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With part of his face and his hand on bandages, and those weren't even the most painful bruises he had on his body. The idea of being alone was painful too, but Merlin save him, the fact that he now had blood on his hands. Familiar blood. And his brother hating him. And his... Lover... Ran away. He was alone. He had nobody. Not even Elphias could get the suffering he had, twisting his thoughts and cursing his mind.
And of course, he had no chances to give up neither. He knew Gellert, his ideas, he was dangerous. What if he keeps his word about it? And that Blood Troth, that blood pact, at least that makes him his equal. Gellert was powerful, and that thing made him as much as he was. If the time had come... He hoped he would never get to that point. He was the only one with real chances of stopping him if something happened. He couldn't do that if he was dead.
He heard of an ex-student of Hogwarts, living in Feldcroft, not so far from the school. He heard about him being a Gaunt, so he was clearly related to powerful Magic. And he had a classmate who also held a powerful and legendary source of power. They might give him a tip about it. Maybe they had the power to help him stop Gellert. Stop the incoming before it starts.
He could apparate anywhere, it wasn't Hogwarts' fields so no limitations there. Albus walked down the streets of Feldcroft, looking for any clue of these two powerful beings. Apparently, Gaunt was the only one living there, at a small house. The garden was not that unattended but still abandoned. Under the name of "Sallow" too, he checked the door, doubting if knocking or not. “Who are you? What are you doing at my house?” A voice stopped him before knocking. Albus turned around, seeing a wizard with his wand on his hand. He held his impulse to drag his too. That already caused more troubles than fixing. It took him minutes, as the young man walked in front of him, to notice the wand was guiding him. He was blind. And Albus stupid. “People in town talking about you, Mr. Dumbledore. One of Hogwarts' finest. Top student. The only missing thing is Ancient Magic, but I guess this new generation of professors are unfamiliar with it.” He opened the door, entering the dark living room, letting go of his wand. “You can come in, Mr. Dumbledore.” Albus followed, noticing how everything was tidy, furniture near the walls, barely objects obstructing the walking ways, a bed behind a curtain. It was really a basic house for a basic person. “My name is Gaunt. Ominis Gaunt.” He passed his hand on some papers he noticed on the table, like reading the content. “What are you doing here at my house? Have a seat.” He pointed somewhere else, where a chair was waiting. Albus obeyed.
“You see, Mr. Gaunt…” “Please, I'm not that old nor important, just call me Ominis.” The youngest denied with his head, not getting why but sure, he can do that. “I'm Albus Dumbledore. Albus, if you'd rather that.” Gaunt moved his eyebrows, noting a bit of harshness when the last name was pronounced. “I know your family ascendency, and well, you left your mark at Hogwarts being the best student at Defense Against the Dark Arts…” Ominis leaned on the table, his ear pointing to Albus' direction and waiting. "What does that have to do with your visit here, Albus? My reputation has nothing to do with you here."
Albus sighed. “No. Yes, it does. I have a problem. Someone I know is following a dark path, I need to be better than him, I have to be stronger, I-” Ominis showed a smile, waiting for the visitor to drop whatever he was doing there. “Listen. I…” The host walked towards the door to close it, in order to give more privacy. The light almost disappeared from the room, only small traces from the windows and the space under the door. Albus didn't care, he wasn't about to show something that the blind man had to see, but it bothered him the sudden change of light. “I met this boy. He was from Durmstrang, Dark Arts master, expelled from there because he was too far gone into it.” Ominis nodded in the dark. “And you were blinded by it? You knew it was dangerous? That he should be avoided?” Albus nodded unconsciously. “That you should've stopped him as soon as you noticed? That never works.”
