Come Together

Chapter 16: A Dumbledore Interlude

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore had made many mistakes in his life. His greatest, by far, was his blind devotion to Gellert Grindelwald in his youth. And truly, it was blind. Love had blinded him to the reality of the wizard that became the worst Dark Lord in the modern era. How could he not have seen the truth that laid beneath the magnetically handsome features, ignored the cruel and sadistic nature behind that beautiful wide smile? How did Albus not notice that he was being used, manipulated by someone who strung him along for his power alone? Aberforth, his younger brother (whom he had not listened to, whom he drove away with his actions), had known the truth. Albus, too, had eventually opened his eyes and saw the monster in that sparkling smile. But dear Ariana's life was the price of his illumination, as was the love that Aberforth had for him (before he had looked up to Albus, now he glared at his once-hero in contempt).

That day he lost everything.

After that, Albus had trouble trusting anyone. He closed in upon himself, keeping most of his thoughts within the confines of his mind. But he had persevered in his studies, dove into his work as if to silence the coming storm, and quietened the roar of sorrow as he watched the man he once loved (no, still loved, after all this time) become a monster (or perhaps he had always been one). He had shed countless tears listening to the atrocities being committed by Gellert as he hid behind the walls of Hogwarts, feeling powerless and at fault for the horrors. He took up the mantle of Transfiguration Professor (because, in the back of his mind, he knew these children would need to be able to defend themselves from Gellert's attacks and machinations).

The auburn haired wizard threw himself into the proverbial fire (the world a haze, a blur, a sense of nothingness and everything), studying magic left and right in order to find a way to stop the wizard with the ambitious, shining eyes (they now shone in madness, and it hurt to see, it haunted his dreams). But at some point during his quest for more knowledge, Albus realized that he was stalling. The truth manifested one night as he awoke from another nightmare (Gellert's crazed expression, Aberforth's cold frown, Ariana's glassy eyes), fear and shame coursing through his very veins. He was afraid to face Gellert, unable to bring himself to fight the man again.

Then, one day, he felt his world turned on end.

Blue eyes that were a shade just past unnatural had stared up at him from a too-thin, too-sharp, too-pale face. Tom Marvolo Riddle was brilliant, cunning, and charming, even at the budding age of ten. Just like Gellert. Albus didn't want to admit it, but it was the sheer similarity to his unreciprocated love that set him on edge around the boy, and perhaps he had been a tad harsh to him at the Orphanage. He tried to be unbiased, to treat the boy like any other student (even as his eyes shone with ambition, as he commanded the crowds with his smile and power), but he couldn't help but look at Riddle and see someone else (blonde, wavy hair instead of dark brown, heterochromic eyes instead of ever-shifting blue).

Riddle didn't make things any better for himself, turning into what Albus feared would be a carbon copy of Gellert. His followers (because so few of them were truly the boy's 'friends') practically bowed to him, parroting his words of wizard supremacy and the disgusting lowliness of muggles. When Myrtle Warren died and Rubeus Hagrid was found guilty, Albus had known better. But now he had become like Aberforth, for no one would believe him when he insisted that Riddle was to blame. Then over the summer he had vanished, and Albus feared the worst, and his nightmares showed him the two handsome figures standing side by side as the world burned around them.

The next time he saw those shifting eyes, however, they burned with determination.

"We have no choice." he had said.