A/N: As you may have noticed, the rating has been moved up to PG-13. That's because this chapter is pretty violent towards the end, and it closes with some disturbing images. It's been in limbo between PG and PG-13 for a while now, and this more or less pushed it over the edge. But anyway, that's my spiel. Thanks to everyone who has read! If you're looking for some comic relief after reading this chapter, check out the story I put up yesterday, 'A Day In The Life' - of Peeves, that is! Bwa ha ha! Okay, okay, I'm done... read.
Why aren't you reading yet?
~~~
CHAPTER EIGHT: THIS TIME AROUND
~~~
For the next several days, Albus Dumbledore, Armando Dippet, and Minerva McGonagall couldn't even look at each other without having second thoughts. Tensions were especially high between Dippet and Dumbledore, tensions that were present because both of them were in love with the same woman, even though only one of them was willing to admit it. Minerva openly confessed her feelings for Dippet, but he would often catch her glancing in Dumbledore's direction. The thoughts Grindelwald planted in her head were constantly coming back to her, and she couldn't help but wonder. It was torture for all three of them.
One person, however, was not bothered at all by this love triange; in fact, Quinn Grindelwald felt better than ever. Things were working out just the way he'd planned. Dippet and Dumbledore were already starting to distrust each other, and although Grindelwald knew Dippet believed Minerva when she said that her heart belonged to him, he also knew that at this rate, it wouldn't last for long. A few more sideways glances, a few more passes in the hallways, a few more days of wondering if Dumbledore really was in love with her, and Dippet would trust Minerva about as far as he could throw her.
Then, it happened. It was four nights after Grindelwald manipulated Dumbledore and Minerva into consciously considering what they secrectly knew to be true, that the other was in love with them. There were five of them in the staff room, not counting Tom Riddle; Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Dippet, Minerva, and Natalie Cypher, the Potions instructor and head of Hufflepuff house. What started off as an innocent conversation turned into a catalyst that threatened to send Grindelwald's plans out of control, forcing him to take desperate measures much sooner than he originally intended...
The five of them had formed something of a semicircle around the fireplace in the staff room. Riddle was standing against the far wall, so silent and still that they all but forgot he was there. He was staring at the ceiling and looked bored out of his mind. At the right-hand end of the semicircle was Grindelwald, sitting cross-legged and gazing at the fire. A few feet to his left, sitting on the floor with his back against a chair, was Dumbledore, reading some obscure book on Transfiguration. To Dumbledore's left was Natalie, who was lying on her stomach on the floor, writing on a sheet of paper. Last was Minerva and then Dippet, who were also sitting on the floor. He had his arm around her waist, and she was resting her head on his shoulder. The only sounds were the crackling of the burning wood in the fire, the scratch of Natalie's quill against her parchment, and every few minutes, the turning of a book page.
Suddenly, Natalie set her quill down and said, "Have any of you ever been to Venezuela?"
"Venezuela?" Grindelwald asked, turning his eyes away from the fire in favor of the Potions instructor.
"Yes, Venezuela," she said. "It's a country in South America, just north of Brazil and east of Colum-"
"I know what Venezuela is," Grindelwald interrupted. "My comment was in the nature of surprise, not inquiry, and no, I've never been there."
Natalie smiled knowingly. "Of course. My apologies, Quinn. But anyway, have any of the rest of you ever been to Venezuela?"
"Can't say that I have," Dumbledore said, and turned a page in his book.
"Same here," said Dippet.
"Out of curiosity, why do you ask?" asked Minerva after replying in the negative to Natalie's question.
Natalie sighed, picked up her quill, and began chewing on the end of it absentmindedly. "My brother's over there," she said. "I was just wondering what it was like."
Natalie was a Muggle-born witch, and her brother, Benjamin, worked as a spy for the British government. All the Hogwarts faculty was aware of Benjamin Cypher's existance and his occupation, but he was rarely discussed because he had so little effect on their lives.
"But don't worry about it," Natalie said, and went back to scrawling on her paper. Dumbledore turned a page again.
