Hello everybody, thanks for reading my Story!

xoxo Leviosa, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 30

"You really believe in this, do you? In your little world with your sweet fluffy romance and your beasts that you can ban in to your case. As if the world was so naive, as if you would get your happy end, just because you fight for it", he heard Grindelwald laugh. "At least we've got something to fight for, you just have the greater good or emptiness", Newt said. Clearly, the dark wizard did not like that. He moved his wand in strange circles and summoned walls of blue fiend fire so much more than ever before, in the sky. Newt had never ever seen something similar in his whole life. He nervously tried to open his suitcase, but failed the first time. Theseus would hold his back, he would protect him until he was ready. Newt really tried to concentrate, but the duel in the back of his head made him too scared. Too scared, his hands were shaking too much too actually open the case. Stupor. Protego. Imperio. Depulso. Crucio. Reductio. Too many spells and the noise of Theseus blocking all of them. But he would not be able to do this for hours. Newt awaited the clicking sound of the open case, but nothing ever came. "Oh come on!", he shouted at the case, which was answered by the sound an angry niffler makes when he really does not feel the need to leave his home. Click. One move, and Pickett, the bowtruckle, had opened the suitcase. He quickly went through a list of creatures that could help him in his situation. An erumpent was too friendly, a demiguise was too invisible and too shy, a dragon would only make more fire and would not solve the problem at all, the demiguise did not seem to be a solution either. But he accidentally closed the suitcase in fear and shook, because Grindelwalds voice now had been made magically louder. "I said: you can't fight me. I own the elder wand and you will have to die. But I don't want to be an evil animal torture person", Grindelwald said, with a wink of his wand, he held the case in his hands. And all the hope Newt had ever had was now gone.

Now, that he was able to look at the things happening, he saw that Theseus was nodding at him, full of sweat and ash from the fire. He wanted him to do something. But what was he supposed to do? Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. This was the only really advanced auror spell Theseus had ever taught him, because he knew that Newt hated learning defensive magic. Grindelwald did not have the shadow of mercy in his different colored eyes. "What are you going to do now? You know, you both believing in yourselves is a little sweet, but come on, we all know that violence is not a resolution. You can't win against me and I don't want to kill you. Just come on my side and I will reward you, make you my highest followers, my equals. But if you still fight... If you still try to resist... And if you are lying in front of me, dead", he waited a second, and then smiled, but this time it was not the smile of the angel, he was the devil on the inside and the outside. The worst thing about this whole duel was that Newt had the heavy feeling that Grindelwald was far ahead of them. And that he would have no problem with killing them. "Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?", Gellert Grindelwald whispered, still this dark smile on his lips. Newt would have never seen it coming, the aggression with which he almost threw his wand into their direction. But instead of his wand falling into Theseus hands, a wall out of blue fiend fire was flying into their direction. Newt knew that he would die, if he did not act fast now. He could not even exchange a look with Theseus, he piled his wand into the sand under them, trying to lay there, so the spell would not hit them. "Protego Maxima", he heard himself shout, and so did Theseus. Newt saw the shield around them build up, and he saw the fire coming into their direction, nearer and nearer. Newt now understood, he would never be able to win against Grindelwald. He would never ever be able to, and he hoped that Tina would not cry over his dead body, because he did not want her to hurt because of him. The fiend fire broke the protection shield in pieces and it haunted the stone steps, for a living being, someone to burn. Newt closed his eyes and whispered to Theseus: "I wanted to congratulate you on marrying Leta. You deserve her more than anyone" He tried to wish that afterlife would not be as painful as his death in a few seconds. Newt tasted the sand in his mouth, the sweat on his skin, his heart beating faster than ever, before it would stop beating at all, in the next few seconds. He felt the heat burning on his skin...

