Before the young wizards of Hogwarts could recover from the shock of the change of headmaster, Dumbledore easily relieved himself and slipped away to the pig's head pub in the dark of night.

"How's it going, Aberforth, are you ready?" As soon as Dumbledore entered the door of the Hog's Head Bar, he couldn't wait to ask.

At this time, the pig's head bar had been cleared in advance, and the hall and guest rooms were empty.

Aberforth was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace on the second floor, rubbing his hands together from time to time, and the tension in his heart almost filled the bar.

"Albus, are you sure that stone is useful?" Aberforth looked at Dumbledore who was walking briskly downstairs, and said in a hopeful tone, "Can Ariana really come back to us?" ”

"Aberforth, I remember I told you very clearly, the Resurrection Stone cannot bring a person back from the dead." Dumbledore walked up to the second floor, stood by the fireplace, looked at the portrait on the wall, and whispered, "It's just the projection we want to see in our minds." ”

"I know...... I know......" The light in Aberforth's eyes dimmed, and he nodded slowly, "I just had a little hope that the Deathly Hallows was as magical as the legend suggests. ”

"I used to think so, too, thinking that by finding the Resurrection Stone with Gellert, I would bring back our deceased father and mother." Dumbledore wiped the corners of his eyes, his voice trembling a little, "But I didn't expect that it was precisely because of the Resurrection Stone that Ariana was also ......"

Aberforth choked up, his eyes becoming more lonely.

"Actually...... I had my problems back then. "I'm running away from the troublesome matter of having to take care of Ariana alone," he said, word for word, "in a way that he would have to take care of Ariana alone...... Knowing that she was upstairs, he still got angry and fought with Grindelwald. ”

"If we had calmed down a little bit at the time, maybe it would have been much better in the end." Dumbledore sighed, "It doesn't help to blame yourself so much now...... Do you remember Credence? ”

"Of course, if it weren't for the fact that I was also obsessed with a relationship with a girl during that time, maybe I wouldn't be so angry." Aberforth said, "Albus, I still wish you could call him Aurelius, I owe him too much. ”

"Yes, Aurelius Dumbledore." Dumbledore whispered, "He's the same as Ariana, he's an Obscurity, and we can't stop the silent riot within him even though he's been holding out long enough......"

"Actually, now that I think about it, we wouldn't have been able to save Ariana without that." Aberforth said, "Ariana herself understands this, so instead of hiding, she chose to risk a silent riot to come out and persuade us to stop the duel......"

"She's probably fed up with living in her room all the year round."

Both eyes were on the portrait next to the fireplace, and in the frame, the blonde-haired girl was smiling quietly at them.

"Let's get started." Dumbledore held the ring set with black stone on his index finger and said gently, "It's also a wish that is almost a hundred years, and it can be regarded as a survival for Ariana in this world." ”

Aberforth bowed his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the immature face in the frame.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and spun the ring in his hand three times.

Soon, there was a slight movement around him, like some weak body, stepping on the carpet of the pig's head bar that had been cleaned by Dracula's spell, making a squirming sound.

From Aberforth's vantage point, a figure can be seen emerging out of thin air, emerging from the fireplace.

He saw that this Ariana was neither a ghost nor a living person of flesh and blood, but more like a memory that had almost become a physical object.

She is not as real as a living person's body, but much more real than a ghost. He walked lightly in front of the two of them, both with playful, cute smiles on their faces.

Aberforth suddenly felt something stuffed in his hand.

He turned around and found that Dumbledore had opened his eyes at some point and handed him the resurrection stone ring.

Aberforth took a deep breath, closed his eyes as well, and followed Dumbledore's movements as he spun the stone in his hand three times.

Ariana's figure seemed to become more solid, like a living person, with a smile on her face, standing in front of the two of them.

"Long time no see, Albus, Aberforth, my two brothers......" she smiled and waved her hand, "your beard is longer than my hair." ”

Dumbledore's eyes welled up with tears. He took off his half-moon glasses and wiped the corners of his eyes with his cuffs.

"yes, we're old." He whispered, "And you're still what we remember, just like in the painting." ”

Aberforth also opened his eyes, and said with some trembling:

"Ariana, I'm sorry......"

"I don't blame you, never blame." Ariana interrupted Aberforth's apology, still with the same warm smile on her face, "You are all so good, you all have the right to pursue your own happiness and ideals, there is no need to give up everything for me, a person who is destined to leave soon." ”

"Also, I forgot to tell you. I came out of my room on purpose that summer! ”

"Instead of living in all kinds of torture every day, it is better to get liberation in advance."

"It should be that I'm sorry for you for making you feel guilty for so many years...... You must be working hard, right? ”

Dumbledore and Aberforth were stunned, then burst into tears at the same time.

"Don't be sad, my brothers, just leave it to me." Ariana turned around with a smile and looked at her portrait.

She beckoned to herself in the portrait, and the portrait smiled a little, pushing her hands forward as if pushing open a door.

Immediately afterwards, a row of steps magically appeared in front of the portrait, and the steps fell next to the fireplace.

Ariana stepped on it and walked into the painting.

The two girls in the painting smile at each other and hug each other.

Under the stares of Dumbledore and Aberforth, the two girls merged into a vivid figure, smiling and sitting on a swing in the portrait, swaying her little feet briskly.

Gradually, the corners of the mouths of the brothers Dumbledore and Aberforth also put a satisfied smile on their lips.

……

A few minutes later, sitting on the couch next to the fireplace, the three siblings chatted happily.

"I heard that you have resigned as Headmaster of Hogwarts, what are you going to do next?" Aberforth asked.

"Ariana has just returned, and of course I'm going to be here for a few days." Dumbledore smiled and said, "Leave Minerva and Severus busy with those post-war matters, after all these years, it's time for me to retire." ”

"What about the future, do you have any plans?" Aberforth then asked, "You can't stay here all the time. ”

Dumbledore's smile faded, and there was silence for a moment.

"Perhaps, I will fulfill a wish that I did not fulfill many years ago." He whispered.

Now, the knot that had been weighing on Dumbledore's heart for almost a hundred years had finally been untied, and the thickest barrier between him and Grindelwald had dissolved at the same time.

Perhaps, there is no shortage of good options for a trip that is just a good choice?

……

……