Dumbledore Is A Sussy-Baka
'Did he call me in here for some kind of intimidation tactic? Brother, I don't even know what the fuck is going on at this point.'
I had spent the better part of last night and this morning trying to guess the reasons for my arrival in this alternate world, but it completely evaded me.
"Theo, you don't mind me calling you that, do you?" Dumbledore questioned. He had finally opened his eyes and looked at me.
Shaking my head, I merely sat there, waiting for him to continue.
"I had wished we met earlier, young Theo. I'm sure I could have aided you further when you were a child," he said solemnly.
Turning my head, a questioning look was on my face. "What do you mean, sir?"
"I had guessed you wouldn't know, dear boy." Reaching into the drawers of his desk, Dumbledore fished around for a moment before pulling out a box and placing it between us.
"In my years of travel and knowledge, I've learned many hidden secrets within the wizarding world." Pointing to the box, Dumbledore smiled slightly. "This, my boy, is possibly one of the deepest-kept secrets."
Opening the box, he looked at the contents before turning it towards me. Peering inside, I couldn't help but be even more confused.
Inside, a singular silver ring held a black stone in the middle that shimmered in the light. If I looked closer, I could see that it resembled a hidden galaxy within.
Etched on the stone was the infinity symbol, radiating a brilliant purple and silver.
"I'm still confused, sir," I said.
No, I wasn't acting like an idiot. I understood the infinity symbol, but why Dumbledore had associated it with me was confusing.
"Ambrosius, a last name that almost no one remembers apart from the Goblins at Gringott's, and even then, only the highest positions are privy to the information."
He leaned in, peering into my eyes.
"That is the family name of the unknown, but all-too-well-spoken-of Merlin."
'What the fuck? Like Merlin from the template, or Merlin from this world? Could they be the same person, or was it all part of the system, creating a backstory for me?'
My mind was racing with different ideas, trying to reach a plausible conclusion.
Dumbledore pushed the ring, bringing it closer to me. His eyes twinkled with something akin to affection or tenderness as he stared at me.
"This may be perceived as an old man's ramblings, but I hope you give the ring a try. Your family has done more for the wizarding world as a whole, but they always hid themselves. You, the possible last of your bloodline, deserve to be acknowledged as the heir."
I merely nodded, extending my hand slowly, still pretty apprehensive about all of this information. Placing the ring on my palm, I looked at it closely before raising my eyes, questions brimming inside.
"Please don't take offense, but why are you aiding me if I am the heir? I'd suspect you could have more to gain if you released this information."
Dumbledore chuckled slightly before leaning back in his large chair. "Caution is always good, dear Theo."
Placing what looked like a sweet in his mouth, he smiled.
"I can never, and will never divulge this information unless you request me to do so. I am a member of the Order of Merlin, First Class to be exact. When someone receives the position, they have a magical and contractual obligation to keep the knowledge they gain of the Ambrosius family to themselves. It is impossible to circumvent the oath, as it is of an ancient and old magic, from a time of archaic spell casting."
This was news to me. I simply thought I might have been from a hidden family that held some power, not from the Jesus-like existence to the magical world.
"I do not know of your family's assets, nor their hidden secrets. I merely gained the ring by coincidence many years ago. You will need to go to Gringott's to find out the extent of your inheritance."
I nodded, looking at the ring once more, before taking a deep breath. The uncertainty of my current situation made me feel knots in the pit of my stomach.
Quickly, I fit the ring onto my pointer finger, bracing for anything that could happen to me when I wore it.
Seconds passed, silence surrounding us. I kept my eyes closed for a full minute, before a warm sensation blasted through my entire being. Unlike the system's torturous pain, this was like a mother's warm hug.
"Incredible!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands. He quickly stood up, dusting off his robe, before bowing gently. His actions shocked me deeply.
"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, welcome Heir of the Most Archaic and Most Noble House of Ambrosius." He raised his head, his eyes twinkling with happiness at those words.
I quickly stood up, taking a step back, the shock clear across my face. "Sir! Please, don't do that. I don't even understand my position yet."
Shaking his head, Dumbledore sat back down. "You may not understand, but I assure you that my gesture was a necessity. Now, I must apologize for disclosing all the information, but until you have a conversation with the Goblins, you will not be truly recognized. I shall send you with Professor McGonagall next weekend to complete everything."
I simply nodded before sitting back down.
"Is there anything else? Maybe some hidden prophecy I need to accomplish along the way?" I laughed at my words, but I was shit scared if he started spouting about some mighty quest.
