The tamest thing in his wardrobe

"Albus, that suit…"

"I've often been told I look good in this color."

"Yes but its so—people are going to talk."

"People already talk about me, Headmaster"

"Still, your suppose to be incognito when going in the muggle world."

"There are Muggles that look like this."

"Not ones that are suppose to be teachers."

With a flourish of the young man's hand, his suit changed from a shimmery robin egg shade to plum.

"Is this more appropriate? He asked with that infernal twinkle.

The headmaster sighed and watched as Albus walked down to the gates, off to London to inform an orphan he's a wizard.

A funny young man, that Albus.

After the fact

"You work so hard Albus, its Friday, the caldron will still be there in the morning."

"Thank you sir, but I have a good feeling about this batch."

"Ahh, your dedicated young Albus. A good trait in alchemy, but you must remember your still a man, and men cannot live on theory and experimentation alone."

"Yes sir."

"Ah ah ah don't inch your way back towards that caldron. Go out, buy a few pints and talk to some pretty girl."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather continue to work."

"Fine fine. You'll never meet anyone hunched over ancient tombs and mucking about with dragon's blood, boy. But what do I know eh?"

"I think learning is more important then marriage sir."

"Who said anything about marriage? Can't find many friend in an alchemy lab."

Exactly, he thought.

Falling short of human

Oh there were others.

The bloke who ran the till at Flourish and Blotts when he was an apprentice. The man from Newcastle who sat next to him on the Wizengamot during the Grindelwald conflict. The driver on the Knight Bus who was killed by Death Eaters the first time 'round. The owner's son at that tiny candy shop in muggle London.

The ones with the loaded glances and subtle touches, bold notes slipped to him on scraps of fine parchments.

He turned them all down. Only one ever got close to slipping past his wards again.

Then Tom Riddle made his grand reappearance, and all of a sudden their world was chaos and death and uncertainty. He told him it was too dangerous, that something could happen to ether of them and for Morgana s sake he'd already lost a leg.

"Worried it's going to effect my performance eh? All the parts that matter are still intact."

The look on his face must have been humorous because the other man laughed and kissed his hand and never mentioned it again. Even though sometime later, he would notice the one blue eye swirling in his direction whenever they were in the same room.

He was almost glad that Crouch was Kissed, that he would never speak all the secrets that were not his to tell.