Who: Albus Dumbledore and Ariana Dumbledore Where: Ariana's residence When: Tuesday What: A necessary conversation Rating/Status: Incomplete/Lowish?
Perhaps it was simply his imagination, the way nearly everything in this place seemed a little ominous. Or perhaps it was the fact that there were precious few 'simple' conversations with Ariana. Well, there were the everyday sorts of conversations that could amble about, lighting on anything or nothing and plenty in between, but Albus was hard pressed to recall a time when Ariana had specifically asked to speak with him with a seemingly significant purpose.
There was, at least, a bit of consolation in the fact here, there was no magic for Ariana to use-- to misuse. It twisted something sharply within him to find that comforting. The thought itself was horrid, that his sister was better off without magic. Just because it was horrid, however, didn't necessarily mean it was untrue. Albus's natural inclination trended toward weighing only what was patently accurate, and for the way he viewed the world, much of that remained intact. And yet, with regard to others, there was a dire price to such an unfeeling appraisal. When he was younger, he'd so neglected the human element in his plans for the world. To make matters worse, he still wasn't sure if the answer was to indulge more emotively, or to purge that part of himself entirely. Pure objectivity would have been a great solace, but Albus wasn't entirely sure he should want to bear the world in such a way. Dark thoughts lay down that path, especially where Ariana was concerned.
Albus turned his mind from them and knocked on Ariana's door. Facing her was still a difficult concept, his guilt and his shame given flesh and face and voice. But he couldn't ignore her. He'd done quite enough of that already in his lifetime.