"What are you writing?" Grindelwald asked.
"I'm not writing," she said. "I'm drawing." She held up the paper. On it was a rather good sketch of the fireplace. "And I'm done." She set it down, and then wrote her initials and the date in the bottom right-hand corner.
"Can I see it?" he asked.
She held the paper out to him. Grindelwald pulled out his wand, pointed it at the paper, and said, "Accio drawing."
"Watch it, Quinn!" Dumbledore said as the paper narrowly missed his head on its flight toward Grindelwald.
Grindelwald smiled sheepishly and apologized. He looked over the sketch, and then saw N.V.C. and September 12, 1944 in the corner. "What does the V stand for?" he asked as he sent the picture back to Natalie with a levitation spell.
"Vivianne," she answered. "It's my middle name."
"Vivianne," Dippet repeated. "Interesting."
"What's your middle name, Armando?" Natalie inquired.
"Cassius," he said, and when he saw an amused smile cross Grindelwald's face, he said, "What's your middle name, Quinn?"
"Quinn," Grindelwald answered.
"Is that so?" said Minerva. "Then what's your first name?"
Grindelwald made a face. "I'd rather not say."
Dumbledore, who was beginning to find this conversation more fascinating than his reading material, smiled at Grindelwald and said, "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."
"Fine, fine," said Grindelwald. "Jeremiah."
"Jeremiah Grindelwald," Minerva said thoughtfully. "That's a nice name."
"Thank you," he said. "I've always hated it, personally."
"Why is that?" Natalie asked.
Grindelwald rolled his eyes and said, "Do I look like a Jeremiah to you, Natalie Vivianne Cypher?"
"You could always go by Jerry," Dippet suggested, and both Minerva and Natalie burst into laughter. A smile worked its way across Dumbledore's face as well.
"You should talk, Armando Cassius Dippet," Grindelwald said, chuckling a little himself. "What the hell kind of middle name is Cassius, anyway?"
"Mine's worse," Dumbledore said.
"What's your middle name, Albus?" asked Minerva.
She called me Albus, he realized. She'd addressed him by his first name several times before, but he still hadn't gotten used to it. He kind of liked the way his name sounded when she spoke it; but on the other hand, he liked the sound of her voice anyway. "Ozymandias."
"What's an Ozzybumdidas or whatever?" Natalie asked, stumbling all over Dumbledore's middle name.
"Ozymandias," Dumbledore corrected, "and it was the Greek name for the Egyptian pharoh Ramses II."
"Albus Ozymandias Dumbledore," Dippet said, and nodded. "Nice."
"A bit of a tongue-twister in the beginning, but it does have something of a ring to it," Minerva added. "I like it."
"What about you, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked. "What's your middle name?"
"Gabriella."
"So if I ever wanted to get on your nerves," Grindelwald said, "could I call you Minnie Gabby?"
She smiled. "Be my guest, Jerry."
Grindelwald covered his heart with his hand and said, "Touché. All right, you can stay Minerva if I can stay Quinn."
Minerva nodded in approval. "Sounds fair."
Grindelwald decided to make Dippet his next target, and said, "And you, Armando... what say we call you Cassie?"
"Call me Cassie and I'll change the password to get into the Slytherin common room to 'Jeremiah Grindelwald'," Dippet returned.
Grindelwald leaned in close to Dumbledore and whispered, "Can he do that?"
Dumbledore nodded.
Grindelwald snapped his fingers. "Damn, it must be good to be headmaster."
"It's good just to be Armando," Dumbledore muttered under his breath, and went back to reading.
Dumbledore had hoped no one heard his comment, but in truth, everyone in the room had, even Riddle, who didn't look bored all of a sudden. Grindelwald was having trouble hiding his smile, and Dippet was having trouble hiding his look of unease. Minerva kept her expression neutral, but it was obvious that she was struggling as well. Natalie, who didn't like confrontations and wanted everyone to be happy (her being a Hufflepuff and all), decided to change the subject. "Who's up for a game of cards?" the Potions instructor asked in a slightly nervous voice.
