Chapter 21: Of Windows, Flames, and Hearts

Albus stared at Cadmus as he made a fire in the grate an hour later.

"You don't know what happened, Aberforth?" Cadmus asked as he poked at the wood, coaxing it to become bigger, as if he couldn't just had more flames in it.

Albus tried to look at Aberforth beside him, but Fawkes' plumage got in the way. It was probably best for him not to see Aberforth, anyway. He reached up and stroked Fawkes' head as the bird cooed a soft, comforting song. He suspected that the bird was the only reason why he wasn't crying.

"I don't know," Aberforth said. "Ariana was just screaming. It might have been a bad dream."

"Do you normally keep the windows open at night?" Cadmus asked.

"No, but Ariana knows how to open them. She could have gotten hot and opened it."

"Has she done that before?"

"I don't know."

Cadmus nodded slowly.

"Mr. Potter," Albus said, leaning forward. Fawkes climbed down from his shoulder and stood on his knee, rubbing his head against Albus' hand. "Do you really think someone would have climbed up there? There's not many people who know about Ariana."

"Albus, I can't say anything for sure. Ariana is a disabled girl, who knows what someone could have wanted to do with her."

Aberforth blanched beside Albus. "Don't say that!" he tried to yell, but Fawkes began singing louder. Albus supposed that stopped him from yelling full out. "There's no reason for anyone to hurt her! She's done nothing!"

Cadmus sighed again and stood up straight. "I'm sorry, Aberforth. I'm only trying to give realistic possibilities. I hope you won't think bad of me for that."

"Potter."

Albus turned his head, looking up at the stairway where another Auror stood. Albus could see Ariana's blue eyes staring from where she laid, curled up beside Aberforth. He caught eyes with her and only for an instant he saw a hand on her window sill. That was it before she turned her eyes away from him and stared up at Potter as he crossed the room.

"A hand," Albus whispered.

"What?" Aberforth said.

Albus took in a deep breath and ran a hand over Fawkes' head. "Ariana saw a hand, but that's it."

"She told me earlier," Aberforth said.

"Did you tell him?" Albus asked as Cadmus and the other Auror disappeared up the stairs.

Aberforth sent him a glare. "Yes. I did."

"Then why has he been asking you if Ariana opened the window?"

Aberforth stared at him. "That better be rhetoric. He doesn't believe she really saw the hand because she's, you know."

He stood up and kneeled down next to Ariana, taking her hand. Her eyes wavered over him for a moment before she twisted her hand out of his and began to run it through her hair lightly.

"Ariana, is there anything else you saw?" he asked her.

She shook her head, starting to pull erratically at her braid.

"Stop doing that," Albus said, placing his hand over her hand. She jerked away from him and sat up straight, then curled up against Aberforth.

Albus sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go upstairs and see what they're doing."

But, as soon as he got onto the landing, a witch spotted him. "Go back downstairs, Dumbledore," she said, standing up straight from surveying the wooden floors. "We'll tell you everything when we come down."

"But I just-"

"No," she said sternly. "We're working as fast as we can. Please give us some time."

Albus crossed his arms, and on the way down, he whispered to himself, "I hate not being able to do anything."

Albus sat back down next to Aberforth. Ariana seemed to have fallen asleep in Aberforth's arms as he rocked her slowly.

What was Albus going to do now? He hated that his mother was gone, but what about his dreams? He had so been looking forward to his world tour for years, and now he couldn't go on it. He couldn't leave Ariana and Aberforth alone. They wouldn't be able to make it on their own.

How was he going to work, as well? Aberforth was too immature, and when he went back to school, Albus would have to stay home with Ariana to make sure she was cared for.

So suddenly it felt like all his dreams were blasted into a million pieces. He had to stay home, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Of course something like this would come ruin what he'd worked so hard for. How lucky was he?

He had to be the head of the family now.

Unfortunately.

Aberforth and Albus were both wide awake when Cadmus came back down.

"We've removed-" he paused a moment, sighing. "Well, you know. We'll take care of her, I promise, and bring her back for a funeral in the church graveyard this week."

"And the window?" Albus asked, leaning forward.

"If there was someone there, they've removed any traces of them being there. There was some magical residue, but the person was very thorough. We also found a muddy shoe print in the hallway, but that could have easily been anyone of you."

