Albert was completely unmoved by the well-meaning advice of the others. Since he had already made his decision, he had no intention of changing his mind at the last minute.
If he could not face this with everything he had, he might as well give up now. Any trace of hesitation would only add another risk to his duel with Voldemort.
Actually, if not for all the various reasons, Albert would have liked Dumbledore to take his place and duel Voldemort. That would certainly have been interesting.
Unfortunately, this was not the right occasion. Dumbledore clearly could not complete the panel quest in his stead, so it was merely a passing thought.
"Wait... that actually seems like a good idea." Albert stared in Voldemort's direction, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Ignoring the malice Voldemort sent his way, Albert smiled and took some soft candy from his pocket, casually sharing it with the people around him.
Dumbledore stopped trying to persuade him. He picked up a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and put it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked Albert up and down, studying his utterly impassive face. Then he smiled. "It tastes good."
The Judge beside them was a little dumbfounded. He looked suspiciously at Dumbledore, then at the candy in Albert's hand. With a soft sigh, he took one as well.
"The finals will begin in ten minutes. You still have time to regret this." Before leaving, the Judge turned back and added, "There's no shame in giving up. Bochival has already lost every bit of face he had. Dumbledore, help me talk some sense into him. If he really dies in the duel, it'll be such a waste. And thank you for the candy. It tastes good."
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