Thank you for all your reviews. They've been very appreciated

I know a lot of people won't care about Snape, but I felt it was right to put him in this chapter to at least explain Albus' point of view

I own nothing

Grimmauld Place

Harry thought that after all the nonsense of the last week had calmed down that he'd be able to relax. Snorting to himself at the foolish thought Harry carried on with what he was doing. Sat at the dinner table he had several scrolls and a box in front of him. Several days had passed by since the incident in the Black Crypt but he had yet to see Narcissa. He knew that she spent a few hours with Draco, but Dobby had told him she was keeping up with her end of the bargain. Tapping his ring with his wand and a pendant on his chest, he waited for the replies.

Leaning back, he let his thoughts drift away to just what had gone on that week. He had had a very enlightening conversation with Albus the Wednesday afternoon. Albus had gone away with mixed feelings given what they talked about. It was only after letting his mind rest for a few hours that he recalled the conversation he had with Albus and Gellert before it was swiftly taken over with the Deathly Hallows Topic

Harry had lit into him about all the injustices Dumbledore had done to him over the years. Albus had finally acknowledged that training Harry the way he had was very wrong and that he was bloody lucky he hadn't turned into another Voldemort. He also acknowledged that it was likely far too late to ensure his new reforms of Hogwarts would stick while he was still alive but that hopefully whomever the governors chose next would keep them and not revert. He had sent each governor a letter with a reason as to why he had made these sweeping changes, it was a shame that a few weren't happy, but the majority were on board. It was during a pregnant silence that Harry dropped his bombshell

"Albus, I have decided that I will not be returning to Hogwarts when my suspension is up. I have far too much to do running the Potter and Black estates. I see no benefit in wasting my time in lessons I don't need and haven't needed for a while now. My magical growth has hit a wall lately, my abilities have plateaued, and I'm convinced it's because I'm sat in lessons doing theory on spells that I have known of for two years now"

After a minute of shocked silence Albus replied "not all lessons are learned in the classroom Harry. I feel it would be a massive mistake to leave Hogwarts without attaining your NEWTs. No one will take you seriously in the Wizengamot being a drop-out and your chances for employment would be irrevocably damaged" seeing Harry laugh he continued "Harry, I know you have this 'I don't care what other people think' thing going on but be serious!"

"I am deadly serious Albus" Harry said as he gradually stopped laughing "I have already written to the Wizarding Exam board, and they've told me that as an adult in the wizarding world I can take my exams any time I like. Plus, as I have gained my O.W.L.s Hogwarts cannot legally stop me from leaving. Gaining your O.W.L.s gives you partial emancipation, as you very well know. They're competency exams more than anything else and you only need three to be able to leave Hogwarts. The Wizengamot also do not care about what exams I have taken either. If I have my two rings, they couldn't give a shit. Those rings and my family name open more doors for me than any amount of NEWTs would"

"Relying on your fame is never a good thing Harry" Albus said shaking his head "I never had you pegged as someone that would be happy to skate by on your Boy-Who-Lived status, I must say I'm rather disappointed in you"

"Again, this falls into the category of 'Oh, well'" Harry said shrugging his shoulders "I would have thought over this past week that you would know that the disappointed grandfather act stopped working a long time ago. I only told you as a courtesy really. Your opinion isn't really needed Albus. My mind has been made up for some time. I was debating even coming back at all this year. Had I not Draco would still be alive terrorising the students, same as Snape, the Hallows would still be a nuisance etc. The only reason I did was to make sure my friends would be ok but as I've removed the worst of the offenders, I think they'll be fine"

"Yes, your friends!" Albus said grasping at straws "surely you wouldn't abandon them? They would miss you terribly"

"If it didn't happen this year Albus it definitely would next year" Harry said unconcerned "my friends have their own lives to lead, as do I. And if they are who I believe them to be then they wouldn't abandon me, after all we're all leaving in the next two years anyway. As I said my mind has been made up. If you officially need it in writing then I can do so, be warned though, do not try and interfere legally in this through the Wizengamot Albus. I have no desire to be a show pony for anyone. Now, is there anything else you wished to talk about?" Harry said standing up indicating the meeting was over. Receiving a negative reply and Dumbledores disapproving face Harry led him to the floo and watched him leave. As he did so he changed the wards to deny him access. This was his home after all

Walking into the kitchen he saw Remus sat there and told him of his plans. Remus evidently agreed with Albus but knew that he couldn't do anything about it so gave his opinion and left it at that, for which Harry was thankful for. He knew everyone he was going to speak to would have the same opinion, so it wasn't a surprise.

