Closer Than Brothers

Ariana's words

Albus woke up the next day with a firm idea in his mind; he was going to talk to Ariana. He didn't know how it was going to help, but it somehow felt right to. So, he got up, ate breakfast and went down to the basement where Ariana's room was. She was sitting on her bed, looking vaguely into space when he entered. After a few seconds, she looked up and noticed Albus standing there.

"Oh, Albus, you haven't been down here for a while. Why are you here?" She said.

Albus sighed. "I just wanted to talk to you about something. I need someone else's opinion, so I know if I'm doing the right thing."

Ariana smiled at him. "What is it?"

"So," Albus began, "you must have heard about Gellert."

"Yes. Aberforth told me. He calls him a manipulative bastard who is using you for his own personal gain. What about him?"

"Well, I - I think I'm in love with him."

Ariana raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Oh. And why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want to know if I'm making the right decisions. I want some kind of clarity."

Ariana sat in thought for some while.

"You say you love him?" She said eventually.

"Yes."

"Then you're following your heart. No matter if you're making the right decisions or not, I think it's important to follow your heart, because you will learn from whatever mistakes you make. And if you actually love him, then you probably don't have a choice. You'll probably follow him no matter what I say."

Albus looked at her for a few moments. "Wow, that was incredibly wise. Thank you."

"Is he why you don't come down to see me anymore?" She asked innocently.

Albus shifted uncomfortably. "Uh... yeah."

"Okay," Ariana sat back and stared into the distance again. "Goodbye."

Albus stood up, rather awkwardly, and left, saying goodbye over his shoulder.

His day came and went pretty normally, but with Ariana's words still turning over in his head.