He doesn't want to face it again, but he knows he will. This single most horrifying moment in his life is the burden he must carry. He will visit it time and time again until he is free from the guilt that shackles him. Of course, he knows this will never happen, and the silver strand of memory only serves as his personal punishment for his crimes.
The shimmery whisps swirl about the basin. Albus takes a large, silver spoon, something left behind by his mother, and presses a kiss to the cold metal. It serves no true purpose, only a reminder of what he once had. Setting the utensil aside, he closes his ancient eyes and allows himself to fall.
oices shout, painfully familiar voices, his own included. A young girl screams as a fight breaks out.
Albus opens his eyes, watching the old familiar scene as little more than a ghost.
Streams of light fly. Hands push and shove, fingers dig and claw. At last, a body falls to the floor. Dear, sweet Ariana, his beloved sister, lays motionless. Her blue eyes are still wide with fright as the gaze, unseeing, at the ceiling.
Albus feels his heart break all over again. He's watched this moment a thousand times, each repetition inflicting a fresh fracture in his heart that can never heal. And he still doesn't know who struck the killing blow, the scene too chaotic to provide answers.
He emerges from the well of memory, tears staining his lined face as he returns the memory to its place. Tomorrow, he will return to the dark moment. He will visit it every night until his death.
This is his penance.