Coming back to himself he recalled the previous night's excitement. He had received a letter off Hermione apologising for the timing of her previous one but still requesting that he meet with Ron. She had gone ahead and booked a table at the Three Broomsticks for the weekend for just such a meeting. Harrys reply of "have fun, I will not be there. My previous warning stands though" did not seem to be well received by her. He then got an owl off Ron too. He didn't bother opening that one. Instead, he reattached it to Pigwidgeons leg along with his own letter and sent him on his way. Hopefully, Ron would think twice about trying to contact him again. He had zero patience for traitors and morons

Shaking his head again he looked around and saw that he was no longer alone. Ted and Andromeda were talking in hushed tones, Narcissa was looking at him curiously, Remus was shooting him a concerned look while Tonks was right next to him, seemingly about to poke him in the face. Gnashing his teeth at her finger and smirking at her, she quickly pulled away with an offended look

"Hey! There was no need for that! You were away with the fairies. Apologise to my finger!" Tonks shouted in mock outrage

Laughing Harry apologised and got onto the reason why he had called them all. "Now I'm sure you are all wondering where I've been hiding away for the last few days?" seeing their nods he continued "I have already talked to Remus about several of the issues I'm about to bring up. On the table you can see many scrolls. These are all bequeathments from Sirius' will. I delayed sending them to the various people mentioned because I needed to check something first. I must start out by apologising that you didn't receive these earlier but, in my defence, I felt it was necessary, hopefully you'll agree why.

Firstly, to Ted and Andy Sirius left you the Black Chateau in Monaco. This is the deed to it. He also requested I reintegrate you into the Black family which I've done. He's also left you £100,000 galleons to do what you want with. I had it transferred to your account this morning. Secondly, Remus, he left you this house along with £200,000 galleons. I have transferred this also and I will give you the deed and control of the wards next week. Thirdly to Nym, he left you £100,000 galleons too and an apartment in London that has been bought and paid for already. Again, here's the deeds and key. Narcissa, Sirius didn't leave you anything because he thought your allegiances were with Lucius and Voldemort, however I have bought you a house too after I demolished Malfoy Manor" seeing her shocked face "did you really think I was going to allow Voldemort to have a second base of operations in this country? Nope, so as soon as you left with as much as you could the other day I stayed behind and burned it to the ground. He's going to receive a nice deed to a place of ashes courtesy of the Black family. Now. That's pretty much it. None of these can be given back either. I've requested the Goblins help of just transferring it back into your accounts should you try and give it back to me. So, enjoy the money. You only have one life after all"

Calling for refreshments Harry called a toast with them all including Kreacher and Dobby. "To the disappointment of the Black Family. To Sirius!"

Sitting back down he felt a wave of relief hit him. He had felt horrible about keeping things from them. He knew it wasn't fair, but circumstances had dictated that he needed to. Sipping on his drink he let his eyes close as he felt the warmth of a family surrounding him. It was only with Remus asking "Harry what's in the box" that he focused on the group again as they all looked curious too. Picking it up he looked at it as he turned it over in his hands before throwing it to a shocked Nym. "Open it. It's yours" when she did so she gasped and looked up pulling out an ornate ring with a 'B' on it. Answering the unasked question, he said "this is the main reason that I have kept things from you all. I said once I welcomed you back into the Black family Andromeda that I would make Nym my heir. Well, I did just that. I needed access to the Black library to try and find a precedent for a woman to become Lady of the house rather than Regent until she had a son of her own and I couldn't do that if I no longer held the wards. I found that there wasn't one. And the Lord's ring was extremely unhelpful in helping too. The Black family has always had a male as its head, and as such the ring has taken on many of its previous owner's characteristics, including that chauvinism. And as of June, the Black family has been declared extinct in the male line. It passed to me only because Sirius made me his heir, he had no children of his own otherwise it would have passed to Draco as the last male with Black family blood.

