The Greater Good [GrindelwaldxDumbledore]

~Chapter Six~ Godric's Hollow

Augustus could feel the pulsing tension as soon as he stepped through the door.  Except for a single candle glowing in his study, the house sat in darkness. He sighed, bowed his head, and trudged towards the door. A dark silhouette sat back in his chair, the flickering light distorting her features into something frightening.

"We need to talk about Gellert."

Augustus sighed and pulled the empty chair closer to the front of his desk. "I take it his results arrived today?"

Isobel flicked the parchment in his direction. "I'm surprised you didn't order a copy straight to your office, I would have if I was in your position."

"I can't change them, so what would be the point of reading something that might influence my day in a negative manner?" He flicked his wand, illuminating the room with candlelight. "Sorry but I can't read in the dark," he said when she crinkled her face at the sudden light.

She waited for a moment, letting him read it through. "Disappointing isn't it?"

"Could have been worse."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Not much point saying anything else, he's got enough O.W.Ls to get a half-decent job, and there is a chance of him enrolling somewhere else for a final year unless of course, you want to homeschool him?"

The growl that left her lips was barely human.

"I take that as a no then?" he smiled, secretly proud that through all the mess of the past two months his son had managed to pass all his exams and get top marks in eight of them.

"No one would take him with his track record, and none of the schools would be able to keep a close enough eye on him to stop him getting into further trouble."

"So you want to keep him cooped up in here with you?"

"No." She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the parchment she would have liked to see burst into flames. Not wanting to participate any further, she stood up and made for the hallway.

"I've already talked to my aunt, she'll be happy to have him, for the summer anyway."

Isobel's eye's glazed over for a second, her body trembled and she formed a death grip on the door frame for support. Even when the vision was over she continued shaking. "He mustn't go."

"She's a stern old bat, you said so yourself at dad's funeral, it would do him some good to hear real history as opposed to my father's legends."

She shook her head, clutching the wall for support as she turned back to face him. "He's supposed to be being punished, not cavorting across the globe. How do you think it will look? Our son was expelled from the most prestigious magical schools, a girl almost died."

"Almost. And besides, Bathilda is aware of all that and accepted it anyway."

"You told her everything?" she eyed him with suspicion.

"I told her what she needed to know."

"Oh, and what was that?"

"That he will arrive tomorrow."

"Augustus."

"Isobel. He feels terrible about what happened, can't you see that?"

"I see more than I want to about that boy."

"He is your son, what could you possibly have seen to turn your heart so cold against him?" He sighed and sank back into the chair. "Can you not see that this distance you maintain might be pushing him further in the direction you don't want him to take? He needs his mother."