[The video opens in the house in Godric’s Hollow where Dumbledore lives, but the appearance has shifted and rearranged – furniture is different, and the wallpaper seems less frayed and worn. On the video sits Albus, except as a child – one no more than ten years old. He reads a book until there’s the distant
bang of a door slamming open and the wail of a young girl sobbing.
A man and a woman can be heard, yelling in panicked voices from further below in the house. Albus slams his book closed and runs down the stairs; in the sitting room are his mother and a man who looks much like Albus will when he grows older, who holds a tiny, shrieking Ariana in his arms. Ariana’s clothes are torn, her hair a mess and clearly scraped and bruised all over, and she cries with all her might, clinging to her father desperately.]
Father? Father, what’s happened –
Go upstairs! Go upstairs now and keep your brother up there as well![His father seems furious, though Albus isn’t the target. Albus hesitates a moment, looking at his sister, but he does as he’s told and runs back upstairs to sit in his brother’s room – but he keeps his ear to the door, ignoring his brother’s requests to know what’s going on.
A few minutes later, the crying has subdued, but there are shouts from below, with Albus’ mother shrieking, “Percival, you
can’t, Percival
come back here -“. But there’s the slam of the front door, and then silence.
The memory shifts to a later date, though Albus is not much older. He and his brother Aberforth are huddled in front of a magical radio, pressing their ears to listen as a voice announces:]
- has declared Percival Dumbledore guilty of both charges of murder. Here in the courtroom, a pair of dementors has approached the defendant to escort him immediately to Azkaban prison…[Aberforth starts crying, though he tries to stifle it. Albus just sits there, numb, staring into space and looking very small and afraid.]