** Fic: For the Greater Good ** for lazy_neutrino

[genficsanta]

Title: For The Greater Good
Author: snorkackcatcher
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 8,600
Character(s): Elphias Doge, Albus Dumbledore, a few OCs
Summary: "Don't believe a word of it! Not a word, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!" Our own weaknesses are always those we criticise most harshly in others.
Warnings: None
Notes: One short direct quote from Deathly Hallows.


Night on the moor had long since settled into the pitch black found only in places far from human habitation, and yet an occasional glimmer could be seen among the rocks. It gave the impression that some powerful ghostly presence was lying in wait for the watcher.

Elphias Doge rather doubted that. It would be too much to hope for that the man who had summoned him here was no longer among the living.

He took one deep breath to try to steady his nerves -- it didn't work -- raised a light of his own with a whispered spell, and stepped forward. The gentle glow from the end of his wand framed him as effectively as a spotlight. It made him a perfect target, if that was what his tormentor had in mind.

"That is far enough."

He stopped and tried to spot the source of the voice, although his own light blinded him. "Why did you want to meet here?" he demanded with an attempt at bravado. He didn't really expect a reply, because the answer was obvious: complete isolation, in which anything could happen and never come to light. His words sounded thin and weak, soon dispersed across the miles of empty moorland.

"I have been waiting three weeks for an answer, Doge. Three. I have become tired of waiting."

Elphias closed his eyes in momentary dread. "It wasn't my fault!" he cried quickly when no terrible curse came on swift wings from the darkness. "You know he has to be at the school most of the time, you can't blame me if ..."

"Be silent." The voice was part-way between a snarl and a sneer. "You have not delivered him."

"But you know from all the things I told you --"

"You told me attitudes, ideas-- yes, these things had their use. But that is no longer enough. You have not delivered him." There was a rustle of clothing, as if the speaker was raising a wand. "What must I do with you?"

"Wait! Please, wait!" Elphias's hand shook. There was only one piece of knowledge he could offer up that might stay the man's hand, the one piece of knowledge that had brought him here. All he had to do was bring himself to say it. "I ... I will tell you ... You see ..." The words stuck in his throat. "You don't ..."

"Bah. Must I kill you?"

"He'lldeliverhimselftoyou!" He got the words out in one panic-stricken screech and waited, still shaking but oddly calm inside. Because he'd said it now. He'd actually said what he had told himself he would not, could not say -- all the while knowing that he had no real choice but to say it.

Nothing else mattered after that.

"What?" The speaker's irritation emphasised the foreign pronunciation. "What did you say?"

"He'll deliver ... himself to you." Even though he had said the words once, it was hard to repeat them. "He plans to come."

"To come?" Confusion gave way to a dawning glee. "To us? To the Leader?"

"Yes. He says it's time to end this, one way or the other."

"When?"

"Two more weeks." It was easier to speak now. "He sees the gathering of forces as his best chance to sneak in while your gates are open. He plans to come the night before the final review, when your Leader is ... distracted." Elphias could hardly believe that the words he was hearing -- words that informed a dragon of the precise way his oldest friend proposed to enter its lair -- had left his own mouth. "Do you think you'll be ready for him?" he added, with a touch of spite.

"Oh yes." The Carinthian wizard stepped into the light and leered triumphantly at Elphias, who flushed and looked away. "Oh yes, my friend, now you have told us this most surely we will be ready for him."

*****

Many years before ...

Albus Dumbledore was the most impressive person Elphias had ever known, and had been so from the first day they met.

He'd taken his seat at the end of Gryffindor house table after some deliberation on the part of the Sorting Hat, his new housemates offering congratulations and encouraging nods but leaving him plenty of space. In his relief at no longer being the focus of attention, he barely noticed the next boy called up to be Sorted. Another extended pause for consideration from the Hat gave Elphias time to calm down, and he applauded with all the rest as the tall, auburn-haired boy crossed to their table, beaming, and sat down opposite him.

"Hello!" he said, reaching across the table to offer a handshake, which Elphias accepted with a flush of pleasure. This boy was one of the few who did not seem repelled by his currently pockmarked face. "You're Elphias Doge, I believe? Pleased to meet you."

Elphias was surprised. "Y-yes," he replied, stumbling slightly on his words. "Have we met before?"

"I don't think so, but I heard your name when they called it out, of course. We're going to be sharing a bedroom from now on, so I thought I'd better try to establish friendly relations as soon as possible. I learnt that from my brother." He had a cheerful, self-deprecating smile that made Elphias feel truly at home for the first time since climbing aboard what his father had referred to darkly (and worryingly) as 'that new-fangled Hogwarts Express'.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear your name," he said awkwardly.

The boy's smile tightened. "Albus Dumbledore. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, if you'd like the complete version. I think my parents were worried that my name might not be memorable enough without all the extras."

Elphias laughed. "Right, Albus Brian Wulfric ... er, Percival Brian Dumble ... oh." He suddenly recalled why the name Dumbledore might be memorable. Hadn't his father done some Dark Magic, or attacked some Muggles or something? Still, that was no reason at all not to be friends with the boy sitting opposite. "Pleased to meet you too, Albus Dumbledore," he said robustly, and Albus's delighted grin in response seemed to light up the room.

