"Albus!" A young man with bright red hair shouted, "what do you think you're doing?!"
"Abe," a young Albus Dumbledore looked like a deer caught in headlights, "this isn't what it looks like."
"How?" Albus Dumbledore was shocked, "how is she seeing this?"
"It looks exactly as it is!" Aberforth shouted back, "you're leaving! You're leaving me and Arianna! How could you?! All over some bedtime story fantasy!"
"It's more complicated than that," Albus sighed, "Abe, we need to go find the Hallows. It's for the greater good."
"The greater good!" some of the older wizards shouted, "that's Grindelwald's slogan!"
"You gave him that slogan didn't you Albus," Euphemia accused, "that's why you wouldn't fight him for so long." Worries broke the hall at that. Could it be possible that the man who was hailed a hero for stopping Grindelwald, was behind the finer points of his rebellion?
"It is a matter I regret most," Albus admits with a sigh, "I will not discuss it further though."
"Who's greater good?!" Aberforth thundered, "ours, or his." Aberforth points at Grindelwald. The brothers unsheathe their wands, which causes Grindelwald to laugh.
"Don't do this Abe," Albus warned, "I'm a lot stronger than you."
"Well I'm a lot quicker!" Aberforth shouted, "and I wont let you leave!"
"I need to do this," Albus insisted, "we need to use out power as wizards to help and subjugate the muggles. You know how cruel they are, look what they did to Arianna!"
"You were a muggle supremacist?!" Lily Evans asks shocked, "and you worked with Grindelwald."
"I was a foolish and idealistic child," Albus sighs, "I never though I'd have to live through this moment again."
"DON'T BRING ARIANNA INTO THIS!" Aberforth shouts, "especially when you're trying to abandon her for this creep!"
Grindelwald's face twists, and a sneer forms. "Crucio!" He casts, red spell leaving his wand, and landing on Aberforth, causing him to scream in pain.
"Abe!" Albus shouts, turning his wand on his lover, "how could you Gellert?!"
"He is getting in the way of our revolution," Grindelwald answers calmly, "he is just another one of the people who will try to stop us."
"I said we shouldn't use force on our opposition," Albus tries to reason with his mad lover, "yet you use an unforgivable on one?! On my own brother of all people!"
Aberforth gets up and send three red curses at Grindelwald, which were all neatly blocked. "Get out of my sight you madman!" he shouted, "and leave while you still can."
Grindelwald grinned as he sent a fiery phoenix at Aberforth, which was sent back at Grindelwald by Aberforth's defensive brother. Grindelwald's face pales at his lover's betrayal.
"How could you Gellert?!" Albs shouts, "we're closer than brothers!"
"Really feeling loved Albus!" Aberforth shouts as he non-verbally shoots spells at Grindelwald,.
"You were supposed to join me Albus!" Grindelwald shouts, "you still can! We can conquer death together! We'll rule over the muggles, and guide them how to live less cruelly!"
The three way duel continues, impressive pieces of magic flying everywhere. Bang, flashes, and crashing filled the small home in Godric's Hallow, and attracted the attention of young Arianna Dumbledore.
"What's going on Abe?!" she cries terrified as she walks in. She walks out, nervous, flighty, "Why are you fighting Albus?!"
"Get inside Arianna!" Abe shouts at her, "I don't want you to get hurt!"
"I want to help!" she shouts, moving closer. She runs towards them, black obscurial magic floating uncontrollably out of her, "Stop fighting!" She cries and cries as the duel resumes, inching closer and closer. Suddenly, she got to close, and a spell hits her in the chest. Her face startles, and she drops to the ground, dead as a doorknob. The duel stops immediately, shock filling the occupants. Grindelwald panics, and apparates away, leaving the two brothers with their dead sister.
"ARIANNA!" Aberforth cries out rushing to cradle her body, "Arianna!"
Panic filled the hearts of the occupant of the hall. They had all thought that Dumbledore was some sort of saint, the next coming of Merlin himself. But it was all a lie. He had been in cohorts with Grindelwald, and had ended up killing his own sister.
The only reason outrage hadn't hit the hall yet, was because many people were still under Death's curse. However, ver soon, they would all be realeased.
Albus stands behind the pair, looking horrified. He hadn't realized what kind of pain and destruction the plan he and Gellert devised would cause. He suddenly was shown what would have happened if he'd gone with Gellert. And now, he had killed his own sister. A sister he had neglected since his mother had died, the care taking being too much of a burden.
"You did this to her," Aberforth doesn't even look up, "you and your stupid desire for power. I hope you got what you wanted. You never really wanted to take care of Arianna and I. Well, it looks like your boy toy solved that issue for you."
"Abe, I-" Albus is cut off by the vision Lydia is seeing twisting, and a ghost-like girl floating before her.
"Where am I?" Lydia question, looking around, "and who are you?"
"You're in your own head silly," the girl laughed, it was a charming laugh, "and I'm Arianna, Arianna Dumbledore."
"What?" Albus question face pale, "you've met my sister Ms. Potter?"
"I've more than met your sister," Lydia answers cooly, "I'm sure these films will show. 'Tis a pity you didn't spend much time with her while she was alive. She's really quite the fire-cracker once you get to know her."
"Like Albus Dumbledore," young Lydia is awed, "he's my headmaster you know."
"I'm aware," she answers, smile on her face, "I'm happy that he's doing well. Much better than when I was alive for sure."
"That duel," Lydia asks Arianna, "is that how you died?"