"Maybe he will, but not today"

"Lestrange, Leta" It was the beginning of everything, the fight against herself and for the traditions of her family. The eleven-year-old Leta sat down, the sorting hats voice filled her whole head. You're an... interesting person, I must say, it said into her brain. In my years as a hat, I have never seen someone that was so... In war with his own personality. You want freedom, but cage your own mind. You have the potential to be brave you know, to do things nobody ever dared to do. And to fight your own demons... But you have to be brave to do so, really brave. If you hesitate any longer, if you still believe in the old traditions, if you refuse to realize what your family has done to you... It's your decision, Leta. "I don't want to betray my family", she whispered, but in the same second, she realized that they had betrayed her her whole life. Her father had abandoned her brother, he had left her mother just because pureblood was more important to him than love. He did not care about her, he just cared about his reputation. The only real family she had ever had probably starved on the steps of an orphanage. She should be brave. But everything that held her back was too heavy. She was not ready to leave, not now. And until she was ready, she would try to bear the pain, the memories, control it, like er father wanted her to. Slytherin!, screamed the hat, but before Leta stood up, she whispered to the sorting hat: "I'll leave them, some day. I'll be brave. The brave SLytherin" It was the beginning of everything, of all the things she wanted to forget.

"Who are you?", she asked him. She knew that the boy cowering next to her, on the couch, was Newts brother, because he looked so similar to him, but something was different. She knew him from the years she had stayed with Newt at Christmas, but she had never asked his brother for his name. What a stupid best friend she was. Leta was freezing, even though they were sitting next to the fireplace. "I'm Theseus. You can have my jacket", he explained and handed her his jacket without thinking too long. Her brain told her that she should refuse, that he was Newts brother. And she was just his younger brothers best friend. But she was freezing, she had an excuse. She had an excuse to look at him. "Thank you.", she whispered, not knowing why she was whispering. Theseus looked directly into her face, understanding in his eyes. "It's Christmas, you shouldn't thank me for anything, Newt would do the same thing and more", Theseus murmured. Letas brain told her to watch the snow outside the window falling down, but her eyes did not move, they stayed where they were, looking at her feet on the wooden floor, slowly touching Theseus feet. It was Christmas, Christmas... Credence birthday. She first noticed the tears as they made her socks wet. "My brother... He's probably dead now, today would be his birthday but...", she heard her sobbing, her father would now shout at her because she could not control herself. But Theseus took her hands, he didn't say anything, but it was more than Leta needed, he made her feel better, just with his existence. Just with his warm hands touching her skin, even though she did not really know him, he was there for her. "Hey. I will stay here. I won't leave you. You don't have a brother now. But Newt is there for you, always. And I can be there for you, if you want me to.", Theseus voice next to her ear, as he was hugging her. Leta had no one that really cared about her, no one except Newt and this boy that was there for her, even though she had never done anything for him. The tears stopped some time after, as she ran out of them, but what was left was Theseus, who held her. Even Newt needed some sleep, even Newt had to make breaks. And Theseus gave her everything he could afford to give her. And even though she would never be able to love Newt the same way as Theseus, she did not need to. She loved Newt, but she loved him as the brother she had never had And later she would think back to this day. That Newt slept all day because he stayed up the whole night before, that she met Theseus in the lonely living room. They met a few nights and again, Leta could only sleep when he saw his face. And she kissed him, in the middle of the night, in the dark. It had been their secret, only them and the despair in their both hearts. The desire of freedom and the only one that was there for her, in this mess of feelings. She didn't want to kiss him, not intentionally. They were both too tired to move, staying in each others arms. If Leta had had enough tears left, she would have probably still cried. But she couldn't and still Theseus understood her, the quiet scream of being freed of all the pain. His words burnt in her head, for eternity. "You want to forget? Just for a moment. And then you'll go back to reality, because you are strong, Leta. You are the strongest girl I know", Theseus murmured, his head next to her mouth. His lips touched her mouth and really, for a moment, she forgot everything around her.

