Author's Note:

Once again thanks for all the reviews guys. I noticed that I haven't put a disclaimer anywhere. Well here it is: I don't own anything…

A bit conversation savvy chapter, which confuses me more than it would do you.

On to the story…

Chapter 4: Demon's Martell

"Ch-ch-charlie?" Harry croaked in disbelieve, on all fours panting in exhaustion.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Why?"

"Why not?" Dumbledore inquired, amused at Harry's confusion, "Harry, life is a very simple thing that is governed by only two factors. One, there is no such thing as good and evil. There is power, and those who are too weak to seek it. Your brother has seeked and embraced this power. Two, everything is governed by fate."

Dumbledore turned his back to Harry, his arms wide open, as if embracing the air with his eyes closed, "When you are born, the world is your playground. You are void of any responsibilities. But then there occurs that single moment in your life, whatever age that may be, where your fate is sealed. The day the all knowing Albus Dumbledore placed the charm to block all accidental magic from you, your double edged fate was sealed."

Harry pushed himself off the ground and onto his feet, listening intently to the old man. 'Why is he taking about himself like that?'

He could hear Dumbledore turn around again and walk slowly towards him and the rising anger in his voice. He himself was furious. How many memory blocks had been placed on him? How many times had he been tortured by his own brother? The savior of the wizarding world was truly evil.

"Savior? Evil?" laughed Dumbledore, a maniacal grin slowly forming, "You don't know half of it Harry."

Harry gasped in surprise seeing how easily Dumbledore read his mind.

Pointing and advancing at Harry he said, "Your fate is sealed child! The day your magic was sealed away from you, it became your fate to suffer. Suffer at your brother's hands, your family's. Suffer at the hands of Voldemort. Suffer because of the demon in your mind. The demon in your heart that will consume you. Fate lead you to me, even when you seeked the guidance of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. Instead fate lead you to me, Alberforth Dumbledore, thought dead to the world, even to his own brother."

'Alberforth? Dumbledore's brother? Regardless, this man has obvious lost his mind.'

"What are you babbling about old man?" Harry retorted, his own anger rising, "I didn't know your first name. Floo connected me to the most appropriate per- "

"Is that right?" interrupted Alberforth, "Then how would you explain the fact that I have disconnected my house from any floo calls. I have warded it heavily so that I may never be disturbed for the rest of my life. Imagine my surprise when I receive a call from none other than Mr. Harry Potter, the forgotten one."

"The forgotten what?" Harry said. Shaking his head, "Whatever, you're bluffing!"

"Wouldn't you like that? Apparently fate decided that I had not accomplished my purpose in life. Whereas fate's games are only beginning for you. What are you going to do now that you are aware of all the hate and pain that you have endured all your life? Will you leave your home and roam the world lonely and eventually turn dark? Or will you continue living with your family and endure more senseless pain? Either way, fate has left you crippled, in light of one destiny. Death! You will either die at the hands of your family or Voldemort."

Scared, Harry tried to back away from the old man who was now holding his wrist. Yanking his wrist away from the delusional man he tried to come up with a solution that would end this ordeal, while keeping this, Alberforth Dumbledore, unaware since he was reading his mind. He pulled out his wand from his sleeve to show the man that Harry himself was getting serious.

Alberforth laughed and said, "I've seen your mind child. I know you have no knowledge of spells. Point that somewhere else. You are as useless with it as a pacifist with a gun."

Remembering the newly accessible memories, Harry recalled the spell his brother had used on him, "Immobilus."

This only seemed to further entertain Alberforth as he began laughing again, now sounding deranged and maniacal. "Excellent child! Excellent! Fight it! It only makes you giving into your fate more entertaining! Here, let me help you!"

He snapped in fingers in Harry's direction, blowing him off the feet and into the opposite wall. Harry groaned, eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain from the impact. He began searching the ground for his wand that dropped when he was flung into the air. Finding his wand, he grasped it tightly and opened his eyes only to be greeted by a strange world. A world much similar to the one that had flashed before his eyes earlier this morning, but now much clearer. Harry looked up in disbelieve and found a middle aged man standing in front of him. His long jet black hair blowing away from his face in sheer power. His blue eyes twinkling in mirth. But Harry could feel the crimson red behind them.

