January 9th, 1898. Godric's Hollow.
A loud crack echoed through the tiny village, interrupting the peaceful silence the locals usually were able to enjoy. A young man, a recent graduate from Hogwarts, had appeared on Church Lane, who appeared to be extremely infuriated by something.
The bitterly cold winter air hit his cheeks as he stormed down the street. His short blond hair had frozen, his light cotton clothes were now soaked in snow and his cheeks were now a deep shade of red. Albus Dumbledore had never been so angry in his life.
He and his friend, Elphias Doge, were about to set off on a grand world tour, visiting the greatest wizarding locations across the globe. However, it seems plans had to be cancelled.
He had just received word from his wayward and annoying brother Aberforth, that their nuisance of a little sister Ariana, had another one of her fits, that had caused an explosion resulting in the death of their mother. It had enraged him; he had now been given the responsibility of looking after Ariana, forcing him to cancel his plans and 'take care' of the girl who killed his mother?
Of course, no one knew it was Ariana who caused Kendra Dumbledore's death, Aberforth made sure of that. It wasn't her fault that the muggle boys' actions caused her to become one of those things. Sometimes, Albus had a hard time remembering that, blinded by the damage caused by Ariana's attack when she was a young girl. First, his father in Azkaban and now, his mother dead.
As he entered the cottage at the end of the street, he had realised how much quieter Godric's Hollow had become. He forgot how long it had been since he'd moved out in his fifth year.
She was sitting by the fire, staring into the mass of flickering orange, wearing a plain blue tea gown, her corset tied loosely as usual. Her dirty blonde locks were tied back in a plait, with blue ribbons running through her hair. She turned her head to her enraged brother, those innocent blue eyes beginning to tear up as her brother exclaimed what she didn't want to hear.
"You killed mother!"
Thankfully, Aberforth had already stepped in, defending her with every ounce of his kind soul against her arrogant eldest brother. Their screaming match had lasted many long minutes, ending with Ariana running outside, praying that the evil inside of her wouldn't spark another rage.
Dusk was on the horizon, painting the sky with oranges and pinks that contrasted with the snow lining the rooftops and pathways on the small street. Her brother's tall leather boots kept her feet dry as she stalked away from the house, where the screams had finally died down.
Ariana Dumbledore had not had the most pleasant life - after the age of six. The muggle boys that had violently abused her still haunted her dreams, triggering the uncontrollable creature that had formed inside of her. She had unintentionally put her father in prison, after he sought revenge on the muggle boys, yet did not tell the Ministry the true reason for torturing them to insanity, as she would have been placed in St. Mungo's after her developed... condition... had been discovered. As she grew older, it began to control her more than she could control it. All it took was an outburst of frustration at her own self to cause an explosion, one of them now resulted with her mother's death.
It wasn't her fault, Aberforth would tell her, but she was beginning to find that harder and harder to believe. The only members left of her broken family were at each other's throats.
Her thoughts had been interrupted as she reached the end of the street, by an old family friend from behind a white picket fence.
"Ariana!" exclaimed Bathilda Bagshot, a middle-aged widow, who was clipping the thrones off roses in her front garden.
"Hello, Mrs Bagshot," she said, pleased to have the company of someone other than Aberforth, who constantly kept her sheltered behind the doors of their cottage.
"I assume Albus has arrived, always one to provoke an argument with Aberforth..." she replied, obviously having heard the shouting and screaming.
"I think mother's death had provided Albus with an inconvenience he didn't want," stated Ariana, Bathilda knowing exactly what she really meant.
"You are not an inconvenience, Ariana," she stated firmly, "your mother kept you too sheltered, she wouldn't even let me come near you when you first moved here. Kendra wouldn't even send you to Hogwarts! I've seen you perform magic before, so I know you're not a Squib."
Ariana was about to reply, but she was interrupted by the voice of her brother Aberforth, who had come running down the street the moment he realised she had left the house.
"Ariana! Come now sister, we must get home now, it's getting dark!" he said, making wearing eyes at the questioning woman, quickly grabbing Ariana's hand and dragging her back down the street before she could even say goodbye.
"Calm down, Aberforth! I was only talking to Mrs. Bagshot, she was friends with Mother and I've spoken to her a couple times about magical history, it's very interesting!" she replied, finally freeing herself of her brother's firm grasp.
"She was asking to many questions. Now come, Albus has gone to bed in his old bedroom, so you won't have to deal with him being his ignorant self," he said, opening the gate to their cottage and leading her up the path.
Stepping inside, the rush off heat was an instant relief, her simple tea gown was not enough to keep her from shivering outside in the below freezing temperature. Aberforth had quickly conjured up a hot cup of tea for her, leaving it on the bed side table in her bedroom down the hall. Thankfully, Albus's room was on the second floor and on the opposite end of the house - in other words as far away as possible.
