Until I Found You

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When Albus arrived at their meeting place, Gellert was already there. He also had a small suitcase with him and began to smile when he saw Albus.

"Hey" he called delightedly and came up to Albus, he put his hand to Albus's neck to kiss him, but Albus automatically backed away. "Not here" Albus muttered and looked around frightened, no one was to be seen but he didn't want to be seen.

Gellert just nodded and took Albus by the hand "I'm still allowed to do that though, aren't I?" He asked, but Albus heard his sarcastic undertone and was relieved. "Yes" he confirmed and continued "Where do we actually want to go? Where do we want to start our journey?" "I don't want to talk so openly here," Gellert replied, lowering his voice. "We're going north for now and as inconspicuously as possible, there's a train leaving at half past eleven in a few minutes, we'll take that and once we're out of it I can tell you more" Albus nodded as a sign that he agreed and together hand in hand they made their way towards the station in the ordinary way.

They entered the train and had their own compartment. They sat down next to each other and it wasn't long before Albus fell asleep. The last few hours had been a lot for him. He had never before left his family alone and set off in an undetermined direction. So far it had always been Hogwarts, but there he was pursuing a goal and was tied to one place. This time it was different, he didn't know where their journey was taking them and he wasn't sure Gellert did. Caught off guard by serving thoughts, Albus did finally find sleep. His head fell on Gellert's shoulder and his eyes closed softly. The blond wizard took a great enjoyment in the sleeping image of his fellow traveller. He placed his right hand gently on Albus' head and ran it through his auburn hair, which still felt as soft as the last time.

Gellert could hardly get enough of the sight, and his chest swelled with pride. This was his sweet little friend and the most precious thing in his eyes. He had always wanted a companion, and now he had found one. Gellert hadn't planned that part about love, but it only turned out to be another plus in his eyes.

Gellert, unlike Albus, couldn't find any sleep, the area was too unsafe for him and the muggle smell was creeping up his nose. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at his trunk, with a click it opened and a book flew out into Gellert's hands. It had neither a title nor a cover. From the outside, the book seemed very unimportant, but it was Gellert's notes on the Deathly Hallows, which he had made during his time at Durmstrang. This book was his pride and joy, apart from Albus, it was a collection of all his research and they would finally come to fruition.

Gellert opened the page to the Elder Wand and began to read. It contained every bit of information, from Antioch Paverell, the first owner of the wand to Loxias, who took the wand from Barnabas Deverill, a powerful wizard. And it was to this Loxias that they would travel, because this was where the trail was lost. Although Gellert was quite sure that Loxias was no longer alive, they might still find clues that would turn out to be useful.

The landscape flew past the window and turned into an increasingly green and hilly environment. After a short while, the train came to a halt; they had reached their destination. Gellert could hardly bring himself to wake his friend and so he gently shook him awake. "Albus, we're here," he whispered and Albus's clear blue eyes came to life. He blinked twice until Gellert grabbed his hand and pulled him up, leaving the train with him.

They stood all alone in the middle surrounded by green hills. Gellert closed his eyes and sucked in the air. "Wonderful," he said and a smile appeared on his face. Albus looked at him and it made him happy to see Gellert like this. He had never been this satisfied in Godric's Hollow, you could always tell he had felt trapped somehow. But here he looked free, no houses confining him and no laws forbidding his magical powers.

"Where are we going now?" Albus asked, looking around. There was nothing to be seen for miles, they were standing in the middle of the wasteland. But Gellert only murmured a "Come along" in reply and so Albus had no choice but to follow him.

They followed a path through the meadows for quite a while, the sun was high in the sky by now and the two wizards had to cool down with their wands. In contrast to Godric's Hollow, summer had already set in here and the crickets around them were chirping. Even though the surroundings around them looked the same to Albus, Gellert seemed to be finding his way around. Eventually they reached the edge of a forest, which finally gave them shade, and Albus settled exhausted against a tree. He had not expected them to travel in this way and so had taken neither food nor drink with him.

"Are you thirsty?" came from Gellert, who saw his friend suffering. Albus just nodded and Gellert knelt down to him. "Open your mouth," he commanded in a gentle tone and raised his wand. Albus did as he was told. "Aguamenti," Gellert murmured and immediately Albus's throat grew moist again. With a wave of his hand he indicated to Gellert that he had had enough to drink and he lowered his wand directly "It's not far now, just through this forest, and then there should be a small village stretching out at the foot of it." "You still haven't told me what exactly you intend to do. Who lives in this village? Who or what are we looking for?" At this question Gellert looked around furtively "We are looking for the Elder Wand, and in this village the trail got lost. The last known owner is Loxias. Although I assume he's already dead, since he didn't exactly try to cover up his possession, I'm sure we'll come across another lead here." Albus nodded and with renewed vigour, now that he knew their destination, he stood up and gestured for Gellert to go first.

After what felt like an hour, they had finally crossed the forest and a small old wizarding village lay at their feet. Albus was so overwhelmed by the sight, as he had hardly seen another village except his own, that Gellert's gaze escaped him. The latter looked down on the village with an almost hungry and greedy gaze. A surge of power and an irresistible feeling of greed spread through him. This might be the first village that he and Albus could take up in their pursuit of the greater good of their position. And for a brief moment, his eyes lit up brightly.

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