- July 1899 -
It was late afternoon when Albus left Gellert at the creek and walked home. "About time," Aberforth called as he walked in the back door off the kitchen. "We're starving."
"Yet you didn't bother to make yourself or your little sister any food."
Aberforth walked into the kitchen and crossed his arms over his chest. "What took you so long?"
"Nothing. I was just swimming. Floating in the water for hours doing nothing beats laying in my bed for hours doing nothing."
"I want to go to the creek," Ariana said. She stepped into the kitchen next to Aberforth.
Both boys turned and looked at their sister and then back at each other.
"Really? You do?" Albus asked.
"Yes. It sounds nice."
"We can go tomorrow." Tomorrow was Sunday. It would be quiet in the morning. Most of the village would be at church.
"Okay," she nodded. "I'm hungry."
"See," Aberforth said.
Albus rolled his eyes. "Yeah alright. I'll start dinner."
Gellert sent his owl with a note that night. It was a blank piece of parchment apart from a heading – Manifesto. The Deathly Hallows symbol was drawn above it. Albus didn't reply but he thought about it that night as he lay in bed. He had propped the photograph of his father up on his bedside table and watched it. The moonlight flickered as clouds passed across the sky and the photograph moved. Albus blinked. It was only an illusion twisted by tired eyes and the dark shadows of night.
After breakfast the next morning, Albus braided Ariana's hair. He had expected her to change her mind but she still wanted to go. He smiled at her springy steps several paces in front of him and the way it made her dress bounce around her knees. The blue cotton danced up into the horizon and scorched the sky, clear and bright. Maybe overtime she could get better.
They walked downstream from the bridge a ways to where the water would only reach her waist. Albus took off his shirt and trousers.
Ariana stood on the edge of the bank and looked down at the water. "Is it cold?"
"Not at all. Here, take my hand." She gripped his hand and eased a toe in. "Nice, right?" She nodded and turned towards him taking hold of his arm with her other hand. She stepped down off the bank and he followed, allowing her to use him as a brace. She let go after a moment and swished her blue dress through the water. She giggled at something and twirled. Her braids whipped around after her. She sounded light and free, eager to explore the world. She had always been this way, smiley and bright, when she was young - before.
Albus hadn't been there that day. His father had taken he and Aberforth out flying. He imagined the scene was similar. He imagined her twirling the water up out of the creek, the droplets turning into fairies and dancing in her hair. He imagined the hands, big and rough, smashing a fairy between its callouses. Fingers ensnared her hair and used it as a crude restraint until she could show them her secrets.
Water splashed up into his face. Albus blinked. Ariana looked at him. Her hands cupped her mouth but poorly concealed her glee. He bent down and shook his hair at her like a wet dog. She screeched.
"I'll teach you how to float."
She laid on her back across the water's surface and he held her, one hand under the small of her back, the other under her head. "Close your eyes. Relax." She was lighter than a feather. He slowly removed his hands. She didn't stir. He tilted on to his back beside her.
This was more powerful than cheating death, a moment of peace and hope.
They floated for some time before something small plunked into the water next to him. Albus opened his eyes. Gellert stood on the bank, his arm raised to aim a second pebble. "I'm going to go lay in the grass."
"Okay," Ariana said. Either she hadn't noticed Gellert or didn't care. Albus hoped it was the latter.
Gellert wandered over to a tree and carved the Deathly Hallows mark into the bark. It was the tree Gellert had pushed him up against the night they went to the chapel and the monument. They sat beneath it. Gellert plucked at Albus' wet underwear. "I prefer when you swim without these."
"And that's precisely why I swim with them." His cheeks warmed. "Plus.." he nodded his head to Ariana.
"She seems happier."
"Yeah. She does." This was the life he wanted for her.
"Well I'm disappointed," Gellert said. He pulled the manifesto from the pocket of his trousers. It was still blank apart from the heading. "You didn't get very far."
"How did you get that? Did you break into my room?"
Gellert raised an eyebrow. "Accio manifesto."
