Aberforth slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Sunlight was pouring into the room from the open window and Ariana was no longer beside him, which meant he'd overslept. Leaping out of bed, he raced down the stairs, panic stirring in his chest. If Ariana had wandered off again... if she'd hurt herself, or done something to draw attention to herself, they would both be in serious trouble. It was Aberforth's job to watch her. If Albus found out that Ariana had been out of the house unsupervised, he would lock her up in her room again and never let her out...
As he reached the bottom of the staircase, the sudden scent of hot food made his stomach rumble. Puzzled, he entered the dining room, and saw Ariana sitting at the dining table with a big smile on her face. The table had been covered with a fresh white tablecloth and spread with scones, pancakes, buns, butter, honey, jam and cream. Someone had placed a small jar of wildflowers in the centre of the table.
Just then, Albus bustled in from the kitchen holding a large plate stacked with steaming pancakes. He nodded when he saw Aberforth.
"Good morning, Abe," he said cheerfully. "Joining us for breakfast? There's plenty for everyone." Offering a pancake to Ariana, he said, "Go on, have another one. I made them just for you."
Silently, looking up at Albus with awe and admiration in her eyes, Ariana accepted the pancake as though it were made of pure gold. As always, it pained Aberforth to see his sister staring at Albus as though he were some kind of hero, when Albus didn't even care about her. She would never look at Aberforth that way.
"Well?" said Albus. "Don't just stand there, have a seat."
Grudgingly, Aberforth sat himself on the chair beside Ariana and took the plate Albus gave him.
"Did you make breakfast?" he asked, curious. It had been a while since Albus had last cooked for them, let alone made breakfast at this time of the morning. Usually he wouldn't show himself until just before noon.
"Yes," said Albus. He looked different today, like he was in a rare good mood. His blue eyes, which had been dull with grief since Mother's death, were now sparkling with some of their old light. His face was bright and lively and a little flushed. He was even smiling and being unusually talkative. "Actually, I'm glad you came down when you did. I've got to pop off in a few minutes. Just got an owl from Bathilda asking if I would take her great-nephew Gellert around town, show him where things are, help him get to know the place a bit. I'm supposed to meet him at eight, so I'll be leaving soon."
Aberforth noticed that Albus was wearing his best blue coat over a smart black dress robe. A sky blue scarf was wrapped fetchingly around his neck, and a small dark blue cap was perched on his head.
"Aren't you overdressed for a morning walk?" Aberforth asked.
Albus hesitated for a moment. "Well, it doesn't hurt to give visitors a good impression," he said. "We don't want them thinking we're country slobs. If you have no further objections, I'll be off then."
Before he left, he examined his reflection critically in the mirror, smoothed down his coat and rearranged his scarf.
When the front door closed behind him, Ariana put down her knife and said, with a miserable expression, "I don't want Albus to go out. I'm scared."
"Scared?" said Aberforth. "Of what?"
"I saw the dog again in my dream last night."
Aberforth sighed, moved closer to Ariana and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Ari. You're just imagining things. We all have bad dreams."
Ariana shook her head forcefully. "It was real. It's coming, closer than ever now. It's already in Godric's Hollow. I could see its eyes burning and its teeth, so big and sharp, its fur..."
"Well, I won't let any Grim or anything else hurt you. All right?"
Ariana turned away. "But last night, it wasn't coming for me. It was coming for Albus."
As Albus walked briskly up the path towards the village square, he reflected on the strange owl he had received from Bathilda earlier that morning.
Dear Albus,
If it is not too much trouble, do you think you could show Gellert around our village this morning? I know he will be bored if he is cooped up at home with me all day. I would take him out myself, but I am not as spry as I used to be, and I know he will enjoy himself more with someone closer to his own age. He appreciated your company last night and he is looking forward to seeing you again.
Truth be told, Albus, things are not going well between Gellert and myself. I do not mind telling you this because our families have been close for some time. Gellert and I had an argument last night. I am worried about him. His father died some time ago and his mother is not well, so he has grown up mostly alone. I have always been close to him, but if you had seen him last night... I fear we are growing apart. He has fallen into bad company, and I believe he is going down a bad path.
