A burning summer

21st June 1899

He had opened his eyes and thought it was still night, the moon was in front of his face. Then slowly, observing it as he opened his eyes a little at a time, he realized that the darkness had already faded. And then the moon blinked and Albus found himself a breath away from Gellert's deep and different eyes.

For a searing moment he remained motionless, overwhelmed and sure that he had glimpsed the sublime, but then he noticed the light of day climbing the walls of the room relentlessly and he sat up, feeling all the cold of the distance at once.

He got up quickly, the dawn was unstoppable and he had to beat it in the race to his home. He turned to Gellert who was still lying on the Persian rug with his arms folded under his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, but the blonde was faster.

"Let me guess: you have to go and be at your house on time for breakfast" he said, his eyes not exactly worried.

Albus smiled at him, his lips amused.

"Yes" he confirmed. "I'll write" he then added and disapparated.

When he arrived in front of his house he stopped hesitating. He had arrived in time, he felt the first warm rays of the summer sun rising up his back and the new day around him was still silent. His siblings were probably still sleeping, it was early.

So he turned and went back, a little bit of guilt pinched his side, but that wasn't the only reason why he decided to surprise Aberforth and Ariana. He felt as light as the clear early morning air, a welcome feeling, almost forgotten lately, but much desired.

The square of Godric's Hollow was deserted except for a small group of particularly eager people who waited, eyelids still heavy with sleep, in a line in front of the baker. Albus joined them, feeling like a stranger as usual, but that didn't bother him on that summer morning.

Some offered condolences to him, coloring his mind with some melancholic shades, but the smell of fresh bread when the door was opened was still wonderful.

The feeling when he came home with the lukewarm paper bag in his hand was extremely pleasant. He thought of his sister's smile when she would bite into the sweet pastry and he realized he really wanted to sit with his siblings for breakfast.

He opened the door listening to the creak of it in the surrounding silence and put the paper bag on the table, then put on the water for tea.

Ariana arrived attracted by the scent of the pastries like a bee looking for a flower and her smile, for a few moments that belonged only to the summer, made him forget everything else: the mourning, the anger, the sadness, the suffocating claustrophobia.

They managed to stay calm, the Dumbledore siblings, their hands close together on the smooth wood of the kitchen table, having breakfast.

Aberforth swallowed his last bite with a sip of tea.

"This is really good" he said and their sister nodded enthusiastically.

"You've been out tonight" he nevertheless added immediately afterwards.

Albus felt the familiar spark rekindle in his soul, ready to set everything on fire, but this time there would be no flames, he commanded himself decisively.

He took a deep breath. "Yes, that's true. Last night I couldn't sleep and I went outside, there was a beautiful moon."

He saw Aberforth's mind split in two: unsure whether to keep this surreal calm or tell him everything he really thought right in his face. For the moment he seemed to decide to remain neutral.

"Where did you go?" he inquired, his tone still flat as a windless sea.

Then it was Albus' turn to ask himself how to answer. There had been too many lies, too many misunderstandings between them in recent times and so the only option that seemed logical to him was the plain and simple truth.