"Right. I should close my window."
"Now you can't ruin all the fun."
Albus lay back in the grass. "I don't know where to begin."
"Doesn't matter. Start anywhere. It's a first draft."
Albus looked up into the blue sky. It was vast and stretched down all around him and the village and everyone on Earth. "We need to stress that this is to make the world better for everyone. It's for the betterment of all mankind."
"Okay."
"It should be focused around three things: repeal, reinstate, and reconcile. Repeal the Statute of Secrecy. Reinstate wizards into global society. Reconcile past atrocities afflicted on our people."
"Three R's. That's catchy. You're good at this."
"Repeal is obvious. Tear up the statute. No more hiding. We are free to use magic when and where we please. Within the guidelines of other wizarding law of course."
"No unforgivable curses?"
"No unforgivable curses."
"And wizards who have been charged with compromising the statute in the past will have that expunged from their record. Reinstate is similar to repeal but this has more to do with integrating wizards into the power structures of the world, governments, judicial offices, and so on. We can't be kept to the side. Reconcile is to make muggles come face to face with the horror they've inflicted. They must be shown the fear we faced and the trauma it caused. They must apologize and vow to never let that happen again."
"What if the muggles grow resentful of our power again? How do we stop them?"
"No. The key is to prevent their resent. I suppose reconciliation goes both ways. We have to forgive and use our magic to help everyone. If we can improve their lives with new medicines, or the automation of medial tasks, or more efficient transportation, they won't want to get rid of us. If we hoard all the benefits of magic for ourselves, that's when we get into trouble."
"You're too kind to them," Gellert said. He put down the parchment and quill and stood up. "They won't return the favour."
"Cyclical vengeance will not get anyone anywhere."
"It'll get me somewhere. I'll be back. Have to pee."
"It'll get you dead," Albus called as he walked off. "Think about it."
Albus closed his eyes and listened to the water in the creek babble along the rocks. Cyclical vengeance wasn't the answer but neither was the status quo. Maybe with the manifesto they could find something in between. Maybe with the manifesto Ariana could spend more days at the stream. Maybe with the manifesto they could hook every house in the village up to the well, provided they could figure out how to hook up their own house. Maybe, come September and Aberforth returning to Hogwarts, he and Ariana could go with Gellert. Maybe it was time to start looking forwards.
Voices bounced between the trees. Albus opened his eyes and turned his head. Muggles from the village, from that night at the monument, the one whose eyes were set too close together and his friends. They sat under trees a few yards away. The sun was high. Church had let out. Albus didn't want trouble.
He pocketed his wand and the manifesto. He stepped to the creek bank and quietly beckoned Ariana. She held his hands and he helped her step up onto the grass. Her dress clung to her and her braids were heavy like chains but she smiled. He led her in a wide birth around the muggles.
Gellert stepped out from a tree in front of them. Albus startled. Ariana giggled. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Why?"
"It's getting busy." Albus walked past Gellert.
"Going to let them chase you away?" Gellert's footsteps hurried behind them.
Albus pulled the manifesto from his pocket. "Better plan. Sacrifice the battle. Win the war."
"What plan?" Ariana asked.
"It's a secret." Albus said.
She pouted at him in an overly dramatic fashion.
"I'll show you when it's ready."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Ariana went to bed early. The creek and the sun had tired her out. Albus and Aberforth played chess in the sitting room as the sun went down across the field. The magenta sky washed in through the front window and spilt across the board, a fitting colour for the merciless battle that ensued on its surface. Albus took Aberforth's bishop with the muggle penny that stood in for his queen. This offered a queen trade. Aberforth paused to think. It was a bad move for Aberforth; he was down pieces.
"Do you want to take Ariana back to the creek tomorrow? I was thinking of sorting out Mum's room. It might be better if she's not here."
"Sure," Aberforth agreed. He took the trade. Albus took back swiftly. Aberforth retreated into thought. Albus' eyes wandered around the sitting room. It was dusty. He paused on the floo powder urn on the fireplace mantle.
