Post by TartanPhoenix on Sept 27, 2004 11:59:11 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Again, just the socks people, just the socks.
I always wondered what Albus did after Harry's trial in OoTP. Here it is...I hope.
It begins
Albus moved slowly as he entered through the portrait and into the chambers he had shared with his wife for well over forty years. Minerva was sitting, curled up, in her favorite armchair beside the fire reading. As she heard the portrait swing and his footsteps began to echo in the silent room she looked up from her book, but her smile faded with one look at his tiredface. With feline grace, she stood and moved to him, concern plain on her face.
He didn’t say anything as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her in for a desperate kiss. All of his anger and fear poured out into the kiss as he ravaged her mouth. He could feel her fingers dig into his shoulders as she responded, pushing herself farther into his embrace, trying to take his pain away. After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart and Minerva rested her head against his chest, trying to regain control of her breathing. “What
happened Albus?” she whispered.
She could feel his sigh rumble through him as he squeezed her before letting go. Grasping her slender hands in his larger ones, Albus led her to the crimson couch beside her chair and pulled her down next to him. Minerva curled up beside him and waited.
“They tried him with the full court Minerva. The full court,” he explained as he stared into the dancing flames. Albus could feel rather than hear her gasp as she clutched his arm. “It was a farce. If I hadn’t left early this morning, I don’t have any doubt Cornelius would have convicted him. You should have seen their faces Minerva. I’ve sat beside some of those people for thirty years, and I am truly beginning to wonder if I ever truly knew them.”
His head had fallen back against the cushions and he closed his eyes. Minerva reached out and began lightly stroking his hair, worried at the lines appearing on his face. “At least Harry was acquitted?”
“In the end yes, but it took more convincing than I could have ever imagined.” Albus paused and let his head fall to the side as he looked at her. “He looked so freighted Minerva,” he breathed. “I could feel it as he sat next to me. How am I ever going to explain this to him Minerva? How can I tell the one boy I care about most that looking at me could hurt him? I should have told him so long ago, but I didn’t and I’m afraid that it will have consequences neither of us can begin to fathom.”
Minerva watched as a single tear slid down his cheek and into his snow white beard. It tore at her to see him suffering. The man an entire world once looked up to now sat ridiculed and mocked, but his thoughts were, as always, still on the needs and feelings of others.
She trailed a single finger down the path of the tear, wiping it all away. “Everything you have done,” she whispered, “ has been what you thought was right. We both know how Harry would have reacted if you told him before. He would have shut himself away from the world, and the boy has had enough solitude to last two lifetimes. When the time is right you will tell him, and explain everything. He cares about you Albus. You are more important to him than
either of you realize and he won’t give that up quietly.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t know how much of Harry will survive the year. There are some things I cannot protect him from. I found out today who the ministry is appointing as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”
Minerva snorted and rested her head against his shoulder. “I still cannot believe you agreed to letting Fudge pick a replacement. The man has no interest in the welfare of the students. He just wants someone to spy on you.”
“I am very well aware of his reasoning, but I had no other option,” he soothed. “We need to at least pretend to work with them, and I cannot very well refuse the Minister when he has the governor’s backing. No matter how much we may despise his choice.”
“Who did the old fool choose?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“Dolores Umbridge,” he said blandly.
Minerva sat bolt upright in her seat and stared at Albus in horror. She could see the pain he felt shining bright in his dull eyes.
“You can’t be serious Albus! The woman is a toad in every meaning of the word. Who knows just what sort of trouble she could cause. You remember her as a student. She was always trying to find ways to get the other students into trouble, and I have never seen a witch with such little natural talent. It was a dangerous combination then, and now.”
“I know Tabby,” he replied wearily, “but there’s nothing I can do. The appointment has been made. Please, try to put off hexing her until after the year is over. I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to you.”
“I’ll do my best,” she promised, “if you promise to try and limit our time together. I don’t know just how much of that woman I can stand, but it’s probably not the best idea to find out.”
Albus chuckled as he pulled Minerva onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I saw someone else of interest today. Young Percy Weasley.”
Minerva just shook her head. “As much as I hate to say this, it didn’t surprise me. Out of all of Arthur and Molly’s children, he worried me the most. He was always far too interested in rules and ambition. After the first few years I was surprised he wasn’t sorted into Slytherin.”
She paused and played with the edge of his beard. “He’s caused his parents so much pain Albus.
Can he even begin to realize?”
“He’s young and blind with the promise of power and importance. Those are two things that the Weasley family lacks to the rest of the world, and they are precisely the things he wants most. Give him time Minerva; in the end I believe he will realize what is truly important and come home. After all, nothing can replace the love of family, not even money.”
Albus looked out the window at the setting sun and marveled at the beauty of it. “Our world is changing Minerva. There will be so much pain before the sun again rises.”
“There will be,” she said, kissing his lips gently, “but all we can do is what’s right. Nothing more, nothing less. You once told me that darkness was easily banished. That it only takes the light of a single candle to chase it away. All the evil in the world cannot stand against the goodwill of a single man.”
Albus traced the lines of her face with skilled fingers before drawing her down and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. “What did I ever do to have deserved you my love?”
Minerva smiled as she started undoing the clasps of his robes and letting her hands slide underneath. “You were my light in the darkness.”