So, what I did was to create my very own Black family ring, imbibing it with my own magic and selective bits of the Black family so that when I pass it on Nym becomes the Head and gains control of the Black family magic. I've eradicated the line of succession clause in that ring so that when it changes into the Heads ring, should you have a daughter first she will become your heir. And as I have decreed it being the current Lord, I have also made it unchangeable by anyone who succeeds us. You now have full rights and privileges that the heir of the Sacred 28 have, you can stand in for me anytime in the Wizengamot or even give your own views on laws to the Lords and Ladies there. I suggest you read up on them. There's a few books and several scrolls in the Black library on them. You also can marry whomever you want and will not be kicked out of the Pureblood Directory despite being a half-blood witch.

I'm sorry I have created more work for you Nym, but I have no desire to be a dual lord for very long. I plan on giving up the Black name at the December gathering of the Wizengamot. It seems that when I ended Blood Feud as a member of the Sacred 28 then my own family of Potter was elevated to Sacred 28 status along with the Weasleys being re-accepted in due to their part in ending the Malfoy line. There are too few pureblood lines to keep the Pureblood Dictionary relevant anymore so there's going to be a meeting of the current members to suggest names for consideration in the next vote to keep it going. There are four more spaces left after the Potters and the Weasleys due to the extinction of Crouch, Nott, Malfoy, Prewett and Shafiq. I have taken the Malfoy space and it's likely that Charlie Weasley will become the new Lord Prewett due to Molly being the last living Prewett. So that leaves three.

So, there you have it. That's what I've been doing in the library. I've been creating you a ring that will accept you and not try and kill you like the one I wear will do due to your dad being muggleborn. It only accepted me because I threatened to destroy it with my magic when it became the Lord's ring after Sirius died. I hope you're all not too mad at me for this" he finished sitting back and taking a drink.

There was several minutes of silence as they all tried to process just what had been said. It was a lot of information in a short space of time. Breaking the silence Nym said "so you've been finding a way to make sure that not only doesn't the Black family die out but that neither do I? And you MADE a family ring? Something that has only been done once in history that involved the death of the most respected wizard that has ever lived to do so. And you made one? Just like that?"

"Well yeah" Harry said perplexed "it's not really that hard to do you know. All it involves is a ring, a stone and magic"

"That's not all it requires, and you know it!" Andromeda said looking at him seriously "It cost Merlin his life to create the 28 rings that now sit on the fingers of the 28 main Lords of our world. Just how much magic did you give up creating this?" hearing Harry mumble an answer she was not impressed "louder Harry! So that we can all hear"

"Just a fifth of my magic" He said quietly making them all gasp "A fifth" Nym shrieked putting the ring back into the box and throwing it onto the table in front of her "a bloody fifth?! How can you say that so casually? I cannot accept this Harry"

"Well, it's too late Nym because should I destroy that ring, I won't get that piece of my magic back" Harry said hotly "I do not miss it, I've pretty much gone back to how I was magically before the fight with Albus. My Merlin Index is still hovering around 600 after creating that and that's plenty enough. I cannot believe how ungrateful you're being"

"She's not being ungrateful at all Harry" Remus said defending her "she's just shocked that you would do this for her. You've been pureblood lord for a short amount time so you may not know what it means to do what you've done. Do you have any idea how rare it is to give up your magic for someone not a spouse or a child? It is incredibly rare Harry. Very few magical people would consider the action of what you've done. To give up your magic usually means giving up your life. Nym is not ungrateful."

"I'm not ungrateful Harry, really I'm not" Nym said "but surely you see what Remus is trying to say? I can't accept this Harry"

"Well, its tough isn't it" Harry said "the deed is done. My plans will not change. I will still give up the Black Lordship in December. Whether you accept the Ladyship is up to you" standing up Harry left feeling very mixed emotions, before he exited though he pulled out another scroll "this is for you Narcissa" and with that he apparated out leaving silence in his wake to visit his new house and see on the goblins progress.

Godric's Hollow

They had done well in such a short amount of time. It was no easy feat to build a whole house with purely magical blocks, especially using magical mortar as well. They weren't as compatible as people thought but it enabled a much stronger warding system to be able to be cast on it. Which was Harry's plan. He needed a house just for himself where nobody knew who he was and where he could hide from the wizarding world. Only one person knew about this house and his plans depended on this house being amazing. It was well on its way to being so. The shell had already been finished, the bricks had to be laid at three or four layers at a time to help them settle into place and not cave in on itself. It just needed a roof before the inside could be started on. Harry had already provided furniture; they were ready to be sent as soon as the goblins finished. He had also sent a letter to Flourish & Blotts ordering a copy ever single book they had for his own library which was half done. Some of the rarer tomes were still on order but as he'd already paid, he would get them eventually.