*****

There were disadvantages to being a friend of Albus Dumbledore, Elphias found -- mainly that you were pretty much invariably outshone in any situation -- but there were also considerable advantages. Elphias himself was a hopeless duellist, but people who might have been inclined to curse or even merely insult him generally balked at doing so, as it might mean they would have to take on Albus as a consequence.

He always remembered the aftermath of their O.W.L. Transfiguration exam as a good example of both.

As usual, almost everyone left the examination room with looks that alternated between relief and worry as they discussed their answers to the questions. Elphias and his group felt reasonably confident, having received a number of useful tips and explanations from Albus during the revision period, but that definitely wasn't because the questions had been easy.

At least, not to them.

"I thought that was a rather simpler paper than the ones that have been set in the last few years," said Albus cheerfully as they headed down towards the lake. "More emphasis on lists and practical considerations and less on underlying structure and theory. Of course, my opinion may be biased by the presence of that rather enjoyable question on Trans-Species Transformations." He almost absent-mindedly turned a passing butterfly into a bird, then into a bat and back to a butterfly, repeating the cycle over and over as they walked. "As it was the subject of one of the papers I submitted to Transfiguration Today, not only was I able to give the examiners a far more detailed answer than they probably wanted, I had the very great pleasure of quoting myself as a published authority for my statements ..."

Elphias watched the rapidly changing butterfly-bird-bat with something like awe, not to mention frustration at the bleak realisation that his own transfiguration skills were most unlikely ever to become so casually adept. Some odd expression must have been showing on his face, as a passing group of Slytherin boys sniggered at him. "Give it a rest, Dumbles," called one of them, "or else Dogbreath here will have an aneurysm with all the excitement." Elphias turned red at the mockery -- as usual -- and dropped his head.

Albus smiled kindly at him, transformed the bat back to a butterfly one last time, and let it fly away. "Well, I do hope not, but audience appreciation is always welcome. I'm afraid I can't resist the lure of being a showman." As he said it, with a twitch of his wand he transfigured the Slytherin's hat into an oversized hummingbird that began to circle the boy's head at top speed. He batted it away, swearing, and lifted his wand to negate the spell, but another flick of Albus's wand sent the bird zooming away towards the school, forcing the boy to chase after it if he wanted his hat back.

Albus watched with a look of mild interest but also with a twitch on his lips, and winked at Elphias, who grinned back.

*****

The letter Elphias received at the Zauberer Hotel came as a tremendous shock. He'd long known Albus's sister was ill, but to his chagrin and embarrassment he hadn't realised quite how ill she was. It had, after all, long been his habit to avoid prying into the details of Dumbledore family life unless Albus chose to impart them, which he seldom did. He wrote back immediately with his condolences, although privately he felt that it was something of a blessing for Albus. It was an ill wind that blew nobody any good, after all.

That feeling lasted right up until the point when he returned for the funeral and met his old friend again, and was able to see for himself how it was affecting him. He attempted consolation, but there proved to be little of use he could say.

"Was it ... quick?"

Albus visibly winced. "Yes, I think so."

He waited, but as nothing more was forthcoming, he tentatively tried, "How is Aberforth taking it?"

"I'm not sure."

"Sorry?"

The answer came slowly, and with obvious pain. "Aberforth is not speaking to me. He ... blames my neglect for the fact that Ariana is no longer with us. I doubt that he will readily forgive me."

Elphias was horrified. "Albus, it wasn't your fault!"

"So everyone says." Albus turned away with a bitter scowl, and after a moment added, "Surely I could have done better."

"No!"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I would prefer to reflect on this in my own way, so please -- let us not talk of it, if you would be so kind."

That was all Elphias was able to get out of him on the matter, even after Aberforth's extraordinary behaviour at the funeral. What left him just a little disgruntled was that experience soon showed that it would be all he ever would be able to get out of him on the matter.

*****

Elphias grew alternately closer to and more distant from Albus over the succeeding years. Although they always found time to meet on a reasonably regular basis, Albus threw himself into pure research and was soon an extremely busy man, as he began to produce the string of outstanding research discoveries his friends had always assumed would naturally follow. Elphias himself was no man of leisure -- in the due course of time he had his own family to raise, and many business commitments that frequently took him to the Continent. The wizarding areas remained relatively untouched by the cataclysm in Muggle Europe that unfolded in the early years of the new century, although everywhere he went there was a sense of shock among magical citizens at the level of devastation -- not to mention a certain smugness at the thought that the wizarding world had managed to avoid such things.

"We should put a stop to it," growled one sorcerer in the Leaky Cauldron during the fourth winter of the war, to nods and murmurs of agreement. Elphias had heard similar sentiments expressed in wizarding bars in Berlin, Paris, Rome and indeed across much of Europe. He had a great deal of sympathy with them.

