Chapter Text
01.
When light of the dusk met the wilderness lake, Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore were chatting along the rivers of Godric's Hallow.
They were just discussing how the elder wand must be peculiar in its design to empower the greatest magic ever performed when Gellert suddenly observed "Hey, Al, have you ever been here before?"
Layers of green creepers tangled with the ancient ventilation corridor, with carelessly growing plane trees vanishing and reappearing behind the infrastructure.
There's a lake, or at most an artificial pond, or even worse, a stinky ditch. The creepers detached from the ceiling and dangled down, trembling in the wind as if they were about to fall, and along with various unknown multi-leggered insects among them, frighten an unwelcoming guest, which made the whole place even more dilapidated.
"This place," Albus answered almost immediately without thinking, "I used to play with Ab and Anna here when we were young, back in my memory this lake had been fair, and the woods less dirty, it looks like there are more mosquitoes as well."
"Why haven't I noticed after all this time, Al?" Gellert paved towards the corridor, studying every corner with misty spider webs.
"Perhaps you were not focusing during our chat today." Albus mocked him with a smirk.
"In the name of Merlin, I swear this is not the case. Hey, doesn't the black bug that is hanging on the ceiling look like bed bugs in the muggle world?"
"Right," Albus looked up in conformation, and swiftly lowered his head again, "let's go, Gel."
"You're afraid that they might fall, huh?" Gellert made a move with his wand as if he was to shake that bug entirely from the stained ceiling, "Oh, my dear Al, how can you be so lovely that you almost forgot you are a wizard after leaving Hogwarts for too long?"
"Still, I don't see any wizard bored enough to play with a muggle bed bug using magic, besides, it may as well be a snail! Stop smiling, Gel, I mean stop giggling, Mr. Grindelwald!" Albus was pulling on Gellert's cuff for him to leave this mischievous corridor, they went through it and into the sparse woods.
For an unknown reason, Gellert felt that Albus calling out his full name is an act of a hidden flighty manner, and yet he still strode off, pretending to be angry.
"Ah, Mr. Albus Dumbledore believes that his pathetic and grumpy old fella Grindelwald is a little bastard who bullies the weak and fears the strong. Oh, what a gigantic mistake for a genius; Albus, the greatest white wizard the world has ever seen in a century, who knows people well, actually..."
"swears to stay pissed off with his dear friend until the very end." Albus interrupted with a laugh. If Abeforth had been here he would have been surprised at his excellent brother can let out a smile so presumptuous.
"Gel, you certainly are a bad child, you have ruined my name. Watch out for those bugs, in case that they fall on your charming golden hair."
Albus was enjoying himself, as jokes like this can be only made between him and Gellert.
"My dear Al is cursing me, oh Merlin, please show Abeforth the wimpy kid how I have terribly mislead his good elder brother, and Ariana must have been sad at this, Al..."
"Good grace, Gel, look, what is on top of the waters?" Nearly every time Gellert's loquacious words were diverted by Albus in this way, and each and every time Gellert's attention turned most easily, as if he was certain that he would be interested in everything Albus Dumbledore found fascinating.
Gellert stared in deep thought at the long-striped, black crustaceans which were hopping above the greenish water surface, only Merlin knows how much he wanted to pretend to be knowledgable and give his Al a fluent and delicate introduction as if written in Animal Encyclopedia for Wizards, but his empty head made him turn his whole depression into criticism of Durmstrang's teaching quality.
He reached his conclusion carelessly, "It must be a water flea."
Albus tried hard to make his laughter less obvious, not to expose Gellert's awkwardness.
Gellert was unconsciously throwing peeking looks at Albus' face nervously, who's gentle features grew more adorable under the reflection of the water and the trees.
It was possibly because Albus is the kindest person he has ever met.
When there is light one's heart it is nearly impossible not to show it in one's eyes. He doesn't dislike people with kind hearts, especially people like Albus. Damn, this is too tender, even if Gellert has surprisingly found his identical madness, and occasionally, pride floating for countless times in the eyes he could never have turn away from - that is the common sickness of every genius, a pain that is luxurious - he had to admit that everyone who has met Albus could not help trusting him, or more simply put, needed him, Merlin!
However, it was long after that Gellert would have realized with regret what he meant to say was neither trust or need, while the word he wanted to express was craved in Albus' heart, perhaps even earlier then that time.
Albus smiled, maybe unaware of everything that was going on in Gellert's mind. "Gel, what do you say about them whooping and hopping around, is it like apparition?"
"A little, but not as fast as me." Gellert put the toes of his shoes on the edge of the pond and leaned down, trying to give the muggle bugs that Albus was interested in a little more of his precious glance.
This was, perhaps, one minor difference between Albus and Gellert. Albus possess a friendly manner of understanding and tolerance to nearly everything, while Gellert is only interested in things he considered to be gorgeous, such as ruling the muggle world, the deathly hallows, and, Albus Dumbledore.
"You are actually reduced to competing with the speed of muggle water bugs." Albus watched as a leaf was submerged under the green soup of water for only three seconds. "The water must be muddy."
