The Letters of Albus Dumbledore: June 23rd, 1899
Title: The Letters of Albus Dumbledore
Author/Artist: The_Crushinator
Rating: K+ at the moment
Pairing or Character(s): Albus/Gellert, light implication of Albus/Elphias
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Potterverse, nor would I ever claim to do so. Heavens!
Warnings: Bookish?
Author's Note: Thank you for your interest in this story! The two comments I got were awesome and made me feel all gooey inside. As promised, here's the next letter, and I hope you like it. First appearance of Gellert and all that!
June 23rd, 1899
Dear Elphias,
It has been two weeks since your last few letters arrived. I apologise for not writing back to you in a more timely manner. You see, I have been singularly occupied with a most unexpected pleasure: an equal.
Are you surprised? I was as well - most likely far more than you are right now, reading this letter. It seems I was mistaken in my hasty assessment of Miss Bagshot’s great-nephew, and have been utterly delighted with his company. If you could but meet him, Elphias! What debates we could have, we three! You would no doubt find some of his arguments a bit on the radical side - you were always a soft-hearted soul - but his skill! His spellwork! I confess I have never seen anything like it in all my life, both at Hogwarts and beyond. Even the elders at the Cairo Alchemical Conference would be taken aback by his deft research in that field. Though I was not pleased with his methodology on first glance, he has proven a most persuasive scholar, and I find myself looking at certain ideas which I have always held as unquestionable in a quite different light. He has been a gift to me, Elphias, a gift to me in my loneliness. I never dreamed I could meet someone who could set my mind so aflame.
Let me set the scene of our first meeting. We received a note from Miss Bagshot that her great-nephew had arrived, and being a good neighbor, I invited them both to join us for afternoon tea at their earliest convenience. She sent her card back at once, and agreed with my chosen date. After a little persuading, Aberforth agreed to attend as long as Ariana was to be included. Though I had certain reservations on that matter, I gave in to his condition. After all, I was still operating under the assumption that the nephew and I would have little to talk about, and thought to provide him with at least one conversation partner if I could not suffice. Miss Bagshot and her great-nephew arrived the following day to find all three of us in our visiting best. Can you picture us, Elphias? I wore my chartreuse robes, the ones with the silver trim, and Aberforth was in his usual sombre grey. Ariana was arrayed in pink, and would have been perfect if she had not somehow managed to remove the matching ribbon I had so delicately arranged in her hair before anyone could see the effect. In my next letter, I shall have to attach a photo. But I digress.
Remember that I wrote you that Miss Bagshot's great-nephew is only a little older than Aberforth? When I first saw him I was shocked to discover that he is also smaller than my brother - a wild-looking slip of a thing with unruly yellow hair and what can only be described as an impish smile. I was certain that he and Aberforth would soon begin a career of pulling pranks on their elders to pass the summer. I was shortly proven wrong. He spared not a glance for Aberforth, and instead strolled over to the bookshelves and asked me if I was partial to the works of Julian Flynt.
Then the most extraordinary thing occurred. Miss Bagshot had brought a few sweets for Ariana, but Ariana had refused to take them. Instead, she hid behind my brother and shook her head at every repetition of the offer. This behavior is nothing out of the ordinary; Ariana has a particular mistrust of strangers (though she has met Miss Bagshot on multiple occasions). Just as I was readying myself to apologise for my sister, Miss Bagshot's great-nephew took the sweets from his Aunt, knelt before Ariana, and simply held them out to her, smiling and saying nothing. And Ariana took them! She retreated to the safety of Aberforth to eat them, but the fact remains that she took something from the hands of a person she had only been acquainted with for a bare minute. Miss Bagshot came over all a-flutter with praise, but her words meant nothing in comparison to what I felt.
It was not long before he, Miss Bagshot, and I were involved in a most engaging conversation on the subject of new techniques in Transfiguration. Ariana and Aberforth played the pianoforte together, sprinkling our conversation with their, ah, charming interpretation of a minuet. That night, I slept with a sense of contentment I have not known since my mother passed.
