ImetAlbusDumbledoreattheageofeleven,onourfirstdayatHogwarts.Our
mutualattractionwasundoubtedlyduetothefactthatwebothfeltourselvestobe
outsiders.Ihadcontracteddragonpoxshortlybeforearrivingatschool,andwhile
Iwasnolongercontagious,mypock-markedvisageandgreenishhuedidnot
encouragemanytoapproachme.Forhispart,AlbushadarrivedatHogwarts
undertheburdenofunwantednotoriety.Scarcelyayearpreviously,hisfather,
Percival,hadbeenconvictedofasavageandwell-publicizedattackuponthree
youngMuggles.
Albusneverattemptedtodenythathisfather(whowastodieinAzkaban)had
committedthiscrime;onthecontrary,whenIpluckedupcouragetoaskhim,he
assuredmethatheknewhisfathertobeguilty.Beyondthat,Dumbledorerefused
tospeakofthesadbusiness,thoughmanyattemptedtomakehimdoso.Some,
indeed,weredisposedtopraisehisfather'sactionandassumedthatAlbustoowas
aMuggle-hater.Theycouldnothavebeenmoremistaken:Asanybodywhoknew
Albuswouldattest,heneverrevealedtheremotestanti-Muggletendency.Indeed,
hisdeterminedsupportforMugglerightsgainedhimmanyenemiesinsubsequent
years.
Inamatterofmonths,however,Albus'sownfamehadbeguntoeclipsethat
ofhisfather.Bytheendofhisfirstyearhewouldneveragainbeknownasthe
sonofaMuggle-hater,butasnothingmoreorlessthanthemostbrilliantstudent
everseenattheschool.Thoseofuswhowereprivilegedtobehisfriends
benefitedfromhisexample,nottomentionhishelpandencouragement,with
whichhewasalwaysgenerous.Heconfessedtomelaterinlifethathekneweven
thenthathisgreatestpleasurelayinteaching.
Henotonlywoneveryprizeofnotethattheschooloffered,hewassoonin
regularcorrespondencewiththemostnotablemagicalnamesoftheday,including
NicolasFlamel,thecelebratedalchemist;BathildaBagshot,thenotedhistorian;
andAdalbertWaffling,themagicaltheoretician.Severalofhispapersfoundtheir
wayintolearnedpublicationssuchasTransfigurationToday,Challengesin
Charming,andThePracticalPotioneer.Dumbledore'sfuturecareerseemed
likelytobemeteoric,andtheonlyquestionthatremainedwaswhenhewould
becomeMinisterofMagic.Thoughitwasoftenpredictedinlateryearsthathe
wasonthepointoftakingthejob,however,heneverhadMinisterialambitions.
ThreeyearsafterwehadstartedatHogwarts,Albus'sbrother,Aberforth,
arrivedatschool.Theywerenotalike:Aberforthwasneverbookishand,unlike
Albus,preferredtosettleargumentsbyduelingratherthanthroughreasoned
discussion.However,itisquitewrongtosuggest,assomehave,thatthebrothers
werenotfriends.Theyrubbedalongascomfortablyastwosuchdifferentboys
coulddo.InfairnesstoAberforth,itmustbeadmittedthatlivinginAlbus's
shadowcannothavebeenanaltogethercomfortableexperience.Beingcontinually
outshonewasanoccupationalhazardofbeinghisfriendandcannothavebeen
anymorepleasurableasabrother.WhenAlbusandIleftHogwartsweintended
totakethethen-traditionaltouroftheworldtogether,visitingandobserving
foreignwizards,beforepursuingourseparatecareers.However,tragedy
intervened.Ontheveryeveofourtrip,Albus'smother,Kendra,died,leaving
Albusthehead,andsolebreadwinner,ofthefamily.Ipostponedmydeparture
longenoughtopaymyrespectsatKendra'sfuneral,thenleftforwhatwasnowto
beasolitaryjourney.Withayoungerbrotherandsistertocarefor,andlittlegold
lefttothem,therecouldnolongerbeanyquestionofAlbusaccompanyingme.
Thatwastheperiodofourliveswhenwehadleastcontact.IwrotetoAlbus,
describing,perhapsinsensitively,thewondersofmyjourney,fromnarrow
escapesfromchimaerasinGreecetotheexperimentsoftheEgyptianalchemists.
Hisletterstoldmelittleofhisday-to-daylife,whichIguessedtobefrustratingly
dullforsuchabrilliantwizard.Immersedinmyownexperiences,itwaswith
horrorthatIheard,towardtheendofmyyear'stravels,thatanothertragedyhad
strucktheDumbledores:thedeathofhissister,Ariana.
ThoughArianahadbeeninpoorhealthforalongtime,theblow,comingso
soonafterthelossoftheirmother,hadaprofoundeffectonbothofherbrothers.
AllthoseclosesttoAlbus–andIcountmyselfoneofthatluckynumber–agree
thatAriana'sdeath,andAlbus'sfeelingofpersonalresponsibilityforit(though,of
course,hewasguiltless),lefttheirmarkuponhimforevermore.
Ireturnedhometofindayoungmanwhohadexperiencedamucholder
person'ssuffering.Albuswasmorereservedthanbefore,andmuchlesslight-
hearted.Toaddtohismisery,thelossofArianahadled,nottoarenewed
closenessbetweenAlbusandAberforth,buttoanestrangement.(Intimethis
wouldlift–inlateryearstheyreestablished,ifnotacloserelationship,then
certainlyacordialone.)However,herarelyspokeofhisparentsorofArianafrom
thenon,andhisfriendslearnednottomentionthem.