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Tweak says, ""Put it on me, go on.""

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (dumbleydore) wrote in beyondthepages,
@ 2010-03-20 18:19:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2023 08, albus dumbledore, ginny potter

Characters: Albus Dumbledore & Ginny Potter
Time/Date: Around lunch time, 20 August 2023
Location: The Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts
Warnings/Rating: None yet
Summary: Albus wonders why he's up on battlements of the Astronomy Tower
Status: Complete

Albus continued his verbal thrust and parry with the Death Eaters on the battlements next to the Astronomy Tower, desperately holding on to his mind which was still reeling from the after effects of the potions he had drunk in the cave. He needed to buy time for Severus to arrive and to distract the Death Eaters from accidentally finding Harry. When the door opened and the black-clad Potions Master emerged, Albus gave a small sigh of relief.

He watched as Draco tried but failed to complete his task and then his eyes met those of his spy. Obey me. Do it. he demanded in that moment of Legilimency. He grieved at the expression of self-loathing and self-hatred that washed over Severus' face but the younger man raised his wand and spoke the words Albus had been waiting for.

It wasn't an ideal death. Draco had defeated him and thus inadvertently gained mastery of the Elder Wand. It was not what he meant to happen. He was supposed to die by mutual agreement at Severus' hand thus ensuring he was not defeating and the power of the wand was broken. Unfortunately it had not happened but he trusted that Severus would ensure that Draco never realised precisely what he had done. He also trusted that Harry would work things out. He had great faith that young man. He had given him the tools he needed and now it was up to him.

The Killing Curse hit him at that moment and Albus Dumbledore continued on life's next great adventure...

...which left him right where he had been.

Albus looked around in surprise and then frowned as he realised he was standing on the battlements outside the Astronomy Tower. It was a markedly different Albus Dumbledore than the one who had died there. He was younger for one. His hair was merely greying rather than being white and only down to his shoulders. His face was clean-shaven though that was a result of a lost bet rather than personal preference. He was not the Headmaster of Hogwarts but merely the Transfiguration teacher, Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmaster.

"Quite remarkable," he said calmly as a moment before he was absolutely certain he had been walking through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic after yet another interminable meeting with various officials where he explained and obfuscated about his battle with Gellert and once again refused to even consider putting forward his name in nomination for Minister of Magic.

He turned towards the door that led into the castle. Perhaps Armando might have some answers... or perhaps one of the other Professor was playing a prank on him. If so, he certainly appreciated it.

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-20 03:42 pm UTC (link)

Ginny wanted to do a survey of the grounds from the tower. While she was excited about the tournament (it was hard not to be), she was also a little ... nervous. No, all right, a lot nervous. They'd lost a student in the last one and they'd very nearly lost Harry.

She was a little bit terrified Albus was going to want to sign up for it, and she was more terrified he'd be chosen. She'd support him of course if that was what he wanted to do, but oh dear Merlin did she ever hope he wasn't chosen. They couldn't have put it off a year? But then Lily Luna would probably try to sneak into it. Though at least she wouldn't have been eligible. Still, that girl was going to be the death of her, she just knew it. Bold as both herself and Harry and twice as crafty - Ginny was surprised Lily hadn't wound up in Slytherin, sly as she could be. But the girl was a bit too honest when she got caught, so that was likely why she'd just been a lion.

Smiling to her thoughts, she very nearly bumped into the person she met at the doorway to the astronomy tower. "Sorry," she murmured as she glanced to his face.

And then she frowned. She hadn't been here as long as some of the others, but she knew all the staff here. "I thought the Ministry was done here?" she said, brows furrowing - that was clearly the only reasonable excuse for an otherwise strange person being in the tower, wasn't it?

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dumbleydore
2010-03-20 09:15 pm UTC (link)

Albus was startled to bump into someone as he came back into the castle. The students and most of the teachers were still not back at school even though it was already a week into September though they hoped to have them back by the end of next week. They were going to get a late start this year. Regrettable but not surprisingly given the turmoil hat had gone on. Not only the Muggle creating chaos with the bombs and the rationing and the conscription of the Muggleborn students but also Gellert's people creating chaos. It was all over now in both worlds.

More confusing was the fact that he didn't recognise the woman. She wasn't a teacher and she wasn't anyone in the Ministry that he'd met and in fact her words implied she wasn't with the Ministry. Perhaps she was a parent but surely she'd have been met and taken up to Armando's office.