Transportation was tricky magic but Floo powder was already impregnated with it.
Albus stood from the sofa and grabbed the urn off the self.
"Where are you going?" Aberforth asked as Albus walked into the kitchen.
Albus grabbed the empty water bucket that had been duplicated and the mortar and pestle from the counter. He walked past the sitting room to the stairs. "Come. I'll show you."
"You can't just leave the game."
"People leave chess games all the time. For hours. Days."
"But-"
"Okay, I resign. You win."
Aberforth seemed satisfied with that and hurried up the stairs behind Albus to the attic. Albus laid the items on his desk and lit his lantern. Aberforth sat down on his bed and made himself comfortable against the pillows. He scooped a handful of the bright emerald powder into the mortar. It was coarse like salt. He ground it with the pestle until it was fine and soft like flour. He explained the buckets and the well and vanishing cabinets to Aberforth.
Aberforth was quiet.
Albus turned around. Aberforth held the lifeless photograph of their father. He looked up. "What? Oh, uh… neat." Aberforth said.
"It is neat." Albus said. "It's clever and functional and should have been done a long time ago." He pointed his wand out the window. "Accio flask." Gellert's flask flew into his hand.
"Oi!" Gellert called from somewhere in his room unseen. His tone was more surprised and confused than angry. Aberforth laughed. A chuckle escaped Albus as he unscrewed the lid.
"What's that for?" Aberforth asked.
"Ethanol. Universal solvent."
"It's for me to drink." Gellert said as he climbed onto his windowsill.
Albus poured the amber liquid into the mortar. He stirred. The powder muddied the clear alcohol. He added more liquid to cut the paste and stirred until the powder had dissolved and the ripples in the liquid alternated green and amber in the light.
"I need a paint brush," Albus said.
"Ariana probably has something," Aberforth said.
"Go get it. Don't wake her up. Not yet."
Aberforth set the photograph back on the nightstand and disappeared down the stairs.
"Figured it out?" Gellert asked.
"We'll see."
"You better be more sure if you're going to use my booze for it."
"You have an endless supply. That you're no doubt stealing from the pub."
Gellert smiled and winked.
Aberforth came back with the paint brush. Albus painted the solution on the inside of the bucket, careful not to miss a spot. "Accio bucket." The bucket's twin flew past Gellert and though his window.
"A little warning would be nice."
"Oh, you don't like when your neighbour summons stuff from your room?"
"Not when it's a bucket that could knock me out the window."
Albus leaned out his window and peered at the ground. It wasn't far. "You'd survive." He smiled at Gellert and winked.
Albus painted the inside of the second bucket and set it down beside the first.
"What now?" Aberforth asked.
"We wait. The wood needs to be infused. The alcohol will soak in and pull the powder with it."
"That's boring. How long?"
"I don't know." Albus shrugged. Magic was an art not a science. "Go make tea."
Aberforth disappeared down the stairs again, his footsteps noticeably louder. Albus joined Gellert on the windowsill. The sky progressively squeezed all the blue down below the horizon and the lamplighter began his journey across the black expanse.
"Have you ever been to London?" Albus asked.
"No."
"You can't see the stars in London. There is so much black smoke in the air that it blocks them out. It billows from the stacks on the factories, day and night. It's acrid and it's so thick you can feel the grit on your skin and in your throat."
"And people think London is the center of the universe," Gellert scoffed.
"I wouldn't say they were wrong. But that's my point. London is the most advanced, modern, city in the world. Everywhere else is playing catch up. But what happens when they do catch up? The entire world will be encased in black smog. Muggles are certainly enterprising and innovative but their advancements are going to destroy the planet for everyone. We could accomplish everything they're doing with magic and then no one would have to live under black smog."
"Repeal. Reinstate. Reconcile. Restrict. We put restrictions on the development of muggle technology."
"Or regulate. Restrict sounds harsh. But it would be easy enough to do through the patent offices and the business licensing offices."
