Doing Shipping Wrong, Day Three: they are the worst possible thing to happen to each other ship
The Harry Potter fandom has become a frightening place since the last time I ventured in here.
I’m not sure if I’m ready for this, but here goes.
"They are the worst possible thing to happen to each other" ship:
Dumbledore/Grindlewald
I think it is kind of hard to argue against this one, actually. Not only did they get into a fight that accidently killed Dumbledore’s younger sister, but they pretty much were the root of a genocidal movement that erupted into an outright war in the European wizarding world.
That is fucking intense.
In a list of my failed relationships, I sincerely hope that nothing included ever tops that.
Now, their relationship is never expanded upon in the books, but J.K. Rowling said afterward that Albus did have romantic feelings for Grindlewald, that Grindlewald was aware of them, but did not reciprocate. It doesn’t actually matter to me whether this is the background of my Grindlewald/Dumbledore feelings, or having an actual, brief, romantic relationship happen... both have a lot of feelings behind them, and I can always get behind some unrequited UST.
Dumbledore:"Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes."
The thing that makes them interesting is that they truly seemed fascinated by each other, and this is part of what led to all these horrible things happening. You have two people who are brilliant and who don’t see the world the way everyone else sees it. It is lonely, and Dumbledore has been forced into a caregiver role that shuts him off even more from the rest of the world. And then, they find each other. And here is someone else, someone that they don’t have to dumb down for. They get each other. But instead of making each other better, it is their particular curse to highlight the worst in each other. Those little trappings of arrogance, the drive for power, the half-formed thoughts that they probably wouldn’t have ever been able to formulate into something real without someone equally as brilliant to help them.
They could have done anything, and instead they came up with “For the Greater Good” and a plan to dominate people different than themselves.
But there is something beautiful about the scenes we get of them, and of the idea of these two lonely, brilliant boys together for a summer. There is something tragic about the way it ended, with Ariana dead, and then with Dumbledore facing him down and ending the war with his capture.
Albus Dumbledore: "They say he showed remorse in later years, alone in his cell at Nurmengard.
I hope that is true. I would like to think that he did feel the horror and shame of what he had done.
Perhaps that lie to Voldemort was his attempt to make amends . . . to prevent Voldemort from taking the Hallow . . ."
Harry Potter: ". . .or maybe from breaking into your tomb?"
Honest to God, why is this a thing that is real. Just to rip my heart out, I suppose.
These two win. They are the worst thing that could have happened to each other, and did an unnatural amount of damage in just the short time they were actually together. Think of what they could have done had Dumbledore stayed with him in his search for the Hallows, or hadn’t seen beyond that “Greater Good” rhetoric to what Grindelwald really wanted: power?
By the way, there are no artistic renderings of Albus and Grindlewald on Tumblr. This is a serious lack on you artists’ part and you should feel ashamed, probably.
But there is some fic:
One Thousand Paper Cranes for Albus by Antigone's Sister
Summary: The duel in 1945, its aftermath, and apologies for distorting Japanese folklore. Just to reassure you: no, Dumbledore isn't dying. This is mainly from Gellert Grindelwald's POV.
A Brief Eternity of Beelessness by iulia_linnea
see the full meme here!
I’m not sure if I’m ready for this, but here goes.
"They are the worst possible thing to happen to each other" ship:
Dumbledore/Grindlewald
I think it is kind of hard to argue against this one, actually. Not only did they get into a fight that accidently killed Dumbledore’s younger sister, but they pretty much were the root of a genocidal movement that erupted into an outright war in the European wizarding world.
That is fucking intense.
In a list of my failed relationships, I sincerely hope that nothing included ever tops that.
Now, their relationship is never expanded upon in the books, but J.K. Rowling said afterward that Albus did have romantic feelings for Grindlewald, that Grindlewald was aware of them, but did not reciprocate. It doesn’t actually matter to me whether this is the background of my Grindlewald/Dumbledore feelings, or having an actual, brief, romantic relationship happen... both have a lot of feelings behind them, and I can always get behind some unrequited UST.
Dumbledore:"Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes."
The thing that makes them interesting is that they truly seemed fascinated by each other, and this is part of what led to all these horrible things happening. You have two people who are brilliant and who don’t see the world the way everyone else sees it. It is lonely, and Dumbledore has been forced into a caregiver role that shuts him off even more from the rest of the world. And then, they find each other. And here is someone else, someone that they don’t have to dumb down for. They get each other. But instead of making each other better, it is their particular curse to highlight the worst in each other. Those little trappings of arrogance, the drive for power, the half-formed thoughts that they probably wouldn’t have ever been able to formulate into something real without someone equally as brilliant to help them.
They could have done anything, and instead they came up with “For the Greater Good” and a plan to dominate people different than themselves.
But there is something beautiful about the scenes we get of them, and of the idea of these two lonely, brilliant boys together for a summer. There is something tragic about the way it ended, with Ariana dead, and then with Dumbledore facing him down and ending the war with his capture.
Albus Dumbledore: "They say he showed remorse in later years, alone in his cell at Nurmengard.
I hope that is true. I would like to think that he did feel the horror and shame of what he had done.
Perhaps that lie to Voldemort was his attempt to make amends . . . to prevent Voldemort from taking the Hallow . . ."
Harry Potter: ". . .or maybe from breaking into your tomb?"
Honest to God, why is this a thing that is real. Just to rip my heart out, I suppose.
These two win. They are the worst thing that could have happened to each other, and did an unnatural amount of damage in just the short time they were actually together. Think of what they could have done had Dumbledore stayed with him in his search for the Hallows, or hadn’t seen beyond that “Greater Good” rhetoric to what Grindelwald really wanted: power?
By the way, there are no artistic renderings of Albus and Grindlewald on Tumblr. This is a serious lack on you artists’ part and you should feel ashamed, probably.
But there is some fic:
One Thousand Paper Cranes for Albus by Antigone's Sister
Summary: The duel in 1945, its aftermath, and apologies for distorting Japanese folklore. Just to reassure you: no, Dumbledore isn't dying. This is mainly from Gellert Grindelwald's POV.
A Brief Eternity of Beelessness by iulia_linnea
see the full meme here!