Making his way into the village he felt himself calm down. Sitting down on a bench opposite the statue of his parents he watched the world pass him by. Very few took notice of him. It was bliss. Hearing a bark, he looked down and found Snuffles running towards him with Remus just behind him. Stroking Snuffles he nodded at the bench beside him, and Remus sat down

"It's been a long time since I was last here you know" Remus began looking around and taking in the village "It has always been such a beautiful place. But the bad memories always come to the forefront whenever I think of here, so I try not to think of it too much. I can barely remember what they sound like anymore, you know" he said looking at the statue "I tried for the longest time afterwards to remember but I just couldn't. That was until I saw you again on the Hogwarts Express when I was flooded with voices and past situations in my head. My dementor memories are roughly the same as yours. Bad times as a werewolf, fall outs with your dad, fall outs with your mum. But through it all I now remember the best of times." After a short silence he continued "I was quite envious you know of your dad. Everyone our age had a crush on Lily, she was such a sweet person. She had such a beautiful heart, and it was open to everyone. I remember the day she fell out with her best friend. It broke her heart to end that friendship" looking at Harry's confused face he added "you watched it Harry last year in the pensieve, Snape being humiliated by your dad and Sirius while myself and Peter did nothing to stop them. We were afraid you see of losing their friendship should we say anything. Your mum on the other hand didn't care about putting him in his place. She refused to talk to him for a full year after the incident with Severus. She actively avoided him and refused to acknowledge his existence. I'm still unsure on what changed though" he added thoughtfully

"Both their parents died" Harry said "roughly at the same time. It's in her journal that she left. And being they were both Head boy and girl they grew closer, and dad stopped being an arrogant dickhead. I hated him last year you know. When I saw what he did to Snape it reminded me of my own cousin and his 'Harry Hunting' games he used to play with the other neighbourhood bullies. It shattered every image I had of him or what was told to me about him. You were all liars. And it took me a while to come to terms with why you all lied. I concluded it was selective memories. You didn't want to remember the horrible times which I can understand. Snape was a bastard my whole Hogwarts life. At least now I understand why. My dad cost Snape his best and only friend and did so through envy. Regardless of what he said to my mum that day she abandoned him, and he had only the Death Eaters to turn to. She was his moral compass it seems. Then the next thing he knows his former best friend is now dating his sworn enemy. I don't think I'd do anything different to be honest. I'm not excusing his piss-poor behaviour. I know it was him that told Voldemort the prophecy and while I may not have any proof of that he still painted a bigger target on my mum and dad. As morbid as it sounds, it seems fitting that he died not far away from where his master and best friend died"

"That's an interesting take Harry" came a voice from beside them. Turning around they saw Albus looking up at the statue "it's remarkable that so many historic events can be traced back to this place. Godric was born here, The Peverells were from here as were my ancestors, I lived here for a time myself. My family are from here and are buried over there in the graveyard. My brother and I are the last of the Dumbledores, just like you're the last Potter and Remus is the last Lupin" taking a seat beside them both and putting up a silencing ward he continued "The most famous historian of our times Bathilda Bagshot also lives here. Your parents moved just down the road there where Voldemort met his end at the hands of yourself and your mother. Severus died here too. I know you were not particularly fond of him Harry, and we're long past the time where I would ask you to be the bigger man and forgive him. But his story was remarkably like yours and Toms. He grew up in a little village, alongside your mother. While your mother was middle class, he was poor, and your aunt never let him forget that. He was physically and mentally abused his whole life by his father after he found out Eileen was magical, much like yourself Harry. He was taught curses from a very young age from Eileen to protect him from his father should anything happen to her. His only shining light was his friendship with your mother. He was the one to introduce her to the magical world

When he was sorted into a different house than your mother that was the beginning of the end of that relationship really. They tried for five years to make it work but your mother had grown tired of Severus' double standards, she always defended him, always. You know the pressures of Slytherin Harry. You are lucky in a way that you had power to back you up. Severus as a half blood whose father was a muggle had little to none. And Lucius was very persuasive. And that day after his OWLs was the final straw. Your father was not a nice person during his Hogwarts time Harry where it concerned Severus, Remus can attest to how much prejudice he had against Slytherins. I'm still unsure why given his mother was a Slytherin. They disliked each other from their very first meeting I believe. The fact that your father fancied your mother from the moment he first saw her, and she was best friends with Severus just compounded that. Severus tried for weeks afterwards to apologise but your mother was having none of it. I believe it was this moment that changed their destinies, or rather cemented it in stone. Severus turned to the only people that could protect him and offer him revenge on James. I am not absolving Severus from his choices by the way. They were still his to make.

