Guilt
A Harry Potter ONESHOT…that I just now thought of…
By: Indigo March

Guilt. That's all he felt as he watched them lower his sister's casket into the ground next to his parent's grave. Not sadness. Just painful guilt. He had let Grindelwald blind him from the most important thing in the world. How foolish he had been.

Aberforth felt quilt too, but he still had room for sadness in his heart. Ariana had been his sister, his friend and now she was gone, all because of Albus and his foolish fantasies of creating a 'Greater Good'.

What hurt Albus the most was that Grindelwald had left. After possibly murdering his sister he had high-tailed it out of there, leaving Albus to suffer the consequences. Some best friend he turned out to be.

He stole a glance at his younger brother, who had fat ears falling down his cheeks, fists clenched at his sides as he watched the wizards seal the dirt back over the grave. He turned away and glared at Albus, his eyes still full of tears yet burning with a hate stronger than anything Albus could've imagined.

"Well?" he snarled. "Not that she's out of the way what are you going to do? Abandon me and go off on your little adventures?"

His words hurt more than the punch to the face that had been delivered at the funeral itself. Albus tenderly touched his bruised nose.

"Aberforth—"

"Don't," his brother warned. "Just leave. I want nothing ever to do with you again."

"I'm sorry—"

"Sorry?" he said, laughing darkly. "No you're not. I can see it in your eyes. You're not sorry at all. You're relieved, if anything else."

"That's not true—"

"You may feel guilty, but you're not sorry," Aberforth repeated firmly, fresh tears leaking from his bright blue eyes. "I will always have respect for you, Albus, but I will never forgive you for what you have done."

As Aberforth walked away, back towards the kissing gate, Albus tried to call him back, but the boy's ears were closed to his words.

Elphias Doge stood next to Ariana's grave, a sad frown on his face. He looked up at Albus. "One day, I think, you'll speak with him again."

"Do you believe what he says?" he asked quietly.

"That you are relieved? To some extent. I believe you are relieved for Ariana, who is now at peace and reunited with her parents."

"You're just saying that to put my mind at ease, Elphias."

"Yes, I am."

Albus frowned. "Gellert is still out there, searching."

"For what?"

"The Deathly Hallows."

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