Albus heard the steps to the chair next to his, and the sound of the companion sitting there. “I think this is why you're here. Not because you need help with DADA. I was hoping you getting to the point before I did, but well.” He sighed, moving his head around until he felt it more loose. Something made him want to open up that door. “I know exactly how you feel. How you felt. I had a... Best friend.” Doubt invaded that word. “He was an everything for me. My family forced me to do things against my beliefs, someone I truly admired and loved died in Hogwarts grounds, Dark Arts took a lot from me but him…” Albus knew he was covering his face. “He took me here, gave me a home, his sister and uncle welcomed me here. He made me feel like I belonged wherever he was. I was safe whenever he was around.” The sounds of leaning back on the chair. “Damn, he even were my eyes telling me the things I couldn't sense or see and guided me whenever I didn't have my wand or it was an uncharted place for me.” Small laughs mixed with breathing outs, following his words. “We had this special place at Hogwarts. We used to go there with his sister to practice spells, play gobstones, hang out there... But we also went the two of us alone. Have those deep conversations where you think, Whatever we do now, it won't matter tomorrow. Whatever you do now, it'll be just the two of us knowing .” Albus couldn't tell his smile. “Then, Mikka came. Nowadays they're a close friend of mine, but back then I felt them like a homewrecker. Getting in the middle of us. Sebastian even showed them that special secret place, only ours. They pushed Sebastian into things he should have never.” It was the first time Albus heard the name of his 'an everything '. “Well, due to the circumstances... I tried to stay away for a bit. Sebastian's sister was cursed, and-”
Albus reacted to the words. “Cursed? Like, an Obscurial or something?”
“No. Fourth Grade, she was old enough to learn how magic works, no suppression. Plus, she lives at Godric's Hollow, last time we talked. She didn't want to come back here after what happened to Sebastian.”
The pain and loss was touchable and visible, even for a blind guy, when he said a name. “Ariana was... Fourteen when I... She passed away. She was one of them.”
“Sorry to hear about that.” The words sounded true. What else could he tell him? “Either way, she was cursed and Sebastian thought the Dark Arts being the out of the box solution to that problem. Mikka has Ancient Magic, and Dark Arts sounded tentative for them too. One went in for love, the other for curiosity, and probably they loved Sebastian too. I mean, even if you were cold-hearted you couldn't say no to his way of existing. I tried. I really tried.” The knock on the door alerted the men, and it opened wide to show a wizard. Albus turned his head in a beat, bothered by the repentine light.
“Omi! I almost thought you were not home!” They looked at them. “You have visitors? Bare decency, at least a window, you know? You could've suffocated.” Ominis rolled his eyes, as Mikka opened the back window, since the sun was coming from the door side. “Mikka Callyps, magic traveler in order to investigate Ancient Magic.” They showed their hand to the visitor. “Albus Dumbledore, pleasure.” He shook their hand. The friend started to check things around the house, while Ominis was mentally done with them. “Why are you here?” “Can't I visit my old friend Ominis?” “I'm in the middle of something right now. I thought your years of interrupting conversations were done once Sebastian lef-” Callyps' face shifted. It wasn't the tone of the other. It was the name he pronounced. “Oh my. What's going on? I thought that name was... Banned here.” Albus felt uncalled in the room, looking at the two old friends. “Why were you two talking about Seb? Do you have any news from him?” They held Ominis' hand, looking worried.
“I- I don't even know who's Sebas-” Ominis forced to let go of his hand. “He's not here for that. I was just... Opening up about what he was. I don't know why I did that.” He wasn't ashamed of admitting he had a soft spot for their gone friend. “Okay, I'll just shorten the story. Mikka right here started and accompanied him into Dark Arts, dark magic, till the point where Sebastian was too deep and he couldn't save himself. Nobody could save him. His attempts of saving Anne were in vain, and his uncle cutting his wings…”
“Anne Sallow? That's my neighbor crossing the street” Ominis raised a brow. “Small world I think. But well, his uncle declared Anne couldn't be saved, no matter how stubborn or how hard Sebastian tried. Like I said, he was stubborn to the end.”
“That day at the catacombs... Almost a duel of four,” Albus eyes were lifeless “but I didn't take part. He used the killing curse against his uncle, and he meant it, due its results. His sister got mad with all the motives at him and... Well... We did what we could to protect him. But sooner or later they knew and took him away.”
“He lost all his family due to his decisions. Dead uncle, his twin sister hating him, unforgivable curse... I really couldn't be around him knowing what kind of things he did. I really tried to stay away. And I know now it was wrong. He had nobody left. He took me in when I had nobody, and it was unfair. But I didn't want to witness him walking down that dark path.” “He was too far gone.” Mikka passed their hand on Ominis' shoulders. “Don't talk like you're a saint.” The hate in his voice was more personal. The decisions they took pushed away his friend, his an everything , in his words. That was as unforgivable as those curses. Albus found really logical the small remorse his voice tried to hide but resurfaced no matter what. “Either way. I know how it feels to have someone walking down a dark path, being blind, not literally, but being blind to their words and nature, and losing them.” He sighed. “Specially That kind of someone. I know how it feels to think Whatever we do now, it won't matter. Whatever we say now, it won't matter. This is our now. This is all we have. We have no future. We only have now .” A tear left his eyes, but he cleaned it before getting up. “My manners. You've been here like, for what, half an hour and I didn't offer anything besides a seat?” “Yeah, you should be ashamed.” The witch looked at Albus, still processing the tragic story he just heard. “You have to be into so much shit if you made him talk about Sebastian. After fifth year I thought Ominis mentally buried him and talking about him was a taboo.” They pointed at Albus' face and hand. “What kind of fight made you look like shit?” Albus stared at his own hand, bandages of a promise, since he was more than aware of the one on his nose.
