Who: Aberforth Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald (Albus briefly in the comments) What: An assassination attempt. When: Sunday afternoon. Where: Gellert's office Rating: PG-13 for attempted murder and all Status: Complete
Aberforth had been waiting for this day for a long time. There were a lot of reasons he wanted Gellert Grindelwald dead--for his sister, for his son, for his daughter-in-law, for taking the lives of so many innocent people and taking the freedom away from the ones who remained. He controlled his regime by fear and Aberforth refused to be afraid. The only reason he was nervous now was because he didn't want to be found out. He wanted to kill Gellert and he would. The knife he planned to use was slid up the sleeve of his uniform as he made his way to Gellert's office. Weiss was not particularly bright for an adviser so it was easy to take his place once more. No wonder the government was an absolute disaster law wise.
He arrived on the dot, promptly knocking on the man's door and waiting. He had never been so excited about something in his life. Sure, it was murder, but Aberforth wasn't a bloodthirsty monster .. Gellert on the other hand was--Aberforth wouldn't be surprised to learn that he bathed in the blood of his victims just to remember his crimes. And his brother? He loved him despite the fact that he had killed Ariana and countless more. That was the last straw for him. He knew this would hurt Albus, but he deserved it. After everything he had done, he deserved this and worse. He was wrong. He was brilliant and he was using that talent for evil. He had made his choice and now he had to live with it. Hopefully, he'd also have to live without Gellert.
Gellert was sitting at his desk finishing up the last bit of paperwork necessary on his part that would allow Rita Skeeter the temporary privilege of being in his presence for a private interview when the knock came. Setting down his quill, Gellert checked his pocket watch against his schedule; Weiss was precisely on time. All of Gellert's advisers were always precisely, exactly on time. Gellert had never tortured an adviser for tardiness or showing up too early, but there was a first for everything. And no one wanted to be that first.
"Come," Gellert said, stacking the parchment together and slipping it into the drawer as he stood, crossing around his desk to meet Weiss. They would sit in the armchairs near the center of the room, surrounding the low table that was magically reinforced not to bow under the weight of all the files that generally ended up littering its surface by the end of one of these meetings. Derisive though Gellert was of most of his advisers' intellectual capacities, it was important to at least hear what they had to say. Even between him and Albus, there was the potential that something might be overlooked. To date, the issue had never occurred. But prevention was the best policy, almost always. Gellert extended a hand and a few of the files that were scheduled to be discussed today flew from the cabinet into his grasp. Gellert was already flipping through the first few pages of the dossier on the potential future invasion of Turkey when Weiss entered. Gellert only barely looked up to greet him before his gaze once more pored over the small, tight print on the pages in his hands. "Did you bring the files on the Husselmann operation?" he asked.
It all felt surreal to Aberforth, from stretching out the hand of the young man he was portraying, to entering the office and finding his target precisely where he wanted to be and totally unaware of his intentions. Sure, he would make suggestions, but actions speak louder than words and Aberforth was a man of action. All thoughts involving the man before him ended with some version of this situation. Gellert dead. His hatred for the other man was so strong it was almost sickening.
Advancing on the other man, he was quick with his movements. "No." it was the only answer he could give before the knife in his sleeve slipped into his hand and within an instant the hilt was the only thing protruding from Gellert's stomach. With a twisted smirk he pulled the blade off, grinning at Gellert and wiping the blood off on the other man's shirt. "I'm afraid I disregard with most of your policies, Chancellor. I think it's about time someone relieved you from your office, yes? No need to thank me, really." he added before stabbing him two more times in the chest just for good measure. Not wanting to get Weiss in trouble though he leaned closer to Gellert, pressing the knife against his cheek and whispering, "You killed my sister, you killed my brother, now--now I'll kill you. Still think I'm weak now?"
Gellert could sense the Dark Magic that spelled the blade the instant it sank into his flesh--could feel it seeping quickly through his veins, its toxin poisoning his blood. And that...that hurt far more than the mundane, physical agony of razor-sharp metal slicing through skin and muscle and organ alike. The way it warred with the natural magic within Gellert's own self, the way it overtook his body's systems like a virus overtakes its host, only far faster and far more dangerous. Gellert choked, something metallic rising in the back of his throat, and he realised only belatedly that it was blood that dribbled from his mouth, staining his lips scarlet and slicing down his chin.
There was an odd pressure, crushing in on his temples, and Gellert barely managed to hear Weiss's words as he spoke them. Much more pressing was the horrific pain that split through his body and aura simultaneously and he could feel--he could feel!--something like acid eating away at his insides, though whether it was due to stomach contents or the Dark Magic he could not say. Gellert barely felt the next two stabs, too dizzy under the overwhelming stimulation that was sheer and utter torture, as acute as Gellert imagined the Cruciatus might feel. When the knife punctured one of his lungs, it was only on some distant plane that Gellert became aware of how difficult it suddenly was to breathe. He barely noticed his knees crumpling under his weight, or the impact as his body hit the floor. The room spun overhead and Gellert felt unconsciousness creeping in, far, far too quickly.... His mouth was full of blood, blood pooling on the hardwood, copper scent cutting through the air....
He felt sick in the joy he found at the sight of Gellert crumbling before him, his blood seeping from both his mouth and the wounds Aberforth had inflicted upon him. Grinning, he toed the body, to see if he was alive, but he seemed quite dead. Aberforth was thrilled in a perverse way. Finally, finally he was gone! Surely a revolution would be underway now without the fear of Grindelwald coming to kill them for speaking out. Clearing his throat once more, he sank the knife into his side just for good measure before wiping his hands off on the part of Gellert's shirt that was clean and leaving the office, quickly exiting the building and disappearing once more. There was a reason the Resistance members said he lived in shadows. He could disappear into them without even trying.