Who: Alphard Black & Albus Dumbledore What: Catching up after the party Where: Murky Waters When: After midnight, Apr 15/16 Rating: TBC Status: Closed, Complete
Albus had slipped into the party at the end, a short while before it had started winding down. It seemed like there was a decent turnout and he was able to slide into his usual position behind the bar in the hope that no'one would notice. To be honest, he'd walked past the pub several times since finding himself back in his old, young body. It wasn't that he was against the message Alphard was trying to put out there, but Albus rather doubted he'd ever be a 'rainbow bunting' type of person. Still, here he was; suddenly twenty five again with rumpled auburn hair and a suspiciously beard-free face, passing out free beers and doing his best to catch a glimpse of the bar manager through the crowd.
It took an extra hour or so for the party to die down properly. The last few people stumbled over the threshold and Albus watched from behind the safety of the polished bartop, absently flexing his healed hand as the door swung shut. For the first time, the redhead felt like he could take a moment to breathe as he took in the chaos left behind by the rowdy gathering. Glasses lay half drunk and abandoned on the misplaced tables, food was scattered around and the music continued to play quietly.
With a small sigh, Albus pushed himself back from the bar and turned to look around, finally locating Alphard towards the back of the room. With everything going on, they hadn't had a chance to say two words to each other. The relief Albus felt to see the other man back to his usual age was almost palpable, although he had more sense than to show it. Instead, he smiled and lifted his voice a little to call across the pub.