To his surprise, however, Albus did not. His fame and undoubted intellectual prowess gave his words a certain weight when the relationship between wizards and Muggles became a subject of public debate, as it increasingly did. In those debates, the most cogent and forceful arguments for separation and the respectful treatment of Muggles generally came from the voice or the quill of Albus Dumbledore.

Although most wizards were content merely to ignore Muggle events, increasingly common was the attitude Elphias heard expressed shortly afterwards in a café in Prague. "They will come for us next," warned a local witch, who he understood to be some junior official of the Bohemian Ministry of Magic. As she spoke, she absent-mindedly fingered the clasp of her robes, a large triangular brooch of simple but curious design. "When they have finished their war, whoever wins. We should take action now to protect ourselves! If we rule them, it will be for the greater good in the long run."

The senior Ministry official Elphias was meeting with to discuss dragon-scale supplies looked uncomfortable. "We have many like this," he whispered. "Heads that are hot, yes?"

"What will you do about it?" Elphias whispered back. "Will you dismiss her?"

"Dis--? Ah, no. It is always the same, this they read or that they hear and it catches fire for them. They will go cold in time. We might wish to do things such as this, but we old ones know it is not so simple as the young think, yes?" He winked.

"I suppose not," agreed Elphias, rather offended at the idea of being regarded as one of the 'old ones'.

When the subject came up in conversation the next time he met Albus, his friend was not so tolerant. "Open discussion by Ministry representatives is a worrisome development," he said with a frown. "Perhaps I could submit a short essay to the Kouzelný Právo, if I can supplement the smattering of the language that I currently possess. We should not interfere in Muggle affairs."

"Even now?" asked Elphias. The subject had been nagging at him ever since his return from the Continent. "I mean, the Statute of Secrecy is a good idea, but it was enacted in the first place in response to a genuine threat. We might have been overwhelmed if we hadn't gone into hiding. The Muggle world has grown much stronger since then, and their governments know about us, even if their people don't."

Albus shook his head. "I have come to regard the enactment of the Statute of Secrecy as possibly the wisest move the International Confederation has ever made, though admittedly some might argue that is not saying much. I consider power in Muggle affairs, beyond what is necessary for the maintenance of our safety and anonymity, to be a dangerous lure for wizards -- just as the possible exploitation of our powers would be a dangerous lure for them. It is ultimately much better for both parties if we absent ourselves entirely."

Elphias nodded, but privately he thought Albus might be taking things a little too far. There were, after all, times when it was necessary to perform some forceful magic in order to preserve the wizarding way of life, and even Albus conceded that Memory Charms and the like were sometimes necessary. He couldn't remember him ever taking such a hard line during their schooldays; Elphias guiltily wondered if the difficulties the Dumbledore family had experienced, largely because of his father's absence following the Muggle-baiting conviction, had led him to overcompensate.

*****

As Albus Dumbledore approached his fortieth birthday, there was a general expectation that his logical next move would be to commence a more active role in Ministry of Magic politics. Elphias knew that he had been sounded out for the Minister's job itself, and felt rather disappointed when the offer was refused. He could readily understand it -- Albus was immersed in his alchemical research, having expressed a desire to find at least twelve uses for dragon's blood and having so far managed only a total of seven -- but the rejection seemed regrettable. The country needed a disinterested Minister like Albus Dumbledore who had never sought to rule.

Naturally, then, it caused raised eyebrows throughout Europe when he accepted -- if the rumours were correct, sought -- a teaching position at Hogwarts instead. If truth be told, it surprised Elphias too, though of course he knew very well how much Albus enjoyed instructing those who could not match his own standard!

The man was a showman, that was all there was to it.

Elphias found himself defending his friend on a regular basis from people who sneered at a man of such promise becoming a simple schoolteacher -- pointing out that he was also a well-respected if junior member of the Wizengamot, and that in his spare time he was still doing important research work in transfiguration and was now up to ten uses. The responses tended to bring back painful memories of his childhood -- all those old sneers, of which 'Dumbledore's pet dog' was the least coarse, were wheeled out again. It stung -- of course it did! -- but it wasn't his place to question his friend's choices.

At least, not in public.

"I hear that Evangeline Orpington will be the new Minister."

"Indeed. A very capable witch, with whom I have had the pleasure of conversing on several occasions. I wish her the greatest success."

"Albus, why --"

"-- did I show no interest in taking on the role myself, or at least that of the Head of a major Department?" The impressive auburn moustache Albus had recently chosen to grow quivered with suppressed amusement. "Or do I misinterpret your intended question? If so, please accept my apologies for such rudeness."

"No, you were right -- as usual," said Elphias in moderate exasperation. "So why didn't you?"

"I have no wish to bury myself in the minutiae of bureaucracy when there are so many more important things I could be doing. I have yet to find a twelfth use for dragon's blood, for example, which seems to me a much more fitting and magically effective number than eleven."

"Eleven now? That's ... never mind. Why Hogwarts? High office would give you the power to put those important principles into practice! As it is, you're always trying to influence people by arguing as an outsider!"

