Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald |
| Alternative name(s): | Grindeldore, Dumblewald, Gelbus, Dumbledore/Grindelwald, Albus/Gellert, AD/GG, H.M.S. Greater Good |
| Gender category: | slash, m/m |
| Fandom: | Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts |
| Canonical?: | YES |
| Prevalence: | fairly common |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, commonly known as Grindeldore is the ship of Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts fandoms. For a long time it was a pairing considered by many as fanon or canon not confirmed, until information came out that yes, there was a relationship possibly between friends to lovers to enemies or enemyslash.
Relationship to Canon
The first fandom community for Grindeldore arose on Livejournal.com in 2007 after the publication of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, and the brief introduction of Gellert as Albus's childhood companion. Later that year, the community gained a significant boost in membership following J. K. Rowling's question and answer session at Carnegie Hall, where she revealed that Albus was canonically gay and in love with Gellert.
In 2008, many Grindeldore fans were let down to learn that the relationship between Albus and Gellert was one-sided. In an interview with Melissa Anelli for her book, Harry, A History, Rowling stated “I think [Gellert] was a user and a narcissist and I think someone like that would use it, would use the infatuation. I don’t think that he would reciprocate in that way, although he would be as dazzled by Dumbledore as Dumbledore was by him, because he would see in Dumbledore, ‘My God, I never knew there was someone as brilliant as me, as talented as me, as powerful as me. Together, we are unstoppable!’ So I think he would take anything from Dumbledore to have him on his side.”
In 2016, with the premiere of the first Fantastic Beasts movie, the Grindeldore fanbase was reinvigorated, with new fans joining and old ones returning. Some fans were particularly excited to see Toby Rego and Jamie Campbell Bower reprise their roles as young Albus and Gellert, despite backlash at the casting choice of Johnny Depp for an older Gellert.
In 2019, Rowling said in an interview, "Their [Albus and Gellert's] relationship was incredibly intense. It was passionate, and it was a love relationship," seemingly undermining her previous statements about Albus's love being unrequited. This decision was controversial and led to the explosion of J. K. Rowling Tweet Parody memes.[1]
In the 2022 movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Albus’ past feelings for Gellert are addressed. While talking to Gellert about their youth, Albus says, “I went along because I was in love with you.”[citation needed]
Fandom
The ship name HMS Greater Good was used in the early days of the fandom but has fallen almost completely out of use.
Fannish Tropes
Although Grindeldore is not the most popular of HP slash pairings, it has developed a series of tropes strongly associated with it. This may be largely due to the fact that, before Fantastic Beasts, details of Grindelwald's character and the summer of 1899 were subject to fanon. The headcanons and tropes used by the small group of writers at the onset of the fandom are still popular to date.
- Pastfic - Most Grindeldore fic falls into this category.
- Afterlife - Where Albus and Gellert reconnect in the afterlife
- Epistolary fic - Where Albus and Gellert's relationship is conveyed through letter-writing. Most popularly Thirty-Five Owls by Letterblade.
- First Time - Where Albus and/or Gellert experience their first time during that summer.
- Literary references - Given the Victorian setting and the focus on two budding intellectuals, many writers like to include references to muggle literature.
- Soul Bond - Where Albus and Gellert are connected through a magical bond. Popularized further by the blood troth scene in Crimes of Grindelwald.
Fans often refer to Albus as "Al" and Gellert as "Gel". Similarly, Ariana is often referred to as Ari, and Aberforth as Ab or Abe.
Side characters often include Aberforth Dumbledore, Ariana Dumbledore, Bathilda Bagshot, and Elphias Doge. Since the release of the Fantastic Beasts movies, this has also grown to include the protagonists of that franchise.
Early on in the fandom's history, the vast majority of written works were drabbles or other shortfic. As of 2019, this is less true and the fandom now boasts quite a few longer and multi-chaptered works.
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfiction
Thirty-Five Owls by Letterblade
Fanart
Zines
Fan sites and communities
- The Greater Good Discord Server