Grindeldore // The Hallows That Divide Us

~13~

Godric's Hollow (1898)

The darkness had been a second nature to Gellert. Summer had always felt like winter because of the brisk wind that flourished the quaint town that Albus and he called home.

It was nice. Just the two of them.

The darkness had not pushed away the solidarity that they shared. Individual from the rest of the world. The world that they would soon conquer together.

Gellert had quickly grabbed Albus' hand, dragging him through the trees and the stones in the graveyard like weave poles that a small animal could be trained to avoid.

Albus was laughing to himself. The warm touch of Gellert's hand was a change in the atmosphere, feeling more at home than he'd ever felt before.

"Speed up, Albus. You're gonna miss it!"

They ran faster and faster into the depths of the graveyard, soon coming out near the back where the vast tree-line started.

It was beautiful. The moonlight highlighting the dark silhouettes that cascaded down from the trees.

Albus was in awe of the surrounding beauty...and the trees aswell!! Because the true beauty he was looking at was still grasping onto his hand.

When they arrived at the tree-line. The darkness was more apparent than it had been, because as the moonlight shone down, the width beyond the forest was nothing but a dark mass that was unbeknownst of what lay within.

Gellert had attempted to drag Albus further into the forest, but he had recoiled once they'd met the line that drew the barrier between the darkness and the light.

Albus let go of Gellert's hand.

"Maybe we should go back." Albus said. Attempting to hide the fear in his voice. "What are we doing here anyway, Gellert?"

Gellert turned back to him. He was stood on the other side of the moonlight. A clear line had been drawn between the pair, a metaphor for their relationship...

Albus stood in the light whilst Gellert was in the dark, trying to entice Albus otherwise.

Gellert's face had clearly held a smile before because the image of his expression that greeted Albus when he turned to face the boy was confusion, accompanied by a sharp frown across his eyebrows.

"Do you not see them?"

"See what, Gellert?"

"The creatures." Gellert said.

In the darkness it was hard to see anything anyway, but Albus was one hundred percent sure there was nothing in the forest. No movement, no creatures. Nothing.

"Gellert there's nothing there. Come back here, we'll go home." He held out his arm to Gellert who in return dropped his head and turned back around to face the forest.

Albus could see he was moving his arm. A swaying motion that looked like he was petting a horse-sized beast yet...there was nothing there.

"I'm not crazy, Albus. This beast is real. He's beautiful, and he's here. I can feel the cold touch of his mane, it's skeletal but beautiful." From Albus' view he could only see the cold air beneath his fingertips, but Gellert wouldn't make something like this up, surely.

"I've been trying to tame him. I was going to show you now, take him for a ride or something, because he has wings, Albus. He could fly us away. Wherever we wanted to go, but...you can't see." He stopped.

Gellert had turned back around because Albus had stopped breathing. He was holding his breath from the second Gellert had mentioned wings. "Do you know something, Albus? Tell me. What is it?"

When Albus breathed out again, he spoke slowly to avoid mis-pronouncing anything. "I believe it is a thestral. I've heard of them, only briefly. They're very rare...and can only be seen by those who have witnessed death..." He took a step back, suddenly afraid of Gellert.

Simultaneously, Gellert stepped forward, back into the light, aware that Albus was scared.

"Albus...Albus look at me." Gellert leapt over and grabbed both of his hands in his own, causing a bit of grief from Albus as he tried to pull away, but Gellert's grip was too strong.

"Albus it's okay. I haven't killed anyone. I just..." He sighed.

Albus realised he'd been shameful. Clearly misread the situation and Gellert was in actual deafening pain.

"Was it to do with your parents?"

Gellert dropped his hands. Albus had clearly hit a sore spot, yet Gellert had never mentioned his parents to Albus. Up until now he'd thought nothing of it because he'd been living with his aunt and that was all that ever came up.

He'd never thought to bring up Gellert's other family, if there actually was any. But he was pretty certain he wasn't going to find out in that moment.

Gellert turned to the woods once more to stroke the invisible creatures mane, before whispering a comforting gesture and equating himself from the forest for good.

Crossing the line felt like a breath, but Albus was there to comfort him. And by comforting Gellert, that meant holding his hand, saying nothing and promising to kiss him till he told him to stop, which usually never happened.

Gellert leant into Albus' open arms, wrapping his own around the others waist. They stood at similar heights, Gellert maybe an inch taller that wouldn't have been noticed because he was leaning his head down onto Albus' shoulder.

"Tell me what happened, Gellert. You talk so much but you say nothing. It kills me that you don't talk about the things that truly matter." He pulled back, looking into Gellert's beautiful mismatched eyes.

He put his hands on either side of his face and cried softly. Now it was Gellert's turn to comfort the latter, curiously wondering whether he should have told Albus more.

"Albus, of course I talk about the things that matter. I talk about you. All the time. It's just that I only talk about the things and the people that I love, and my family are not part of that. One day I will tell..." he stopped.

The look on Albus' face was over enthusiastic. Too joyous to be sane, because of what Gellert had let slip.

He quickly put his hand over his mouth but what had been said was said. "You love me?"

Gellert dropped his hand. He had not meant to say those words yet he wasn't going to deny them either because he did love him.

"Yes, I do. I love you, Albus."

Short and sweet and delicate. His voice was like beauty that had an immediate effect on Albus. But it was mainly from the way his fragile voice had spoken those words.

Teary eyed and more emotional than he'd felt in a while, Albus threw himself, again, at Gellert. Smiling into the face of the man that put it there in the first place.

Maybe Albus didn't need to know about Gellert's past. Maybe the present would soon be the past he would tell his friends and family of in the future.

Tell them of the man who stole his heart.

~~~
The flashback chapters seem to be the most popular of all my chapters. I'm trying to prolong the storyline of them a bit so I can write more.
Keep commenting, keep reading.
Love you all!!!
Xxx