Dumbledore closed his book, stood up, and said, "No, thank you, Natalie, I was just leaving." Without another word, he left the room.
Dippet sighed, and a slightly guilty look crossed his face. "I've got to talk to him," he said, and rose to his feet. Minerva stood as well.
"Do you think you should give him time to cool off?" Grindelwald suggested.
Natalie, who was oblivious to the love triangle, asked, "Why would he need time to cool off? Why would he even be mad in the first place?"
"He's in love with Minerva," Grindelwald answered.
"He is NOT in love with me!" Minerva almost shouted.
Dippet sighed again and nodded. "Yes, Minerva, he is." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I need the truth, and I need you to make a choice before another minute goes by. I don't care what your answer is; I just need it to be honest. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that means being with him and not me, then that's what it's going to be. Are you in love with Albus Dumbledore?"
She wasn't quite sure how to answer. She'd put a lot of thought into that recently, and although she cared about Dippet, she couldn't see her by his side for the rest of her life. She loved him dearly, but she wasn't in love with him. She didn't want to hurt him by telling the truth, but she knew he wouldn't believe her if she lied. In a small, weak voice, she gave him her answer. "Yes."
Grindelwald had to turn his head away so they wouldn't see him smile.
Grindelwald wasn't the only one that was smiling. Dippet was, too, and unlike Grindelwald's devious smirk, his smile was genuine. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Then go to him."
She was taken aback. "But... you mean... really?"
"Yes, really," Dippet said. "I always knew that he was in love with you, but he insisted that he wasn't, so I thought it would be all right to pursue you. I can't stop love like that, though, and there's no use in trying to. I'm only making both of you suffer."
Minerva threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, and then left the room.
Natalie smiled and pretended to wipe away a tear. "Humphrey Bogart himself couldn't have delivered that any better, Armando."
Dippet grinned and blushed slightly. He was rather shy, and although he took being compared to Humphrey Bogart as a compliment, it embarrassed him a little at the same time.
Grindelwald wasn't smiling anymore. It wasn't supposed to happen that way! He wasn't supposed to just let her go! It was supposed to take longer, be more complicated, break a few hearts along the way... not like this. This made things simpler for Dippet, Dumbledore, and Minerva, but for him, everything suddenly got a lot more complicated...
He let out a heavy sigh as he realized what he had to do. He knew it would have to be done eventually, but he hadn't planned on it until later. Now, though, things had changed. It was time.
~~~
Dumbledore could hear the footsteps of someone hurrying toward him, and they were gaining. It had to be Dippet, who was the last person he wanted to see right now. He stopped, turned around, and said, "Armando, I-"
He stopped when he saw that it wasn't Dippet. "Minerva?"
She continued to walk over to him and nodded. "Me."
Dumbledore turned his head away and said, "I don't think Armando would like the thought of us being alone."
Minerva placed her hand on Dumbledore's cheek and turned his face toward her. "Armando was the one who told me to go to you."
She'd heard all sorts of fairy tales about "true love's first kiss", but thought it was all just a bunch of crap until Albus Dumbledore's lips touched hers. As they stood there, alone in the empty hallways, kissing each other, life had meaning, nothing else mattered, and everything was perfect.
~~~
Armando Dippet felt no regrets as he got ready for bed that night. He cared about Minerva, but it wasn't what anyone would call love; more like a crush of some sorts. Dumbledore had come by to see him a little while earlier, and although Minerva's name was never mentioned, he knew what had happened, and he was happy for them. There were other women out there besides Minerva McGonagall if he ever felt like getting involved with someone again, and who were not already in love with someone else as well. That, he felt, was where he really went wrong. If he hadn't intervened, his two friends would have realized their feelings for each other much sooner.
He decided to get some sleep. It had been a long day.
