A/N: Happy New Year! Well, everyone is still being pretty quiet, but I'm watching as people have been favoriting, following, and reading/reviewing a ton of my old stuff too, so that's all good and I like that.

I know I haven't updated in a long time. That's because my internship has started. I literally am busy every hour I'm conscious. I'm sacrificing sleep to update this now. It's probably got a ton of typos, but I'm too tired to care.

So this chapter is dark. Albus kind of makes a pact with the devil here. He agrees to Gellert's plans. A part of me wants to say Dumbledore would never have said the things he said here, but he did agree with Gellert's plans. Granted, he was brainwashed, vulnerable, manipulated, etc., but fact is, he still was planning to overthrow the Statute of Secrecy and rule over Muggles. So yeah, this is him at his darkest.

Red Furry Demon - Hahahah, how do you find such good fanfics? It's amazing. Grindelwald is in denial though. They WERE together, even Bathilda said they "got on like a cauldron on fire." Haha!

Lucinda - Oh yeah, I have read it! I've read all the Gellert/Albus fanfics on here, I have to admit. It's way better than mine; one of the best I've read.

"Every saint has got a past, but every sinner's got a future."

- Switchfoot

"Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. If the plans we were making came to fruition, all my dreams would come true."

- Albus Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows, pg. 716 (US)

"Can't you see that they are inferior?"

Albus' brow was furrowed as he considered Gellert's words carefully. Gellert was pacing in his room as Albus sat numbly upon his bed. He thought about his coworkers and his boss, who had taken the time to humiliate him in front of his coworkers that past Friday. He thought about the fact he was working with Muggles who would never go far in life. Moving boxes and doing simple paperwork was the only thing they would ever do with their lives. They weren't like him. They weren't like Gellert. They were simple-minded.

"Yes," Albus said finally. "Yes, I know. They are."

"Of course they are!" cried Gellert, throwing his hands up in the air. "Albus, you work with them for God's sake, you should know that the Muggles are inferior better than anyone."

"I know," Albus said carefully, "but Gellert, that doesn't mean that they should be oppressed."

This made Gellert very angry. "You're hopeless!" he snarled. "How many times have I told you that it is not about oppressors and the oppressed? It's about social order and the betterment of society!"

Albus closed his eyes and did not respond.

Gellert stopped pacing and huffed. He sat down beside Albus on the bed, and Albus opened his eyes when he felt Gellert sit beside him. Gellert leaned in and kissed him softly, and Albus' eyes fluttered closed again.

The kiss was broken, and Gellert whispered softly, "I don't want to hurt the Muggles. We will help them. There is so much good we can do for them. We will save them from the diseases they have no hope of curing themselves. Albus, they're dying in the streets over sicknesses that we could cure in an instant. Our only price will be the power for us to make all final decisions. They can have freedom, but just like a parent having the ultimate word over their children, wizards will have the final say over the Muggles. They will be saved in exchange for a small price."

Albus nodded blindly. He had already heard Gellert's speech a thousand times. "I know," he whispered back. "You're right. For the greater good."

Now that it was revealed that Albus was a smitten fool, Gellert honestly couldn't understand why he didn't figure it out earlier. Once or twice the possibility had crossed his mind, but he never actually believed it. Gellert had never really wanted that kind of relationship with him, but it had its advantages, and Albus wasn't particularly bad looking or anything, so Gellert could live with it. The cost was small and the benefits were enormous.

Albus shifted slightly in his sleep, but he either did not wake, or he was doing a good job at pretending he was still asleep. He was still is Gellert's arms because Gellert's repeated attempts to make Albus give him space always failed eventually. God, he was pathetic.

Of course, Gellert had been very taken by Albus from the start, just not in that way. Gellert had read the things Albus Dumbledore had written, he knew Albus had to be very intelligent, he knew that Albus was his own age, and Gellert was interested in meeting him when it was revealed that he was living next door to his great-aunt. Albus was not the reason Gellert had come to Godric's Hollow, but he was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. At no point did Gellert think Albus was as powerful as him though, or even very powerful at all. Brains and power do not automatically go together. Some of the most brilliant were limited in their magical powers.

The truth came out when Gellert asked Albus about his future career plans. Albus had sighed and then said, "I am not sure. I cannot leave Ariana alone for a long time. Everyone had always told me that I should run for Minister of Magic. Well, actually, they assumed I would. They've been asking me when I was planning to run since I was eleven."

"Why do they think you'd want to be Minister of Magic?"