"I'm going to retire to bed early tonight Aberforth, so goodnight."
"Goodnight sister," he replied, lightly kissing her forehead.
The funeral of Kendra Dumbledore had been the most depressing service Bathilda Bagshot had ever attended in her life. With only Kendra's three children and herself in attendance, it was short, quick and silent. Once her coffin was lowered into the ground, Albus had left quickly back to the house, Aberforth reluctantly following when Ariana claimed she wanted a moment alone with her mother.
In reality, Ariana just wanted to have another conversation with Mrs Bagshot.
"I must say, Ariana, never have I experienced such a dismal service. Albus was not himself," Bathilda noted, the two standing in front of Kendra's grave.
"Albus has not been himself since father was sent to Azkaban, Mrs Bagshot," Ariana replied sadly, her memory of her brother before she was attacked had been a young boy full of happiness and joy. Her brother, now a young man, had been severely scarred by the unfortunate incidences surrounding their family.
"Perhaps he needs some company? Someone with a brilliant mind like him. I mean no offence towards Aberforth, but he's not the most interesting of lads."
"What would you suggest?" asked Ariana, knowing she was hinting at something.
"Well, I just received word from my niece, that my grand-nephew would like to visit England this summer and asked if he could stay with me. I accepted the offer, knowing he's only two years younger than Albus, and from what I heard he's just as brilliant!"
Ariana was pleased to hear of this, knowing Albus found it rather difficult to find friends with similar interests as him, but was rather confused to how this grand-nephew was a wizard if he lived outside of Britain.
"If your grand-nephew lives outside of England, how would he learn magic?" asked Ariana, so naive to the outside world.
"My, there are other wizarding schools than Hogwarts, Ariana! He attended Drumstang - a Scandinavian school. There's also Beaxbatons in France, Ilvermorny in America... my you have so much to learn about the world young one! Your family must stop keeping you locked up in that cottage!"
Their conversation continued on for another twenty minutes, before Ariana hurried home, in fear of Aberforth catching her talking to someone outside the family.
For once when she arrived home, her brothers were not fighting, just staring at each other with annoyed expressions when she entered the house. Brushing her dainty curls bouncing off her shoulders, she took a seat while her brothers still glaring at each other from across the dining table.
"So, what am I supposed to do now?" asked Albus, with a clearly annoying expression on his face.
"What do you mean, 'what are you supposed to do'?" spat Aberforth.
"Well, my world trip has been cancelled, my mother is dead and I have nothing to do other than look after my little sister," he spat back.
"You could get a job, you know? I offered to drop out of school, to take care of our sister, but you refused to let me, seeing as you're now my 'guardian'."
"That's because I refuse to be the only Dumbledore to graduate Hogwarts," he replied, giving a pointed look to his sister.
"Why Albus?" Ariana spoke, her soft yet stern voice turning the argument her way, "because I happen to be incapable of controlling my magic? Does me being an -"
"Don't say it," interrupted Aberforth, only for Ariana to ignore him.
"- an Obscurial bother you that much?" she asked.
"Yes, it does bother me Ariana. You very well know how much of a nuisance it has caused our family," he said, glaring at her with such loathsome eyes she had to hold back her tears, trying not to appear so weak.
"Well, that's all I need to know brother. Now, I was talking to Mrs Bagshot -"
"You were what?" interrupted Aberforth again, only for Ariana to ignore him, again.
"- and she told me that her grand-nephew was coming to visit over the summer. He's only two years younger than you, Albus, and apparently he's quite brilliant. Mrs Bagshot suggested you two might have a lot in common, and you should introduce yourself when he arrives in May."
"Anyone related to Bathilda Bagshot can't be at all interesting," snorted Aberforth, only for Albus to defend her.
"Oh please, Aberforth, that's only because you're too dim to understand how brilliant of a historian she is. If you don't remember, she sent me an owl about 'how brilliant my paper on trans-species transfiguration' was, so clearly she's just too intelligent for someone as stupid as you!" Albus remarked, smirking at his brother's changed expression.
"Oh you -"
"Would you please stop antagonising each other!" exclaimed Ariana, forcing them to stop sending death glares at each other and pay attention to her.
"Albus, if you want something to do, I suggest you befriend Mrs Bagshot's grand-nephew when he arrives in May. Before then, I'm sure you have other friend's company to enjoy."
The two were finally silenced, and for minutes the room stood still. Finally, Albus spoke, careful not to provoke his sister, who he could tell was getting annoyed with them.
"What's Mrs Bagshot's grand-nephew's name?"
"Gellert, Gellert Grindelwald."