The scene before them contained his younger self, his brother, his old friend… and his lost sister.
"That's my younger brother, Aberforth." Dumbledore introduced each figure in turn. Both he and his brother, red-haired and strikingly handsome, bore an unmistakable resemblance.
However, Aberforth, the younger of the two, was slightly thinner. Though their features were similar, subtle differences set them apart.
Ian's eyes finally landed on a little girl curled up in the corner, visibly distressed, wanting to intervene but too frightened by the tension in the room.
A child in her early teens with the innocence of someone much younger.
It was only natural for her to feel afraid.
"Ariana," Ian whispered her name softly.
Dumbledore had already shut his eyes, tears gathering at the corners.
"We kept her safe at home. She suffered terribly when she was younger, which made her loathe her own magic. In our neglect, she became an Obscurial."
The old headmaster's voice trembled heavily.
"An Obscurial? I remember reading about it in the library. Young witches and wizards who suppress their magic can develop a parasitic force called an Obscurus."
"Those who become Obscurials rarely live past the age of ten. The Obscurus perishes alongside its host, but in extreme cases, it can survive and continue to exist as a formless entity."
Ian began to piece together the terrible fate that had befallen Ariana.
"It could have been avoided… I could have… I should have…" Dumbledore murmured in anguish, unable to meet Ian's eyes.
"Was it because of an Obscurus outbreak?"
Ian speculated about Ariana's death.
"Keep watching."
Dumbledore's response was barely above a whisper.
In the memory, the three figures were indeed locked in a heated argument.
"Your plan is reckless and dangerous. What Ariana needs is peace, not the chaos of war. I will not allow you to drag her into this madness!"
The younger Aberforth lashed out at his older brother. "Albus, do you want her to suffer again? You've gone completely mad!"
His words struck like a curse.
The young Albus Dumbledore's face twisted with conflict and turmoil. But at that moment, the blond-haired Gellert Grindelwald stepped forward, roughly pushing Aberforth aside.
"You coward! Muggles did this to your sister! They're the reason she's like this! Shouldn't they be held accountable for ruining her life?"
"If we change the world— if we make Muggles fear us— tragedies like hers will never happen again. Those who harm wizards must be brought to justice!"
Grindelwald's fervor was palpable as he spoke.
"You refuse to see the truth! Hiding will only lead to our extinction. Your brother and I have the power to reshape the world for wizardkind!"
"We can create harmony!" Grindelwald turned to young Dumbledore then, his voice low and insistent, laced with temptation.
"Albus, for us— for the future of wizardkind— for Ariana."
His words struck a deep chord in young Dumbledore, strengthening the resolve that had already begun to waver.
"We must act. Someone has to take the first step."
He turned to Aberforth, speaking as though delivering an unshakable truth.
"Are you abandoning us? Abandoning me, abandoning Ariana, abandoning our home— just to follow this expelled Durmstrang student into madness?"
Aberforth's expression was one of utter betrayal.
Shock.
And then, uncontrollable rage.
"We will succeed." Young Dumbledore's reply was quiet but firm. Just like the older man standing beside Ian now, the younger Albus in the memory refused to turn and look at his frightened sister in the corner.
"You shameless, treacherous liar! A madman! You've deceived my brother! Get out of this house at once— go back to wherever you came from!" Aberforth brandished his wand, his stance tense and ready for a duel.
Gellert Grindelwald merely looked at him with disdain.
"Aberforth, calm yourself!" The young Albus Dumbledore tried to interject, but his younger brother, eyes red with fury, had lost all sense of reason. In his mind, Grindelwald was the sole architect of their family's downfall.
"Reducto!"
Aberforth unleashed a devastating curse at Grindelwald. But the latter, already anticipating the attack, raised a hand and deflected the spell with ease.
Between the two brothers.
Though Aberforth possessed formidable magical talent, he was nowhere near the level of Albus or Grindelwald, two prodigies standing at the very pinnacle of wizarding power.
"Crucio!"
Grindelwald retaliated without hesitation, striking with brutal efficiency. Aberforth collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony as the curse took hold.
"Stop it, Gellert! That's my brother!" Young Albus panicked, his wand drawn as he fired a counter-spell to break Grindelwald's curse.
The hex was interrupted just in time.
"He is blind to the future, unable to see what we wizards must do. A fool like him is nothing but an obstacle, unworthy of standing in our way!" Grindelwald sneered, his voice laced with contempt. Yet, despite his frustration, he ceased his assault.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he was freed, Aberforth attempted to strike again, this time aiming a vicious hex at Albus himself.
"Entrail-Expelling Curse!"
It was a jinx of horrifying cruelty.
Grindelwald sidestepped, his eyes narrowing in sudden fury.
"You dare?!"
His voice was thick with murderous intent.
"Calm yourself, Gellert!" Albus cried out, fear gripping him. He knew Grindelwald's rage could be deadly— especially now.
A chaotic duel erupted.
The shouts and screams of battle filled the entire room.
"Don't… please, stop fighting…" A small, terrified voice trembled from the corner.
Ariana.
Curled up, overwhelmed, black mist rising faintly from her fragile frame.
But none of the three noticed.
"Ian, this lesson is of great importance to you." The aged Dumbledore's voice quivered with sorrow as he forced himself to speak, his grief barely contained.
At that moment.
A curse was hurled, intercepted midair by a hastily cast Protego.
It ricocheted.
And in that instant, as Ian watched in horror, Ariana— already on the verge of an Obscurus outbreak— fell lifelessly to the floor. Her pale face stilled, her once-bright eyes empty of life.
Aberforth let out a strangled cry, rushing to his fallen sister.
Even Grindelwald, usually so composed, paled at the sight.
Albus stood frozen, wand raised, unable to move.
"What!?"
Ian watched the memory unravel, eyes wide in disbelief. The trajectory of the spell had been unmistakable.
It had come from the young Albus Dumbledore's wand.
His emotions churned violently, an internal storm he struggled to suppress.
"Some mistakes leave no room for redemption." The memory didn't fade completely; instead, the scene shifted, giving way to a tranquil valley where a gentle breeze whispered through the grass.
A crystal-clear river wound its way through the hills, shimmering like liquid silver. Sunlight filtered through the mist, casting a soft glow over a solitary gravestone.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Ian read the inscription on the stone, and beside it, the aged Dumbledore knelt, his fingers hesitating over the carved letters of his sister's name.
"Did you… did you kill Ariana by accident?"
After a long silence, Ian finally spoke.
"Did you not already see?"
Dumbledore let out a bitter laugh, his voice laden with agony and regret.
Ian's gaze flickered as he took in the frail, grieving figure before him. For the first time, he truly understood why people called Albus Dumbledore great.
"Thank you for this lesson."
Ian bowed his head slightly in respect.
"My uncle once told me I was a natural Legilimens. I may not agree entirely, but I do believe I have a certain talent for reading emotions."
"And today… you did not hide yours well."
Before he could finish, Dumbledore suddenly lifted his head, eyes filled with alarm.
"Say no more, child. Memories do not lie!" His voice, though trembling, was firm— pleading, even. His face was streaked with tears.
"I only saw a memory, not the truth." Ian's eyes glimmered.
"Your Legilimency is far stronger than an old friend of mine. Sometimes, that is a gift. Other times, it leads one to unearth secrets best left buried."
"A powerful ability… but a dangerous one."
Dumbledore rose unsteadily, casting a lingering glance at the gravestone as the illusion around them began to dissolve.
"I trust you will keep this secret safe."
His words carried the weight of a plea.
On that day.
He had lost his sister.
And he could not bear to lose his only brother as well.
(End Of This Chapter)
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