Reckless Paradise (GGAD/Grindeldore)

2 - Hogwarts in a Time of Turmoil

"I could not help but notice, that there is no mention of any marriage documents in the ministry's records?", his new colleague questioned in obvious suspicion.

"There wouldn't be. We performed a blood-pact in 1899, when it was still legal. As it binds souls together, neither of us saw the need to follow through with an official ceremony." Conveniently, Gellert failed to mention the destruction of the pact.

The false smirk on the woman's face became poisonous, as she turned towards Albus: "Headmaster, while there are no clear laws forbidding the employment of spouses, an implication of bias persists." Her teeth clicked together upon finishing her barely concealed threat.

Grindelwald wondered, how his 'husband' could smile at the woman with twinkling eyes, let alone speak in a soft, kind voice: "Ah, Dolores. Surely, you must have known how difficult it would be to hire a competent teacher halfway through the term? After Sybil's sudden indisposition, I hurried to find a teacher, lest the students missed too many lessons, forcing them to self-study. Should you, however, dislike Gellion's teaching methods for any reason, I am willing to hire the centaur Firenze - who proved himself qualified through his knowledge of the correlation between Astrology and the Future."

Clever, Gellert thought, hiding a grin. By implying the employment of a creature, the Headmaster forced Umbridge to choose between two evils (in her eyes). She would not fire him unless she was certain to insure a wizard to follow him.

"Should you have any further concerns", the man continued, "you should take them up with me after the staff-meeting tonight, instead of in from of the entire student body. Public arguments do not do the school's image well."

The twinkle never left his eyes, despite the threat. How Gellert loved him.

*

Unsurprisingly, the staff room's design was... odd - to say the least. Gellert found himself wondering whose idea it had been to give a raging Albus Dumbledore the control of furniture and color scheme of the room. The tapestry on the walls consisted of an irregular pattern of geometric shapes - circles, squares, triangles, stars, and hexagons only being a few of them - of varying colors, of which none matched. The majority of the space was taken up by an assembly of armchairs, sofas, and side tables in a shocking combination of lime-green and orange. The German wizard feared for his eyesight, should he be exposed to this stylistic cruelty for a prolonged period of time. He should have considered this as a method of torture in his more violent days.

Upon entering the room, Albus promptly made his way to a loveseat, pulling Gellert after him. Unceremonially, the two of them plopped down on the comfortable seat, wide grins on their faces. It gelt familiar - a reminiscent shadow of their youth, when they ran from their responsibilities to imagine a perfect world. The German cared little for the raised eyebrows of his new colleagues, nor the disapproving frowns. All he could think at the moment was how lucky he was to be here, how perfect Albus felt at his side.

It took the other professors longer to sink down in their chosen seats, though they did so with much more grace than the couple.

"This should be a rather short affair", Dumbledore opened the meeting, "As I already announced during the feast, this is my husband Gellion, whom I hired as a Divination Teacher for the remainder of this year."

A short round of introductions followed, with each teacher announcing their name, subject, and Hogwarts-house, if applicable. Though few of the witches and wizards left a lasting impression, Gellert forced himself to remember them all. After a brief update on classes and worrisome students, the meeting was adjourned, most teachers fleeing the horrendous design of the room.