Grindeldore

"Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes."

- Albus to Harry Potter, about Gellert. Grindeldore is the slash ship between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald from the Harry Potter fandom.

Canon
Dumbledore and Grindelwald first met when they were introduced to each other by Bathilda Bagshot when they were seventeen. As they had much in common, they got along instantly. They both agreed on ideals about the structure of the wizarding society and were both keen on finding the Deathly Hallows. The two grew close, and according to J K Rowling and others involved in the Fantastic Beasts production, they began to develop romantic feelings for each other. Their friendship developed into a "love relationship" with a "sexual dimension".

We know that Dumbledore was deeply in love with Grindelwald, but we have yet to learn the depth of Grindelwald's feelings. Given his adult obsession with Dumbledore and jealousy over Dumbledore's relationship with Newt, it's likely that Dumbledore's feelings were at least somewhat requited. They remained involved for two months, making plans to find the Deathly Hallows and lead a wizarding revolution. They also made a blood pact, which kept them from attacking each other. During this time, Albus neglected his younger siblings, Aberforth and Ariana. When Aberforth confronted the pair over this, Grindelwald lost his temper and attacked Aberforth. Albus rushed forward to defend his brother, and during the duel, Ariana was killed. Grindelwald fled, his friendship with Albus over.

Over the next years, Grindelwald caused chaos throughout the wizarding world based on his beliefs about their society. Dumbledore refused to face him out of fear that Grindelwald would blame him for Ariana's death, and because their blood pact made it impossible for them to fight each other. Eventually, Albus could no longer stand Grindelwald's reign of terror. He confronted him in a duel, which he managed to win. The duel would forever be considered one of the most epic duels in the wizarding world. Dumbledore took possession of the Elder Wand and imprisoned Grindelwald in his own prison, Nurmengard. There are rumours, according to Rita Skeeter, that Grindelwald may have willing submitted to Dumbledore in the end.

Many years later, Voldemort confronted Grindelwald and asked for information about the Elder Wand. Grindelwald, who was imprisoned and wandless, refused to give any information. This seems to indicate that Grindelwald no longer held with the views of those who practiced the Dark Arts. It was speculated by Harry Potter that Grindelwald had given his life to prevent Voldemort from desecrating Dumbledore's tomb, perhaps indicating that Grindelwald retained some respect and affection for his old friend.

Fanon
This pairing had a small popularity before J.K. Rowling announced in 2007 that Albus Dumbledore was gay, with a romantic attraction to Gellert Grindelwald. Although many fans embraced the idea of Dumbledore's sexuality, many also wished that Rowling had included his sexuality and relationship with Grindelwald in the books. After the announcement, more fanfiction and fanart were produced for the pairing. Many displayed Dumbledore's life as a teenage boy, with exploration into the relationships between Albus, Gellert, Aberforth, and Ariana. Also, the pairing was often written with Grindelwald reciprocating Dumbledore's feelings, ultimately leading to the eventual duel between both of them.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Gellert/Albus on FanFiction.Net

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Gelbus/Grindeldore