Where Our Story Began

Gellert's POV, June 30:

Gellert Grindelwald apparated on the dark, deserted street of Godric's Hollow, panting. He barely registered where he was standing in all adrenaline and quickly strode towards the strangest house on the street where he just knew Bathilda Bagshot lived even if he had never visited her there -- His father would've never permitted that.

Gellert knocked the front door harder than he had anticipated. He didn't even know why he was feeling the way he felt; How he couldn't even hear or think, and how his heart was pounding in a mixture of rage and fear.

But when Tante Bathilda opened the door, he could start to feel a slight calm over him.

"Oh, Gellert! I was so worried when I heard what happened! You absolutely did the right thing in coming here. Please, come in, I haven't seen you in years!" Gellert was shuffled in, and pulled into a tight embrace by his great aunt. In great embarrassment, Gellert realized how a single tear fell from his cheek, and quickly wiped it off with his sleeve before Bathilda saw. But Gellert suspected Bathilda understood, she always seemed to, "Merlin, Gellert, how you've grown!" Bathilda took a step back to take in Gellert's form while he started looking around the room.

There was no hallway. Instead, the front door simply opened up to the living room immediately. There was a surprising amount of books considering Gellert knew Bathilda owned a library in his house. Books, things and trinkets were placed along with wooden tables and comfortable sofas in different colors. Gellert smiled to himself; this was about exactly how he had imagined Bathilda Bagshot to furnish her home.

Tante Bathilda took hold of Gellert's cheek, "Neffe Gellert, dear, you're freezing. Please, let me make you some tea and you can explain to me all that has happened."

And so he did. Gellert didn't trouble himself with lying to her. He told her how he had killed his teacher -- the one who had raped multiple students. How he had been sent to the headmaster's office where headmaster Hoffmann had expelled him, along with other crimes he had committed. How Gellert knew his parents would never let him inside their house again, nor did he want to go back to that house, and had settled on finding Tante Bathilda's house.

Tante Bathilda didn't look stern, nor did she look pleased with Gellert's actions. She didn't reprimand him though, and simply told him where to put his stuff. That they would be talking about Gellert's actions in the morning, but he should probably get some sleep.

***

Bathilda's POV, July 1:

Bathilda woke at 5:AM, which was strange seeing how late she gotten to bed yesterday. It had been eventful, finding out her great nephew, the only family member she had left that she cared about, had been expelled from Durmstrang. She knew that Durmstrang was a cruel school, and didn't really want her nephew there. But she knew that it would have been much better for Gellert, for his future, if he had graduated. She could not quite think of many jobs, nor universities, that would've wanted a guy who had gotten expelled from Durmstrang -- a school already famed for its use of dark arts.

Bathilda had been so worried for Gellert. She knew his father well; a savage man who had stopped her from seeing Gellert for so many years now, though they had been allowed to correspond with each other. It was wise of Gellert to come here instead of going back to his father, who would've most likely killed Gellert. But Bathilda was positive Bernard Grindelwald wouldn't try and hurt Gellert from here; Bernard Grindelwald knew where Bathilda lived and was smart enough to understand Gellert had come here. But if she knew him well enough, he would most likely act as if he was no longer relative with Gellert, like he does to Bathilda.

With all of this going on, she could do with some sleep, and didn't understand what had woken her up; until she looked out of the window.

Something seemed to turn the volume up, and she heard screaming while seeing white, ghostly light from the Dumbledore's house. Panic rushed through Bathilda as she ran from bed to the house across the street in less than a minute, pulling on a housecoat and getting her wand out in the process. But the worst had already happened when she magically forced the front door open and there was no way to help the dead woman in the hallway.

So instead, Bathilda knew she had to attend Ariana. She found her passed out on the stairs from the effort of killing her own mother. Bathilda carried Ariana to the sofa after finding Ariana's bed in splinters, then she did her best in fixing all broken objects in the apartment, including broken windows and walls, all the while crying; Kendra had been a great friend for eight years, even if it had taken her a while to open up for Bathilda.

When Bathilda was 29, Kendra Dumbledore, at that time deeply troubled and sad, had moved in with her two sons Albus and Aberforth, looking equally gaunt. For the first three years, Bathilda had warmly invited Kendra for tea, but all Kendra had ever done was to invite Bathilda in her back garden, but never inside the house. Bathilda knew that Kendra was Muggle-born and married to Percival Dumbledore, who had been thrown in Azkaban for murdering three Muggles. But in Albus' third year of Hogwarts, Percival died in prison, and Kendra felt ready to tell Bathilda the whole truth;

How Kendra also had a daughter, Ariana, hidden in her house because of her condition. How Ariana had been raped by three Muggles at the age of six, and that had been the reason to why Percival had gone after them. But Ariana blamed all of this on her magic abilities, and her traumatizing experience with magic had turned her to an Obscuriel. Therefor, Percival didn't dare tell the Judge why he had attacked them, in fear of the Ministry putting Ariana into a Mental Hospital. So Kendra had been left to take care of an Obscurial in her home.

