Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 744
“I am not like you, Tyella,” Dumbledore said in a mournful tone. “Your life is perfect; you have no scars that never heal and no regrets that you will carry for the rest of your life.”

"You mean your sister and Mr. Grindelwald?" Tierra countered.

“Yes, Tierra, it was them. My sister Ariana's passing has always pained and saddened me,” Dumbledore nodded. “As for Grindelwald, my relationship with him was even more complicated. We were once inseparable friends, comrades-in-arms, but in the end…”

“Headmaster Dumbledore, you should know that I can—” Tyella suggested, if you wish.

“No, no, it’s unnecessary,” Dumbledore refused. “What has happened to us has happened. No matter how much you smooth out a wall that has been nailed in, you can’t change the fact that it was once scarred.”

“We cannot arbitrarily change the past just because we have learned this magic. Our lives are not video games; our lives should not have save points,” Dumbledore said.

Dumbledore's words revealed a deep sense of guilt and self-reproach.

He understood Tyrell's good intentions, but Dumbledore rejected the offer because he knew that the imperfections of the past were part of life.

“You are a god,” Dumbledore continued. “You should know better than any of us what the anchor of a person is, and what defines me.”

“My dear sister Ariana and my failed best friend Grindelwald are both important figures in my life. Their existence and experiences have shaped who I am today. My past defines who I am.”

“Life isn’t a video game; it’s not a series of reloads.” Dumbledore looked at Tyrell, his eyes revealing a firm resolve. “We must face our past, accept and forgive our mistakes.”

Tyrell opened her mouth, then gently closed it again. For some reason, what Dumbledore had said to her today made Tyrell feel that there was a hidden meaning in his words. "Your mindset has changed, Tyrell," Dumbledore said, scrutinizing Tyrell deeply through his crescent-shaped spectacles. "In your eyes, are I, Harry, and the others living, breathing people, former comrades-in-arms? Or just tools?"

"Hmm?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Dumbledore's answer was Tyrell's silence.

"Haste makes waste, my dear student," Dumbledore said with a smile, like a kind old man. "Haste makes waste, that's a Chinese proverb. You should know the meaning of this better than I do. Although I don't know what you're rushing for, my advice is to slow down and take it easy."

Dumbledore was met with another long silence.

"I understand." After a long while, Tiera exhaled a breath of stale air, leaned back in her chair, and gently rubbed her eyebrows.

Tyrell had not made such a gesture for a long time since he became a god.

“I understand,” Tiera said with her eyes closed. “I understand. Thank you for your advice. I almost went down the wrong path again.”

(End of this chapter)