~~~
Outside Dippet's bedchambers, Tom Riddle lay dozing on a cot in front of the door. Riddle had always been a light sleeper, and he could hear someone coming in plenty of time to wake up and protect his charge. Anyway, one needed to be in the castle and also have a password to even get up there in the first place. He was sure Dippet would be safe even without him there.
Suddenly, something caught Riddle's ear. It was the sound of footsteps. He couldn't see them yet, but he could hear... The shadows condensed, and he saw a single person cloaked in black appraoching him. He sat up, reached for his wand, and said, "Identify yourself."
"Gladly," the stranger hissed. In the blink of an eye, his wand was out, too, and he shouted, "STUPEFY!"
Riddle almost didn't know what hit him.
~~~
When Dippet heard the door to his bedchambers open, his first thought was that it was Riddle. "What is it, Riddle?" he asked, turning toward the entrance.
It wasn't Riddle. He didn't know who it was. All he knew was that this person, whoever he was, was going to try to kill him.
The stranger was holding a dagger in his right hand, but he didn't seem to want to use that weapon yet. Instead, he threw a punch with his left, and it made contact with Dippet's face just above his right eye. The headmaster stumbled backwards, but managed to quickly regain his balance and face his attacker. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.
What Dippet didn't count on was this cloaked figure being almost as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as he was. He'd always been considered a master martial artist ("Not only does he look like Humphrey Bogart, but he does his own stunts, too!" Grindelwald had once said) but this man was just as good, if not better. His attacks were well-placed and came in succession, and when Dippet got a chance to throw a punch or a kick, it was easily blocked.
The man seized Dippet's right wrist, and Dippet tried to come from beneath with an uppercut punch, but his attacker grabbed that as well. The attacker then twisted him around and used his joints against him, locking him in place. Dippet struggled to break free, but the man was remarkably strong. He couldn't do this alone - he needed help. "Riddle!"
"Save your breath," the man told him. "He can't hear you."
He twisted Dippet's arms almost to the point of dislocation, and then suddenly let go. Dippet tumbled to the floor, and before he could stand up again, the man hit his right knee with a palm strike. He let out a cry of pain as the joint snapped, and he knew that if he didn't do something quick, he'd lose more than his ability to use his knee.
With his functioning left leg, Dippet threw a kick at his attacker that made contact with his chest. It was a noble effort, but it was too little, too late. His enemy quickly regained his balance and came at him again. He could not be stopped.
Pain shot through his system as the attacker drove his dagger deep into his stomach, puncturing layer after layer of flesh and body tissue. "Who are you?" Dippet choked through the pain. He knew he was going to die. Did his attacker have the decency to show his face?
"I was so disappointed when you didn't die before," the man said, yanking his dagger out of Dippet's skin. Red blood gushed out from the wound like water from a spring. "Luckily, things started to go my way for a while - until tonight."
He moved the blood-stained dagger to Dippet's throat and pushed the blade in close enough to just nick the skin. "When you and Minerva got involved, I thought that would be enough to create a rift between you and Dumbledore, making all three of you weaker and more vulnerable. Then you let her go of your own free will, and you and Dumbledore no longer have any reason to resent each other. Know this, Armando. Love, friendship, trust... they're powerful things, but they're not going to save you this time."
With his dying breath, Dippet repeated his question. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" the attacker said. "I'll show you."
He pulled off his cloak, revealing his smirking face. Dippet's eyes grew wide with horror. "No..."
Then, everything went black.
~~~
Minerva McGonagall was getting ready to climb into bed when a tapping sound on her window stopped her. She walked over to the window, and was surprised to see an owl sitting on the windowsill with a package in its beak. "What have you got there?" Minerva asked as she opened the window, letting the owl inside.
The owl dropped the package into her hand, and then flew away. The only thing written on its brown paper exterior was her name. She wondered who had sent it, and why. Only one way to find out, she thought, and opened the package.
When she saw its contents, she almost froze with fear. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and she could taste bile in her throat. The package fell from her hands, and its contents spilled out onto the floor. For almost a minute, all she could do was stare. What sick person could have done this?