Newt had been everything to her, the only example of true love she would have ever thought of. But now, as she heard Newt screaming Tinas name, seeing the smile on her face, she realized that true love was not always giving everything you had to someone, it was not this destroying, all taking love, the love she shared with Newt. It was holding her, when she needed only him and only him. Leta thought back to the day, when she had only been sixteen, the Christmas before Newt was expelled from Hogwarts. Maybe Theseus really was her true love. And this time she believed that it had been the right decision to choose him over Newt.

"Why are all the brothers so stupid? I mean, if I would meet death I wouldn't ask for something that could bring back death or that stuff. Also, I would imply into the wish that there are no ulterior motives on deaths side, I mean I would let him swear that there is no trick behind it and that it will work and that I won't die. I mean, everything else would just be stupid and I get that the third brother was the smartest, but choosing a cloak? What hallow would you choose, if you could?", Gellert asked him. Albus thought too much about everything, but this time, he had no answer. "I mean... Either the wand or the stone. You know... To get back my mother, but I know that it is the wrong answer. I know that it is wrong to try that, Gellert, I know. It's just... If you love someone so much that you want nothing more in the world to see them again? I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like that it is the noblest of the three. The cloak is the wisest, but in the end, you are just hiding from death, like a coward. And the elder wand is the one who is the most usable. But... I want to say the stone. Just because I feel like it really does what you want it to do: it unites you with your loved ones, even if it means killing you. Gellert... Do you believe in true love?", Albus voice did not feel louder than a whisper. Gellert looked at him, one blink with his silver eye, then he looked away, before he began to speak. "I don't know. Do you? Define "true love". Is it the cheesy thing people talk about in romance novels? Or is it sacrificing your life for someone, you love, someone who is already dead, but you know that the only thing you can d to prove your love, the only thing you can do now to honor them, is prevent others from dishonoring them? Is true love the story of the second brother or is it just madness? Or is true love choosing someone over everybody else, over the world, over everything you want to achieve, every day, all over again? Maybe it is. And maybe did the second brother die the noblest death, die to see love again. But I don't think he died out of true love, Albus. Because if I,,,", Gellert stared at his shoes, his ears a little pink, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before he continued: "Killing yourself is not the death of a hero, even though some heroes died this way. I would never kill myself, Albus. Not even if... I hate what I am saying, I sound so stupid, but it has to be said, because if I don't say it, you won't know. I would not kill myself, even if you die. I would die for you, but I would not kill myself just to see you again. Because you wouldn't want me to die like this and I wouldn't want me to die like that. I would die for you, Albus, I would die to save you, but I believe that the only deathly hallow desirable to achieve is the elder wand, because it doesn't... It makes you unbeatable, but it doesn't give you false promises. The stone makes you see your loved ones again, but it makes you mad. And the cloak... it waits on you, it waits for you to die someday, for you to be bored with life. I wouldn't want a life like that.
Many died because of the elder wands powers, because they overestimated their skills. But knowing it makes you choose it, because you have a choice. You only choose the stone because you are desperate to see someone again, you decide to take the cloak because you want to be invisible, because of your own fear of others or your wit. Whatever, I am probably just talking nonsense. What I wanted to say was... Albus, true love is what you make it to be, just like we are making theories up about the three brothers. And you know if you believe in something, you make it come true", Gellert murmured, but something in his voice made Albus think that being seer revealed more than he wanted to tell him. There always was some truth in Gellerts words, even though he tried to hide it, the lies couldn't cover up the fact that he was a seer and that some of the things he said would come true. He knew more than he wanted to and this secret knowledge that it broke him. Broken but beautiful. Maybe that was Albus problem, not that he saw the good in people but that he saw their flaws too.

"Nice to meet you, I am...", he begun, but got interrupted by the woman in front of him. "You are Albus Dumbledore, transfiguration and defense against the dark arts' teacher at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry, Yes, I know who you are, Sir, and I know why you are here. But you won't find what you search for, Professor Dumbledore. I cannot answer any of your questions. The answers are inside you."