Dumbledore, left standing where he was, wore an exceedingly complicated expression. Like a child who had done something wrong, he wanted to take a big step forward, but in the end only shifted his toes awkwardly.
"Sorry..." His voice still trembled, thick with a clear sob. "It was all my fault. I didn't take good care of..."
"No! Albus!" Percival strode forward, spreading his arms and pulling Dumbledore into an embrace. "You did very well!"
He patted Dumbledore firmly on the back and said with absolute conviction, "Better than any of us could have done! Truly!"
Kendra wiped the tears from Dumbledore's eyes. "Those heavy burdens should never have been yours to bear alone, yet you still held everything up for us. You truly did very well, Albus!"
Ariana stepped closer too, taking Dumbledore's left hand in both of hers. "Brother, we never blamed you!"
Amid his family's warm embraces and comfort, time seemed to flow backward for Dumbledore in that moment.
At that moment, he was not the Dumbledore feared by Dark wizards, nor was he the revered headmaster of Hogwarts Castle...
He was merely a child who had finally found the way home, able to return to his parents and sister.
He could wear a carefree smile, patiently answer all the questions his sister asked, and tell Ariana what all kinds of sweets tasted like;
Listening to Ariana's bell-like laughter, he too laughed with wholehearted joy.
He could sit quietly as he had when he was little, enjoying his mother gently arranging his hair.
In Kendra's eyes, he saw only indulgent affection and pride, none of the gravity and worry he remembered.
He could even enjoy his father's scolding—Percival would clap him hard on the shoulder and tell him in a booming voice, "Albus, you shouldn't eat so