"With the stench of something rotting." Gellert added, ruining the scene.
"It's quite suitable for a case of murder." Albus turned to walk to another pond.
"Come on, can wizards be drowned somehow?"
"What if killed by an unforgivable curse and tied to a rock, drowing to the bottom?" Albus was watching his feet, careful not to step on insects or anything more disgusting.
"As you have mentioned, Gel, due to it being too dirty, even wizards won't come and turn it upside down in search of anything."
"If you have used Avada Kedavra in the first place, why bother adding a diffindo next?" Gellert's heart danced excitedly, "Al, your ideas are truly capturing."
The second pond was as daunting and green as the first one, and the third was covered with a dense layer of rotten lotus leaves. There was a high platform on the edge of the pond, and a few steps leading up to it. The bottom of the stairs stayed under the pond, surrounding a tiny and square column of water, with disgusting green foam floating above, rather like old tea in a square cup.
"Even more disgusting." Gellert moved to Albus' side on the high platform, "Look, there's a fish on the lotus. Humph, its about to die."
"Ah, Gel— " Albus followed his gaze and soon found that jumping, trapped, dying fish on the lotus. "We'd better save it."
"Perhaps we should find a branch." Actually, before Gellert could respond, Albus has already gone down two stairs and squatted down, ready to swung a step on the bit of the lotus leaf. "Al, are you fooled?"
"Don't stay stunned. hold me! My life and death are tied to you now."
Gellert went over and grabbed his hand tightly, well actually it was half his body.
He was over-consumed with lost happiness, and was determined not to remind his Al that in fact he was a great wizard. His voice was so close, and his warmth so real, there was a fresh sent from the trees after rain that couldn't be washed away, along with the delicate texture underneath those bright blue eyes - after all, what is more wonderful then physical contact? The sun has arrived just in time, even the green water ditch was more pleasuring to the eye. Was Godric's Hallow always this bright with sunshine, like it was today?
Al, who is willing to save a fish.
"All right, we are nearly there, come on! Almost! Where is it now, ah it has still not gone free. Hold on tight, Gel. Merlin's beard, it swam away!"
When Gellert heard those words he pulled Albus up in a swift second, it was so fast that he lost his focus and was hugged by Gellert before he could react. If one day I'm stranded on the shore like this fish, will you go that far to dirty your shoes for me without a second thought, Al? Pencils, knives and forks, grass rings. He searched for everything eternal. The sky in Iceland, the sea in Dover, the thunderstorm in Uganda, the tornado in Arizona, the whole of Europe, was the whole world enough?
No, it was not.
Just as Albus is about to turn away, Gellert suddenly crouched down. "Your shoes are untidy, Al."
The spider-like water worms at the size the was shrunken ten times were hanging in a circle around the front of the pure white shoes, and they were still crawling slowly, attempting to get in.
"Don't look at it, Al. It has disgusted me to death." Gellert took a blade of grass, and with a simple accio charm, he threw those nasty little guys back into the water.
"I admire you so much, Mr. Heartthrob, even the worms likes you."
"But not only the worms like me."
Albus smiled and bowed down, leaning towards the back of his neck with or without intention, and stopped at just the right place — a distance that Gel could feel but not touch him.
"I know now the consequence of falling into that pond — to be bitten to death by ticks." Albus was wondering, he thought that the sun must have been too bright, or else why would Gel's neck and ears be so red?
A blue-backed magpie happened to pass by, it stopped by Gellert's shoulders, then it fluttered away, passing through the branches and leaves.
"Hey, a blue-backed magpie, I'm going to take it down, don't you think it's fascinating?"
Gellert got up and chased after the blue magpie. It was flying rather fast, while Albus pointed out its next landing point rather absent-minded, as if he was talking about the pictures when he was young. They continued their conversation in this way, after all, it was only with Gel that he could be so relaxed.
"I thought Durmstrang would teach Herbology."
"No. I rather thought Herbology class in Hogwarts may teach those."
"I heard that Botany is extremely boring."
"Sometimes Botany is as boring as Herbology, especially the theory section."
"The good student Al has a subject he doesn't like!"
They were back to the first pond unknowingly, and looked down at the water together. They were in awe at the discovery of a huge carp, then after the water has silenced, both were reminded of something and steped back together.
Then an unknown scilence fell.
Gellert broke it. "Do you reckon that its a cockroach?"
"No, I think it's a mantis."
"I've overheard some male students using this as a joke, they say that after mating the female would eat the male, cannibalistically."
Gellert swiftly changed the topic, "Have a guess at what is hanging on the ceiling?"
"Would there be bats? It's too dark here."
"I wouldn't be surprised if anything happens here." Gellert glanced around.
A seed was planted in his heart.
"Does this place have a name, Al?"
"Hum, not in my memory, I think the muggles built it."
"Then this place is called Forest Lake. I named it."
"Rather name it Wilderness Lake, there's nothing here, Gel."
"It's up to you."
TBC.