"I have no wish to force my principles on others," said Albus gravely, and although his tone was perfectly polite and measured Elphias felt rebuked. "However, I am a great believer in persuasion by reasoned argument. The best possible time to influence people is when they are young, and hopefully more receptive to discussions and demonstrations that challenge any unfortunate preconceptions they may have absorbed from the more dogmatic type of parent. Hogwarts is far more suited to my talents and inclinations than any Ministry office."

Elphias shrugged and threw up his hands. "Whatever makes you happy, Albus."

*****

The concept of the famous Dumbledore as a simple schoolteacher soon became an accepted part of the background of wizarding life, and as the years passed Elphias began to see the wisdom in his friend's choice. Not only did it appear to be doing him good -- he seemed happier than he had been at any time since their own schooldays -- but it produced good results in the wider world. Although Albus's colleague was the expert at placing his favourites in positions of political influence, it was Albus himself that so many of the best and brightest wizards and witches of Britain and Ireland looked up to as a guide, and whose views were echoed by many a tongue and expounded upon by many a quill.

They were not, of course, the only views that were echoed or expounded.

The opposing views were most concisely summed up by the phrase he'd heard spoken years before in Prague, a phrase he heard more and more often these days when he travelled in Europe on business -- 'for the greater good'. It was the watchword of a powerful and determined wizard called Gellert Grindelwald, who had been arguing forcefully that the rapidly approaching threat of another, more terrible war in the Muggle world showed how necessary it was for wizards to take matters into their own hands in order to protect themselves. As the threat of that war turned into reality, these views became extremely popular in salons across Europe.

Elphias was doubly worried. Grindelwald and his followers were not prepared to content themselves with forceful argument. They took forceful action as well, and the tally of their opponents who were tortured or assassinated or who simply disappeared steadily grew. Elphias was frankly scared, and kept his head down as much as possible. But even so ... well, in his sixty years he'd seen a lot of things, and he had to concede that Grindelwald and his followers had only achieved the popularity they had because they had a point, even if their methods were appalling.

Albus seemed deeply saddened by the whole business. "I fear that these ideas are taking root in the wizarding world, just as they are in the Muggle one," he said. "Perhaps it is inevitable, when there are so many who do not look beyond their own fear and anger to see the consequences of the actions proposed." He stopped and treated Elphias to a characteristically piercing glance. "I am sure you see what the result of such interference would be."

"Not really," replied Elphias, wishing he'd never brought the subject up in the first place. "I quite agree that this Grindelwald isn't the ideal candidate, but ... well, I can't help but feel that surely if the Ministries got together they could do something to stop the kind of thing that's happening now -- it's happening all over again, isn't it? You don't agree, do you?" he added when Albus's expression remained impassive. "Very well then. You see more than I do, you always have! What do you think would happen if we wizards took power?"

"I think that such power would be abused, as it always has been." Albus sank back in his chair and rubbed his eyes; he seemed unaccountably weary. "While the marriage of wizard and Muggle individuals may be a pleasing sign of tolerance and mutual understanding, I have to feel that the remarriage of wizard and Muggle societies, of wizard and Muggle powers would be a truly dreadful thing."

"But under the right people --"

"No, Elphias." Albus's voice seemed frayed and he spoke much more bluntly than he normally would. "There are no people I would be willing to trust with such authority. Even if it started with sincerely meant offers of help on our part, we have proven time and time again that we can claim no moral superiority -- we are no more intelligent, nor possessed of greater wisdom, but simply more powerful. We are too few and they are too many, both of us too individually vulnerable and much too collectively terrifying. Any such attempt would inevitably end in an overweening dictatorship, made longer and darker and crueller by the perverted wizardry that would be needed to maintain it."

"That's a Muggle phrase," said Elphias slowly, as it gradually dawned on him that it sounded vaguely familiar.

"In essence, yes. As I say, there are few differences between us. Please, Elphias -- for my sake and your own, do not travel down that particular road, I beg of you. It is not signposted but the eventual destination is clear."

Albus spoke with urgent entreaty, and Elphias nodded, stunned.

*****

In youth and in maturity, Elphias always stayed at the Zauberer when in Berlin. It was well-hidden and a comfortable base for the travelling wizard or witch, and under current circumstances something of a place of refuge too -- being at least reasonably well protected from the violent death that fell from the sky almost every night.

After dinner, he made his way to the bar, and somehow ended up commiserating with the barmaid on the difficulties they must face. She nodded and cast a dark look over his shoulder towards the window. "We have problems here, ja. You in Britain have luck to escape it."

"The explosions were actually quite bad a few years ago --" began Elphias, but to his surprise the barmaid vigorously shook her head.

"Not the ... the Maggles is your word? We have a war here also, but wizards -- we have a Leiter." She spat the word with utter contempt. "The man with the big wand that impresses so many! He tells us it is for the greater good they kill each other, that we will come from shadow to rule when they are in ruins. And those his people kill? Well, that is for greater good also."

Elphias nodded politely, although he'd really hoped to avoid the subject of Grindelwald altogether. "Can no-one stop him?" he asked. The loss of one Ministry might have shocked the rest into decisive action for once.

"They say he fears one of your people. Doppeldor, some name like this." Elphias started in surprise. "But him -- bah, he will not help us."