He had not heard from or spoken to her in over four years when he overheard the first part of the prophecy and told Tom. He never went out on any raids that I knew of. His value to Tom was with a cauldron, not a wand though he was gifted in that too. No one could have known it would be about Lily or Alice but the moment he found out that Tom had marked Lily for death he asked for Tom to spare her. I believe that this was significant in how it played out Harry. Tom gave a verbal agreement to Severus that he would spare her, couple that with you being prophecy bound, magic previously unheard of was formed. Not believing Tom would do what he said he came to me and asked for my help. I know you're confused as to why they moved from Potter manor to the cottage, you're possibly under the impression that I had something to do with it, however that would be incorrect. It was your mother who demanded it because of how isolated Potter Manor was and they had no way of getting messages out should they need help. It was far too big to place the fidelius on too by one person, so they moved to a smaller place

Tom asked her three times to step aside that night sealing the magical pact he formed with Severus. I know you think that many other parents begged for their lives before he killed them all and you'd be correct. But only with your mother did he offer her a choice, though we all knew it would never be a choice given who Lily was. Going back on his word to Severus and Magic caused the reaction it did. He lost his body and Magic provided you with the gifts they did. Severus was the first person on the scene after the attack arriving just before Sirius and Hagrid, his own wards had tripped, and he rushed to the scene to try and help Lily. He was devastated, he had been partially responsible for the death of his only true friend. He swore an oath to me that he would look out for you when you re-entered the magical world.

I cannot fathom why he treated you like he did. Perhaps as you say it's because he saw his hated enemy looking back at him again with Lilys eyes, I believe however its because he saw his biggest mistake looking back at him every time that he saw you. Sadly, we will never know. And I also know that my defence of him is partially why we don't have the type of relationship I would like to have Harry. All I can say was that I knew the best of Severus Snape when no one else seemed to. He sacrificed a lot for very little recognition or gain, he saved so many lives with his information through spying" sighing Albus looked around and after popping a lemon sherbet in his mouth continued "I'm aware of his reputation amongst the student body, it's only these last few weeks that I have seen the errors I have made concerning Severus and Hogwarts. Sadly, there's nothing I can do to change that now. I know very few people will grieve him, but he is to be pitied, just like Tom is. We will never truly know what could have happened should circumstances be different"

"I never knew that about him" Remus said quietly after taking it all in "my defence is that I was too afraid of losing my friends should I intervene in their battles. James, Sirius and Severus were always at each other's throats. Just like Harry and Draco it seems they were destined to be enemies. I won't pretend that James and Sirius were in the right, they very rarely were but Severus instigated just as many fights. It was only after James and Lily's death that everything that once was funny and righteous seemed so childish. We were kids, forced to grow up very quickly due to the war. I remember my grandfather, who fought in World War II telling me that when he signed up it seemed like they'd wake up in the morning, have a scrap with the enemy at noon and be home in time for tea and biscuits around six. The reality is very different. James's parents' deaths hit us all hard. Hogwarts, its wards, and you Albus protected us for a long time from the harsh realities of war. It all seemed like a game you know? Us versus them. The folly of youth"

"You will find Remus and you too Harry" Albus said "that that very thought pops into your head nearly once a week for the rest of your life. Life is an endless stream of what ifs"

"That doesn't mean he had the right to treat me like crap Albus" Harry pointed out "he was the adult in this situation, I never knew either of my parents. And he was part of that reason. So no, I wont be forgiving him any time soon. He rightfully paid the price for his actions and while you might I wont grieve his loss from this world."

After nearly five minutes of silence and watching the world go by Harry said "why are you here anyway Albus? It seems awfully coincidental that you'd find us here of all places. You're not tracking me to try and change my mind, are you? My decision is final you know"

"Nothing quite so sinister Harry, no" Albus said chuckling "I always visit this village every year on the anniversary of my mothers' death. I'm afraid I missed it this year due to what happened at the ministry and being bombarded with owls asking for help. So, I'm here now. I hope she can forgive me for being late just this once. Ariana's anniversary is only two weeks away as well, so I'll say hello to her too"

"Two weeks?" Harry said questioningly "that would be..."

