"I almost didn't manage to smooth that over."
After leaving the barn, John wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"On a whim, I nearly destroyed two young wizards."
Even he hadn't expected that as he kept talking, he would nearly push two dream-filled young wizards to the brink of collapse.
Fortunately, in the end he managed to round things off with his philosophy of strength above all.
"But what were they doing in the barn?"
John wondered suspiciously, completely unaware that the words he had spoken before leaving had plunged the young Al into deep confusion.
"Ariana?"
He noticed a figure in the courtyard.
Walking over, he stopped. Ariana was standing there in the yard, her hands clamped over her ears.
To be honest, knowing what fate awaited Ariana left John with complicated feelings.
Her destiny was already sealed.
As an Obscurial, she was one of the most dangerous kinds of wizards.
For Ariana, the most painful thing was the magic within her own body.
She had to constantly suppress the magic threatening to spiral out of control.
She was trapped in that suffering, while her brother feared that if she went outside, she might harm others.
An isolation born from being misunderstood.
It wasn't like Luna, the sort of spirit who lived comfortably within her own world, nor like Astoria's clear-minded awareness.
Her future had stopped at the age of six, not long enough for her to learn how to express herself.
Her life would end at fourteen.
She was a pitiful person.
"What are you doing here?" John sensed helplessness and fear coming from Ariana.
The quarrel between her brothers had frightened the girl, and she had hidden herself in the courtyard.
Perhaps the little girl was not as oblivious as she appeared. She knew the reason for the argument lay with her.
Hearing John's voice, Ariana slowly lowered her hands.
John noticed a small teddy bear lying on the ground. He picked it up and carefully brushed the dust off it.
Then he returned the now-clean bear to Ariana.
Ariana accepted the bear, and the helplessness in her faded somewhat. In her other hand she held an unopened flower that had fallen in the courtyard. As if offering the most precious thing she had, she gave it to John.
"..For ..you."
The flower had not bloomed, just like Ariana—there would be no future.
Ariana did not understand such things. She only wanted to give something good to John.
John paused slightly. Instead of taking the flower, he placed his palm beneath the blossom.
The closed bud in Ariana's hand slowly began to open.
A flower that had already died blossomed one last time in beauty.
Ariana watched the flower bloom with delight.
"It's very beautiful."
John gave a soft laugh. "Thank you. I like this gift, Ariana."
A smile bloomed across Ariana's face, innocent and bright. The fourteen-year-old girl was happy.
For a moment, the fear within her was replaced by a brief happiness.
John took the flower and placed it against his chest. The white blossom was pure and flawless.
When he turned his head, he saw Aberforth's wary gaze.
That stubborn man was always hovering around his sister.
Though hot-tempered, he was still a brother who loved his sister deeply.
"Aberforth, how are your drawing skills?" John suddenly asked.
Aberforth froze for a moment, then muttered, "What's it to you? You fucking—"
"Fair enough." John nodded.
By the time John left, Aberforth was already curled up in the courtyard, clutching his stomach.
His sister Ariana was squatting beside him, looking at her brother's pained expression with concern, gently poking him with the wand that had fallen nearby.
Since the goat boy refused to speak properly, John had no choice but to teach him a lesson.
"Suddenly, Draco doesn't seem nearly as annoying," John remarked with a sigh. "Without comparison, there's no harm. Though the goat boy being able to draw is quite surprising."
The hot-tempered younger brother, Aberforth, unexpectedly knew how to draw, and he was quite good at it.
And the goat boy liked drawing pictures for his sister. It was probably the way they communicated with Ariana.
One used puppet shows, the other drawings.
...
After their last meeting in the barn, Gael and Al refused to give up. They frequently came looking for John, hoping to recruit him into their ranks.
John refused every time, but the young Gael had a rather unconventional persistence.
They even brought a camera, hoping to take a photo together with John.
Each time, however, John slipped away, and over time it almost turned into a game.
Aberforth, meanwhile, was like a barrel of gunpowder that could explode at the slightest provocation.
...
Several weeks passed.
John's eyesight had recovered enough that he could clearly see people within a meter.
Though the world was still black and white.
On this particular day, everything was unusually quiet.
Gael and Al didn't appear. It seemed they were planning something.
Bathilda released an owl.
She often accepted interviews with newspapers in her spare time.
That was Bathilda's main source of income.
It was a good method, but unfortunately for John, it would have too much impact.
He wanted to go to Azkaban and capture a few Dementors as materials.
He ran into Ariana.
Inside the house, faint sounds of an argument could be heard.
John knew that Aberforth was once again quarreling with his brother.
At some point, Ariana had come to rely heavily on John.
She was like a kitten afraid of being abandoned.
John guided Ariana with his wand, and the two of them sat beside the stream.
He blinked, and his eyes turned into vertical pupils.
"Unfortunately, I still can't see clearly," he said, trying to focus on what lay ahead. In the end he sighed. "I've been here for almost two months."
Ariana sat beside him, holding her teddy bear in one hand and gripping her wand with the other, looking at John with concern.
