The Greater Good: Dumbledore and Grindelwald

As Pure as They Come

"I take it you got something good?"

Gellert nodded and presented the scrolls for Albus' verification. Albus lowered his lit wand tip over the parchment and they briefly placed their heads together. 

"Peverell," Gellert whispered softly. 

The edge in his tone wasn't lost on Albus - it was one of longing. As far as they could tell, the Ministry hadn't put two and two together and made the link between the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and the identical crest that had become the Peverell Coat of Arms. Why would they? The Hallows had never been established as hard, verifiable fact, and Albus would and had been laughed out of every scientific community he cared to mention for broaching the topic. 

Gellert and Albus were not so dismissive, and because of that, they were now closer than any man had been, perhaps since the Peverells themselves, to uncovering the secrets of the Hallows. Albeit by a small amount, but it was progress nonetheless. 

As they huddled together under the light, Albus could feel the heat coming off of Gellert's body, could hear his gentle but ragged breathing. Gellert wanted this. He longed for it. 

There was a noise in the distance. Albus snapped out of it and almost dropped his wand. He'd forgotten that they were still in the lion's den, so to speak. "Looks like our time has run out. I say we split up, meet back in the atrium," he whispered. 

"Sounds like a plan," Gellert nodded. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked. 

Albus cocked his eyebrow. "What?"

Gellert pointed down at the limp body of the security guard that Albus had Stunned. "Kill him."

Albus frowned. "I'm not killing anyone, Gellert!"

"We can't just leave him here!"

"He's not a threat, he's out of it!" Albus retorted. 

"And what if they Enervate him?" Gellert whispered back fiercely. "We have a chance to get out of here without anyone even knowing we were here, and this guard is a witness-"

Albus' heart was racing. He should've been horrified. Gellert was talking about murder in cold blood. Albus knew the young man had a dark side, but what he was suggesting was something completely different entirely. And yet Albus felt no sick revulsion. He felt only a savage excitement, as the blood pounded in his ears and his heart beat against his ribcage. Albus decided on the spur of the moment to chalk it up to adrenaline. 

"We can't leave any dead bodies, or they'll lock the place down!" he whispered. "We go! Now!"

Gellert looked as though he was about to argue, but stopped. Albus couldn't resist a grin, triumphant that he'd left Gellert speechless, but next second he realised why Grindelwald had stopped talking. Gellert suddenly lunged at Albus, with surprising quickness, planted his hands in Albus' chest and shoved him backward. 

Albus lost his balance and tumbled head over heels, just as a jet of red light streak overhead, scorching the air where his head had been mere moments ago. Albus crashed onto his back, his head smacked against the cold ground and his wand flew from his grip, clattering against the ground. Next second, everything was happening. 

Albus heard footsteps thundering into the aisle between the high shelves. He couldn't see into the pitch blackness, but he was guessing at least five or six people. 

Aurors! Albus thought in a panic. 

Suddenly, he heard a voice from barely five feet in front of him. "Stupefy!"