Albus had shrugged. "I suppose they think power will equate with career success. It is an assumption that I do not like. I don't want to be Minister of Magic."

"You're powerful?" asked Gellert doubtfully.

Albus shrugged again. "Yes, at least, they have been telling me I am since my first year. I did very well in school, from my first day to my last."

Gellert had then stood and demanded Albus duel him. The first time, Gellert beat Albus. Albus had looked completely stunned. Gellert then declared (in a rather bored voice) that they would do two more rounds. They began again. This time, Albus beat Gellert. It was Gellert's turn to gawk in disbelief. The last round was the one that lasted the longest. Both had just proved to the other than they were more powerful than originally assumed. Albus won that last round though, leaving Gellert staring as conflicting emotions rose up within him.

"You don't have to be angry," Albus said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm not angry," Gellert denied, though, in truth, he was a bit irritated. "I've just never been beaten before, that's all. I didn't know you were both a genius and powerful."

But his anger had been immature. It took Gellert a while to understand that he had no need to be jealous of Albus' power, not when he could control Albus any way he fancied.

Gellert looked at the clock on the wall of Albus' room. It was five minutes past nine.

"Albus," Gellert muttered, "it's 9:05."

This had an immediate effect on Albus. He gasped and sat up, looking like he was ready to run out the door. "What day is it?" he demanded.

"Calm down," Gellert exclaimed. "My God, it's a Sunday, you don't work!"

Albus fell back down, still breathing heavily.

"But you still have to get up," said Gellert. "We both do."

"I'm sure Aberforth has fed Ariana -"

"No, not that. We have to make some progress on the Deathly Hallows."

Albus groaned. Instead of getting up, he started kissing Gellert's jawline, which was a reaction that Gellert did not like.

"You are impossible," snapped Gellert as he pushed Albus off him. "I don't get it. We aren't going to save the world by you lying on top of me all day."

Gellert had never been in a "relationship" before. The whole idea was pointless to him. He had had sex with people before, but it had always been a spur of a moment thing, never anything affectionate or "meaningful." Even the word "relationship" made him want to roll his eyes. Yet Albus was before him, and Albus was a brilliant, irreplaceable tool... It was unfortunate that Albus had not wanted to stick with Gellert and his plans as a friend, but it was what it was. Albus had feelings for him, and Gellert could easily exploit him. Gellert was willing to do anything to keep Albus on his side, even if it meant pretending to have feelings for him when he really did not.

It was pitiful though, the desperation Gellert could feel Albus emitting. He would kiss him desperately; he would tremble and his breathing would be uneven. Gellert wasn't exactly unhappy with it all - he did rather enjoy the nights he spent with Albus, but it also worried Gellert. He didn't want to admit he was afraid of developing real feelings for Albus. Gellert told himself over and over again that it was just lust, but he couldn't deny that Albus made him smile sometimes.

Unfortunately, however, there was an unexpected development. Gellert was pretending he was just as smitten as Albus in order to keep him and use him in his search for the Deathly Hallows. It wasn't ideal, but having a relationship with Albus was a small price to pay in exchange for Albus' brains and power. Yet now, Albus had become so obsessed with the romantic side of the bargain that he was becoming increasingly disinterested in their grand quest. Albus didn't want to spend countless hours looking over volumes of texts and plotting their defeat of the Statute of Secrecy. No, he wanted to kiss Gellert all day, every day.

The day after Gellert realized this, he put his intervention in motion.

Gellert visited Albus that afternoon. Gellert ignored Aberforth's look of disgust and went straight up to Albus' room to find him reading, but he wasn't reading anything that would give them a clue as to where the Deathly Hallows were. He was reading Transfiguration Today for fun.

Albus jumped up off his bed with a grin. He walked over to Gellert without registering Gellert's look of displeasure.

"I was wondering where you were," Albus murmured before putting his arms around Gellert and kissing him softly.

Gellert turned his head away, breaking the kiss.

Albus opened his eyes. "What is it?" he breathed.

Gellert did not answer. He sighed heavily before saying, "We need to talk."

Albus stared at him with fear on his face. It was so easy, so easy for Gellert to scare him.

"Why?" Albus murmured, his voice still very soft. "What's wrong, Gellert?"

Gellert still did not answer or look back at Albus.

"... Gellert?" There was definitely fear in Albus' voice now.

Gellert finally looked at Albus.

"You're not...?" Albus choked out.

"Albus, look," said Gellert as he closed Albus' bedroom door. "I love you. You know I love you."