As you may infer from my report, I was eager to continue my acquaintance with Miss Bagshot's great-nephew as quickly as my duties permitted. I did not, however, expect to see him again within the day! The very next morning, as I was taking my usual stroll through the village, I happened upon him by the kissing gate of our local cemetery. Unprepared as I was, I bid him good morning and thought to continue home when he stopped me by way of blocking my path with his silver-handled walking stick, and then demanded my assistance in identifying some of the headstones. It was noon before we finished our investigation.
This distraction, however, was not without consequence. While I was so pleasantly engaged, the goats broke into the vegetable garden, and Ariana nearly set it on fire in agitation. I shall have to reinforce the spell wards around their pen if I am to enjoy a few moments outside my duties as head of household.
Ever since that fateful walk, we have spent every morning together. I feel my mind growing sharper every moment I am with him, as I have no doubt yours would, if you were here. Perhaps my internment in Godric's Hollow is not without merit after all. For though I should have liked to be with you as you narrowly escaped the wrath of the Mycenaean sphinxes, if I were not at home, I would not have met Gellert.
I am certain Aberforth would send his regards if he were not feeding the goats. Ariana sends her love, and asks that you bring her a sphinx feather when you visit us in the autumn. She found a rook feather in the rose garden yesterday and has since gone on a search for a feather from every bird she sees. By the time you arrive she is sure she will have a sizable collection to show you.
As always, I send you my warmest regards.
-Albus
***
Notes
Julian Flynt was a turn of the century scholar known for both his research on the historical basis of Wizarding children's stories and his personal anti-Muggle leanings.
The city of Thebes has had one of the world's largest populations of Mycenaean sphinxes since the days of antiquity. The sphinxes are the pride of that city's magical community, and the location of their breeding grounds is a fiercely-guarded secret. When asked why he was forced to flee the generally benign members of this revered riddle of sphinxes, Elphias Doge sheepishly admitted that he had gone looking for the animal's breeding grounds, and upon getting close, was attacked by an adult female and her four cubs. “It isn't as if I were going to announce it to the world,” he insists. “I just wanted to have a look.”
Doge is still banned from entering Thebes and its surrounding areas.
Author/Artist: The_Crushinator
Rating: K+ at the moment
Pairing or Character(s): Albus/Gellert, light implication of Albus/Elphias
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Potterverse, nor would I ever claim to do so. Heavens!
Warnings: Bookish?
Author's Note: Thank you for your interest in this story! The two comments I got were awesome and made me feel all gooey inside. As promised, here's the next letter, and I hope you like it. First appearance of Gellert and all that!
June 23rd, 1899
Dear Elphias,
It has been two weeks since your last few letters arrived. I apologise for not writing back to you in a more timely manner. You see, I have been singularly occupied with a most unexpected pleasure: an equal.
Are you surprised? I was as well - most likely far more than you are right now, reading this letter. It seems I was mistaken in my hasty assessment of Miss Bagshot’s great-nephew, and have been utterly delighted with his company. If you could but meet him, Elphias! What debates we could have, we three! You would no doubt find some of his arguments a bit on the radical side - you were always a soft-hearted soul - but his skill! His spellwork! I confess I have never seen anything like it in all my life, both at Hogwarts and beyond. Even the elders at the Cairo Alchemical Conference would be taken aback by his deft research in that field. Though I was not pleased with his methodology on first glance, he has proven a most persuasive scholar, and I find myself looking at certain ideas which I have always held as unquestionable in a quite different light. He has been a gift to me, Elphias, a gift to me in my loneliness. I never dreamed I could meet someone who could set my mind so aflame.
Let me set the scene of our first meeting. We received a note from Miss Bagshot that her great-nephew had arrived, and being a good neighbor, I invited them both to join us for afternoon tea at their earliest convenience. She sent her card back at once, and agreed with my chosen date. After a little persuading, Aberforth agreed to attend as long as Ariana was to be included. Though I had certain reservations on that matter, I gave in to his condition. After all, I was still operating under the assumption that the nephew and I would have little to talk about, and thought to provide him with at least one conversation partner if I could not suffice. Miss Bagshot and her great-nephew arrived the following day to find all three of us in our visiting best. Can you picture us, Elphias? I wore my chartreuse robes, the ones with the silver trim, and Aberforth was in his usual sombre grey. Ariana was arrayed in pink, and would have been perfect if she had not somehow managed to remove the matching ribbon I had so delicately arranged in her hair before anyone could see the effect. In my next letter, I shall have to attach a photo. But I digress.