He touched his cheek, near his nose “this one is from a fight. My... My sister was killed, not so long ago…” Ominis raised his head, listening now carefully. “A three way duel, actually. Me and my... Friend were going to…”
Ominis put some cups on the table. “I think you should start from the beginning. So you don't have to go back and forth on time.”
Albus nodded. “He nodded.” “Can you stop that? This is not time for jokes.” “Why so serious?” “We have a guest here who came for personal advice and needs to know something from both of us, not only about our lives but our magic. Let him explain.” Mikka looked for any funny expression in the blind, but he was totally neutral. “Besides, if this is the way I believe it is, he lost more than a sister that day. Let him talk.” Mikka nodded. “You nodded, right?” “Yes I did.” A small smile showed up on Albus' face. “And he smiled. I wonder if that doesn't hurt.”
“No. It doesn't. Okay, more less the beginning.” He sighed. “Gellert studied at Durmstrang, he's a Dark Wizard by Excellence. He was expelled this year due the excessive dark magic experimentations.” “Even for Durmstrang?” Albus nodded. “Wow. I would've started to suspect he's up to no good.” Even for a blind guy, they knew Ominis was staring at them with the You say it like you didn't drag my closest friend into that shit look. “He was against the International Statute of Secrecy, living in the shadows, like we don't have the power to put muggles in their places. A Wizarding Supremacy. He started to investigate about the Deathly Hallows in order to acquire its powers.” Mikka finally served something on the cups. Tea probably. They reached a cup for the wizard and drank from their own. Albus left his untouched. “In Godric's Hollow is buried Ignotus Peverell, so, he stayed at his aunt's so he could investigate directly. That's where and when we met. Around June my sister-” “Who was an Obscurial.” Ominis said in order to let the third part know. “Yes. Well, she had a breakdown and she accidentally killed my mom. My father has been in Azkaban since she was six, consequences of killing the muggles that bullied her and turned her into Obscurial.” Both friends had their eyes wide open. “So, yeah, I've kinda been the man of my house since I was ten. My mom did her best to keep us away from that gossip. We moved to Godric's Hollow, I got into Hogwarts that summer, two years later my brother, my mom kept Ariana as a secret. We could never allow them to take her to St. Mungo. That would never be an option.” Mikka looked at Ominis, and they knew if he had sight he would gave them the same look. “So, by this year I returned sooner to Godric's, even if I was almost leaving in my graduation trip with my best friend, because of that accident. My brother shouldn't be worried about our little sister. That was out of discussion. So, in July this boy, Gellert, was at the graveyard looking for Peverell's stone and I was so spellbound at him. Then his aunt made us officially meet. And turtles all way down. In these two months I fell in love with him. Like, I hit the bottom and I loved it. I was agreeing with him on whatever he said.” He reached his cup to drink whatever they served. Ominis was around, checking things on the tables but still listening. “He made me feel like the world was lighter. He got me like nobody else. I really feel like he owns all my first times. I really wanted to be around him.”
“But your family started to be left out of the equation.” Ominis voice was the same as he talked about Mikka getting into his and Sebastian's lives. They looked at him, knowing he would never forgive that.
“Yes. It was a fucked up thing from me. I was almost free, but my mom passing away ruined that for me. Gellert gave me more than that.” He realized what he said. “I mean, it's not her fault, and it was my responsibility. But... I already had plans with my best friend. But then Gellert came into my life and I was ready to leave everything for him.” He looked at his left hand. “This is a sign of how far I would go. We made a Blood Pact. A Blood Troth. We would never fight each other. We would never betray each other. We're each other's equal, we're on the same side.”
“Sounds like a marriage to me.” “It's more than that. It's a connection of blood. It's a connection of heart. Sebastian and I had one, but it was more a mental state than a real thing. One of our unspoken things.” Ominis put away his cup and sat back on the chair he was before Mikka arrived. “Not ever your magic can break the physical version of it. Even the unbreakable vows are breakable. A Blood Troth is... Impossible.”