"Who the hell are you? What the fuck is going on?" Harry screamed.

A grin formed on the wizard's face. "Oh so now you don't even recognize me," said the man in Alberforth's voice, "I like you am a sufferer of fate."

"Y-y-you cannot be Dumbledore's brother! He's ancient."

The wizard threw his head back as a bark of a laughter escaped his lips, "Oh so naive. I cannot die, I am immortal silly child! I am whom I say I am."

"Why are you doing this? How can I see again?"

"Because I know of the curse that has impaired your vision. And just like that I can take it away, leaving you none the better."

Once again Harry was blown back from the force of Alberforth's wandless magic. Opening his eyes, he was shocked by seeing darkness again. He had seen darkness his whole life. But a few moments of color and light, had made his whole life alien to him. Tears welled up in his eyes as a moaned escaped his lips at the obvious pain in loosing sight, something he only dreamed about, twice in one day.

In the darkness, Harry heard laughter. Alberforth's laughter. "Yes! That's it! Suffer! But do not give in so easily. Fight it, so that you may fail and suffer more!"

Harry collapsed on his knees, blood stricken tears slowly making their way down his pale cheeks. "How can someone be so cruel?" he whispered.

"Life is cruel for people like us child," Alberforth gently said, "I like you have suffered simply because fate had chosen me to suffer. Seventy five years ago, I was a well established man. I took pride in aiding those who were suffering, muggles or not. A raging magical fire struck the muggle city of Grindewald in Ireland. Homes, businesses, men, women, children, all burned for endless hours before anybody got wind of the situation. I rushed to help only to find ashes and a few survivors. I worked endlessly for twenty years using muggle techniques, putting my own happiness and needs away. I was not one to play around with the minds of people, like my brother so casually does. Magic only lasts so long. To rebuild a city, its very core, its foundations, must be built via muggle means. I raised wheat, corn, and berries on acres of farms that were scorched by the fire. I built houses, reestablished new businesses, opened schools, built the docks, ships, everything! I had brought hope, something so bitter sweet, back to the town. Over those twenty years, it slowly repopulated. They dubbed me their savior and nicknamed me Grindewald.

Elsewhere world wide, my business partners took over my businesses after my years of silence, so that they could make more profit for themselves. Albus called me a fool for loosing the Dumbledore name in the business world. I turned a blind eye to all of this. After all, what could compare to happiness of the common man. Nothing! The rewards for loving and helping the needy are so much more in life's greatest adventure, the afterlife."

Alberforth had closed in his eyes during his speech, and smiled in memories of the city of Grindewald. Harry was still on his knees listening to the man pouring out his heart, however his heart was pounding against his chest for he was defenseless and at the complete mercy of the wizard who was called Grindewald. He had heard stories about the Dark Ages that Grindewald brought with him. The evil wizard killed everyone who had approached him, and now he finds out that this was Dumbledore's own brother. Soon however Alberforth frowned and opened his eyes with fire raging in them, his lips curled in distaste and he continued:

"However, I was wrong. Fate had decided that the love of life would also abandon me in these twenty years. She would not do so respectfully. No, fate fashioned the drama in such a way that it hurt the most. As much as I tried to ignore it, Albus's rising 'popularity' in the wizarding world had made me bitter over the years. Could people not see that I was doing what wizards had done thousands of years ago when building places like Diagon Alley, London, Manchester, Scotland, and all the magical cities in the world. No! I was considered a fool, and a stain on the glorious Dumbledore name. While Albus, who seeked to impress the big people, was seen as a saint. My fiancé of fifty years, whom I shared a blood bond with, would leave me and go into the arms of my brother. She lied to me when she claimed immortality from my blood fifty years before the betrayal. I was always suspicious, but did not think much of it, when she constantly postponed our marriage saying she wanted to share what we had only with me, not with the world. That she was not completely ready and wanted to see the world. Then she was in Albus's arms calling me a fool as well.

