Here's the third chapter of the Tragedy of Albus Dumbledore. It took me a while to get started, because of my exams and a tour. This chapter is a little bit more expository than the two previous ones, but that's a necessary evil, I guess. Hope you like it. Chapter 4 will follow soon.
Chapter III
"Uhm, where would you like to go next?" Albus asked tentatively.
"Surprise me." Replied Grindelwald, not looking at Albus.
They were sitting under the shade of a tree on the banks of the tiny stream that flowed through the Western edge of Godric's Hollow. The water flowed golden, reflecting the slowly darkening evening sky, a light breeze ruffling the leaves of the tree. The day hadn't gone as magnificently as Albus had hoped. He had wanted to make a good impression on Grindelwald, something he usually didn't have to put any conscious effort into, but he seemed to have dropped the ball. They had visited the ancient chapel in the village, and the Griffindor Manor, which was once home to Godric Griffindor. They had gone down into the village and tried out a few delicacies from the best bakers. He had shown Grindelwald the ruins of an old mill, which was the site of the infamous mass burnings of seven witches during the witch-hunt. But Albus knew that none of this had been enough to spark much interest in Grindelwald. Though he had put on an interested face throughout, Albus could easily discern the dawning disappointment in his eyes.
He was desperate now. Albus had never felt such an urge to impress and please someone in his life before, having always been an awe-inducing figure throughout. Now, though, he wanted to leave a lasting impression on this foreigner with the stunning face and piercing eyes so that he would be interested in having Albus as his companion for as long as he was planning on staying here. He thought frantically, trying to summon some place, something that might kindle interest in Grindelwald. And then, all of a sudden in a moment of clarity, it came to him. It was unorthodox, but he was ready to take that risk.
"Come with me." He said, standing up suddenly. Grindelwald looked at him incredulously.
"Where are we going?" He asked, as he too stood up, patting down his robes.
"It's a surprise." Albus replied, a coy smile appearing on his face.
Grindelwald grinned back. He slid his hand into Albus's (whose heart skipped several beats) and with a slight pop, they disapparated.
As his feet hit solid ground again Grindelwald looked up and an involuntary groan escaped his mouth. They were standing in front of the chapel.
"No, we're not going in there again." Albus said, reading what was on his mind. He led Grindelwald to the back and through the old iron-gate into the cemetery. With assured steps, he walked Grindelwald between the many graves, old and new, until they stood before a very old and faded tombstone. Grindelwald looked at Albus, and then at the tombstone. And then he grinned as he saw the sign etched on it, that of a triangle encircling a sphere, with a vertical line slashing right through the middle. Albus too smiled, relief washing through him.
"I see you recognize the symbol." He said.
"Indeed, and I am pleased to see that you too are a believer." Grindelwald replied, his eyes fixed on the symbol on the stone.
"The Deathly Hallows." They said in unison.
"This is Ignotus Peverell's grave, isn't it? I can't really make out what's written" said Grindelwald.
"Yes, the youngest Peverell brother rests here." Albus replied.
"I have been searching for some time for a true believer, someone like me, and here we are by the grave of one of the Peverells. A master of one of the Hallows." Grindelwald said,a strange glint appearing in his eyes.
"The Hallows have been on my mind for a while too, my friend." Grindelwald looked at Albus as he said this. Albus knew, then, that this would be the foundation of their camaraderie; the Deathly Hallows.
The next days were spent on animated discussions on the tale of the Hallows. Albus and Grindelwald spent hours exchanging ideas on how much was history and how much was myth. They had agreed early on that the three Peverall brothers were in fact the trio described in the morality tale by the Bard. The myth that the Hallows were gifts from Death himself was obviously cooked up later on by the fanciful imaginations of those who either coveted the Hallows too much, or by those who didn't want others to go looking out for these dangerous objects. The three Hallows, the Resurrection Stone, the Cloak of Invisibility and the Elder Wand, were individually quite famous, particularly the latter two, and had exchanged hands a few too many times over the years, but had never been held by any single person. It was the dream of the Hallow Believers that to unite the three Hallows made one the Master of Death.