Being talented and intelligent from a young age has made him arrogant, with no respect for anyone. But I know there is much goodness in him, if only someone could reach him, make a connection with him. I think you might be that person, Albus. Gellert respects you as he has never respected anyone else. He thinks of you as an equal. Yet you are so different from him; you are kind, considerate, dutiful and respectful to everyone.
Gellert needs a positive influence in his life, and you are the most upstanding young man I know. I hope you and Gellert will be friends, and that each of you will benefit from the other.
That letter had left Albus with mixed feelings. He was excited at the prospect of seeing Gellert again and spending more time with him, but he was disturbed at the things Bathilda had written. What did she mean by saying that Gellert had fallen into bad company, was going down a bad path? Albus tried to reconcile that image with the young man he had met last night, and it just didn't seem to fit. Gellert had been only too charming, friendly and warm, a wonderful speaker, the picture of good manners. On the other hand, he had voiced some rather prejudiced views. Perhaps that was what Bathilda meant.
"Hey!"
Albus glanced up and saw Gellert standing by the carriage stop, waving. He smiled at Albus and jogged over, thrusting his hands into his pockets, his breath misting slightly in the air. He looked breathtaking in the early morning sunlight. He was wearing a long green coat and a matching scarf. His golden hair shone in the sun and his eyes were full of fire, by turns mischievous and intense.
"Good morning," he said, offering a hand to Albus. "I am glad you are here."
"Guten morgen," Albus replied, shaking Gellert's hand.
"Ah! You speak German." Gellert looked delighted. "Good, good. I am happy." He released Albus' hand and looked around at the mostly empty square, framed by fields of wildflowers. "You have nice weather here. I like it. I may have to remove my coat after." Clapping his hands together, he rubbed them excitedly. "Where shall we be going now? I have not been to England from when I was a little boy. I want to see what kind of place your village is."
"Well," said Albus apologetically, "try not to get too enthusiastic, this isn't London or anything. Godric's Hollow is a small place and we don't have a great deal of excitement around here."
"Of course," said Gellert. "But I am sure that wherever we go, I will have an interesting time so long as the famous Dumbledore is with me." He slipped his arm through Albus' and began to walk, pulling Albus along. "And you also will have an interesting time, because I am with you."
The touch of Gellert's arm, the closeness of his body, sent shivers through Albus' whole being.
"Well," Albus said, trying to keep a clear head, "why don't we head for the south side of the square first. I can show you where the post office and some of the shops are. It's a shame it's Monday. Yesterday there would have been the Sunday market. There'll be a few stalls open today still, but nothing special."
"Is there not a big street in London, Diagon Alley, where all the important shops are? Shall we go there later in this morning?"
"Well, yes, Diagon Alley is the best England has to offer. But it's far away..."
"And? You can Apparate, can't you?"
"Well, yes, I suppose I can. It's just that I didn't realise you wanted to go so far... your great-aunt told me you wanted to see the village. Perhaps we'd better check with her first."
Gellert scoffed. "Are we children, needing her permission? If we want to go, let us go. But let's first see the village. I will be staying here for a while and I want to know it."
Their first stop was the post office, which was owned by the Bannisters. Albus pushed open the front door and entered to the sound of a tinkling bell. Mrs Bannister usually sat behind the counter, but today it was her eldest daughter, Sharon, a pretty girl with brown hair and a timid manner who liked wearing bright, flowery dresses and had a soft spot for Albus (like most of the girls in Godric's Hollow). She glanced up and smiled when she saw Albus, before her gaze slid to Gellert and her eyes widened.
"Oh!" she said softly.
"Morning, Sharon," said Albus cheerfully.
Sharon was silent, her eyes fixed on Gellert.
"Have you met Professor Bagshot's great-nephew?" Albus said, indicating Gellert. "This is Gellert, Gellert Grindelwald. He's from Germany. Gellert, this is Sharon Bannister. Her family runs the post office."
Gellert smiled and advanced on Sharon.