"Hallowe'en yes Harry" Albus said nodding his head "you're not the only one who must try and find the light on that dark day. She died on Hallowe'en 1899. Nearly a century ago now Harry and it still hurts as much today as it did then. How is it I find you here?"

"I had a disagreement with Tonks over something I did so I came here because it feels like Home" Harry replied "Hogwarts is a close second, but I can feel my ancestors magic at work in this village. It's almost like having a family that welcomes you home every time I visit. As morbid as it sounds, I would be quite honoured to be buried here alongside them"

"Yes Harry, and you owe her an apology" Remus said holding his hand up to stop any argument from happening "just like she does to you. You really have no idea what your gift has done to us all. We were all raised in this world Harry. Magic is all. To willingly give up part of it is almost unheard of. The last person we know of who created a family ring did so by sacrificing his magic. Nym is just worried about you Harry. You're always in scrapes. Surely you can understand that?"

"Am I to understand that you created a new family ring Harry?" Albus asked wonderingly "that is a mighty feat. What Remus says is true. In wizarding history only Merlin has succeeded in doing so. Why would you do that?"

"I don't need the extra magic Albus" Harry said irritation showing in his voice "and I have no intention of being Lord Black any longer than I need to be. Nym deserves to be the next Head of house Black. I'm not taking it back; in fact, I cannot take it back. Should I destroy the ring my magic will arrive here and help power the magic in the Hollow. I have already decided that all my magic will come and rest here. And before you say anything there is no guarantee that I will survive Voldemort. I'm just being practical"

"Very well" Albus said impressed "you seem to have given this some thought Harry. It is your right to do what you will with your life and your magic. Mine will be given to Hogwarts upon my death. That way a part of me will always be a part of the place I've called home these many years. Well gentlemen I shall see you again soon no doubt. Have a good day" with that Albus stood up, cancelled the ward, and strode off towards the cemetery

"Come on Remus" Harry said also standing up "I'll give you a tour of my house. It should be done very soon"

Curious to see what was being built Remus followed Harry to the outskirts of the village to where Harry's house was. getting a tour was very nice. Remus couldn't wait for his library to be finished, he would be visiting every day it seemed until Harry laughingly pointed out that when he left, he would have control of the Black library and could stock that up as he saw fit too. Harry knew what Remus was doing, he feared losing him, so he wanted to make sure he was ok. The rest of the day passed by very quickly and they returned to Grimmauld place where Harry and Nym apologised to each other. Nym accepted the ring for what it was and placed it on her finger. She immediately felt the connection to the Black family and to Harry. She was very nervous about it as being head of house to her own mother would be very strange. Remus and Andromeda saying they would help her calmed her down a lot and things returned to normal quite quickly with them all going their separate ways

Albus

After the visit to Ariana and his mother Albus felt that it was time he reunited with his brother. Their conversation was long overdue so he apparated to Hogsmeade and entered his brothers pub. He was not expecting a warm welcome, but he knew it must be done before he passed away.

"Good evening brother" Albus said as he sat down at the bar

"Good evening Albus" came the wary reply "what brings you here?"

"I fear we need to have a conversation that is long past due. Can you close early? It's quite important" Albus asked

Receiving a grunt in reply Aberforth shut up his pub and gestured for Albus to follow to the back room where they sat down at a table that had a picture of Ariana looking down at them "go on then. What scheme have you come to rope me into this time?" Aberforth asked

"None this time brother" Albus replied earning a disbelieving grunt from Aberforth. Looking up at the picture he pulled out his own that was usually in his drawer and gave it to Aberforth "I had this commissioned not long after I became a teacher. It has never left my teachers desk except for when I became headmaster, and it went into my new desk. It has remained there for the last fifty years. I had it made to remember a time in our life that was my happiest. I know it didn't seem like it at the time, but I was and remain very proud to be your brother"

Handing it back with a grunt Aberforth said "this Is all a bit maudlin isn't it Albus? What's going on?"