Of the Hallows, the most notorious was the Elder Wand, alternatively known as the Deathstick or the Wand of Destiny, which was the most conspicuous because of its tendency to change hands every so often in some sinister way. Its bloody history was smeared across wizarding history. The Resurrection Stone, capable of summoning the dead, had vanished soon after Cadmus killed himself in despair. The Cloak of Invisibility, the least sought of all the Hallows, was apparently handed down the generations as a family heirloom, and no one knew where it was now.
The Hallows fascinated both Albus and Grindelwald deeply. Not only were they part of the greatest wizarding legacies, but they also had some personal motives behind seeking them. They had discussed and dissected the known history and speculations of the various locations of the Hallows. They spent the days going around the village, and sometimes to London and other places, where they thought they could catch up on clues to the location of the Hallows, and also looking up the histories and genealogies of the Peverell brothers, which all seemed to vanish after several generations. At night, it wasn't abnormal if either of them sent a discreet owl to the other, regardless of the hour, in order to share some new idea or lead they had stumbled upon.
Presently, they were in Bagshot House, in Grindelwald's room. Grindelwald was pacing the room, his face scrunched up as he was deep in thought. Albus was sitting on a chair beside the table, his head propped on the arm that was resting on the table-top.
"The Deathly Hallows, in our hands, would be invaluable Albus. You know it to be true", he was saying, and looked at Albus and noticed him ogling at him, looking away suddenly as his eyes caught Grindelwald's gaze. Albus blushed. Grindelwald smiled to himself.
"Yes, that is true Gellert. But what would we do with them?" Albus asked, trying to calm down his thundering heart which had jumped into his throat when Grindelwald had caught him staring.
"Look at us, Albus. We're extraordinary. We're incomparable. We deserve more than our feeble existence. We must use our prodigious powers for the betterment of the Wizards, Albus. It is our task, our destiny, our duty. We've been gifted with such incredible intellect for guiding the Wizarding community to a marvelous new dawn." He said, his face transported, a wild and primal expression lighting up his normally serene face, born from his incontrovertible belief that he was destined for greatness. Albus couldn't help but admire, as Grindelwald was voicing a few of his own suppressed opinions, his own feeling of being underwhelmed by his circumstances. "Masters of Death, Grindelwald and Dumbledore" said Albus, and he saw a sudden image of Gellert and himself, arm-in-arm, as they led the whole wizarding community to its inevitable fortunes.
"Yes, Masters of Death. And for that we must have the Hallows. The Most powerful wand in the universe can be a potent tool in our hands. We'll be invincible, unbeatable. We will lead the revolution, Albus." He said. It was evident that Grindelwald had been developing these thoughts for some time, and he was just itching for a chance to spring into action and set the events for his glorious rise into motion.
"We will, together, bring wizards out of their self-imposed hiding." He continued, his eyes locked on Albus. "Too long have we hidden from the eyes of the lowly muggles, too long have we persevered in silence. We, who are inferior to them in every way, must establish the new order. Wizards will come out and live openly in the world as they deserve, as masters and not as scared children. No more hiding, no more scurrying like sewer rats." There was anger and deep resentment in his voice, and a certain malice in his handsome face that gave it a sinister edge. As he listened, transfixed, unbidden thoughts formed in his own mind. For the first time in his life, Albus felt an inkling of anger towards the muggles. Why did they have to hide from those weak persecutors, just because muggles didn't understand Magic? He knew just how vile muggles can be. His sister Ariana was living proof of their prejudiced cruelty. When he thought of the injustice meted out on poor Ariana, locked up in her own house for her own and others' safety, his blood boiled and his eyes burned. Suddenly, he felt and unprecedented hate sprout in him. May be it was just a germ of all that he had suppressed deep within him all these years, the resentment, the injustice, the anger of it all, but he wanted to see the muggles bow before him and watch his sister run free again, a careless child, cheerfull and boundless. He stood up.
"We will Gellert. We will. They will prostrate themselves before us."
There was a new resolve in his voice. Grindelwald had never seen this side of Albus. His face was glowing, his piercing blue eyes glittering with the intense emotions wresting behind them. His whole form was transformed; he looked unnerving and radiant. Grindelwald felt, for the first time in his life, that he was face to face with his match, and perhaps even more. It was unsettling for him, but at once exhilarating. Albus's eyes dug into Grindelwald's, both standing there in that moment of incredibly new and disconcerting emotions.
And then, he stepped forward and kissed Albus.