InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hey."

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (ex_greatestg630) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2010-09-01 00:27:00

Entry tags:

albus dumbledore, ariana dumbledore

Who: Albus and Ariana Dumbledore.
What: Ari is freaking out and needs her big brother to make it better.
Where: Outside the library.
When: Immediately following this.
Rating: TBD.
Status: Incomplete.

Not even a day.

Not even a full day in this place and Ariana was here as well, needing him to look after her. It wasn't fair of him to be frustrated, but he was. Albus just wanted one day free of his responsibilities, even if it was a day in this strange and disturbing place. But however he complained and however he was tired of it, Ariana was his sister and she was scared and upset. And there was no question of helping her. He loved her and he would do anything for her. It was the work of a moment, once he'd told the muggle girl they didn't need her help, to apparate to the library. Secrecy be damned. Ariana needed him.

It was already a mess when he arrived. Shrubs were shredded and a tree was toppled and Ariana was there with tears on her face and blood on her knees. He didn't even check if the girl had heeded his words, just addressed his sister. "Ariana," he said, gently but firmly, "I'm here. Calm down." He moved closer to her, cautiously, taking in her state. "Let me help you, all right?"

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little_sister
2010-09-01 05:02 am UTC (link)

Ariana's lip was still trembling as Albus arrived, holding on to what little control she had left over the tumultuous magic swirling around and within her by her fingernails, tears streaming down her face while a small rivulet of blood from a particularly deep cut stained one of her stockings. Her hands were worrying the ruffle at the hem of her dress, nearly ripping the heavy cotton in an effort to do as her brother said, to calm down, to keep breathing. Even trying that some of the magic got out. She tried to stop it, but it was too strong, her will too weak, and there was no controlling where it went. All Ariana could do was hope that Albie could take care of things when he got to her.

"Albie?" she whimpered, turning to face him. Her blue eyes were open wide, showing white all around and her shoulders heaving rapidly as she breathed entirely too fast. Ariana was on the verge of hyperventilating, her vision swimming before her. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Just knowing that he was there, that her biggest big brother would take care of everything and make things all right did a lot to pull her back from the precipice's edge, keeping her from losing control completely. She had to maintain control. Her mother had drilled that into her during the long days together when the boys were at school and it was just them in that house in Godric's Hollow. She had to keep control because she could hurt someone if she didn't. And she had. "No one was there, right? Just a tree?"

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ex_greatestg630
2010-09-01 05:23 am UTC (link)

His wand was out and he had fixed the cuts to her knees with a healing charm before he even had time to think about it. Just quick wandwork and simple words. It was second nature by now, handling his sisters fits. Aberforth might have had more experience with it, might have been better at it in all honesty, but Albus was the head of the family and he knew how to take care of Ariana. He honestly resented the thought that a muggle girl had believed she could take care of his responsibilities for him. What was she supposed to do? How could she possibly help his sister? That wasn't a charitable thought, but it was certainly true. Though he didn't quite agree entirely with Gellert, the other boy was right about muggles in a lot of ways. He didn't hate them, but so often they stood in the way of Wizards and what they needed.

Once she seemed calm enough, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair. Some people might have seen it as stupid, with how easily she could have lashed out again, but Albus was anything but stupid. He always went into these situations with wordless magical shields in place. He loved his sister, but he didn't have a deathwish. "It's all right," he promised her. "Everything is going to be all right, Ari. You didn't hurt anyone, I promise you didn't." He eased them down to sit on the steps, his arms still wrapped around her and holding her close.

He stayed like that, running a hand through her hair, waiting it out and letting her calm down. He rested his head against hers and whispered quiet assurances to her. It was exhausting, the moments like this, but he'd go through it a million times if it meant that Ariana was all right the rest of the time. "No one was there," he assured her. "Just the tree." He could probably fix the tree if he tried, but he was far more concerned with the girl at his side. She was the one thing, apart from death, that he couldn't fix. Powerful as he was, he was helpless when it came to his sister and her problems. And sometimes he felt like that, more than the prison of responsibility, was why he resented her. "Let's just sit here a while, all right?" he said softly. "Then I'll show you where we're staying." Thank god for top-floor rooms with no neighbours around.

