Disclaimer: I didn't do it, officer, honest!

A/N: Unlike some people, I don't think Grindelwald was Hitler as you'll see below.

And now

Chapter 3 – Ten Pin Bowling

"Do you mean to say that while Crouch told us you had sought out Grindelwald to help us, it was actually convenience because you had double-dated with him?" Elijah snapped incredulously, rising to his feet.

Albus regarded Elijah cooly. It had happened that way, yes, but not at his own planning. "I am neither responsible for what Bartemius Crouch told you, nor for what you assumed," Albus replied mildly. Crouch was famous for his social climbing; Albus did not doubt that Crouch used his offer to assist the Ministry in stopping Grindelwald as another way to bolster his reputation. Crouch had probably told an intriguing fabrication about a struggle to persuade Albus to help. If anything, it had been the other way around.

"Do not forget what the world was like two years ago, Elijah," Nicholas said. "England had already been at war for most of four years, but the Ministry had never, at that time, made a connection between Adolf Hitler and the magical world. We knew the German Ministry had been obliterated in an unfortunate bombing, and it seemed to be merely coincidence. The magical community was loathe to get involved in what they considered 'muggle posturing'.

Albus shot Nicholas an almost defiant look. "Another Ministry stance I had disagreed with vehemently," Albus added icily. "At my offers to investigate, Crouch had obstructed me at every turn. Whatever story Crouch told after the fact, Elijah, I can assure you that it was probably designed to reflect kindly upon him, leaving the truth somewhere on a lower priority. I had resigned myself to my teaching post and tucked my concerns away, a position I can assure you I will never allow myself to be forced into again."

He and Nicholas exchanged meaningful glances while Elijah shifted uncomfortably. "We had no proof that magic was involved in..." Elijah started to defend.

Albus cut him off. "To anyone capable of independent thought, it was obvious! Hitler is embroiled in a plot of world domination, yes, but he is concurrently destroying his own people. Group by group, he annihilates muggles. Did you really never suspect? Come now, Elijah, I've never take you for such a simpleton."

Elijah glared. "I trusted my head of department. I trusted the Minister of Magic."

"You play chess do you not?" Albus asked in an appeasing tone. Elijah nodded sharply. "How far would you get in attacking your opponent, if during play, you broke your pawns in half, and then destroyed your own knights and castles."

Elijah sucked in a noisy breath, as if he only now realized the weight of what Albus was saying.

"Even Japan saw the opportunity, and that is why they are still attacking the Americans at every turn, taking over the side of the world we are too embroiled to bother with. They can leave Europe to the last; after all, Hitler will see to it that there is no one left to fight," Nicholas explained. "Of course, all of these forces are well used pawns, put into play by Gridelwald and his followers. Hitler may be little more than a puppet, used effectively by Grindelwald. Before England can succeed in stopping him, the puppeteer must be stopped. As he is a wizard, it is up to wizardkind to take care of that."

"It is a fact the Ministry should have seen ages ago. Alas, they were too blinded," Albus continued. He took another sip of his ale.

Elijah nodded resignedly, folding his hands around his drink and casting his eyes to the floor. "So did you go to Crouch right away?" he mumbled.

"No, I did not," Albus answered. "Despite my suspicions at that time, I lacked the necessary proof. Grindelwald is a powerful wizard, and though I investigated cautiously during the conversation, neither Lorelei nor Arabella was aware of Grindelwald's activities. To Arabella, he was merely a suitor, and one of the few wizards she'd encountered who didn't openly oppose dating a squib. We rarely consider the plight of the squibs; they are raised with knowledge of the magical world, and yet we cast them aside, forcing them to live as muggles, though they don't belong in that world either." Elijah looked chastised. "Arabella was young and lonely. She didn't want to be cast out into the muggle world, and yet she could hardly find a place within the magical realm, except that which Lorelei took her into. Ohh, poor Arabella. She does not know she's lost her sister and greatest friend." He swallowed hard again, wondering how to break the news to the younger Figg. She would be devastated.

