— I was young. I was...
— Committed. To me. To us.
— No. I went along because...
— Because?
— Because I was in love with you.
— Yes.
— Can't say for certain it was my... spell. Doesn't really matter. One minute she was there, and the next she was gone.
— I'm so sorry, Albus. But if it's of any comfort, perhaps she was saved some pain...
— Don't. Don't disappoint me, Newt. You of all people. Your honesty is a gift... even if at times a painful one. Our friends downstairs will be tired and wanting to go home. You should... You should go.
— Albus, Lally said something earlier about most of us being ultimately imperfect. But even if we make mistakes, terrible things... we can try to make things right. And that's what matters... trying.
Funny how historic days seem so ordinary when you're living them.
Regret is my constant companion. Do not let it become yours.
— But how would you find them? They could be hidden anywhere, couldn’t they...
— True. But magic, especially Dark magic... leaves traces.
— Would he like a cup of tea?
— He'll have some milk. Hide the teaspoons.
You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who... ask for it.
Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy, emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.
Every time I get close to an answer it slips away, it's maddedning.
«Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it». I have always prized my ability to turn a phrase — words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable both of inflicting injury and remedying it. But I would — in this case — amend my original statement to this: Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who most deserve it... Assuming circumstances in the main are favorable to such an outcome, of course.