Ah well, there weren't many of them here at the moment and it was likely the others had gone out. It was a small thing to escort her to the Headmaster then he could find out how he'd managed to end up out on the battlements. The vague and mildly disturbing thought occurred to him that it might have been an action of the Elder Wand but he quickly set that aside. He would consider it later when he had time.

"The Ministry was done with Hogwarts a few weeks ago." It had been a relief to get them out even as he appreciated their help. "Were you looking for Headmaster Dippet? I can escort you to his office if you'd like? I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore. I'm the Deputy Headmaster."

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-20 09:25 pm UTC (link)

While Ginny was absolutely certain she could do more than stare, it was a long moment before she recalled that. "Headmaster ... Dippet," she repeated slowly before she shook her head slightly. "Filius is the Headmaster now. Flitwick," she clarified. "Has been for ... a while. Ever since ..." Ginny licked her lips then shook her head because that was not the part she should be focusing on.

The man had just claimed to be a man who'd been dead for over a quarter of a century. A man they'd all seen lying dead at the base of this very tower.

"Sorry," she said cautiously. "Did you just say you were Albus Dumbledore?" And the Deputy Headmaster at that. There was something decidedly very, very wrong here just now, and she shook her head again but decided to wait for the 'just kidding'. Maybe Steven was having her on - Ari had been out to get her since that end-of-term prank Ginny had pulled in the teacher's lounge. It certainly wasn't above Ari to engage the other professors in her fun.

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dumbleydore
2010-03-20 10:47 pm UTC (link)

Albus had been briefly amused by the young woman's reaction then it was his turn to be somewhat taken aback. "Filius Flitwick? Great Merlin, you mean we actually managed to coax him into coming to teach?" Except why would Filius be Headmaster?

He looked amused at her question and a twinkle grew in his blue eyes. This situation was getting more and more curious and he'd always liked curiosities and conundrums.

"I did indeed. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, at your service. Transfiguration teacher, Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts." He decided to leave out the fact that he'd recently defeated Gellert Grindelwald. It wasn't something to brag about. It was something that had needed to be done and nothing more. Now if only he could convince the wizarding world of that.

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-20 10:53 pm UTC (link)

All right, she'd pitch in a little more staring. "Coax him into ... he's been teaching charms since I started school. Since before that, even. My brothers all had him."

It was very much on the tip of her tongue to point out to Albus that he was dead, and everyone knew he was dead, and he most certainly wasn't that young when he'd died.

And since Steven hadn't been able to procure a piece of Dumbledore, he'd gone with someone who had ... very similar blue eyes. "But that was fun, Steven. It it Steven, right? Faustus wouldn't likely play along with this and Kevin's a bit too mature. Randy couldn't pull off the voice. Honestly, just because I one-upped her ..."

Ginny shook her head. "You did do your homework though, I'll give you that. Almost had me going for a minute. Whose hair did you borrow? Because I would almost believe that, with the eyes."

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dumbleydore
2010-03-20 11:55 pm UTC (link)

One of Albus' eyebrows went up in surprise at the young woman's response. Presuming she was telling the truth and wasn't addled in some manner, then Filius had been teaching for perhaps twenty years, maybe more. As Alice said... curiouser and curiouser.

The other eyebrow went up when she continued though his amusement didn't abate. "I assure you, my dear, I am Albus Dumbledore."

Ideas were flowing through his mind and he decided he should ask a few questions of his own and perhaps he could find some answers. "May I ask your name? And perhaps what the date is?"

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-21 12:11 am UTC (link)

Well, it wasn't as though she had anything immediately pressing to deal with, so she reasoned there was no harm in playing along. Still, she gave him a very pointed look that let him know - as she still believed it was Steven - that she was just playing along to humor him and not that she actually bought his story.

"My name is Ginevra Molly Potter, though most people just call me Ginny. I was born in 1981 and just recently celebrated my forty-second birthday. The current year then is 2023. The date is August 20th, and we're getting set for the Tri-Wizard Tournament we'll be hosting here. I was on my way up to the tower to get a better view of the grounds, and because I like looking at the pitch from this angle. Since I won't be seeing much of it for the next two terms, I thought I should admire it while I could."

She regarded the man for a long moment. She hadn't been nearly as close to Dumbledore as Harry had, hadn't spent as much time with him, but everyone knew the face of their beloved Headmaster. Attempting to mentally age up the man before him, she was a little surprised at how easily she could see Albus in the face.

That made her a little nervous, because if this wasn't Steven pranking her, then she was looking at a walking, talking, breathing impossibility.

