Chapter 729 - Interview for Divination Post Ⅳ

The only sound in the room for a moment is the sound of the logs crackling in the fireplace until at long last Albus drags his gaze from the portrait of Ariana. There is a hint of moisture in his blue eyes as he savors the precious of seeing and hearing Ariana once again. He had never thought he would see nor hear his beloved younger sister's voice again. Yet he had and he could never thank Aberforth enough for it.

Perhaps, uncertain for the first time in a very long time, Albus opens his mouth, before hesitating. "Thank you, Aberforth," he tentatively croaked, before continuing, "It was not my intention to pry, Aberforth, but I am the Secret Keeper of the Order of the Phoenix. And you are a part of that responsibility as well, Aberforth."

"When has my wellbeing ever been of concern to you, Albus?" Aberforth rudely interrupted with a snort filled with disdain. "This is merely a pathetic attempt to appease Ariana and that guilty conscious of yours."

Albus's face appears stricken for a moment, before slowly answering, "I will not deny the partial truth of your words, Aberforth. Yet for all my many faults, Aberforth, I do care. You are still my younger brother-," his voice breaks off for they had not acted like brothers in a very long time.

Aberforth folds his arms over his c.h.e.s.t and furrows his brow as he stares into the roaring flames of the fireplace. He wanted to vehemently deny Albus's words, but he could not completely deny them either. Albus had moved the headquarters of the Order from the Hogs Head Inn because he was worried about any future repercussions against the Hogs Head Inn.

Aberforth lets out a loud snort, before raising his gaze to glare at his brother. He blinked visibly taken back at seeing the suddenly aged version of Albus sitting before him. When had Albus become so old and weary? A strange sentiment crept inside him almost akin to sympathy before he ruthlessly crushed the budding emotion. Albus most certainly did not deserve his sympathy or pity, he simply did not deserve such sentiments.

Steeling his heart, Aberforth finally asks the question that had been at the tip of his tongue all these countless years. "Why did you let him in, Albus? How could you have been so blind Albus to not see that what he was? He tried to KILL ME before you burst in. And did you ever think as to ask as to the reason why?! WELL, DID YOU!"

Abeforth's roar breaks as he shuts his eyes with old pain and his voice falls to a harsh whisper. "And Ariana-." His voice broke again as his head hung low. "You should have protected her, why didn't you?" A glimmer of old moisture can be seen in the corner of his eyes as he blinks rapidly to keep them at bay.

There is a stark silence in the room only broken by the sound of the firewood crackling in the fireplace. The silence is long until Albus finally speaks in a quiet voice, "Once there was a boy who made all the wrong choices." He paused as he raised his gaze toward that of Aberforth.

"Aberforth, you have accused me of arrogance, pride, manipulation, and countless other faults and I cannot deny that I am all of those things," Albus sadly murmured with a self-deprecating expression. "At every turn in my life, I have always chosen wrongly choosing others over those that I hold dear and near to my heart. And I just cannot seem to break this terrible habit of mine," his voice quivered at bad attempt at lightheartedness.

Pulling his gaze from Aberforth, Albus raises his blue eyes to meet the gaze from the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore. A glimmer of wetness can be seen in his gaze as he studies the portrait. "I thought, I would never hear your voice again, Ari," his voice broke for a moment before he pulled his gaze away to face Aberforth.

"That day Abe-," Albus's eyes are filled with old sorrow, "all I could think about was of stopping the two of you. In my rush, I completely forgot about Ariana until it was too late. I forgot her, and I make no excuses. I forgot Ariana, and she's dead because of it."

"So, you can finally admit the truth at long last, Albus," Aberforth barked bitterly with visible old pain in his eyes. "You should have let Gellert and me duel it out, I was doing just fine until you came along. Your job was to protect Ari that was what you were supposed to do!"

"I know," Albus quietly replied, "but it was also my duty to protect you, Aberforth. I didn't think about Gellert at that time, it was you that I was most concerned about."

"You're lying," Aberforth croaked in disbelief. "If that's true, why didn't you stun nor stop, Gellert? WHY!"

"I couldn't," Albus tiredly replied.

"What do you mean you couldn't, Albus?! Explain yourself! I want the truth, DAMMIT!" Aberforth roared at his older brother.

Albus let out a low bitter laugh full of irony. "You once accused me of blind to everything but my own d.e.s.i.r.es, Aberforth," Albus ruefully, rather bitterly said. "In my blindness, no, my arrogance, Gellert and I created a blood pact, an oath that would never permit us to fight each other. It was presumably a fail-safe to ensure that no rift was ever to form between us in our grand endeavor to ignite a revolution."

Aberforth stares at Albus utterly shocked as his mind races with conclusions. "Is that why you permitted Newt Scamander to rush about the world against Gellert, whilst you waited in your ivory tower until it was nearly too late to act?"

"Yes, that is one of the many reasons, but the main principled one," Albus openly admitted. Though he did not mention that a part of him had been unable to face Gellert without guilt and even bitter, but still present, faded feelings of love.

Feeling twinges of understanding and even forgiveness, Aberforth shoves those feelings away. He had every right to be angry! And after everything that came to pass to simply allow the past to fade away into nothing; NO, he couldn't! Could he?

"Then answer me this!" Aberforth urgently asked. "Why didn't you let me kill, Gellert? Well, why didn't you, Albus? He killed, Ariana!"

"Did he?" Albus poignantly asked. "I have relived that terrible day in my pensive a countless number of times, Aberforth, over and over time and time again. And yet no matter how many times I view that day's tragedy the final result is always the same. It could have just as easily been the two of us, who slew Ariana that day."

Aberforth clamps his eyes shut holding tears back, while his hands his form into fists. Seeing his younger brother in anguish, Albus slowly rises to his feet and steps forth step by step until he reaches Aberforth. "If there is anyone who deserves the wrath of your fists it is I," Albus dimly said as long finger wrapped around themselves around Aberforth's fists, who roughly pulls himself away from Albus's touch.