Post by ginger newts on Mar 7, 2005 17:18:07 GMT -5
Broken Bones, Shattered Youth
Minerva was surprised when Albus didn’t show up at the end of her last class of the day. He usually came by to walk her to her office and enquire after her afternoon, but ten minutes after class ended he still had not appeared. Worried that something might be troubling him, then thinking that perhaps he had been called away and left a message for her in his office, Minerva decided to pay Albus a visit. She gave the password to the stone gargoyle that guarded his tower office and climbed the revolving stairs before rapping sharply on the door.
The door opened magically and Minerva entered to find Albus staring listlessly out the window, he didn’t acknowledge her presence at all. “Albus?” she called out as she crossed the room to his side.
When she arrived beside him, Albus glanced down at her. “Hello, my dear.”
“Albus, what’s troubling you?”
He sighed, “Just feeling old I suppose.”
Minerva was slightly surprised at that. Usually she was the one who complained about feeling older and Albus would remind her that one is only as young as one feels before whisking her away for some ridiculous activity that was supposed to help her feel young again. Her silence prompted Albus to continue speaking.
“Do you remember when I broke my arm over the weekend?”
She nodded. She had been there at the time, how could she have forgotten. Albus had been climbing the stairs when the caretaker’s cat Mrs. Norris ran under his feet and caused him to lose his balance. Minerva reached out to steady him, but Albus fell, pinning his arm between his body and the stairs with a sickening crunch. Poppy had healed the injury right away and he hadn’t complained of any pain since.
“Yes, I remember,” she said when he said no more. “Has it been causing you pain?”
“No,” he answered. “But I went to see Poppy again today, she wanted to check the arm again after a few days as is standard.” Albus paused and sighed again. “When she ran the diagnostic spell she said she noticed something strange and wanted to run a couple more tests. It turns out I have something the Muggles call osteoporosis.”
“I thought that was a problem that women suffered from,” Minerva interjected.
“That is the way it is typically thought of, but apparently men begin to suffer as well only at an older age. Of course, witches and wizards grow old at a much slower rate than Muggles so if a Muggle man develops osteoporosis around age sixty-five, it makes sense that a wizard would around one-hundred and thirty.” Albus turned toward Minerva and made eye contact for the first time since she entered the office. “This is the first sign that my body is beginning to fail me. I have to start taking a potion daily to build my bones back up or I may begin to break them more frequently. I don’t want to become a feeble old man!” he suddenly exclaimed.
Minerva reached out and took his hand, leading him away from the window. She had seen Albus go through some difficult times when he thought he had made mistakes regarding others, had endangered someone unnecessarily, or had disappointed a friend, but never had she seen him troubled by something like this. An idea occurred and Minerva began walking backwards toward the bedroom, still holding Albus’ hand.
“My dear, where are you taking me?” he asked, the twinkle beginning to return to his blue eyes.
“I’m going to prove to you that you are neither old nor feeble. You’re bones may need strengthening, but there is one part of your body that has never failed us,” she answered coyly. “You’re only as young as you feel, Albus, that’s what you always tell me. Care to spend the afternoon recapturing your youth?”
Albus’ face broke out in a wide smile as he quickened his pace. “That sounds like an excellent idea, although it may take longer than just the afternoon. I’ve been feeling old all day.”
“Well we’ve got all night, my love, and tomorrow is a Saturday.”
The End
A/N: I know this was incredibly short, but I think you'll survive. The information about men and osteoporosis is true, by the way, I used to work for one of the leading MDs in the field.
Minerva was surprised when Albus didn’t show up at the end of her last class of the day. He usually came by to walk her to her office and enquire after her afternoon, but ten minutes after class ended he still had not appeared. Worried that something might be troubling him, then thinking that perhaps he had been called away and left a message for her in his office, Minerva decided to pay Albus a visit. She gave the password to the stone gargoyle that guarded his tower office and climbed the revolving stairs before rapping sharply on the door.
The door opened magically and Minerva entered to find Albus staring listlessly out the window, he didn’t acknowledge her presence at all. “Albus?” she called out as she crossed the room to his side.
When she arrived beside him, Albus glanced down at her. “Hello, my dear.”
“Albus, what’s troubling you?”
He sighed, “Just feeling old I suppose.”
Minerva was slightly surprised at that. Usually she was the one who complained about feeling older and Albus would remind her that one is only as young as one feels before whisking her away for some ridiculous activity that was supposed to help her feel young again. Her silence prompted Albus to continue speaking.
“Do you remember when I broke my arm over the weekend?”
She nodded. She had been there at the time, how could she have forgotten. Albus had been climbing the stairs when the caretaker’s cat Mrs. Norris ran under his feet and caused him to lose his balance. Minerva reached out to steady him, but Albus fell, pinning his arm between his body and the stairs with a sickening crunch. Poppy had healed the injury right away and he hadn’t complained of any pain since.
“Yes, I remember,” she said when he said no more. “Has it been causing you pain?”
“No,” he answered. “But I went to see Poppy again today, she wanted to check the arm again after a few days as is standard.” Albus paused and sighed again. “When she ran the diagnostic spell she said she noticed something strange and wanted to run a couple more tests. It turns out I have something the Muggles call osteoporosis.”
“I thought that was a problem that women suffered from,” Minerva interjected.
“That is the way it is typically thought of, but apparently men begin to suffer as well only at an older age. Of course, witches and wizards grow old at a much slower rate than Muggles so if a Muggle man develops osteoporosis around age sixty-five, it makes sense that a wizard would around one-hundred and thirty.” Albus turned toward Minerva and made eye contact for the first time since she entered the office. “This is the first sign that my body is beginning to fail me. I have to start taking a potion daily to build my bones back up or I may begin to break them more frequently. I don’t want to become a feeble old man!” he suddenly exclaimed.
Minerva reached out and took his hand, leading him away from the window. She had seen Albus go through some difficult times when he thought he had made mistakes regarding others, had endangered someone unnecessarily, or had disappointed a friend, but never had she seen him troubled by something like this. An idea occurred and Minerva began walking backwards toward the bedroom, still holding Albus’ hand.
“My dear, where are you taking me?” he asked, the twinkle beginning to return to his blue eyes.
“I’m going to prove to you that you are neither old nor feeble. You’re bones may need strengthening, but there is one part of your body that has never failed us,” she answered coyly. “You’re only as young as you feel, Albus, that’s what you always tell me. Care to spend the afternoon recapturing your youth?”
Albus’ face broke out in a wide smile as he quickened his pace. “That sounds like an excellent idea, although it may take longer than just the afternoon. I’ve been feeling old all day.”
“Well we’ve got all night, my love, and tomorrow is a Saturday.”
The End
A/N: I know this was incredibly short, but I think you'll survive. The information about men and osteoporosis is true, by the way, I used to work for one of the leading MDs in the field.
Kandie
... great job, Big Sis!
Luckily, Minerva is around 