Hogwarts had been the only escape from his family, the only way he could truly show his intelligence without his father assuming that he believed too much of himself.
There would never have been a way for him not to be sent the invitation into Hogwarts. His mother had told him, with great pride, that he had begun performing magic from the age of one. The Hogwarts letter that arrived on his birthday had been no surprise to anyone, but his mother had, annoyingly, made a huge event of it.
It had been a large party that his mother had invited everyone they knew to, forcing him to waste time being congratulated by many people as to not seem rude when he could have better spent that time learning something that may prove to be useful later.
He really wished that his mother would stop trying as hard as she was to be a pureblood. She wasn't, and they weren't. Only his father was, and there was nothing any of them could do about that. There was no use in trying to act like something that they weren't. They could only prove their worth and that was exactly what he was trying to do: prove that halfbloods weren't any less powerful than purebloods.
He couldn't help the shiver that ran through him as he caught his first glimpse of the star-speckled backdrop that the castle of Hogwarts stood before. The castle was magnificent, and everything his parents had described it as. It was the place where he could begin to show his full potential, where he could start again, and show everyone just how powerful a halfblood could be.
He would make sure that Aberforth and Ariana would never be looked down upon because they were halfblood. Not that anyone needed to know that they were halfblood. Very few remembered his mother before she had gotten married, so no one would never know of her heritage if no one told them.
That was exactly as he wanted it to be. Ariana would never be teased again, he would make sure of it.
Even if his family didn't understand what he was doing now, they would realise soon enough.
…oOo…
Gellert was everything he could ever have wanted in a friend. He understood.
Gellert understood everything he was trying to do, everything he was attempting to achieve with his actions. Gellert understood his reasoning, because his own was similar.
There was no one in his family that understood or supported him with what he did anymore. He knew that Ariana often tried, but she was too innocent to everything that went on in the outside world. She didn't know of the prejudice within the world. She didn't even understand what had happened the day she had lost control of her magic because of a bunch of muggle boys.
Aberforth didn't understand, and didn't bother trying. He only cared for Ariana's well-being and, while he thought that was also important, it didn't help Ariana's, or their, situation any. That didn't stop what happened to Ariana from happening again. His brother held no ambition in his body, and was willing to dedicate the rest of his life to protecting and taking care of Ariana.
That was something he knew he would never do. It wouldn't help anyone. It wouldn't change the world or anything in it.
If he had to take care of Ariana, it would only hold him back, so perhaps it was better this way. He wouldn't be left with the responsibility of a younger sister that would have to constantly be watched to prevent her from harming herself. If Aberforth was willing to do that, then it was fine by him.
He would still have to have some responsibility, though, Aberforth still had several more years of Hogwarts than he did. He still wanted Aberforth to complete Hogwarts even if his brother wasn't going to do anything with it. He couldn't rob Aberforth of that much, especially with their mother now gone.
…oOo…
She was gone. Ariana was dead.
No one knew who had been the one that had cast the spell, as the spells and curses had been flying for several minutes before Aberforth had cried out painfully causing them all to stop.
He felt the painful sinking feeling, knowing that, despite the fact that he may not have been the one to cast the last curse, it was probably his fault that the situation had ever actually come to that. He was the reason they had all begun duelling in the first place, and, he knew Ariana, she would have been trying to help and stop the fighting.
Everyone knew Ariana hated when people fought. That was probably the only reason she had even been outside at the time.
He knew Aberforth blamed him for this, but it wasn't entirely his fault. Aberforth could have just let him go instead of arguing with him to stay. He had been willing to take some responsibility if Aberforth really couldn't manage but there were other people who were more than willing to help. Aunt Bathilda was always happy to see Ariana, and knew that she was more than just a pretty face with no control over her magic. Aunt Bathilda always listened to Ariana, sometimes more than even Aberforth.
It wasn't his fault.
He had sent Gellert away though. It would not do for him to leave his family after his sister had died. Aberforth and him needed to seem like they were united, even though they had never seen eye to eye in several years.
He had to give up all his plans, perhaps his entire future, because of this one incident. He doubted Gellert would ever forgive him for this, especially after everything they had been through together.
He didn't know how he would ever be able to face Gellert again. Or if he would ever meet Gellert again. Gellert had looked as shocked as he had felt when they had caught sight of Ariana's prone form.
…oOo…
It had been years since he had last seen Gellert, but standing here across the courtyard from him made everything rush to the surface of his memory.
He was older now, wiser according to some, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. His past told him that he didn't deal well with power, and that was the only thing that stopped him from being the Minister of Magic. He didn't want another scenario like the one like Ariana.
Aberforth had opened the Hog's Head near Hogwarts. He didn't know why Aberforth had chosen what he would do or why, but somehow he felt a strange feeling of relief at having someone he could trust near him.
He knew that he would have to defeat Gellert in a duel that would result in Gellert either being imprisoned for life or facing the Dementor's kiss. He knew he didn't want either to happen, but after everything Gellert had done imprisonment was the lightest sentence he could have.
There was rarely ever a Dark Lord that didn't get punished for their actions, and he shivered at the fact that he could have been Gellert's partner if he hadn't chosen to send Gellert away that day. He had been saved my fate, but he hadn't been able to save his best friend from the same.
Gellert was smart enough that, had he chosen to work through the German ministry, he could have been the Minister already. That was perhaps the most influential position Gellert could have held, had he thought of it that way.
He almost wished Gellert had chosen to do this the more difficult way. They could have still been friends then, and they would have been fighting on the same side instead of being enemies.
…oOo…
Facing the new Dark Lord for the first time, he couldn't help but be reminded of Gellert.
There were so many similarities between the two, and he wished he could have had more of an influence on the boy while Tom Riddle had still been attending Hogwarts, but they had started off on the wrong foot and everything had gone downhill from there.
It was like everything had come a complete circle, and he knew that he wouldn't live to see the end of this one. He had watched one, been actively involved in it. That was more than many people experienced, and he didn't really wanted to experience a second one.
He knew young Harry would know how to end this Dark Lord's reign when the time was right, but until then he could only offer Harry the help no one had been able to offer him for as long as he could.
Written for Triwizard Tournament: Tarot Reading [the fool – potential, new beginnings and innocence; The chariot – loss of control over life; the lovers – avoiding responsibility and consequences of your own actions; The high priestess – wisdom, serenity, knowledge, and understanding; The wheel of fortune – things tend to go in circles]
Written for Game of Life Challenge: Hog's Head; "More than just a pretty face", shiver
Written for History of Magic: write about Albus Dumbledore