Dumbledore

Hogwarts, Aug. 7 th

Walking out of the floo and into his office, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore removed the ash from his robes with the slightest flick of his wand. Ever since Pettigrew's escape, he had been bouncing between Hogwarts, the Ministry, and even the I.C.W in Geneva. The constant traveling and sleepless nights were exhausting, but also necessary. Removing the small time turner from around his neck, Albus contemplated going back a few hours and getting some rest before he needed to look over the applicants for the open Defense and Care of Magical Creatures positions.

The briefest whiff of sulfur gave Albus pause. It was as though something had been recently burnt.

A soft trill from Fawkes bolstered his resolve, and Albus pushed the odd thought to the back of his mind. Feeling better than he had in days, Albus stroked his Phoenix's back appreciatively. Noticing a few darkened feathers, Albus said, "Your burning day is approaching faster than I anticipated. Perhaps the battle with the Basilisk took more out of you than we suspected."

Fawkes playfully nipped at his owner's fingers.

"I know, I know," Albus said teasingly, "you're a mighty creature that fights Basilisks. You don't need anyone to look after you."

Bursting into flames, Fawkes disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a magazine between his talons.

"And what is this?" Albus asked with some amusement, accepting the magazine from his familiar.

Sitting down behind his desk, Dumbledore read the small note on the cover of the magazine from Lily Potter.

If anyone was watching Albus Dumbledore as he read the article on Harry Potter's achievement, they would have been surprised at the Headmaster's reaction to the article. Albus had always held himself as an educator first, and he was well-known for celebrating his students and friends' achievements. Therefore, it was very odd to see not even the slightest hint of pride on his face; however, while there was no outward sign of happiness, Dumbledore did not appear upset or disappointed in any way. The man simply read the article with a consistently blank face, devoid of emotion. The only sign that Dumbledore was even affected by what he read was the slightest hint of a twinkle in his eye as he read about his pseudo-grandson's discovery in Transfiguration.

As soon as he completed the article, Dumbledore set the magazine down and quickly wrote a congratulatory note to Harry for his achievement.

"Do you mind, Fawkes?" Dumbledore asked, holding out the letter to his familiar.

Fawkes looked hesitantly at his master and let out a burst of song before taking the note and flaming away to deliver the letter to Harry Potter.

With a sigh, Albus glanced towards his quarters with a despondent expression on his face. The people at Durmstrang weren't the only ones holding onto memories of Gellert Grindelwald.

Reaching into his robes, Albus removed a small time turner. He gave the device two turns, and felt goosebumps rise on his arms as the device's magic activated to take him two hours into the past. With a casual flick of his wand, he cast a privacy spell on his door and blocked his floo, before getting up and walking to his quarters.

Ignoring the various enchanted objects and devices that sat around his bedroom, Albus walked up to a small muggle portrait of a sailboat and waved his wand. The portrait began to warp and shift before Dumbledore's eyes, and a single shelf of books appeared before him. Removing a small leather-bound journal, Dumbledore re-transfigured the books and shelf back into the portrait.

Running a finger down the spine of the journal, Albus' blue eyes were devoid of their typical mirth.

In flawless German, Albus spat out, "Für das größere Wohl."

Without any other prompting, the book opened, prominently exposing the inscription on the first page for all to see.

The magic and knowledge within this book is dedicated to the wizards and witches of the world. What we start here in Godric's Hollow shall spread across the world. I, Gellert Grindelwald, and I, Albus Dumbledore agree to pledge our lives, our magic, and our eternal souls to the achievement of the following principles:

That no Wizard or Witch should be forced to hide what they are.

That no Muggle should be free to harass, harm, or belittle those with magic.

That no Wizard or Witch shall EVER submit to the will of a Muggle, for they are the lesser beings.

What we do now, is for the greater good.

Turning the page, Albus stared at the small photograph of two young men standing shoulder to shoulder with broad grins on their faces. Albus watched impassively as Gellert laughed at something before putting his arm over a much younger version of himself. With narrowed eyes, Albus dropped the book to the floor and drew his wand.

With the tip of his wand pointing directly at the small book, Albus hesitated just momentarily before a burst of blue flames leapt from the deathstick, and the book immediately began to burn.

Albus' icy blue eyes reflected the fire, and he never looked away from the burning book until all that remained was a small pile of ash on the floor of his bedroom. With an impatient jab of his wand, Albus Vanished the remains.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, Albus began to prepare to get some sleep. Noticing his worn image in a mirror, he abruptly realized just how tired he appeared.

That simply wouldn't do.

He couldn't dwell on the dreams of the past any longer, not when the present needed him so very much.