Committed this crime; on the contrary, when I plucked up courage to ask him, he

Assured me that he knew his father to be guilty. Beyond that, Dumbledore refused

To speak of the sad business, though many attempted to make him do so. Some,

indeed, were disposed to praise his father's action and assumed that Albus too was

a Muggle-hater. They could not have been more mistaken: As anybody who knew

Albus would attest, he never revealed the remotest anti-Muggle tendency. Indeed,

His determined support for Muggle rights gained him many enemies in subsequent

Years.

In a matter of months, however, Albus's own fame had begun to eclipse that

Of his father. By the end of his first year he would never again be known as the

Son of a Muggle-hater, but as nothing more or less than the most brilliant student

Ever seen at the school. Those of us who were privileged to be his friends

Benefited from his example, not to mention his help and encouragement, with

Which he was always generous. He confessed to me later in life that he knew even

Then that his greatest pleasure lay in teaching.

He not only won every prize of note that the school offered, he was soon in

Regular correspondence with the most notable magical names of the day, including

Nicolas Flamel, the celebrated alchemist; Bathilda Bagshot, the noted historian;

And Adalbert Waffling, the magical theoretician. Several of his papers found their

Way into learned publications such as Transfiguration Today, Challenges in

Charming, and The Practical Potioneer. Dumbledore's future career seemed

Likely to be meteoric, and the only question that remained was when he would

Become Minister of Magic. Though it was often predicted in later years that he

Was on the point of taking the job, however, he never had Ministerial ambitions.

Three years after we had started at Hogwarts, Albus's brother, Aberforth,

arrived at school. They were not alike: Aberforth was never bookish and, unlike

Albus, preferred to settle arguments by dueling rather than through reasoned

Discussion. However, it is quite wrong to suggest, as some have, that the brothers

Were not friends. They rubbed along as comfortably as two such different boys

could do. In fairness to Aberforth, it must be admitted that living in Albus's

Shadow cannot have been an altogether comfortable experience. Being continually

Outshone was an occupational hazard of being his friend and cannot have been

Any more pleasurable as a brother. When Albus and I left Hogwarts we intended

To take the then-traditional tour of the world together, visiting and observing

Foreign wizards, before pursuing our separate careers. However, tragedy

intervened. On the very eve of our trip, Albus's mother, Kendra, died, leaving

Albus the head, and sole breadwinner, of the family. I postponed my departure

long enough to pay my respects at Kendra's funeral, then left for what was now to

Be a solitary journey. With a younger brother and sister to care for, and little gold

Left to them, there could no longer be any question of Albus accompanying me.

That was the period of our lives when we had least contact. I wrote to Albus,

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 776