The package contained two things: a folded piece of paper and a human heart.
Minerva's shock finally wore off enough for her to move. She knelt down, and with a trembling hand, reached for the paper. On it were six words, written in blood:
He wanted you to have this.
Why aren't you reading yet?
~~~
CHAPTER EIGHT: THIS TIME AROUND
~~~
For the next several days, Albus Dumbledore, Armando Dippet, and Minerva McGonagall couldn't even look at each other without having second thoughts. Tensions were especially high between Dippet and Dumbledore, tensions that were present because both of them were in love with the same woman, even though only one of them was willing to admit it. Minerva openly confessed her feelings for Dippet, but he would often catch her glancing in Dumbledore's direction. The thoughts Grindelwald planted in her head were constantly coming back to her, and she couldn't help but wonder. It was torture for all three of them.
One person, however, was not bothered at all by this love triange; in fact, Quinn Grindelwald felt better than ever. Things were working out just the way he'd planned. Dippet and Dumbledore were already starting to distrust each other, and although Grindelwald knew Dippet believed Minerva when she said that her heart belonged to him, he also knew that at this rate, it wouldn't last for long. A few more sideways glances, a few more passes in the hallways, a few more days of wondering if Dumbledore really was in love with her, and Dippet would trust Minerva about as far as he could throw her.
Then, it happened. It was four nights after Grindelwald manipulated Dumbledore and Minerva into consciously considering what they secrectly knew to be true, that the other was in love with them. There were five of them in the staff room, not counting Tom Riddle; Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Dippet, Minerva, and Natalie Cypher, the Potions instructor and head of Hufflepuff house. What started off as an innocent conversation turned into a catalyst that threatened to send Grindelwald's plans out of control, forcing him to take desperate measures much sooner than he originally intended...
The five of them had formed something of a semicircle around the fireplace in the staff room. Riddle was standing against the far wall, so silent and still that they all but forgot he was there. He was staring at the ceiling and looked bored out of his mind. At the right-hand end of the semicircle was Grindelwald, sitting cross-legged and gazing at the fire. A few feet to his left, sitting on the floor with his back against a chair, was Dumbledore, reading some obscure book on Transfiguration. To Dumbledore's left was Natalie, who was lying on her stomach on the floor, writing on a sheet of paper. Last was Minerva and then Dippet, who were also sitting on the floor. He had his arm around her waist, and she was resting her head on his shoulder. The only sounds were the crackling of the burning wood in the fire, the scratch of Natalie's quill against her parchment, and every few minutes, the turning of a book page.
Suddenly, Natalie set her quill down and said, "Have any of you ever been to Venezuela?"
"Venezuela?" Grindelwald asked, turning his eyes away from the fire in favor of the Potions instructor.
"Yes, Venezuela," she said. "It's a country in South America, just north of Brazil and east of Colum-"
"I know what Venezuela is," Grindelwald interrupted. "My comment was in the nature of surprise, not inquiry, and no, I've never been there."
Natalie smiled knowingly. "Of course. My apologies, Quinn. But anyway, have any of the rest of you ever been to Venezuela?"
"Can't say that I have," Dumbledore said, and turned a page in his book.
"Same here," said Dippet.
"Out of curiosity, why do you ask?" asked Minerva after replying in the negative to Natalie's question.
Natalie sighed, picked up her quill, and began chewing on the end of it absentmindedly. "My brother's over there," she said. "I was just wondering what it was like."
Natalie was a Muggle-born witch, and her brother, Benjamin, worked as a spy for the British government. All the Hogwarts faculty was aware of Benjamin Cypher's existance and his occupation, but he was rarely discussed because he had so little effect on their lives.
"But don't worry about it," Natalie said, and went back to scrawling on her paper. Dumbledore turned a page again.
"What are you writing?" Grindelwald asked.
"I'm not writing," she said. "I'm drawing." She held up the paper. On it was a rather good sketch of the fireplace. "And I'm done." She set it down, and then wrote her initials and the date in the bottom right-hand corner.
