said. "There's more. The only reason she's with Armando is because she didn't think you could ever love her." He inhaled deeply, and then slowly let the air out of his lungs. "You should have made a move, Albus, and because you didn't, you've lost her."
"Do you think I don't know that?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you think I haven't suffered through every second that's gone by since she kissed Armando? If love means being happy for someone and respecting their decision, then yes, I do love her with all my heart. But if love means resenting Minerva because she picked another and Armando because he was the wiser man, then I have never loved, and I swear I never will."
"Aha, so you do love her."
Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead. "That word has so many meanings, Quinn."
"Oh, you've reached L already? Last time I checked, you were just starting G."
He smiled in spite of himself. "No, but it's common knowledge. If love were simple and easy to understand, there would be no point to life."
"Why, Albus Dumbledore, that's probably the most romantic, philosophical thing I've ever heard you say. And I thought Transfiguration instructors were supposed to be cold and heartless."
"I don't know whether to thank you or make a joke about Charms instructors."
"Do yourself a favor and don't do either."
Grindelwald then said he needed to work on his lesson plans and excused himself. Dumbledore didn't know what to think as his friend left the room. Something about what he said didn't make sense. He didn't believe for one second that Minerva was with Dippet because she thought he couldn't love her. That just wasn't something she would do. And why did Grindelwald say that the only thing standing in Dumbledore's way was Dippet? Dippet hadn't gotten in the way - Dumbledore stepped out of it. Was Grindelwald trying to turn him against Dippet? No - that made even less sense than anything else. Quinn Grindelwald was a Hogwarts teacher, and the deputy headmaster at that. He was a good man who had earned the trust of everyone he knew. There was just no way his intentions were less than honorable.
Was there?
~~~
Grindelwald had been lying; he wasn't going to work on his lesson plans. He had another stop to make and another life to begin whittling away at - Minerva McGonagall's. However, Minerva wasn't in her classroom. He wondered if she was off somewhere with Dippet. That was highly unlikely, though; Dippet had been in his office all day writing letters to important figures within the wizarding world, and on top of that, he wasn't supposed to go anywhere without his bodyguard, whom she detested. Still, though, it wouldn't hurt to check.
The password "Aconcagua" let Grindelwald past the gargoyle, and he began climbing up the staircase. When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Tom Riddle standing in front of the door into the headmaster's office. "Sorry, Professor Grindelwald," the young Auror said with a shake of his head. "I'm not supposed to let anyone in, not even you."
"Is he with Minerva or something?"
A scowl flickered on Riddle's face for a moment. "No. She hasn't even been up here today."
"Oh. Do you know where she is?"
"It's Minerva. Where do you think?"
Of course. Why didn't he think of that earlier? "The library."
Riddle nodded.
"Thank you." Grindelwald turned around to leave, then stopped, and faced Riddle again. "One more thing, Tom. While it's on my mind, just what are your feelings toward Minerva, anyway?"
"I admire her," he said. "She's a powerful witch and a good Auror - well, was, anyway, before she decided to become a teacher."
"No, really, how do you feel about her?"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do." Grindelwald narrowed his hazel eyes. "I've always liked you, Tom. You were the embodiment of everything Slytherin House stood for. Hogwarts hasn't had a Slytherin like you since Salazar Slytherin himself. One of the tenets of our house is to never give up on something you want until you get it. I know what you want. You want Minerva McGonagall."
Riddle stiffened, but did not respond.
Grindelwald continued. "As a fellow Slytherin, I must advise against this. Dippet's got her, and he's not going to let her go. It's already making his friendship with Dumbledore crumble."
"Dumbledore?" Riddle repeated.
He nodded. "Yes, Dumbledore. He's madly in love with her, and Dippet knows it. I expect a confrontation any day now." He leaned in closer to Riddle, and whispered, "This is your warning, Tom, and I'm giving it to you because I like you. Stay out of the way, and you won't get hurt."
