Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

45

She sat in Dumbledore’s office looking down at her hands feeling his gaze studying her. He had fixed her shoulder when they returned and the both of them had been sat in silence for several minutes now, not daring to break the tentative peace that had settled over the office.

Eliza was preparing to give the best performance of her life.

She let the silence stay for a few more moments before she glanced up from her hands, looking towards Dumbledore who sat patiently on the other side of the desk.

“I think I might have loved him you know” she murmured, eyes stinging with unshed tears as she let a defeated look cross her face “I met this boy in first year, out in diagon. Charming, intelligent – I thought it was fate”

Dumbledore continued to stare at her with sympathetic pitying eyes.

“And we kept in touch. And this Thomas Gaunt, he was so much like me – witty, smart, an idealist if you’d believe it” she said with a small choked laugh “And I found out who is ‘father’ was and I even saw past that, we were going to fix everything, fix the world and then-

Eliza let out a shout of frustration, slamming her hands against Dumbledore’s desk as she let crocodile tears fall down her face.

“I can’t believe I was so stupid” she yelled, angrily wiping the tears from her face “to fall for his ploy, to fall for-

Eliza let her last sentence trail off and glanced up to check on Dumbledore’s reaction. The man in question was giving her a soft smile, pity in his blue eyes as he sighed wearily.

“You would not be the first to do foolish things for love dear girl”

Eliza felt herself sit up a bit straighter as she looked at him in obvious confusion.

“No offence sir, but I don’t think most people go falling in love with dark lords”

A wry look crossed over Dumbledore’s face and Eliza’s brows furrowed.

“When I was younger” Dumbledore begun, and Eliza sat back in her seat as he seemingly went off on a tangent “I met a boy. He was witty, charming” a strange wistful smile crossed his face “and I do believe that I love him. His name was Gellert”

No way.                                           

“But you will know him by his last name, Grindelwald”

Holy shit.

“I was enthralled by him and his ideas. And I have been carrying my shame and guilt with me for many years. Together we had planned to overthrow the ministry and begin a new order, with wizards on top and muggles subservient beneath us”

She couldn’t believe it.

Dumbledore had almost been a dark lord?

Dumbledore had been with a dark lord? Muggle loving, light wizard, Dumbledore?

“I eventually came to my senses, but not until it was too late” he said regretfully but Eliza didn’t pry. She was lucky he was telling her this much.

“So as you can see my dear girl – you are not the only one to have loved a dark lord and walked away”

The silence hung between them.

“Why are you telling me this?” Eliza asked tiredly and Dumbledore clasped his hands in front of him.

“I think you know Eliza” he said softly but Eliza remained quiet, fixing him with a determined gaze and he sighed heavily.