Gellert Grindelwald was disappointed, to say the very least. He’d heard rumors of a merchant in and around Turkey who specialized in rare and unique magical items of lore. When he finally tracked the man down, the merchant didn’t have or know of the hallows at all.
In attempt to convince Gellert to spare his life, the merchant gave him a lamp. Gellert looked at the merchant and then the dirty lamp in his hands, cocking a brow at the sight.
“Are you trying to insult me or are you simply an idiot?”
The dark-skinned man shook his head, and in very broken English explained that the lamp was very rare. That inside it held a power as infinite as an obscurus.
“If you are lying to me, I will come back and kill you- you understand that right?”
The merchant nodded, handing over the lamp and getting out of dodge as fast as possible.
Gellert returned to his hotel room to study the object. It seemed to be a normal lamp, though it hummed with a unique energy. It was definitely powerful but of what kind Gellert couldn’t say.
Sitting on the bed, the German discarded his outer coat and found what looked like a smudge on the bronzed gold lamp.
Using the blanket to rub off the smudge, Gellert did not expect the lamp to start smoking. Bright yellow smoke poured out of its end circling in front of him to create a funnel about a foot away from him. It circled at around 7 feet in height for a moment before dissipating. In its place was the most beautiful man Gellert had ever seen.
He was tall, lanky with creamy white skin with dashes of freckles that reminded him of constellations. The figure had bright red gold curly hair and eyes like the black forest at the height of spring. He was beautiful, breath taking- and practically naked.
The man- or djinn- wore gold bands on his wrist and a collar around his neck. They had etchings on them, but he couldn’t see them properly to say what they were. He wore deliciously tight brown- gold leather pants that Gellert tried very hard to stop looking at. It didn’t help that he didn’t wear a shirt. Instead, he wore some kind of cloak connected to the collar, made of the same kind of material and color as the pants.
He frowned at Gellert before sighing and gesturing to himself,
“Congratulations, I am the genie of the lamp. I will grant you any three wishes provided that I cannot make anyone fall in love with you or return anyone from the dead.”
The djinn looked so tired, beautiful but clearly struggling under the weight of being enslaved.
For the first time in practically decades, Gellert Grindelwald felt compassion- he felt sympathy. Still, the man was beautiful and Gellert didn’t know what to say.
About a hundred things came to mind, plans within plans started to form and fall apart.
The djinn leaned over, looking at Gellert and waving his hand as if to catch his attention.
“Aren’t you a wizard? Sorry I assumed based off your dress. Are you alright?”
It took a moment for Gellert to adjust, shaking his head and standing.
“Yes, I am a wizard and you’re a djinn?”
The djinn beamed at him, as if knowing the correct terminology delighted him.
“Yes, sir or do you prefer master? I haven’t been out in a while so I’m not sure which to use.”
Surprisingly- mostly to Gellert- Gellert waved it off.
“Gellert is fine, and you are-?”
It was the djinn's turn to be surprised, and then he paused.
“Uh I haven’t been asked that in a while. It was- It was um,” the man stuttered off for a moment, suddenly looking so small and lost Gellert couldn’t stop himself from pulling the other man into a hug.
By Morgana, what the hell was he doing?
“I c-can’t remember. I can’t remember my name.” The djinn cried, moving like smoke to escape Gellert’s touch.
“I’m sorry- I’m not supposed to- to talk like a person.”
An exquisite kind of rage fueled his next movements.
Gellert grasped the tall man’s chin, forcing him to look at Gellert.
“What would happen if I wished for your freedom?”
Months later found the two in Gellert’s home at Nurmengard, Austria. Gellert slowly woke up to a familiar weight on his chest. Newt, as he’d decided to be called that, was curled against him, his arm over Gellert’s chest.
The Dark Lord smiled, leaning over a bit to press a kiss to Newt’s curls. The man in his embrace hummed happily, cuddling closer to his paramour.
On the other side of the room they could hear a shuffling as one of Newt’s creatures, the Niffler, was sniffing around Newt’s jewelry box. The little thing was absolutely incorrigible, but Newt couldn’t blame him; it was in his nature after all.
“Sleep well, my love?”
Newt hummed again, nodding a bit.
“I had another dream,” the freed djinn murmured quietly.
Gellert turned onto his side, resting his head on his hand and using his free hand to rub small circles on Newt’s upper arm. He didn’t like his wrists being touched, the skin was still scarred from the cuffs he’d worn for so long. While Gellert loved to spoil Newt, he never bought him bracelets or choker necklaces. Instead, he brought his partner rings or long necklaces, but Newt’s favorite was creatures and things to use to care for them.
The freed djinn absolutely adored all creatures, though he had a special affinity for magical creatures who seemed to adore him just as much. Gellert couldn’t even put into words the surprise he felt when he saw a bloody Ukrainian Ironbelly fall to its hunches and actually let Newt ride it.
“I think I had a brother,” Newt began, “I think he tried to stop our father from selling me, but he couldn’t. There was screaming and curses being thrown but I don’t remember what happened to them. “Newt’s voice broke off, the younger man -in appearance- bit his lip to try and stifle his cries.
Gellert sat up, pulling Newt into his arms. Speaking softly and rubbing the other’s back until Newt’s cries began to stop.
“I’m sorry,”
“Don’t,” the German said, kissing his partner “You have nothing to apologize for.” It was true that Gellert generally found neediness and those wanting of affection to be pathetic and weak, but he didn’t see Newt like that. How could he?
Newt, the wizard and no longer a djinn, had handed him the hallows on a silver platter and from that, the world. By simply giving Newt respect and treating him as a person, Newt had given Gellert his love and loyalty.
When Albus, so many years ago, had done the same, Gellert had abused it. He’d squandered it and lost Albus in the outcome.
He wouldn’t do that with Newt. He’d spend every day for the rest of eternity trying to make Newt smile. Because the wizard deserved it, he deserved the world and Gellert would give it to him.
The Dark Lord wouldn’t admit it, but he really was head over heels in love with the djinn he’d freed.
Newt liked to remind Gellert that he loved him, too.
Though, sometimes, Gellert wondered if this was what that merchant had in mind when he handed over the lamp for his life. Did he think that the djinn would allow Gellert to reveal the wizarding world and thus take it over?
‘Probably not,’ Gellert Grindelwald thought. Neither of them noticed quite yet that in their embrace a surge of magic flashed. Its source came from Newt’s lower belly.
They hadn’t noticed it, not yet. But soon enough, Gellert would receive a vision of a beautiful baby with mismatched eyes and Newt’s red curls.
They’d make a perfect, happy family- the kind Newt never thought he’d have as a djinn. But as a wizard? As a Magizoologist married to the most powerful wizard in the world? Well, then, anything was possible.