"Has he been asked?"

"How would I know? Perhaps he is scared like the rest."

"Don't be ridiculous!" cried Elphias in discomfort.

The barmaid, offended, flounced away to the other end of the bar. Elphias shook himself and went to sit by the window, where a wizard at the next table caught his eye. "You know this man, then?" he asked without preamble.

"Who?" replied Elphias warily.

"This wizard who does not come to help." He smiled; there was little humour in it. "Albus Dumbledore. The famous scholar, the winner of many prizes, the man his admirers call the greatest, most powerful wizard in the world."

"He is."

"So they say." He shrugged. "But he does not come."

"He's a busy man."

"It seems so. And you, his ... friend? --" The wizard raised an eyebrow delicately.

"His very good friend!"

"-- naturally defend him. But do you really know him so well, I wonder?"

Elphias was beginning to lose his temper. "I know him as well as anyone! Let me tell you, if the time was right, if he was really needed, he'd come ..."

The lecture he delivered served to make him feel a great deal better, even though his companion listened with a sceptical expression.

*****

"Erm, Albus ...?"

"Yes?" Albus looked up from a copy of The Practical Potioneer, which he had been reading with close attention and an expression that suggested he was mentally composing a letter to the editor to point out the flaws in the writer's argument.

Elphias turned his copy of the Evening Prophet so that Albus could read page five. His expression immediately became reserved, though doubtless someone who had known him for fewer decades would have considered it to indicate merely mild inquiry. "They have an in-depth report from their foreign correspondent on the seizure of the Ministry of Bohemia by Grindelwald's supporters. They killed twenty-one people."

"Thank you for the information, Elphias," said Albus with cool politeness. "However, although my eyesight is perhaps not what it was, it is still fully adequate to read a newspaper at a distance of six feet."

He flinched, but ignored this. "Their manifesto claims it's 'for the greater good'."

"Indeed a dreadful phrase."

"Don't you think he should be stopped?" Didn't the rumours say that Grindelwald feared Albus, as well he might?

"If that is possible, yes. But sadly, this seems to be easier declared than achieved. One can only hope that the wizarding peoples of central Europe can defeat him."

"How?" He wanted to say more, but wasn't sure what kind of reaction he would get to a more explicit suggestion that Albus involve himself in the matter.

"How indeed." Albus glanced up from his reading. "As you have previously observed, his ideas have been most effective in preparing the groundwork for his current attacks on Ministry structures. We must hope they can find a way to reject those ideas and stand together against the armies that he is raising." He returned his gaze to the journal and was soon absorbed in it.

Elphias waited in frustration, but that was apparently all Albus was prepared to say on the matter. This indifference didn't seem to make a lot of sense in the light of his earlier pleas, and he didn't understand it at all.

He returned to his newspaper, but found some difficulty in taking anything in.

*****

"Well, well. Mr Elphias Doge."

Elphias turned in surprise at the vaguely familiar, accented voice. It took him a few moments to remember the man from the hotel bar. "Hello! Mr -- er, Hantermeiar? I never expected to see you in Diagon Alley."

"Ludwig Hintermaier at your service." He gave a small, stiff bow. "And where else would I be? At present, I cannot travel in Muggle areas in Britain. I draw unwelcome attention if I speak. You had this difficulty also in Berlin, yes?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. I didn't go out much though, it would have been dangerous."

The wizard glanced around him at the bustling street. "Indeed. This is very active. Very peaceful. Very ... unconcerned."

"It's not that we don't care about the Muggles --" began Elphias uncomfortably, but stopped when his companion burst into laughter.

"And again you do not understand! Is this very good friend of yours truly so powerful then, that you here show so little concern for our wars that you do not even remember that they take place? You believe he will protect you should the Leader turn his attention here?"

"The Leader?"

"Grindelwald. The Leiter, as he likes to be known. Surely you have not forgotten our conversation? They say that there is little trouble here --" he waved a hand vaguely at the Alley "-- because he does not know what action the great Dumbledore would take if there was. And yet this great man, he does not interfere abroad. Is he so unconcerned at what happens there if Britain is safe? Does he too believe that --" he gave a sardonic smile "-- it is for the greater good that we fight each other, that Grindelwald is right? Or is his plan to seize power for himself once the hard work is done by another?"

"Of course not!" Elphias was shocked. "I mean, I'm sure he can see that Grindelwald is a very dangerous man, but it's a continental matter and so he wouldn't want to stick his nose in --"

The foreign wizard snorted. "Naturally. An Englishman, even one as renowned as Dumbledore, would not wish to stick his nose in."

"Well ..." Elphias shrugged helplessly.

"Tell me my friend. You do not think that he will help. Why is that?"

"He can't do much on his own!"

"Do you truly believe that?

"No -- I mean -- I don't know."

"Has he said he will not help?"

"He hasn't ... well, he's said ..."

"Has he said anything on the matter? Anything at all?"

There was urgency in Hintermaier's voice, and suddenly, the idea of having someone sympathetic to talk to on the subject, even if he was a foreigner -- no, particularly because he was a foreigner -- felt like a burden lifting. Bitterly, Elphias began to recite what little he had been able to prise from Albus on the subject. Hintermaier heard him out in silence.