"I am dying Aberforth" Albus said simply. Looking at him he continued "some might call it my own arrogance and they would be partially right. I found the Resurrection Stone, by pure chance as it happened. Voldemort had used it in a ritual, not knowing what it was to anchor himself to this plane and it needed to be destroyed. You were right as you've always been. It wasn't mine to have. It had been cursed but, in my desperation to have our family whole again I picked it up and the curse hit me. I have less than a year left before the curse takes my life"

"What a fool you really are Albus" Aberforth growled "those bloody Hallows have caused the death of yet another Dumbledore eh? And I heard you on the wireless. Grindelwald is still alive? You kept that one quiet Albus. I should have denied you this conversation on that alone! Why is that bastard still alive?"

"I am aware" Albus said shaking his head sadly "I just could not kill him. Even after everything he had done, after all the harm he had caused I could not kill him. So, I locked him up in Nurmengard. It was the only place that could contain him, and it has done for fifty years. The wards should still work for another twenty or so years after I am gone. We are all old men now Aberforth. I was rather hoping I could become your brother again before I pass on"

"You've always been my brother Albus" Aberforth replied gruffly "that doesn't mean you get automatic love from me though. You have proved to me over the last one hundred years that you haven't changed from the meddlesome fool you always were, always coming up with some crazy scheme, manipulating others for your own benefit. Becoming 'the greatest wizard of the age' while the rest of us dealt with the repercussions of your decisions. And even today I suspect you've come here with an ulterior motive"

"I have not" Albus said interrupting his brother "over the last few weeks it has been pointed out, often rather painfully just how much damage I have done in the last hundred years. From you, Gellert and Ariana, to Tom Riddle, Severus Snape and Harry Potter my mistakes have been catastrophic on a personal level. I will no doubt face judgement upon my passing. I can only hope I have done enough good in the world to make up for my past mistakes. Coming here tonight to visit you was just one of those decisions I have made to try and rectify a situation. I do not want to die, but I also do not want to die without telling you how proud I am of the man you became. For what it is worth I know Ariana would feel the same way"

"Hmph" Aberforth grunted "thanks, I guess. The only reason I contacted you years ago was because I knew it would upset Ariana to see her brothers quarrelling. And after what happened with Aurelius, I knew that Ariana wasn't much longer for this world. It was a miracle of Magic that she survived as long as she did. It still doesn't mean I'll ever forgive you for what happened. I'm thankful that we never found out who cast the killing blow"

"Would you want to know" Albus asked "if you could find out would you want to know?"

After a pregnant pause Aberforth looked shrewdly at his brother and replied "Judging by the phrasing of the question I take it you know. I have thought a lot about it over the years. No. it wouldn't change anything. You were an arrogant fool, Gellert was an arrogant prick, I was arrogant and foolish enough to believe we could keep Ariana hidden and Ariana would still be gone. So no if you know keep it to yourself"

"Very well" Albus said. After a few minutes of silence, he continued "you may be interested to know the Hallows are gone. Harry gave them back to Death herself"

"I don't care to be honest Albus" Aberforth said shaking his head "they were always more trouble than they are worth. No one should have had that kind of power to begin with. They should have been called The Wizarding Worlds Bane rather than the Deathly Hallows with what grief they caused the world"

"Harry thought much the same" Albus said nodding his head in agreement "when he found out he owned one he made plans to give it her back upon his death. He told me frequently that after my death, if the wands power was still active, he'd come up with a way to summon Death and give them back. It seemed he succeeded that evening at the Hollow. They are no more. Now just a cautionary folk tale told to humble a wizard"

"It's a shame you didn't humble yourself all that time ago" Aberforth said "Harry clearly has a better view on them than you ever did. Anyway it's in the past now, something we cannot change" both of the brothers looked at the picture of Ariana who smiled back at them, happy her brothers were together again "I made stew" he said suddenly "Do you fancy a bowl?"

"I would be delighted Aberforth" came the reply. After a few more hours of meaningless chat where Albus brought his brother up to date on what had happened over the last few weeks he bade his brother goodbye and left to go back to the school. Aberforth walked back into the room with Ariana and found the photograph still there. Snorting he picked it up. They all looked so young, sat under the tree at their first home, the very picture of the innocence of youth. He could still see in his mind his mother plating up the picnic they were about to have while their father helped. It really was an incredibly happy time. Smiling at the picture he placed in on the inside of Ariana's frame, said goodnight to her and left for bed. For the first time in over fifty years both brothers had a pleasant sleep