A few days passed since the three lovers made their promises under the same tree they would always meet.
With only the half moon as their witness, no one else truly knew what had taken place but Albus siblings did eventually learn of his planned trips and his ambitions.
The day the two young men had to leave, they gathered close to the Dumbledore household. It allowed Roxanne to also find them and bid her temporary goodbyes, for she would see them again during summer; once she had graduated.
The small goodbye was planned to go smoothly and quietly but it was quickly interrupted by Aberforth.
The almost 16-year-old refused to let Albus take Arianna away, believing that her condition would get worse even if he joined to help. In addition, he felt disgusted by the selfish ambitions his older brother had.
He didn't understand the pressure Albus was under and how powerless he felt the day he found Roxanne wounded and Arrianna tormented and feared by those muggle boys. How much he wished to protect them and their kind from suffering the same fate or worse.
The drop that spilt the glass came when Aberforth got his wand ready and pointed it at Roxanne. "How could you?! You should stop him and knock some sense into his thick head! How can you stand there and agree? After all, Arianna went through because of your idea to take her out that day!" He shouted and accused, pent-up emotions and anger clouding his judgement.
Roxanne looked at him with wide eyes full of shock, betrayal and pain. She knew Aberforth didn't truly like her but being accused so openly by him did hurt.
However, what wounded her the most was being reminded of Arianna's condition. "You think I don't know that?" She finally asked, her voice trying her best to stay calm but both sadness and anger were taking over. "There hasn't been a day I don't regret taking her out. Not an hour I don't blame myself for what happened. I don't need you to remind me that I started it all and I have the death of everyone else on my hands!"
Her shoulder shook faintly and soon was her body, the edges of her eyes stung with tears that she refused to let escape. She never took out her wand although she truly felt doing so. She was so tired of trying her best to make up, of helping everyone else and being openly reminded of her biggest mistake ever...it drove her almost mad.
The control of her powers was gone, her hair flaring between red and blue; proof of which emotions dominated her mind.
"Aberforth, enough!" Albus said, having moved Roxanne further away and stepping closer.
Aberforth then pointed his wand at Albus, his anger only rising. "You are no better. You should be with us, we are your family. It's not her and it's definitely not him" he said, referring to Gellert, who had started to get annoyed and tired by this unnecessary confrontation and drama.
Roxanne tried to interfere and hopefully help dissolve all of this without any more shouting. "Aberforth, come on. Can't you see that he is doing it for you, for all of us?" She said, trying to make him see and change his mind.
However, her timing was a bad one.
"You shut up!" The middle Dumbledore shouted and lost control, resulting in throwing a spell at her.
It was so unexpected and from such a close distance that Roxanne never saw it coming. She only felt the sharp pain against her body before she was thrown a few feet back.
Her back made contact with the ground and she hissed, feeling bruises and scratches forming under her dark red dress. Her vision even blurred for a moment when her head hit the ground, right after her body but it was this attack; that would bring the ultimate disaster...
Gelleet had wished to leave and start their revolution and their mission for the Hallows. All of it was done from their side and they couldn't waste any more precious time. He was glad to see Roxanne walking with them one last time before they parted ways, knowing she would join them a few months later; perhaps with new spells or potions to her arsenal.
Then, Aberforth had to join and start accusing Albus. The boy was young and close-minded, unable to see the big picture of their goal. He accepted that, although it annoyed him.
Yet, when he pointed his wand at Roxanne; he felt his own quickly coming to his hand. The way he bluntly accused her of what happened to their sister, unaware that she was already suffering enough; made his anger boil and rather quickly.
He was shocked to see Roxanne display so strongly her emotions, almost tearing up in frustration. She was always good at hiding her emotions, seeing the better picture of everything. She was always smiling and joking around, putting on this perfect mask that no one could see through.
For inside her head, she was at constant war with her guilt. Her thoughts attacked her personally, making her take constant blame for something that should have never happened.
This was why they needed the revolution. Those muggles have caused enough harm to the wizarding community, it was time to change things. It was time for a better ruler to take place, one that would not hesitate to lead the people and claim what was always there; freedom and superiority over the non-magical beings.
With his wand ready, he was about to do a simple spell. Just enough to get him off their backs, maybe teach him to mind his tongue as well when he was around Roxanne.
But all those plans changed when he saw how he attacked her. Accidental or not, he saw her body being thrown back by the force and the close proximity.
Immediately, his vision flashed red and instead, he attacked Aberforth with the cruciating curse. His sudden anger fueled his spell, causing the younger teenage boy to shout in pain.
Albus, though, could not stand it and immediately moved to stop that. Gellert, due to the pact could not truly harm him and had to stop his attack before the pact killed him for trying to harm the other whose blood existed in the vial.
Aberforth stubbornly stood up and threw a spell at the foreign boy in retaliation. That was enough to trigger Gellert and make him attack once again, only that this time, his opponent was ready.
The oldest Dumbledore tried to interfere and stop them, but only ended up drawn to the duel, with no chance of escaping. He was constantly on the defensive, trying to keep both his lover and his brother safe but failing.
Roxanne, who was not that far away, stood up on weak legs when she saw the duel. Worry quickly started to grow in her heart, her wand coming ready for protection.
Sometimes, a stray spell or two would defect towards her direction and before she knew it; she became part of the circle. Just like Albus, she tried her best to deflect and find a way to stop them both.
The cherry at the top came when Arrianna, who heard the commotion and saw them from her bedroom window; chose to come down. She rushed out of the house to check, not liking seeing the duel and fearing for the worst.
She had just lost her mother, not so long ago, and she did not wish to lose any of her brothers or the older girl she always saw as a sister to her.
No one truly knew how it happened or whose spell was.
All they knew was that during the heated duel, a spell went stray and towards her. Her screams of pain were the only thing that made them all stop and look, different emotions passing through their faces.
"No!" Albus shouted and rushed to his sister's laying body, his brother hot on his trail.
Immediately, the two of them tried to check for any signs that she was okay or at least alive. Their frantic movements and behaviours only proved to the other two wizards the reality of the situation.
With a gasp, Roxanne fell to her knees as she realized what had just happened. She placed a hand over her mouth and a few tears escaped her eyes as she got a glance at the lifeless eyes of Arianna; just staring at the sky.
The little girl that she helped raise, that she showed magic and would read stories all the time. The little girl that slowly grew up into a beautiful young girl...was laying dead a few feet away from her.
Worse was the fact that she didn't know whose spell was it.
Was she the one in the heat of the battle that sent a powerful spell that was defective? Did she deflect a spell to save herself and ended up sending it directly to Arrianna? Did someone from the boys was the one responsible instead?
She had no answer and that truly drove her mad with guilt and worry and grief. The emotions were so strong at that moment that both her eyes and her hair changed constantly, even her exposed skin showing patches or changes.
She had no words and didn't know what to do.
Gellert stood there and watched as the two men panicked and grieved while Roxanne was close to breaking down for good. He was not sure what had happened but this was not the result he wanted.
He could not even get Albus or Roxanne to look at him, to remind them that they had a plan and a revolution to start. He realised then, that they would not come with him; Albus especially.
He glanced at Roxanne last time before heading away, vowing to return soon and put their plans in motion; even if he had to do it alone.
Little did he know, it would be decades later when he would see either of them and it would be under so much more different circumstances.