"Nothing of the sort. I simply wished for a young boy to understand his heritage and claim what was rightfully his. Though I do hope you are a beacon of morals and learning for your fellow peers, one day."
Honestly, all of this could be a lie, but I had nothing to lose. Being here for almost a full day, ol' Dumbles here has been more helpful than anyone else.
"Now, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind. I'll leave you to your own thoughts, but please, if you ever require someone to speak to, my door is always open. Use the phrase 'Merlin's Beard' and you shall have access to my office."
Standing up, I paused for a moment, remembering the 24/7 access words, before nodding to Dumbledore and leaving the office.
'Let's get Alice and explore the school.'
---
I was currently outside of the castle, sitting on the stone-like beach of the island the Golden Trio would visit sometimes in the movies.
Completely understanding why they visited this place so much, I was watching the calm waters in front of me while Alice sat in my lap, enjoying the cool winds kissing our bodies.
"Can you believe it, Alice? Me, the direct heir of the most hidden and auspicious family."
Scratching under her chin, I smiled as she purred. "That means you're also some type of royalty. Congratulations!"
Almost like she understood my words, she licked my fingers and rolled around in my hands. Laughing, I was happy I could have her by my side. She was more affectionate to me than my previous family.
"Tempus."
A simple spell I had read about previously, requiring no wand movements or intricate understanding, materialized within my eyes. It was nothing more than a magical clock, allowing me to tell the time.
"It's only midday. Should we explore the castle a little, Alice?" Jumping on my shoulder, the little black cat meowed once in confirmation.
---
Many students seemed confused as they saw me walking around the school with a cat latched onto my shoulder.
After asking around, I found out that most people allowed their pets to run around the school, most of them not seeing them for days at a time.
We had begun our journey on the outskirts of the school, leaving the lake and heading towards the Quidditch Field.
Though no one was currently there, the fact I could experience the place in real life was incredible.
From there, we moved towards Hagrid's shack, though both of us didn't really want to go any further than looking at it from the bridge.
Exploring the ever-changing staircase was fun, as each time we went to a new floor, it would take almost 30 minutes of waiting before we could find the right stairs to shift.
There was so much to see that even putting a pen to paper it would fill up a book with useless information, but it seemed Alice had a lot of fun looking at the paintings that could talk back to us. We'd spoken to wizards who didn't understand the concept of flushing toilets and those who had helped develop advancements in spells people used daily.
By the time Alice and I had explored half of the easily accessible locations, it was dinnertime.
Quickly stopping by the Great Hall, I grabbed a filling meal, not wasting before leaving once again.
My new destination was the library.
It was really an incredible place, especially for someone new to this world and the concept of magic. Rows upon rows of bookshelves lined with books about the most mundane usage of magic, to the most obscure and archaic knowledge available to students.
Looking around the gigantic library, I found the book required for this year's course in Defense Against the Dark Arts. My eyes lingered around the tables, looking for a vacant seat,
though it seemed like most people had similar ideas.
Finding a table with one person, I hurried to them. "I'm sorry, but the other tables are full. Would you mind if I joined you here?"
Hermione turned her head from her books, hearing my voice. Raising her eyes, she stared at me momentarily, her eyes widening, before shifting back to her natural neutral look.
"You're more than welcome to sit, but please don't make too much noise." Her unintentional snarkiness made me laugh internally before I nodded, placing my book down and opening it.
Pulling out the accompanying parchment and quill, something I fucking loathed to use as a writing tool, I began making notes about the things I found interesting in the book. Things I could research deeper at a later time.
As I was reading the book 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection,' I felt my mind going into a state of hyper-focus.
The words I read were being etched deep into my mind, the contents of each page being stored in my brain, locked and shut in a vault of information I seemed to recall at a moment's notice.
My face lit up with an enormous grin at this newfound ability.
It seemed as though the 'Extraordinary Genius' passive of Merlin allowed me to have some type of supercomputer brain with magic and knowledge.
Hours passed quickly as Hermione and I sat in complete silence, the library almost devoid of students. I had noticed her taking peeks at me in random intervals, like she was bursting to talk, but didn't want to be rude.
"My name's Theodore Ambrosius. I realize we didn't introduce ourselves." Smiling, I extended my hand toward her.
"Hermione, Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled kindly, shaking my hand.
It was a simple greeting, nothing more, but the added friendliness made it easier to study around her.
"Well, I should head off, Hermione. Maybe we could not talk together tomorrow night?" Packing my book up, I walked away from her before she could find a reason to reject me.
'Can't say no if I don't give you the chance!'