"How do you do," he said, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sharon seemed to realise that she was gaping like a fish. Flustered, she returned Gellert's handshake. Albus felt sorry for her, remembering how he'd been affected the first time he'd seen Gellert.
"Pleased to meet you," she managed at last. "So you're staying here? Lovely, lovely."
"I'm just showing him around the village," Albus put in. "I thought we'd start here, since the post office is one of the most important buildings in town." To Gellert, he continued, "Most people in the village don't have their own owls. It's cheaper to use one of the post office owls for a few Knuts. Keeping your own owl takes a lot of work, what with the feeding and the keeping it clean and letting it out to fly."
"My great-aunt has her own owl," Gellert said.
"Yes, but she has a house-elf to do the work for her. Most people don't."
Gellert frowned slightly.
"So, people rely on the post office for letters and parcels from the outside. Sharon and her family are usually the first to hear of any interesting news, isn't that right, Sharon?" Albus nodded at her, but Sharon was too busy staring at Gellert with a silly lovestruck expression on her face to pay attention to what Albus was saying.
Oh, Gods. I hope that's not what I look like when I'm with him, Albus thought.
He continued, "And the post office is the only place in Godric's Hollow to get items shipped from the outside. Of course, if you want anything really special, you have to go to Diagon Alley... Anything interesting come in, Sharon?"
"Oh, yes," said Sharon. "Let me show you." She led them to the shelves and began to show them around. "Here's some lovely stationery from London." She took a box of glossy parchment bordered with blue scrollwork from the shelf and pressed it to her face, breathing deeply. "What nice perfume!" she said, passing it to Albus. "And here are some pretty Persian rugs. Would you look at those designs. And these lilies are so beautiful, they're all the way from Japan. Daddy picked them up on a trip to Diagon Alley last week. We've put a preserving charm on them, but they won't last long."
"How much do those lilies cost?" Gellert asked. "I need a beautiful flower to give to a beautiful girl."
"Oh!" said Sharon, and a little blush entered her cheeks. "She must be a very lucky girl. Let me see now, it's six Sickles for a flower."
"Six Sickles for one flower!" Albus exclaimed. "My word!" But Gellert paid and took the flower anyway, leaving Albus to wonder, miserably and jealously, just who this 'beautiful girl' was.
He didn't have to wonder long, because as they were leaving the shop, Gellert suddenly made a little bow and presented the flower he'd bought to Sharon.
"A rare flower for a rare flower," he said, kissing her hand before taking his leave. As they departed, Sharon was left standing stock still, with her whole face red, looking like she'd been struck by lightning.
"I like her," said Gellert, as they resumed their walk through the square, arm in arm again. "I like her eyes. They are big and brown. She reminds me of a hare. Does she remind you of a hare?" He looked at Albus' bemused expression and laughed, as if enjoying a private joke.
And you remind me of a wolf, Albus thought. And everyone knows what wolves do to hares.
"So tell me," Gellert continued, "is this whole village filled with many pretty girls? I have never been with an English girl before. Well... not really. Not a real, proper wizarding girl."
Albus felt like a part of him was dying. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he told himself. You never learn, do you? How could you ever think that Gellert would be interested in you? He only likes girls. Crushed, he tried to pull away from Gellert, but Gellert only held onto him tighter.
"There are some pretty girls here," Albus managed eventually. This subject made him uncomfortable. "What do you mean, 'a real, proper wizarding girl'? Have you had a Muggle girlfriend?"
"Don't be silly," said Gellert, "and don't change the subject. What are English girls like?"
"Like?" Albus was all but squirming now. "Nice enough, I suppose."
"Nice enough?" Gellert chuckled and gave him an incredulous look. "Is that it? Oh, you are teasing me. Come now, tell me something interesting about them. "
"Like what?"
"Are they easy?"
"Easy? How do you mean?"
"Easy. To get into bed. Or on the floor. Or in a field, or anywhere, it doesn't matter, does it?" Gellert grinned and nudged Albus in the ribs.
Albus blushed furiously.
