Wow, this is excellent -- so taut, atmospheric, beautifully-written, and psychologically telling. So like Albus, to lock the painful bits of himself and his life into drawers and gadgets: rather like his own version of horcruxes; he has to compartmentalize if he wants to continue living. And I love the way you make use of magical possibilities. There are so many great lines that just ice-pick their way into my brain, starting with that perfect summary. Here are a few:
But Albus has learned the power of the poignant half-truth and he might as well use them for himself, so: it's silent. It's dark/
That memory will never drip into the bowl. He guards it in his head, because he knows it could break him to be surprised by it.
At first he used this on a desperate whim, a dark haggard form of the try-anything whimsy that governed his youthful affair, to stop himself wanting too soon after Gellert.
And the "aren't-we-the-coolest-and-smartest?" teen letters are spot-on.
Great ending image, too. A powerful, tight piece; I'm impressed.
But Albus has learned the power of the poignant half-truth and he might as well use them for himself, so: it's silent. It's dark/
That memory will never drip into the bowl. He guards it in his head, because he knows it could break him to be surprised by it.
At first he used this on a desperate whim, a dark haggard form of the try-anything whimsy that governed his youthful affair, to stop himself wanting too soon after Gellert.
And the "aren't-we-the-coolest-and-smartest?" teen letters are spot-on.
Great ending image, too. A powerful, tight piece; I'm impressed.