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Tweak says, "Is the Space Pope reptilian?"

Aberforth Dumbledore (theyounggoat) wrote in beyondthepages,
@ 2010-05-23 00:23:00

Entry tags:

2023 10, aberforth dumbledore, ariana dumbledore

RP: Family Time
Characters: Aberforth, Ariana and possibly Albus later
Time/Date: 22 October 2023
Location: Hogwarts
Warnings/Rating: Probably none
Summary: Abe goes to find his family.
Status: Incomplete

Abe walked slowly along the corridor that led to the apartment where his brother and sister were living. He'd decided that he'd probably better let them know he was alive again sooner rather than later otherwise Ariana was likely to get upset with him. He wasn't sure if he was really ready to face her since his mind was still boggling over everything he'd been told by the Ministry and Marcus. He'd had to talk fast to stop the Ministry people from informing Albus but apparently the Dumbledore name actually meant something these days and they'd finally agreed.

It was hard to reconcile everything he'd been told. Not that Albus had actually stopped Gellert. Albus had damn well known that either he did it or Abe was going to and at least with Albus, Gellert had a chance of being alive at the end of it. What was hard was hearing how people had regarded his brother. Okay, yes, it had worked for him at the Ministry but... they practically hero-worshipped the silly twat. It was sickening.

Alright, yes, he was probably biased but still...

He came to a halt in front of the portrait he'd been told to look for and he shifted from foot to foot. Was this a good idea? Would Ariana hate him? Did she know who had struck the fatal blow? That was a source of endless nightmares for him - how many times had he dreamed a scene of Ariana somehow returning from the dead and ripping out his heart by accusing him of being the one who had killed her? He wanted to believe it was Gellert but he just didn't know.

He sighed and knocked on the edge of the portrait. Standing out here was going to get him any answers and if it all went to hell, well, he still had the pub. Getting drunk had always been a solution for him, why wouldn't it be one now?

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untamed_magic
2010-05-22 02:46 pm UTC (link)

When she heard the knock, she fidgeted a little. Her eyes shifted to the phoenix who was perched comfortably on the back of a chair, and she lifted her brows in silent question. He wasn't acting at all upset, so she supposed whoever was on the other side of the door wasn't a threat.

They were probably looking for Albus, anyway, whoever it was.

Padding on bare feet to the door, Ariana drew it open and regarded the wizard on the other side. He looked ... familiar, like someone she knew but couldn't quite place. Someone she'd seen around the castle?

But ... no. It wasn't that. She studied his face before a grin split her lips. Perhaps if Albus hadn't been significantly older than her last memories of him, she wouldn't have known to look for it, but she did now.

"Abe," she said simply before she darted at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and burying her face against him. "We were waiting for you," she said against his shirt.

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theyounggoat
2010-05-22 03:05 pm UTC (link)

Abe's breath caught when he saw who had answered the door and for a moment he simply couldn't breathe. Marcus had told him and the people at the Ministry had told him and he'd mostly believed them but here she was, real and breathing and not changed at all. His beautiful, sweet Ariana.

"Ariana," he breathed as she hugged him and for a moment he couldn't move. Then he was wrapping his arms around her in turn, holding her tight against him as tears welled then spilled down his cheeks.

The sob that escaped caught him by surprise and it was quickly followed by others. The first time since the days after Ariana's funeral that he'd cried for and because of her. He'd buried his grief well lest he be unable to function.

He dropped to his knees which put him on a level with her and hugged tightly again. "Oh god, you're here," he gasped. "You're alive. Oh, Ari, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I should never have gotten in that argument. I was stupid. I just... hated him so much. Hated what he was doing to Albus and to... to everything."

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untamed_magic
2010-05-22 03:13 pm UTC (link)

She couldn't pretend to understand everything that had gone on between her brothers and Gellert. She knew she hadn't liked Gellert, but she knew there were 'grown-up' things that were going on she'd been unaware of.

"It's okay," she soothed him as she stroked his hair. "It's okay. I'm all right. I'm here now," she whispered as she moved her arms up over his shoulders, hugging him higher when he knelt down.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. "I showed up in our old house, in the basement except it was a closet and it wasn't our house anymore and no one was home and I was scared and confused, and a boy named Albus - he was named after our brother - he found me and took me to his house until Albus could come get me, and I wanted you to be there too and everyone else was having people come back but you didn't. I knew you would though," she said as she stroked his hair softly, drawing back just a little to gaze at him, grinning down at him. He was finally here. Older, but that wasn't so surprising. Albus was older; why wouldn't Abe have been?

"I knew you'd come find me," she said as she smiled at him. "That you'd never leave me alone for long, not if you could help it."

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theyounggoat
2010-05-23 12:41 am UTC (link)

Abe snorted to hear that someone had named their son after Albus. He'd have to avoid that twat. Not the kid though. The kid couldn't help it if his father was an idiot. When she pulled back he dashed away the tears running down his cheek with one hand and gave her a slightly watery smile.

