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In the Dark, A Zabini/ Grindelwald fanfic	By : blaisegellert Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1326 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: mature, m/m, Harry Potter fandom, no money is made off this project.

Chapter List
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Mila departed after breakfast, leaving Blaise and Gellert to decide how to spend the rest of their day.
"Shall we venture out to see if any of the bars I used to frequent exist anymore," Gellert asked.
"Most definitely," Blaise agreed eagerly.
Gellert apparated them to the first of the bars on his mental list of old haunts that came to mind, and he was warmed to see it still existed. It was small, old and made of stone. Being rather nondescript, it wouldn't draw the attention of anyone who didn't know there was a particular point to going inside.
Though the hour was early there were already a few small groups of wizards scattered around the room. They sat in high backed ornately carved wooden chairs that were spread around the room. Some smoked pipes stuffed full of herbs that Gellert guessed would induce visions. Others sipped from ornate silver steins.
As he nor Blaise were interested in breathing smoke into their lungs, he paused just inside the room and placed an air filtering charm around their heads. It was perfected by wizards to block the smell of Muggle stench in the streets centuries before he was born, but Gellert clearly recalled it being used during both of the world wars that the Muggles started. Their deadly gas reached, even wizarding settlements more than once.
"Thanks," Blaise said, smiling at him in that way that always served to warm Gellert from head to toe.
"I've read about air purification shielding,, but never had a reason to put it into practice, so it's nice to see how it looks. The concept of a shield filter is interesting. I think it's something we could adapt and tweak a bit for anything from alarms to deflections against specific magic."
Gellert nodded, expression considering as his mind already continued the thought process where Blaise's words left off.
"If we wove an adaptation of this filter into a cloak, it could deflect whatever spells we programmed it against, and that would sell for an impressive amount. Any wizard wearing it could ignore the need for defenses for the most part and focus their magic on other matters."
"Yes! And we can make them for ourselves first to test how they work," Blaise enthused.
The two often talked of things they could make for selling in their shop. They likely wouldn't get to it for a few years, but to open their shop they needed items to sell. All enchanted items, like anything else, had to start with an idea or concept of something that was needed or at least very much wanted. Their goal was to craft items that other witches and wizards would want enough to pay a great deal for. The fact that there would only be a few of each item in existence would also raise the value quite nicely.
Gellert appreciated the fact that Blaise wanted to be greater than the Peverell brothers, making his own items rather than seeking after relics crafted by ancient wizards. Of course Blaise was interested in studying the skills and enchantments used to craft ancient items, but not in valuing them over what he could craft.
Like Gellert in his own youth, Blaise was interested in designing items for himself, because no one else was making what he wanted as well as he could. Sabra had told Gellert more than once he and Blaise could craft something even better than the elder wand that would serve only them, and perhaps some day they would. He knew he'd been more interested in finding legendary items than in making his own the first time he'd visited his teens, but considering the strength he and Blaise had when combining their power, the lure of ancient magics wasn't looking better than what they could do themselves.
"You order our drinks," Blaise said as they approached the bar.
"You know what's good here, after all."
Gellert nodded, smiling at his partner as he reveled in the feeling of pleasant familiarity that being in the bar again gave him. Being here with Blaise of all people, made it all the better. He ordered two glasses of Green Fairy Dark Forest absinthe. Glasses in hand, the two headed over to the nearest group. Gellert floated two of the ornate wooden chairs over with a flick of his wand and they settled down to listen to the conversation. That's how it was done in these sorts of obscure bars. One listened or contributed and either was fine.
"All I'm saying is it's interesting how many dark wizards died during Voldemort's first reign of terror and even after he vanished the first time," an old wizard with straggly gray hair was saying.
"They weren't young, mind you, but they weren't anywhere near old either, and they were dropping like flies. I got a good friend who happens to be in the business of wizarding funerals, and he said there was no logical reason for so many wizards from prominent dark families to die so young. Granted Voldemort could've killed some even if they were in his service or at least not objecting to his goals, but others died strangely after he was gone."
He broke off to nod at Blaise and Gellert as they seated themselves.
"You put me in mind of a very young Gellert Grindelwald, boy," he told Gellert with a chuckle.
"Lets just hope you have more sense."
"That was another right trouble maker, if not nearly as bad as Voldemort," he went on, directing the comment away from Blaise and Gellert and back to the other old men to whom he was originally speaking.
That one was completely fueled by his own vanity and driven by the high he got from "correcting" the world."
Well the world had needed correcting, and it still needed it now, else there wouldn't be so many filthy Muggles ruining the planet and of course Voldemort, Gellert thought, struggling to contain his anger.
He may have a temper, but he also had a brain. Defending Gellert Grindelwald while wearing his face was not safe. Perhaps no one here would put two and two together, but was it worth the risk? No.
"At least Grindelwald wanted to make a better world," another old wizard defended mildly.
"Voldemort only wanted to kill stuff."
He blew a smoke ring to punctuate his words. Gellert nearly inclined his head to the man in appreciation, but lifted his glass of Absinthe instead because one careless move could ruin everything. Now he had more than he ever did before and that meant more to lose as well. Gellert Grindelwald didn't intend on losing again, ever.