"I was in town today," Aberforth said softly. "My shoes were dirty."

Cadmus nodded. "Ariana didn't mention anything about anyone coming in completely, so it must have been you."

Aberforth nodded. "I didn't see or hear anyone in the house."

"Good," Cadmus said, looking around for another moment before running his hand through his messy hair. "Well, I'll go inform Mrs. Bagshot now. She'll explain funeral procedure, living arrangements, and all that for you. We'll have a death certificate for you in the morning, as well. Also, the two Aurors here... they believe this was a backfiring spell on Kendra."

He paused as Albus nodded, and then Cadmus held out his hand for Albus to shake. "I'm very sorry for your loss. Floo me if you need anything at all."

Then, he and the other Aurors left the house, closing the door behind them.

"What do we do now?" Aberforth asked.

Albus only shrugged.

He had no idea.

It was nearly sunrise before Aberforth fell asleep beside Albus. He wanted to sleep, but his mind was racing. For once, he was nervous and at loss at what to do. He had an urge to clean up the cottage, but also an intense feeling in his chest that told him to run from the house and never look back. But, he couldn't do that. He couldn't leave his siblings by themselves. He couldn't lose them.

So, instead, he just sat there, staring at those two. Ariana looked peaceful, but Aberforth's brow was furrowed and he twitched every once in a while, obviously having bad dreams that he couldn't awaken from. Albus sat there calmly, absentmindedly petting Fawkes.

Mrs. Bagshot arrived soon after Aberforth fell asleep. She held a pot, which made Albus assume she'd spent the last hour or so cooking. Cadmus couldn't have taken long to contact her.

"Hello, Albus," she said. Albus rushed to her side and took the pot from her, leading her into the kitchen. He was glad for something to distract him from his thoughts, even if it was simply carrying a pot.

The sun was just beginning to cast a low light around, but he still waved his hand to light a few candles.

Before he knew it, Mrs. Bagshot wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Albus. I can't believe- It's so horrible."

Albus didn't know what to say, so he said nothing and instead hugged her back. He hadn't realized how much he needed it until then.

"I made some porridge for the three of you," she said when she let go of him. "Why don't you go rest some? I'll clean up in here."

Albus hesitated, looking at the dishes that were still by their sink and a mess of charcoal and parchments laid out on the table where Ariana and Aberforth had obviously been drawing.

"I can-" Albus said, already reaching forward for the parchments.

"No, go rest," she said, pushing him out of the kitchen. "I'll take care of it."

He nodded slowly and was nearly back to the couch when he turned around to her again. "Is it all right if I go for a walk?"

"Of course. Be careful."

He nodded slowly, though the corners of his eyes prickled at those words. Be careful. Those had been just two of the last words he'd ever heard his mother say.

Albus let Fawkes fly around him as he walked down the dirt road toward town. It felt nice to walk as the sun came up, especially when Fawkes cooed over head, as if talking to him, telling him everything would work out.

He stopped at the graveyard, staring at all the graves. He thought it strange how there were skeletons in there, how they were once so conscious like him, and here they were in the ground, no longer thinking or seeing, completely gone. He didn't want to die. He liked living, but even worse, he couldn't believe his mother was dead.

He pushed open the gate and stepped through the ground. Fawkes landed on his shoulder as Albus sat down in the grass in front of a random grave. He didn't know the last name of Matthews that was etched in the stone, but he stared at the years- 1682-1797. He sighed, pulling out the little device he'd made as Flamel's project.

He clicked it and a light from the church shot toward him and entered into the device. He'd called it a deluminator, though when Flamel saw it before his N.E.W.T. exams, he wasn't as impressed with it as Albus thought he would be.

"Needs more," Flamel said as it captured a candle light from overheard. "Think, Dumbledore. It's an excellent device, but what else could this be used for?"

Albus sighed and looked back down at the grave.

"It finally works, huh?"

Albus jumped, his wand already pulled out of his pocket as he stood up, pointing it at the boy that stood in front of him.

The intruder put his hands up in front of him. "Dumbledore, it's me- Harry."