"Well, I'm here now." He laughed. "I came back down in the pub in Hogsmeade. Apparently it was mine... is mine. The man who owns and runs it now wants to give it back." He smiled wryly. "I don't know anything about running a pub but he said I liked it. I guess I can see why. I liked that pub the moment I walked into the main room."

He outright grinned at her and poked her in the side. "The main room is not a place for nice little girls like you though, just disreputable men like me. It's all a bit dingy." He wrinkled his nose teasingly at her, unable to take his eyes off her. She was here and she didn't hate him. That was cause for rejoicing if he'd ever had one.

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untamed_magic
2010-05-23 12:47 am UTC (link)

"Is that where you'll stay?" She felt a little twinge of disappointment; she simply assumed they'd all be living together. But ... why would they? Her brothers were grown men, and surely Abe would want to live on his own. But ... Hogsmeade wasn't so far away, and surely she could (eventually) be allowed to visit him.

She almost asked if she could live with him, but if the main room wasn't a place for her, surely the rest of it wasn't either. She wrinkled her nose back at him. "Albus isn't here right now," she informed him, realizing he might be looking for their brother. "He's out and about a lot, but he has his phoenix to watch me when he's not here. Not that I get into any trouble in the rooms, but I get to wander around the castle when it's not too busy."

Lifting a hand, she stroked his cheek and smiled at him. "He's a little older than you, I think." Though she didn't think by too much.

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theyounggoat
2010-05-23 06:16 am UTC (link)

Abe hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with Ariana, it was more that he knew from the times he'd been injured and staying with Albus that they tended to... rub each other up the wrong way. And despite everything, despite having Ariana standing right in front of him, he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to forgive Albus yet. Or himself.

"I... yeah, I had kind of planned on it," he admitted slowly. "Albus and I tend to... get on each other's nerves if we're in the same place for too long. He questions, I growl, he snaps and..." He snorted. "I don't know, maybe it'd be better if we just belted each other once in a while like normal brothers but he's hopeless in a fight."

He smiled wryly. "But I'm sure we can figure out a way for you to get down there without being in danger. I know there's a secret passage between the castle and the sweet shop down there."

He rolled his eyes at the mention of Albus then glanced over at the phoenix and frowned suddenly. "That's not Fawkes. Not the right markings."

He was... kind of intrigued by the idea that Albus was older than him not so much that he wanted to know now. Instead he got to his feet and took her hand in his. "So... you going to show me around?"

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untamed_magic
2010-05-23 06:29 am UTC (link)

"But there's lots of rooms in the castle," she pointed out, her lips tugging down into a pout. "You don't have to stay right in our rooms, but ... there's some down the hall or ... or anywhere else that's still here." She plucked at his collar as she peered at his face. "Think about it?"

Ari followed his gaze and shook her head. "That's Cassius. He told me about Fawkes though, and I guess Cassius just showed up a little bit ago and wanted to be his friends. He likes to be petted."

She grinned as he stood up, and took his hand, squeezing his fingers tightly. "There's not much to see. The sitting room and the kitchens and our bedrooms..." And really, most of it could be seen right from here.

All the same, she started to lead him toward her room. "We're going on Monday to Diagon. I wanted a wand and Albus says I should have some books to start learning basic spells, and maybe I can get a rat, too," she continued. "You should come with us. You probably need things too, right?"

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theyounggoat
2010-05-23 09:15 am UTC (link)

Aberforth looked uncomfortable, torn between doing what Ariana wanted and knowing that if he stayed here, he'd probably be running off screaming to the Continent in less than a fortnight and Merlin only knows how long it would take him to calm down enough to return. This place had never been a home to him, only a prison where the stone walls loomed in on him like monumental and disapproving guardians.

"I... I'll think about it," he said uneasily. "But, Ari... I never really liked this place. This was always Albus' place." That was a gross oversimplification but it was the essence of it. This was where Albus lived, it was where he was brilliant, it was where he held court. "And... and there's too much stone." And that was even less coherent but... well... he wasn't sure how coherent he could be about his reluctance.

"Huh," he said as he eyed Cassius. He and Fawkes had always had a somewhat... odd relationship which usually involved Fawkes popping in at the most ridiculous hours of the morning and him threatening to make phoenix a l'orange.

He let her lead him towards her bedroom willingly then he frowned. "A wand?" He wasn't sure what to think of that. On one hand, her magic was pretty unpredictable and Mother had never wanted her to put others in danger but on the other hand, Albus wasn't stupid. At least not about magic. If he thought it was a good idea, well, he wouldn't make that kind of decision lightly. "I guess I could do that. Marcus kept a lot of my stuff but it's all from when I was an old man. Wouldn't mind getting some new stuff." And maybe being in public would stop he and Albus from arguing... though he wasn't going to put money on that.

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untamed_magic
2010-05-23 09:32 am UTC (link)

"But it has me now," she implored as she gazed up at him. "I want to stay with you," she added even though she knew both he and Albus would have a dozen reasons, easily, why that wasn't the best of ideas. So she exhaled a resigned sigh and decided to simply leave the topic for now. He'd promised to think about it, and that was the best she could ask for right now.

