It's already done.
The voice whispered through his mind, creeping through his wandering thoughts.
There's no changing the past.
Ariana was already dead, and Gellert knew that the brothers were probably already making funeral arrangements. He could only imagine the tension that had been left in his wake.
There would never again be a 'Albus and him against the world'.
Because he knew Albus.
And Albus' family had always been too far.
It had never mattered when it was other people dying – hundreds of blurry faces in their plans, people they didn't know and would never care about. The revolution was supposed to have numbed them to death enough when the time came for Albus' family to be harmed – and Albus had always had plans for revenge in those cases.
Gellert and Albus had considered how they would protect Aberforth and Ariana. They had planned how to convince the two to stay out of the war – to not choose a side, and to be kept well away from all of it. Aberforth would follow and protect Ariana, and Ariana would be seeking the help she needed to get better. Everything would have worked out with few snags.
They had never considered the first casualty could be Albus' sister.
They had never considered that they might be the ones to kill her.
It would be fine if it were anyone else, but without a doubt, it was one of the three of them. Who exactly didn't matter; the hope that it was someone other than themselves was enough but the confirmation would be too much to bear.
And yet, the majority of their plans were Albus's idea. Gellert wasn't sure he could follow through with all of them without the other wizard. He wasn't sure he could finish the rest of their plans without him.
The revolution they had imagined for the wizarding world always had the two of them in it, and Gellert still desperately wanted it to be so.
That was the only reason he was there, hiding in a bush near the edge of the Dumbledore property. The raised voices of Albus and Aberforth were expected, as was their topic of conversation – him.
Aberforth had decided that it was his fault; that he had planned Ariana's death from the very beginning so that Albus would leave with him. Albus was certain that there was no way to truly know who had cast the curse, that Aberforth was trying to ease his own guilt at his involvement.
It was the one thing holding him back, stopping him from executing his original plan of convincing Albus to leave with him. It would make it seem like Aberforth was right.
But Gellert also knew the two of them would need something to unite against.
It could be him. He could make himself the enemy; the one for the brothers to unite against. He wanted Albus, but he also cared for the other wizard, and if it would ease Albus's mind, Gellert would consider it.
He didn't know if he was strong enough to face Albus' eternal hatred.
So, with regret, Gellert left without speaking to Albus again.
Gellert was no saint.
He would continue with their plans.
That was the only thing he could still offer Albus.
Written for Badass Lyrics Inspire Badass Fics [I'm the devil on your shoulder, but I'll always be your better half; Gellert Grindewald]
