This was written in response to Mystii's "Freeverse Collection" challenge. The prompts used are 'bridge', 'thousand', 'imperfect' and 'end'. I'm dedicating this story to Schermionie.

As is the case with all of my pieces dealing with the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, it isn't specifically slash, but it is open to interpretation. The lines from the third stanza were taken from J.K. Rowling's HBP.

OoOoO

O

The fruit of friendship had soured;

Too good to be true.

No amount of cleverness or talent

(And they had both – only equal to one another)

Could stop them (Albus&Gellert) from

B r e a k i n g

(Albus)

Apart.

(Gellert)

O

Albus knew it

Was the stuff of dreams.

Shared dreams of their golden world.

But was it so

G N O R W

To want a reward for

His brilliance?

For being the best?

Yes.

A passion, (im)pure and (im)perfect.

O

Don't hurt them,

For the Greater Good,

Please, please, it's my fault,

For the Greater Good,

Hurt me instead.

And without raising his wand,

Grindelwald had.

He left.

(The end)

O

Gellert knew it

Was just a dream.

Shared dream, that had (almost) been

Reality. Their reality;

It sustained him through the

Harsh hundred, thousand hours,

His body, his mind, imprisoned.

Awake until

The end.

O

Neither of them

Mastered death.

Neither of them wanted to,

When the time came.

Albus was humbled.

Gellert was caged.

Both too

b r o k e n

For youth's desires to

Take flight.

And together

(like the brothers from their dreams)

Albus & Gellert

Crossed the bridge.

O

OoOoO

Thanks for reading. Please review.