The untold Story of Grindelwald and Dumbledore

Chapter 16 - A cloak for Ariana

I was a little torn between finally sharing our great sucess with my brother Aberforth (I could not imagine that anyone could lack the fascination for our discoveries) and spending every minute with Gellert. Usually I choose the latter because like before it felt like I had found my soulmate. For the first time in my life whenever we held one of our discussions About advanced magic (I was particulary interested in the Advantages of Dragon blood and was considering to start a paper about it. Maybe I could even use our search for the Deadly Hallows study trip) our analyses could get so adventurous that I had to go back or ask something because I did not understand everything. Gellert sometimes felt the same. It was a great experience to test these limits and cross the borders of our minds.

We had finally decided to start our search in Bulgaria with Gregorowitch. It was not to be expected that he would freely give us such an amazing object and neither Gellert who had been expelled from Durmstrang nor I who had no partents anymore would have enough money to buy it. We did not really name it because it was much more exciting to make considerations and plan the route but I was expecting that stealing the wand would be the only possibility left in the end. In weak moments I was taking notes on a letter that I would probably leave with the wandmaker to tell him for what reasons we had stolen from him and that we planned to make the world a better place. Sometimes in the evening I would question a little if gaining power over the muggle world and free the wizards from their life in secret was the right motive but Gellert would kiss me then, tell me that he shared those thoughts and that we would do the most amazing things. Wizards have the ability to heal in a way that muggles have never even considered. They have this weird illness called Tuberculosis hundreds and thousands of people are dying of it. This could be healed with and easy vanishing spell or with Dragon blood maybe. I did some experiments with Fire Salamanders to get a first impression which was not very successful but we will continue to work on this, wont we? Ehenever we did not talk we could not keep the smallest distance. Every silence was answered with a kiss, with a stroke, with a blink. Sometimes I almost felt like we would share our minds, like I could feel what Gellert felt and the other way round. Even though everything of this was pure happiness to me I tried my best to pass by at home at least once a day. Gellert and I did never forget that the relationship we had, even though the word love seemed far too weak for it, was still considered illegal and unfitting. I was not well informed about this in the wizarding world but in a muggle society as Glodrics Hollow mostly was it was a crime. Therefore I tried to hide from Aberforth as much as I could and not make Bathilds Bagshot mistrustful. I was not sure if Aberforth would run to the village and tell everyone in an act of rage or if Bathilda might get chitchatty during one of her coffee-afternoons in the city. Sometimes she would see Gellert and me come from the forest together where we had been practicing and spent some beautiful hours. She would beam at me and tell me how great the two of us were doibg and how happy she was that I had found such a good friend in Lerty when my situation at the moment was bad enough. She could not even guess my happiness about such a good friend in my life.

After Gregorowith it was decided to either find more wandmakers if I had been wrong and the wand was not with him. If we were right on the other hand I would return to Hogwarts afterwards to try out my guessings on the remains of the Chamber of Secrets. As the few wizarding schools in the world had some contact with one another we assumed that Gellerts expel was probably heard of at Hogwards and we would do no good to it if he would accompany me. Instead Gellert would try to get a hold of some family trees. If we ever wanted to find the cloak of invisibility we would have to track down the family in which it should have been passed on to this very day if one could even partially believe the fairytale. Unfortunately these oldest family trees were savely locked away in Gringotts. I was glad that my friend was so brave and try to find a way on his own to get into the vaults. His aunt had a vault there so getting in would at least partially work out. For now all I could do to help him was collecting all informations possible on the vaults of Gringotts and how past burglaries had failed. None of did pay much interest to the abilities of this cloak. Both of us were good enough at hiding ourselves. But it would complete the three Hallows undeniably.

What the fuck are you doing here? Aberforth stromed into Arianas room. It was late evening and I had left Gellert to cook something for my little sister. She had told me that she had not been eating all day long. That and her dusty apron had filled me with guilt. The dinner had been as large as I dared with our limited money and I had even washed the apron with some soap. Ariana had helped me and it turned out that in the past weeks she had gotten fairly good at doing the laundry. Aberforth is great but he has a hand for spilling the water., she whispered to me and laughed. So I have to do it my self because you are not always here. Another wave of guilt washed over me but I shoved it away. Ariana had smiled and laughed. She was in good shape. Now was not the time to worry so I decided to go to her room and built a pillow-fortress with her. More than once my hand flinched towards my wand to fix something just before I remembered that this could end disastrous. If Ariana had seemed a little bit slim Aberforth was bony. His long nose stuck out from a sharp face. There is still some soup in the pot. I informed him. He looked surprised. Have you eaten?, he asked carefully. I nodded and his eyes grew even larger. How much have you cooked? It was meant to be a surprise., I answered. He shook his head. And tomorrow the surprise will be that ther wont be anything at all., he muffled but left anyways to help himself to some dinner. I had some strange feeling that he was limping. I would deal with that later.

After I had put my sister to bed I went down into the kitchen. What did you say earlier?, I asked as calmly as I could. The mood tonight was not too bad and I did not want to risk it. We are running out of money brother., he told me without hesitation. The term will start in one month and I need my books. I can send Ariana food from Hogwarts but you will need a job. I can send Ariana food. Well it was probably my own fault that he did not bother about me the slightest bit. I will have a job., I told him. He was still shoving soup into his mouth so I guessed this a good time to tell him about our plans. I will be a politician. He coughed. What? I sad down opposite my brother. I think I have found a way how we can change some things about the situation of wizards worldwide right now. I smiled. You mean you and your blondie friend., he answered. Dont take all the credits for yourself Albus. What does this mean for Ariana. His sidekick hurt but I continued: Aberforth I might be away for some time. I need to find some things. You will be in Hogwarts and Ariana might stay with Bathilda, dont you think? Gellert is asking her probably right now. Aberforth spat the soup to the table. You are mad Albus, fucking mad are you. Now it was my turn to get a little angry. Ariana is in good shape Ab. She wont make any problems.

No Albus Ariana will not make problems because she is the most gentle and nice girl that ever lived., pride spoke from his tone. But sometimes there is that thing in her and thats what makes problems.

But the thing is not there right now., I shouted.

You just dont know it because you are never there., my brother screamed.

You dont know how it is in some nights, how it can be in the morning when I light up a fire. Flickering flames that drives her mad. She is freezing sometimes. He pushed up the leg of his trouser and a large, black bruise over all his knee was blooming there. Thats what happens and thats the best of it. Havent you recognized the missing vase? The crack in the mirror? The burnt hook in the floor? Of course you have not. It was alarming what he told me but we had gotten too far with the Deadly Hallows to stop here an now. There was no way back. I grapped my brothers hands and pinned them to the table. He used to be stronger built than me but his lack of weight had made him less string. I had the alarming feeling that he did pass some meals in favour of Ariana. Aberforth among the things I am searching is a cloak. It stroke me like a sudden flash of realization. This cloak can literally hide anything. That thing in Ariana: No one will see it. I promise. Maybe she wont even see it herself. It wont bother anything. Aberforth exploded. YOU WANT TO HIDE YOUR SISTER JUST BECAUSE SHE IS NOT THE PERFECT LITTLE TOY YOU CAN TOSS AROUND THE WAY YOU NEED IT? No Ab you dont understand. OH I UNDERSTAND ALBUS. YOU ARE A BASTARD. GO; RUN OFF WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.