Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Note: Written for the Baton Pass Competition (Write about Battle of Hogwarts perspective: Aberforth Dumbledore, optional prompt: green) and the Ancient Runes Assignment (Write about someone getting justice) using the Gringotts prompt - Once upon a time, happily ever after, the stories we tell are of dreams. Fairy tales don't come true. Reality is much stormier, much murkier, much scarier.
WC: 613.
Preparing for War
His head snapped up at the refusal, and weary blue eyes stared down at the stubbornly determined faces of the young children in front of him. They were supposed to be in school, laughing and being reckless in the folly of their youth, not slinking around with their wands drawn close, checking their backs every few seconds.
Aberforth tried to help; he really did. He snuck in food and supplies through the passageway for the students whenever he could. Their young faces drawn tight with fear had him gritting his teeth, itching to do something more, to free them from the Carrows' dictatorship.
But he wasn't his brother. His stupid, foolish brother that laid six feet under. Aberforth wasn't a leader; he couldn't rally the people and be the figurehead of hope. Even in their younger days, people turned to Albus for aid, dismissing Aberforth as a poor, illiterate farm boy. He heard the whispers of the townsfolk on the rare occasions he left the farm, how it was so terribly unfortunate that the oldest Dumbledore was stuck caring for his sickly sister and that no-good rascal, and did you hear how just yesterday that riffraff beat Jane's boy within an inch of his life?
Whereas Albus charmed people with his words, Aberforth accomplished things through sheer force of will and physical strength. All he was good for was fighting, and this was a losing fight.
It was plainly obvious with the Carrows' seizure of Hogwarts. Every moment ticked down, and Aberforth simply waited for all chaos to erupt, preparing to join his brother soon. He would gladly go down fighting for what he believed in. But first he had to convince these three to escape while they had the chance.
They wouldn't stand a chance in the face of those monsters; they shouldn't have to fight at all. His face softened from its usual gruff expression. They couldn't be more than a few years older than Ariana when she passed.
He looked into brilliant green eyes, and immediately flashes of summer grass and a light, tinkling laugh assaulted him. Warm brown eyes and a pretty pink smile. A small pale hand reached out, placing a delicate crown of flowers on his head. Even though he grumbled, Aberforth did nothing to stop her playful attitude, something as rare as a dandelion in winter. He was always weak to his Ariana's wishes, doing anything and everything to make her smile, a task so difficult nowadays but incredibly worth it when he saw her whole face light up, outshining even the sun.
Aberforth shook his head, pulling himself back to the present. Even if the tiny flecks of innocence in those green eyes reminded him of Ariana, the determined expression on that face was all Albus. And Aberforth never quite managed to stand in his brother's way.
With great reluctance, he told Ariana to lead them through the hidden corridor. Wand gripped tightly in his hand, he steeled himself for the upcoming battle. He glanced at the portrait to see that Ariana had returned, gazing at his hunched form with her smooth face forever frozen in adolescence.
"I can't just leave them to clean up this mess by themselves, can I?" Aberforth muttered, more to himself than to his sister, but she gave him an encouraging smile, different from her usual absent-minded looks.
The two siblings walked together, Ariana stopping once they reached the corridor. He nodded once at her, gentle eyes taking her in. Straightening his back, Aberforth readied himself, feeling Ariana watching him, gaze never leaving his form as he continued the journey alone.
It was time to wreak havoc on those bastards.