"The bitch did not realize that she was connected to my blood. I whisked her away from London, from under Albus' protective eyes, and brought her back to the town of Grindewald, my new home. I wanted her to say to my face, not from thousands of miles away, that she did not love me and she had betrayed me. Instead she continued pouring acid over my wounds, over facts she knew that hurt me. My rage ignited anew. I lost control and obliterated her body across the house. I looked at her dead body in disbelieve. As much as I hated her at that moment, I had still loved her. And once again, tragedy struck. I lost control in anguish after realizing that I had killed not only a living being, but someone whom I loved dearly, regardless to whether or not it was not returned. My uncontrolled magic erupted and decimated the city I had worked so hard, and lost so much for. I was tainted with the blood of hundreds of innocent."

Harry listened in belief to the creation of Grindewald and to the beginning of the Dark Ages. Historians only predicted based on other facts why they had begun and its odd progression over the years. 'The fiancé of Albus Dumbledore was earlier the fiancé of Alberforth Dumbledore? Tragic or not, that's pretty sick.'

"Dark wizards across the world thought me as some war lord and came to serve under me. I had lost my mind to my raging magic. Every reminder of my dead fiancé would result in another city destroyed, every reminder of the betrayal would result in more women being killed. I would kill all those who wanted to join my cause. However, most of them were from the upper class families. Killing dark wizards of such power was also a sin in the eyes of the papers.

"Then Albus came for my life. By then I had realized what I was doing and was slowly beginning to restrain myself. I wanted to begin reaping for my sins, not die at the hands of my brother. Then there was the battle of the ages. A spectacular battle of magic. Albus Dumbledore fighting for the people and his dead love and Grindewald fighting for an opportunity to reap for his sins. My brother was always much more powerful than me, but was never as skilled as I was in the arts of manipulating magic and creating new spells. In the end, two explosive spells knocked both of us unconscious. When I came to, I saw the bleeding body of my brother. Foolish brother, thought he could defeat me. However, my conscience urged me to begin my reap right then and there. I healed my brother's body, feigned my death and apparated away from the wizarding world.

"For years I have punished myself and suffered for what I have done. I traveled to each city I had destroyed and aided in its reconstruction. However, fate decided that was not enough. People had not learned from my experience. It had remained a mystery to the wizarding world, and simply dubbed me as a dark wizard. And thus you came in play. Your purpose, like mine, is to suffer so that others may learn from your experience. The true golden boy of the wizarding world: confined, neglected, and abused at home because of a handicap," bitterly laughed Alberforth, "Fate is truly a foul existence."

By now Harry was on hit feet, his back facing the powerful wizard, "You have gone through some rough times. I do not understand all this fate business. If you are trying to imply that my life will be governed by that one sole factor then you are mistaken. Everyday is a new adventure for me, regardless of how my family would treat me. You watch, I'll prove it to you!"

Alberforth smiled sadly, "That is fate talking my child. Live with your family and suffer, or part ways, beget havoc and destruction and then suffer. That is our fate."

"Fine! You've had your moment haven't you? Let me have mine and I'll show you how to lead your own life."

"Fate was kinder to you. She brought you to me to learn from my lesson, and maybe learn to accept your suffering instead of ponder over why you suffer so much."

Harry smiled at the old wizard's answer, "You have no idea what it's like to have a handicap of missing one of your senses. You begin to love life, regardless of how shitty it sometimes gets."

Alberforth sighed and smiled one last time, "For your own good, you should accept fate. However, if you still smile in the last few seconds of your life, content with the life you lead; if you change your fate from the scum of the wizarding world to be its star warrior; then let it be known that Grindewald – no! Alberforth Dumbledore, would rip apart the world simply to be by your side in your final moments and swear to you eternal allegiance."

Finally, with one final nod, the former Dark Lord waved his hand in Harry's direction apparating him back to his home, the Potter Manor.

Author's Note:

Initially I had not planned Alberforth's character like this. He was supposed to be the teacher. It just came out this way. Let me know what you think.

Forky Forkinson out!