"Can I see it?" he asked.
She held the paper out to him. Grindelwald pulled out his wand, pointed it at the paper, and said, "Accio drawing."
"Watch it, Quinn!" Dumbledore said as the paper narrowly missed his head on its flight toward Grindelwald.
Grindelwald smiled sheepishly and apologized. He looked over the sketch, and then saw N.V.C. and September 12, 1944 in the corner. "What does the V stand for?" he asked as he sent the picture back to Natalie with a levitation spell.
"Vivianne," she answered. "It's my middle name."
"Vivianne," Dippet repeated. "Interesting."
"What's your middle name, Armando?" Natalie inquired.
"Cassius," he said, and when he saw an amused smile cross Grindelwald's face, he said, "What's your middle name, Quinn?"
"Quinn," Grindelwald answered.
"Is that so?" said Minerva. "Then what's your first name?"
Grindelwald made a face. "I'd rather not say."
Dumbledore, who was beginning to find this conversation more fascinating than his reading material, smiled at Grindelwald and said, "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."
"Fine, fine," said Grindelwald. "Jeremiah."
"Jeremiah Grindelwald," Minerva said thoughtfully. "That's a nice name."
"Thank you," he said. "I've always hated it, personally."
"Why is that?" Natalie asked.
Grindelwald rolled his eyes and said, "Do I look like a Jeremiah to you, Natalie Vivianne Cypher?"
"You could always go by Jerry," Dippet suggested, and both Minerva and Natalie burst into laughter. A smile worked its way across Dumbledore's face as well.
"You should talk, Armando Cassius Dippet," Grindelwald said, chuckling a little himself. "What the hell kind of middle name is Cassius, anyway?"
"Mine's worse," Dumbledore said.
"What's your middle name, Albus?" asked Minerva.
She called me Albus, he realized. She'd addressed him by his first name several times before, but he still hadn't gotten used to it. He kind of liked the way his name sounded when she spoke it; but on the other hand, he liked the sound of her voice anyway. "Ozymandias."
"What's an Ozzybumdidas or whatever?" Natalie asked, stumbling all over Dumbledore's middle name.
"Ozymandias," Dumbledore corrected, "and it was the Greek name for the Egyptian pharoh Ramses II."
"Albus Ozymandias Dumbledore," Dippet said, and nodded. "Nice."
"A bit of a tongue-twister in the beginning, but it does have something of a ring to it," Minerva added. "I like it."
"What about you, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked. "What's your middle name?"
"Gabriella."
"So if I ever wanted to get on your nerves," Grindelwald said, "could I call you Minnie Gabby?"
She smiled. "Be my guest, Jerry."
Grindelwald covered his heart with his hand and said, "Touché. All right, you can stay Minerva if I can stay Quinn."
Minerva nodded in approval. "Sounds fair."
Grindelwald decided to make Dippet his next target, and said, "And you, Armando... what say we call you Cassie?"
"Call me Cassie and I'll change the password to get into the Slytherin common room to 'Jeremiah Grindelwald'," Dippet returned.
Grindelwald leaned in close to Dumbledore and whispered, "Can he do that?"
Dumbledore nodded.
Grindelwald snapped his fingers. "Damn, it must be good to be headmaster."
"It's good just to be Armando," Dumbledore muttered under his breath, and went back to reading.
Dumbledore had hoped no one heard his comment, but in truth, everyone in the room had, even Riddle, who didn't look bored all of a sudden. Grindelwald was having trouble hiding his smile, and Dippet was having trouble hiding his look of unease. Minerva kept her expression neutral, but it was obvious that she was struggling as well. Natalie, who didn't like confrontations and wanted everyone to be happy (her being a Hufflepuff and all), decided to change the subject. "Who's up for a game of cards?" the Potions instructor asked in a slightly nervous voice.
Dumbledore closed his book, stood up, and said, "No, thank you, Natalie, I was just leaving." Without another word, he left the room.