I always wondered what Albus did after Harry's trial in OoTP. Here it is...I hope.
It begins
Albus moved slowly as he entered through the portrait and into the chambers he had shared with his wife for well over forty years. Minerva was sitting, curled up, in her favorite armchair beside the fire reading. As she heard the portrait swing and his footsteps began to echo in the silent room she looked up from her book, but her smile faded with one look at his tiredface. With feline grace, she stood and moved to him, concern plain on her face.
He didn’t say anything as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her in for a desperate kiss. All of his anger and fear poured out into the kiss as he ravaged her mouth. He could feel her fingers dig into his shoulders as she responded, pushing herself farther into his embrace, trying to take his pain away. After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart and Minerva rested her head against his chest, trying to regain control of her breathing. “What
happened Albus?” she whispered.
She could feel his sigh rumble through him as he squeezed her before letting go. Grasping her slender hands in his larger ones, Albus led her to the crimson couch beside her chair and pulled her down next to him. Minerva curled up beside him and waited.
“They tried him with the full court Minerva. The full court,” he explained as he stared into the dancing flames. Albus could feel rather than hear her gasp as she clutched his arm. “It was a farce. If I hadn’t left early this morning, I don’t have any doubt Cornelius would have convicted him. You should have seen their faces Minerva. I’ve sat beside some of those people for thirty years, and I am truly beginning to wonder if I ever truly knew them.”
His head had fallen back against the cushions and he closed his eyes. Minerva reached out and began lightly stroking his hair, worried at the lines appearing on his face. “At least Harry was acquitted?”
“In the end yes, but it took more convincing than I could have ever imagined.” Albus paused and let his head fall to the side as he looked at her. “He looked so freighted Minerva,” he breathed. “I could feel it as he sat next to me. How am I ever going to explain this to him Minerva? How can I tell the one boy I care about most that looking at me could hurt him? I should have told him so long ago, but I didn’t and I’m afraid that it will have consequences neither of us can begin to fathom.”
Minerva watched as a single tear slid down his cheek and into his snow white beard. It tore at her to see him suffering. The man an entire world once looked up to now sat ridiculed and mocked, but his thoughts were, as always, still on the needs and feelings of others.
She trailed a single finger down the path of the tear, wiping it all away. “Everything you have done,” she whispered, “ has been what you thought was right. We both know how Harry would have reacted if you told him before. He would have shut himself away from the world, and the boy has had enough solitude to last two lifetimes. When the time is right you will tell him, and explain everything. He cares about you Albus. You are more important to him than
either of you realize and he won’t give that up quietly.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t know how much of Harry will survive the year. There are some things I cannot protect him from. I found out today who the ministry is appointing as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”
Minerva snorted and rested her head against his shoulder. “I still cannot believe you agreed to letting Fudge pick a replacement. The man has no interest in the welfare of the students. He just wants someone to spy on you.”
“I am very well aware of his reasoning, but I had no other option,” he soothed. “We need to at least pretend to work with them, and I cannot very well refuse the Minister when he has the governor’s backing. No matter how much we may despise his choice.”
“Who did the old fool choose?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“Dolores Umbridge,” he said blandly.
Minerva sat bolt upright in her seat and stared at Albus in horror. She could see the pain he felt shining bright in his dull eyes.
“You can’t be serious Albus! The woman is a toad in every meaning of the word. Who knows just what sort of trouble she could cause. You remember her as a student. She was always trying to find ways to get the other students into trouble, and I have never seen a witch with such little natural talent. It was a dangerous combination then, and now.”
“I know Tabby,” he replied wearily, “but there’s nothing I can do. The appointment has been made. Please, try to put off hexing her until after the year is over. I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to you.”
“I’ll do my best,” she promised, “if you promise to try and limit our time together. I don’t know just how much of that woman I can stand, but it’s probably not the best idea to find out.”
Albus chuckled as he pulled Minerva onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I saw someone else of interest today. Young Percy Weasley.”
Minerva just shook her head. “As much as I hate to say this, it didn’t surprise me. Out of all of Arthur and Molly’s children, he worried me the most. He was always far too interested in rules and ambition. After the first few years I was surprised he wasn’t sorted into Slytherin.”
She paused and played with the edge of his beard. “He’s caused his parents so much pain Albus.
Can he even begin to realize?”
“He’s young and blind with the promise of power and importance. Those are two things that the Weasley family lacks to the rest of the world, and they are precisely the things he wants most. Give him time Minerva; in the end I believe he will realize what is truly important and come home. After all, nothing can replace the love of family, not even money.”
Albus looked out the window at the setting sun and marveled at the beauty of it. “Our world is changing Minerva. There will be so much pain before the sun again rises.”
“There will be,” she said, kissing his lips gently, “but all we can do is what’s right. Nothing more, nothing less. You once told me that darkness was easily banished. That it only takes the light of a single candle to chase it away. All the evil in the world cannot stand against the goodwill of a single man.”
Albus traced the lines of her face with skilled fingers before drawing her down and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. “What did I ever do to have deserved you my love?”
Minerva smiled as she started undoing the clasps of his robes and letting her hands slide underneath. “You were my light in the darkness.”
Great fic
