Here it is, chapter 11, which is also the LAST chapter. I just know some of you are thinking, 'It's about time she put this story out of it's misery!' :D The red flag bit was supposed to hint toward the end of the story since Albus and Gellert only spent two months together at Godric's Hollow, but I don't know if it was a very good hint, lol. I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever; I've been busy with graduation.

Thanks to all who reviewed:

ReMeDy10 -- I'm glad you liked the dream part - I had never intended to add it in the story, but the idea came to me out of nowhere!

Moonglaze -- Thanks for the review. :) Life really has been unfair to Albus, hasn't it? And unfortunately, the worst is to come in this chapter.

ReineMauvaise -- Gellert definitely is conceited, it's time Albus stood up to him and told him, "No"!

ProtegoNox -- I know, poor Albus. :( It's a shame Gellert isn't the person he pretends to be.

Chromde -- Thanks for the review! So many people feel so bad for Albus that we could all form a club, I think. :(

And thanks to all those who added this to their Story Alerts/Favorite Story List. Also, thanks in advance to anyone who reviews this chapter.

"Two months of insanity, of cruel dreams, and neglect of the only two members of my family left to me."
Albus Dumbledore, DH

The next few days at Godric's Hollow were uneventful and boring. Gellert was still trying to find out where Gregorovitch had gone, and Albus kept his mouth tightly closed whenever he went into long speeches about how wonderful it was going to be once they found him and stole the Elder wand from him. Albus just knew Gellert was not going to find Gregorovitch, and even if he did and successfully steal his wand from him, that it would be a normal wand worth only two Galleons and ten Sickles (which was currently the average price of a wand at Ollivanders).

The most eventful thing that happened during those next few days was when Gellert and Aberforth began to argue, which was now beginning to be commonplace. Gellert sometimes snapped some particularly nasty things to Aberforth, and Albus had been forced to reprimand Gellert, which was something he hated doing because he was not very successful at it. He was still in love with him after all, and as soon as Gellert's eyes met his, he would falter. He sometimes thought that Gellert was aware of this and using it to his advantage.

One day, Gellert was talking about their plans in the living room. He was sitting on the ugly floor with Albus beside him. Albus was not really listening to what he was saying, just watching him and listening to his voice.

"We should really start traveling soon," Gellert said. "I think that we've found out everything we can about Peverell, and Gregorovitch certainly isn't anywhere around here. I think we should start shortly after Aberforth goes off to school. And it'll be good for Ariana to get out of this blasted house anyway."

"Sure," Albus said mindlessly.

Gellert smiled at him, knowing he had not taken in a word he just said. "We would have to leave after my birthday on the second of September though," he said. "I can't wait to see you try to give me something better than what I gave you."

"Did you say that you're going to travel?" a voice asked.

Albus and Gellert looked up. Aberforth was standing at the entrance of the living room, looking at them.

"Yes, after you go off to school," Gellert said coolly.

"What about Ariana?" Aberforth asked, looking flabbergasted.

"She'll be coming with us, moron," Gellert said lightly. "However, if you prefer, we can just leave her here."

"Like hell she will," Aberforth snapped, looking pale.

"And why not?" Gellert growled. "Are you going to do something about it?"

"Gellert," Albus started.

"You're not taking Ariana all over the place!" Aberforth shouted. "You can't do that to her! She'll be terrified! Albus – Albus tell him – tell him he can't do this!"

Albus opened his mouth, but Gellert cut across him.

"Like hell you're going to tell your brother what to say or think," Gellert snapped, standing up.

Now getting truly alarmed, Albus stood up as well. "Gellert, calm down."

Gellert rounded on him, looking very angry. Albus winced. "So you're agreeing with him? What about everything we talked about?" He was shouting now as well.

"I didn't say I was agreeing with him –"

"You're taking his side?" Aberforth shouted. "You can't do this, Albus! You can't! Ariana needs someone here with her! If you must leave this place, let me stay then!"

"You're going back to school, Aberforth."

"Then you cannot leave! I was just beginning to trust you and your ability to make good judgments, and now you're doing this?"

"You," Gellert shouted at him, "you're a stupid, foolish little boy for trying to stand in his way and mine! Don't you understand, you damn idiot? Once we change the world, Ariana won't have to hide anymore! This is for the greater good, you little –" He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Aberforth.

"Gellert, stop!" Albus shouted. "Gellert, please, please don't –"

Gellert ignored him. "Do you understand now?" he snarled at Aberforth. When no reply came, he snapped, "Do you? Are you going to cooperate?"

Aberforth turned and began to walk away. Thinking it was over and he had won, Gellert lowered his wand. But Aberforth whipped around with his wand and hit Gellert with a spell that broke his nose, making blood pour out.

"No –!" Albus shouted.