"Obviously you continued to see Lorelei," Elijah observed cautiously.

Albus nodded. "I'm not entirely sure I would have after that one night, had it not been for her pursuit. There was a great deal to do at Hogwarts, and I was uncomfortable about something I had encountered regarding the heir of slytherin, although – well, I'll reserve judgment for now." Nicholas glanced at him curiously. Albus did not elaborate. He had been unsettled by an exchange with Tom Riddle. At the time, the boy was already very adept at blocking his mind. Albus had asked if Tom had something to share regarding the heir of slytherin and had been unable to read any truth or falsehood in Tom's answer. In the two years since, Tom's behavior had grown even more curious.

"After a week had passed, I was seated at the breakfast table embroiled in a conversation of current events with Horace, when an owl dropped a sparkling invitation on my plate," Albus continued his story. "Lorelei had urged me to dress in my most convincing muggle attire and meet her in London. I very nearly declined, but Horace was relentless, telling me I must take time for myself once in awhile and even promising to oversee Hagrid for the evening."

Albus had donned his one suit – a plum colored tailoring he had imagined to be an exceptional article of clothing. But when he encountered Lorelei at the address she'd asked him to meet her, she had giggled herself into near hysterics. He felt himself smile at the memory, though he had been embarrassed at the time.

"Whatever is the matter?" Albus had asked her.

Lorelei forced herself to stop laughing, only to sputter when she tried to speak and start up again. Ultimately, she'd kissed his cheek in greeting and said, "Your suit will have onlookers staring, but nevermind; you're perfect just as you are."

Only Lorelei had been able to offset him in such a manner. His confidence seemed to dwindle. "Perhaps – perhaps this was a bad idea," he'd started.

"Oh, nonsense. Come! Visit the muggle world with us. It's exciting," she whispered the last part with her eyes dancing. The dimple in her left cheek seemed to have set itself permanently there, and he watched her, feeling a mixture of enchantment and trepidation.

Lorelei led him into the building – a bowling alley – filled with women in day dresses. There were not many men present, and of those who were, most were soldiers in their crisp uniforms, probably on day passes from the army. Arabella awaited her sister's return at one shiny lane. She was seated on a tall chair before one of the lecterns used for scoring.

Looking around, Albus had realized that Arabella and Lorelei had both blended seamlessly among the muggles. He had thought the darkened legs and drawn-on stocking seam was strange, until he noted that all the women were dressed similarly. Arabella's hair was again rolled up in its usual elaborate manner, while Lorelei's hung over one eye. Both women even appeared to have makeup perfectly aligned with that of the muggle world. If he hadn't known better, Albus might have thought they were muggle-born, such was the perfection of their costuming. But their father, Tavish Figg was well known within Britain's magical community. He was both powerful and influential and had actually turned down the chance to be minister of magic, determined to continue his work for Scotland, hoping someday to give it a separate place in history.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Arabella had greeted. He had never been able to convince her call him Albus. "I was afraid I'd never have reason to run into you again."

He smiled broadly. "My dear, I doubt that will ever happen," he had responded politely, yet somehow, he had meant it.

Lorelei had rewarded him with a broad grin. "Have you ever been bowling before, Albus?" she asked.

"I cannot say that I have. Can you teach me?" Perhaps he should have been nervous. However, he doubted he could be as bad at bowling as he was at dancing the jitterbug, and that experience had not done him in.

"It's not as difficult as it sounds anyway," a voice said behind him. Albus had turned to find Wilhelm Grindelwald once again. "Imagine encountering you twice in the span of a week," the wizard had added.

Albus had shaken his hand, but there was the briefest look of dislike that crossed Grindelwald's face, and that glimpse of it had hung in the air between them throughout the events of the evening.