"You have doubts," he said when Elphias had finished. "You believe he may not be as strong as you once thought. You even think he knows he is not strong enough, that he has chosen to retire to a place of learning well away from the risk of action."

"Maybe," admitted Elphias quietly. It seemed easier to confess that to a virtual stranger than to any of his friends or family, let alone raise the point with Albus himself.

The other wizard nodded. "We must talk on this matter again."

*****

They did, on several occasions.

Hintermaier seemed almost desperate for information on what Albus was thinking, and Elphias thought he could see the reason why; the killings by Grindelwald supporters were getting bloodier and more frequent. In such a situation he could well imagine that someone such as an Albus Dumbledore could seem to be their only hope.

Unfortunately, their great hope showed no signs of being willing to assist them. Indeed, his apparent indifference to what was happening grew more pronounced with every murmur that he would be well suited to do something about it, or indeed rumour that he was actually in the process of preparing an assault. He shut himself away at Hogwarts and devoted himself to teaching; Elphias seldom saw him at all now, and when he did, by tacit consent the subject of Grindelwald and his war remained off the table.

Finally he could stand it no longer. "Have you heard the latest about Grindelwald? He's even built his own prison now," he said desperately. "They need some kind of champion to take him on."

"I am afraid candidates for that position will be thin on the ground." Albus's voice and expression were far too bland to suggest true indifference. "Ministries are not known for their willingness to seek outside help, nor to accept it when offered, and Grindelwald is a formidably able warlock. Still, there is a whole continent full of potential heroes if that is their need. I would personally suggest that Ministry-organised resistance would be a preferable way to mobilise them, if the Ministries can cease arguing long enough to organise it."

Cold discomfort began to creep up on Elphias as he watched. If he didn't know better, he would think his friend was afraid. He'd always assumed that if it did come to a fight between Albus and Grindelwald that Albus would win, but what would happen if he ...

No.

Elphias shook himself, feeling thoroughly ashamed. Such doubts were disloyal, and most of all unworthy of a friend.

*****

As the Muggle war showed signs of coming to an end, the wizarding war gave every sign of coming to a head. By now Elphias was more or less resigned to the fact that Albus, whatever his reasons, was not going to involve himself.

France was, at least, more or less safe to travel in now without the need to Apparate well away from the fighting. His friend Ludwig had informed him that his stay in a Paris hotel would coincide with Elphias's latest trip, and so they naturally arranged to meet in his room.

"Good evening, Elphias," he said, waving him in. "You are alone, I hope?"

"Er, yes."

"Excellent." Hintermaier waved his wand around the room a few times; the door slammed shut and locked itself, the windows bolted and the curtains drew themselves tightly. The noise level from the street dropped considerably, which suggested he had cast some sort of muffling charm.

Elphias watched in some anxiety. "What's going on? Are you worried that Grindelwald's people might be listening?"

"Not at all."

"Good." He breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to encounter one of the brutal wizards who had terrorised a continent. "So why the precautions?"

"I do not wish to be overheard," he replied, with an enigmatic smile.

"I thought you said you weren't worried about Grindelwald's people?" said Elphias, confused and somewhat alarmed.

"Why would I be? I am one of them."

It took a few moments for this to sink in, then with a choked cry Elphias leapt up and reached for his wand. Hintermaier was much faster; ropes flew through the air and bound Elphias's arms and legs so tightly he could not move them more than fraction of an inch. He fell painfully to the floor and looked up at the man who had summoned him here; the man he had thought of as a confidant, and even as a friend.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked. His voice sounded shaky, as well it might.

Hintermaier smiled. "Some of us who are close to the Leader know of his ... reluctance to expand into your country. Whenever we suggest such a thing, he dismisses it as premature. And when we talk about your very good friend Albus Dumbledore, he treats the matter with indifference. The only conclusion we could draw is that the Leader considers him too dangerous to provoke. Very well then, I volunteered to discover what his views might be. Your information about Dumbledore's equal reluctance has been very useful."

"So what do you want with me now?" asked Elphias, futilely struggling against both his bonds and an overwhelming sense of his own stupidity.

Hintermaier shrugged. "It cannot be long before the Muggle war is over. Soon, therefore, it will be time for us to strike, to move openly. The Leader's forces are already summoned to a gathering, as no doubt you will have heard. As for Dumbledore -- we wish you to deliver him to us."

"What?" cried Elphias in horror. "No, I won't!"

"Oh you will, I think. I have talked with you often now, and Mr Doge, I suspect your views are not so very far from our own."

That shocked Elphias more than almost anything else that had happened since he arrived at the hotel. "They're a long way from yours, you scum!"

Hintermaier scowled. "Crucio!" Elphias heard himself shriek as every nerve in his body turned into a fiery needle. Hintermaier lifted his wand after a few moments, and there was a scornful expression on his face as he watched Elphias gasping for breath on the floor. "Well, perhaps then they are not as close as I would wish. But you are a practical man, Mr Doge. You are no fighter yourself, but you have a powerful friend. We are more powerful than he, and I think both you and he know this -- but still, he is a threat we must overcome. You will assist us again as you have assisted us before, and if you do you will be well rewarded."