Riddle watch Grindelwald go, and once the deputy headmaster was out of sight, he relaxed his clenched fists. He hated being told he couldn't do something. He wasn't going to follow Grindelwald's advice. He wouldn't quit until Minerva was his, even if it meant taking out everyone who stood in the way...
~~~
Grindelwald made his next stop the library, and Minerva was indeed there, skimming through a book about werewolves. She looked up from her reading when she saw him approach and smiled. "What brings you here, Quinn?"
"The truth," he answered. "I just spoke to Armando."
"I thought he's been writing letters all day."
"Well, he has, but I told him that what I had to say couldn't wait."
Minerva closed her book and peered at him. "What do you mean?"
"It's Dumbledore," Grindelwald returned.
"What about him?"
"I know you don't believe it, but the rest of the staff more than believes it, they know," Grindelwald said. "He's in love with you, Minerva, and he has been for some time. I'm telling you this because Armando is worried you might return Dumbledore's affections to some extent."
Minerva blinked and shook her head. "Dumbledore is not in love with me, I assure you. Armando need not worry."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Are you in love with Dumbledore?"
"Quinn Grindelwald, I'm only twenty-two years old!" she said, exasperated. "How can I be in love with anyone when I don't have enough life experiences to even know what love is?"
"My apologies; that wasn't the best way to put it."
Minerva sighed and drummed her fingers against her book. "You know, Quinn, you seem really interested in these relationships. Why is that?"
"I'm just concerned," Grindelwald answered. "Armando and Albus are my two closest friends, and if both of them are in love with the same woman, then that's bound to create some tension. Please believe me when I say that I have everyone's best interests in mind."
She admired Grindelwald, but she had to admit that his motives were questionable. She doubted that what he was saying about Dumbledore being in love with her was true, mainly because Dumbledore never gave her a reason to believe otherwise. And if Dippet was so concerned about just who was holding her heart, anyway, then why didn't he come to her instead of Grindelwald? On top of that, Grindelwald was a Slytherin. She wasn't prejudiced against Slytherins, even after all her experiences with Tom Riddle, but it just wasn't their nature to be so, well... caring. Minerva knew she was seeing just the surface of this situation, and it frustrated her. But how could she find out what this was really about without making Grindelwald think she suspected him of something?
"I would believe you," she told him, "if I thought there was any logic behind this notion of yours that Dumbledore is in love with me."
Grindelwald had to consciously hold himself back from smiling at that one. She was falling faster for his bold-faced lies than the truth. "You don't see it because you don't believe it," he replied.
"No, I don't believe it because I don't see it," Minerva said. "Armando let me know how he felt about me. Dumbledore never made a move."
"Minerva, the man spends his spare time memorizing the dictionary. How well-developped do you think his skills are when it comes to this sort of thing?"
"Quinn... please... just don't," she said. "I can't take hearing this anymore. If you're trying to make me have second thoughts about Armando, it won't work."
"Very well, Minerva, but I don't think it will be too much longer before you find out that I'm right."
And if everything went according to plan, they should start seeing the effects of it soon. All he had left was to talk to Dippet, convince him that the only reason Minerva was with him was because Dumbledore never made a move on her, and turn the two men against each other... it was perfect. Once they were out of the way, nothing could stop him. Minerva was the perfect conflict, and once Dippet and Dumbledore destroyed themselves over her, who would she go to? Him, of course. With all the suspicion and tension going on, Minerva was as good as his.
Soon, Grindelwald told himself. Soon.
~~~
A/N: For my readers who were wondering about 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?'... the next installment should be up either tomorrow or the day after. I've been suffering from writer's block with that one, but since being bombarded with requests for updates, I decided I might as well try. Also, a sequel to 'Sealed With A Kiss' is in the works, but I want to make some progress on 'Trust No One' and 'Those Ravenclaw Girls' before posting it, and also finish 'What'. The ideas-to-motivation ratio isn't so hot at the moment...