Remember that I wrote you that Miss Bagshot's great-nephew is only a little older than Aberforth? When I first saw him I was shocked to discover that he is also smaller than my brother - a wild-looking slip of a thing with unruly yellow hair and what can only be described as an impish smile. I was certain that he and Aberforth would soon begin a career of pulling pranks on their elders to pass the summer. I was shortly proven wrong. He spared not a glance for Aberforth, and instead strolled over to the bookshelves and asked me if I was partial to the works of Julian Flynt.
Then the most extraordinary thing occurred. Miss Bagshot had brought a few sweets for Ariana, but Ariana had refused to take them. Instead, she hid behind my brother and shook her head at every repetition of the offer. This behavior is nothing out of the ordinary; Ariana has a particular mistrust of strangers (though she has met Miss Bagshot on multiple occasions). Just as I was readying myself to apologise for my sister, Miss Bagshot's great-nephew took the sweets from his Aunt, knelt before Ariana, and simply held them out to her, smiling and saying nothing. And Ariana took them! She retreated to the safety of Aberforth to eat them, but the fact remains that she took something from the hands of a person she had only been acquainted with for a bare minute. Miss Bagshot came over all a-flutter with praise, but her words meant nothing in comparison to what I felt.
It was not long before he, Miss Bagshot, and I were involved in a most engaging conversation on the subject of new techniques in Transfiguration. Ariana and Aberforth played the pianoforte together, sprinkling our conversation with their, ah, charming interpretation of a minuet. That night, I slept with a sense of contentment I have not known since my mother passed.
As you may infer from my report, I was eager to continue my acquaintance with Miss Bagshot's great-nephew as quickly as my duties permitted. I did not, however, expect to see him again within the day! The very next morning, as I was taking my usual stroll through the village, I happened upon him by the kissing gate of our local cemetery. Unprepared as I was, I bid him good morning and thought to continue home when he stopped me by way of blocking my path with his silver-handled walking stick, and then demanded my assistance in identifying some of the headstones. It was noon before we finished our investigation.
This distraction, however, was not without consequence. While I was so pleasantly engaged, the goats broke into the vegetable garden, and Ariana nearly set it on fire in agitation. I shall have to reinforce the spell wards around their pen if I am to enjoy a few moments outside my duties as head of household.
Ever since that fateful walk, we have spent every morning together. I feel my mind growing sharper every moment I am with him, as I have no doubt yours would, if you were here. Perhaps my internment in Godric's Hollow is not without merit after all. For though I should have liked to be with you as you narrowly escaped the wrath of the Mycenaean sphinxes, if I were not at home, I would not have met Gellert.
I am certain Aberforth would send his regards if he were not feeding the goats. Ariana sends her love, and asks that you bring her a sphinx feather when you visit us in the autumn. She found a rook feather in the rose garden yesterday and has since gone on a search for a feather from every bird she sees. By the time you arrive she is sure she will have a sizable collection to show you.
As always, I send you my warmest regards.
-Albus
***
Notes
Julian Flynt was a turn of the century scholar known for both his research on the historical basis of Wizarding children's stories and his personal anti-Muggle leanings.
The city of Thebes has had one of the world's largest populations of Mycenaean sphinxes since the days of antiquity. The sphinxes are the pride of that city's magical community, and the location of their breeding grounds is a fiercely-guarded secret. When asked why he was forced to flee the generally benign members of this revered riddle of sphinxes, Elphias Doge sheepishly admitted that he had gone looking for the animal's breeding grounds, and upon getting close, was attacked by an adult female and her four cubs. “It isn't as if I were going to announce it to the world,” he insists. “I just wanted to have a look.”
Doge is still banned from entering Thebes and its surrounding areas.