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little_sister
2010-09-01 05:56 am UTC (link)

When her brother assured her that everything was fine, that she hadn't hurt someone, like the girl who said she would come but who Ari had asked to stay away, Ariana heaved a sigh of relief. The swirling ebb and flow of unrestrained magic eased up and dissipated within the span of a few breaths, leaving her... for now. It would be back. It always came back, and stronger than before.

"Just the tree," she repeated in a whisper, wrapping her arms around Albus and holding him tight. The world could be crumbling around them right before her eyes, but if Albus told her not to worry, then Ariana wouldn't. Albus was smart, the smartest person Ariana knew, maybe the smartest person alive, so if he said something, it had to be true and right and exactly what she should do. So if he said it was just the tree and that no one was hurt, then she'd trusted that it was true. Ariana clung to her brother, burying her face in his shoulder as she started to sob. "I'm sorry, Albie. I'm sorry."

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ex_greatestg630
2010-09-01 01:00 pm UTC (link)

He felt it when she settled down, the ease of that intangible force, and he breathed an internal sigh of relief. It was exhausting, dealing with Ariana in these moments, but it was worth it to know his little sister was all right. One day, he thought, he would find a way to make her better. He had no illusions it would give him an escape, because Ariana still needed so much even when her magic wasn't lashing out, but it would be easier for her. And that was what mattered.

"Just the tree," he said again. The expectations of people never really phased him, but for some reason knowing what Ariana thought of him made him uncomfortable. He didn't quite think it was possible to live up to the esteem in which she held him. He was, after all, only human, for all that people claimed he was the most brilliant wizard of his time. And perhaps they were right, and he was, but he was also just a man. He was quiet for a long moment, lost in contemplation, letting his sister cling to him and soak his shirt with tears. Nothing new there. "There, there," he said gently. "It's all right. You have nothing to apologise for. Everything is fine." He closed his eyes. Everything was just fine. For now.

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little_sister
2010-09-04 02:12 am UTC (link)

After a few moments of uncontrollable weeping, and a few more moments of quiet sniffling, Ariana pulled away from her brother. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose was running slightly, so she started looking for the handkerchief her mother insisted she keep on her at all times. "Can... can we go home now, Albie? I just want to go home and see Abie and the goats and sleep."

The bursts of magical energy escaping her usually happened violently, like this one, and always left her feeling exhausted instead of relieved. "I'm really tired, Albie."

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ex_greatestg630
2010-09-04 02:34 am UTC (link)

Albus sighed. He wanted nothing more than to go home. To see Aberforth again and have the extra help with Ariana. To see Gellert again and...to just see Gellert again, if he was being completely honest. His feelings regarding the boy were confusing, and a little overwhelming at times, but he already missed him. He missed having someone who understood how hard this was and how much he wanted his own life.

"We can't go home, Ari," he said softly, bracing himself for a negative reaction. It was always hard to tell how Ariana would react to a situation and, though it was unlikely she'd have an outburst again so soon, he still worried what she might do. "We're trapped here...somehow. But we'll be okay. I'm here and I'll look after you. And we'll find a way home. I promise." He closed his eyes, then picked his sister up in his arms. "You rest, Ari," he said. "I'll take us to where we're staying."

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little_sister
2010-09-04 03:00 am UTC (link)

Ariana's face screwed up like she wanted to cry again when Albus said they couldn't go home. She didn't take change well, didn't interact with strangers well, and especially didn't care to be around boys, being fearful that she'd be hurt again. The only people she could trust, ever, were her brothers and only one of them was with her. She didn't have her bed, or her bedroom, or her doll. She didn't have her clothes, or the barn with the hayloft where she'd go to hide when Mummy was particularly mad at her. She didn't have the goats.

Well, not having the goats wasn't so bad. They smelled funny. And they were mean. Only Abie liked them anyway. And no goats meant no goat milk.

Ariana buried her face in Albus's shoulder, her arms looping around his neck as he lifted her from the ground. She didn't say anything else. No words would come anyway. She just cried, shoulders hitching every once in a while when she sucked in a desperate, shuddering breath.

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