Part of the Year Long Scavenger Hunt ([E12] Write about Albus Dumbledore after Ariana's death) on HPFC.


Consequence

A haze fell over the scene before him, as if it were a dream. He wished it were.

"Albus!"

The cry came from beside him, from Gellert. Albus turned his head, but his eyes were fixed on Ariana's body lying on the floor in front of them. He couldn't stop seeing the shocked look on her face as the curse hit her. He wanted to go to her, to close her lifeless eyes, but Gellert grabbed his arm and began dragging him away.

Albus planted his feet. He watched as Aberforth knelt beside her, brushing the stray hairs that had fallen from her bun away from her face. When he looked up, his eyes were alight with a fury Albus had never seen before—and never wanted to see again.

Gellert growled in annoyance. "Albus, we need to go."

His annoyance was what made Albus' eyes turn toward Gellert. His best friend should have recognized the loss, should have showed some compassion. But on Gellert's face, all that Albus saw was irritation. He allowed himself to be dragged from the house, from his family.

When they had walked some ways down High Street, they entered Bathilda's house. Gellert's great-aunt was supposed to be home in a week's time, so they house was silent as they made their way past the threshold.

Gellert began pacing. "They have no way to tell which of us aimed the curse. We were all using devastating spells. It could have been a combined effort."

He was rambling. Albus could tell he was calculating, planning for the worst. But the worst had already happened. How did he not see that?

"I didn't mean to do it, Albus. I swear."

His eyes shot to Gellert's face, to the pained look it held. He suddenly felt guilty, responsible for what had happened. If Gellert had shot the curse… if Gellert hadn't been there at all, perhaps Ariana would be alive. Perhaps she wouldn't have tried to wade into the fight.

"Why?" Albus' voice was hoarse even to his own ears, which were still ringing from the duel.

"She was extraordinary, your sister. I promise you, Albus, I didn't mean to harm her."

"She's dead, Gellert," said Albus. His throat closed as he said it and he choked out the last word.

Gellert's pacing continued. "She wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway."

Albus' eyes opened wide and he closed both his hands into fists. "What do you mean by that?"

He must have realized what he had said, because Gellert stopped dead, turning to face his friend. "I'm sorry, Albus… I should have told you, but you might not have understood."

Slightly offended at the insinuation, Albus simply glared.

"I've been tracking certain gifted magical children, trying to understand why their magical abilities have been drawn inward instead of being easily controlled through the use of a wand." Realizing the implication those words had, a cold fury began to rise in Albus, akin to what Aberforth had felt just a few moments ago. "It's called an obscurus." The fury rose from depths he didn't know existed. He was angry about his sister dying, but he was irate that the entire reason that Gellert Grindelwald had befriended him was not because he was interesting or intelligent, but because he wanted to study his sister's condition. "It's a magical essence that lives in the body of a child… I'm just not sure how it could be used."

"Used?" Albus grit his teeth. "That's all you ever care about, isn't it? Using people for your own gains."

"Albus… that's not—"

But Albus was no longer listening. He would never listen to those lies again. He walked out the door, falling to his knees on the cold, wet soil.

He had chosen the wrong friend, and that friend had cost him his family. The thing that hit him the hardest, though, was not that his sister had just died or that his family was now shrunken and broken, but Gellert's betrayal. All he could think about was himself, and he hated himself for it.