Albus' eyes widened. Harry was here! He was still here! But, wait. Albus narrowed his eyes and refused to drop his wand. He surveyed the boy in front of him. His hair stood up in the same place at the back of his head, he had his usual odd style of clothing- a green shirt and a cloak under blue jeans and, on his feet, odd shoes. He looked for the mokeskin pouch that he remembered Harry always wearing and there it was, the strings extending into his cloak. But, still, he had to be sure.

"Wait, if you're really Harry Potter, then where did I find you at Hogwarts the very first day?"

Harry smiled. "Seventh floor, by the tapestries of Barnabus and the dancing trolls." Harry paused for a moment, as if waiting for Albus to put down his wand, but he didn't. Harry smiled just slightly, though. "My turn, I guess. What's your favorite jam?"

Albus felt his eyebrows raise. What kind of question was that? "Strawberry."

Harry's eyes widened. "What! No it's not!"

"Kidding. It's raspberry."

Harry relaxed instantly and Albus dropped his wand. For the first time he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck. He couldn't believe it, he really couldn't. Harry was here! "I thought you'd left already. Flamel told me."

"The potion's not ready yet," Harry said. He didn't return the hug so Albus let go, holding him at arms length.

"I can't believe it," Albus said, choking as tears ran down his face. Flamel lied to him. Harry was still here! But, at that moment, he couldn't feel angry at all. In fact, his lips were threatening to twitch up, but he couldn't smile even though he wanted to so much. "Oh, Harry… my mother… Have you heard?"

Harry nodded, looking down at his feet. "Yeah. I would say sorry, but I'm sure you'll hear that all the time from now on. You're lucky you got to know your mum, though."

"Yours is gone?" Albus asked, slipping back onto the ground in front of the same grave. He didn't even care that he was sitting so near a skeleton. He could only focus on the fact that Harry was there and not nearly a hundred years in the future. He was happier to see him than he thought.

Harry nodded, looking over to his left where the graveyard was empty. Then, Harry caught his eye, and for once he felt Harry was giving him a memory rather than him forcing it out of him. He saw the name Lily Potter carved into a snow covered granite.

"I can't remember if you told me she died or not," Albus said reluctantly.

Harry didn't respond. Albus wiped the tears off his face and clicked his deluminator again. The light flew back into the window.

"What does the light feel like when it's in there?" Harry asked softly.

Albus sighed and clicked it again, allowing the light to fall back into core of the device. He closed his eyes and held onto it tightly, feeling it as the light tried to leave.

"It's like a small heartbeat," he said. "It's hard to feel because of the metal, but I can feel it if I concentrate enough."

Fawkes cooed again and Albus became aware of him flying toward Harry and landing on his shoulder. He placed his chest against Harry's cheekbone.

Albus watched as Harry smiled. "Is the heartbeat fast like Fawkes'?"

He shook his head. "It's slow, like a flickering."

Harry smiled, reaching up to run his hand over Fawkes' feathers.

Albus sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, feeling the small pulse in his hand. "What are you doing here, Harry?" he asked.

"I had to see you," he said.

"How did you know I was here?"

But, then, he realized even before Harry got to say anything.

He jerked his head up, staring at him. Harry refused to meet Albus' eyes.

"You knew!" he spat out. "You knew she was going to die, didn't you?"

Harry closed his eyes, rubbing the back of neck.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Albus said, his anger fading almost immediately. He didn't know how, but he felt calmer all of a sudden before he realized Fawkes was singing again. "We could have saved her if you'd told me."

Harry shook his head. "I can't tell you why I did it. I mean, I couldn't even remember what day she died. I didn't know it would be last night. I just knew it was soon. I'm sorry. I didn't want her to die, and I really didn't want you to go through this pain."

Fawkes came to Albus again, running his head against his hand, again giving him comfort.

"Albus," Harry said.

He looked up at Harry, then he hid his face in his arms. He didn't cry, though.

"Merlin," Albus said. "This is harder than when I learned my father died."

"You were younger," Harry said, his voice giving a small break. "It's harder when you've gotten to a point where you understand what it really means."

Albus nodded. "Have you seen a lot of death, Harry?"

He nodded. "Too much."

Albus sighed and covered his face again.

He stayed for a long time. Eventually Harry sat down beside him, just keeping him company.

"I'm so scared," Albus said when he finally lifted his head and the sun was up completely, streaming through the trees above.

