Chapter Eleven:

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the long wait before another update. m(- -)m I got extremely busy with things concerning college and stuff, and then I got into the anime Shugo Chara, which distracted me for a little bit. And, in the end, I wanted this chapter to turn out good, so I was a little hesitant to start it until I knew for a fact what I wanted to have written. Enough with the excuses though, here’s the next chapter. : D Enjoy!

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The rain had been pounding down, again and again the droplets fell onto the roof, again and again the thunder rumbled and the lightning struck. Again and again the lightning struck down upon the earth. One bolt hit into a tree, it sparked and burst into flames, others merely lit the sky, the grey turning to white. For days it had been like this. Ariana’s dead body had just lain there on the floor, rotting away, the horrid stench infiltrated every inch of the old house. For, neither brother could work up the strength to move her. Their limbs still locked in shock; their eyes still glazed over and dull, drained of all emotion.

Had Albus eaten? Had he moved from the curled up position on the floor, right there, next to her body, with his arms curled around her dead flesh? Had he even the strength to wipe the stream of tears that had fallen continuously, mirroring the flood like rains that heaven was weeping for a death that should never have been?

No answers were ever found for these questions. Not even the great historian Bathilda Bagshot had any facts. Sure she had her theories, ones formed by that exact sight she came upon, when she visited the Dumbledore household, only just realizing the absence of her nephew and going to the only place she knew he could be.

Her eyes widened by the lack of blood, but omnipresent sense of death. A young girl sprawled across the floor, her face calm, any emotion that had once belonged to it, now long since gone. A man with nearly unblinking eyes, cradled by large bruises under the skin, caused simply by a lack of sleep, stuck to the floor. Those haunting blue eyes stained bloodshot, the skin around his eyes swollen by uncontrollably falling tears. And another young man, with anger and regret, hatred and sympathy, longing and pain, cast over his features, as he tries to get a word out to the man, as he tries to feed the unresponsive dead corpse.

The unspeakable sight invoked a scream of terror from the older woman. An old friend of the family, who never would have imagined the disgusting sight she found upon creaking open the old, somewhat squeaky, door. Her blood curling scream echoed ominously through the small town of Godric’s Hollow; alerting the entire wizarding population there, to that strange house that many avoided because of the bad luck that seemed to emanate from it. And, yet, here each family came, slowly at first. Their curiosity peaked, and then they came more and more, as the whispers and shouts began.

And, that was how the small town of Godric’s Hollow found out about Ariana Dumbledore’s death.

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His body was drenched and his bones were shaking, even his blood seemed to have become ice. Yet, what could be expected? He had been standing out in the rain for days, ever since that incident. That moment when he was positive that he had broken the promise that he had made to himself. The promise that he had made to himself for Albus, and it was because of that that he now wondered the back alleys of London, letting the rain soak him as much as it wanted. Letting the droplets of water mix with his own salty tears, as if hiding the terrible thing he was certain he did.

Blinded by the liquid in his eyes, Gellert stumbled along the streets, trying to figure out where he was. Wanting to get as far away as he could, to a place so far away he could harden his heart from the excruciating pain it was feeling. He wanted to rid himself of this overwhelming guilt. And that’s when he noticed it, with a wipe of his soak sleeves against his eyes, clearing their view; he was able to spot a location that he knew. King’s Cross Station.

With the little strength that he had left, for the hunger in his stomach was eating away at him, and even though water was all around him, his tongue longed to no longer be perched. Digging in his pockets for any money he may have had left on him, Gellert purchased a ticket, the people all staring at him. But he didn’t care. As he climbed onto the train, he couldn’t feel it, the warmth he was sure was created by the other passengers on the train. As he sat down in his seat, waiting to leave the sight of London forever, never to return; Gellert’s heart finally froze over.

He didn’t care about anything or anyone anymore. That’s what he told himself, anyway.

--

The day Ariana Dumbledore was buried the rain stopped. Yet, the sky was still darkly overcast and the breeze was cold, even though it was still summer. The end of summer drew closer with each passing hour, and the breeze was just another reminded of the ever closer autumn.