Albus smiled with tears filling his eyes. "I -"

"No, listen. I had never planned on falling in love with you. I had never planned having someone else on my side, searching for the Deathly Hallows, searching to change the world. I know you're feeling the same things I'm feeling. But it seems, as of late, you have forgotten a part of what makes us us. I want to be with you, but I still want you to be my partner, my ally. Albus, we haven't found any leads on the Deathly Hallows in over a week. I am not content with an average life, even if it is with someone I love. I want to do extraordinary things with my life."

"Oh, Gellert, I know -"

"I'm not saying I don't want to be with you," Gellert interrupted. "I'm only saying I need more from us."

Albus nodded blindly. "I know. I understand. You're right. Though I still think the Elder Wand is with Gregorovitch."

"I disagree, Al, you know I do," said Gellert wearily.

"I - I know, I'm sorry, Gellert, you're right, of course you're right," Albus said hurriedly, sounding quite upset. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten - I've been too obsessed with you that I forgot our plan..."

"There will be people who disagree with us, Albus."

"I know."

"There will be people who are willing to fight against us. It's inevitable."

"Yes."

"Then you must realize that there might be some bloodshed. No revolution is achieved without some sacrifice. But you and I will be unstoppable. There will be those who will fight us to the death, but I think once they see how powerful we are and how perfect our objective is, there will be little conflict. But you need to admit there will be those who will not accept our revolution quietly. These people need to be silenced."

"I know, Gellert."

"You're prepared to use force as necessary?"

"I am."

"I'm prepared to kill anyone who stands and fights us. I don't like it, but their lives would be a small price to pay compared to all the Muggle lives we'll save. Can you say you'd raise your wand and kill?"

Albus hesitated.

"Remember," Gellert said forcefully, "what those Muggles did to Ariana. When we reshape the world, situations like that will never happen again. The Muggles will know that witches and wizards are above them, and they will love us for it. But you have to say it."

Albus nodded. "I know. I don't want to kill, but if I -"

"When," interrupted Gellert impatiently.

"- when I have to kill, I will."

"This isn't you."

Albus blinked at Aberforth. His younger brother was looking alarmed.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?" asked Albus coldly.

"I mean this utter bullshit coming from your mouth isn't you," Aberforth said, his eyes wide.

"Oh really?" Albus said, his expression stony. "What are you now, a Muggle-lover? Did you forget that they raped and tortured Ariana at the age of six?"

"No, I haven't forgotten," Aberforth said in a tone that was almost as cold as Albus'. "And I'm not a Muggle-lover. I'm saying that these ideas - this idea that you and Grindelwald are going to rule over them and take away their freedoms is not like you. The words coming out of your mouth are Grindelwald's."

"Freedom is appraised too highly," Albus said with a glare. "Freedom. They're just Muggles. I'm not saying they deserve pain; I'm just saying that they are inferior. We were meant to rule. They need someone telling them what to do, because they can't help themselves. They are like children. They cannot handle total freedom. You can't blame them; it isn't their fault, but it is what it is. In our society, the Muggles would never have done that to Ariana because they'll know we're superior and they cannot hurt us. Gellert and I are going to change the world for the better. You'll see."

Aberforth just looked back at him in shock.

Albus, Gellert, and Aberforth all froze as soon as they saw Ariana's body fall to the ground. Aberforth was the first to come to his senses and he started shaking her still frame. She wasn't moving. She wasn't responding. Albus was quite certain that his younger brother was shouting, but Albus couldn't hear him over the ringing in his ears.

Albus fell to the floor and crawled over to his motionless sister on his hands and knees. He was only dimly aware that Gellert was running away. Albus' hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold his wand and say, "Ennervate." It was no use.

And Gellert was gone.

Gellert was running away because, at this moment, he was afraid of Albus Dumbledore for the first time.

Albus was sitting crisscrossed in front of his mother's and sister's headstone. He was shaky because the last time he had eaten was before he was discharged from St. Mungo's nearly two full days ago, but he did not care. It was getting close to four in the morning and he had not slept. Instead, he sat before their graves pleading internally for forgiveness. He still did not know where Aberforth was. Gellert was probably halfway around the world hunting for the Elder Wand by now, and Albus begged that Gellert never find it.

I'm sorry. What have I become? I'm sorry.

A/N: Uh, well, that was depressing. The next chapter may be funny; I haven't decided yet. There's one thing I want to write about, but it's kinda crackficy-ish again. I don't know if I should do it. I know a lot of shy people are following this story/have favorited it. So what do you guys think?