Albus bit his lips, closing his eyes. Long lasting consequences. “After that, we had... Well, not important to the story.” Ominis tilted his head raising his eyebrows and Mikka was laughing in silence. “I hope you enjoyed your marriage consummation then.” Albus looked at his male companion in shock. How did he say that so easily? “Either way. We agreed to travel the world for the Deathly Hallows. And take my sister with us. She could see the world, and-”
“Wait, wasn't your sister and Obscurial? Aren't their life expectancy no longer than 10 years?” “She was a miracle of nature. I swear I spent all these years waiting and wondering why she was still alive. Too cruel, I know, but I didn't know what else to think. She was not supposed to live this far. But all the worries washed away once I met Gellert. And he liked Ariana too. She would've agreed with coming with us around the world but my brother wasn't fond of my…” “Husband?” “It feels weird to say it.” “Makes sense, in less than two months married and plans to run away together?” Mikka tried to not sound sassy, but there was no way they could say that without that tone. “Aberforth wasn't as blinded as I was, he saw Gellert was up to no good, he saw what he did to me, what it did to our family, he denied the runaway adventure.” Albus had been playing with his cup, anxious since he named his brother. Ominis could tell, the sound of his palms' sweat sticking to the cup was bothering. Still he said nothing. “He heard us planning that, and he interrupted, wanting us to stop once and for all and Gellert away from my family. Gellert just laughed, Aberforth found it defying and ready to protect his family. They dragged their wands and I unconsciously did the same.” His eyes were trembling.
“Omi, he's anxious.” “I know” putting his hand on the shaking leg of Albus. Both knew the worst was about to come. He wanted to believe his gesture was somehow calming, but he couldn't undone whatever he was about to say.
“Gellert used the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. I don't know when Ariana entered the room.” His shake was worsening. Ominis' eyes were wide open, feeling the vibrations getting more intense. “For a moment to another, I know one spell hit her, and due to her condition…” Both friends gasped, and Mikka ran to Albus, almost crying on the seat. “I literally died. I was on the floor, her in my arms, and for a literal moment I was gone too. I died. My soul left my body. And when I came back she didn't and I lost my mind and…” He was hyperventilating and his whole weight dropped over them, Callyps hugged him while Gaunt was looking at nothing on the floor. Albus grasped Mikka like his life was on it. First time he ever talked about what happened. “Aberforth was unconscious. Gellert was... Ariana was…” Mikka shushed him. He needed to stop talking about it. He needed to breathe. He held so much. Ominis tried to respect Albus' space, moving his thumb softly in circles until he was more calm. That used to work with Sebastian. He heard, under his breath, Albus claiming “it's all my fault. It's all my fault.” He really didn't know what to do, besides letting him go. Mikka sobbed the back of his head and his back, in attempts of comforting the broken boy. Lying to him saying Everything is going to be alright was too much for them. Albus' breathing started to calm down, Mikka's clothing for wet for the tears and Ominis hand didn't leave his leg. Mikka stepped back to look at Albus. “You alright?” He tried to nod, but it didn't work. “You have a tissue?” Ominis got up to look for it in one of the drawers. “Did you chang-” “It's in cabinet up left.” “You have to tell me every time you change something out of its position. I'm no fortune teller to know where you put things.” His angry tone made Albus laugh for a second. “You know I'm blind, and this is my house. Keep things the way I keep'em, or don't touch anything at all.” He got back with the paper tissues, the witch passing their hand through the boy's back. “So, Albus. Tell us. What do you need to know? How can we help you?” Ominis wasn't so fond of helping strangers, but that boy somehow got him on his soft side and he truly cared about this one. He allowed him to clean his nose, sitting again and checking his mail again. “Mikka, there's a letter. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but-” he passed the letter to his friend, and she read it. “This is surprising. I didn't know they allow prisoners to write to people outside Azkaban. Yes. It 's his.” He smiled, leaving that letter for later, when he and Mikka were alone. He kept checking the other letters. “Mikka, please, change your direction. This is my house, not yours.” “But I'm always traveling. And you don't move from here.” He rolled his eyes, passed the mail to the witch, then moved his head towards Dumbledore, who was ready to talk again. “I don't know what to do or think or… I mean, we are tied. I'm his and he's mine. We have a Blood Troth that makes our lives tied to each other. And I'm pretty sure he loved me. He did love me. He was pretty unfamiliar with love, but with me he…” he bit his lips, cleaning his face from the tears. “I don't wanna hold myself to that feeling. I don't wanna believe he will come back to me because that's not how the world works.” Mikka stared at Ominis. “I wanna believe he will come to his senses. I mean, it's too soon for him to start a revolution! Maybe it was just a kid's play we went along with. Like we got this obsession that slowly became our thing and now he left me so he will stop.” Ominis face was moving from side to side, not knowing what to say.