Dippet sighed, and a slightly guilty look crossed his face. "I've got to talk to him," he said, and rose to his feet. Minerva stood as well.
"Do you think you should give him time to cool off?" Grindelwald suggested.
Natalie, who was oblivious to the love triangle, asked, "Why would he need time to cool off? Why would he even be mad in the first place?"
"He's in love with Minerva," Grindelwald answered.
"He is NOT in love with me!" Minerva almost shouted.
Dippet sighed again and nodded. "Yes, Minerva, he is." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I need the truth, and I need you to make a choice before another minute goes by. I don't care what your answer is; I just need it to be honest. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that means being with him and not me, then that's what it's going to be. Are you in love with Albus Dumbledore?"
She wasn't quite sure how to answer. She'd put a lot of thought into that recently, and although she cared about Dippet, she couldn't see her by his side for the rest of her life. She loved him dearly, but she wasn't in love with him. She didn't want to hurt him by telling the truth, but she knew he wouldn't believe her if she lied. In a small, weak voice, she gave him her answer. "Yes."
Grindelwald had to turn his head away so they wouldn't see him smile.
Grindelwald wasn't the only one that was smiling. Dippet was, too, and unlike Grindelwald's devious smirk, his smile was genuine. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Then go to him."
She was taken aback. "But... you mean... really?"
"Yes, really," Dippet said. "I always knew that he was in love with you, but he insisted that he wasn't, so I thought it would be all right to pursue you. I can't stop love like that, though, and there's no use in trying to. I'm only making both of you suffer."
Minerva threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, and then left the room.
Natalie smiled and pretended to wipe away a tear. "Humphrey Bogart himself couldn't have delivered that any better, Armando."
Dippet grinned and blushed slightly. He was rather shy, and although he took being compared to Humphrey Bogart as a compliment, it embarrassed him a little at the same time.
Grindelwald wasn't smiling anymore. It wasn't supposed to happen that way! He wasn't supposed to just let her go! It was supposed to take longer, be more complicated, break a few hearts along the way... not like this. This made things simpler for Dippet, Dumbledore, and Minerva, but for him, everything suddenly got a lot more complicated...
He let out a heavy sigh as he realized what he had to do. He knew it would have to be done eventually, but he hadn't planned on it until later. Now, though, things had changed. It was time.
~~~
Dumbledore could hear the footsteps of someone hurrying toward him, and they were gaining. It had to be Dippet, who was the last person he wanted to see right now. He stopped, turned around, and said, "Armando, I-"
He stopped when he saw that it wasn't Dippet. "Minerva?"
She continued to walk over to him and nodded. "Me."
Dumbledore turned his head away and said, "I don't think Armando would like the thought of us being alone."
Minerva placed her hand on Dumbledore's cheek and turned his face toward her. "Armando was the one who told me to go to you."
She'd heard all sorts of fairy tales about "true love's first kiss", but thought it was all just a bunch of crap until Albus Dumbledore's lips touched hers. As they stood there, alone in the empty hallways, kissing each other, life had meaning, nothing else mattered, and everything was perfect.
~~~
Armando Dippet felt no regrets as he got ready for bed that night. He cared about Minerva, but it wasn't what anyone would call love; more like a crush of some sorts. Dumbledore had come by to see him a little while earlier, and although Minerva's name was never mentioned, he knew what had happened, and he was happy for them. There were other women out there besides Minerva McGonagall if he ever felt like getting involved with someone again, and who were not already in love with someone else as well. That, he felt, was where he really went wrong. If he hadn't intervened, his two friends would have realized their feelings for each other much sooner.
He decided to get some sleep. It had been a long day.
~~~
Outside Dippet's bedchambers, Tom Riddle lay dozing on a cot in front of the door. Riddle had always been a light sleeper, and he could hear someone coming in plenty of time to wake up and protect his charge. Anyway, one needed to be in the castle and also have a password to even get up there in the first place. He was sure Dippet would be safe even without him there.