The first wizard with the scraggly hair made a scoffing sound.
"Grindelwald was unable to control himself. Unable to stop himself from attempting to fix that which he thought was wrong. He believed he knew how things should be and that he was right. The problem was, he didn't comprehend the rampant self destructive stupidity by which he was so greatly outnumbered. It doesn't matter how right he was, and I actually do believe he was right. It matters that what he wanted was impossible. Eventually a wizard or Muggle or both would ruin it and make things even worse. There would be more dangerous Muggle technology if he'd won even than there is today. Because Muggles would hate our rule that much and we'd never see their inventions coming. They'd...what is it they call it, Nuke us all and themselves too thanks to Grindelwald."
Gellert didn't at all like the possibility of world ruination being laid so logically at his feet. It didn't feel pleasant, especially if the old man happened to have any sort of point.
"Drink up. I'm ready for another," Blaise said, extending his empty glass pointedly toward Gellert.
Gellert arched his brows. Blaise wasn't one to toss back his drinks like that. Then he understood. Blaise was trying to get them out of this conversation without being obvious, and Gellert appreciated him for that quite enough to kiss him right there in front of everyone. He tossed back his drink instead and grinned.
Rising, the two strolled back up to the bar. As Gellert ordered their second round, Blaise slipped an arm around his waist, ignoring anyone who may be giving them odd looks for their open show of affection. It may be permitted these days, but in old world establishments like this, it likely wouldn't sit right with most of the patrons. With a smirk, Gellert leaned into Blaise, at last feeling the pleasant expansiveness brought on by the Absinthe.
"Thank you," he murmured, resting his head for a moment on Blaise's shoulder.
"You never have to thank me for having your back," Blaise murmured back.
Turning his head, he brushed his lips softly across Gellert's cheek, but ended the kiss on Gellert's lips. Unable to resist, Gellert opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, sliding one arm around Blaise to draw him closer. Damn but he had no self control when it came to Zabini, and he didn't care. Though neither were into public displays as a rule, they seemed to forget this fact when it came to one another at times. Gellert had to admit, that in this case, he took a small perverse pleasure in flaunting that which was no longer illegal.
When the wizard behind the bar produced their new glasses of Absinthe, the two strolled over to another group of chairs. Gellert hoped this new conversation would be more stimulating. Though what the scraggly haired wizard who happened to be in dire need of a styling charm had said about the great amount of dark wizards dying was interesting. What did it mean? Who could've killed them if not Voldemort and why? He made a mental note to bring it up to Regulus and Kreacher for their opinion when next he saw them at one of Adler's parties.
"Of course there are Muggle plants," a red haired wizard was saying.
"A rose is a Muggle plant because it has no magic. The Mandrakes that don't scream are the squibs of the plant world."
The group in which Blaise and Gellert now sat was mostly comprised of middle aged wizards with a few old ones peppered in. Once again they were by far the youngest, but no one seemed to mind. In these sorts of circles, if you knew about the place, you were old enough to appreciate it.
Gellert nodded in understanding to the red haired wizard's words.
"I understood herbology far better in school when I linked it to transfiguration in my mind," he shared.
All too often he didn't bother to share his perceptions with most wizards. This was because either they didn't understand or they were offended by his ideas. In establishments like this, though, he could toss out a few concepts as feelers for those minds who may have something interesting to share in return.
"How so," A short rotund wizard in dark blue robes asked.
"I sense transfiguration involved in the creation of magical plants. Some occurred in nature and some, like the animals, acromantulas and such, were wizard made," Gellert explained.
"As such using transfiguration spells in plant magic always seemed natural."
"Like vines into chains to bind enemies," Blaise asked, interested.
Gellert smiled.
"Exactly like that."
I once knew a wizard that tried to cross breed a skeleton with a dead tree to create a guard for the outside of his manor," the red haired wizard said thoughtfully.
He chuckled.
"As it turned out, it ate him instead."
Gellert laughed before taking another sip from his glass of absinthe.
"Some experiments turn out better than others."
Though many of Gellert's own involving living creatures hadn't succeeded, he'd always made certain they never harmed him no matter what else happened.
He and Blaise made their second glasses of absinthe last far longer than their first. It was better to remain pleasantly buzzed all day in a place like this than to get drunk too quickly and not be able to properly follow the conversations around one. Gellert was pleased that the type of people the bar drew hadn't changed much, and the talk was mostly stimulating if not directly useful.
"When we get our shop going, we'll have to come back here with business cards to spread the word," Blaise commented as they headed up to the bar for their fourth drink.
They'd been at the bar for around five hours by then. Gellert was thinking that dinner would be sounding good by the time this last drink was over.
"Good idea," he said, nodding.
"That makes for easy advertisement to all the right sorts of people."
"I figure we'll still travel enough even when we set up shop," Blaise said, and Gellert nodded again.
"Of course."
Neither he nor Blaise were the sorts to stay in one place for too long without growing bored, after all.
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In the Dark, A Zabini/ Grindelwald fanfic