"And if I don't?" asked Elphias, terrified.

"Crucio!"

He screamed.

"Let me point out that we know where to find you," said Hintermaier quietly to a chilled Elphias. "If you do not deliver him, we will kill you, Mr Doge -- and not quickly. There are rooms in Nurmengard set aside to make an example of the reluctant as encouragement to others, and I will prepare one for you. It is prudent for us to deal with Albus Dumbledore, so very great a man, before he becomes a stumbling block -- if he is indeed more than an illusory dragon. You will find out how to deliver him to us, and you will tell me this, and you will do so quickly. You know how to contact me. Do not delay too long."

With another wave of the wand his tormentor released Elphias's bonds, then with a small, mocking bow he Disapparated.

Elphias dragged himself back to his feet and collapsed into the nearest chair, trembling uncontrollably. Grindelwald! He had passed through countries where the man's name was a byword, spoken in terror by some and in admiration by others. He had tried to urge Albus to take him on. But he personally had always regarded himself as merely an observer of these things, not as a participant.

He had never expected Grindelwald's people to turn their attention to him.

That had been very, very stupid.

He didn't doubt Hintermaier for one moment. There were too many dark tales of those who had crossed the Leiter and vanished or been smashed aside, too many rumours of what had happened to those who entered Nurmengard never to return. The very idea terrified him at a level so deep he had not known it was there.

He couldn't protect himself. Could even Albus protect him this time? Did he truly have the power to take Grindelwald on? Would he even try to protect Elphias when he learnt that he had told Grindelwald's man all of his thoughts and plans?

Elphias Doge thought long and hard about this and came to the terrifying conclusion that there was only one thing he could do.

*****

Albus listened to his tale in stony silence, as was only fitting, though Elphias himself was in tears long before the end. "I couldn't do it, Albus. I just couldn't. Betray my oldest and dearest friend? I was stupid -- stupid! -- even to tell them what I did, but now ..." He swallowed and continued more softly, although meeting Albus's eyes was more than he could do. "They'll kill me if they find me, I know that. But I can't ... I can't do it. If ... if you can forgive me, if there's some way for me to hide ..."

"Elphias." Albus held up a hand, and the expression on his face was one of quiet fury. "You cannot hide. You have a family of your own to consider. Where will they be without you? And if you think that you need forgiveness ... words fail me, my friend." Elphias looked up in amazement; there was the faintest hint of a twitch on Albus's lips. "Which is a remarkable thing. On the last occasion that happened, I believe the Chudley Cannons were the reigning champions of the Quidditch League. What have they done to you? You must never think that you have betrayed me."

"I told them ..."

"You told them some of my thoughts and feelings, yes, because you saw my apparent indifference to their atrocities and could not bear it. Doubtless this information was of some help to them."

"It was wrong ..."

"It was a mistake, yes, and because of that we find ourselves in a difficult situation. But it was not a betrayal. When the opportunity came to betray me in truth, you turned away in horror, even though it might cost you your own life. And since your life is something I value highly, Elphias, we must find an alternative."

"I ..." Elphias stopped in order to at least get his breathing under control. He had abandoned all hope of stopping the tears streaming down his face. "Albus, I've never been very good at duelling, you know that. Is there a safe house we can use? Some protective charm?"

Albus nodded. "Those things are possibilities, yes. We should discuss them later if you think them advisable. But there is, I think, a simpler and on the whole preferable solution."

"What's that?"

"You must betray me."

Elphias stared. "But ... I don't understand ... no!" He shook his head violently. "I won't, Albus! I'll let them kill me before I deliver you into their hands!"

"Oh, I think the delivery can be made in such a manner as to put into their hands a wand that will backfire on its owner. It is long past time to put an end to this in one way or the other, and it shames me that I have allowed myself to tarry. If you will inform them of when and where I propose to seek out Grindelwald --"

"They'll kill you!"

"-- they will naturally regard that as an ideal opportunity to ambush me. But they will be doing so at a time and a place of my choosing, not their own, and if the general estimate -- mine and I hope still yours included -- of my outstanding abilities proves justified, I think that they will find the trap sprung upon them rather than myself."

*****

When Elphias arrived at the school gates, he found Rubeus Hagrid waiting to let him in. Ogg's young assistant was evidently trying to appear inconspicuous, although his freakish size made the attempt less than effective. "He says to tell yeh ter meet him by the lake," he explained in a whisper that probably carried at least that far. Elphias nodded in thanks and the boy trotted off, looking well pleased to have performed this service.

Albus turned out to be on the village side of the lake, seemingly lost in thought. "Ah, Elphias," he said cheerfully when he noticed his arrival. "I was contemplating the waters, and found myself unable to recall the Mermish for oar. Possibly because the word sees little use in that language, of course. I must remember to look it up when I return to my office." He had been making small gestures with his wand hand while he talked, and with an abrupt change of tone added, "There, that should prevent us from being overheard. May I say how relieved I am to see you return safe and sound?"