Assembled there were so many people, people neither brother had ever seen in their lives. People they were sure that were merely there because of the controversy of her death. Yet, Hogwarts students were gathered there too, ones that Albus was supposed to be friends with, but hadn’t contacted at all that summer; old friends of the family who, after their father was sentenced to Azkaban (and who was now surely crazy) and after their mother’s death, had never bothered to pay the home a visit. And then, everyone else, all those people who came simply because tomorrow they could say that they had gone to the funeral of Ariana Dumbledore. The girl who no one knew existed and whose death no one had an answer for.

To all of them, her death, her being, was just another mystery. It made Albus sick.

Her body was so heavy in his arms, though it shouldn’t have been, he had carried her so many times before, and at those times her body was so light. Nevertheless, her body was covered by a sheet; it was neither beautiful nor elaborate for an unknown girl. He could feel the stare of Aberforth upon his back. The anger and resentment that Albus was the one who got to carry her body to the platform her body was to be lain upon. Yet, the only reason for that was because Albus had been unable to let go of her corpse. His arms just wouldn’t let go of her, even when her skin became too cold to the touch and the smell of death consumed his sense of smell.

The guilt wouldn’t let him untangle his arms from her.

When her body was rested on the platform, a man said a few words, just like at every other wizarding funeral, and just like every other wizarding funeral, her body was consumed in a small flame (due to her small size). And, before his eyes, Ariana’s body was contained in a little and well built coffin.

She was gone.

--

Nearly everyone was gone now; one by one they left the area because in reality, they all had busy lives and more important things to do-more important places to be. Aberforth felt sickened by the lack of care people could have in the world. A young girl had just died, but no one cared. And hardly anyone had spared a tear during the whole event, instead they all sat there with grim or neutral faces, but some (and this stir his stomach at the mere thought alone) even seemed to be putting every detail to memory, holding kind of gleam in their eyes. Society was disgusting.

The only other one who truly cared, beside himself, was Ms. Bagshot, even though it had been her nephew that he knew (just knew) had killed Ariana, this woman had done nothing wrong. She was the only one of his parent’s old friends who had still checked up on them, the only guest at the funeral who had shed a true tear. She was the only left now, beside himself and Albus.

Albus who had put on quite the act for days, pretending to be the perfect oldest brother, by making it look like he actually cared for his little sister; Ariana, the little sister who he had always ignored, the one who he had seemed too busy to pay attention to, the little sister who he most certainly wouldn’t shed a true tear for. And yet, here he had put on the perfect act; looking like a zombie carrying her body like that, his face sunken and his eyes swollen. That was truly the sickest thing he had seen all day.

And that sickening feeling was evolving into pure rage, the desire to punch his brother, who just sat there, in front of her coffin with his eyes dull and “sad”. Unable to control it, Aberforth felt his feet carry him over to Albus’s direction. His fingers curling in toward his palm all the while, while his face contorted, words that he hadn’t been planning on saying spilling from his lips, “You bastard! How could you put on such an act? How could you act like you suddenly cared? That you were actually affected by Ariana’s death! That you actually loved her like a brother should love a sister! I hate you! It’s all your fault…You killed Ariana! You killed her! You!” And his fist came into contact with Albus’s shocked face. He could feel the impact of his own punch, could feel the sound of Albus’s nose bones cracking and breaking. Felt the drop of a salty tear on his hand, not knowing if it was his own or one of Albus’s, falling from his eyes due to the ungodly pain of a broken nose.

And yet, after it was all over, after Albus had crumpled to the ground, not moving, not making a sound, Aberforth still didn’t have that feeling of satisfaction. He wanted to hurt his older brother even more, reflect the pain that Ariana had shared with him at times. When she had come running to him in tears, whispering how she wished Albus had cared. But he was stopped from doing any further damage by Ms. Bagshot, the only one to have witnessed the event. The only one who would know of the event until nearly a hundred years later.

That was the last time Aberforth ever talked to Albus.

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A/N: This chapter came out rather morbid, though I quite like it that way. This is largely due to the fact that I just finished watching the anime Mononoke, which was somewhat horror. Though I think it had more of a creepy aspect rather than a terror one. Anyway, I hope you all liked it and please tell me what you think of it in a review. Only one more chapter to go until the “epic” battle between Albus and Gellert. : )

-LilyGinnyBlack-