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dumbleydore
2010-03-21 07:45 am UTC (link)

"How remarkable," Albus said in response to her reply to his questions. He knew of the Potters. A pureblood family much like any other. There was a Charlus Potter in one of his classes. This woman didn't look much like any of them but Potter could be a married name. "I can't imagine what might have happened. My last memory is of walking through the Atrium at the Ministry so you can understand why I was a bit taken aback to find myself here."

He tapped a finger against his chin. "It was also 1945 and only three months since the end of the war against Gellert Grindelwald and his forces." He always felt better putting it that way. He didn't like reflecting on what had become of Gellert. There were far too many regrets in that direction.

"2023," he said thoughtfully. "I would be... verging on 150 if I was still alive. However since I am here, may I assume that I am no longer alive?" He drew in a small breath. "Aberforth? Is he still alive?"

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-21 04:05 pm UTC (link)

Ginny listened, and she was finding it harder and harder to believe this was Steven screwing with her. One hand ran through her hair because she couldn't accept the other possibility. That a young Albus Dumbledore had somehow returned from the dead.

She'd have to tell Harry, see what he thought about this. It occurred to her then that Albus wouldn't know Harry, and she nearly laughed at that thought before she pressed a hand to her mouth.

"Right," she said after a moment. "No. No, you ... you were. Ah. You were killed, in 1996. Right here," she added with a gesture toward the window he'd fallen out of when he'd died. Harry had pointed it out to her at one point, though they'd all drawn the logical conclusion from where he'd ... landed on the grass.

"I ... I believe Aberforth passed away a few years ago," she admitted though she honestly couldn't say for certain. She really hadn't kept tabs on a lot of people that she should have.

"So you're really ... you're really Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said after a moment. She had no idea where to go from here. Hand it over to the Ministry, surely, and let them go about proving or disproving, but surely she could give him some time to settle in first.

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dumbleydore
2010-03-21 08:36 pm UTC (link)

"Goodness me," Albus said with what was actually genuine surprise. The idea that he'd died at Hogwarts wasn't the surprise but the idea that he'd died somewhere other than his bed certainly was surprising. Also he had noted the salient word in that explanation - 'killed'. So he had not died a natural death. Well, that wasn't surprising either.

A wave of sadness washed over him at the news that his brother was dead. He hoped that the two of them had made some sort of peace before that happened though he didn't ask. If it had happened, it was unlikely either he or Abe would have made it public.

"I certainly hope so," he said with returning humour. "I get into quite enough trouble all by myself. I shudder to think what might happen if there were two of me."

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-21 09:10 pm UTC (link)

Ginny managed a smile to that, and she still thought Harry needed to know very, very soon and she'd do that as soon as she figured out ... what, exactly, to do with a returned person.

Pointing him at the Headmaster seemed like the best bet and she wondered if Filius was in today. Likely so, because a lot of them were in and he was surely keeping in touch with Randy for the charms they'd need around the school and the pitch once they got further preparations ready for the tournament. "Think we would've appreciated two of you at the end," Ginny admitted with a slight smile, but that was ... well, that would need explanations she wasn't in a place to give.

"So, I could take you to see the Headmaster," she began. "Because I'll be perfectly frank. We've never had anything like this happen before, ever, and I'm really not sure what sort of protocol or procedures need to be followed for this."

Though if she'd had any idea what her some of her fellow staff members had gotten into earlier that day, she'd know her words weren't strictly true.

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dumbleydore
2010-03-21 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Albus raised an eyebrow at that admission. He'd hate to think he'd been indispensible. No one man should be indispensible after all. It was a bad precedent to set. Random chance was more of afactor than most people believed and if you made one man indispensible, what would you do if he failed or died?

"That sounds like a jolly good idea," he said with a smile. "I'm not sure if it's any consolation but I can't recall an incident like this ever occurring either here or anywhere else. It is the kind of incident that would get my attention."

He definitely wanted some answers to the many questions running around his mind. It was better if those answers came from people who were more likely to know the answers.

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bat_bogeys
2010-03-21 10:11 pm UTC (link)

Ginny did grin at that. "No, I imagine if people made a habit of popping up in random places when they should be ... well, unable to pop anywhere, we'd have heard about it."

But maybe not. Depending who had the heaviest hand in the media, some things went unreported - or reported in a dirtier light. So maybe it had happened before, ages ago, and had been explained away or brushed off or ... something.

Either way, she turned to head back down the stairs, her desire to survey the grounds forgotten for the moment. Once she got him squared away with Filius, Ginny intended finish what she'd come here to accomplish and head home to break the news to Harry. She'd thought to owl him first, but in the odd, off chance it was intercepted, she didn't want to be responsible for putting this sort of news in writing.

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