Gellert hit Aberforth with another spell as well, and though Albus did not hear it because it was nonverbal, he knew was it was when his brother began to scream.

Albus knew he could not run away or close and eyes this time. He got his wand out as well and started to deflect their spells, trying to stop the sudden madness that had broken out. He did not know how long this went on because the situation felt surreal. It could have gone on for thirty seconds or ten minutes.

It turned out that all that was necessary to stop Gellert and Aberforth was a loud, heavy thump.

All three of them turned their heads and saw Ariana, crumpled lifelessly on the floor.

For a full thirty seconds, no one said or did anything. Then Aberforth ran over to her body and put his hand on her throat to check for a pulse. He pointed his wand at her and shouted shakily, "Rennervate!" Nothing happened.

Gellert was the first to speak. "Albus…. Albus…. I – I'm so sorry." He took his hand. Albus pulled away from him, feeling terrified. Gellert had scared him in the past, yes, but never to anything near this degree.

Gellert sighed. "Albus, I'm so sorry this had to happen." He threw a dirty look at Aberforth, who was still pointing his wand and staring numbly at the floor where Ariana lay as if this was entirely his fault. "Come on, Albus. We're going to have to get out of here now. I'm really sorry. But if we leave now, we will be able to ensure that… that Ariana was the first to die for the greater good."

Albus only stared at him. He did not feel anger or disgust. He just felt nothing except fear.

"Come on, Albus. I love you. You said you loved me. Now come with me."

Albus' eyes filled with tears, but he still said nothing for a long while. He suddenly realized how much power Gellert had over him, in every aspect of his life. Gellert was in control of his mind, of his relationships with other people (namely his brother and freshly gone sister), and his happiness. He had been controlling him for over two months now, and love had made such a fool out of him.

Gellert was waiting, looking extremely pale. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve because blood was still gushing from his nose. He seemed to have forgotten how to fix it. All the anger that had been radiating from him mere minutes ago was now gone, gone as if it had never been there and it never would be.

At last, Albus said, "I do love you…. I love you more than I can say…. But I cannot go with you." Tears fell from his eyes.

The expression on Gellert's face was unreadable. He looked neither sad nor angry. Just blank. He opened the front and and walked out, not bothering to close it behind him. And he was gone. Forever.

Albus' nose was broken and bleeding, but he didn't really care. He had his wand with him, but he felt like he deserved to have a broken nose and not be able to mend it. He was walking by a dozen people sitting in rows facing a coffin. Everyone was staring at either him or Aberforth in alarm. Some people, including Bathilda Bagshot, had begun to stand up, but froze midair to stare at Albus as he hurried by. He hoped that none of them got up and followed him, especially Elphias. He did, of course, because that's the kind of friend he was.

"Albus, hey! Slow down!"

Albus stopped. He was walking out toward the meadows where Gellert and he once had walked in a rainstorm.

Elphias caught up with him, panting slightly. "What the hell was that all about?" he asked breathlessly.

Albus didn't reply.

"Here, let me fix that for you –"

"I don't want you to mend my nose," he said, waving Elphias' wand away.

"Why?" Elphias asked.

"Because –" he said. I deserve it, he finished in his mind.

Elphias said nothing for a moment. They just stood there. The pain that was welling up in Albus demanded motion. He began to walk again. Elphias followed.

"Albus, what the hell happened this summer while I was away?"

"Nothing."

"Something happened between you and Aberforth. Why did he break your nose? What did he mean by 'you deserve a broken nose, too' right before he punched you? And why did he say that it was your fault Ariana died?"

"Because it is."

Though Albus didn't look at him, he could picture the stunned look on Elphias' face.

"Albus, don't be ridiculous. Of course it's not your fault. You are guiltless. She was ill for years. Seriously ill people die, Albus. Anyway, why on earth is he basing this on?"

Albus sat down rather suddenly in the grass as if he just realized that walking wasn't going to really get him anywhere different. He put his face in his hands. "It is my fault. You wouldn't understand."

Elphias crouched down next to him. "You're not being honest with me. Tell me. What happened this summer?"

"I cannot."

"Why not? I thought I was your friend – your best friend."

"All I want from my best friend is to be left alone."

Elphias hesitated. Then he stood up. "If you aren't back soon, I'm going to come back here looking for you."

"Fine," Albus said faintly, not looking at him. He heard Elphias walk away.

Albus tried to remember him and Elphias at Hogwarts, wandering around the corridors and spending the weekends together with a couple other friends of theirs, without a care in the world. It felt like he was remembering someone else's life. He felt like he barely even recognized Elphias. So much had happened since then, and he knew he could never be the same person that he was.

He had never understood the phrase where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. He only told the people who owned the cemetery to put it on his mother's grave because he knew that she loved that saying. Since he felt like his heart had been wrenched out and was missing, he now understood.