This was written for 100quills - prompt #26 Gift
Once upon a time, they had been a happy, normal family. None of them had ever dreamed of what the future would hold; instead, they were a group of five people related by blood and love – the most powerful magic of all.
Once upon a time, the greatest wizard in the world and the Hogs Head barman had had a sister, and once upon a time that sister hadn't been a forgotten victim of prejudice and violence. Once upon a time she'd been just another beloved member of the Dumbledore family.
Albus Dumbledore hadn't always been great, and Aberforth Dumbledore hadn't always been a smelly barman. Ariana Dumbledore hadn't always been insane, and she hadn't always been forgotten.
Once upon a time, on Christmas Day 1847, Ariana Dumbledore had been the centre of attention as she begged her elder brother to give her a piggyback downstairs. The angel on top of the Christmas tree was a clumsily made decoration skilfully charmed to glow, and the hair glued to its head was goat hair painted red. And among the boxes littering the carpet underneath the tree, one brightly-wrapped one stood out from the others.
It was a family tradition that the youngest one distributed the presents. So Aberforth found himself placing the bright blue gift in his sister's hands and helping her open it. When Ariana had finished ripping the paper away and opened the box to find a toy broomstick, she flew across the room to hug Albus so tightly he lost the ability to breathe.
Not one member of that happy, laughing family could have imagined that less than a year later Ariana would be insane, Albus would be distancing himself from them and their father would be in Azkaban. No one noticed that the angel had slipped from atop the tree, and for one hundred and fifty years the Dumbledore family's fallen angel would be forgotten.