Gellert leaned his head back against the window frame and looked up into the clear night sky. "The stars really are something. They say the fates are written in them."
They were something, endless and bright, but Albus shook his head. He didn't believe in fate. "I think everyone has a choice. But maybe each star represents each path your life could take. Every choice you make sends you down a path to a new star, trillions of kilometers from the next."
"And which star do you choose?"
Albus pointed. "That one. The bright one."
"That's a planet."
"Mars." Albus nodded.
"God of War."
Aberforth returned with three cups of tea. Albus held Gellert's up. "Should we give it a try?"
"Absolutely."
Albus hopped off his windowsill. He lit a flame with his wand and dipped it into both buckets to burn off the remaining alcohol. Flashes of green whipped though the orange flame. He smiled. He placed Gellert's cup in the duplicate bucket. He wrapped his palm around the handle of the original. The metal was cool and smooth. He closed his eyes and moved the handle from left to right.
He opened his eyes. Inside the previously empty bucket, now sat Gellert's cup of tea. The liquid bubbled in the cup. It began to spill over and hot steam rose in his face. Albus laughed, loud and part holler.
"It's boiling." Aberforth said.
"Yes but it worked. It transported."
"It's boiling."
"Might be better that way. Sterilized," Gellert said.
"Give me a minute," Albus said. He grabbed yesterday's shirt out of the hamper and wrapped it around his hand to retrieve the boiling cup. He circled his wand around the buckets. "Harmonia Nectere Passus."
"What does that do?" Aberforth asked.
"Hush. I need to concentrate." Albus uttered the enchantment several more times while envisioning water flowing unaltered from one bucket to the other. When he finished, Gellert summoned one of the buckets. Albus place the teacup inside the other. Gellert moved the handle and the cup vanished. Gellert pulled the cup from his bucket.
"Is it boiling?" Aberforth asked.
"Nope." Gellert took a sip.
"Does it taste like whisky or floo powder? The cup is intact, right? There aren't little ceramic pieces floating in it?" Albus asked.
Gellert puffed out his cheeks and swished the liquid in his mouth. "Tastes like tea to me."
"It worked?" Albus said.
"It worked." Gellert replied. "Let's take it to the well."
"We'll meet you outside. I promised to show Ariana."
Ariana nodded wide eyed and eager when Albus woke her and invited her on their mission. She was no longer concerned about his sneaking out at night. Maybe she forgot Mrs. Bagshot had been angry. Maybe being included in the sneaking made the difference.
She jumped on Albus' back as he tied his shoes and he carried her across the road to where Gellert and Aberforth waited with the buckets. They climbed over the low stone wall and walked through the dead grass. Albus and Gellert lit their wands to illuminate the path that had been trampled through the grass to the well. The road and the houses disappeared behind them. None of the windows were lit. The village had sunk into the night.
They would stand out to passers by, a bright spot in a black sea. It might have been better to bring a lantern. Lantern light was yellow and warm. Their wand tips were white and cool.
Albus set Ariana down at the well. He pointed his wand at the padlock that secured the circular wooden cover. "Alohomora." The lock clicked open. He removed it and lifted the lid. They all peered over the cylindrical stone wall into the dark cavern. A few feet down the moon reflected up at them. Albus lowered the bucket into the water and let it sink to the bottom.
"Ari, want to do the honours?"
She nodded. Albus held the other bucket steady on the wall and she moved the handle as instructed. The bucket filled instantly.
"It worked!" Albus said. Ariana clapped and Albus scooped her up and swung her around in celebration.
Gellert pointed his wand at the cover and carved the Deathly Hallows symbol into the wood, a mark of triumph and resistance sparked in gold.
"Oi!" The shout came from somewhere in the dark field, beyond the glow of their wands. "What the fuck are you doing to the water?"
"Stealing it for your garden? Only green grass left in the village." A second voice.
"Or tampering with it?" A third voice.
"Gotcha now. Red handed." A fourth.
They were surrounded.