Disclaimer: Everything From HP Books Belongs To JK Rowling
Aftermath
Some say you're the wisest wizard alive, the most powerful, most clever man in this world. When people speak to you, friends or enemies, they always look at you in awe of their present company and all for one reason and one reason alone. And it's because of this reason you've lived with guilt for most of your life.
He was evil, you tell yourself over and over again. Quietly you click the radio on inside your massive, but comforting office. You listen to the soothing rhythm of the beat and your eyes close. Grindelwald was an evil man, he deserved to die. He killed so many innocent lives. You did nothing wrong.
He wasn't evil though. You remember him when he was a student here, one of your peers. You remember his eagerness to learn, how erudite he was. He was a tough boy to get along with, opinionated and too clever for his own good, but you liked him back then, you still like him now. You forget too easily those people he tortured without a second thought and the wand he used to kill the one you held closest to your heart.
He's just like Tom, you think. He's just like your old student Tom Riddle who would learn with the same eagerness and lived with the same passion. Both could have done so many things in life. You shake your head and look towards Fawkes, both were manipulated by the dark side of magic, the dark side of life. At one point you held both dear to your heart.
Your eyes open and the music seems to fade away as if it's not even on anymore. You look towards your pensive, there are things in there you are glad Harry hadn't seen. Things in there the young boy would hate you for dearly. So few know of your past fondness for Tom, even less know of your fondness for the one you defeated. If they knew, if HE knew, you can't even begin to imagine the consequences you would face. And yet, sometimes when you look into Minerva's eyes you can see them alive with remembrance as she reads the Daily Prophet about his latest attack. She remembers as well, she hurts just like you.
You love him though, Harry, you love him like he's your child. He's come to mean more to you than any of these dark wizards and it's because of that you try to hide you old regard for the boy's greatest nemesis. But sometimes it isn't hard for you to hide, you'll never forget what happened to Lily and James, you never could.
It's hard for a man like you to kill someone and be able to live with knowing what they did. You're a peaceful man who resents violence of any kind and wishes more than anything to put all these wars and deaths in the past. You wish to forget about Tom and how his eyes lit up each and every day in your Transfiguration class. You wish to forget about your one time friend Grindelwald and the wand you used to kill him. You no longer want socks or books for Christmas; it's not what would please you most. What you want is closure, to be able to wake up each morning, walk the halls of Hogwarts, and not see ghosts of your past haunting you. You wish to forget.
You turn off the music and sit in silence at your big, cluttered desk. You hate the times your living in now and it pains you to look at this man, child, who very soon will carry the same burdens and troubles as you. It sickens you to think that this boy will be the one to kill Tom, the only one who can, and you know that he'll be just like you in the aftermath. He isn't a killer, you think, but then, neither were you.
End
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