Thanks very much, Pieredae! I'll confess... I was in the midst of a T.S. Eliot binge when I wrote this one, so 'The Hollow Men' was ringing in my ears at the time. The early years of Albus are fascinating and terribly tragic.

No kidding! He learnt very, very quickly that he had to rely on himself to get things done. I also think he also learnt to doubt everyone around him and keep them at arm's length. (Alone in a crowd, you know?) Thanks for your review!

Yes, that line from Ab makes you wonder... Exactly what kinds of secrets did those children figure out their mother was keeping? Which lies was she telling? Is it just this, or is there more?

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much,

. Yes, an incident in youth has ramifications in later years. Thanks for your review.

Thank you,

. Yes, it's terrible knowing what's about to happen next. The Dumbledores' story is not a happy one. Thank you for your review.

Thank you,

. No, I'm sympathetic to Dumbledore as an adult, either. He asks terrible things of both Harry and Severus. His younger years (and these few months) are just horrific, and when his world falls apart after the incident with Ariana and Grindelwald, he never builds a close relationship again. It's an isolated life for Albus. Thank you for your review.

(not sympathetic)

Oops! No, not sympathetic.

Thank you,

. Yes, the Dumbledores are a textbook case of dysfunction. It's no wonder Albus would isolate himself from close relationships in his later years.

Thank you, MuseAmant. The Dumbledores' story is a series of tragedies, isn't it? Thank you for your review.

Thank you,

. I agree with you on older Dumbledore, but his younger years are just horrific. I think these 'desperate situations,' as you say, explain why he isolated himself so much as an adult.

Thank you, marianne. If we take Sirius at his word, no-one in Azkaban kept their sanity for long. I don't know how a mother could tell her children that, so this is one possible solution for Kendra. Thank you for your review.

Thank you,

. I'm similarly hardened towards Dumbledore - it's hard not to be, seeing what he put Harry and Severus through over the years - but his early years are tragic. So much happens in just a few months, and it's all about the relationships with people he loves being destroyed. It's no surprise he isolates himself so much in his later years. (The notes? Gone!)

Thank you,

. DH, in my mind, gives us enough material to both despise Dumbledore for his choices as an adult and feel great compassion for the young man he once was. In the span of a few months, he becomes an adult, his family is destroyed, and in the midst of it all, he falls in love with someone who turns out to be evil. It's no wonder he isolates himself so much later in life.

Thanks. Yes, the Dumbledores' story is not a happy one.

Thank you. Yes, I  agree that we're right in looking beyond the image of the perfect, grandfatherly man to see the meddling antagonist, but Dumbledore's no easy villain, either. This summer with Kendra and Ariana's deaths must have been horrific for Albus, and it catapulted him into an isolated, lonely life.

Yes, much worse.  It's also an obscene amount of pressure for anyone, orphaned at such a young age.

Thank you, and thank you for your review.

Thank you. We forget about it, but the Dumbledores' story is a series of tragedies.

Yes, that line from Ab makes you wonder... Exactly what kinds of secrets did those children figure out their mother was keeping? Which lies was she telling? Thank you, and thank you for your review.

Thank you very much!

Thank you. Yes, the Dumbledores' story is a sad one.