Dumbledore and Grindewald: The Love that Never Was

Albus had been practicing spells with Gellert for hours.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried, watching Gellert's wand sour into the air. Gellert gave a slight sneer that may have seemed cruel to anyone else, but Albus knew to be Gellert's way of expressing amusement. As Gellert strode over to pick up his fallen wand, Gellert's blond hair gently floated in the light, mesmerizing Albus for just a moment. The Sun was just dropping below the horizon, and it cast an orange slow around Gellert, eerie in an almost pleasant way. Sparks seemed to flicker around the boy.

"Albus?" called Gellert. Albus shook himself out of his reverie, pushing back his auburn tresses with his hand.

"Good thing this wasn't a real duel," said Albus quickly, making up for his momentary quietude. "You would've been blasted to smithereens". Gellert raised his eyebrows. He had a peculiar habit of raising one before the other. Albus had found it strange at first, but grew quite fond of the practice, trying without success to emulate it.

"All right, once more. I'll bet you a gallon I win," said Gellert. He picked up his wand and gracefully sprung up onto his feet, ready for battle. With one hand, Gellert carelessly tossed a gold coin out of his pocket onto the ground. Albus did the same, flipping his brown hair back. Both boys were casual in their actions, but they knew that underneath the seeming nonchalance lay a competition as real as any Quidditch World Cup or adult duel.

Gellert brushed his bangs behind his ears, eyes focusing on Albus's with an intensity that seemed to slow the world around him. Albus envied Gellert's focus, though he had the raw magical talent to rival Gellert's. The Sun was just half in the sky now and Gellert seemed a silhouette, curls waving in the gentle breeze and those ever focused eyes, staring intently...

"Imperio!" Albus's blue eyes widened in surprise as he heard Gellert's words fling through the air in a deep voice that made every bone in Albus's body shiver. Casually, Gellert shifted his wand, eyes regarding the other boy as no more than an animal or an object. Suddenly, a great and artificial happiness filled Albus as the spell took hold. The world was lovely and full of life; Albus dimly glanced over at the blond boy. In Albus's now sparkling, spell induced eyes, Gellert's sneer and expression of carelessness became a sincere smile, beckoning to him. Albus was under complete control of Gellert, for a moment; it was a feeling he enjoyed immensely.

Albus, still in an opiet-like shock, spun around in a circle as he was commanded so by Gellert, who flicked his wand with a nonchalance that was reflected in his eyes. Only a moment was Albus under the curse before he wrenched himself free. The fuzzy feeling which had accompanied the Imperius curse disappeared and Albus's knees buckled. He fell to the ground, shaking. Albus's hands rummaged through the grass, desperately clutching at something, anything to hold onto.

Gellert knelt down by his friend.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice betraying concern.

"I...I'm fine," muttered Albus, not meeting Gellert's eyes. "I was just off my guard."

"Good," replied a relieved Gellert, who casually collected the two golden Galleons still lying on the ground. The immensity of what Gellert had done rose up in Albus's mind.

"You can't do that," he said quietly. Then, louder, "You can't do that!"

"What?" asked Gellert.

"That curse is illegal. You could get sent to Azkaban for it." Gellert laughed; a sound as peculiar and enthralling to Albus as the curse that had just been inflicted upon him.

"It's not illegal if no one finds out about it." Albus caught a glimpse of Gellert's deeply focused eyes and found his voice had been suddenly yanked out of his throat. Gellert misinterpreted Albus's silence as brooding, and he sat down beside the boy.

"Hey, nothing meant by it," replied Gellert, which Albus knew to be his way of apologizing. They sat there for a few minutes watching the Sun go down until all that was left in the sky was a pink glow. They chatted for a while, first about Quidditch and attractive wizard girls. They slowly moved onto serious matters: the role of muggles in the world, how to gain power and what to do with it once gained.

Albus grew aware of the body heat surrounding Gellert. His quick mind easily responded to anything the blond wizard said, but Albus secretly focused on more trivial matters: the pink sparks that flickered in Gellert's eyes, the way Gellert wiped the bangs off his forehead, the sound of his voice... Unawares, Gellert chatted on, and a wisp of hair fell over his forehead. In what felt like a trance, Albus slowly moved his hand to Gellert's forehead and swept the soft blond hair away. Gellert gave an impulsive jump, whipping his head around to face Albus.

"What was..." Gellert clumsily questioned, his hand possessively touching the streak of blond that had originally misplaced itself.

"Nothing!" answered Albus quickly. "It was just bothering me... You and your stupid yellow hair, it looks like you've got a cornstalk on your head". Gellert sat back, but he did not completely relax.

"I've got to go to bed," said Gellert. "Lots to do tomorrow...you know".

"Yeah, me too," responded Albus careful not to let his voice betray disappointment. The two boys got up and walked separate ways. Just before entering his house, Albus stole a glance back as Gellert's shimmering curls danced in the breeze.