"You can probably pet him if you want," she offered when Abe looked at the phoenix, though there was an edge of uncertainty to her voice. She didn't know the creature well, after all; certainly not well enough to judge how he would take to Abe. She supposed if Cassius didn't like Abe, he could fly away.

"A wand," she repeated. "Not from the same wandmaker though. This one's foreign, I guess. Albus was supposed to go talk to him this weekend, but I don't know if he did or is going to." She honestly didn't know where he was at just that moment. Usually 'out' and 'back soon' were fine for her. It wasn't like it was her business, anyway. "I might be properly enrolled next fall," she added shyly. "If ... if I'm all right and can keep things under control." Which she thought was still a pretty big if, but she'd been ... all right here. So far, at any rate.

She smiled up to him when he said he might join them, and she moved over to the couch, settling down onto it and tugging him to sit beside her. Wouldn't Albus be surprised when he came in to find their family with one more member than when he'd left?

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theyounggoat
2010-05-23 10:59 am UTC (link)

Discomfort and distress washed briefly across Abe's face. He wanted to say yes to her, Merlin knows he wanted to say yes. The last thing he wanted to do was make her think he didn't want to be near her but... this place had nearly driven him crazy when he'd been a student before she'd died. It was only by escaping outside at every opportunity that he'd managed. Though he couldn't count the number of times Albus had come out and dragged him back inside, especially in winter.

He grinned ruefully. "Fawkes and I had a weird relationship. I'll wait and see what this one is going to be like." He laughed. "They like me... they just think it's funny to tease me. And I kind of like teasing them."

He sat down beside her, a little caught up in his own thoughts for a moment. Ari going to school? Had Mother and Father been wrong to keep her inside and locked up? If they'd taken her to St Mungos would they have been able to treat her? He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He'd come back to them later.

"That sounds good," he began. He didn't get to finish as the door opened and a stunned and shocked whisper of "Abe?" came from behind them. Abe scrambled to his feet and stared at Albus with as neutral an expression as he could manage. Ariana had been right. Albus was older than he'd been expecting and there was something about his eyes and face that made him believe that the fool had finally done something about Gellert.

"You're back," Albus whispered as he walked a few more steps forward and closed the door. He didn't take his eyes off his brother just in case he might disappear again. He was younger than he'd been expecting and he wondered what year it had been when Abe last remembered.

Abe shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, wondering with great irritation why Albus made him feel like he was fifteen every time they were in the same room. "Yeah," he muttered as she shuffled his feet.

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untamed_magic
2010-05-23 11:16 am UTC (link)

"Is it proper to tease a phoenix?" she inquired, a little intrigued and possibly a little disturbed by the idea. It seemed somehow wrong to tease a creature like that ... unless they liked it. Maybe they did. Maybe Fawkes had but Cassius wouldn't. She supposed they'd figure it out eventually. She knew Abe wouldn't torment an animal maliciously.

She glanced to him, then past him as the door opened, and she smiled brightly to Albus, blue eyes sparkling even if he wasn't looking at her at all.

"I knew he'd come back," Ari said proudly - as if she'd somehow had something to do with it. As if by wishing hard enough, she'd somehow summoned him from beyond the grave.

Then she wondered if she was about to get chased out so they could catch up, and she decided it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. "He wants to come with us on Monday. He'll need stuff too and I want him there when I get my wand," she proclaimed. Surely that, at least, would be allowed.

Then she wondered if she'd be allowed to Hogsmeade on the trip now that her brother was going to be staying there. It was an issue she thought was worth pushing later, after her brothers had had a chance to settle in.

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dumbleydore
2010-05-24 01:49 am UTC (link)

Albus smiled at Ariana's bold assertion but then it was only truth. "Yes, you did," he said to her, his eyes twinkling away merrily. "And if he wishes to, he may certainly join us on Monday. The more, the merrier."

Abe watched the interaction with narrowed eyes and several snide remarks were on the tip of his tongue before he swallowed them. Not that he intended to leave them unsaid but he wasn't going to let loose with them in front of Ariana.

"I can do that," he said in an off-hand manner. "Don't have much else on my plate other than learning how to run the pub."

Albus glanced over at Abe in surprise. "You intend to continue running the pub?" He halted himself and waved a hand, sensing stormy waters ahead. Then again, the waters always seemed to become stormy when he tried to deal with Abe. He turned back to Ariana and arched an eyebrow at her, hoping she might take herself off somewhere and avoid what he was sure were the inevitable fireworks.

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untamed_magic
2010-05-24 02:12 am UTC (link)

Ari didn't miss the look, and while she for a moment considered pretending she had no idea what it meant, she thought it best to let them get settled without her there.

Stealing another hug from Abe, she wiggled past him to head toward the door. "Be nice to him," she said pointedly to Albus as she gazed up at him.

She glanced back to Abe as well. "And you be nice back," she ordered before she continued on toward the door. She really didn't want to leave now that Abe was back, but she knew there'd be time for them to spend together, even if he did decide to stay in Hogsmeade. It wasn't like he couldn't come up to the castle whenever he wanted.

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