“Bags packed,” Albus said triumphantly, “Everything’s all set, Elphias. We’re ready to go.”
“I still can’t believe it’s over,” Elphias said. They were in their room at the Leaky Cauldron, making final preparations for their Grand Tour of the World. “Seven whole years.”
“And now, our lives really begin,” Albus said, grinning.
Suddenly, a rapping came at the door. “Letter for Mr. Albus Dumbledore!” a voice called.
Albus dropped the bag he’d been holding onto the bed and stepped across the room. The floorboards creaked under his feet, and when he opened the door it squealed. A woman stood before him, holding out an envelope. He took it, murmured a thank you, and she bowed her head slightly before leaving. He closed the door, looking at the envelope. “It’s from Bathilda.”
“Perhaps to congratulate you on your graduation?” Elphias suggested, seating himself on the bed opposite Albus’s.
Albus shrugged, tearing open the envelope and pulling out the letter. “‘Dear Albus,’” he read aloud, “‘I regret to inform you that a terrible thing has happened in your household. Only a day or so ago, depending on when you receive this letter (for I have no way of knowing your current location, since you are going on this Grand Tour of the World) I overheard some awful shouting coming from your home here in Godric’s Hollow. Anxious I was to investigate, but the noise was followed by such an eerie silence that I felt I had no choice but to go over. Upon my entry to the home, I was appalled to find the place in complete disarray, with charred furniture broken to bits and scattered about the floors. This is how I came to discover a body sprawled across the floor—a body so horribly mangled I could not recognize it, and would not have recognized it if not for the wedding ring that still rested on its finger. It is my terrible duty to inform you now, Albus, that this body was that of your dear mother, Kendra. I’ve no idea what happened to her, and your sister, who is greatly aggrieved, refuses to tell me the events that preceded her most untimely and unfortunate departure from this world. It is my hope that you receive this letter soon, so that you may return home to comfort your mourning siblings. They need you, Albus. Signed, Bathilda Bagshot.’”
The boys were silent, Elphias because he knew not what to say, and Albus because he could not comprehend what the letter had said. He reread it, in his head that time, and reread it again, and again. The more he read it, the more he could understand, and the more his hands began to shake.
Elphias stood and stepped over to sit beside Albus. He put his hand over his friend’s, saying, “I’m so, so sorry, Albus.”
Albus closed his eyes, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. “I can’t believe this.”
“What are you going to do?”
For a moment he didn’t respond. He opened his eyes, took a breath, and stood, throwing the letter onto the bed. “I’m going home.”
YOU ARE READING
Ariana: A Harry Potter FanFiction
ספרות חובביםShe was only six when she was brutally attacked by those Muggle boys. She couldn't control herself; it wasn't her fault! Her father attacked them to avenge her, which only led to his inevitable capture and sentence to Azkaban Prison. Ariana Dumbledo...