Bathilda had been so glad Kendra opened up to her like that, and helped as much as she could with taking any weight from Kendra's shoulders. 

Ariana's condition could change from day to day, and it was clear when she was feeling good or bad, and Bathilda quickly recognized the pattern; When Ariana was at her best, you could almost see how she would have acted had she never been attacked. She was sweet, happy, and her own person, only she didn't use magic. The most important thing to remember on those days was not to use magic near her that could trigger her. But Ariana was Magic, and so she could not keep her magic in forever. So the 'normal' phase could maybe only last for five days, when signs of magic wanting to come out started to show. But Ariana wouldn't let it, so the magic she tried to suppress got more and more difficult for her. This would go on for about two days. On those two days she could be angry, but Bathilda was never scared. And when Ariana no longer could keep the magic inside her, it would explode, or drip out of her, or take a new form. You never knew, it was different every time, but always scary. And afterwards it would take a long time to try and calm her down. Aberforth was the best of them to calm her down, Albus was best with magic to repair all damage, Kendra always seemed to get hurt, and Bathilda would then heal her. The next three days or so, Ariana would be very sad, confused, tired, and fragile, before she started acting like 'herself' again. That was about the cycle of her condition.

Albus was extraordinarily gifted at magic and brains. He had the best grade in all subjects, seemed to know everything about everything, won prizes left and right, brilliantly so, he could solve any puzzle, was very powerful, and kind.

Bathilda had been so excited for Albus to graduate. He graduated the day before as a top student of course, and if her calendar was right, he was supposed to started his world trip with Elphias Doge, a friend of his, today. But Bathilda knew, now that both Percival and Kendra was dead and Albus had turned of age, he was now be head of the family. Albus would have to turn down all his dreams and opportunities, to go take care of his sick sister in a Muggle village.

Gellert was just as brilliant as Albus. It's a pity to keep two brilliant wizards trapped in a Muggle village and Bathilda had just the plan to get them together.

***

Albus' POV, July 1:

Elphias returned to the table with two Butterbeers in his hands.

"Isn't it great? Us beeing able to drink whenever we want?" Elphias asked Albus who raised his eyebrows.

"Elphias, we have been allowed to drink for a whole year now..." Elphias sighed.

"Yes, and we've spent that year at Hogwarts. We weren't exactly allowed to drink there."

"Didn't stop us exactly..." Albus and Elphias laughed, "And there is definitely things I'm more excited about graduating than drinking."

"Indeed!" Elphias said, "First and foremost; Greece! Are you ready?"

"Let's just say I don't want to spend another night at the Leaky Cauldron with the rats."

"I think Greece got even more rats. I've read a little about Greece before going there, you know."

"Don't remind me."

"Mr. Dumbledore?" a tall woman asked, looking troubled.

"Yes?"

"I have a letter for you--" Albus took it curiously, while the woman disappeared.

"Who's it from?" Elphias asked. Albus smiled.

"It is a letter from my neighbor, and one of my mother's closest friends." Albus opened the letter and read quietly:

Dear Albus-

I am so sorry to put an end to what I'm sure would have been an adventures trip over the world. You had so much promise for this world, and it is cruel; but you have to come back home to Godric's Hollow, dear. 
Your mother has died in one of Ariana's fits. There is no way of rearranging what the ministry has decided: You are now the man of the family. 
I am terribly sorry for you. I will of course do as much as I can to help you,

Best regards, Bathilda Bagshot

Albus felt like the whole world fell to pieces in front of him. He couldn't quite grasp what Ms. Bagshot had meant; He and his siblings were now orphans and Albus would have to take care of them as their legal guardian. Albus couldn't picture that sort of future for him. He had many times imagined his future, some of which he ruled the world. But now he could easily see the path in front of him; Albus cooking and cleaning in that Muggle house for his siblings. All of a sudden, Albus rushed to the restroom and vomited.

When he returned to the bar, Elphias was pale, standing up and looking at Albus in a way he understood that Elphias had read the letter.

They didn't say much more, Elphias joined Albus to Godric's Hollow and intended to stay until the funeral. When they apparated to Godric's Hollow, Ms. Bagshot was right there to pull Albus in a tight embrace. Ms. Bagshot and Elphias then got introduced to each other while Albus got into the house he had not wished to return to. Not because he had bad memories there or anything, but nothing ever happened.

There, Aberforth sat at the kitchen table, looking terribly gaunt, crying. And though it was completely out of character for them to hug, or even show any sign of affection, Albus hugged his younger brother, long, until both of them were crying into each other's arms.