"Yes," Arianna turns a little somber, "that's how I died." She suddenly turns chipper though, "It's okay though! I got to meet Mother again! And eventually, I got to meet my father again. He wasn't very happy to see how young I was, but he eventually just became happy to see me. I also got to meet a nephew of mine! His name was Aurelius, but he went by Credence. He lived a very hard life. Mother watches over him often!"
"You have a son?" Augusta questions Albus, "how was no one aware of this?"
"Credence was my nephew," Albus's face is pained, "he was my brother Aberforth's illegitimate child."
"I'm sorry for your loss then," Augusta humphs, still angry over the revelations from the last scene from the future.
"Professor Dumbledore had a son?" Lydia questions the girl, "and better yet, how am I even seeing you?"
"I can't answer your second question," Arianna answered brightly, "but Aurelius was my brother Abe's son. I loved Abe very much. He was my favorite person in the history of ever!"
"Who do you want to pay?" Lydia questions, recognizing Arianna as the voice in her nightmares, "you keep whispering that in my dreams."
"Gellert of course," Arianna's entire being suddenly turns malicious, "I want that jerk to pay for all the problems he made! All the children that died! For MAKING ABE SAD! For breaking Alby's heart!"
"She doesn't hate me," Dumbledore whispered, his eyes tearing up, "she forgives me."
"How did Grindelwald break Professor Dumbledore's heart?" Lydia asks curiously.
"I'm a little uncomfortable with a student of mine knowing all the details of my love life," Albus Dumbledore confesses to Minerva McGonagall, "it's a little unprofessional."
"This whole situation is unprofessional," Horace Slughorn interjects, "and I for one, would like to know about your love life Albus. You normally know so much about others, but we know nothing about you. It's time for the tables to turn."
"Oh," Arianna giggles, "It's a long story, one we don't have time for. You need to go soon don't you?"
"This is part of a ritual of sorts," Lydia begins using deductive reasoning, "and my father said in that chant, 'show her the spirits.' He also said to, 'give her the gifts promised' Is this Death's gift? Am I in between life and death?" The moment she says it, the scene shifts, and she waked up in the real world, entire body glowing silver.
"in between life and death," Albus ponders, "I wonder what that comes with. I'm simply glad that my love life wasn't told over.
Horace cursed loudly at the lack of drama. Is it so wrong to want to have blackmail over a co-worker? He is a slytherin after all.
"Lyddie!" Fleamont shouts, hugging his daughter, "is all well?"
"I met a girl," Lydia tells her father, "she was dead. I watched her die. What is going on?"
"Let's all shower and get changed," Euphemia urges, "and then we'll explain it all. Oh, and Monty, bring the cloak. It's time."
The scene shifts to clean and dry Sirius and Lydia sitting on the couch. Fleamont is holding a box, and begins his tale.
"Do you both know the tale of the three brothers?" Fleamont asks, "it doesn't matter. I'll tell you the tale anyways."
"So the story is true?" Abraxas Malfoy regained his voice, and fearfully asked. He had been at the end of Fleamont Potter's wand on many occasions. He wasn't aware of the power the man possessed. What would he do?
"Nope," Lydia Potter popped her p, "nopity nope."
"So the story is true," Sirius comments, shocked, "pt what does that have to do with you?"
"The story is fiction," Fleamont answers softly, "but fiction is often riddled with truth. The Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus, did meet death. On this mortal plane, he goes by Lord Mortem. They had managed to conquer him, trick him, humiliate him, and death enjoyed it."
"Enjoyed it?" Sirius asked, "that's strange."
"Everyone has their quirks," Fleamont sighs, "even if his are rather strange. Anyways, as the story tells, Antioch and Cadmus died due to their gifts, which were never really gifts. They were traps."
"Clever," Moody admitted, "death played on their hubris."
"Ignotus on the other hand," Fleamont's voice was wistful, "was plyful, humble, and kind. The type of person death loved. So death courted him, giving Ignotus his cloak, as amn would give his woman in the cold. Alongside the cloak, unmentioned in the stories, were the abilities of death."
"What kind of abilities?" Lydia asked, curious.
"Many," Fleamont smirked, and flicked his fingers, causing a small, patronus-like dog to appear. "Recalling spirits, controlling the dead, soul vision, soul magic, necromancy, death sight, and many other things. We have a grimoire, and I will give it to you before you leave school."
"Wow," Sirius turned to Fleamont, "that's cool. But you haven't answered how you have anything to do with this. The story is about the Peverell brothers."
"Ignotus's son had two daughters," Fleamont explained, pulling out the family tree, "his elder daughter, Iolanthe, married Hardwin Potter. Her younger sister, Valeria, married a man named Silas Gaunt, and never spoke to the family again. Iolanthe, as per tradition, was given the cloak as the oldest. However, Valeria, jealous as she was, stole the resurrection stone from her grandfather, who had claimed it after his brother's death. We don't know what happened to it, and Mortem won't tell."
Dumbledore gasped. Gaunt! If Tom would ever know of such an ability, he'd be unstoppable. He had to convince Fleamont to give him the grimoire, or at least teach him it's ways.
"Wow," Lydia breathed, "that's fascinating. How come our family gets this ability? Shouldn't Valeria's get it as well? They're also descended from Ignotus Peverell."
"The gift belongs to the firstborn," Fleamont explains, "And speaking of, it's time I give you this." Fleamont hands the box to Lydia. She opens it, and there is the cloak of invisibility. Sirius and Lydia look at each other, before high fiving and smirking.
"No!" McGongall screamed, "that'll cause to many issues."
"Too late Professor," Lydia sing songs alongside Sirius, :"I already have it."