No Regrets
Sitting in his office, surrounded by piles of paper and stacks of books, Albus cannot help but remember.
It starts slowly, with slight glimpses of faces long gone and snippets of conversation that quickly pass as if carried on a gentle wind. He continues to sign papers and write letters, but his eyes, briefly looking up and expecting to see the face of a long ago child, give him away.
The setting has not changed over the many years that he has been Headmaster. Large bookshelves line the room, but most of their contents are simply for show. Little trinkets lay about, looking harmless but carrying with them the promise of a sinister use. The large desk in the center of the room is in disarray, making the occupant seem that much more human, that much more approachable. The room is a mixture of lies and half-truths.
Albus continues to write, but his mind is not there. It searches through the mass of memories, finally settling on one. It is always the same.
He can vividly recall everything, even now. These are the things that he will never forget. There it is, clear as day: the pitiful, cowering body, the greasy hair, the dirt that seems to cling to everything. It is all there. But it is the eyes that stand out. Defiant, intelligent, calculating black eyes, eyes that have not changed at all over the years, despite all that they have seen.
Albus does not regret anything that he has done, not even this. But sometimes, as he sits alone at his desk, he wonders if it was really necessary. He does not regret, because it is done now, and he cannot change past actions. He would not want to if he could. No, never regret. But Albus has begun to feel like the old man he thought he would never become. And sometimes he cannot help but wonder.
There is a sharp rap at the door, pulling him from his thoughts. For the briefest of moments, Albus closes his eyes, preparing himself. And then the look is gone, and he softly calls for his visitor to come in.
And as Albus is once again faced with those black eyes, he cannot help but remember.