"Uh," he said. "I've never dated, so I'm probably not the best person to ask."
"Never dated? But my great-aunt said you are popular with the ladies."
"Well, a little... but I never had time for romance, what with my studies and all..."
"Oh. But I am sure that will change soon. I have noticed the way the girls here look at you."
"They used to look at me. But when you're standing next to me, they only have eyes for you."
It was true. The pair of them attracted many curious looks as they walked through the village, and Albus knew that the longest and most admiring glances were directed at Gellert. He was taller, better looking and had a certain natural charisma that Albus would never have. You could tell that Gellert was confident and comfortable in his own skin, whereas Albus walked with his shoulders hunched and his head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.
The scene from the post office repeated itself a number of times as they visited the general store and a few other shops. Albus would introduce Gellert, who would then become the centre of attention, flirting shamelessly with the younger women and a few of the older ones, charming the petticoats off them, before bidding them farewell, leaving a trail of bruised and longing hearts in his wake.
"You shouldn't have done that," Albus said, as they left the bakery.
"Done what?" asked Gellert, who was chewing on a croissant, which came from the paper bag full of pastries that a breathless Mrs Gilsham had thrust upon him.
"You know. Spoken to Mrs Gilsham like that, with your hand on her shoulder. She's married, you know. I don't suppose her husband was very happy."
"Perhaps not, but she was. Her dried up old husband doesn't appreciate her. She is a fine woman. I like older women, not the ugly ones that are fat and wrinkled and lumpy, but she is still good looking and I bet she's experienced. They appreciate a younger man who knows what to do with them."
"Gellert! She's married!"
Gellert gave Albus a sly, wicked grin.
"So what? She's the one who wants me to taste her cupcakes."
"Gellert!"
Their last stop in the village tour was the Anglican Magian temple, or church, depending on whom you asked. During the rule of the Romans, the Emperor had decreed that only Christian houses of worship were allowed to call themselves churches, while pagan places of worship would have to settle for the name of temples. Roman rule had long since passed, however, and now there was debate among the Magians over whether they should call their holy places temples or churches. The name 'temple' had stuck among the general population, but the clergy were encouraging the use of 'church' to signify that their religion was just as worthy of recognition as the Christians'.
The temple was a beautiful old building, very large, made of grey stone and situated on the edge of the village, within the outskirts of the woods. This was no accident. The British Magians believed that trees were sacred, because good spirits lived inside them. In fact, before the Romans had come and taught them to build churches of stone, the Magians had worshipped outdoors in natural settings like groves of trees, riverbanks and mountaintops.
"This temple is an interesting blend of Anglo-Saxon and Roman architecture," Albus said dully. Although this was a subject he was normally keen on, he was still feeling deflated from the revelation that Gellert would never be interested in him, and part of him just wanted the whole day to be over so he could crawl back into his study and never come out. But he had promised to show Gellert around, and Albus Dumbledore kept his promises. "Firstly, notice that the temple is made of stone. That's Roman. In pre-Roman times a temple, like a long hall, would have been made mostly of wood. Stonework was used mostly for statues and other objects."
He led Gellert to the great bronze doors and pointed out the carvings engraved on the metal and stone.
"Although the columns are Roman, these are all Anglo-Saxon motifs," Albus said, indicating the pictures of snakes, wolves, men, women, chariots and dogs encircling the outer surface of the temple. "Or rather, I should say that they're British motifs. We can't say that they're purely Anglo-Saxon, because they were at least partly influenced by the neighbouring Celtic and Roman cultures, and vice versa."
"This is interesting," Gellert said. "You have a lot of knowledge about English culture. This is good. Many young people these days are forgetting about where we come from. We need to protect our history from those who want to destroy us." He paused. "Are you well, Albus? You seem a little sad."
"What? No, I'm fine."
"You were much happier when I met you in this morning." Gellert moved closer to Albus and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Did I do something, say something to make you upset?"
"No." Albus shrugged off Gellert's hand and stepped through the doors, into the temple. You didn't do anything, he thought, except make it clear that you'll never be interested in me. Not in the way that I'm interested in you.