School: Durmstrang
Year: 6
Theme: The Restricted Section
Main Prompt: [Emotion] Betrayal
Side Prompt: [Action] Searching
Word Count: 1469
For the Greater Good
The sun was shining brightly in the sky. Albus grimaced and turned away from its light. He would much rather have stayed inside and read the books he had gotten at Flourish and Blott's, but Aberforth insisted that Ariana should go outside. They had to go along to protect her since in the past she had been hurt by ignorant Muggles, and her magic had lashed out. Their father was in Azkaban for attacking them to get revenge. For Albus, that incident had been proof that wizards and Muggles should be kept apart. They had to hide from the Muggles in Godric's Hollow by not using magic and wearing Muggle clothes instead of proper wizard robes.
Albus' thoughts were interrupted by a cheery, "Hello!" from behind them. He turned around and saw their neighbor, Bathilda Bagshot. She had been trying to learn about them since they first moved to Godric's Hollow. So far, she had been unsuccessful. Albus intended to keep it that way.
Oblivious to the cold looks the Dumbledores were giving her, Bagshot continued to their mother. "My great-nephew is staying with me now. I thought you might like to meet him. He's about the age of your eldest." She gestured to Albus. "Gellert?"
A boy came out from somewhere behind her. He was a little taller than Albus, with pale blond hair. He was dressed in Muggle clothes, but they could have passed as informal wizarding attire.
Albus's mother gave him a push towards the other boy. "Go on, talk to him," she said. "Just this once." Albus rolled his eyes, but approached the other boy. In the corner of his eye, he could see his family continuing down the road.
"I'm Albus," he said.
"Gellert," the other boy responded.
Bagshot clapped her hands. "Well, I'm sure the two of you will be great friends. Come in, you can go to the library."
When they entered the library, Albus's jaw dropped. The room was enormous, filled with bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling. He had known Bagshot had an impressive library, but he had never imagined this. He went straight to one of the shelves and pulled out a book on rare potion ingredients. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
To Albus's surprise, he and Gellert quickly became friends. Gellert was nothing like his aunt—while she was nosy and overly cheerful, he was quiet and calculating. Like Albus, he sought power through learning. Durmstrang had never understood him; he had been kicked out for some of his Dark experiments. Albus alone could see the brilliance of his ideas.
They spent most of their time in the library, reading advanced books. There were also Dark books Albus couldn't get from Fourish and Blott's. He didn't know if Bagshot even knew they were there. Their discussions of separating wizards and Muggles for the greater good had been purely theoretical until one day, one idea that changed everything.
"Look at this," Gellert called. Albus reluctantly put aside his book on advanced Arithmancy and got up. Peering over Gellert's shoulder, he read the paragraph he was pointing at.
"The Deathly Hallows?" Albus scoffed. "Don't tell me you believe that. It's just a legend based on an old children's story."
"It's real!" Gellert insisted. "There are accounts of owners of the Elder Wand as well as some mentions of an artifact that could be the Stone. The Cloak was passed down from Ignotus Peverell. This is real, Albus, and we can find them."
Albus considered it. It was possible. And with the Hallows, they could finally accomplish their mission of superiority over Muggles for the greater good of wizardkind. "Show me."
Gellert kissed him for the first time in the summer before his sixth year. When he pulled away, his blue eyes sparkled in the light.
"I found it," he whispered. "I know where the Elder Wand is. Once you've graduated, we'll be free to go there, and I'll win it from the unworthy blood traitor who has it now." Albus smiled back, his friend's ambition mirrored in his own bright blue eyes.
Their relationship only grew from there. Albus spent all his free time with Gellert and wrote to him every day when he was at Hogwarts. The search for the Deathly Hallows was becoming more of an obsession. Albus stopped participating in his classes, his mind only on where the other two Hallows could be. He spent less and less time at home which infuriated Aberforth. Albus didn't care. As soon as he graduated, he was going to leave Godric's Hollow. He was destined for so much more, and they were only holding him back.
But everything changed when his mother died.
She wasn't what made the difference. Aberforth had always been Ariana's primary caretaker, and he could continue that job just as easily. No, it was Kendra Dumbledore's funeral that ruined Albus's plans.
Lights flashed, making Albus dizzy. The Muggles could probably see them, and he knew they'd create problems, but Muggles didn't matter. What mattered was that his brother and his boyfriend were fighting. One of them had insulted the other, Albus wasn't sure who, and now spells were flying. He had tried to stop the duel, and gotten pulled into it instead. Then there was a bang, a scream, and—
Everything stopped. Ariana was lying on the ground. Albus stood frozen, unable to tear his gaze away from his sister. Aberforth knelt by her side, frantically checking for a pulse. It was hopeless. They all knew that she was already dead.
"This is your fault," Aberforth accused. "Or your boyfriend's fault. You were so desperate to leave us all behind, but it wasn't enough, was it? You had to kill Ariana! This is your fault!" He screamed the words. Albus flinched away as if he had been hit.
"No!"
Aberforth stared him down, eyes cold. "Go."
Albus turned and fled.
He didn't return to Godric's Hollow. He didn't contact Gellert either. He was too afraid of what would happen if he did. It was easier just to blame him for Ariana's death. He didn't have to acknowledge Aberforth's accusations. He hid from his past and became a new person, abandoning his old plans to find the Hallows. He made a few friends, some of them Muggle-born. Eventually, his prejudices were pushed to the side and then lost completely.
Obviously, Gellert did not do the same. Albus read in the Daily Prophet about the attacks on Muggles. He heard the rumors. Grindelwald's got the Elder Wand, they whispered. Most ignored the rumors, but Albus knew the truth. He knew Gellert had won the wand and was using it to carry out their plans. At one time, Albus would have been with him. Now he was on the side of the Light. As much as it pained him, he had to fight.
And he did. He and Gellert became the leaders of the opposite sides. They had not yet come face to face, and Albus was not looking forward to it. But it had to happen at some point, and it did.
Albus recognized the Elder Wand. He had studied pictures of it, so long ago, and it was ingrained into his mind. It hit him then that he and Gellert were fighting on opposite sides of the war. Why had he abandoned all his ideas? He was going into a duel with Gellert, and only one would be the victor. Could he really fight the man he used to love?
Then Gellert shot the first spell, and Albus deflected it instinctively. He shoved his worries into the corner of his mind and used all his power to attack Gellert.
The duel was long and difficult, harder than any practice Albus had done. By the end, both of them were exhausted and keeping up weak shields. Albus shot a final spell, knowing if he missed, he would be unable to continue. To his relief, the spell hit its mark and Gellert collapsed.
Albus put him into Nurmengard, reading the words inscribed over the entrance and feeling a bitter sense of irony. For the Greater Good had been his motivation for everything he did. Albus had defeated him, and he was locked in his own prison. The phrase they had created together would be lost to time, as the memory of Gellert Grindelwald himself faded. And yet, after defeating Gellert, Albus was one step closer to achievinng their goal.
After so many years, Albus Dumbledore was finally the owner of the Elder Wand.