Dumbledore, who had stayed where he was, wore an extremely complicated expression, like a child who had done something wrong. He wanted to take a great stride forward, but in the end, he only shifted his toes uneasily.
"I'm sorry..." His voice was still trembling, thick with an obvious sob. "It was all my fault. I didn't take good care of..."
"No! Albus!" Percival strode forward, opened his arms, and pulled Dumbledore into his embrace. "You did very well!"
He clapped Dumbledore hard on the back and said with absolute certainty, "Better than any of us could have! Truly!"
Kendra wiped the tears from the corners of Dumbledore's eyes. "Those heavy burdens should never have been yours to bear alone, but you still held all of it up for us. You truly did very well, Albus!"
Ariana also came up to him, holding Dumbledore's left hand in both of hers as she said in a clear voice, "Brother, we never blamed you!"
In the warm embrace and comfort of his family, time on Dumbledore seemed, at this moment, to flow backward into the past.
At this moment, he was not the Dumbledore feared by Dark Wizards, nor was he the revered Hogwarts Headmaster...
He was only a child who had finally found the road home, who could return to his parents and his sister's side.
He could smile without a care in the world, patiently answer every question his sister asked, and tell Ariana what all kinds of sweets tasted like;
Listening to Ariana's bell-like laughter, he also let out joyous laughter that came from the depths of his heart.
He could sit quietly, just as he had when he was little, and enjoy his mother gently fussing with his hair.
In Kendra's eyes, he saw only indulgence and pride,