Albus had discovered he rather liked ten pin bowling. He'd also observed that Lorelei had such a merry nature that she was likely to make the most monotonous task enjoyable. Even at one instance, when she had dropped her ball with a loud clatter, and watched as it made its way to the gutter, she'd laughed so hard that it almost seemed she had won rather than lost spectacularly. Lorelei did not use magic. He was not certain she had even brought her wand. It made the experience authentic in a way and much more entertaining for Albus.

Wilhelm, however, did not share this sentiment. "I don't particularly care for this type of entertainment. Perhaps next time we can attend a gobstones tournament."

Arabella wore an uncomfortable look, knowing squibs were often banned from such affairs.

"Hogwarts is about to have the championship game of quidditch. Why don't you all attend as my guests?" Albus had invited. He wasn't actually sure he wanted Grindelwald along, but he felt sorry for Arabella and found he desperately wanted to see Lorelei again. The championship match at Hogwarts was likely to be a subdued affair. The school had been profoundly effected by the heir of slytherin, and only Headmaster Dippet's determination to make things as normal as possible could have kept the teams practicing anyway.

Arabella had smiled gratefully, and Grindelwald had readily agreed. It was a visit he would come to regret desperately, even though Lorelei rewarded him for the invitation with a look he'd never forget.

After they'd finished their game, Lorelei had walked back with him to the point where he'd apparated to meet her. They held hands like so many of his teenaged pupils did and didn't speak at first. It was she who broke the silence. "You are so very kind to my sister, Albus, thank you."

"I am quite fond of your sister," he admitted.

"Oh?" she cocked an eyebrow and fixed an amused expression on him. "Perhaps I misread your interest."

"Not at all," he replied, feeling as nervous as one of his teenaged pupils might. He had begun to think it was the mood of the evening. "I have a great deal of female friends. I could willingly count Arabella among them. Fond as I am, that is the extent of my interest in her."

"And me," Lorelei asked directly, putting him on the spot.

"I have never met a creature like you, and I have already lived a great many years," he'd answered in a surprisingly smooth manner. "You fascinate me."

"I'll settle for that, for now," she'd replied, that dimple again creasing her left cheek.

"Lorelei, dare I ask why your sister is seeing Wilhelm Grindelwald?" he'd queried bravely.

Her brow creased and she seemed to consider the question. "He is not so kind to her as you, is he?" she responded.

"It disturbs me that he appears to regard her plight so little," he added. "A beau should respect her for the strength she has, not exploit her weaknesses to embarrass her."

Lorelei had pulled back and stared a little stunned. "Is that how you see her lack of magic – a weakness?" Anger flashed in her hazel eyes.

"In this instance, yes," Albus had admitted. "Do not misunderstand me, Lorelei, I do not share the prejudices of many of my colleagues. But her lack of magic is a sore point to her; you can see it in the way she responds to wizards. The fact that she has found a way to blend so well within the muggle world, despite all she knows of wizardkind, is admirable. In my opinion, there are positions for squibs within our society, but I am not the one who makes those decisions. I am not blind to the fact that they often live a cruel existence, lacking a world of their own. If Arabella wants to see a gobstone tournament, I will get her in. If she wants to ride a broomstick, I can even help her with that. But if either of you expect me to stand by and watch a man humiliate her regularly, you need to understand that it goes against my definition of friendship."

Lorelei had watched him with her mouth slightly open. She'd touched a nerve in his moral beliefs, and his answer had come out as something of an ideological rant that he was a little embarrassed over. Suddenly she flung her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "Don't change a single thing," she said, just before she'd pressed her mouth to his – something women, in his experience, just didn't do. He was unfortunately too stunned to return her kiss right away, and before he knew it she was pulling away. "I must get back to Arabella. I don't really trust him either." With that, she'd scampered away into the night, leaving Albus Dumbledore to feel like a foolish boy without much notion of women; such was a facet of his personality he'd never considered before.

The present Albus had left out some of the details of the date in his story. They weren't actually necessary, but they were nice memories – and part of all that remained of his beloved Lorelei.

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