Elphias flushed in pleasure. "Thank you. Well ... I told them."

"Good, good. Doubtless the information was of interest?"

"He probably Apparated straight to his Leiter to pass on the good news." He hesitated. Far be it from him to question his friend's plans, but ... "Albus, I do truly believe that you're the most powerful wizard in the world, but you're giving them two weeks to get ready for you. Can even you really afford to let them have that long?"

Albus smiled. "Perhaps not. Which is of course why I will be heading to the Continent tonight instead."

"Tonight?" cried Elphias, aghast.

"Indeed. No need to worry," he added, "I am sure that Gellert Grindelwald will anticipate and allow for this possibility, but the necessary haste to prepare for my possible but far from certain arrival will in itself be a helpful distraction. And if I read him correctly, as I think I do ... he will not be content to leave the task to the underlings who have shown doubt in his ability to challenge me. He will insist on taking me on himself."

"Why would he do that?" asked Elphias in confusion.

"To demonstrate his power to his followers by defeating a wizard renowned for his superlative magical ability. In addition, I think he may desire to -- well, let us say demonstrate his triumphant success in an area of research in which once we both took an interest. But I also have a modest, possibly foolish hope that he will not wish me to suffer the indignity of defeat to anyone less than himself."

Elphias stared. "You knew each other? That's why they've always said he feared you? You were ... colleagues? Friends? And you never told me?" He couldn't quite believe what the words implied.

Albus's face clouded over. "I knew him once, yes, for a few short months," he said after a pause. "You could not have known, you were abroad at the time. It shames me that I did not see what kind of man he truly was. And it shames me further that I have allowed shame at my failure to prevent me from taking action, rather than doing what is necessary for the greater good. I should like to reclaim that phrase." A brief flash of annoyance passed over his face, as if for once in his life he had said too much.

Elphias could almost hear the pieces clicking into place. A few months when he was abroad? There was really only one time in their lives Albus could be referring to. Surely he didn't mean ... he'd always known that Albus was, well, not a witches' wizard, but Grindelwald ... "Albus, are you saying --"

"I am saying as little as I can, Elphias, as is my wont." There was a half-smile on his lips now. "As you are well aware, I have a tendency to prefer personal reflection rather than open discussion as a method of dealing with painful memories, and I feel this to be an excellent approach in this case. I knew him, yes, and I failed to show good judgement in dealing with him. I am sure he will remind me of my mistakes when we meet again, but one must be strong."

"Yes. Yes, of course." It was all very reminiscent of the way Albus had always refused to talk about Ariana -- wait, that must have been at about the same time, had Grindelwald been the one -- Elphias stopped that train of thought right there. No. No, he didn't want to know. "Do you think you will be strong enough?" he asked eventually. That was, after all, the only important question for the moment.

"I have great hopes that I shall, but if not --" his voice was oddly choked "-- I wish you to know that the friendship and love you have shown me have made me prouder than have any other honours in my life. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare myself."

Elphias watched as his old friend strode towards the castle. He couldn't bear it.

"Wait!" he cried. "I'll come with you." He ran to catch up. "You can't go there all alone."

Albus paused, then turned and shook his head. "On the contrary, I must go alone."

"You need someone to --"

"Elphias." Albus's voice was gentle, but firm. "I do not need anyone. Were you to accompany me, you would be -- forgive me for the necessity of such bluntness -- a handicap rather than a asset. As you yourself have said, you have never been a good duellist, and Grindelwald would undoubtedly target you as a distraction, in order to force me to divert some of my attention from defending myself to defending you. This cannot be. It is, it must be, a matter between myself and Gellert."

To Elphias's complete surprise, Albus bent down and kissed him tenderly on the forehead, then with a small, sad smile he turned away.

*****

Many years later ...

Tears had been streaming down Elphias's face for some time as he tried to compose his obituary for Albus for the Daily Prophet. Even after more than a hundred years of close friendship, there were still things he had never known, never asked, things that seemed unimportant compared to the loss of Albus Dumbledore himself. Any weaknesses he may have had were as nothing compared to his strengths, let alone to the weaknesses of that poor fool Elphias Doge.

And yet Albus had not seen it that way. He had loved and trusted Elphias, even when Elphias had doubted him, and then had shown that there had been no need for such doubt; since that time, for more than fifty years, Elphias had never doubted him again.

There would surely be naysayers coming out of the woodwork now, but if all that was left to him to do for his friend was to cherish his memory, and protect the esteem in which he was held against attempts to tarnish it, then that was what he would do.

He picked up his quill and wrote the closing words, ones that were so much more true of Albus than ever they had been for his erstwhile foe.

"He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him."

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Author's Note: I'm fairly sure from DH that Elphias knew little or no actual detail about what had happened with Ariana or Grindelwald. On the other hand, I get the definite vibe that he doth protest too much, and at least suspected more than he was willing to admit. So while this is clearly not the only possible interpretation of Elphias by a long way, I'd say it's a viable one for the purpose of this fic!