Suddenly, something caught Riddle's ear. It was the sound of footsteps. He couldn't see them yet, but he could hear... The shadows condensed, and he saw a single person cloaked in black appraoching him. He sat up, reached for his wand, and said, "Identify yourself."
"Gladly," the stranger hissed. In the blink of an eye, his wand was out, too, and he shouted, "STUPEFY!"
Riddle almost didn't know what hit him.
~~~
When Dippet heard the door to his bedchambers open, his first thought was that it was Riddle. "What is it, Riddle?" he asked, turning toward the entrance.
It wasn't Riddle. He didn't know who it was. All he knew was that this person, whoever he was, was going to try to kill him.
The stranger was holding a dagger in his right hand, but he didn't seem to want to use that weapon yet. Instead, he threw a punch with his left, and it made contact with Dippet's face just above his right eye. The headmaster stumbled backwards, but managed to quickly regain his balance and face his attacker. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.
What Dippet didn't count on was this cloaked figure being almost as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as he was. He'd always been considered a master martial artist ("Not only does he look like Humphrey Bogart, but he does his own stunts, too!" Grindelwald had once said) but this man was just as good, if not better. His attacks were well-placed and came in succession, and when Dippet got a chance to throw a punch or a kick, it was easily blocked.
The man seized Dippet's right wrist, and Dippet tried to come from beneath with an uppercut punch, but his attacker grabbed that as well. The attacker then twisted him around and used his joints against him, locking him in place. Dippet struggled to break free, but the man was remarkably strong. He couldn't do this alone - he needed help. "Riddle!"
"Save your breath," the man told him. "He can't hear you."
He twisted Dippet's arms almost to the point of dislocation, and then suddenly let go. Dippet tumbled to the floor, and before he could stand up again, the man hit his right knee with a palm strike. He let out a cry of pain as the joint snapped, and he knew that if he didn't do something quick, he'd lose more than his ability to use his knee.
With his functioning left leg, Dippet threw a kick at his attacker that made contact with his chest. It was a noble effort, but it was too little, too late. His enemy quickly regained his balance and came at him again. He could not be stopped.
Pain shot through his system as the attacker drove his dagger deep into his stomach, puncturing layer after layer of flesh and body tissue. "Who are you?" Dippet choked through the pain. He knew he was going to die. Did his attacker have the decency to show his face?
"I was so disappointed when you didn't die before," the man said, yanking his dagger out of Dippet's skin. Red blood gushed out from the wound like water from a spring. "Luckily, things started to go my way for a while - until tonight."
He moved the blood-stained dagger to Dippet's throat and pushed the blade in close enough to just nick the skin. "When you and Minerva got involved, I thought that would be enough to create a rift between you and Dumbledore, making all three of you weaker and more vulnerable. Then you let her go of your own free will, and you and Dumbledore no longer have any reason to resent each other. Know this, Armando. Love, friendship, trust... they're powerful things, but they're not going to save you this time."
With his dying breath, Dippet repeated his question. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" the attacker said. "I'll show you."
He pulled off his cloak, revealing his smirking face. Dippet's eyes grew wide with horror. "No..."
Then, everything went black.
~~~
Minerva McGonagall was getting ready to climb into bed when a tapping sound on her window stopped her. She walked over to the window, and was surprised to see an owl sitting on the windowsill with a package in its beak. "What have you got there?" Minerva asked as she opened the window, letting the owl inside.
The owl dropped the package into her hand, and then flew away. The only thing written on its brown paper exterior was her name. She wondered who had sent it, and why. Only one way to find out, she thought, and opened the package.
When she saw its contents, she almost froze with fear. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and she could taste bile in her throat. The package fell from her hands, and its contents spilled out onto the floor. For almost a minute, all she could do was stare. What sick person could have done this?
The package contained two things: a folded piece of paper and a human heart.
Minerva's shock finally wore off enough for her to move. She knelt down, and with a trembling hand, reached for the paper. On it were six words, written in blood:
He wanted you to have this.