"Perhaps you don't know this, but I'm not from here, Ariana," John said to her. "I will leave this place."
He was preparing to head to Azkaban to find Dementors and refine a soul potion.
"You should learn how to express yourself."
John opened his palm, and the white flower appeared in his hand.
It was the one Ariana had given him. Now he was returning it to her.
"Equivalent exchange, Ariana," John said. "This flower is for you."
Ariana slowly released the wand and carefully reached out to take the flower.
A bright smile appeared on her face.
The closed-off heart within her had begun to open a little through their time together.
She treated it like a treasure, gently placing it in her hair, then looked at John as if asking whether it looked nice.
John smiled faintly and waved his wand, causing more white blossoms to grow from the flower until it formed a wreath.
"Have a good dream tonight, Ariana."
John extended his wand, but Ariana did not take it. Instead, she grabbed his finger.
Her eyes were filled with reluctance. She didn't want John to leave.
"Let…"
"Let?" John looked at Ariana.
"Let me become your eyes."
Ariana knew there was something wrong with John's eyesight that required treatment, but she didn't want him to leave.
A strange feeling rose in John's heart. Was it pity?
She had been listening carefully to every word he said, trying hard to change, trying to express her feelings.
But…
John gave a self-mocking smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, Ariana."
Let this girl leave the world wrapped in one last moment of gentleness.
He allowed Ariana to hold his hand as he walked her back.
When they reached the house, Aberforth was already waiting there.
Seeing the smile on Ariana's face, Aberforth was momentarily stunned. How long had it been since he had last seen his sister smile?
After hesitating for a moment, Ariana let go of John's hand and ran over.
She ran toward the home that would one day take her life.
Aberforth turned and led Ariana back inside. After a few steps, he paused and said with a stern expression, "Thank you, Yorl."
As her brother, Aberforth couldn't help but thank John.
Then he asked, "Are you the same as them?"
He was asking whether John, like Gael and the others, intended to leave.
John said, "I'm not from here, Aberforth."
Aberforth led Ariana back into the house.
John stood outside for a while, raising a hand to wave goodbye to Ariana by the window.
He returned to Bathilda's house and saw Gael packing his things.
"Come with us, Yorl."
A silver pendant hung on his chest, a symbol of the power of a pact.
For the last time, he said, "Let's change this world together, let wizards stand openly in the light."
John lowered his gaze and gently shook his head. "You haven't even been honest with me about your name, Gael."
"Gellert," Gael immediately said with seriousness. "Gellert Grindelwald. Come with me, Yorl."
So it really was the man John had suspected all along. And because of that, John couldn't involve himself with him.
"You're someone who wants to change the world, just like us," Gael tried to persuade him in the simplest way. "You shouldn't live an ordinary life, Yorl!"
He possessed the gift of prophecy, which meant he saw more than others.
He was unwilling to accept this world, or the future he had seen.
"Then I'll wait for you in the future, Grindelwald," John said with a faint laugh, adding inexplicably, "The future you've seen is too short."
Gael could not understand those words now.
Only Grindelwald would be able to understand them.
John refused Gael's final invitation.
Gael's expression changed several times before he finally left Bathilda's house.
…
The Dumbledore household.
Gael said to Al, "Let's leave together, Al! Bring your sister with you. We can protect her and hide her."
In Al's room, the two young wizards were planning their departure.
Aberforth had just coaxed his sister to sleep. The wreath seemed to be enchanted; worn on Ariana's head, it wouldn't become wrinkled even as she slept.
As he passed by Al's door, he heard them talking inside.
That annoying Gael was there—Gellert Grindelwald.
At first, he thought it was just another one of their late-night heart-to-heart talks, more unrealistic fantasies.
But then… what did he hear?
Leave?
The soles of Aberforth's feet itched as a surge of heat rushed up to his head.
"He… wants to leave?"
Aberforth repeated the words mechanically, his expression gradually twisting into something ferocious.
His own brother… wanted to leave?
To abandon everything!
He was furious.
He shoved the door open.
"You stole my brother, and now you want to take my poor sister too?"
Blinded by anger, Aberforth pulled out his wand.
It was a habit he had always had, but this time he truly intended to cast a curse at that blond bastard who had come from nowhere.
"You want to duel me?" Gael was no pushover either. Having lost patience with the goat boy, he said coldly, "You can't bear the consequences."
"No, Aberforth, put down your wand."
"I won't. I'm going to deal with this guy myself!"
"Don't stop him, Al. He needs to learn from a defeat."
The light of spells finally flared inside the house.
The gears of fate began to turn.
Aberforth made the first move.
Gael's counterattack forced him to retreat again and again. Al joined the fight, protecting his brother while trying to stop Gael.
The three of them fell into a chaotic melee. Aberforth was like an enraged goat, and both Al and Gael were targets of his attacks.
Their door swung open.
Ariana stood there, clutching her teddy bear, the beautiful flower wreath still resting on her head. Hearing her brothers arguing, she came out.
This time, she chose to face it, to express her feelings.
____
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