DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: What really happened at Ariana Dumbledore's funeral?

Coffins and Broken Noses

Albus sat in the front row of the Muggle church in Godric's Hollow, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye and running down his face. He couldn't believe that it had come to this. Only days ago he had been planning a round the world trip with his friend Elphias Doge, planning to over-throw the Muggles with Gellert Grindelwald. It all seemed laughably childish in comparison to the sudden death of his sister, Ariana.

Next to him, his brother, Aberforth kept shooting side-long glances at him. He already knew what was aggravating his brother. Aberforth blamed him for what happened to their sibling and Albus could only agree. He knew it was his own fault.

Albus rose to his feet and stepped up to his sisters coffin. He laid a hand on the lid and bowed his head, muttering, "I'm so sorry, Ariana. I never meant for you to get hurt. I never ignored you. You were never pushed to the side. What I was doing was going to benefit you, I promise. I'm sorry."

"That's not going to do her much good now, is it? She's gone!" Albus looked up to see his brother standing beside him, hands clenched into fists. "What you were doing was going to benefit her, was it? How would that work, then?"

He looked questioningly at Albus, white with rage. "You don't understand. She wouldn't need to hide anymore. Don't do this now," Albus was consciously aware that the few people in the pews behind them were watching, listening with rapt attention. "We are at a funeral. Our sisters funeral."

"Exactly!" shouted Aberforth, his bright blue eyes flashing. "Our sisters funeral! This shouldn't have happened and you stand there and say you're sorry to her when she can't even hear you! What good is your apology to her now?"

Albus saw it coming before Aberforth even considered it. His brother raised one of his clenched fists and brought it crashing into his face. "That's for getting Ariana killed, whilst you planned world-domination!" he spat.

He felt his nose break as hot blood spurted from each nostril and all he did was stand and take it, knowing full well just how much he deserved it. His eyes scrunched against the pain as he conjured a handkerchief and used it to stem the flow of blood, unaware of the gasps coming from behind.

If he hadn't been, to use his brothers words, planning world-domination, Aberforth would never had felt the need to interfere. Grindelwald would not have needed to torture anyone and Ariana would not needed to have come to inspect the cause for all the noise. Aberforth was convinced that it was Albus who had sent the curse which claimed her life, and no matter how much Albus tried to believe that it was Grindelwald who did it, he was also convinced it had been himself.

Albus opened his eyes in time to see Aberforth storming from the church, but didn't go after him. He ignored the offers to fix his nose given by his neighbour, Bathilda Bagshot, and turned back to the coffin, thinking that his brother couldn't have picked a worse time to take out his anger.

A/N: A review for my take on something we've all been wondering?