Combing his fingers through the yellow mohair curls of the doll in his lap, Albus stared straight ahead at the fire blazing in the large stone hearth. Even though the flames danced, it brought no cheer or warmth to the dusty, dismal room or the lonely heart of the lone occupant. Long auburn hair fell limp over his eyes, glazed over and glassily staring at everything and nothing at the same time, bright with unshed tears as he clutched the doll tighter. Mary, he believed was her name.
She was the only one of Ariana's possessions that he had, the only reminder of his sister. Not that he needed any as if he could ever forget. Aberforth had taken the rest with him, and rightfully so, when he fled to their aunt's house. This doll laid on the floor forgotten in the younger brother's haste to get out of Albus' presence as soon as possible, not that he could be blamed for that, and Albus snatched it up with a dismayed cry and held it for hours.
Soon though he may not even have that. Eventually Ab would figure out one of her dolls was missing, he always knew little details like that about her, and come and take it back. He'd have to fight him for this though, tooth and nail. Albus wouldn't give it up, even if he didn't deserve it, it was his. It was all he had left. Literally, Albus was alone. He'd lost his sister, his brother, his parents and Gellert...oh, Gellert. The name was like a dagger twisting in the young man's heart and he heard an anguished wail in the distance, suddenly realizing it had come from his own throat. The golden haired wizard whom he'd shared everything with...even his heart. And look what happened, Ari was gone and Gell too. The one he loved, the one who said he loved him back, had left him. Oh of course it wasn't all Gellert, Albus was far from blind. He just hadn't cared at the time, but now because of his selfishness his family and his heart were broken.
No, this doll would be kept, as a warning. Ari had left her for him, even after what he had done, to be his compass. It was a guardian angel to the young wizard, she sent her to him. If ever Albus was to see Gellert again, or thoughts of ever wanting to become something like that, belonging that wholly to somebody came, Mary would be there to remind him...of how close he came to danger.
Flashes of gold, of laughter and sun. His heart longed for Gellert, cried out to him, for his mother, for Ari, anybody. But then he saw those unblinking gray eyes and ever smiling china face, shifting into the permanently closed brown ones of Ariana. Her hair and blood against the wooden backdrop of their kitchen floor like some macabre art display, before shifting back again and he closed his heart off.