“How serious was he about you?” “I know he meant every single word. I mean, I even hold the possibility of him lying to me to get someone on his side. But he didn't. I'm scared he's really committed to his words.” Albus' legs started shaking again. Ominis got up from his chair to kneel in front of Albus for him to see his face. “Listen. Whatever you two had, is gone. Not for good, not for bad. But gone. And well, people have crazy ideas, and no matter how much commitment they have, history doesn't even know they exist. I mean, you heard about Sebastian. He's rotting in Azkaban because he couldn't accept his uncle gave up on Anne and he was on his way to save his sister. Maybe whatever you two had is like Sebastian and I. All his plans of saving Anne were what took him to Azkaban. All of Gellert's plans might end the same way too. Whatever Sebastian and Mikka did, that doesn't matter nowadays, history didn't change. Guys who have the same ideals as your boyfriend are rotting in Azkaban too, and we don't even know their names.” Ominis held Albus' hands. “Maybe he will realize that his purpose isn't glorious, it's pointless, it's worthless. And then, whatever he told you about it, it won't matter.” Mikka lowered their body to allow Albus to see them. “I mean, I saved the world from Ranrok, Rockwood and Ancient Magic with some Hogwarts teachers, and I know our names aren't in history books.” They shrugged, not paying importance to their words. “It's been nine years since we did it, and nobody knows about it.”
“Nobody knew, not even my family, not even me, about the whereabouts of my favorite aunt, determined to discover more about our family ascendency and dismantle most of Salazar Slytherin's past. She died at his catacombs, in the school grounds, forgotten.” He sighed sadly. “Teenagers say things every day. I mean, I remember I used to say that me and Sebastian would dress up and travel the world, and look at us. I also swore I would kill Peeves if he ever got through me again, and he's still alive and messing up everything and everybody.” Ominis got up, and Albus followed his face. “You don't have to worry about this. Not everyone makes it to history, no matter how big they go.” “Counting he's a dark wizard, expelled from a school that embraces it… yeah, I would get at least aware of him. But like I say, not everyone makes it.”
Callyps was pensive. “You have a picture of him?” “Mikka!” “What? I want to know who's got him like this. And don't deny you want to know it too!” Albus' mood was now a bit up. He kept that picture with him. Always. Except when he had to clean his clothes. He took the photo from the internal pocket of his vest, showing it to the witch. “Wow, you had a pretty nose before that punch.”
Albus laughed. “Oh, yeah, at my sister's funeral. Aberforth beat the shit out of me, blaming me for her death and ruining our family.” He scratched his head ashamed. Milka passed the picture to Ominis, who started touching the leaves at the background. “Who's the short one?” “That's me. The other is Gell” he smiled again. Ominis felt the smile on his photographed face, his light shirt and dark vest, then he felt the serious face of Albus' lover and how all the clothes felt warmer and dark. “Stone-cold personality?” “Not with me nor Ariana. He liked having her around. And me… He loved me.” “I think he's beautiful.” Albus was confused. How could he know? “I sense the ink, more less. If this is a portrait of him and you, I can sense the texture in your faces, and I can mind-picture how you look. Plus, Mikka pointed a few times your broken nose.” He walked towards his bedroom, knowing Mikka never enters there, and took one of the books where a picture was waiting. It had the date in Braille, 1890, time before Anne got cursed by Rockwood, so she was there, smiling with two boys. Sebastian and Ominis looked so happy there, little the three of them knew about their fates. “Anne might have a whole album.”
He finally felt relieved, after weeks of holding up all his troubles, and knowing someone knew how he felt. Still, he swore to keep the whole story for himself. It won't be necessary again to repeat it. He agreed with Gaunt and Callyps to keep in touch, at least for those days, so they could teach him about Ancient Magic and Ominis' Blind Dueling style before he left to France. He didn't want to discard the possibility of Gellert making history in the ways he swore. He truly wanted to believe, whatever they did, whatever they said, whatever they talked about that subject, it would never matter.
Little did Albus know about his fate.