There was a long pause. Harry pulled at the grass wearily, surveying Albus without much emotion on his face at all. "Are you angry?" he asked.

Albus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I don't know," he said, because he really wasn't sure at all. "I don't know what to do with myself right now."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a twinge of nervousness in his voice.

Albus sighed. "I'm head of the family now, aren't I? I have a disabled sister whom I'll have to care for and a difficult brother. How am I supposed to get through all this on my own? I'm not even eighteen yet. How am I going to work at the Ministry? I'll have to stay home." He felt as if his heart was ripped into pieces as he looked up with Harry with a pained expression.

"You'll get through it," Harry said.

"How do you- Oh. Right. The future."

Harry nodded.

"I suppose you won't tell me how exactly I make it through this?"

He shook his head.

He sighed and stood up at long last. "How much longer will you stay?"

"Flamel said a month and a half left," Harry said as he stood up as well.

"Where are you staying currently?"

"With him."

Albus nodded slowly, then began to walk toward the gate, but Harry trailed behind as if he didn't want to leave the graveyard.

"Harry?" Albus asked as he put a hand on the gate.

Harry hesitated for a moment, but then he sighed wearily, standing right up close to Albus. "I was trailing Aberforth yesterday. I can't let anyone see me. I just wanted you to know I was here."

Albus blinked, then, suddenly, his heart seemed to stop for a moment. "It wasn't you, was it? At the window?"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. Albus instantly believed him. "I don't know who that was. But I was there, by your house when it happened. I saw… everything."

Albus felt his blood run cold. "You… saw?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I heard someone opening the window and I rushed in."

"Aberforth said he saw no one!"

"I know how to make myself invisible."

Albus was taken aback, wondering how that was possible. Maybe a concealment charm? But, then, Harry was an Auror. He probably knew plenty of ways that weren't known to Albus yet.

"It was… horrible," Harry said, looking down at his feet. "Aberforth didn't know what to do; I didn't either. When he left to go get Cadmus Potter, I went back outside. I knew I couldn't let him see me."

Albus and Harry both stared at each other. Albus believe him completely, but… what was the point? Why had Harry been trailing Aberforth?

"Why are you here, anyway?" Albus asked, feeling pained for no reason at all.

Harry shook his head, taking in a deep breath as if he'd expected Albus to ask. "I finally convinced Flamel I needed to talk to you, learn things about you first hand. If you'll let me, I'd like to spend time with you before I have to leave."

Albus nodded. He felt as if his emotions were all over the place. He felt excited, somehow, despite everything that had happened that morning. "One condition."

"I tell things about myself?" Harry said.

Albus nodded.

"I knew it. Yeah."

Albus's lips twitched up and he smiled sooner than he expected he'd be able to. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry smiled and then pushed open the gate, leading them both out onto the dirt road. "Good luck. I'll see you soon."

And then there was a pop and Harry was gone.

Albus went back to his house, his chest filled with partial joy, partial sorrow.

But, when he got there, he didn't just see his siblings and Mrs. Bagshot.

There was someone new there.

There was no other way to describe him.

He was the most handsome boy Albus had ever seen in his life.

A/N: Two updates in two days? What? No way. I got into this next chapter, like intensely. And now I'm squealing because of that last sentence. Cough. Anyway.

Lots of this comes from my experiences after my grandpa died. I got the news in the middle of the night and I had both the intense urge to clean everything and to go running. When the sun came up I went running and ended up stopping at the play ground of my elementary school. That's a little less morbid than the graveyard, but you know. But anyway.

Extra points if you can spot the two the Avatar: The Last Airbender references. Also, the previous chapter title comes from a lyric in Cough Syrup by Young the Giant. "Dark world aches for a slash of the sun." I forgot to mention that. And also, I read a section when I was looking for the epitaph on the gravestone of Kendra's grave that Albus actually got an owl telling him of his mother's death. But, this is AU, so yeah. Anyway.

Please review :)

Also, I've made a sub Tumblr off my own to explain any mistakes I've made. forcedperception(.)tumblr(.)com. You can also ask my questions (through a tumblr account or anonymously) if you have any. I have made a lot of mistakes, I've realized, and those will be explained on the Tumblr.